The second quarter…

Hello again! Hope you’ve had a great first quarter of 2012 and all is looking good for foreseeable future… I’ve been keeping busy and working on a few personal projects that I’m really excited about, as well as collaborating with a number of really fantastic old and new friends…

To kick off the new year, I recorded the voice over for an Oregon Lottery radio commercial advertising their St. Patrick’s Day Raffle. The spot was produced by Borders Perrin Norrander but unfortunately it’s not online anywhere, so I can’t share it with you… I’m looking for it though, and I’ll post it here when I can! It was a fun little commercial and a pleasure to record. Here’s a pic from LA Studios where we recorded the spot, it’s a fantastic studio with lots of comfortable space, though on the day it was just myself (behind the glass) and Chris Cirino working the board, over a phone patch to John the director, in Oregon.

Next up was performance capture for the slick and exciting new game coming from the makers of Halo, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Infamous, for the iPhone and iPad. The game follows Hope, a young woman trapped within a shadowy totalitarian state. Using a stolen phone, she calls and begs you to hack into the nation’s surveillance system, assume control, and help her escape from the clutches of the omnipresent Overseer. Regular cohort Rachel Rath performed the mo-cap for Hope, while I performed the various bad guys and the Overseer. An ambitious project, the team are currently working on raising the necessary funds to produce the full version of the game. So far they’ve secured $500k from investors, and they’ve now gone to the gamers directly via kickstarter to secure the remaining $500k and prove the market for such a venture.

Check out the kickstarter video below to learn more and to catch a quick glimpse of Rachel tasering me in our dotty mo-cap suits:

On the writing front, I’m keeping plenty busy with three scripts each coming to fruition and soon to hit the sales floor.

The first is a fun and uplifting teen sport movie that deals with bullying and the definition of cool. I hung out with my nephews in Arizona for a week in March and we watched a LOT of kids tv… It really made me think about how little of my work the boys have been able to watch and I’m eager to do this project for them – I’ll be negotiating in a supporting role for myself! Also I was amazed by the portrayal of adults in the current crop of shows and films for kids – it seems we all turn into idiots once we hit 30!! No wonder kids think their parents don’t know anything. So I’ve got some cool adults in my script too. The pacing and tone is very different now to what I grew up watching, but after taking the boys to the DVD store and picking up a bag full of my favorite films from back in the day, I’m happy to report that they enjoyed them as much as I still do!

The other two scripts are far from suitable for my nephews unfortunately, but everything can’t be PG13! One is a harrowing and gritty thriller which follows a young criminal who’s conscience finally catches up with him after his boss branches out into new markets and he can’t accept what he’s become. Violent and suspenseful, Rachel gets a good laugh at me when writing this one – seems I can’t think about killing someone without making faces!

The last is a fun horror, for and about sex-crazed teens, as a group of camp-goers are forced to do battle with an unknown entity seeking warm, fleshy bodies for multiplication and incubation… I’m playing with a few classic horror elements in this one, combining a number of monster concepts and giving my heroes plenty more than life and death to worry about.

Finally, I’ve just gotten my motorcycle license and am about to start shopping for a bike… I’m looking forward to hitting the highways and seeing more of California and the adjoining states as well as getting some on-screen steel horse action.

Have a good’un… K

Hell hath no fury like summer in the desert!

Alright, so I kinda got caught up in July and only thought to write a note to you yesterday – when I realized I’d be due to write August’s note today anyway… So I went for a walk instead!

August is here and L.A. is HOT! Though if you’re reading this in Ireland, it’s technically now Autumn and time to dig out the wooly jumpers in rich browns and oranges and snuggle up by the fire. The rest of the world has another month of Summer to enjoy – why’d we make it different? Oh well, no use going on about it – summer is any day the sun shines, right?

So July was a busy month… But it wasn’t all work! I took a wonderfully crazy break mid-month to visit my sister and her family in Arizona – it was a million degrees but we had a fantastic time visiting amusement and water parks and lounging by the pool at their house. Before that I was kept busy with some writing and I had a number of meetings about the project I’ve been giving shape to of late. I then realized I’ve been laying out outlines for WAY more content than I can possibly create myself and so began striking items off my production board. I also took this time to get a bit more organized in general and have an all new daily schedule going on that splits my day into two four hour work blocks with workout, extra-curricular and socializing time set around them – and I’m happy to report it makes life much simpler!

Before that, I had the pleasure of being an adjudicator for the Big Bear Lake International Film Festival Screenwriting Competition. There were some fantastic enteries and I really enjoyed reading such a wide range of genres and writer’s voices. I’ve passed on my votes now, so it’s down to the final-round judges, who will choose a winner from the remaining five contestants.

In the last week of July I attended the Action on Film Festival in Pasadena where ‘Embers of the Sky’ was nominated for Best Film and ‘LEX’ won Best Short – check it out here:

This month I’ve got a lot to do, but most of it is plain old sitting at the computer writing. I’m back working on a new draft of my novel with a significant new angle on the narrative and I’m also working on two varying spec scripts that I’m preparing for submission to interested parties.

When done, I’ll let you know more…

For now, I’m off, but I wish you a wonderful August and hopefully we get a chance to cross paths at some point and grab a coffee or a bite. Kevin

And to the midpoint…

June Gloom is almost but a memory as it hots up in Los Angeles. There’s a lot going on these days as I’m working to finish the edit on comedy web series Masters of the House, written by John Mawson and directed by Rachel Rath. I’m one of the ensemble players in the show which we shot in May. The series takes place in the kitchen of the recently deceased über-producer Robert Delaney, as his staff attempts to keep his passing a secret in order not to lose their jobs. You can find more information at the website www.mastersofthehouse.tv

Receiving their premieres next month are two sci-fi films I’ve had the pleasure of performing in. The first is the anthology feature Embers of the Sky by director Justin Calen Chenn. I performed in the segment A Song For Swan last year and I’m very excited to see the finished product on the big screen at the Action On Film Festival in Pasadena. Also at the AOF is LEX, a short film I shot in Fresno just a few months ago for director Troy Ruff. I met Troy last year at the AOF where I was representing two films by German filmmaker Juliane Block. The festival runs from July 22 – 30.

Post-production is coming along nicely on Sweet Jesus and I hope to have it wrapped up by the end of July. Its looking great and I’m really enjoying the gentle pace of the narrative. In fact, the pace would seem to have really infected my literary consciousness as I’ve begun batting around a couple of ideas for two new drama features. The first is a small-town Ireland set dramedy that focuses on community spirit and divilment (that cheeky giddiness that tickles us when we know we’re doing something we shouldn’t). I’m putting the script together now over the summer months and talking to some film folk back in Ireland with a mind to fit production into January 2011 when I’m home for the holidays. The second script is an L.A. set drama about women. This is a bit of a departure from my regular writing, but I’m really excited by the story (which I’m not telling you about now). The premise and title presented themselves to me at a hot rod show here in SoCal. The film takes alternative culture and wholesome family values and sets them on a collision course. It’s early days yet, but I’m excited to see where the story will take me…

Hollywood Hoodlum is now back on the table, with all key members of the team back stateside. I made a few modifications to the story while it was in hiatus, so we’re now working on putting everything together and will get out and shooting soon.

I’ll be back to you with more news in July and hope you’re having a great start to your summer – and if it’s winter where you are, I hope that’s goin great too!

Take care of yourselves, Kevo

March Madness…

So we’re nearing the end of the first quarter and it’s exciting times here in Hollywood…

I’ve been busy for a couple months now, working quietly on a new feature film which has rolled nicely into principal photography. The film is Sweet Jesus, a gentle drama that follows a young homeless man on the streets of Los Angeles, who during an infrequent night of stormy rain decides to hike to the top of Mount Lee and spends the night watching the city from above the Hollywood sign. There, he makes the decision to clean himself up and take bold steps to rejoin society. Venturing out into the world he’s been living on the fringes of for almost two years, he re-encounters the simple pleasures of life, the easily forgotten and all too often taken for granted joys of living. Through his experiences and the people he meets, Jesus is strengthened and bolstered in his belief that he can make his way back, and slowly but surely he sees the pieces of the puzzle and commits himself to aligning them.

The idea for the film came to me, not so much out of the blue, but more in a long slow creep, visibly there but I passed little remarks until it was right on top of me and calling out to be made. Throughout 2010 I was busy writing a number of films and TV series both for myself and as assignments for other producers; I wrote two feature thrillers and a sci-fi series for myself, a sci-fi horror for a producer in San Francisco and two half-hour kids comedy series for a UK producer – and a contemplative drama was far from my mind, however before I produced Stew for Darklight’s Dublin 26.06.08, I hadn’t been even remotely considering its themes or story elements either. So I’m quite excited really, although it is for a very sensible exploit. I’m breaking my usual trends with the film’s photography also, shooting entirely in sequence and working day on, day off, editing the footage as I go – I intend to bring on an editor when finished to add their magic, but I’m really working to have this film grow organically and I don’t want to ever be settling for a shot or scene just because it has to tie in the next sequence… I’ve also been working with Rachel a lot on the script, taking the various dialogue scenes and workshopping and improvising around them, finding nuances and variances of flow. It’s a lot like working on a theater show, rehearsing and blocking and reworking before moving to location and reconstructing it in situ.

Carefully grafted onto my schedule with filming are rehearsals for the upcoming St Patrick’s Day extravaganza This Is Ireland, a spectacular show taking place in Royce Hall in UCLA. The show will feature Irish music, dance, theater, poetry, prose and history, performed by a host of truly amazing performers including the Hollywood Choir, Pierce Brosnan, Roma Downey, Samantha Mumba, Rachel Rath, Alan Smyth and many more… I’ll be playing a couple of familiar characters, but my main role is as Robert Emmet, delivering the Speech from the Dock. It promises to be a great night, the best craic west of Connemara!

Of course that is not nearly enough to have me stressing, so I’m also gearing up to star in a short comedy series by British actor and writer John Mawson. John has penned a lovely little farce set in the kitchen of a Hollywood A-Lister’s Beverly Hills mansion. The series will begin shooting right after St Patrick’s Day and so I’m running around getting fitted for my costumes and having table reads etc. Lot’s of fun… Any of you who know me from WAAAY back when, know that I started out with some wild slapstick and French farce and do love it

For those of you following Hollywood Hoodlum, it’s currently on hold as a key member of my team on the project has been whipped away to work on a high profile production that I can’t really talk about here, but as soon as they’re finished on that I’ll be getting it back moving.

I wish you a very happy St Patrick’s Day and all the very best with whatever you’re up to…

Quicky Preview (Pre-listen?)

Okay, so a lot of my time lately has been spent on my new series Hollywood Hoodlum as we’re due to begin shooting here in Hollywood (obviously) before the end of the month. I’ve been playing around with some compositions for a theme/video that the Hoodlum himself puts together and although it’s not yet finished (I’ll be adding some percussion next week in Ireland with composer Oisín O’Regan) I thought I’d let ye have a quick listen…

The Woodlum Is Risen

Creativity

Wow, I’ve been away a while… Not a peep since May? I hope you’re all at least following me on twitter for my mini updates!! @kevinmarron

So in January I started the year with a very grand idea – 52 Creative Ventures – I would make or do something every week and post it for you to enjoy. And clearly I’ve failed! Somewhere along the way I fell back into bad habits and didn’t even tell you when I didn’t do anything! But I’m going to change that, NOW!

Oct, Nov and Dec will be busy and exciting and I’m going to give you something every week to look at, listen to or read. I don’t know what those things will be right now but I’m not letting the rest of the year go to pot…

I’ve been busy this last month with a challenge I set myself of producing a feature film in 30 days – from inception, through writing, preproduction, shooting and post, to final delivery online on Sept 30. But when I got to casting and crewing I hit a few roadblocks that have forced me to slow down. It seems the script I wrote demands more time and attention – it is pretty heavyweight – and so I’m now courting some higher up producers to take the project on and bring it to you later, possibly next year. It’s not dead, it’s just in it’s cocoon phase… If only I’d written something simple and uninspiring – though then you’d not want to watch it any more than I’d want to spend 30 days making it!! To see what I got up to go over to facebook.com/Hell.In.September

But I’ve not given up – I’m going to go again now in November!! I will shoot a feature and have it to you by the end of the year – no joke! I’m also putting together proposals for two TV shows and I’m working with some filmmakers to put out a couple of shorts also. So watch this space…

For Hell In September I’ve been doing video updates as it allows me to kick them out that little bit faster, and allows you to listen to me (while looking at something else if you like) rather than having to sit and read everything. So I might go with that more, and/or mix’n'match. For now though I’ll let you go and I’ll be back with you again soon… =) K

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Okay, so everything I know about Cinco de Mayo I just now learned from wikipedia – but I still wish all you a wonderful day (including the French)!!

So what’s been going on? You’ve already no doubt noticed that I didn’t check in with you in April (sorry), but things were simply CRAZY – in a good way! It’s been all go here in LA and I’ve been working on a number of really cool projects, as both actor and writer…

First up was writer/director Justin Calen Chiang‘s anthology feature Embers of the Sky in which I played Quinnas, a mean bastard alien enslaved to a superior race and forced to carry out their dirty work here on Earth – LOTS of fun on that shoot and I’m really looking forward to seeing the results. Justin is an absolute gentleman and has a real knack for gathering around him a really wonderful group of people, cast and crew alike, awesome bunch!

After that I had a few cool voice over gigs that were quick and easy and fun to voice. Nothing too exciting, but fun for me… I’ve also updated my voice demos so you can check out what I sound like these days… I’ve a few really cool voice jobs on the way, but I’ll not say anything about them until they’re recorded – not that I believe in jinxing or anything like that!

Writing-wise, I’ve been busy too. I’m still working my way through the third draft of my novel and hope to have it at a submittable standard by mid summer, it’s reshaping all the time and getting much more gripping and dark – me likey! ツ

I’m working on a horror script for an independent film company down in Orange County, its a fun little slasher that they’re hoping to put into production later this year, which is great.

And finally, I’ve just started scripting a new six part half-hour comedy series which is already garnering some attention – and I only came up with it about 10 days ago! I’m giving away nothing for now, but it’s an international story that will feature a diverse cast… The interest so far is comin from both the US and Europe so where it’ll land I have no idea as yet – but needless to say I cant wait to get it going!

General life-wise all is good, there’s some big surf due to hit in Malibu tomorrow that I’m looking forward to and I’ve a nice long hike planned for Friday, so I can safely say all is well in the world of Kevin Marron!

As always feel free to drop me a line if you’d like to acquire my services, performed or scribed… I’ve a bit of time comin up that I’m lookin to fill, so get in quick! ツ

Have fun, look after yourselves and remember to always smile at bus drivers – they’re bigger than you!! :-p

March Already??!!

Wow, time is goin by fast!! I can’t believe it’s St Patrick’s Day next week…

So what’s been going on? Well, first, I’ve been filming with Los Angeles native, Justin Calen Chiang, on a sci-fi anthology feature Embers Of The Sky in the third of three stories about people on a journey to find peace. It’s been a great shoot so far with some fantastic locations in the greater LA area, and I’ve a few days to go…

Over the weekend of course, Richie Baneham took home an Oscar for his work on Avatar, and I was with the Irish in LA contingent as we watched and celebrated the ceremony in Dillon’s Irish Bar in Hollywood. It was a great day, and with five Irish nominees there was a lot of excitement, the room charged with electricity. A shame we only took the one home, but five noms is a great achievement for the Irish film industry.

I had a couple of great meetings last week which I’m excited about and may lead to some great international opportunities. I am always eager to get out and about in the world so I’m very pleased with the progress so far…

In writing news, I have just begun a third pass on my novel and will be beginning my adventure in getting it published soon after I complete this rewrite. A good few changes came about in the second pass and I think a few more are on the cards – but then, when is one ever finished!!!

I’m also working currently on a “romantic horror” script that I’m quite excited about. I’ve gone a completely different direction with this one and I’m getting some really interesting streams of consciousness from it. I’m only about half way through at the moment, but it’s irksome, even for me!!

I was in Utah last month briefly to catch a bit of the Sundance Film Festival and had a really fantastic time. I road-tripped up there with wonderful actress Rachel Rath, LA Irish Film Festival founder Lisa McLaughlin and Emeralds In Tinseltown co-author Bernadette O’Neill. We had a wonderful time in the snow, saw some great films and met cool new people. I’m now toying with the idea of making a break for Texas to catch a bit of SXSW, which kicks off Friday for a week… I’ve had layovers in Texas once or twice, but I’d relish a chance to get out and adventure in the 28th state!!

Anyway, for now that’s all you’re getting… Go read my note on artistry, it’s not finished and needs tweaking but you’ll get the idea!! Stay cool, have fun and be nice to each other…

Peace out – Kevin

A little behind & little to report…

Hello hello…

Just a quick update as I’ve not a lot to tell you…

Life’s been keeping me busy, I’ve been out auditioning and I’m actively working on a new feature script. It’s coming along nicely, I’m delving into uncharted territory with this one, but it’s exciting and keeping me on my toes. I’ll tell you more as it progresses…

The webseries I was part of back in Ireland, ZOMBIE BASHERS, by director Conor McMahon, is now online at rte.ie/storyland – I pop up at the beginning of episode two. After enjoying the episodes you can click on VOTE and give Conor your support – I’m sure he’ll appreciate it!! =)

I’ve a couple of shorts coming up in the next few weeks and I hope to get them to you shortly after, though obviously there may be delays depending on festival submissions etc. I’ve a few little ideas I’m putting together also that I’ll bang straight up when complete for your viewing pleasure…

Take care and be good, I’ll be back to you soon… Kevin

2010 – Start as you mean to go on!!

2010 is finally here!! I don’t know how many of you were greatly anticipating it, but I have been looking forward to it for a while now… Far from wishing my life away longing for the future, I’ve just been excited by the idea of 2010, I’ve had high hopes – though I would like to know where my flying car is!! =p

Anyway…

The year so far has been great. I recovered quickly from a wonderfully relaxed (read: “face-stuffingly good”) Christmas and New Year with my family at home in Ireland, and got straight to work in week one, playing a guest spot in Conor McMahon’s RTE Storyland show Zombie Bashers – I’ll be popping up in episode two…

Now I’m back in the Wild West and getting stuck into a number of very exciting projects for the year ahead. I’m doing a considerable amount of writing this year, concentrating on novels, having found great satisfaction from my debut novelling experience “Father Brother Son”, which will be entering it’s third draft in about four hours from now! Far from abandoning screenwriting, I’ve two scripts on the boil for later in the year, but I dare say my writing ambitions are much more concentrated on books than films. I’ll tell you more as things progress…

This year is going to be a year of continuous action for me, with some grand ideas, large and small scale projects, that ought to keep me busy for all 12 months. Happily I have somehow, perhaps magically, arranged them all with flexible deadlines, that I can concentrate on my acting career first and foremost, while always knowing I have something working away in the background should I find a dull moment.

I’m fully intent on acting on four continents this year so wherever in the world you’re reading this, do keep me in mind – I’ve a bag packed and ready for any short notice travel requirements…

I promise to make 2010 a year of regular updates here also – I’m drastically reducing my online time this year to allow me reach my production goals, but I’ve streamlined my update process so that I can keep you all informed at the same time! (I’m on a new dashboard widget at the moment and I’ve very happy with how it’s speeding my posting time…)

That’s all for now, I hope to be back with you every second Friday with news of completed performances for others or a taste of my creative side (that’s right, I’ve 25 minor productions planned for the year, across all artistic platforms, that can only be bumped when I’ve been too busy performing for someone else – and the green in their pockets!)

Speak soon and take care till then,
Kevin