'Help Wanted: Deleted Scenes'

2013 is here, and for me, it has the distinct air of change about it. We're two years away from hoverboards, and according to the Mayans, this marks the beginning of a new era.

And so, I've decided this is a good time to clean out my vaults, so to speak. You see, since around 2010 I've had various plans to release a DVD of my past film work. I spent quite a bit of time creating special features, including deleted scenes, storyboard to film comparisons, and even some commentary tracks. I even went as far as actually producing a limited run to sell at San Francisco's Wondercon back in 2011. However, there were some technical issues with this initial run of DVD's, and I haven't been able to create a second run since then.

And now, as the months have turned to years, the idea of putting these items onto a DVD is becoming an increasingly distant reality. For one thing, video quality has changed drastically in the years since I shot these films, making them seem on the low end of the polish spectrum. Also, since non of these pieces ever went 'viral', I don't know how much money I'd actually make. I'd basically be taking a loss, and in the end, the main goal was posterity, not money. And as no one was paid to work on these films anyway, I also think it could be considered un-ethical.

So what does one do with all these neat special features? Why not put them online for all to see? Why, that's exactly what I plan to do! Over the next few months, I'll be uploading these bits and pieces onto both my youtube and vimeo accounts until I run out of them. But hopefully by that time I'll have new work ready to go.

First up is something I've been excited about for quite some time - deleted scenes and out takes from that old chestnut, 'Help Wanted'.

As with most films, my concept of the movie changed from conception to execution. There are a number of deleted scenes, shots, and even characters, that just didn't fit into my final vision of the film, as hard as I tried to work them in.

Special thanks to Hannah Marks, who played one of my favorite characters in the film, 'Gail', a supervisor at the warehouse who sadly was cut out due to pacing issues. She was based on an ex-boss of mine I still harbor much animosity towards, and anyone who's known me for a long time will recognize this caricature instantly. Hannah Marks does a great job with some very John Waters sounding dialogue, and I'll always savor the memory of her initial reading of the part, done at Muddy Waters Cafe in San Francisco's mission district.

Exploring 'Help Wanted' further, later on I'll be putting up Storyboard to Film comparisons, and then traveling further back in time with some material relating to 'My Worst Nightmare'.

And of course, there's that music video coming down the pipes.

As always,
Best!
Waylon