New Interview About Night Job

Been out of touch for a bit. New baby in my life. Lots of writing going on, including finally finishing the newest draft of the full-length version of Night Job. It was basically a full re-write. It needs some work but it's getting close to being something good.

Here is an interview I did recently with Short Film Texas.

http://www.shortfilmtexas.com/2010/texas-director-aaron-kirks-short-film-night-job-offers-hope-in-a-world-of-darkness/

Night Job gets mentioned in an interview with it's brilliant cinematographer/editor, Jason Baumgardner. Jason released a short web series, The League, last year. Go check out the interview and support my friend.

http://www.shortfilmtexas.com/2010/dallas-filmmaker-jason-baumgardners-fantasy-football-web-series-the-league-scores-big/

I Met Him At A Funeral

If you've seen Night Job, you've seen Gabriel Lawrence be everything I hoped for and more in his portrayal of the lead character, Kevin Mullins. As you may have read in a prior blog, The story of Night Job began in 2002. I was considering it as a film idea in ernest as early as 2004, possibly even 2003. Around that time, I was trying to make another short film (the film, Voices, was never completed). One of the positives from working on that film was that I met a man who mentored me in not only filmmaking but manhood. His name was Todd Huntley. It was Todd's idea that Gabriel be the lead in Night Job. Gabriel and I knew of each other (Todd had even suggested him early on for Voices as well) but we did not meat until sometime in 2005 at Todd's funeral. Todd would have been very pleased to know that we touched base and he would have loved that we finally got to make Night Job work.

Todd Huntley

When I first met Todd, my wife and I were living in Amarillo, TX. Todd was a local director and actor who had been working on radio spots, local and national ads, and the occassional film. This is really Gabriel's story so I'll tell you more about Todd on a later date. Todd was working with me on a project and he had also paid me to help out on a couple of other projects. In that time I started telling him about Night Job. He very quickly recommended Gabriel again. All I knew of Gabriel was his work in a series of statewide PSA's concerning the Worth The Wait program funded by the state of Texas. He did this commercial where he talked about honor and I will say this, he had presence. You saw him and you listened. There were billboards and there was one I often passed while working as a furniture delivery guy. I'd seen that billboard but I'd never met him.

I had friends who knew him. My brother even knew him. But we had not crossed paths. Then my wife and I moved to the Austin area shortly before our first child was born. I stayed in touch with Todd and I still thought about Night Job. Then Todd died. We drove to Amarillo for the funeral and after having a tearful but sweet moment with Todd's widow I saw Gabriel not far behind us. Outside, I introduced myself and got his phone number. It was a brief, special moment: Making a new friend while we both mourned an old one.

That was 2005. We stayed in touch even after Gabriel moved to Los Angeles and come May of 2008 I was picking him up at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and for the next five days we ate, slept, and drank Night Job. During that time he went above and beyond the call of duty. When he wasn't in a scene, he often worked on the crew setting up lights, carrying gear or just being there when needed a hand. He was allowed naps because I figured sleep deprivation make remembering his lines a bit difficult.

Gabriel and Andrew Fickett (boom operator) working really hard.

The part was really Gabriel's to turn down. I had been writing and re-writing drafts of both the short and feature film version for years with him in my mind's eye every time I worked on it. I rejected the suggestion to audition other actors until Gabriel could give me a yes or no. We had to play some phone tag and for awhile there, I didn't hear anything from him. I was about to give up when he said yes.

Gabriel is back in California. He's actually in a masters program for acting now. He was a contestant on the game show, Wipe Out and did a really wonderful little short film called Sons Of God. I'm looking forward to seeing more out of him as an actor and can already atest to what he's meant to me as a friend.

When the time comes to shoot the feature film version of Night Job, the part, as always, is his if he wants it.

Gabriel Lawrence is Kevin Mullins.

Photos from the set of Night Job courtesy Matthew Kirk

Creation

One of my favorite quotes about filmmaking or making art of any kind for that matter is from the late Japanese filmmaker, Akira Kurosawa.

"It is wonderful to create."


Sometimes, I think God was thinking the same thing too. He should know.

Do I Amuse You?

Now it's time for the obligatory blooper or gag reel. For some, these offer a glimpse into the filmmaking process and demystifies it a little bit. While others find that it takes away from the finished film, shattering that wall that separates a complete and engrossing world of fiction and the real, every day world the film was created in.

Still others just find it good for a laugh.

I don't care. Enjoy a group of clips that show off the mistakes of my actors and thankfully only reveals that my sinuses were all torn up during production and that my throat is capable of making rather loud gurgling noises at inopportune times.

Night Job Blooper Reel from Aaron Kirk on Vimeo.

Night Job

First, Night Job is a short(ish) film that I wrote and directed. The goal was to actually get a film under my belt as well as to not only show I am capable of making a quality film and tell a good story but to have something to show around to people who might be willing to partner in making a feature film version of Night Job. The short was adapted from the first portion of an early script for the feature film.

It was also a chance to work with a talented crew and cast especially my life-long friend, Jason Baumgardner. Jason and I go back to before we were born, our parents having been friends since their high school and college days. I did my part but he is the reason this film is as good as it is. He functioned as a producer, actor (Nolan), director of photography and editor. He's my brother and I love him dearly. I say that without reserve. He's the best of men.

I expect I'll dedicate a blog to him on a later date. Honestly, there is no Night Job without him and, if we go deeper than just the film, there might not be the Aaron that I am today without his friendship, especially his level of friendship over the last couple of years. He and his wife Catherine are both heroes.

They wear capes around the house sometimes and make you refer to them by their secret super hero names around the house. It's a little weird but

you get used to it.

Back to Night Job. Where did the idea come from?

Simply, I decided I wanted to be a filmmaker and all around writer sort of guy and in the early months of 2002 I did a lot or brainstorming. Now, I have this friend from high school named James. James is easily one of the most talented and creative musicians I know and because of that I asked him to write and perform the Night Job theme you hear during the beginning and ending of the film. Sometime in early '02 we were talking about how much he was working out and how little I had been working out and after awhile he mentioned he was considering taking up other skills. As in learning a martial art or fencing. I joked he should start fighting crime. James agreed. I think. He never did.

At least I'm not aware that he has but he lives very far away and I couldn't tell you if he regularly has to make excuses for mysterious bumps and bruises. I don't know if he's been telling people he's taken up polo or working in a daycare center.

Anyway, I started thinking. What if there was a everyday guy fighting crime out there. And what if all he had to offer was that he'd taken martial arts classes for a few years, knew how to fence, and had little to no regard for his physical well-being? It started out as an idea for a graphic novel (despite the fact I can not draw) and yes there was few drafts where the guy did attempt to bring his fencing skills into his new crime fighting mission. The idea was that he found it was rarely practical and he grew tired of the jokes he suffered from his confidants.

I also found it impractical and also grew tired of the jokes from my confidants. No fencing.

I've written several versions over the years. Comic book scripts. Short stories. A few different feature film scripts. And for one day, I thought it should be a novel. Eventually, when Jason and I felt we were ready to get down to making a movie, he recommended I adapt a portion of the last feature film draft as a short film introducing the story and the characters. And that's what we did. In May of 2008 we shot for 4 and a half days in Georgetown, Tx. A long year or so followed where Jason edited in the Dallas area where he lives and I worked with him from near Austin, where I live. I made some trips up that way and slept on their couch more than once. In August of 2009, Night Job saw the light of day. It has since been altered slightly and is now available for viewing on the web.

Keep an eye out for more blogs that will address the story, the cast and crew, the shooting itself, and maybe even news about what's going on with Night Job or CultureSalt Productions.

Adios,

Aaron

Welcome to CultureSalt Productions

Welcome. I'd say take off your shoes and put your feet up or something else along those lines because that's what people always say in these sort of introductions. I'm totally not going to say that.

I'm just a guy. A storyteller. A husband, father, seeker, believer, doubter, writer, filmmaker,

lost and found human sort of guy.

This is where I'll keep anyone interested up to date with what's going on with my projects as well as tell stories about current projects. Right now I have a lot of back burners set to simmer and not a whole lot on any front burners. At least not where filmmaking is concerned.

BUT…be looking out for blogs meant to share the stories behind many aspects of the making and aftermath of my first completed, really really real film, Night Job. Night Job is a short film that we made in the hopes to raise funds for a feature film version of Night Job.

So, keep an eye out for that.

As far as the front burners, those are plenty full. My wife. My daughter. A new baby girl on her way. Working. Sleeping. And then there is just plain old figuring me out. Life out. Marriage out. Faith out.

And I won't figure IT all out but my new journey is giving it my best shot instead of just walking down the road with my eyes closed. I highly recommend it.

As Akira Kurowsawa said, "It is wonderful to create." I'm not sure I'm capable of saying it any better than that. It's this beautiful yet aggressive nature inside some of our brains that always has it's fingers in your thoughts. It's like a swelling balloon. Best to let the air out before you pop.

Adios for now,

Aaron

www.nightjobmovie.com

Night Job on Facebook

Night Job on the IMDB