The Glamour of Making Movies!

Exciting! Let's see - get up at 5:30 am, edit a couple hours, go have coffee - pretending to be normal and catch up on the news, then back to editing until noon. Super quick workout, back to editing - picture, sound, color correction, rendering, backing up, logging, checking the script, archiving, adjusting, planning pick ups and reshoots. Make calls and start lining up the rest of the shoot days. Going over the schedule, adjusting, making calls, adjusting. Editing until 7 or 8 pm. Quick dinner. Editing until 11 or 12, quick shower and start again the next day. The good news - there are only seven days a week. The bad news - there are only seven days a week...

6 - 8 months of this and we should have a movie! Then comes the long 3 or 4 day vacation and if things go right - I'll get to start again.

Pretty glamorous! But someday - if it all really goes forward the way I'm hoping and working toward - I'll live in a bigger house, drive a nicer car, sleep in a bigger bed - and get up at 5:30 am, edit for a couple hours. go have coffee - catch up on the news...

Kely

KERBEROS Movie - Ambitious Work

KERBEROS film director Kely McClung, on pushing himself and others to raise their levels and ambitions...

I just returned from a much needed rest and a rejuvenation period by watching other's work and being lucky enough to mentor and encourage filmmakers on their own efforts at the Indie Fest USA Film Festival in Downtown Disney.

Though I had meetings with both distributors and post production companies in LA, I was lucky enough to see a dozen films (shorts and features), and get to spend time beyond the two workshops I presented on film making with several other directors, actors, and producers. I also got to see and know the Indie Fest festival directors Ray and Don that much more. These two guys are really dedicated to presenting and creating a first class festival without compromising their status as 'really nice guys'!

The fest itself was definitely bigger and better than last year where our film BLOOD TIES won the top award, "Best of Festival". It's nice to see the progression and to be a part of things as they grow. I was invited to present 4 of the awards including the Best Feature and Best of Festival.

A big part of my reason for accepting the invitation was the opportunity to see the KERBEROS trailer and a couple of select scenes on the big screens at the Disney AMC Theaters. These screens, projectors, and sound systems are about as good as it gets, and watching the projected images on a 60 foot screen is fantastic feedback for where I am going with the final look, grading, and sound design of KERBEROS.

Part of my developing style is the use of many close up and very few cutaways - once we are in on a dialog scene - I tend to stay in. Of course, the scene has to work on an I-Pod as well as a big screen TV, and hopefully work the rare times it gets projected.

From my own perspective and the other couple dozen people who saw the work in the theater, it does. And works well. Really well. Cool!

It's nice to move on with confidence that I can satisfy my own standards. As a filmmaker, at least at the stage I am in making independent films, that is the main requirement.

One of the things I am struck with at the various festivals I have attended, is what I perceive as a lack of ambition. It's hard for me to understand and hard to define. Time after time, I see work which is poorly shot, has nearly no evident attention paid to art direction, lighting, costumes, acting, story, or sound design and delivery.

Having watched such films, I have to wonder why they were made, and/or what need they satisfied in the filmmakers and those involved.

The good news, I think, is that instead of patting myself on the back, I get so fearful that I too may get caught in the trap of thinking my own work is better than it is, that I find myself re-examining and renewing my commitment to work even harder at raising the level of my films. BLOOD TIES benefited from that push and now I am excited to try to take KERBEROS even further than we originally envisioned.

My advice to other filmmakers, should any be reading these words, is to not only raise your own ambitions, but work hard enough to reach them.

As the world's favorite Jedi Master stated: "Do or do not - there is no try."

Couple quick notes on the fest itself. Besides the other films and winners, Stan Harrington (our 'be-hated' - my newest made up word - Tony Menacci) screened two of his own films, IT'S ALL A GAME and SO YOU WANT MICHAEL MADSON?

"Madson" was nominated for several awards and "Game" won "Best Comedy". Not bad - in fact - pretty damn good! And they were good. I am hoping 'Madson' gains the legs it deserves. The content and structure are really done well, and the content immediately relevent to filmmakers of all levels. Plus, it's fun seeing a man who is becoming a 'icon' captured in his unihibited, natural state - and seeing his own love and enthusiasm for both films and filmmakers.

Congrats again Stan. And if anybody was at the fest to see the girls hanging on Stan's arms, including his beautiful date Meghan Cox, they would understand where the moniker 'Stan the Man' comes from!

Stan also arranged for So-Cal rocker Katy J to perform at the House of Blues after party - and within the first few notes of her first song - I knew one of the biggest unknown pieces to KERBEROS had been found. Katy J rocks! With voice, style, and presentation reminiscent of Melissa Ethridge, Chrissie Hynde, and Sheryl Crow, it's like she fights and frequently loses the battle to contain the power and angst in her voice and lyrics. And the girl can play guitar - not play... PLAY guitar. Watching Katy J perform made me want to jump on my return flight early and get back to work. And meeting and talking with her after her set, even in just those few minutes where everyone else was demanding her attention, it's obvious she is a real person delivering the real deal - a glimpse of that intangible element we call 'soul' as she performs.

I'm excited that she seemed genuinely excited to contribute her songs and talents to KERBEROS! I know the level of my film just jumped up again.

So it's back to work. The three-headed monster is growling, slobbering, and gnawing on me to get back to it.

Kely McClung

Kely McClung on being the "coolest filmmaker on the planet"

I go out to coffee and the paper nearly every morning. My attempt at being sociable. Being a regular at a bunch of regular places gets me the inevitable question of "what do you do?" I'm a filmmaker. "Oh yeah, that sounds really cool." Yeah it is. "Where can I see your work?" Well right now, just on the web. "What's your name again?" Just look up "coolest filmmaker on the planet". "Really? That is cool!"

It's actually best to go the same places every day so the 'asking' doesn't happen so often.

If being cool was the requirement, then I would really get tossed out... of course if the requirement included confining oneself to only making films, I'd never get in!

The cool people spent the 4th of July upstairs on the roof of our downtown building looking out at a half dozen fireworks shows across the city. And though I stopped up for about 10 minutes, I came back to work on the film until long after the last cherry bomb and firecracker echoed through the streets. Pretty sure the really cool people slept in the next day, stumbled out of bed looking all cool and all, but I was up as the sun rose and started piecing together what we have done into some semblance of a story.

So one might think that making movies is all I do, that the obsession is all encompassing. It's not. Or maybe it is. I just think the defination of being a filmmaker has broadened out.

For one, I have my girlfriend. And though I don't see her or spend as much time as I want with her and her life, she is in my thoughts always. Knowing she is there is a comfort and a strength to me, and I am grateful.

Making a movie with my limited resources does not mean I am a one man band (was trying to work in "director" there as in band director but guess I'm not that clever i.e."cool").

Still, for those who take on the making of a movie, or film, or whatever the accepted word is now that digital acquisition blurs the traditional definitions, here are a few of the other things someone needs to take on.

Blogs. They are fun. They are cool. And also take a bit of work. Writing these are part of my commitment to myself and in hopes that they can help document the process for others to either take comfort in, warn off, or get a laugh from. We did almost no documentation on the making of BLOOD TIES, and I am trying hard to do better.

Business cards. A person needs an identity as they go out into the world and recruit support for locations, catering, equipment, etc... Not to be taken lightly, if a card is to represent you or your endeavors, it will probably take some thought and then the work to create it. So logos, layouts, fonts, revisions, printing, etc...

Websites. Which take on all forms these days. There again, no matter how simple, from full blown corporate flash sites to MySpace and FaceBook, they still take time and effort to accomplish something.

Computers. Buying, installing, maintaining, repairing. Hard to imagine a modern day epic, even the 60 second sleeping cat videos on YouTube, not utilizing the power of the modern desktop computer. Of course that means being educated on the latest hardware and software even if you don't have the opportunity to use it.

Music. Even if you are lucky enough to have someone say they have the time and talent to create it, it is still a major process. And don't hang out forever waiting on that first note. Or, even if you are near tone deaf and musically illiterate, you can attempt your own with the incredibly powerful software that exists to make you think you know what you are doing. Of course that means "computers" and "software" and... see above...

Want some "cool" titles for your masterpiece? Of course at this level that means interesting, effective, polished - just because I don't have a team of experts or a designer with Saul Bass-Kyle Cooper-like skills doesn't mean I don't want to compete. It means I absolutely do want to compete. And that takes work.

Work is my antidote and/or replacement for talent and resources. I'm not pretending to be humble enough to not think I have neither, I am a "film director" after all, but I try to hedge my bets by working harder.

Which is how I taught myself Photoshop. Not on the level of a Deke McClelland or Scott Kelby, but not too bad. I am sure you could spend an entire 4 year college curriculum just on Photoshop and if that's what you are into, it would be time well spent. So if those guys are the ones teaching the grad classes, maybe I'm up to starting on my masters.

Photoshop? "I just want to make a movie! What the hell is this nut talking about?" Well... you do want those business cards, websites, etc... don't you? You want to post some stills of your work. You want stills cropped and resized and placed in your MySpace pages. You want posters and DVD covers. And yes, there are other programs, both complex and simple, good and bad, but they still come down to - yep.. you guessed it. Computers. Hardware. Software. And all the rest...

Can you make a movie without Photoshop? Of course. I think. But it will definitely help your understanding of After Effects. Or Motion. Or Color. Or Flame, Inferno, Da Vinci, Nuke... And of course without the big, big toys, that means you'll have to work even harder to compete.

Wow... it's actually time to get back to work. That other work. Planning the next shooting days. Editing the material we have. Updating the websites. Expanding our presence on MySpace. Putting together another part of the film score. Fumbling my way to a kick ass trailer that shows off the other people working their asses off on this flick. Writing the next script.

I don't about 'me' being cool... but being a 'filmmaker' these days is really cool!

Kely McClung

http://www,kerberosbites.com/
http://www.bloodtiesmovie.com/
http://maifilmcorp.com/




"Talking people and doing people, for myself, I hope to do" Kely McClung

Filmmaking and Storytelling still comes down to Content

Searching for one of my seemingly one million different log ins and passwords, I ran across this bit of notes... not sure if I already posted it somewhere, but the inspiration of that day still holds and has been on my mind of late... "it comes down to content!" (my moments of inspired thought are rare, so bear with me...)

Reading and studying and trying to absord the massive amount of info available on each and every camera and each and every situation, it's easy to forget about content.

After content, it's easy to forget about the basics; that the camera only sees a part of what we point it at. It's value and values are still made up of light and shadow, expressed through composition and angle, rendered with focus or the lack of with digitally interpolated color and luminance.

After acquisition, it's easy to forget about the value and effort of editing and post. We get lost in the semantics of PC vs. Mac, Intel vs. AMD, and then the myriad debates on editing and finishing systems with more effort than in the understanding of the cut; the when and why's, the intricities of montage and rythm, of the emotional impact of our choices for juztoposition, continuity edits, jumps cuts, fades and dissolves.

Whether weddings or birthdays, corporate and industrial, music video and training tapes, shorts or feature films... it still comes down to content.

Kely McClung - back to filmmaking...

How to make a film

I was recently asked to speak at a film festival that I was lucky enough to win last year. Not only speak once - but twice - with a couple main themes. One, "How to make an action film" and two, "Why we make films". I don't know if anyone will show up to hear me talk, but it of course has made me examine my own motivations and methods.

Of all the tools available for making modern day epics, the new cameras, new lens choices, the proliferation and accessibility of high quality, DIY camera rigs and supports, and the new software/hardware combinations with the newest, latest, greatest plug-ins and newest, latest, greatest delivery formats; my favorites remain the three that started it all.

One: The desire to tell a story. Of course, that doesn't really sum up the absolute need to tell the story. The constant obsessive compulsion to dedicate and sacrifice whatever part of one's life one must in order to tell that story. Probably started somewhere before Cro-Magnon man and the advent of the RED camera. Certainly, the still amazing cave paintings of Lascaux were done before the consolidation of Intel chips on competing platforms happened. Still earlier masterpieces but less famous paintings are dated as old as 30,000 years ago.

That sacrifice will be different for each person and each set of circumstances and abilities, but the fundamental need to not just talk about doing something but actually doing it at whatever cost gets it done remains the same.

Two: The story itself. The blueprint, the themes, the foreseen actions committed and worked out on paper that deliver the message, the passages of dialog or the lack there of that inform and entertain. The plan devised with rhythm and pace and escalation, climax and denouement.

Being tied in through friends to at least the local film community, I constantly hear of the next newest, latest, greatest project being done somewhere. Even more common after being told it is being shot on the newest, latest, greatest camera by someone who may or may not have actually ever used that camera (hey, we all start somewhere), I am more often that not left with the informer informing that everything is looking really good... except that, well, maybe the script isn't so hot. It could use a little work. The story seems weak, and the dialog doesn't seem to be working.

Eeeeshhh... can't wait to see that in all its really high resolution pristine glory!

Three. The actors. And actresses. Those people and faces and voices that bring the previously conceived ideas to life. They can be trained or untrained. Young or old. Handsome or pretty or stunning or frankly a little hard to look at. They might be famous already or obscurely working away in a Bangkok bar, but the bottom line is that they are either good or they are not good.

In my quest and circumstance as auteur I wear many hats. I know that I become obsessive before, during, and after my projects. Performing so many roles with at this time still limited resources means that my projects take longer than many other peoples, which means they tax and strain my mental state, tax and strain my physical being, and tax and strain my relationships.

The discipline to work hard was probably instilled from an obsessive father who thought that Olympic type workouts were the norm for all grade school kids. I can look back on training schedules even before high school that compete with any modern day Olympian. And they worked! I was fast. World class fast! Until a short drive my first time behind the wheel (20 feet) took me off a bridge, 20 feet down, and under another 20 feet of water where I eventually emerged with two sliced knees. (guess I really made it 60 feet!)

That same work ethic let me train obsessively in martial art. I had the will to travel and learn and train around the world with some of the greatest teachers and practitioners who have lived. I was a poor student of each separate art but obsessed with the art as a whole. Most my teachers probably wouldn't claim me today, but I pay respects to each as they colored the art I displayed as I fought and later taught my own distillations and concepts in my own schools here and overseas, and to law enforcement and military. Those basic concepts can also be found in my movie fights and choreography.

And now of course I am a filmmaker. Pretty much unknown except by a very small, growing circle of colleagues and fans. Pretty much working away obsessively as I always have. And making progress. World Class progress? That remains to be seen...

Meanwhile, the fuel that keeps me going, that makes me want to get up at 5 in the morning to edit - is the realization of the three components above.

To see the long obsessed with concepts and ideas come to life, leaping or crawling their way from pages written over brief bursts of inspiration and fingers blurring on abused and coffee sodden keyboards, with the gift of performances I've been freely given or coaxed or demanded or been able to trick my actors into, from those actors and actresses who trained or untrained, handsome or a bit hard to look at - none of us famous at this time - some of them going from good to great - is why I make films.

I can not speak for other filmmakers. But as a viewer, watching everything from old cracked super8 to IMAX and flash delivered YouTube, I know I appreciate a film when I can see the primary attention given to those three: the desire and dedication to get it done, the story, and the acting.

Kely's first film BLOOD TIES won several film festivals including the Action Film of the Year at the Action on Film Int's Film Festival, Best of Festival and Best Visual FX at Indie Fest USA, Best Director at Big Bang Film Festival, and Best Int'l Film at the Rincon Puerto Rico Int'l Film Festival. He is scheduled to speak at the Indie Fest USA in downtown Disney on August 12th and 13th.

He is currently editing and obessing about his newest film KERBEROS.

Creative Dialog for the Action Movie Kerberos

Downtime from movie making usually involves discussions and planning for moviemaking, which is maybe why I have so little life and few friends outside my artistic endeavors. That still leaves me with a lot of amazing experiences and a lot of friends. None of my family is involved, which is why I think they seem interested in the process those rare times I see them.

I was recently able to take an afternoon off from editing to visit with my cousin Brent Clark and his wife Lisa, in town in part to raise money for a two year trip to Hyderabad, India as The Directors of India Ministries for an organization named Back2Back. I was struck with their commitment and practicality, and the ideals of their 'mission': to better the lives of 900 children in the Hyerabad orphanages.

They of course wanted to see what I am working on in my life, which at this time is consumed with the movie KERBEROS.

The scene I had just finished putting together is almost 4 minutes long: two corrupt cops torturing and questioning a drug dealer and realizing they have been missing the bigger picture and payday by looking at the wrong guys.

I am very proud of the scene; good filming, really strong acting, and what I think is very strong writing. Now what makes this scene a bit unique is the scripted f#%$'s and f#%$-you's and assorted variations. I don't know that the movie will set any records (I believe the honor goes to Gary Oldman's NIL BY MOUTH at 428 - unless you look at the documentary F#%$ with over 800), but still there are 54 in this one scene! And then Stan Harrington added to them with his frustration on remembering them, so that "I told you what's what, so f#%$ the f#%$ off if you don't believe me" became "I told you what the f#%$ is f#%$, so f#%$ the f#%$ off if you don't believe me!".

In relaying this to my cousins before they watched it, they sarcastically said "must be some really creative dialog, huh?". And it is! Most of it a cross between prison slang, gangland slang, street slang, and 'cop-speak'. And even my conservative family agreed! Of course my mother will be a different story...

The scene is indicative of many other scenes in this particular movie in that is ostensibly about one thing and then turns on its head toward another but ends up somewhere else again. As the writer, it was fun and exciting to put these scenes on paper with the shades of black and white blurring them gray. As the director and the editor, it's a challenge to tease and inform while creating a pace and structure that shows off the story and the acting. As the primary actors, Rob, Stan, and myself get the joy of translating the colorful language with action and intent into something comprehensible for the audience.

The emotion and intent are clear within the action of the film, yet much of it had to be explained word by word and line by line to the three actors in this scene, and the actors of almost every other scene, so maybe I should supply a glossary when the movie comes out.

As Harris (Ted Huckabee), says to Darius (Haji Golightly), "Would you mind speaking English motherf#%$er!"

Kely McClung
f#%$ing wordsmith

Only a Million Steps to make the Movie KERBEROS!

Or maybe it's a million more!

Wish I could say all the filming was done, which is not say say I don't enjoy that specific process, but that I wish there was some completion or finality to some of the million steps. But it can not be a bad thing to look at footage that we have shot and not only take some energy from the pride of the accomplishment to date, but to analyze it and then be in a position to make our film better as we go. Similar feelings to when we did BLOOD TIES, the knowing that what we have pulled off is pretty amazing, but seeing and knowing that, moving forward with the conviction that this is the time to raise the level on all accounts, including the filming itself.

Even with the half dozen scenes I have already cut, I of course have found shots to redo or pickups to add. What is great about the Kerberos cast and crew is that they too sense something special is happening and have been game to do it better. Already, the simple pick ups with Courtney and Mark have helped raise the bar, and the camera work, under my experimental but now more focused eye, and Attila's rapidly assimilating skills are pushing our overall level upwards.

Okay, a million steps? Maybe an exaggeration but let's take a quick look at just one scene. I have made my first cut of " the mechanics shop", where bank robbing ex-convict Finn (Kely McClung) stops in the middle of the night to the small two car bay garage he owns, talks with Burns (Chris Burns), checks the mail, pounds the heavy bag, finds out one of his snitches is dead, and defends the honor of the girl he's enamored with even while confessing said 'enamorance' as he shares a bottle of 'Jack' with his friend.

Already filmed, locations found and paid for, make up and wardrobe chosen and used, fake tattoos drawn on, lighting scheme worked out, props arranged, punching bag found, aged and brought in, sound recorded, footage captured, backed up multiple times, and studied. First cut assembled with frame grabs pulled out to apply treatments and grades to see what the scene might look like when completed. Sound is found wanting, so making plans for the ADR sessions, and the massive amount of Foley (I like full, rich, complex ambiances, even when unobtrusive or subtle - and can clanging at a mechanics shop while pounding a hundred pound heavy bag be subtle?).

So, already sending compressed versions of this first cut to potential composers who begin their own series of steps while I audition various songs for both style and ability to compliment and tell their alternate subliminal versions of the scene.

Now making plans for the the shots which will enhance and/or replace the footage that is not up to standard. The good news is the blocking, the actual script dialog, and the acting are working as they should. The light works great, and the camera, Sony's PMW EX1 is well up to it, especially now that my experiments and discussions with Attila are taking root.

So we have to now re-light, reset the vehicles, which we have finally tracked down - again, re-dress the scene and ourselves, make arrangements for payment, picture cars, sound acquisition, and then reschedule the actors (I never know my schedule but I am always available for shooting and directing our film!), get the tattoos redone by the great Guzik at the East Atlanta Tattoo Shop, drag every one out there -tough for a night shoot but fortunately it's a really small crew.

And then film again. Gather specific location sound and Foley. Attempt ADR 'wild'. Payoff every one, reset and capture the footage. Back it up multiple times. Import it into the editing program (still staying loyal to Adobe even though I am straddling the platform divide with one leg for PC and one leg firmly on a Mac).

Then I get to edit, work the minimum 100 steps to doing the sound right, export the finished picture, reopen in my finishing programs, process the footage (at least 20 more steps), re-import, render, and then pat myself and everyone else on the back long enough to make plans for the next 3 minute scene.

All this for a 'no budget film' on a scene we have already done... eeeshhhhh...

Only 990 thousand steps to go!

Kely McClung
Producer/Director/Writer/Actor/blah blah blah... oh yeah, and "coolest filmmaker on the planet"

A month of Hell with Kerberos

Hard to believe a month has passed by: nearly thirty days of frustration and creative fulfillment with only two thirds of the movie filmed, but with enough footage and scenes shot to know that we are pulling it off - in a BIG way! And unlike the tagline -- the gates of hell go one way -- Kerberos - "the movie" - has already transported me back and forth many times.

In this first thirty days, I know that the tension that I create by being hyper focused on not only the creative challenges but the rapidly evolving production's logistics, (making a 20 million dollar movie for under a hundred grand is harder than I thought!) has jeopardized friendships, threatened personal relationships, and taxed my physical and mental health. But even as that happened, I know I have forged new respects, found new friendships, and have seen the magic over and over again that most filmmakers dream of finding even once.

As a director and producer, it is a nearly unbelievable reward in knowing that I have pushed and pulled people into creating and finding the best work of their lives. It's equally exciting that they don't even know it yet! As the editor for both picture and sound, I am already looking forward to constructing the pieces into a vehicle that will make everyone associated with this project as proud of their contributions as I am of them.

Okay... back into hell... but with the confidence that we will emerge once again...


Kely McClung

BLOOD TIES win in Puerto Rico fuel KERBEROS

After stealing away 5 days in Puerto Rico — grabbing sunshine, tacos, ocean breezes, time with my girl, and another win for BLOOD TIES as part of the Rincon Int’l Film Festival for “Best International Feature”, it’s back to the race for KERBEROS.

Still casting, scouting locations, scrambling for props and wardrobe and crew. The warm up is over, and the real race has begun, so maybe for the next 30 days or so, it’s pretty much like running Iron Man’s back to back to back, and not only forcing myself to cross the finish line, but trying to ensure my team of about 100 - cast and crew - crosses with me. Ahhh... the joy of being the Director!

When I watch BLOOD TIES, I am exhilarated by the pride I have in orchestrating all the talents that went in to making my first feature , and the challenge of preparing to outdo myself for KERBEROS.

So in making any movie as ambitious as the one we have set out to do, fuel will come from any internal and external sources we can find. For a few days, or hours at least, the fuel for the next is coming from the last. Not a bad place to be in!!!

Kely McClung

BLOOD TIES director Kely McClung hits the big time!

Puerto Rico, Isla del Encanto. We’ve only seen a small part of it, but enough to know it’s not what we expected. Tropical without being lush, small pockets and glimpses of beauty within the poverty and reality of living on an island. Still, the ocean breezes and the smiles and generosity of the people allow it to retain it’s charm. Would I come back? Oh yeah, and hope to if only for the Rincon Int’l Film Festival next year.

My girl and I came here to relax, be together, and reconnect before I fully embrace the obsession that is KERBEROS. We’ve seen quite a few films, and even more for me, taken the time to absorb the energy of other filmmakers sharing their enthusiasm for each others work and possibilities glimpsed for their future.

Our film, BLOOD TIES was shown to a smaller audience than I wanted, of course I am still dreaming of sold out crowds at the Georgia Dome, but the response was thoughtful, enthusiastic, and uniformly positive. The subsequent questions and comments over the past few days reaffirms its reception and merit from old and young alike.

Like the other fests we’ve attended, I have tended to sit back -- not push, and make friends from easy conversation with no agenda. And I have definitely made a couple new friends. More to come about them soon...

I have also gotten the chance to just look at my girl, to share a bit of easy adventure and conversation with her, and to realize just how lucky I am to have her put up with me.

Have I made it big yet? Being here makes me redefine both the question and the answer. I’m on a tropical island with a beautiful girl who loves me, island breezes cooling off the tropical sun, distracting myself from the upcoming tasks making KERBEROS by earning and receiving respect for BLOOD TIES. Yeah, pretty sure this is THE BIG TIME!