DAX PHELAN'S "JASMINE" PRODUCTION BLOG - PART 1

Hi, guys. 

Long time, no blog. 

There's a reason for that, actually.  See, for the last couple of months, I've been more than a little busy working on a little project called "Jasmine."  Some of you might have heard about it.  For those of you who haven't, "Jasmine" is my feature directorial debut. 

The project was born in LA a few years ago when I approached my friend, actor Jason Tobin ("Better Luck Tomorrow"), with a very rough idea for a character while he was in the middle of shooting "The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift."  From that meeting, we decided that we would write the story -- about a man who's struggling to come to terms with the unsolved murder of his wife -- together, I would write the script, he would play the lead, and I would direct. 

Unfortunately, as often happens when developing personal projects, paying gigs intervened and it wasn't until Spring of 2008 that we finally felt the script was ready to be shown to prospective producers, actors, financiers, etc. 

Stratton Leopold ("Mission: Impossible III") was the first producer to join forces with Jason and me.  Then, Eugenia Yuan ("Charlotte Sometimes") agreed to star, followed by Glen Chin ("Hollywood Hong Kong"). 

Several independent production companies expressed interest.  The budget ballooned.  And, almost overnight, the small personal film that we planned to make ourselves became a big personal film that we couldn't make ourselves -- and, worst of all, it wasn't getting made. 

Then, this past Spring, Jason suggested that I watch "Cavite," a micro-budget film shot in San Diego and The Philippines, with an eye towards reworking "Jasmine" so that it could be produced on a similar scale.  I watched "Cavite" and found it quite inspiring.  I told Jason that, if we could hone "Jasmine" to its essence without sacrificing what it was really about, then I was open to it. 

We began re-outlining the story and, within a few weeks, had something we were both excited about.  By July, the script had transformed from a 115-page fifth draft into a lean and mean 69-page sixth draft -- and, best of all, it was working even better than ever. 

By that point, I was in Hong Kong, working on another project and scouting locations on "Jasmine" with an eye towards a late Fall start date.  Jason and I knew that we needed a revised budget done and that it needed to be done by someone local.  He suggested that I meet with Jen Thym, who had recently written, produced, and directed "Lumina," in the hope that she might be able to point us in the right direction. 

I liked Jen straight away, but I think she was a little wary about me.  (Come to think of it, I think she's still a little wary about me.  Haha.)  Anyway, after making it very clear that she had zero interest in producing other people's projects, she said she would read  "Jasmine" with an eye towards helping us find a line producer. 

Fortunately for us, after reading the script, Jen decided to make an exception.  Once Jen came aboard, everything changed.  All I can say is: I wish I'd met her a long time ago.  When I tell you she is the smartest person you could ever hope to meet, I'm really not exaggerating.

We selected November 1^st as the commencement of principal photography and, back in Los Angeles, I began searching for a cinematographer. 

One name leapt to mind: Guy Livneh. 

I first met Guy at The American Film Institute in 1998 and, from the very first moment I saw his work, dreamed of one day working with him.  We lost touch with each other after graduation.  When I googled him, I discovered that he'd gone on to light "Better Luck Tomorrow," work on "Monster" for Patty Jenkins (another AFI alum from our year), and had even returned to AFI to teach.  Unsure if Guy even remembered me, I e-mailed him out of the blue and told him I was looking for a DP.  Three weeks later, he was on a plane to Hong Kong.  With Guy's help, we landed Matt Chavez as our AC extraordinaire and his Red camera (4.5K rez!). 

As of this moment, we have exactly a week and a half before shooting begins.  As you can imagine, things are crazy-busy, as we finish casting, scouting locations, etc. 

Even more exciting, I'm very pleased to announce that fellow AnDers, Sarah Lian and Byron Mann, have joined the cast recently.  Welcome aboard, guys.  It's truly great to have you. 

I also want to take a quick moment to thank everyone who's been lending their support to our "little movie that could" in recent weeks, including Roberta Chin, Lloyd Chao, Adrian Halkes, Spencer Douglass, Billy Lau, Berton Chang, Ollie Thompson, XiXi Wong, Suki Lui, Martin Strachan, Thom Barry, Charlie Gumbiner, Seth Winston, the amazing Lindsay Robertson, et al.  Thank you so much, guys.  The film literally wouldn't be possible without you and I will never forget the fact that you helped when so many others could have and did not.  (Also, if I'm forgetting anyone in my haste, I apologize.  Don't worry, your name will definitely be in the "Special Thanks To" section at the end of the film.)

In the event that any of you are interested in seeing some photos taken during our recent location scouting, please visit: http://gallery.me.com/livneh#gallery

Lastly, if anyone is interested in becoming involved or even kicking some disposable income into the "Jasmine" coffers, in exchange for a producing credit of some kind, feel free to e-mail me at: Dax.Phelan@earthlink.net and we can discuss the details.  When I say every little bit helps, I'm not exaggerating either.

I hope to see you on the streets of Hong Kong. 

-Dax