A Writer's Life

Gee, This Poster Looks Familiar

 I guess the FAST LANE folks really liked FAST TRACK.   

No Limits to the Praise

Novelist James Reasoner said some very nice things on his blog about my movie FAST TRACK: NO LIMITS, which is now out on DVD. He said, in a part:

Katie needs money to save her garage, and her only real hope is to win a series of races with her cars. (She doesn’t drive herself, just provides the cars and takes part of the purses when they win.) Throw in more cops, some gangsters, a nasty villain, assorted bank robberies, beautiful women in skimpy outfits, several races, and a handful of really spectacular stunts, and you’ve got a highly entertaining action/adventure movie.

Most of the cast is European, but the two leads are American (Erin Cahill as Katie) and Canadian (Andrew Walker as Mike). Everybody does a good job, the script has some funny lines and several very effective dramatic moments, and the stunt drivers really steal the show. I don’t know if Lee has any more of these in the works, but if he does, I’ll watch ’em, you can count on that.

Thanks so much, James!

FAST TRACK Webshow

Here's the edited version of the live, interactive FAST TRACK: NO LIMITS webshow I did a couple of weeks ago with actors Erin Cahill and Andrew Walker, automotive technical consultant Sam Barer, and callers/chatters from all over the world. I hope you enjoy it! 

Fast Track Webcast Flier

 

Fast Track Webcast

 We had a few technical glitches on our first live, interactive webcast...and weren't able to record the FAST TRACK portion of the show. So we're doing it again this Sunday, Oct. 18, at 6 p.m. I'll be joined by FAST TRACK stars Erin Cahill and Andrew Walker. If you would like to watch, or participate by chat, here's the link. If you would like to join us on camera, via webcam, please send your Skype username to info AT expandedentertainment.com or forward it to me at lee AT leegoldberg.com and I will get it to them.

FAST TRACK out on DVD Today

My movie FAST TRACK: NO LIMITS is finally available on DVD in the U.S. (the movie was released almost two years ago and has been available since then just about everywhere in the world except here!). I wrote and produced the movie in Berlin at the end of 2007...with an American, British, French and German cast. It was one of the best professional experiences of my life...one I hope to repeat in 2010 by working on another action movie with the same team. Here's the FAST TRACK theatrical trailer:

and if you want to know more about how the movie was made, here's part one of "The Making of Fast Track" documentary.

Post-Game Wrap Up

I just got back from EB Live Interactive Webcast to promote my MONK books and the DVD release of my movie FAS T TRACK.  It was the first time Expanded Books has tried to pull off this feat --  a live web broadcast integrating text chats, live Skype webcam calls, in-studio hosts, pre-recorded clips, music, graphics, and virtual sets. And they asked me to be their guinea pig. 

Although there were a few technical glitches, made worse by my fumbling attempt at being a host, I thought it was a lot of fun. And scary, exciting, and embarrassing. My guests were MONK writer/producer/director David Breckman (who was in studio with me) and FAST TRACK star Andrew Walker and technical advisor Sam Barer (both via Skype webcam). My other guests were the people who called in by Skype webcam during the broadcast. I felt a little like an inept Ted Koppel, talking to people "face to face" in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle and Montreal...while also taking questions sent by "chat" (though my chat monitor kept blacking out). 

I have no idea how it turned out...I am supposed to be getting a copy of the show soon and I will post it here. My wife says it was a little rough, and at times I was fumbling, but overall it was fun and it seemed like we were all having a good time, and that compensated for the technical glitches.  I'm eager to hear what you thought of it. 

But what I found most exciting was the potential of this new technology. It's possible now for someone to have their own live talk show on the Internet...with guests from all over the world on camera ...and with the full participation of the virtual audience in ways television doesn't allow (the closest comparison is talk radio). And for a fraction of a TV budget. 

It will be interesting to see what happens after Expanded Books works out the kinks....they could really be on to something here beyond promoting authors and their books.

More on Interactive Webcast

The folks at Maverick Entertainment have created this ad for the Oct 4, 6 p.m. interactive webcast, where I will be talking, and taking your questions, about the movie FAST TRACK and my MONK novels (Click on the image for a larger view). I'll be posting more details here over the next few days on how you can participate.

Live Author Chat/Interactive Webcast with Me

I'll be hosting a Live Author Chat/Webcast on Sunday, Oct 4 at 6pm PST...talking about my latest MONK book, MR. MONK IN TROUBLE & the Oct. 6 DVD release of my movie FAST TRACK: NO LIMITS. The cast of FAST TRACK is also scheduled to participate. But best of all, ANYONE ANYWHERE can join in by going to: 

http://live.expandedbooks.com/lee-goldberg 

Or you can talk to me, and everyone else who is watching, VIA WEBCAM...all you have to do is send an email first, with your Skype username, to: 

info@expandedbooks.com

Expanded Books will connect you via Skype so you can participate in the show....and be seen by people all over the world. 

Live Author Chat is a new service from Expanded Books that uses cutting-edge video streaming and television technology to broadcast author chats in real time, via the web. Each chat is a fully produced and customized live webshow where up to four people can communicate with each other simultaneously via video webcam while many more participate via chat and tens of thousands

 worldwide can watch. The conversation happens in real time, while the Expanded Books team directs the show from their studio in Los Angeles. You can expect a lively conversation between me at home, fans on webcams, and chat participants, while the directorial team switches between the four multiple webcams, book covers, clips from MONK & FAST TRACK, and much more. I hope you'll watch...or, better yet, take part in the fun!

UPDATE 9/26/09: We are doing a live test run of the broadcast this Sunday, Sept. 27 at 4 pm PST. Here's the link:

http://live.expandedbooks.com/channels/3/with_player. 

You are welcome to log in ...or send your Skype username to info@expandedbooks.com to participate by webcam.

Good News

I have no AC and no hot water at home today...but at least I have no shortage of good news. 

My editor just told me that MR. MONK AND THE DIRTY COP was in the top ten bestselling hardcover mysteries at Barnes & Noble last week. So I guess I can afford all the workers in the house today.

And I've just learned that my 2008 movie FAST TRACK: NO LIMITS, which has been broadcast, screened or released on DVD everywhere in the world but here, is finally coming out on DVD in the U.S. in October. The trailer has had 275,000+ hits on YouTube, so I guess there's an audience for it.

Huh?

I just received the Canadian DVD release of my movie FAST TRACK: NO LIMITS...but I don't understand the teaser line on the cover:

Fast...Furious...No Limits. If Time is Money, What's Your Quarter Mile?

What does that mean? How is that supposed to entice me into renting/buying the DVD?

The movie is now also available on DVD in China,  Japan , Australia , Thailand and Spain... as well as many other countries (but not yet in the U.S.). You can also find DVDs of FAST TRACK on Ebay.

FAST TRACK rave

I have no idea who this guy is...or where he saw FAST TRACK...but he gave the movie a rave:

The lives of four characters criss-cross when each of them gets involved with the world of illegal street racing.  And lots of fun it is, too. Lee Goldberg has created four very interesting characters and set up some cool dynamics between all of them.  It's got a few good stunts here and there, but most of the two hour pilot is devoted to the relationships betweeen the characters: the deeply-in-debt owner of a garage and her boyfriend, a cop who secretly street races for thrills.  Her friend, Mike, wants to be a street racer if she will give him the chance.  She won't, but a rich, bored trophy wife is happy to jump into his world, and he's happy to jump into her bed in return.  There's some criminal hijinks and a few gun battles along the way and - by the end of it all - the four leads have bonded into a very unusual team.  I would love to see more.

Thanks Michael!

FAST TRACK in China

FAST TRACK: NO LIMITS, the movie that I wrote and produced in Berlin this time last year, is opening in theatres in China this week. The first poster is the one they are using to advertise the movie. The second poster is from Japan. I'm hoping the studio can get their hands on a couple for me!

 

Fast Track Japan DVD

FAST TRACK is coming out on DVD in Japan in March. Here's the cover...

FAST TRACK out on DVD in Spain

FAST TRACK is airing in Germany on February 21, but the movie has already been released on DVD  in Spain. Here are some shots of the box:

Evolution of a Poster

Posting Victor's covers reminded me that I never shared with you the evolution of the FAST TRACK movie/sales poster. There were several steps in between, but these three pretty give you a sense of how it evolved. The third poster is the final one...
 

The Making of Fast Track

We made a 20-minute, behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of FAST TRACK as a "special feature" for the eventual DVD release of the pilot movie. But you don't have to wait...you can see it now right here:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three
 

Der Deutsche Fernsehpreis

The other night I went to the Deutsche Fernsehpreis -- the German equivalent of the Emmy Awards. Their awards show is every bit as long as the Emmys and even duller, and I'm not just saying that because I didn't understand a word that was said. There was no entertainment value to the program. They didn't have any musical numbers, no clip montages, no actual entertainment at all. Granted, some presenters made some jokes, but the flatness of the show made me appreciate just how good American awards shows are (the orchestra played the same piece of music every time a category was announced and every time someone won...I don't know why they didn't just have it on tape).

But I really enjoyed the before-party and after-party. It was odd being in a room full of "celebrities" and not knowing/recognizing 99.9% of them. I couldn't look into the sea of faces and know who the "stars" were. They all just looked like normal people, which just goes to show how illusory celebrity really is. The guy I chatted with at the buffet could have been the biggest star in Germany or a waiter...I wouldn't have known the difference.  In a way, though, it made it a lot easier for me to talk with people. I was never nervous or intimidated talking with anyone. 

I spoke to with lots of writers, producers, actors, and executives. I was struck by how many people I knew after only a year of working here off-and-on. I was also surprised by how many people knew me...people I had never met before but had heard about the work I was doing in Germany or who had heard my speech at the Cologne Conference. 

I ended up stay at the party into the wee hours of the morning which, combined with my jet-lag, wiped me out on Sunday. I was so tired that I went to bed at 8:30 pm and awoke at 3 this morning (it's now 5:25 am).

I am about to watch the half-hour  "The Making of FAST TRACK" documentary (which will go on the DVD) and make my final edit notes before it's locked. And then at 8 am, I head in to the studio to do the final sound mix on FAST TRACK. Tuesday I am viewing the color-corrected film, and placing the on-screen credits, and then I will finally be done with the movie/pilot. I head back to Los Angeles on Wednesday.

In the Mix

I am leaving today for Germany, where I will be speaking at the Cologne Conference on Friday and then supervising the final sound mix on FAST TRACK, which should be fun. With luck, I will be back in Los Angeles by the end of next week.

I am chugging along on MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY...which is due very soon...and actually visiting the place where the book is set again should give me a fresh jolt of inspiration. And then I want to jump back into my screenplay adaptation of GUN MONKEYS.

Fast Track Poster

Here is the FAST TRACK poster, which will be used by our international sales team at MIPCOM. You can click on it for a larger image.

Fast Track Trailer

Here is the MIPCOM sales trailer for FAST TRACK...

The Final Laps

I'm nearly at the end of post-production on FAST TRACK. Thanks to the Internet, I am able to do a lot of the work from home rather than having to be in Germany.

Dirk Leupolz, our composer, uploads scenes with his score to a server, then I log on, download the Quicktime files, watch them and give him notes. The same goes for each cut of the main title sequence. This weekend, Dirk sent me the final scenes of the movie as well as some "fixes" on earlier scenes. I am really pleased with the way the score has turned out...and can't wait for my own CD. 

The editors and graphics team did a fantastic job on the main title sequence. It looks and sounds great...all that's left now is to choose the font, size, and actual placement of the credits that play out over the first scene or two of the movie (I've already approved the credit lists, and the order of the credits, for the German and International versions of the move).

I'm red/green colorblind, so I entrusted the color correction of the movie to our director Axel Sand (who is also our director of photography) and our line producer Heiko Schmidt. They are also overseeing the German-language dubbing, though I approved the voices for the non-German actors (I didn't understand what they were saying, but I could judge the performance and the sound...I was sent scenes dubbed with the German voice auditions).

My final remaining post-production task is to oversee the final sound mix...when we bring together all the music, sound effects, and re-recorded dialogue for the English and German-language versions of the movie. I'll fly back to Germany at the end of the month to do that.

And then the movie/pilot will be complete.

But my work is far from over. I'm keeping a close eye on the promotional and publicity materials (the posters for MIPCOM and AFM, sales brochures, etc.) and am working with our international sales team to sell FAST TRACK to networks in the U.S., Canada and other territories.

Today, my family and I had nice lunch with Erin Cahill, one of the stars of FAST TRACK, and then she and my daughter Maddie spent the afternoon shopping together. Maddie just adores Erin and so do we. I've been staying in close touch with the cast and crew...and I'll be heart-broken if we don't get the opportunity to keep working with together.

(The FAST TRACK photos are by Gordon Muehl and Stefan Hoederath).

Mr. Jet Set

I have been on two flights a day each day for the last four days...and it's getting to me. I flew from Montreal to Prague, then Prague to Berlin, then Berlin to Munich (and back), and Berlin to Cologne (and back). I am SO jet-lagged. I look like the living dead. This weekend, though, I won't be seeing the inside of a jet...which will be a nice break for me.  On the other hand, I probably won't be seeing anything outside my Berlin hotel room, since I will have to hole myself up writing to make up for lost time on the latest MONK Novel. Sunday afternoon I am going to the composers studio to hear the score and on Monday I am spending  the day in ADR...followed by dinner with the cast. I'll be jetting to London on Tuesday morning, then London-t0-Munich that same night, and then Munich-to-Dusseldorf-t0-LA on Friday. All of this travel, for the most part, is for work on the post-production and distribution of FAST TRACK. Speaking of which, I slipped my friend author Paul Levine a DVD of the rough cut and he liked it.

News on the Fast Track

Now that FAST TRACK is finished, we are deep into post...working on the score, etc. I'll be flying to Montreal later this month to record actor Andrew Walker's ADR (to replace poor tracks and to record new dialogue) and to meet with potential Canadian broadcasters for the show. And then, in early September, it's back to Berlin to record the ADR with our European cast. We're also actively trying to find a U.S. broadcaster for the show...but more on that later. In the mean time, here are some publicity stills from the movie, taken by photographers extraordinaire Gordon Muehl and Stefan Hoederath.

The Cut

I've finished my producer's cut of FAST TRACK: NO LIMITS. The  studio loved it so now we're just making some tiny, technical tweaks before I screen the cut for the network on Wednesday. Then I get their notes, do my final cut...and await the word on whether we go to series or not.

I really enjoy the editing process...the frustration, the exhiliration, and the discovery that comes  with it.

It all starts with the show you imagine...and then it becomes the show you've  written, which is always a bit different because it evolves as you are writing it. Then there's the show that's shot...which is never quite what you imagined, since you are taking a dream and asking hundreds of people to help you make it real. Their creative work, along with the reality of taking what's on the page and making it live, shapes the show into something new.  And, finally, there  is the show you create in the editing room. You can't expect to see the show that you first imagined. As you cut, rearrange, choose angles, drop dialogue, add dialogue, etc., you discover the show amidst the footage. Yes, the show I created  is still there...but it has become something else...and, luckily for me, something much better.

Back on the Fast Track

Today I head back  to Cologne, where a DVD of the director's cut of FAST TRACK: NO LIMITS is waiting for me at my hotel. I'll watch it tonight, make some notes, and then head into the editing room on Monday to do my cut. I can't wait to get started. The movie has come in at 102 minutes and I've got to get it down to about 95, but that's not going to be a problem. I'm glad I have some minutes to play with...it would have been a disaster if the cut came in on time or, worse, short.

Crossing the Finish Line

Today is the last day of principal photography on FAST TRACK: NO LIMITS... we have a 7:30 pm call, so we're going to be filming until well past sunrise. It has been an exhausting shoot, but the enthusiasm of the cast and crew hasn't dimmed. We were shooting yesterday until 5:30 in the morning today and yet, as tired as everyone was, nobody was surly or short-tempered. It's amazing. My internal clock is all messed up. I only know what day it is by looking at the call sheet.

Sunday we have our wrap party...where we have lots of gifts and surprises for our great crew. And Monday it's vacation for everyone but the editors.  I haven't seen anything cut together yet, but from the dailies alone I can already tell that this movie/pilot is going to be everything I hoped it would be. Now it's up to me to make sure that the post-production -- the music, sound design and color correction -- is up to the same level.

I'm also at the "finish line" for MR. MONK IN OUTER SPACE. I received the copy-edited manuscript at my hotel today and I'll go over the edits between shots tonight/tomorrow on the set and during the day on Sunday. I hope to FedEx the manuscript back to my editor on Monday or Tuesday...we are in a rush to make the November pub date.

Towards the Finish Line

There are only two more days left of principal photography on FAST TRACK: NO LIMITS and one "pick-up" days to grab some stray shots that we missed or re-shoots that we need to do. But it's far from over for me.

I am already looking ahead to post-production, lining up composers and discussing the main title sequence. I have a couple of weeks off to travel around Europe with my family, then I head to Action Concept studios in Cologne on July 14 to do my cut of the pilot and choose a composer...then it's off to teach another Writer's Room course in Lohr for a week...and then back to Munich on July 25 to present the rough cut to the network. After getting the network notes, it's back to the editing room to work on the final cut in time to present it to the network around August 6th, then I return to Cologne for a spotting session and to begin work on the sound design. I go back to Los Angeles  on August 9 for a few weeks to await word on a pick-up, organize my life, and to do ADR with the American actors. If we get picked up to series, then I return to Berlin to oversee the writing and pre-production on eight episodes. Whether we get picked up or not, I have return anyway to do ADR with the British, French and German actors and to lock the pilot movie.

It's been an incredible experience and I hope it's only the beginning for FAST TRACK and not the end.

Variety on Fast Track

There was a short bit on FAST TRACK in Tuesday's issue of Variety:

An English-language urban street racing drama being shot in Germany has just been sold to France's M6, Japan's Comstock Group and China's Beijing Time Entertainment by veteran U.S. distributor Gavin Reardon.

"Fast Track: No Limits" is co-produced by Teuton outfit Action Image and will air in Germany on station group ProSieben.

Reardon last year set up his own international distribution operation in L.A. called And Action! Distribution.

Reardon said Monday that the popularity of automotive-oriented action programming in Asia bodes well for deals in that region. No financial details of the licensing arrangements were made available.

Series is written and exec produced by Lee Goldberg, who, with this project, is importing the American showrunner system into Germany.

Fast Track Pre-Sales

FAST TRACK isn't finished yet but we've already scored a few advance sales. Here's the news from World Screen International.

BERLIN/LOS ANGELES, June 18: …and action! Distribution has sold the English-language action drama Fast Track: No Limits, co-produced by Action Image and ProSieben in Germany, to France’s M6, Japan’s Comstock Group and China’s Beijing Time Entertainment.

Fast Track: No Limits is the first English-language action drama shot in Germany. Set in the world of urban street racing, Fast Track: No Limits is a story of a group of characters that include a rookie cop, a trophy wife, a fugitive getaway driver, and a young female mechanic, who believe that car racing in abandoned industrial areas is the only way to know that they’re alive. Fast Track: No Limits was written and executive produced by the award-winning American showrunner Lee Goldberg.

"M6 is an excellent partner and the perfect channel as it fits exactly with the target audience for Fast Track: No Limits," commented Gavin Reardon, the president of …and action! Distribution. “We are also delighted with our sales to the Comstock Group and Beijing Time Entertainment, especially given the success of automotive-oriented action programming in Asia.”

All Together Now

My family arrived  in Berlin on Thursday and my daughter couldn't wait to get to the set. She's made herself right at home, as you can see in the picture.  So far, the response from the studio and the network to the dailies has been very enthusiastic, so I'm optimistic about our chances  to go to series. We wrap production on the pilot at the end of next week, and then I go off to France on vacation before returning to Germany in mid-July to do my cut. After that, I head off  to Lohr for five days to teach another Writer's Room class  with a major American showrunner (whose name I will  share once  things have been firmed up) and then it's off  to Munich to present the final cut of the pilot to the network in early August.  But now that my family is here, I'm not in such a big hurry to get back home...

The one thing I am missing is the chance  to go out and promote the hardcover release of MR. MONK AND THE TWO ASSISTANTS. If I wasn't shooting FAST TRACK, I would have arranged full a schedule of booksignings in July & August.  But I still have MONK work to do... I have to start writinng my outline for my sixth novel.

Eight Shooting Days Left

We wrapped our tenth day of shooting at about 11:30 on Sunday night, right on schedule. So far, the production has gone very smoothly and we've only had to push two scenes to later in the shoot. That's not to say we haven't our little crises (an actor dropped out due to illness two days before shooting, one of our cars wasn't delivered on time, etc.), but overall it has been a pleasure. The dailies are terrific and both the studio and network are very, very pleased...so I'm a  happy man.

Mondays and Tuesdays are our weekends, so after we wrapped on Sunday, half of the crew -- including most of the cast, the director, the a.d., the second unit team, the line producer, and myself -- went to a bar in Prenzlauer Berg and had an in impromptu little party. I stayed until 4:30 a.m.  but just about everyone else stayed until 6:30 in the morning. I haven't stayed up that late in a bar since  college (but then, as now, I was drinking only water or Diet Coke). I don't know if this show is going to rejuvenate me or kill me...but I had a great time. This has got to be the nicest group of people I've ever worked with. Not a single jerk in the bunch.

I spent the day... or what was  left of it... on Monday doing domestic chores like laundry, grocery  shopping,  and getting my hair cut before meeting the cast in my room in the evening to show them the dailies and share the good feedback from the studio and network. Afterwards, I went on my own for dinner to a tiny little Italian restaurant and then took a long walk, finally winding up back home around 1 a.m.

Today played tourist, visiting the  Berlin Wall museum at Bernauer Strasse, then heading out to Lake Wannsee for a drive and a long walk. Tonight I got together again with the cast for dinner and nice walk through Mitte.

Tomorrow we start shooting again. This is going to be a big  week for me. On Thursday, my family finally arrives...and not a moment too soon. Two months is way too long  for me to be away from them. It hurts too much. I can't wait to have my daughter on the set with me on Friday!

(The photo on the upper left is me with  two of our stars, Andrew Walker and Alexia Barlier, with Soccx, who perform one of their songs, "Scream Out Loud," in a sequence in FAST TRACK: NO LIMITS. On the upper right is one version of our new, improved  logo. You can click on the images for larger views).

Fast Track Day Seven

Today was our seventh day of shooting and it was spent in an empty building that's doubling as our police station set. This was our first day without any action or driving sequences, just pure dialogue scenes in a clean, interior location (as opposed to warehouses). And in comparison to the previous six days of production, it almost felt  like a vacation, though we had to cram a lot of scenes into 11 1/2 hours of work. The crew is exhausted  and so am I, but their enthusiasm hasn't waned. Everyone seems to have a smile on their face...between yawns! It's 1 a.m. but I still have  work to do. For one thing, I have to sort through 511 publicity shots and pick my favorites...   

Beauty Shot

Today we shot near one of Berlin's most popular landmarks...but you won't see it in our movie. We've been careful NOT to include the landmarks you'd see in a tourist's home movies. We're shooting the modern city of Berlin, the exciting  architectural mix of old and new...but staying away from things like Brandenburg Gate, etc.It was the perfect day for location shooting and we got some terrific footage. (You can click on the photo for a larger image).

Hollywood, Berlin

We wrapped our fifth day of shooting at about 1:30 Monday morning and it was  past 3 am by the time I got back to my hotel. I woke up at about 11 am and spent a couple of hours doing laundry in the basement of my hotel, where I also ran into one of our actors and several crew members from SPEED RACER, which is also shooting in Berlin. Ah, the glamor.

After the excitement of washing my underwear and buying groceries, I went to a cafe and met Ute,  the leader of the German Diagnosis Murder fan club, and her adorable son Florian. We chatted for an hour or so, I signed some copies of THE LAST WORD, then hurried away to more  FAST TRACK meetings before taking a two-hour nap. I ended my day with a long dinner with a German movie director, answered what seemed like 10,000 emails, and went to bed around 2 am.

Today was supposed to be a day off, but I ended up working, of course. I started my day at 10 at the post-production facility to see dailies, which looked even better than I thought they would. I can't believe the production value we are getting  for our Euros. The racing/stunts/action are terrific but, having seen what Action Concept's stunt team, drivers, and second unit director Roland Busch can do, I was not surprised by that. And, of course, I thought our actors were fantastic. Am I using enough superlatives? Oh, wait, I forgot the say how awesome the fifty cars looked...I owe a big thanks to all the "tuners" who came from all over the country to share their beautifully pimped cars and SUVs with us.

After watching dailies, I spent the rest of the day on an emergency location scout with our director, line producer, assistant  director, production  designer, and construction chief because we abruptly lost previously "locked" locations thanks  to the G-8 conference. Another reason to hate Bush.

The shoot has gone remarkably well. That's not to say we haven't had our troubles -- besides losing those locations, the weather has been schizophrenic and a supporting actor took ill with a terrible skin ailment two days before  he was supposed to shoot, which forced us to hurriedly recast  -- but these things always happen on a production. You have to expect the unexpected and roll with it.

As you can probably guess, I couldn't be happier with the movie. It's shaping up very much like I imagined it...and where it differs, it's for the better. The four days of rehearsals with the cast before shooting  has made a huge difference on the set and has allowed us to move very fast without sacrificing the quality of the performances. I love our young, gorgeous, and incredibly talented cast...and although I tell them I am focusing only on delivering a great movie/pilot, the truth is that I will probably be heart-broken if this doesn't go to series.

Ah, but I am getting ahead of myself. Tomorrow at 7 am we  begin day six, shooting on the streets of Mitte, right in the heart of Berlin...and a block from my hotel. I've never been able to walk from my front door to the set before, so this will be a first...

Fast Track

I have been on the set each day at 7 and have been stumbling into my apartment around midnight, absolutely exhausted. But it's going great. I will give you a full report as soon as I have a free hour and I can actually keep my eyes open.

One Day and Counting

It's Monday night here in Berlin...which means we are just one day away from commencement  of principal photography on FAST TRACK: NO LIMITS.

The last week has been filled with (among a thousand other things) rehearsals, stunt preparation, wardrobe & make-up tests, and the transformation of a fleet of cars into str eet racers. The days have been long and exhausting...but lots of fun, too. The highlight for me has been the opportunity to spend four days in rehearsal with our incredibly talented  and creative cast...led by  Erin Cahill, Andrew Walker, Alexia Barlier, and Joseph Beattie. I can't wait to get  them in front of the camera.

But none of this would have been possible without our line producer Heiko Schmidt, who I've seen perform at least one production or budget-crunching miracle every day that we've worked together. It's really not possible to do a job like this without a partner like Heiko watching your back and doing whatever it takes (within the budget!) to make sure that your vision makes it to the screen. 

I'm also fortunate to be working with Axel Sand, a director and D.P. who immediately understood how I saw FAST TRACK and, even before we've started shooting, has already done so much to bring that world to life. I'm anxious to see him at work on the set.

Tonight I got home earlier than usual (around 8 pm). I grabbed a table outside a restaurant in Berlin Mitte and had a chance to take stock and reflect on the last few months. If you'd told me a year ago that I would be here in Berlin today, writing and producing an action movie, I wouldn't have believed it. But here I am. In a few weeks, my family will be joining  me and, after the movie wraps at the end of June, we'll be spending the rest of the summer in Europe together.

I am, without a doubt, the luckiest guy I know. The only thing that could make this better was if my family was already here with me.

(The photos are a few of our over two dozen cars in various stages of transformation. Click on the photos for larger images).

Too Much Fun

Production on FAST TRACK: NO LIMITS begins in just a few days. The casting is done, the cars are here being transformed into racers, and the stunts are being tested. Now the fun really begins.

I've been spending most of my time the last few days rehearsing with the lead cast members, going through the script scene by scene, discussing the conflicts and finding the emotional turns together, and then working them out in performance. I'm so lucky to be working with these young actors. Besides being talented, hard-working, enthusiastic, and great looking, they are unbelievably nice. The whole crew is falling in love with them.

For me, working so closely with them is exciting on another level. In a way, they are my imaginary characters come-to-life, which is exhilirating and a little unnerving. I'm the writer, so there´s no doubt that the characters represent some aspect of my own personality, weaknesses, desires, experiences, fears, and dreams. To see those aspects of myself -- who I am, who I want to be, who I desire, who I can never be, etc -- reflected back at me in flesh-and-blood is one of the great things about being a screenwriter and a producer. 

Yesterday, we all went out to a race track outside of Berlin for driving school with our stunt coordinator, stunt drivers, and our second unit action director. It was incredible. We all got the chance to drive three BMWs 5-series and one BMW z4 on a wet track, learning how to drift around a curve, do a 180, and how to drive backwards & spin  the car forward again, among other things.  We also rode with the stunt drivers as they drifted, spun-out, and rammed one another...it was like playing bumper cars with real cars. I've never done anything like that...and I loved it. So did the actors and it showed in their performances today in rehearsals when we got to the car scenes. (That's me with Joseph Beattie, Alexia Barlier, Erin Cahill and Andrew Walker after a day of stunt driving. Could my smile be any bigger?)

Speaking of cars, we have three of each vehicle -- a "picture car" for the  beauty shots, one with the camera rigging, and one for the big stunts. We are starting with stock production cars and then "pimping them"  inside and out for the stunts. Our cars include a 1965 Mustang, a BMW Z4, a Toyota MR2, a Toyota Supra, a Nissan ZX350, a Subaru Imprezza, a Pontiac Trans Am, and an Opel Tigra, to name a few. We´ve also recruited 50 amazing cars from the "tuning" scene in Germany for the racings and as color at the starting line. Every day I wander down to the shop to see how the cars are being transformed and to watch the stunt drivers testing them.  The shots you see here are some of the naked cars in the very, very  early stages of the work...

Tomorrow there are more rehearsals, more meetings, and on Saturday, a table-reading with the entire cast. 

Footloose and Fancy Free

Friday was a big day for me... I delivered my novel MR. MONK IN OUTER SPACE to my editor (and learned they've moved the pub date up to November) and emerged from a marathon casting  session in London with the remainder of our actors.  The cast is finally locked...and not a moment too soon. I flew back to Berlin that night,  got back to my hotel room a little after midnight, and collapsed into  bed.

Yesterday I had my first free day in weeks and I spent it outside, sight-seeing with our two of our four leads, Erin Cahill and Andrew Walker, who arrived in Berlin on Friday afternoon (our other two leads, Alexia Barlier and Joseph Beattie, arrive on Monday).  We walked all over the city. I had a great time. It felt so nice to be out in the  sun for a change,  instead of locked in my hotel room, my office, or an airplane. For the first time in a very long  time I didn't  have  to worry about meeting any deadlines, finding actors for roles, making production changes for the budget, locating the right race cars, and all the other problems I've had.   It was a genuine day off.

I went to bed 1:30 in the morning and didn't wake up today until 11. I feel like a new man...which is good, because I am going to need the energy going into the next week. My days are jam-packed with meetings and rehearsals...and I've already got to start thinking about my outline for MONK #6.

But today, none of that is going to be on my mind. Today I am getting out of my hotel room and exploring the city.

Thirteen Days and Counting...

We are getting down to the wire now on  FAST TRACK...the parking lot at the production office (an abandoned chocolate factory) is filling up with great cars for the races and the U.S. cast members arrive in Berlin tomorrow for a week of make-up and  hair tests, wardrobe fittings, driver training with our stunt team, and rehearsals with me and the director. The British, French and German cast come in on Monday and Tuesday (though we are flying our French actress to Stuttgart on Friday with our costumer designer for wardrobe fittings at Hugo Boss). And there are still some roles left open, so I am off to London this afternoon for a marathon of casting sessions on Friday...which is also when I will  deliver my fifth MONK novel to my editor.

Yesterday I met with a possible composer...a young man with an obvious love of American soundtrack composers like Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, and Mike Post. I liked his work and am eager to hear his samples for a possible FAST TRACK score and theme. We're also talking to some music labels about getting some songs for the pilot. In fact, I may be meeting with an up-and-coming band today before my flight.

The weather in Berlin the last few days has been schizophrenic...beautiful and sunny in the morning, and then pouring rain in the afternoons and nights. I hope that changes when production starts on the 30th...which kicks off with the main unit portion of our action sequences.