I\u2019m in a window seat ready to fly to Utah for Sundance 2012. This is my 12th<\/sup> straight year coming to the Festival to represent USC Cinema, so the feeling is familiar. But something is different about this year: It\u2019s my first as a filmmaker.<\/p>\n The Crew from LUV<\/p><\/div>\n I pull out my Sundance binder and open an envelope. Inside is the shooting script for LUV, which is screening in the dramatic competition this year. I wrote the script with my partner \u2013 and the film\u2019s director \u2013 Sheldon Candis.<\/p>\n I think about the long journey to get here. I remember meeting Sheldon at the 2003 Festival. We had a mutual friend, fellow alum Kevin Brownridge. Sheldon called me up and left a voicemail, seeing if we could meet up. He\u2019d heard I could help get him into parties. I\u2019m glad I called him back. Now we have a LUV child together \u2013 and he\u2019s getting me into parties!<\/p>\n There were many times when I thought this moment would never happen \u2013 as recently as last March. But Sheldon and I still believed and persevered\u2026 and here we are. I take a picture of the script and Facebook it. Tears start to roll down my face. The guy next to me asks if I\u2019m okay. \u201cOh yes,\u201d I say. \u201cI\u2019m great.\u201d<\/p>\n 10:35 pm<\/strong><\/p>\n I meet Sheldon at the after-party for Filly Brown, another dramatic competition film. We hug it out as a documentary crew follows us. With our filmmaker badges, it\u2019s easy to walk right inside. The hype and anticipation are building for LUV \u2013 the Filly Brown team even talks about how much they\u2019re looking forward to it. We meet Filly Brown herself \u2013 Gina Rodriguez \u2013 one of the festival\u2019s breakout stars for her rousing performance as a tough-minded Latina MC. We have to pace ourselves, I tell Sheldon. The premiere is on Monday and we can\u2019t burn ourselves out\u2026<\/p>\n It\u2019s now 3 a.m. and we\u2019re still at the party. Time to get some sleep.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sheldon Candis with family at the Riverhorse Tavern<\/p><\/div>\n Jan. 21<\/strong><\/p>\n 12:15 pm<\/strong><\/p>\n The first thing you notice when driving into Park City from the Salt Lake airport is the horizon. The Wasatch Mountain Range rises up, forming a breathtaking backdrop. This year, however, there\u2019s been a distinct lack of snow. Coming into town yesterday, I saw giant swaths of brown earth where snow normally sits. But today the snow is dumping, the first big storm of the season. It makes driving and walking treacherous but the skiers are rejoicing. Since I tore my ACL about four months ago, there\u2019s no skiing for me. Too bad \u2013 it\u2019s really coming down!<\/p>\n I try to go see a film, but the weather causes delays and I get to Eccles Theater about five minutes late. I meet someone on the bus who sees the one-sheet for LUV hanging from my lanyard, and tells me how excited she is to see it. This is a common theme and one of my favorite parts of Sundance. The communal interaction and shared love of cinema that unites everyone. I\u2019m looking forward to Monday as well \u2013 I haven\u2019t even seen the final version of LUV, with Nuno Malo\u2019s score or the sound mix which was done at Skywalker last month.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 5:30 pm<\/strong><\/p>\n I do an interview for our documentary crew about the process of writing LUV with Sheldon. Our first meeting on the project was May 31, 2003. The first file on LUV is a document entitled \u201cUNTITLED STREET DREAMER PROJECT\u201d. It\u2019s always been a story about a little boy in Baltimore dreaming of a better life. Almost nine years and 45 drafts later, the finished product is the saga of 11-year-old orphan Woody (MICHAEL RAINEY, JR.), who longs for his absent mother in North Carolina, while at the same time craving the attention of his just-released-from-prison uncle Vincent (COMMON). Vincent is Woody\u2019s hero, his father figure, and at the beginning of their day together, Vincent gives Woody life lessons, teaching him how a man handles his business. Vincent\u2019s trying to open his own crabshack restaurant. But when he\u2019s initially denied a bank loan, Vincent is forced to return to his old life of crime working for his father figure Mr. Fish (DENNIS HAYSBERT), in order to secure his dream. Over the course of this long day, Woody faces increasingly violent and harrowing situations that force him to grow up all too quickly. Ultimately, Woody must decide whether to stand with or against his beloved uncle.<\/p>\n One of the themes of LUV is \u201cEvery boy searches for a father figure\u2026 Not every boy finds the right one.\u201d It\u2019s a story of misguided love that combines gritty depictions of urban Baltimore culture with heartfelt emotion of a young boy\u2019s coming of age, realizing his hero is not who he thought he was.<\/p>\n LUV is a fictional story inspired in many ways by Sheldon\u2019s relationship with one of his uncles. But it\u2019s also personal to me in the way it reflects my relationship with one of my uncles who used to drive me around in Virginia when I was a boy. Vincent\u2019s central credo of \u201cThere\u2019s two kinds of people in the world. Owners and renters. Which one you gonna\u2019 be?\u201d is something he said to me. Although my uncle passed away 12 years ago, I know he\u2019s looking down and smiling. I know he\u2019d be proud of me.<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard not to get choked up talking about this. I don\u2019t know how I\u2019m going to make it through the premiere without a case of Kleenex\u2026 Just have to hold it in, keep it together\u2026<\/p>\n Jan. 22<\/strong><\/p>\n 1:20 pm<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s a gorgeous sunny day in Park City. Main Street is chock-a-block with people, cars, snow \u2013 and gifting suites! I\u2019ve actually never been in one, but I use my LUV badge and talk my way into some Sorel boots. And I need them too \u2013 my other ones are soaked\u2026 I see Common\u2019s arrived, doing an interview\u2026 I watch a little bit of the Ravens vs. Patriots AFC championship game (I\u2019ve become an adopted Ravens fan after spending so much time in Baltimore). Then suddenly, I\u2019m doing a live interview with Sheldon and our actor Sammi Rotibi, who plays Jamison. I\u2019m handed a cup of yogurt from a sponsor and asked to pose for photos. Even walking down Main Street seems like a scene from Entourage, as we\u2019re passing out LUV buttons and stickers. Sheldon\u2019s not only the director, he\u2019s the leader of our street marketing team. People come up to us asking if they can get tickets to our premiere tomorrow. Man, I don\u2019t even have enough for my own family!<\/p>\n 8:23 pm<\/strong><\/p>\n My wife, mother, sister, brother-in-law, and two best friends have arrived in Park City. This is the first Sundance for all of them, so I feel like a bit of a concierge. (Sheldon\u2019s got 40 family and friends here, he\u2019s got it worse\u2026). But I\u2019m so happy they\u2019re here, getting to share in this big moment in my life. We go to our first cast and crew dinner at a house in Kimball Junction on the outskirts of town. The entire main cast is here \u2013 Common, Dennis Haysbert, Danny Glover, Meagan Good, Michael K. Williams, Charles Dutton. Young Michael Rainey, Jr., who shines in a truly breakthrough performance as Woody, is also here, grinning from ear to ear.<\/p>\n When we finished the first draft of the script, Common\u2019s name was at the top of the list to play Vincent, but it took over four years until he became involved with LUV. I know he hasn\u2019t seen the movie yet so I\u2019m excited to see his reaction. In my biased opinion, it\u2019s the best acting performance he\u2019s ever given. I haven\u2019t seen him since we wrapped production but he\u2019s been busy, with a new album, TV show, and best-selling book. He was wonderful to work with with, always challenging us to make the script and Vincent\u2019s character to be as real and compelling as it could be.<\/p>\n Somebody asks me what was the biggest thing I learned in the process. I think and answer, \u201cThe economy of storytelling.\u201d The early versions of the script were around 112-115 pages. The shooting script was 98 pages. You realize that a great actor doesn\u2019t need a monologue. He or she can achieve the same result with one or two lines \u2013 or even a look\u2026<\/p>\n Dennis Haysbert comes over and talks to my family for 15 minutes. He\u2019s so gracious and commanding \u2013 I would switch to Allstate right now if he asked me to!<\/p>\n Dennis brings up his theory that his character is actually little Woody\u2019s father in LUV. It\u2019s not something we consciously thought about in the writing, but based on the nuances of his performance, I believe it could work. One of the things Sheldon and I did with LUV was to not spell everything out. We wanted to leave certain questions unresolved and open to viewer interpretation \u2013 even one of our main cast members!<\/p>\n 10:50 pm<\/strong><\/p>\n Quickly I realize that I\u2019m losing my voice. With all of the yelling to be heard, I\u2019m starting to sound like sandpaper. And even though it\u2019s supposed to be dinner, the food has run out. My wife is 5 \u00bd months pregnant \u2013 and she\u2019s hungry. Time to hit McDonald\u2019s.<\/p>\n Jan. 23<\/strong><\/p>\n 7:15 am<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s been a nearly sleepless night. Am I nervous about the premiere? No, more like excitement. I can\u2019t believe the day has finally arrived. I go to the USC filmmaker breakfast and interact with my fellow Sundance alumni filmmakers. Normally I\u2019m here working in my alumni relations capacity. Today I\u2019m pulling double duty.<\/p>\n The team from LUV in Leonard Maltin's 466 class<\/p><\/div>\n LUV is a great example of USC Cinema alums joining together to collaborate after graduation. In addition to me and Sheldon, other alums involved in key creative roles include producers Jason Michael Berman, Michael Jenson, and Joel Newton; cinematographer Gavin Kelly; and composer Nuno Malo.<\/p>\n 12:03 pm<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s media day for LUV. Inside the tent, I\u2019m wondering if anyone wants to talk to the writer\u2026 No, but that\u2019s okay. I\u2019m so proud to see all our lead actors talking up the movie. Our behind the scenes videographer Jamie interviews me\u2026 I play air hockey with Common and Michael K. Williams. Lunch is served. It starts snowing again \u2013 thick flakes of snow\u2026 And then we\u2019re at the Eccles Theater, walking past the photographers into the green room. John Cooper, director of the festival, comes to wish us well\u2026 Sheldon and I hug and jump up and down with giddiness. We\u2019ve worked so long for this to happen, now we can\u2019t believe it\u2019s actually here\u2026 I think about the times I thought about quitting but ultimately didn\u2019t. I never stopped working hard at the craft and believing in my dreams.<\/p>\n Finally, we take our seats. Sheldon introduces the film and I\u2019m trying desperately to hold back the tears. How many films I have been to at Sundance over the years? More than 100 at least. I remember being here for premieres of Richard Kelly\u2019s DONNIE DARKO and Rian Johnson\u2019s BRICK, films that inspired me.<\/p>\n The lights go down and the movie starts to play\u2026 great! There\u2019s laughter in places I didn\u2019t expect. At a key moment at the end of the film, the audience starts clapping, something else I never expected. And in the glow of the closing credits ovation, I turn to the row behind me and see Common with tears in his eyes. In the days following, many people would come up and tell me how much the movie meant to them \u2013 these were the most gratifying moments of my experience at Sundance 2012.<\/p>\n As I take the stage with dozens of other cast and crew members, looking out at over 1200 viewers, it still doesn\u2019t seem real. I look over at Sheldon, struggling to make it through the Q+A with his emotions in check. As I watch Sheldon, I think about Woody, the little boy in our movie. We always say that the end of the movie is a \u201cglass half-full or half-empty\u201d resolution and your reaction to it depends upon your outlook on life. But how can I be anything but an optimist, watching my good friend and writing partner stand up here, knowing how hard he worked and seeing that dreams really do come true. Every writer\u2019s searching for the right partner. Not every writer finds the right one\u2026 I\u2019m sure I did though. And then I can\u2019t fight it anymore. I just go with it and let the happy tears just flow. And smile\u2026<\/p>\n EPILOGUE<\/strong><\/p>\n Feb. 9<\/strong><\/p>\n In some ways, having a film at Sundance is like being on an episode of The Bachelor. You think you\u2019ve got it all going on, everyone tells you to your face how much they like you\u2026 And then you watch as everyone else gets chosen and you have to go home. At least that\u2019s what it feels like when you\u2019re looking for a distributor and go home without one.<\/p>\n The last two weeks since the premiere have been a little like a rollercoaster. People on the street stop you and tell you how much they love your film. (One schoolteacher from Illinois came up to me clutching a note about how much the film meant to her as an educator)\u2026 But you\u2019re still waiting for the phone to ring. You\u2019re wondering if it\u2019s your fault \u2013 \u201ccould I have made myself a little more appealing? \u201c<\/p>\n Justin Wilson with Dean Elizabeth M. Daley<\/p><\/div>\n And then you realize it\u2019s something you have no control over. So you just have to be patient, and let the salespeople do their jobs.<\/p>\n Today, the phone did ring. Or rather, the e-mail box filled up. LUV has sold to Indomina! They\u2019re a relatively new distributor that was steadfast in pursuit of the film along with BET, which bought the television rights. Most importantly, Indomina has a strategy and a plan to market and release the movie theatrically this fall. What more can you ask for? A screening at 466.<\/p>\n Tonight is the cherry on top: we\u2019re screening LUV at USC as part of Leonard Maltin\u2019s legendary 466 class. In many ways, our movie is a LUV letter to Leonard and this class. For over six years I booked the films for the class and was in Norris Theatre every Thursday night watching many great movies, some terrible movies, and a lot in-between. During that time I met Sheldon and together we bonded over our shared love of cinema, hanging out in the lobby dissecting that night’s film, and soaking in the lessons learned through the many Q+A guests we listened to.<\/p>\n 466 (which has been around almost 50 years now) served as continuing education for me after I graduated from SCA. Sure, there were nights when I didn’t want to be here until 11:30, knowing I had to get up early for work the next morning. But every week there was a new film to learn from… the class inspired me to keep going as a writer to try to emulate what I saw every Thursday.<\/p>\n There are many nights I remember, but one in particular stands out. It was two days after 9\/11, and we were screening Training Day (perhaps not the best film to screen, but the show had to go on \u2013 and yes, there are certainly echoes of that film in our movie). That film’s writer David Ayer was the guest and I asked him for advice. He told me, “You have to let your demons drive your work and not you…” I never forgot that. Because there were a lot of demons over the 8+ years we wrote LUV!<\/p>\n I also remember something Bryan Singer once said: he felt he hadn’t really made it as a filmmaker until he brought The Usual Suspects back to screen in 466. Now I can’t say that I’ve made it like Bryan, but I do feel incredibly honored to be up on stage at Norris Theatre.<\/p>\n And I know that were it not for the many nights Sheldon and I spent in this theater with Leonard and 365 others, LUV probably wouldn’t be here today.\u00a0And of all the experiences over the last month with the birth of our film, this is my proudest moment. Welcome to the world, LUV!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The following is \u00a0journal from alumnus\/writer Justin Wilson. Jan. 20\u00a012:55 pm I\u2019m in a window seat ready to fly to Utah for Sundance 2012. This is my 12th straight year coming to the Festival to represent USC Cinema, so the … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/sundance.usc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/IMG_2300.jpg\" "\\"Luv")
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