April 19, 2000.
I know, I know, I didn't update on the seventeenth like I said. What was I doing instead? Finishing the screenplay, that's what. Yep, I finished the first draft at approximately two thirty in the morning Monday night. Next on the agenda: I have to finish making the kung fu system. After that, I can storyboard the important scenes (slight amorous contact, training and the final fight). In less than a month, I want to start rehearsals and the martial arts classes. We'll be ready by December. Trust me.

In other news, Allan talked to someone from Lake Thurmond. There is in fact a military camp there, which will be vacant in the winter. The guy said it's beautiful, practically untouched land.

Oh, and I'm sure you've noticed I redesigned the site a little bit. I added Trademark and Trivia pages. There's also a Guide to the MCB Mythos, which I'm currently writing.

Until the first of May...

April 3, 2000.
Well, I haven't updated this page in a month. I knew it would happen sooner or later. So with four weeks since the last update you'd expect all kinds of news wouldn't you? You'd be right. Let's get this show on the road.

First, Allan got a camera off eBay for a hundred and twenty bucks. He hasn't paid for it yet though. If anyone has money to spare, please give it to him. It's a Sankyo Super 8mm, which is a great camera according to www.super8filmaker.com.

Second, the definitive songs-to-be-used-in-movie list is in. Here it is: Rachmaninoff's Prelude in G Sharp Minor, Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On," Radiohead's "Killer Cars," Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain," Carl Orff's O Fortuna, Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" and Nobuo Uematsu's "Dear Friends."

Third, I've decided on a different approach to the designing of the improbability kung fu system. The old one was too restricting for someone as anal-retentive as myself. So here are the names of four of the six proposed kung fu forms: vegetable form (Lionel), ice form (Head Clown), crane form (Mime), magic form (Kabuki Clown).

And that's all that's going on in film world. I'll try to update on the seventeenth. Until then...

March 6, 2000.
Looks like I'm updating this page every other week now. So what's new? Well, I've begun making the style of improbability kung fu. I'm going to hold martial arts classes during the summer, since I'm requiring that every actor who has a fight scene learn the entire curriculum. Don't worry, everyone else, these classes are open to all. Each person who completes the course will receive a fashionable patch with the Chinese symbol for "unreal" on it. Unreal ... improbability... Get it?

The only other news I can think of is that I'm currently making the soundtrack. There are eighteen songs, one for each scene. Only a third of the songs will actually be in the movie. The soundtrack's basic purpose is to tell the story with music. Pretty neat, huh?

Oh, thought of something else. Remember the huge debate I had with myself about which Rachmaninoff composition to use? Yes? Well, I picked neither. I'm actually using the lesser-known Prelude in G Sharp Minor, which is currently on the Soundtrack page.

And last (but definitely the most important), if any of you have friends who'd like to be in a movie, please direct them to the Questionnaire.

Ciao.

February 21, 2000.
Well, it's been two weeks since I updated this part of the site. Time to let everyone know what's been going on. It turns out that the part of filmmaking I thought would be hardest actually is the hardest: casting. Absolutely no one (except for my friends) has any interest in being in a movie. I suppose I can't blame them - "Hey, wanna be in a movie?" does sound like a rather bad pickup line. There are, of course, many many months until filming, but I'd like to have particular people in mind when writing the screenplay.

There are several new additions to my site. First, I translated the title into Italian. And we all know an Italian title (e.g. L'Uomo puma) gives a film a certain ... je ne sais quoi. Second, there's a questionnaire for potential actors, which, admittedly, has been up for a while. And last night I added the Soundtrack page. I know MIDIs blow ass, okay? I just wanted to give an idea of the music. Maybe one of you will be able to help me with my soundtrack dilemma. There are two possible main title themes, both by Rachmaninoff: Prelude in C Sharp Minor and Piano Concerto Number Three in D Minor (which is currently on the page). I'm actually leaning towards the first one right now. One of the reasons I picked the 3rd Piano Concerto is that I knew the old boy hated Prelude in C Sharp Minor, and I didn't want to contribute to his rolling over in his grave. But the Prelude really is better suited, I think. Any musical suggestions (Rachmaninoff-oriented or otherwise) would be greatly appreciated. All the best, Michael.

February 7, 2000.
I feel like making this Web site is a huge step forward in the project. It's a great way to keep everyone consistently up to speed regarding the production. Here's where we are right now: There's a military camp in Georgia (on Strom Thurmond Lake, wherever that is) that's vacant during the winter months; it costs only ten dollars a day to rent. We've also got a real film editor now. Allan Lazenby gets credit for both of these finds. So kudos to you, Allan. The future looks bright for Windermere Productions.