Some of the greatest moments during each stage of production were shared with Max Almeida.
His involvement with this era of work was incredibly prolific. To touch the surface he is a great idea man. Also his writing is top notch. We co-wrote …And Then I Helped with Nikki McIntyre. He fleshed out the skeleton that grew into the tree the film became. But it was a firm foundation we built upon.
The two of us also wrote an unseen script for a film called Good Times of 86’. Easily one of the most equal and rewarding of collaborations. It was originally a work for hire. But the production company we were penning for opted to make a Bigfoot film and not a slasher film (because they were now the hip thing). Upon learning this we stripped the slasher element and discovered a really unique tale. No longer a work for hire, we found something beyond monetary worth … an original script. We wouldn’t have created hadn’t the opportunity been offered to us. Yin and yang in full suit. One I hope will see the light beyond the page one day.
He never hesitated to jump in front or behind the camera. The very definition of unhindered enthusiasm and a reliable blood mate. Great and crazy Afro hair and an eye for composition by nature, few achieve over a life time of dedication to the craft.
Having a background in special makeup fx we even enjoyed some bloody times on others sets throwing the grue. A highlight was on one of Alan Rowe Kelly’s grisly tales A Far Cry From Home. Along with Nikki McIntyre and Benzy we got to dismember many with a gleeful grin. Knowing we all had one another’s backs and enjoyed every hurdle.
One of the all time best memories on any set was one that was shared with Max and company for Opening the Mind. It was pure anarchy and freedom of being in the moment. That group we shared filming with was in complete harmony and unhindered of the mundane. For me, that sequence is the core of the film. Beneath the chaos it holds a key to a larger picture of something beyond specificities of which words cannot achieve. Only possible with the right pieces of a larger whole being in place.
Today is Max’s birthday. Whatever he has in store, I hope he will continue to open his mind. Push further. Explore new ground. He’s one of the good ones. You meet few and are lucky to find yourself in their company for what time allows. The memories we shared on and off set are the stuff of legends.