L i n k s :

20 February 2010

• More than 30 distributors and sales agents have expressed interest in Red Herring. We also received our first written offer for distribution.

• We got our first UK press coverage yesterday

• New website is now online.

• Robert Scott Howard has joined most of the crew on this week's "Dear Mom" shoot.

24 January 2010

• The official trailer is online, and we racked up more than 1,000 hits on our first day!

• Discussions with potential distributors and sales agents have begun.

• The ETA for the rough cut of the film is March, and the final cut should be ready by April.

21 October 2009

• Wrap party! Marquis hosted about 200 of us filmmakers, cast, crew, friends, family and other people from the Las Vegas film community. We went from 8p - midnight, watched some (great) footage from the film, ate & drank comped food from Jason's Deli, Bootlegger Bistro, Tribeca Light, Monster Energy Drink and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, and generally had a big patting-on-the-back session. TJ Cuenca's crew performed a surprise "home invasion," taking me hostage and informing me that my favorite person sends his regrets that he couldn't attend.

• I couldn't relax and enjoy quite as much as I wanted, both because I was hosting, and everyone wanted my attention. There's been an interesting shift from me presenting my projects to decision-makers to other people presenting their projects to me. I guess this is what I wanted... right? Regardless, we have established ourselves as the pre-eminent production company in Las Vegas, and tonight was a big springboard toward that status.

• Ousa and Laura now begin the long, arduous task of editing. We expect to have a rough cut ready in about 2 months, with a final cut with score and FX in about 4-6 months.

• More updates will come as we proceed on editing and distribution.

20 October 2009

• We're wrapped! We shot our remaining precinct scenes today (all 13 of them), plus we got the 1.5 pages we were going to shoot at the real precinct. Everyone had extra energy and excitement today, so we blasted through 14.5 pages in 15.5 hours. An impressive feat that probably couldn't be duplicated on a bigger production. We're all exhausted, but still elated. (We also were feeling giddy, so we shot a bunch of outtakes just for fun.)

18 October 2009

• We went back to Juhl to get our remaining shots there. It was a leisurely shoot (about 6 hours). Everyone was happy to get done early, and we're all eager to get done in a few days.

• One possible hiccup is that the police department that said we could shoot there may now be changing their minds. Stay tuned.

17 October 2009

• We finished our Stirling Club scenes today, got some great publicity and poster stills from student Calvin Rutherford, and did so in a reasonable 8-hour day. We also wrapped Holly and Chyna. They've been fantastic performers, great people, and a lot of fun to hang out with. We're all very glad to have brought them on board for the production.

• We've planned our wrap party for this coming Wednesday at the mansion. All Las Vegas film people are welcome to attend.

16 October 2009

• We're entering the home stretch, working together more efficiently, and generally accepting our long days. Still, the stress is wearing on us and causing some issues.

• We had planned to shoot at the Mexican restaurant (doubling for a Tijuana location) as well as the Seedy Motel, but based on our track record, we decided to split it into 2 days. Monday we did the Mexican restaurant, which went smoothly... after it started. For some reason it took us 3.5 hours to get set up the first shot. We're still not sure how that happened. After that, everything went smoothly, and aside from people being tired, we finished about 3am.

• Tuesday was at the motel. The owner/manager extorted us for an extra $150 above our agreed-upon location fee, required cash, and refused to give us a receipt. It was one of the scummiest places we'd ever been to, with huge cockroaches and odd-smelling rooms. This was also our last night with our picture cars, so after the motel, we got some b-roll of Robert Scott Howard driving down the Strip, and Chyna getting into his beloved H2. Chyna had a 4am call time and stepped up like a champ. Our big drama came when one of our crewmembers leaving before everyone else, prompting a call from ICM to me first thing in the morning.

• Wednesday was some much-needed rest and recharging, followed by a movie and Brian Baldomero's birthday dinner.

• Thursday was one of our few multi-location days. We filmed our stars firing some machine guns at American Shooters, hooked up by Rich Hopkins. This was a conversation scene that we were supposed to shoot last week, but didn't have time. It was a lot of fun, and we got some great footage. Our next location was the first few precinct scenes. Unfortunately, with such short notice, our Set Designer didn't have enough time to prep the location, which cost us a few hours. Again, this is my fault for not cementing reliable locations in pre. There also seem to be a lack of fluid communication between departments and between cast & crew, particularly with which scenes will be done, and in which order. We had a meeting to discuss the issue and are confident that we're on the same page now. We had an early morning planned for Friday, so we cut out early (early being a 12-hour day).

• Friday we shot at Wanderlei's gym. Again, the action looks great, and Wanderlei, Chyna & Bobby all performed well. The Las Vegas Wranglers comped us tickets for all our cast and crew, but everyone was so tired that few showed up.

• We're learning a lot about what it means to step up  to "professional" filmmaking. Most of us are used to working on short, weekend projects for free, which we do out of love for the art, experience, networking, teambuilding, etc. One of the goals of making Red Herring for the budget that we had (versus 80% less) was so that we could be more professional, create a better-looking film, and equally as important, pay the people that were working with us. However, our biggest challenge has been shooting more footage (well) than we actually had time and money to. The end result is that people are working 12-15 hour days, while only getting paid 20-30% of their normal rate. When we're doing fun weekend projects, one or two long days don't bother people. But when we do it 4 times a week for a month, cast (and more-so crew) begin to rightfully grumble that the hours they're putting in aren't worth the pay they're getting. We're in a weird gray area between a professional job and a fun project. Everyone's pretty much agreed that we can keep going on the same pace and pay through the end of the production. At the same time, we are all agreed that we can't work these hours for this pay ever again.

11 October 2009

• It's been another long week, and we've finally learned the meaning of "independent filmmaking." Someone once said "there's no problem that can't be solved with a checkbook." The extension of that is true as well - the smaller the checkbook, the more problems. Our biggest challenge is getting everything done on time and under budget. Our original plan was to shoot this in 25 days. Most of the directors we interviewed were confident we could do it in 18-20. We started production planning on 20, worked quickly and figured out how to cut it down to 18, and are now looking at about 24. The primary reason for the expansion is that this week we worked 5 days, 3 of which were 14-15 hours each. The hours and stress are starting to take their toll on people, especially the crew.

• On Monday the 5th, we shot at the home of Joshua Cozen-McNally, executive producer of the new show "Actors on Location." This was a tough one, as our first 3 places that said we could shoot these scenes all reneged recently. Josh really stepped up and saved our collective butts. It was one of our only outdoor shoots, the temp dropped dramatically, and we didn't wrap until 3am. Despite some delays, we did get "the money shot."

• Tuesday saw Holly's arrival (and yes, she's as gorgeous in person as she is in photos)

• Wednesday was our longest, hardest, and most expensive day ever. We did a lot of our big stunts (lit a stuntman on fire, fired off some blanks, fired squibs, etc). We also shot some of our major dialogue scenes, including our final climactic confrontation. However, this all took 15 hours. The primary reason we pushed to get it all done in 1 day was that the location was in the process of being demolished. We had to get the shots that day, or we wouldn't get them at all. Asst Producer Nicholle Sanchez hooked us up with the location, which used to be Sigfried & Roy's private zoo, which then became a porn house (bow-chicka-bow-wow), and then got gutted by a fire earlier this year. Although it was horrendous, cheesy, gaudy, awful, etc, it worked great because it fit with the characters. We had also been having contract issues with one of our key department heads for 4 days, and we weren't sure if he was even going to show. Everything eventually worked out, and he performed admirably. We also got delayed by about 20 minutes due to a fleet of about 30 helicopters going overhead during one of our dialogue scenes. Another delay resulted from the generator cutting in and out. Still, despite all our challenges and delays, it was truly our best shooting day ever. The most incredible part is that our star, Robert Scott Howard, performed his big climactic monologue at 4am, and he did it perfectly. Finally, Holly performed her first scene, with no rehearsal, and blew us away. She changed from her normal, sarcastic, fun personality into "Angela," delivering a noirish performance that we couldn't have directed better ourselves.

• Thursday was our big mansion shoot. Tyler Jones, developer of Marquis Las Vegas, volunteered his model home for the day. It was the exact opposite of the prior day's location, blowing all of us away. We had intended to start at 9am, but since we didn't finish til 4am, we delayed call til noon. The cost was that we had to remove 2 scenes and move 1 to another location on another day. We were there late again (2am), but again, the production value was hugely improved by the location, so it was worth it. Of particular note is Zack Shisslak, our Production & Set Designer, who's been working 16+ hours a day and not complaining. He's a true champion, and we're lucky to have him on the team.

• Saturday we went back to Stirling Club and got 4 of the 5 scenes done that we needed to. The last will take at least half a day, so we're pushing it back to next week. We did film the closing scene, and it is gorgeous.

• Sunday we went to do rehearsal and choreography with Wanderlei, and attended Olivia Arellano's birthday party at night. We're shooting the big MMA scene this coming Friday.

3 October 2009

• It's been an incredibly busy week with long shooting days and very little sleep. Sorry for not updating this sooner.

• Monday we had a production meeting, in which several procedural and communications issues were resolved. Since then, the production has progressed much more smoothly.

• Afterwards we shot some B-roll at the Golden Nugget and Skyline Casino, both of which were very generous and easy to work with.

• Vincent Pastore arrived, and we got together for some drinks and getting to know each other.

• Tuesday we did both day and night shots at the Bootlegger. Great location and excellent food. Lorraine Hunt stopped by to say hi, along with an interview crew. The wind played havoc with us on our exterior shots, but we still got everything. We got most of Vincent's scenes done at night and wrapped about 3am. There were some tense moments, but again we overcame them and got some great scenes shot. All-in we shot 12 pages in 11 hours.

• Bobbi Billard also arrived Tuesday night. She's a little under the weather, but still a trooper, so she went straight to the hotel for rest.

• The location in the film that bears the name "Red Herring" is an upscale lounge where the main characters hang out. This has been the hardest location to find in terms of location, feel, cooperation, and timing. Our first choice wanted a $7,500 location fee. Our next choice had too many events this week. The next at first agreed, then rescinded. Several more said okay, but they needed more lead time (I wasted a lot of time on the first two choices). We finally got one that agreed, but it wasn't quite right for the characters. Finally, with 18 hours to go, one of our leads, G. Eric Miles, connected us with the Stirling Club at Turnberry, which stepped up and volunteered their location. It was a perfect match for the characters and story. We locked it in, then 6 hours later, 2 of our other choices called and said they wanted us to shoot there. Thus the nature of indie filmmaking.

• Wednesday was probably our hardest day of shooting yet. Most of our crew only had a few hours sleep after the late night at Bootlegger, and we had to get through 10 pages of script in about 8 hours. We ran over our allotted time at the Stirling Club, which upset them, but they were still cool about it. Our other big problem is that one of our supporting actors didn't show up, and we had to replace him on-set with one of our extras. Ultimately, we shot 8 pages. While the scenes look great, we do need to pick up that remaining scene when we shoot there again next week. At night, we had a semi-wrap party for Vinny and Bobbi at Golden Nugget, and everyone had a blast.

• Thursday and Friday were much-needed days off. Thurs was Robert Scott Howard's birthday, and we all got together for bowling and drinks. Fri he had the premier of a Saw attraction at the Circus Circus Fright Dome. The rest of us hung out and caught some movies.

• We did get 2 big developments: first, MMA champion Wanderlei Silva has agreed to make a cameo appearance in the film; also, one of the major international DVD distributors requested footage for review and possible distribution deal.

• Sunday and Monday will be tough shooting days, so we scheduled Saturday as an easy day. We only needed 3 scenes, all at Juhl, and we went from 7am - 4pm. Everything went smoothly... sort of. More details later.

26 September 2009

• The Muay Thai fight was awesome. There were some great knock-outs, and the women's and children's bouts were just as entertaining.  Thanks to Nick's One-Kick Gym for the hook-up, and congrats to all the winners.

• We had a big equipment snafu that wasn't really anyone's fault, but certain crew members are starting to feel frustration toward others. We have scheduled a production meeting for Monday to discuss these issues and come up with a smoother operating procedure going forward.

• Nicholle Sanchez has been brought on as my Asst. Producer. She will be handling a lot of the time-consuming duties that I had trouble delegating due to fear of them not getting done. We're confident that she'll step in to help both me and the personnel function more smoothly.

• Tomorrow is our first day off in almost a week (and my first day off in about 3 months), so we're looking forward to the R&R.

25 September 2009

• Yesterday we got a lot of our driving shots done. it took us a lot longer to set up than we anticipated, so we didn't get quite everything we needed. We'll probably pick those shots up the next time we have the car. Incidentally, the Vette is the best car I've ever driven. Thanks again to Las Vegas Exotic Car Rentals.

• Today we wrapped our most expensive and ambitious shooting day ever. We closed down an alley downtown and staged 2 fights. Rich Hopkins rocked the day on the fight choreography and safety. We ran over time, but the police escorts stayed late. Thanks to the LVMPD.

• We decided to skip delay one scene til tomorrow, as we secured a Muay Thai competition to shoot at. It will cost us extra due to paying additional people, but the added production value should be worth it.

24 September 2009

• Big article in today's Las Vegas Review-Journal. Thanks to Diana Eden for the hook-up with Doug Elfman!

• The airport shoot went fantastically well. Thanks to David Story of Majestic Peak Trading!

• It looks like we've got most of our location issues resolved. Should have those solidified today. Still looking for a modern mansion and a middle class house with grass in the front and garage in the back.

• The Golden Nugget has generously offered to provide accommodations for our stars. Thanks to John Isley for all his help and support!

22 September 2009

• It was a wild and crazy day full of several mini-disasters. First, one of our extras nearly ruined the City Hall shoot. Instead of showing up at 10am in the garage, she showed up at 9am at the Mayor's office. After some coaxing, I calmed the office down and got things back on track.

• Once inside, the Mayor's shoot went fantastically well. He's the coolest Mayor ever, and he's a great performer. Our shoot ran about an hour late, but overall, we're very happy with the footage.

• The plane we were counting on never made it back to Vegas. We got the first airport shot we needed, but not the others. We have to go back tomorrow afternoon to get the rest.

• While we were shooting, Jim Jannard,  the creator and founder of RED, pulled into the adjacent hangar. It would have been cool to have him come see the crew using his camera, but it wasn't meant to be... today.

• We lost 2 of our major locations for later in the shoot, so we are scrambling to find replacements.

• Tim Tucker's friends at Vegas Exotic Car Rentals hooked us up with a sweet, sweet Vette for our hero car, along with a Lambo and BMW for next week.

• Despite all the stress and unforeseen costs that keep piling up, we are getting some great footage that's going to make for a gripping, beautiful film.

21 September 2009

• Our first day of principal went very well. We started early (4am!), got to Valley of Fire around 6am, and started filming at dawn. We got some amazing footage for 2 scenes and wrapped around 12:45.

• We got a great write-up in the Las Vegas Review-Journal

• Bobby and Tim got new hairstyles today

• Tomorrow we are shooting with the Mayor at City Hall, then Henderson Executive Airport. The plane we were planning on using blew a tire and may not be available. Big drama and possibly big trouble.

20 September 2009

• The role of Roy will now be played by Tim Tucker.

• Also, Vlad Aivazian has scheduling conflicts, so he has been replaced by Paul Campanella.

• Vlad and Barry will both have featured extras roles.

19 September 2009

• Barry Lowin has had to withdraw from the project due to a severe leg injury. We all wish him the best for a safe surgery and speedy recovery. If anyone would like to send their wishes, please email Barry@RedHerringMovie.com.

16 September 2009

• Our first day of shooting went fairly well. We got about 90% of what we needed, which was sufficient for the scenes. Some of the footage, particularly with the fireworks, is fantastic.

• The primary hiccup was a miscommunication with the craft services, which wound up costing us a couple hundred more than anticipated.

• Due to solid scheduling prowess from our department heads, we should be able to complete shooting in 18 days, rather than our anticipated 20. That's a good thing, as it means we should come in at our target budget.

• Interns are eager and working out well.

• Most of the location scouting is complete.

• Last big production meeting before rehearsals and shooting was tonight, and we got pretty much everything done.

• Props, supplies, sets, camera accessories, and expendables are being purchased today.

• Minor website revision implemented today.

14 September 2009

• Mayor Oscar Goodman is now officially attached to play himself.

• Intern Orientation went well. We have about 15 interns eager to get their feet wet and begin their film careers.

• We lost one location, so we are trying to find a replacement.

• Tomorrow is our first day of filming, although it's all B-Roll and flashback scenes.

10 September 2009

• We have brought on Zack Shisslak as our Production Designer & Art Director and Evan Luzi as our 1st AC (Camera Assistant). Welcome aboard, guys!

• The Las Vegas Review Journal mentioned us for the first time (although with a misspelled producer's name!)

• Locations, permits, insurance, payroll, and contracts are under way

• Tentative shooting schedule has been drafted, but seems to be changing hourly

• Location review for DP and Production Designer are this coming Monday & Wednesday

• We are scheduled to shoot some B-Roll around Clark County on Tuesday the 15th, including a fireworks show at the San Gennaro Feast.

• Our 2 movie stars are close to signing, but we can't announce who they are just yet! Thanks for your patience.

5 September 2009

• The mutli-wrap party was a huge success. We had 70+ attendees, watched some good shorts, and helped a lot of Las Vegas filmmakers and actors connect

• The teaser short is online. Please rate it and send it to your friends.

• Movie star casting announcement coming Tuesday!

30 August 2009

• "Red Herring: Prologue" is wrapped. Teaser short should be online by this weekend.

• Check out some of the artwork used in the film at www.DamnedInkStudios.com. Thanks to Danny Roberts, Damned Ink Studios & Gail Bowman.

• Special thanks to Charlie Bass, Colleen Aiken, Gail Bowman, Martin Nossov, and Julie Goldman for their contributions.

• We have decided on Kunitaro Ohi as our Director of Photography.

• Wrap party scheduled for Friday night for "Prologue" and Teaser Spot, along with the Baldomero Brothers' zombie flick and Stray Dog Films's "Turn of Fate." Members of the Las Vegas film community is welcome to join us. Email for address and directions.

27 August 2009

• PR is starting to build - The Review-Journal will be writing one or more articles about our production; we will get a mention in a big magazine interview with one of our movie stars, and our first radio interview is scheduled for early Sept.

• Cast for "Prologue" is now official: Tyler Vincent, Lanette Fugit, Cesar Lozcano and William Jackson.

25 August 2009

• Casting announcements today! Check our cast page to see if you made it!

• Updated poster coming this week.

• This weekend we are filming "Prologue," a 3-minute short film that will serve as a viral teaser/trailer, taking place before the film. The goal is to build public awareness and a fan base. Please help spread the word!

21 August 2009

• Principal photography has been moved back one week to accommodate one of our stars. We are scheduled to begin filming 21 September and wrap 16 October.

• We will be shooting a short film next Saturday, 29 August, as a preview/teaser.

• New sponsors include Eccoci clothing, MAC cosmetics, and Southern Nevada Jet Charter

• Employee and independent contractor agreements are being prepared and should be available within days. Once our stars are formally attached, casting announcements will be made.

• Website has been updated and expanded

14 August 2009

• We have received strong interest from 2 major Hollywood actors. We hope to have them signed and announce their attachment soon.

• Locals casting is now completed. We had 224 actors come out from 4 states for 25 roles. We invited 49 for call-backs, and have about 90% of the roles decided. We are still making a few tough decisions, so no announcements will not be made just yet.

• Locations are coming along. We've secured an incredible 16,000sf mansion, a top-name MMA gym, Red Rock Canyon, an airplane hangar, a penthouse loft, and even a house that we can set on fire!

• Our first two "disasters" have struck: Our HDD crashed, and we lost about 2 hours of call-back footage. However, we should be able to recover it. Also, the key actors that we were having a tough time deciding on were all awesome enough to come back and give another reading. The second mini-disaster is that the cops were called on us (for the first time). It was for something insignificant, and before leaving, they asked if they could be in the movie.

24 July 2009

Our production blog is now available on    Facebook    MySpace    Twitter    IMDb.

15 July 2009

Red Herring is Now Casting

Casting is to be held Aug 6, 7, and 8 inside Hollywood Studios, Las Vegas at the corner of Nevso and Hugh Hefner Dr, behind the Palms Casino. Most roles are paid, and everyone will receive copy, credit & meals. This is a SAG Ultra-Low Budget Feature, so both Union and Non-Union actors are welcome to apply. Please go to our casting page for breakdown and other info. Good luck! 

5 July 2009

Cohencidence Goes RED

Cohencidence Productions, in association with GotFilms, has purchased a RED ONE Digital Cinema package. Red One is the best camera on the planet. We will be using the Red for "Red Herring," and making it available for daily and weekly rentals. Please see the Red One page for details.

2 July 2009

• We are making progress in finding a star for our film.
• Richard Baldomero has been named as our Asst. Director.
• Claim Jumper and Jason's Deli have agreed to sponsor us with some meals for cast and crew.
• We are now officially registered on IMDb!

19 June 2009

• Cohencidence has selected Ousa Khun as the director of our first feature film, "Red Herring." In addition to dozens of corporate and music videos, Ousa has directed 2 ultra-low budget features. After an extensive selection process with more than 65 applicants, Ousa proved he was the best with camera work, style, actor direction and dedication. Congratulations and welcome to the team, Ousa!
• Production schedule has been moved up to anticipate better weather. We are now tentatively scheduled to shoot weekdays Sept 14th - Oct 16th.
• Casting for supporting roles is tentatively scheduled for August 2-4.
• Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Ricardo's Mexican Restaurant have generously agreed to cater some meals for the cast and crew. Please go eat at their restaurants and thank them for their generosity!
• We continue to discuss the opportunity with investors and several B- and C-level Hollywood stars.

More to come soon.

• "Red Herring" the first feature film to be produced by Cohencidence Productions, is now in pre-production.
• This is the blog of the producer, Joshua Cohen, and my journey through the production.
• The script was originally conceived by Russell Grin and myself in 2001 and written by me over the following year. We had some immediate interest from Hollywood, but it was determined that post-911 was not the right time to produce it. The project was shelved for several years and finally put into pre-production last month.
• Shooting is scheduled for Oct 5 - Nov 6.
• We are now seeking a Director to helm the project and Executive Producers who would consider investing in the film. Please contact Joshua to discuss either.