The Doorway Movie Project
On June 5th, 2008 I shared my journey, from the streets to the screen, to produce The Doorway, a movie inspired by a lecture by Jim Willis.
The evening included an autobiographical presentation covering my last decade of cinematic work and concluded with the premier of The Doorway. In addition, the event showcased two special guest speakers, Rob Nilsson and Jim Willis. View the presentation excerpt for details on the event and to see The Doorway movie, The Doorway presentation excerpt.
Contents
- The Presentation & Movie
- Radio Interview
- Screening Location
- Screening After Party
- Project Objective
- Project Description
- Production Stills
- Project Journal
- Questions & Comments
Presentation Notes & The Movie
The June 5th presentation of my personal journey to The Doorway was one of the most amazing evenings of my life, and to see the movie with the presentation is an unmatchable experience; however, reading through the event notes in sequence will bring one closer to what the attendees, guest speakers, and I created that special night.
Our evening lasted two and a half hours, and you can expect to spend around an hour absorbing the notes and content, including three of my previous cinematic pieces, so schedule an evening; sit down with a glass of wine and a treat (I recommend fine cheese and/or chocolate); and most importantly, take your time.
With that said, for the full effect, I highly recommend reading through the presentation notes before viewing the movie, The Doorway Presentation Notes »
However, if you can’t wait any longer, here is a direct link, The Doorway Movie »
In addition, below is a substantial collection of content including a project journal outlining my production experiences. Please feel free to question or comment.
College Radio Interview
Garret Roads of Las Positas College Radio interviewed me about my independent education in cinema and the upcoming presentation for The Doorway. Since the interview I made several changes to the presentation premier. For details on the changes, read the associated article, The LPC Radio Interview. To listen to the interview, click the play button below. You may also down load the interview here, LPC Radio Interview.
Screening Location
The movie premier took place on the Las Positas College (LPC) campus in the new state of the art lecture hall.
Admission was free; however, attendees were welcome to make donations to Las Positas College Cinema, an initiative to unify art and cinema with students and the community through LPC.
I invite you to invest in this cinematic and artistic initiative. Please make your check out to The Las Positas College Foundation and mail it to:
Attn: The Rob Nilsson LPC Fund
The Las Positas College Foundation
3033 Collier Canyon Road
Livermore, CA 94551-7650
Screening After Party
After the premier of The Doorway we celebrated at the First Street Alehouse in Livermore. I was told it would be packed because of Pint Night, and it was. I guessed we’d bring down the house, and we did.
I highly recommend the ale house for a great selection of beverages and friendly people.
First Street Alehouse
2086 First Street
Livermore 94550
Directions to First Street Alehouse»
Project Objective
In the summer of 2006 at Las Positas College (LPC), I took an English class taught by Mr. Jim Willis, Robert’s Brother. In the short two-month summer semester at LPC, I was influenced and inspired by Mr. Jim Willis’s presentation of a parable, “The Doorway” by Robert J. Willis. This inspiration evolved into a two part objective.
The first part was to create a short movie, approximately 20 minutes, inspired by the parable.
The second part of the objective was to intertwine the premier of the movie with a presentation about the history of my independent education in cinema with aspects of my current institutional learning.
For the Fall 2007 and Spring 2008 semesters, my Honors Project at LPC was the fulfillment of these objectives.
Project Description
The parable “The Doorway” is intertwined with a short movie idea, Freedom, I wrote in 2003.
“The Doorway” parable is about a man who continually circles within a room along various humanly symbolic walls. In his circular escapade, a doorway in the room tirelessly challenges the man. In the end, he summons bravery, and triumphs over his repetitive sterile pattern. Willingly, he walks into a new world as a new man.
Freedom is about a unemployed young man, Jordan, attempting to attend a job interview. In the span of several morning hours, he is challenged with a series of physical and emotional inhibiting events: an unreliable car, an indifferent girl friend, and a dangerous accident.
Freedom will serve as Jordan’s actual world, and “The Doorway” will serve as his dream world, or symbolic world. Through the events, Jordan is concerned about the well being of his girlfriend, Clare. In addition, Jordan will consult by phone with his best friend, Joseph.
Production Stills
Project Journal
- No Longer Loving Longing: 06.17.08
- As I mentioned in The Doorway Presentation notes on Nero Nava, I experienced an artistic renaissance during the last several production weeks for The Doorway. In my two …
- The Doorway - Now Playing Online: 06.15.08
- Following is the final newsletter announcing the online premier of The Doorway:
Dear Friends, Family, Mentors, and Colleagues,
The June 5th premier of The Doorway was one of the most amazing …
- Following is the final newsletter announcing the online premier of The Doorway:
- The Doorway Presentation: 06.15.08
- The June 5th presentation of my personal journey to The Doorway was one of the most amazing evenings of my life, and to see the movie with the presentation is …
- Stepping Through: 06.06.08
- It is 10:27 AM. Juiced on adrenaline and inspiration, I slept three and a half hours last night. In addition, I’m sitting on a plane boarding for Ontario and …
- The Doorway Newsletter #4 - New Beginnings: 05.31.08
- The following newsletter was sent to The Doorway email list today:
Dear Friends, Family, Mentors, and Colleagues,
I’m sitting in a waiting room at John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek, and …
- The following newsletter was sent to The Doorway email list today:
- LPC Radio Interview: 05.29.08
- Last week, one June 20th, Garrett Roads interviewed me for a Las Positas College (LPC) radio broadcast. The interview took place at Garrett’s home; a very unique living space located …
- A San Francisco Renaissance: 05.27.08
- I experienced a renaissance in art. I spent the last week in San Francisco. The purpose was to collaborate with Nero on the sound; however, our collaboration far exceeded the …
- Into the City: 05.21.08
- Today, I announced The Doorway to several more classes. As with last time, I tried different things for different classes. The range of response from audiences is always interesting. …
- Class Announcements - Livermore Posters: 05.15.08
- I announced the movie to Mr. Ross’s drama classes and went to Livermore’s downtown to post posters. Afterwards, later in the evening, I introduced the movie to Mr. Willis’s English-4 …
- Name Changed - Posters Posting: 05.13.08
- I spent the last several days posting posters on campus and at local cafés, note the pictures below. I also networked with the various media and art departments at Las …
- The Doorway Poster: 05.01.08
- Last week, I needed to smog check my van for this years vehicle registration, so I decided play with some ideas for the The Doorway movie poster while waiting. …
- The Doorway Newsletter #3 - The Screening: 05.01.08
- The following newsletter was sent out today, May 1, 2008:
Dear Friends, Family, Mentors, and Colleagues,
Yesterday, Nero Nava and I finished shooting the final live action elements, and we’re now ready …
- The following newsletter was sent out today, May 1, 2008:
- Another Shoot - And Some Pics: 04.19.08
- We are moving forward on The Doorway. After two weekends of shooting, things are going very well; I’ve included a picture from the recent shoot below, visit the project …
- The Doorway Newsletter #2 - Shooting: 04.05.08
- The Doorway production is moving forward, and plans for the screening and presentation have begun. In addition, over the last several months, I made substantial changes to the piece. These …
- The Doorway Shoot - Delayed: 03.21.08
- For the third week in a row, the The Doorway shoot was delayed. This time, it was Jay, the lead actor, who became sick. I’m hoping Jay finds speedy …
- The Country Life - Roxy Music: 03.08.08
- Yesterday, I was listening to music through last.fm, and I heard a great song by Roxy Music. I remember Nero Nava referring to Roxy Music in the past, …
- Memories, Reflection, and Recovery: 03.03.08
- Last night, after finishing my last post, my fever escalated, and I started to have memories of the last time I pushed my self to hard. It was close to …
- Contrasting Accident: Update: 03.02.08
- When I woke up, The weather and morning sky were absolutely beautiful, so I decided to go ahead with the test shoot for The Doorway. I wasn’t feeling 100, …
- Facial Lighting Test: 02.29.08
- I worked on some lighting test for The Doorway today. We canceled this Saturdays shoot because of a little flu I picked up on Wednesday, and the shoot is …
- Doorway Shoot Delayed: 02.29.08
- I was hit up with a little sickness starting Wednesday night. I think this was a combination of the long 16 hour work day in addition to an intense workout …
- Location Planning & More: 02.27.08
- For several days, I focused on location planning. This included two trips to Antioch for test shots. Before I go into further details, I posted an ad on Craig’s List …
- The Doorway Parable: 02.27.08
- Below is the parable as copied from James Willis’s website. Mr. Willis’s website is located on Geocities, and every so often they have bandwidth issues, so now the parable …
- Martin Creek Walk - Feeling: 02.26.08
- Yesterday was a busy day, and I have updates and pics for the location of The Doorway. However, I want make note of my recent walk before I forget …
- Rob Nilsson’s Artistic Feedback: 02.18.08
- Rob recently provided artistic feedback following an essay I wrote several years ago, “His Name is Luke.” His feedback is applicable beyond the essay itself, and I will consider it …
- Nero Nava - The Doorway Sound Track: 02.17.08
- After visiting SF MOMA, I drove out to the Sunset District, where Nero Nava lives. Nero Nava is producing the sound track for The Doorway. It’s been …
- A Workshop from Within: 02.16.08
- Last night, I met Rob Nilsson to help him shoot a Direct Action workshop scene with Alchmed and Michelle. Before the shoot, I captured some very beautiful conversation between Alchmed …
- The Doorway Newsletter - New Passages: 02.14.08
- Below is the first the first newsletter for The Doorway. I sent it today around 11:00pm. Dear Friends, Family, Colleagues, and Mentors, This is the first of a series …
- Meeting With Rob Nilsson: 02.13.08
- I touched base with Rob over the last couple of days. He is arranging for screenings of Presque Isle in Los Angles towards the end of February. I …
- The Opening Sequence: 02.13.08
- I woke up with additional thoughts on the opening sequence of The Doorway. I may include the voice mail, or the answering service, of Jordan’s girlfriend in the opening dream …
- Thoughts on the Room per Nero: 02.13.08
- I had a long and fruitful conversation with Nero, head of music and lead collaborator, about the room from the parable and how we will portray it. I was considering …
- Walk and Observe: 02.06.08
- I walked through the Martin Creak Canyon trail again; the last two days I walked the trail and drew some inspiration for “The Doorway.” This time I took pictures of …
- A Walk & Reflection: 02.06.08
- This note is in the midst of tired eyes, for I’ve nearly finished the latest version of this project site, joelsimone.com. It is 5:17 am in the morning, and I …
- Honors Symposium: 12.19.07
- I’ve been so caught up in final studies and projects that I didn’t have the time to post a journal on “The Doorway” presentation at the college Honors Symposium. The …
- Wardrobe: 11.25.07
- Today, I took Shane out to get his character’s wardrobe. This included a sports jacket, dark striped shirt, jeans, and some shoes. ¶ Shane’s character, Joseph, is on the way …
- Rehearsals: 11.19.07
- There are two notes to this log. ¶ First, for last week, there was a confusion in our scheduled rehearsal date. Our rehearsal room was occupied when we arrived, so …
- Cast Team Meeting: 11.05.07
- Yesterday, we had a team meeting to break down the project and go over the production schedule. The meeting was at Erik’s Deli and Café in Dublin. Shane …
- Location Pics: 11.03.07
- I drove to Antioch’s downtown. The purpose was to scout locations for the morning of Joseph’s challenges, i.e., where he gets his coffee and runs into his first series …
- Rehearsal Room Obtained: 10.31.07
- Today, in search of a rehearsal room, I went to the Dublin Library, and I found a nice presentation room. I scheduled the rehearsals for Saturday 11/10 and Saturday …
- Casting Finished: 10.22.07
- We cast for the movie, and all parts are filled. ¶ I edited the characters names in the project description to reflect the new names, i.e., Jordan to Joseph and …
- Mr. Ross’s Wed Class: 10.10.07
- Today, I announced the casting call to Mr. Ross’s class. Mr. Ross had a great question regarding commitment. I realized, I should put some more details on the level of …
- Craig’s List Ad: 10.08.07
- I posted the Craigslist.com ad for the open part. The ad can be viewed here: The Doorway’s Craig’s List Ad. The published ad has expired (checked …
- Audition Poster Posted: 10.06.07
- I just returned from the Mill Valley Festival premier of Rob Nilsson’s movie Presque Isle. I called Nero Nava on the way home. We discussed the …
- Poster & Auditions: 09.29.07
- The poster is nearly finished. I would like to spend more time on it, but I must move forward. With a dense schedule, I have decided to make auditions by …
- Meeting With Candy: 09.25.07
- I had a meeting with Dr. Klaschus today, and I will be extending my project into two parts, i.e., two semesters. This will allow me to maximize the experience in …
- Speech and Flyers: 09.18.07
- Last week I worked on turning the movie break down into a speech. I decided that some of the events will be worked out during the production, and this allows …
- Lost Script and Starting Project: 09.05.07
- To no avail, I tried to locate the script for Freedom. It may have been destroyed when my hard drive crashed two years ago. I have the movie in …
Hey Orion (Joel),
I really like the site. It’s clean and very organinzed. I’m a big fan of wordpress myself. Anyway, just wanted to let you know I stopped by, and I’ll be sure to check it out once again.
Tom
Tom, Thanks! I love Wordpress, especially for making websites… it so versatile.
Thanks for the feedback today too.
michael, and his friend jordan, eh. hmm..
Hey Jason, nice to see you commenting here. In the Project Journal, Log 4, I noted a new idea out of respect for your busy schedule. The idea is in the air, for I am still finalizing the schedule. How would you feel about playing a less demanding supporting role? I imagine, it would be less time consuming for you. With this, I would cast Shane, my brother, as the lead. I would also make a change in the character names. What are your thoughts?
hey, orion
i’m very interested in your project and would love to audition how would i set up an appointment for an audition.
Raven, we are filling slots for next weeks auditions now. Follow the directions in the auditions section above for more details. Any other questions, feel free to post a comment or email me. Thanks!
We wrapped up auditions! Thanks to everyone who inquired. We will begin rehearsals soon.
Joel , mad respect for doing what you love for what seems like a long time but in reality your just gettin started! You know i got your back and knowledge of your inner drive keep rollin.
The Worm, thanks for the kind words and support!
Hi Joel, I am very glad that you have gone back to your birth name. I have always had faith in you and know that you have a devine purpose and are on the right path to a rich and fulfilling life.
The doorway sounds like a part of you. I am very excited about following your steps through this great project. -Dad
Hi Dad, nice to see you commenting here. In regards to the the first newsletter, I am happy to return to my birth name too; it all makes sense. Thanks for the kind words.
Hi Joel,
Thank you for recent newsletter. It is exciting to see your recent project coming along. I look forward to seeing your film. I can only imagine the depth to this movie, knowing the intensity you have put into your past films. Hope you are doing well, and hope to talk with you soon. Oh yah, Lily says…”Hi—ya….”
Hi Chera,
Thanks for the comment. Yes, this is a very intense one. I was inspired with the initial direction; however, I never imagined it to develop as it is. I finished editing the first two scenes the other day, and they are done in a way I’ve never done before… don’t want to give away too much.
Anyhow, tell Lilly I said hi too.
Joel - you are amazing. You have a truly God given talent. So glad you are following your dream. I know you will succeed. Poppa and I are very proud of you. You are so like him as far as your talent. He is amazing also. We are anxious to see your film “The Doorway” take care and see you at the opening of the film. Love, Nonni
Hi Nonni,
Thank you very much, and thanks for commenting. Editing is going very well; I’m staying super busy. I’m looking forward to seeing you and Pappa at the screening. Love you too :)
Well it looks like you are a busy man.
I remember the conversation we had in the quad about your idea for The Doorway, and how the story reminded me of a similar story that I had read in my philosophy class about the man in the cave. We should sit and talk again in the future. I am glad to hear that you are making lots of progress with your project! Too bad we never kept in touch, I would loved to have been involved.
I would love to watch your early films. I am now inspired to write my first screenplay! This summer I’d like to shoot a short version. I’ve really been focusing on VCOM lately, Fredda has really been putting us to work so this summer should be loads of fun! Do you plan on taking any summer classes?
Give me a call sometime, or maybe I’ll just have to wait until I see you again, and you’ll be someone else!
-Travis
p.s. even though I hardly ever see you anymore, thanks for being what seems, one of the only friends I’ve made at LPC
Hi Travis,
So far, I have one Math class this summer, Trigonometry with Geometry. However, it will be at Chabot, LPC isn’t offering it.
Interesting, another friend of mine said something very similar about the man in the cave concept. I will give this more consideration.
In regards to previous work, I will show some scenes at the presentation. The screening will showcase work from the last 10 years.
Ha! This is my last name change. Yesterday, it was funny when we were talking, just after you called me Orion, and Fredda said, “Travis, meet Joel.” Anyhow, you can read more about the name change in the first project newsletter, New Passages. I am Joel Simone for good.
Thanks for the comment, and lets stay in touch.
We are very happy for you Joel……This has been a difficult project with school and other things wrapped around it. The final cut is on its way. I am excited to see the film and look forward to walking through. Talk to you soon.
Dan, thanks! It certainly been a challenge, and I too am looking forward to stepping through.
Joel, congratulations on all of your marvelous successes and on the return to your given name. I am proud to be able to address you as Joel, (or Bowie), but especially to call you Son.
Remember the old adage; “Success is a journey and not a destination,” and that by this definition you are most definitely a success.
Looking forward to your movie debut!
Hi Ron, thank you very much for the kind words!
It is an absolute pleasure to have you in the family; I can’t imagine it otherwise.
We’re almost there!
All this time I kept wondering “who’s this Joel character & how did he get my email?”. Sneaky sneaky. I’m totally hyped to see your film.
Jason, thanks for the interest!
It will be a very special night. Talk to you soon.
Joel I am excited about your project. I’ve been invited by a friend of a friend and I am anxious and coming quite a distance to see your work. Congrats!
Hi Trena, thank you for your interest! I will contact you about seat reservations.
I was looking at the Las Positas College website to see if any new jobs were posted and I saw that you were on the home page. I’m excited to see your film! I can’t believe that it’s only 2 days away! The fliers look great!
Thanks, Bree. Yes, I was pretty happy about the Las Positas College homepage note. For reference, I archived an image of it at the bottom of this article, Class Announcements - Livermore Posters.
Joel I have watched you prepare like the champion you are !!! One more day!!
I love you FOREVER! mom
Hi Mom, yes, this was quite the journey. Thanks for the comment, love you too.