Geoffrey Gould
Reports from the set/s...

Stephen Buckley's
Independent short comedy

Tuesday March 10, 2009
Audition
In mid February I submitted for the independent short subject Milkshake, a 1970s period piece comedy, for which I'd be auditioning as the manager of a McDonalds drive-through. I received a call from Mike Stone for a 6pm audition in Culver City.
Mike emailed me a page of sides, and directions to a Culver City parking lot on Ince at Pointsettia and Krueger. We set up our meeting for 7:15pm. as ironically, I had a 6pm commercial callback for McDonalds (not to be confused with the April 2008 McDonalds commercial I had done). I arrived at the callback a half hour early and despite the implication they were running behind, thankfully I was seen relatively quickly. I felt it could have gone better so I chose not to hold my breath over the commercial, and I headed to Culver City,
I arrived at the parking lot at about 6:40pm. The email with directions said they'd come out to meet me at the calltime; not knowing if they had a slew of auditioners, I texted Mike that I was there. He texted back they'd be out in three minutes, which they were, he and his partner Stephen Buckley (aka Buck). Both film makers were exuberant and contagiously enthusiastic; Stephen right out of the gate was impressed with Mike's casting choice/s, impressed with my character looks. They brought me inside the Sony building right there, which was the animation department. As usual going onto a movie studio lot, I needed a security pass, but with Stephen right there, it went quickly and smoothly. Thankfully I'd recently cashed my second residuals check for my then-currently running Pedigree commercial, so I had on me my passport.
Upstairs at Buck's then-office, I read opposite Mike, who would be playing the male lead in the short. Amusingly, the office wall had a small sliding window facing out into the hallway, big enough to double as a fast-food drive-through window. I expected to go through the read twice, but they were extremely impressed with my delivery, spot-on to the actual guy on whom my character is based (the script is based on an actual event of Buck's).
They indicated the shoot would be in Crenshaw, on a weekend in late April or early May. It seemed as though I was being given the role, but I did not venture to ask if indeed I did.

Wednesday March 11, 2009
Cast
Mike Stone emailed me to offer me the role; my return call did not go through but while typing up my reply to his email he called me. We were mutually pleased to be working together, and as date/s firm up I would be notified.

Wednesday April 29, 2009
Information
Mike called to let me know my 9am calltime Saturday, the location being the Tasty Q Barbeque on Crenshaw near 30th, and that they'd have hair/make-up and wardrobe on site. Mike and I concurred my regular black sneaks should be fine as footwear; considering the scene, it's unlikely they'll even be seen.
So we're all set...

Saturday May 02, 2009
Shoot
I arrived at the Tasty Q BBQ at 8:30am for my 9am calltime. Buck was exuberant at my arrival, throughout the day verbally appreciating my professionalism. Similar to the Man-Away shoot, in which we had the store location from 6am-12pm, Buck had this location for a limited time.
While my hair was done into a very amusing comb-over by Ginger, outside Buck and his DP and camera operator made quick work with Mike's car arrival with his co-stars.
Buck's recent assignment on the film G-Force was finished, so literally the day before... he'd been fired. I met Buck's fellow animator Alex Zemke (who still has a bit of work left on G-Force), who would play one of my workers. A bit of slapstick was put together with Alex and me, allowing me to ad lib and address him by (his own) name.
We managed to get the drive-through window shots handled before the time-window closed, and Buck and Mike were both appreciative of my time and work. Buck's plans include and are not limited to submitting the short to Sundance, and possibly using it as a pilot for an HBO or Showtime type series. Considering his current work status, another top goal for him is having the project Create Jobs down the line if it's picked up as a series.
I was wrapped and out of there by 12:40pm. Before I departed and waited for the 210 northbound bus, I provided Buck, Mike and Alex with the United Film Festival promo flyers, what with the local Hollywood screening of Strictly Background that was coming up early Tuesday evening May 5th.
Buck declared there'd most likely be a cast/crew screening. Armed with my contact information (and my name spelling for the credits), Buck also assured me he would provide me with the cast and crew list so I could add their names here.

Tuesday September 22, 2009
Trailer
While the cast and crew list never quite materialized, apparently post production was well under way.
I received an email from Mike Stone simply stating: "Enclosed please find the trailer for the 70's black comedy 'Milkshake'," along with the direct page link to it...

Milkshake Trailer from Buck & Lucky Productions

Friday October 02, 2009
Back to the drive through
Mike Stone emailed me that they needed to do so pick-up shots and reshoots, asking after my availability for Sunday October 25th. He apologized for any inconvenience (as though for me there would be any, being back working on a set), adding how they love my "professionalism and comic timing." Apparently it turned out they had some issues that needed to be fixed and have been fixing since that first day of shooting, stating, "We will be much more organized, will get you in and out, will hit a home run and you will have some great copy. And your scene will not be cheated."
I didn't actually think it would have been...

Sunday November 16, 2009
Reshoot
The previously shot version of the scene was the first day of the project; with the new DP, the reshoot was the final shooting day of the project.
I arrived at the Tasty-Q at 10:40am for my 11am calltime. I wore my own black pants; Alex was not there so there was no fries routine, and make-up girl Ginger was not on hand, so my hair stayed its normal straight-back style. We started filming the girls' and my bit around 12:45pm.
We did have a new second server: Linda Bella, a tall, super-slender actress who surprisingly does not do modeling. In the current trailer, the original face-slap clip remains (with the same girl from the initial shoot day), even though that whole scene is what was reshot.
Buck retained his amusingly frenetic pace, working at getting it done as quickly and as efficiently as possible. The drive-through talent was wrapped at 2:40pm; the guys in the car had another shot or two, driving out of the parking lot. It is estimated this should be all set and complete around February, a cast/crew screening possibly at Sony Studios at which Buck is working again (I neglected to find out on what movie project on which he's working currently).
Buck and Mike provided me with the official Milkshake website URL (since then, no longer there), and Buck reassured me he/they would get to me a list of who's playing what in the film.
Buck also indicated a low-budget direct-to-DVD project towards which he's working, to be shot in Utica, New York. I'm hoping it's a SAG Signatory project, so I can work on that as well,

Sunday December 13, 2009
Behind the Scenes
Mike Stone emailed cast and crew and such with the link to the photos page with the photos they took on the re-shoot date. At first simply right-click saving them seemed to work until later I learned it hadn't.

Sunday January 10, 2010
Updated, reshoot photos
I would have to wait to develope the one-time use camera I had with me that reshoot day. Also, still no cast/crew list, so I cannot list everyone in the full photo...

Monday December 18, 2012
Almost.. there...
After working on the tough-to-pigeon-hole JASH project, I decided it would go under the Independent Shorts category. Checking over other pages, I noted Milkshake thereon, and realizing how long ago we shot the scenes, I dropped an email to Buck asking as to the indie feature's disposition. Unlike the non-response whenever I'd ask after whether Ghettopreneurs was completed or abandoned, Buck got right back to me, assuring me the film was far from dead.
Due to costs, the film was still in post production, needing colour correction as well as needing to digitally remove later-model cars (if not overlaying them with 1970s era vehicles), as well as getting music rights for certain 1970s songs to use in the film.
As of this entry date, Buck was shooting towards May 1st 2013 premiere, and that he would certainly keep me in the loop as to Film Festivals. He also notified me that the project had a Kickstarter campaign, in my reply of which I conveyed my posting it on my Facebook page as well as my Facebook group page (which I suggested he Join).

Thursday August 18, 2016
[UnComp'ed?] LA Shorts Film Festival screening premiere
Bucky email-blasted his cast and crew:

Subject: Invitation to Milkshake Premier at LA Shorts FEST
It's been a while, but better late than never...
Thanks to your work, our 1970's comedy, Milkshake is an official selection of the LA International Shorts Fest. The festival is a qualifier for the Oscars and the BAFTA's. Milkshake will be making its premier at Regal Cinemas 14, L.A. Live on Labor Day, Monday, September 5th at 7:30pm. If you, your family or friends are in LA, come by check out Milkshake and its competition. We are expecting a good turn out, as the comedy venue will be the hot ticket. I would recommend grabbing your tickets at the festival website beforehand if you plan on attending. Thank you to all of you for your craft/skill and patience on this long, hard-fought journey to make something funny.
2016 LA Shorts Fest Program 23: Monday September 05 @ 7:45pm.
facebook.com/milkshakethemovie

I was a bit surprised that there was no cast/crew screening; that the first time we'd see it, we would have to pay. I submit-added my name to the film's imdb's entry cast list, by then apparently only handful of cast members having so far been listed. I also added its Release Date, and that it would be via the LA Shorts Fest. Thankfully my submissions and edits to the imdb nowadays go through within 24-48 hours.

Monday September 05
Premier; first screening
The venue had an overly slender screen, from top to bottom, about which I worried when one of the earlier shorts in the block had its opening credits cut off as it was towards the bottom of the screen. Sure enough, while most of the Milkshake screening seemed okay, the top of the screen cut off of the image at one point, specifically blocking it being me being struck in my fast food kitchen, and that my hat is pulled off as I lean out of the drive-through window.
After the program block was Q&A, only two films of which had representatives. The final film in our block was an intriguing UK horror film short, Immure, for which no one was present to answer questions. One of the audience asked about it, and as those of us up front were pointing out that no one there worked on it, I took the mic and pointed out that while I'd not worked on the film, I've spent my life not only loving horror films, but studying the paranormal and supernatural and Weird Stuff, so I asked if anyone in there apart from myself knew what the word Immure even meant.
No one did.
"It means being buried alive," I explained. "Most notably, being walled alive, a la Poe's Cask of Amontillado."
As the audience vocally murmurred their impressed assent, Stephen standing next to me comically declared: "Geoffrey Gould, ladies and gentlement!"
From there, back down in the lobby, we posed for a few cast photos, which Stephen shared on Facebook on Thursday.