We Got the Money

Confirmation of a £5,000 investment came through from Mr. A.

Now it's real, and I'm freaking out. I don't have a story. I've got some great characters--some larger than life characters. But I don't have a story. What the f---? It's the research really. You film what you've planned to film, and you'll do loads of research when you get there. This film will take place over the course of a year and a half. Japan at least 4 times. Hawaii maybe two. Barcelona once.

I'll get the story.

I was thinking about surrogate families. These guys are each other's surrogate families. They are all long-term residents of Tokyo. They have their businesses there. They are expats....business expats. Tokyo in the 00s is the same as Paris in the 30s. No that's not right. They are businessmen. Not artists.

What's the story...what's the story? They are struggling with their success. They are men without a country. They are Cowboys. What's the Cowboy mentality? John Wayne. Clint Eastwood. They are men working hard to build a new life in the postmodern urban frontier. They are heroes with big, big flaws. They are likable characters, but are they? I want to portray them honestly. They are men in the new frontier.

What about the women? Patrick says "there's a reason why Westerns are about men."

The tribe thing...I like that. That's something tangible. What's this film about? It's about a bunch of foreign guys and 18 million Japanese people. It's about a city, a time, a place. That's still not a story.

They are metaphorically living on a different planet. Can I juxtapose the Japanese ancient culture with the new-tech Tokyo Cowboys.

Go to Meijii shrine during Oshou Gatsu.