Kyle's OITB Blog

It means tremulous fear, alarm, or agitation; perturbation. It’s what I felt going into this project. I’m not a puppet. I won’t be the mouthpiece for someone else’s agenda. I’m not Leni Riefenstahl.

That’s where I was a few months ago, alarmed, in a state of agitation. I was in trepidation. What if these guys really were the way they are portrayed in the media? What if they did have an ax to grind against people like me? What if I don’t want anything to do with their message, with dissuading people’s apprehensions towards them? Those were real thoughts going through my head.

I have had experiences since then. Those experiences have led me to face those trepidations (can also be used in the plural) head on. I’ve already had the meetings that kept me out on my fire escape beforehand studying the church down the street wondering if it would still be as unassuming to me if it were a mosque. I’ve met the people that I was so unsure of just those few short months ago.

APAAM marching in Dearborn on Memorial Day 2010

So where do I stand now? Watch the movie.

It’s the weekend. Friday night has crept into Saturday morning. There’s a world of people partying it up out in Hollywood. And I am so glad I’m not with them right now.

No, instead, I’ve spent the last six hours or so screening footage from the Dearborn shoot. Most people probably don’t understand this mentality. I’m also glad I’m not most people. This is where I want to be. Always, not for the next few years until I find something better: more pay, better benefits, an air-conditioned office. This is what I want to do until I die, me and Clint Eastwood.

This is the part where I inspect the fruits of my labor. This is the time when I remember how I feel absolutely at home with a crew of strange, artsy, eccentric people around me all working towards the same bizarre goal.

We make movies. This is our work.

You don’t get us. You probably don’t even like us. But, if we did our job right, you’re going to appreciate what we’ve done.

I’m not saying this is the ultimate kick, but it’s mine. It’s what makes me bother at all. So apologies if I’ve misprioritized (Shakespeare got assassination, I’m taking this word) my time but I just had to see the footage we shot in Michigan.

I’m making a documentary. Go drink you’re fucking appletini.

Finally,

     We have a lock on a seriously bountiful event: the 86th Annual Memorial Day Parade in Dearborn, Michigan. For those that don’t know, Dearborn has the highest concentration of Arab American citizens in the country. Coincidentally, it also has the longest running Memorial Day Parade in Michigan. APAAM, Association of Patriotic Arab Americans in Military, will be marching in the parade and I am lucky enough to be asked along for the weekend to document these guys’ story and what it is they stand for. Here is a link to a write up on last year’s parade: “Dearborn’s 85th Memorial Day Parade”

     Sounds like there is a lot of history there: stories to be told, veterans to be honored. I’m happy to be a witness.

     So this weekend, Tristan and I were two of what appeared to be somewhere over a hundred participants in a free workshop for veterans held by the Writer’s Guild Foundation. I didn’t know what to expect and, to be honest, wasn’t really aware of how huge of an opportunity it was. Guys were flying in from all over the country. I rolled out of bed and drove down to Fairfax.

     But when I got there, I was pleased to find a room full of award winning writers who were willing to shoot the breeze with a bunch of vets in the hopes of helping us to realize our potential as writers. We spent the weekend picking these guys’ brains. And what I learned about the entertainment industry was both reassuring and potentially crushing.

     Good: even seasoned writers go through what I had previously thought were the beginning stages of my ensuing insanity during the writing process. Whew! I’m not Jack Torrance after all. (“The Shining” reference)

     Bad: if you’ve been writing for successful shows (The Munsters, Mary Tyler Moore, Get Smart) for decades and you can’t get your agent to call you back, how the hell do I get one to take a call from me?

“Sir, I have Kyle Hartnett on the phone.”

“Who?”

“Kyle Hartnett, the guy with the screenplay.”

“Oh, Kyle, the guy with the screenplay. Why didn’t you say so? Put him through. I’d love to hear what he has to say.”

And scene.

     That’s how you catch your break in Hollywood. Exactly like that. Best thing about this weekend, though, is that I did get my screenplay into working professionals’ hands with a promise to read it. That’s way more than I would be able to ask for if these people weren’t so appreciative and generous towards us as veterans. I’m looking at you Andrea.

Thanks everyone.

     Fact: answering questions in front of the camera is a skill.

     I used to get irritated when I would watch sports interviews because players always answer with the same cliches. “We need to insert lame generalization here.” Wow, how introspective, Shaq. But I get it now. An off the cuff remark can end up defining the entire interview. It sucks. Now I know why these guys, probably not the epitome of articulation in the first place, revert to simple catch phrases in order to avoid any actual analysis that might come back to bite them.

     On a brighter note, I plan on this film being entirely cast in the near future and then the fun starts. I can’t wait. As we were shooting some B-roll for my latest interview Rick was rambling, trying to keep busy for the footie, and he actually through out some great visual ideas to keep a talking-head sequence interesting. I totally plan on using these ideas, taking full credit, and having absurdly over-abundant praise heaped upon me. Just kidding. But I do plan on using these great ideas to make this film the best it can possibly be.

     Also, I would love to never have to answer another question about “The Hurt Locker” ever again. I’m over it.

After a long week I’ve finally finished the treatment for my doc. I must admit, coming into this I didn’t understand how one could script out events that haven’t even happened yet. But now that I’m done writing it things have definitely changed. In fact, I don’t see how you could possibly approach a documentary without a treatment. Being a fiction writer, I saw a treatment as a finished product. This is the story: fade in, Act 1,2, 3, fade to black. How could I possibly script a story that I don’t know the end to yet? But in documentary work a treatment is more like a schedule, an itinerary, if you will. You map out where you think you need to go, who you need to interview, in order to tell the story you are trying to tell. You mean there’s a difference? Yeah, Kyle. There is. Well, why didn’t you say so in the first place? We did, weren’t you paying att…oh, nevermind. So stupid me for trying to draw parallels between narrative and documentary film in the first place. Lesson learned. Now on to the next one in a never-ending parade of reality checks.

So at the beginning of week two I felt like I was going in the wrong direction, and fast. I was getting nil communication from contacts who, at first, seemed enthusiastic. DOOM AND GLOOM ensue! I’ve never been accused of being equanimous. It wasn’t until late Thursday that I saw some light at the end of the tunnel. I made some real promising contacts. One problem though: none are even remotely close to L.A. So now if I want to follow up on these undoubtedly fascinating subjects we’re going to have to get clever with the budget. This being my second film, and having the exact same budgetary problems as my first, zero-budget film, I’m beginning to ascertain that this is how it is always going to be. Why did I choose filmmaking again? Oh, but it chose you, Kyle. Right, whatever that means. At least I didn’t decide to be an actor because after watching my interview for the promo I think I’d rather eat my own head. I looked like I was in pain; an experience I can relive anytime I want just by searching for myself on youtube. So now, if the world ended today, and youtube was all we left behind, the only record of a guy named Kyle Hartnett would be a video of me, squirming in front of a camera, attempting to answer basic questions about a complex issue, trying my hardest not to look stupid, and being painfully aware that I was failing. It’s actually kind of funny when you think about it. So go think about it. Cheers.

All right,

     In my haste to figure out this newfangled arena we call blogging I completely forgot to describe the reason behind this blog, so here it goes. My name is Kyle Hartnett and I am making a documentary on my personal quest to better understand the experiences of Muslim Americans in the U.S. military. Being a veteran myself, and being subject to the ridiculous misconceptions people have about me, I thought it must be doubly hard for veterans who are also Muslims in America. But I’m also aware that I probably unwittingly hold some of those misconceptions about Muslims myself. So I decided I’d use this opportunity to educate myself on what it is to be an American Muslim in the U.S. military.

     Which brings us to now, the end of week one. And I couldn’t even begin to tell you how strange I find it that an entirely different culture coexists in the same haunts as me and I have, heretofore, been completely unaware of its existence. I’ve spent this entire week, minus the first day trying to figure out the blogoshere, tracking down Muslim groups just trying to establish some sort of interaction. They seem to be wary to say the least and I’m not sure I can blame them. But I am making progress. I’ve made contact with Muslim American military advocacy groups such as  APAAM and AMAFVAC, as well as contacting some of the local mosques here in LA. I am also communicating with the US Army Department of Public Affairs in order to hopefully line up an interview with a Muslim Chaplain. That should be a fascinating talk.

     So now I’m going to record my second video log and plan for Monday. I also have an important call tomorrow morning with the head of one of those Muslim advocacy groups. I hope it leads to some interesting interview subjects! That’s it for now. Tune in next week for more updates.

-Kyle

Hi all,

Kyle here. This is my first blog ever so bare with me if it seems cumbersome at first. I’ll most likely be updating this once a week for the duration of the process and I hope we can make it as pleasant as possible for everyone involved. If anyone has any tips on what to post I would appreciate it cause right now I think I’m just rambling. Oh, well. Check back in at the end of the week cause right now I got to get to work! Oh, and thanks Kathy for being the first person to comment,  before I even posted no less. You rule.

Please check back soon for updates on my journey with Operation In Their Boots.