GERARD CHRISTIAN ZACHER: OFFICIAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY SITE

"MY MEMOIRS" PAGE 12: THE DOCU-FILMS

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ATTACK OF THE DOCUMENTARY MOVIES

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HERE IS THE STORY OF HOW I WOUND UP THE STAR OF 5  DOCUMENTARY FILMS ALL SET TO BE RELEASED IN THE NOT-TOO-DISTANT FUTURE! THESE VARIOUS FILMS ARE SET FOR RELEASE IN FILM FESTIVALS, INDEPENDENT MOVIE THEATERS, CABLE CHANNELS, AND DVDS! I'LL HAVE TO ADD SOME DETAILS ON THE FOURTH AND FIFTH ONESREAD BELOW FOR MORE!

Cast Screening Of One Of My Films
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Me With Co-Star Melissa & Filmmakers

ARCH & JAMES: DOCUMENTARY FILM NUMBER ONE:



I was approached mid-summer, 2006 to be a big part of an elaborate, intense, feature-film-length documentary movie about film character tribute artists - a film that would be destined for film festivals and beyond. The filmmakers were brothers - Arch and James Gip whose previous credits include a lot of television and other indie films. 






They filmed me performing near all my various characters - with the most focus on me as Freddy. They also filmed me doing a lot in my real life, too - following me around. This lasted the rest of the VERY hot summer and fall. They have since long wrapped up and are now making the necessary rounds with the finished film. They have recently emailed me telling me it is getting great response! Check back for more details as they come to me!







CATCHPHRASE ENTERTAINMENT: DOCUMENTARY FILM NUMBER TWO:



Less than a week after Arch and James finished shooting for THEIR film, I happened to be working as Luke Skywalker that night. The original , classic "Star Wars" Trilogy DVDs were to be re-released later at midnight. At one point, a flock of non-specific "Jedi Knights" showed up and hung out in front of  a music, DVD store. Being Luke that night, I couldn't resist going over to talk with them. Soon after, a group of film guys with cameras and microphones showed up and started asking them questions - and they got me, too. They filmed us getting our DVDs at midnight just before the store closed. Nothing spectacular. They seemed to have focused on the "Jedi Knights" (The "Jedi" were NOT Hollywood Blvd performers and I had never seen them before), so I thought nothing more of it. A couple of weeks went by. As always, I checked my myspace.com email. There, I read an email from one of the main creative team behind the filming that night of the "Star Wars" DVD re-releases.



To my utter surprise, they told me they were surprised by how much I looked like and WAS like Luke in their footage and they had decided to make me the MAIN star of their film - saying I would make the perfect protagonist in THEIR movie just as Luke was throughout the real "Star Wars:" Trilogy...provided I was interested. Of course I was! What "Star Wars" fan could resist? A chance to play my favorite movie character of all time (as a tribute) in a movie that will be sold everywhere right alongside the REAL "Star Wars" films?! I would be crazy to pass THAT up!



These guys got even MORE intense then Arch and James had before them, but, unlike Arch and James, they focused on me heaviest as LUKE instead of Freddy - naturally (though ALL THREE movies featured at least SOME footage of me as most of my other characters as well). They filmed me performing these various characters. They had countless intense, emotional, revealing interviews on my life story and current situations. They followed me everywhere in real life. They LITERALLY filmed me waking up, going to sleep, brushing my teeth, having breakfast, lunch, and dinner, doing my errands - you NAME it! At this point, I practically LIVED on camera. At one point, I admit it DID get me a little freaked out now and then in the beginning.



Speaking of being filmed waking up, I have a funny, bizarre, but TRUE story for you from these guys! One night, I had an eerie dream that I woke up in the middle of the night for a drink of water and there, in the dark, were the cameras pointed at me and filming! It freaked me out in the dream. Now, here's the funny part...I HAD given them permission to film me waking up. But we hadn't planned that yet. That very night / day, my cell phone battery died out while I was asleep and so I wasn't able to get their phone calls on other filming we had planned on for later that day. NOR could the alarm clock feature on same cell phone work with a dead battery. Naturally, I overslept. So, they came over in person. It turns out - unbeknownst to me - since I was asleep, of course - my roommate had let them in. I woke up for REAL this time and there they were - camera pointed at me and filming! JUST LIKE in the dream I had earlier that night! FREEEEEEAAAAAAKY!!



They also filmed some of the other characters - asking them all questions about me. They asked my friends and roommates questions about me as well. Again, this felt weird to me. They filmed the other "Star Wars" character tribute artists joining me at big "Star Wars" events such as the Rose Bowl Parade and more. Our Princess Leia and Padme piled us in her RV Camper for these events and they filmed us big group of "Star Wars" characters on the road to and from these events as well - acting VERY much like the close-knit extended family we are - inside same RV. Funny thing - Melissa had NO IDEA that we were unwittingly, accidentally reenacting a bit of the Mel Brook's "Star Wars" spoof, "Spaceballs" by traveling around in that RV! After many "Spaceballs" references from both the rest of us AND strangers who saw us piling in and getting out of the vehicle, she finally saw "Spaceballs" and loved it!



We ALL had a LOT of fun getting professional publicity photos / posters / DVD covers, etc. taken of us at the Catchphrase office / studios!



They had us pose in front of a green screen in various character costumes and poses. They are going to add in CGI "Star Wars"-like imagery in the background! Now THAT I can't wait to see! Talk about getting to live out your childhood fantasies! Probably as close to being in a "Star Wars" film / project I'll ever get!



At the Rose Bowl Parade, we greeted and took photos with countless fans as we walked alongside the "Star Wars" floats! We also ran across George Lucas himself! He was busy being interviewed by paparazzi at the time, but he turned and saw us and smiled...then proceeded to KEEP occasionally turning to us with a grin. All the while, Catchprhrase Entertainment was on us - filming our every step. It was a GREAT start for the New Year!



Catchphrase also took a particular interest in my REAL LIFE quest for my biological father.  Here I am as Luke and having this real life biological family quest and discovery going on! Completely ironic...but TRUE. My biological mother had already found me and I had already connected with my biological half-brothers from her side. The only thing left IS my natural father. They made a real point to film a lot on THAT, too! They are just about wrapped up now - as soon as they film us SW tribute characters attending the current official "Star Wars" costume exhibit here in town! Then the editing process gets completed and then the distributing and release....so keep an eye out for it! 



ARCH & JAMES & CATCHPHRASE ENTERTAINMENT CONNECT (Sort of):



Interesting Footnote Note Here: Through me, the Arch & James &  Catchphrase Entertainment found out about each other...no competition because they are going in completely different directions with their films, of course, so there was no bad blood there at all. Quite the opposite, in fact! From what I was told, Catchphrase offered to help them distribute their film once it completes its first course through film festivals and cable channel shows and gets to DVD, and Arch & James nearly accepted. Felt good to be the connection point between the two. Really cool to see them almost team up!






DOCUMENTARY FILM NUMBER THREE:



In the middle of filming as Luke for Catchphrase Entertainment, I spent a few days here and there as my other characters, too. One day while working as Freddy, a bearded man came up to me and asked to speak to me about appearing in a film. Curious, I stepped aside and talked to him. He introduced himself as Dave. He said he was intrigued and my work had inspired him to come up with the idea of doing a whole documentary film on me. While other characters would be briefly filmed talking about me (again), I would be the star and center point / focus of the film (again).



And so began an occasionally chaotic juggle of filming with TWO different films - both overlapping the other! There WERE days BOTH crews were filming me at the same time. On other days, I had to pull a "Peter Brady a la "Brady Bunch" Episode - or you could say a la "Mrs. Doubtfire" climax, and literally rush back and forth from film crew to film crew. And I was fast becoming an expert at getting "miked up"! Like the other films, they got almost ALL my characters in.



Dave and Dan and crew filmed me both performing and in real life intensely - just like the others. They, too, are still filming, but about to wrap up as well...probably just after filming me in James Dean costumes up at the Griffith Park Obervatory fittingly discussing the most sad and emotional parts of my life story. (Griffith Obervatory is most famous for being much of the setting for James Dean's best known movie, "Rebel Without A Cause".



(See my James Dean photos so far at http://www.facebook.com/GerardChristianZacher).



They have already been screening footage of their film for test audiences and are getting strong, positive response from it.

One odd thing about ALL films - I keep eventually meeting BIGGER bosses / executive producers and editors I didn't even know about after MONTHS of filming...and they ALL say the same thing: "It's so great to finally meet you in person, Gerard! After all the footage I've seen of you, I feel like I've known you for years!" It just feels WEIRD!! In a good way, of course. I imagine celebrities hear stuff like that all the time. It just feels strange for ME to be hearing it!





JAMES DEAN FILMS:



Since the filming of these other docu films has ended, a budding filmmaker approached me about playing James Dean for his own independent film on Dean. He also expressed interest in a second film in which I'd play James about the top 50's Old Hollywood icons, including James Dean, Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe, and others!


Gerard Christian Zacher

UPDATE...ANOTHER DOCUMENTARY FILM!
 
Also Worked on Yet Another Documentary / Independent Film Called "Living Dreams". It Was Produced & Directed B Filmmaker, Tiffany Phelps, Who Is In Connection With 20th Century Fox. There Are Two Versions Of This Film..A Short, 15 Minute Teaser Version, And A Full-Length 2-Hour Version, Which Is Still Currently Being Worked On. The Short Version Was Submitted And Won Best Film Of The Year (Which hey Call Best In Show) For The 2008-2009 CSUN Awards. The Judges Were All Entertainment Industry VIPS - Producers , Directors, & Others. "Living Dreams" (The Short Versiion) Won By A Landslide As Tiffany Put It To Me.
 
After that, after recovering from cancer and chemotherapy, I was featured in yet another docu-film as various film characters. This film is also not yet released, but it is about Classic Hollywood versus Modern Hollywood.

Another Update..Catchphrase Entertainment Is Working With Me Yet AGAIN On A Second Film. This One Follows Me Through My Journey With My Struggle And Survival Of The Lymphoma Cancer I Was Diagnosed With In The Past, Follows Me Throughout My Chemotherapy While I Practically LIVED in the hospital for months, and finishes with my full recovery and cure of the cancer and the end of chemotherapy, and my tiumphant return to performing. This currently being worked on as well.
 
But it was still not to be finished. Later on, they also filmed me in the hospital for a couple of months in the hospital ICU recovering from my open heart surgery. So, we will see when this finally comes out how it goes.

Thanks For Visiting!

 
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