Kiwi @ Killer – Day in the Life
“This was not just a matter of chance. These strange things happen all the time.” -Magnolia/Paul Thomas Anderson
The Killer team mentioned are: James Sehring, head of new media (JS) David Kaplan, creative executive (DK) and Christine Vachon, founder of Killer Films (CV)
Nokia alarm goes off at 8.30.
Monday. Slightly nauseated as I sit up. Quick check of my inbox and the computer screen sends me woozy. Shut the laptop. Feels like a black wave rising up from the base of my neck and crashing through my eyes.
Two minutes and I’m up. Water. Panadol. Four minutes and I can barely stand. Five minutes and there’s a black spot behind my eye. I call Killer and groggily explain. They sound sympathetic. I hit the bed and feel like I’m sinking through to the floor. Guess the blog will have to wait.
Woke up at 9pm. Ate a burger felt better. Slept again.
Take 2.
8.10 Nokia alarm goes off. Had I changed the time?
Text from James Sehring : “feelin better? Coming in?”
Computer still open. Email from David Kaplan titled ‘Todd Haynes.’ Todd is doing a re-vamp of Mildred Pierce, the book, as a five part tv-show. I gave them notes on episode one a few days ago. DK- “Hey man, thanks for those notes. Any chance you could do ep.2 as well?” Time of email 10.40pm. Was supposed to read ep2 but migraine took care of that.
9.12 Take the M14D bus crosstown. NYPD on horses. Quaint. Headache nowhere to be seen.
9.14 Reading Ep2 of Mildred. Feel bad. Ep1 solid, but needed some character development.
Listen to Nick Cave and Warren Ellis’ soundtrack for Jesse James.
9.38 Text from JS “U comin in? No interns today”
Forgot to text him back. Will be there in 5 so don’t reply. On 23rd and 10th, there’s a homeless woman in old red robe. She’s there most mornings. She holds out her hand like a leper as I pass. “Excuse me do you have three pennies?” I shake my head. She looks dejected. She drawls “I’m sorry, I know it’s a stupid question.” before stalking off.
9.46 In the office. Quiet. Just realising what having no interns means.
9.51 Weekly Nicolas Cage email from the guys at the office. It’s been a constant search to see who can find the most tragic video of Mr Cage ‘acting.’
10.05 Email from Jeff Nichols. He’s one of my heroes and is doing the film Goat with us, written by another legend, David Gordon Greene. I put a casting list together last week and he’s replied, with notes. He likes it. I thought the third lead character, Chance, was African American. Turns out he’s not.
James Sehring
10.07 Gchat
JS – Chance is white.
Me – thanks.
10.16 Jeff Nichols calls. He likes Michael Angorano and Anton Yelchin as leads for Goat. DK says “I know Angorano well. He’ll soon be up to Yelchin’s level.”
10.22 Still trying to bang out these notes for Mildred. Episode 2 has some of the best scenes I’ve ever read. CV arrives.
10.23 CV needs coffee. No interns. Looks like it’s me. Nice weather outside.
David Kaplan
10.26 Txt from DK “you know its half decaf and half normal. And no milk.”
Me “on it”
10.29 coffee delivered. Gchat waiting for me- JS – done those notes yet? Me – still on it.
10.55 Todd Haynes is a genius. Ep2 much better than Ep1. Excerpt from my notes-
“This scene is what makes actors attach themselves to a project like this”
11.12 Take a call from a woman from Toronto. Small boutique agency. Usually don’t take anything unsolicited but she piques my interest when she says it’s from the guy who wrote Nurse Betty.
11.18 Finally get David the notes for CV. He’s pleased. They’re succinct, have the same voice as those from episode one. Hope karma will work for me.
11.21 Patricia Clarkson calls. Asks for CV- “Tell her it’s Patty.”
11.25 Script comes through from Nurse Betty writer. Looks solid. Decide to write coverage on it tonight. Coverage is a large part of what I’m doing here. It’s like an independent film book report, minus the gold stars- a short-hand so the heads of Killer don’t have to read everything that comes in.
11.46 Twenty minutes have gone by spent reading emails and watching Massify pitches. There’s a few good ones in here. Deadline was Thursday. What started as 50 subs snowballed into 300+ over the last week. Like panning for gold.
11.47 DK asks for casting ideas for Che in Cinemuerte. She’s one half of a pyshcotic Spanish couple obsessed with horror films. It’s the R role in an R18 film.
11.48 JS – check it out. Aguilera.
11.49 One (unnamed) casting agent has Christina Aguilera on the top of their list. Unbelievable.
11.52 Jessica Beil arrives, meets with CV. I’m too busy putting together this list…
11.53 Coffee for CV. Coffee for Jessica Beil. Where are the interns? Try to remain upbeat.
11.54 HUGE line at Bottino. They look at me as if im a stray dog that wont go away. Halfway in the line when thunder cracks the sky.
11.55 Running through rain. Soaked.
11.56 My choices are the girl from Sin Nombre. And Catalina Sandino Moreno from Maria Full of Grace.
I research the others on the casting list. Penelope Cruz’s sister looks interesting. Most are too old/too tv.
11.57 David walks over. Sympathetic hand on shoulder. He knows notes were good. Can barely hand me the note. CV’s laundry needs to be done. No interns. Great.
12.23 James and I meet with Massify director Brooke Sebold. She is doing behind the scenes for the Massify short we are making in a few weeks. Between me and james we’ve put a lot of time into the project. James lets me do the talking about budgets/equipment/schedule. He speaks when there’s a silence, and supports Brooke’s ideas for the style of doco. He has another call to make and lets me finish up with Brooke on my own. He’s already showing the talents of a good producer.
1.02 CV across office – “Those notes on Mildred are really good”
1.03 JS – nice one
Me – Glad she liked them.
1.09 Have a list of casting ideas for the character of David Kammerer in Kill Your Darlings. Supposed to do an availability check, or ‘avail check’ in industry lingo. Jump on IMDB pro and get listings for actors like Daniel Craig/Clive Owen/Adrian Brody. Call their LA agents. All the assistants I speak to are cheerful/serene. I imagine air conditioned plush offices and assistants wearing suits. I’m in jeans and a half soaked t-shirt. Suprisingly all actors are free/possibly free. Apart from Johnny Depp, who is busy until 2011.
1.15 Another round of casting for Goat. Have these agents read the script?
It’s about college kids pledging to a fraternity. Its violent/harrowing/visceral.
Why have they even put Frankie Muniz and Chris Mintz on here?
1.48 Goat cast list done. Easier this time. Only 3 real possibilites for the three main characters. Still think Chance as African-American would be better. Can’t believe I missed that.
1.55 js – lunch?
I’ve been too busy to eat. I get a #15 from Bottino on foccacia. They deliver. Rain has stopped outside.
2.10 Dk – “Sorry to bug you, but it’s gonna take two hours to do that laundry”
2.23 Finish first half of coverage on script by ex-Killer Films intern. Wonder if im giving him a better review because of his affiliation with company/possible Cinderella story if we choose to make it. Its Juno meets The Wrestler, kind of.
2.24 Out the door. Post it notes says 13th and A. My neighbourhood. No drama.
2.25 Its warm again. New York can be magical with minimum effort. Happy to be out of the office.
2.39 Jump on C train, change at Union Sq – L train to 1st and walk to Ave A. Move like clockwork – done this dozens of times myself.
3.04 CV’s lock notoriously hard to get into. Almost kick out in anger, hold off. Breathe and it clicks. Inside – three HUGE bags. 
Equivalent of a rugby teams kit. Kinda glad it’s me. How would one of the 21 year old NYU kid interns manage this?
Multiple trips/kindness of strangers?
3.10 Slug bags onto street. Nice day. Post it note says 13th and A. Its like 400 metres? Walking is the option.
3.17 Halfway there. Bags digging into shoulder. Teeth grinding. People watching me sweat.
3.23 On corner of 13th and A. Cant see a laundry anywhere. Suddenly very hot.
3.24 Call the office. Everyone serene. Get through to JS. He sounds confused when I tell him of my trek. “Its number 13. Not 13th st.” Its back the way I came. And then some. Hang up. Try not to explode.
3.30 Hot as hell. Walked down other side of street so didn’t look like I was making a u-turn. Getting looks like I’m homeless. Or crazy. Feel remnants of yesterday’s migraine creeping back.
3.40 Find the right laundry. They smile at me. I try to smile back. Soaked. New York suddenly very hot. Shoulder feels like it may be bleeding. Look down at the counter. There’s a video of Snake Eyes. Nic Cage glaring back at me. Touche, Mr Cage, touché.
3.55 Almost at L train when come across an SUV flipped. There’s a pair of shoes on the street as if someone just spontaneously combusted. An ambulance roars past. A little girl is crying. I suddenly care less about my sore shoulder/laundry/body temp. Take picture to prove I saw it.
4.25 Feel bad about taking picture. Almost delete but decide not to. Hope to write something as good as Mildred one day. Little girl on train pulls faces at me/gets scared when I pull faces back.
5.01 Take my time getting back to the office. Realise its been two and a half hours since I left. Time just disappears some days.
5.53 Finish coverage on script by ex-Killer intern. Solid story, some twists. “Needs work, but definitely consider,” is my conclusion. Pause for a second, think about carrying all that laundry. Decide the script is good and im not just being sympathetic to a former intern whose pain I felt for a few hours today.
6.23 Winding down. Another script comes in- Jack the Ripper story. Coverage by tomorrow. Will read in unison with the unsolicited script I took a chance on.
6.35.1 Leave office with JS, both buoyed about Massify choices and making something on different/unique in such a hard economic time. He catches the subway and I walk. Listen to Passion Pit’s song Moth’s Wings.
Have to pick up the laundry, but not worried for the moment.
At 23rd and 10th, the homeless woman is still on her corner, a dirty Dunkin’ Donuts cup at her feet. I give her all my change and she tells me I’m an angel.
As I head home, I see workmen taking down movie posters. The majority are for ‘Knowing.’ I see ‘Nicolas Cage’ ripped in half more than a dozen times.
Karma.
