Either You're in or You're in the Way
Page 24
EPILOGUE: FULL CIRCLE
IN JANUARY 2007, Robert Dalva started editing Touching Home on an Apple G5 in the downstairs room of our mom’s house. Days bled into weeks and weeks bled into another life. We never saw the sun. We got so depressed we thought about moving to Sweden. In June, composer Martin Davich and music editor Michael Mason delivered a beautiful score. In July, we went to Skywalker Ranch for three weeks to do the final mix. And then it was time to show the movie.
On April 26, 2008, the San Francisco International Film Festival held the world premiere of Touching Home, the same place we had cornered Ed Harris in an alley two years earlier. We had come full circle. Touching Home was the first sellout at the festival. Ed and his wife, Amy Madigan, came up to celebrate. We did several interviews and an onstage Q&A with Ed in front of 520 people. The following Tuesday we had a second screening, a 12:30 P.M. matinee in which 800 people showed up for 520 seats. The audience reaction was affirming; they were laughing and crying, profoundly moved by our story, two standing ovations.
Walking off the stage after the Q&A, Ed told us that his wife thinks this might be his finest performance.
And now we’re here. Wherever that is. Somewhere between obscurity and the rocket-ride.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
DEAR READER,
Let us start with a fact: This was the most difficult part of the book to write.
Why?
Because we know this: We are going to leave out good, honest, hardworking, loyal, deserving, and loving members of this journey. And knowing that we’ve screwed up before we’ve started is, well…crushing.
So here we go.
It took a team of devoted and intelligent people to put this book in your hands. They have guided and inspired us along the way. While it’s nearly impossible to list them all (as a result of our failings), here are a few: Mom, for always being there. Grandma, for always caring. And all our buddies, for being the most loyal, conflicted, emotionally troubled, medicated, and crazy friends any brothers could hope for. We love you. Thanks for not being normal.
To our brother Bao, for getting us here.
To Jeromiah Zajonc and Editorro, for reading numerous drafts, challenging our choices, and not putting up with any of our bullshit.
To Coach Gough, for teaching us that character is built, not bought. And Gale, for loving Coach.
To Tess Uriza Holthe, for her encouragement and conviction.
To our beautiful and loving agent, Mary Ann Naples, for believing in us. And showing us New York City. We never thought we’d get there…. She’s also really smart.
To everyone at Collins Publishing Group: Steven Ross, Bruce Nichols, Matthew Benjamin (our editor—big thanks, amigo), Jean Marie Kelly, Paul Olsewski, Gretchen Crary, Doug Jones, Margot Schupf, Carla Clifford, Jessica Ko, Kimberly Chocolaad, Jessica Deputato, Amy Vreeland, Beth Silfin, Ariele Fredman, and everyone else in the building. Thank you for breaking us in. It’s been a lot of fun so far.
To Kristin Bowers, for her passion, friendship, and dancing spirit. Thunderous hugs.
To Amy and Lily for sharing Ed with us. And Ed, for becoming our friend.
No money, no movie. And no movie, no book. So here’s to the people who put money into our hat: Brian Vail, most of it; Lance and Debra Logan, some of it; Pete and Dee Deterding, the rest of it.
To the entire cast and crew of Touching Home. Your efforts allowed us to write this book. Thank you.
Ric Halpern and Bob Harvey at Panavision, Lorette Bayle at Kodak, Alan Tudzin and Debbie Eldridge at FotoKem, and Amy Peterson at Avid for starting the snowball.
To Gordon Radley, for his wisdom and mental beatings—it’s painful, but we love you for it.
To all the Jedi at Skywalker Ranch, whose efforts, for the most part, were left out of these pages. If we’re able to write a longer version, you’re in. Bet on it. Josh Lowden, Glenn Kiser, Richard Hymns, Mark Berger, Chris Boyes, Pascal Garneau, Marilyn McCoppen, Frank Clary, Chris Gridley, Terry Eckton, Frank Rinella, Sean England, Jana Vance, Dennie Thorpe, Ellen Heuer, Jonathan Greber, Phil Benson, Eva Porter, Big Mike, and many more.
To Chrissie England and ILM.
To Tom Sherak, for his wisdom and generosity.
To Bruce Snyder and Bert Livingston. Time will prove you right.
To Ethel and Stan Seiderman, Linda Nackerud, and everyone at the Fairfax San Anselmo Children’s Center. You helped raise us.
To all our mother’s friends, who helped raise us too.
To the Sanders family—the whole clan—for giving us shelter from the storm.
To our attorney, Matthew Fladell, for his counsel, patience, and flexible rates.
To Bill and Kathy Shine, for taking care of us. And Alycia Paletta for dealing with all our crumpled receipts and poor bookkeeping.
To Sue and Mercy and the team at Borel Private Bank and Trust. Thank you for making banking easy.
To Catherine Olim and Alicia Mohr at PMK/HBH. We appreciate all your help thus far.
To Tony Magee and Pat Mace at the Lagunitas Brewing Company. You brew gold.
To Major League Baseball.
To Jack Bair, Sara Hunt, and Sue Peterson of the San Francisco Giants.
To Hal Roth and Greg Feasel of the Colorado Rockies. Thanks for not taking a bat to our heads.
To P. J. Carey, for opening the gates.
To Graham Leggat and Hilary Hart of the San Francisco Film Society.
To Stefanie Coyote and the San Francisco Film Commission.
To Steve Berringer and the College of Marin baseball team.
To Victoria Cook, for guidance, love, and support.
To Coach Soto and the Pima Junior College baseball team.
To Hooman, we know your name. And the team at Alice radio.
To all the local media: Joe Bayliss and Fernando and Greg at Energy 92.7 FM; Jeff Bell at KCBS; Paul Hosley, Rich Walcoff, and Jon Bristow at KGO.
To Dave Albee at the Marin Independent Journal, Jesse Hamlin at the San Francisco Chronicle, and Jacoba Charles at the Point Reyes Light.
To the Fab-Fivers, for their love, dedication, hard work, and unflinching loyalty. We are blessed.
To the independent booksellers at the Frantoio dinner: Sheryl Cotleur and Karen West (Book Passage), Ty Wilson and Stephanie Deignan (Copperfields Books), Barry Rossnick (Books Inc.), Melinda Powers (Capitola Book Café), Joyce Ripp (Northern California Booksellers Association), Laura Tibbals (Moe’s Books), Michael Barnard (Rakestraw Books).
To David Sondheim and all the teachers in Marin County and beyond, whose early support of the book started the blaze.
To Dr. Donnis Taylor, for not kicking Noah out of class. You said I could write. I just thought you were being nice. Thanks for believing in me.
To Paul Fradelizio, for feeding us the greatest Italian food west of the Atlantic. And Bill Booth, for being the best boss ever.
The entire town of Nicasio and the LaFranchi Family.
To everybody in Fairfax and West Marin and the outlaws and the time that was…. The redwoods still rise and the mountains are still free…
Who else? If you’re still reading—YOU.
The Bros
The House of Winter
February 2, 2009
About the Authors
LOGAN AND NOAH MILLER, identical twins raised as roofers in northern California, dreamed of being baseball stars. When that dream failed, they found professional success as bingo callers. Always staying together, the brothers were briefly suckered into the world of modeling, somehow avoided the circus, and finally, with seventeen credit cards, pursued a career in filmmaking. In 2006, the brothers were awarded the Panavision New Filmmaker Grant, and their screenwriting, directorial, and acting debut Touching Home premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 2008. They live in Northern California and hold no degrees.
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Credits
Jacket
design: The DesignWorks Group
Jacket Cover Image © Jeromy Zajonc
Jacket photography courtesy of the Authors
Copyright
EITHER YOU’RE IN OR YOU’RE IN THE WAY. Copyright © 2009 by The Miller Brothers, LLC. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book onscreen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Adobe Digital Edition April 2009 ISBN 978-0-06-186869-6
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