Hey, Look There's a Story

     Alright, this story is pure fact.  Fact, not fiction, not made up, not imagined, pure, straight arrow, arrow straight facts.  It's no secret I run the AOF Festival, one of if not the best festival going as far as I'm concerned.  I can say that it's the best, not because I run it, but because of the people who make up the festival.  The filmmakers, the writers, the producers, actors, grips, dps, artists, the whole lot.  These people make my show what it is, so I can honestly say it's the best thing going.  I say it because they are the best storytellers I know, period. They put their money where their mouth is, they make their films, they tell their stories and they don't quit.   

     So, anyway I'm standing in the Academy Theater and I'm talking to a filmmaker from Florida and he asks me what's going on and I say that I'm looking for an actor who I was pretty sure wasn't coming but I was hoping would show up anyway.  So the filmmaker points and says, she's right over there.  I swear to God it's true, she made the trip, she's here.  I follow his arm and where he's pointing and she's standing right across the room, big as life and twice as beautiful.  Talent shining off her head like an Angel's glow and a small crowd standing around her. 
     Now, this crowd wasn't around her, they were 'around' her.  Not talking to her or looking at her just kind of there.  If you were part of the crowd, you wouldn't of noticed what I'm talking about, but standing fifty feet away, it looked like she had an entourage.

     I approached her and noticed that she was talking to someone so I took a seat on the stairs and waited my turn.  That is when the magic happened.  Sitting on those stairs; I noticed all of the people in the theater talking to one another and telling their stories.  Everyone was engaged.  They were talking about their films, their scripts, the money they were raising, the deal that just fell through and it wasn't until that moment, waiting on those stairs that I was able to really see what was going on.  All of these people, young, old, black, white, tall, short, male and female, telling stories and trying to get those stories made into movies.
     Now, the funny thing about the entertainment business is that it is known for the amount of pure bullshit that floats around, nothing new about that.  But this was different, it was amazing to see people who had spent their unemployment checks, savings, bonuses, vacation money to be at the AOF Festival on a beautiful Southern California night meeting with people who just might play a part in their future success.
     Stories were being told and it looked like a few deals were being made.  In fact, I was trying to make one myself.  See, I've got a few stories to tell and looking around that room, watching those people who had made the trip out to Pasadena from all across the states, from around the world; Germany, France, England, Austrailia, China, I realized one thing, they came to do more than just talk, they came to tell their stories.  They were there to share their experiences and make something happen.
     What I liked most about waiting to tell my story was that I had the chance to witness first hand people who were making the first step in getting their stories made.  The first step in that process was to show up and relate that story to someone else; see if the story has legs, if it works, if it's interesting, if it matters.  The stories are all around us, we just have to tell them.

     Now, it was my turn, this actress, this talented, beautiful actress who was waiting to hear about my story was all ears.  I told her my story and she told me hers.  Is it going to work out?  Who knows?  The important thing is telling the story and then doing whatever you can to move that story to the next level.
     Until next time, thanks for reading.
D

Write What You Feel.....

     So, I'm talking to a friend of mine who is having trouble with a script she is writing.  We sat down, went over the script which in my opinion is really pretty good.  The story, structure, pace, dialogue and characters are great.  I really like this piece.  I told her that while there were a few changes that I would make, it was ultimately up to her what happened with the piece.  At that point, she made a really telling remark which I still can't get out of my head.  She said, 'What's the point?  No one is going to buy it anyway."

On the Set of a recent project.

     I can honestly say that I have never written a script that I didn't with all of my heart believe would be produced.  Maybe it's a fantasy but I think writing has to be one of the most incredible callings possible.  I recently had a film fall out of production.  It doesn't mean that the piece won't be produced, it just means that that particular production didn't work out.  I moved on to the next one and I'll go back to the other one when the time is right, for me.

Still from a project that was stopped but will move forward shortly

     I can't imagine not seeing my work moving towards completion.  I also can't imagine my work not having enough value for someone to pay real money for it.  I think the reason for this is that I try to write what I feel, what inspires me and what intrigues me.  When I do that, I don't get the feeling that I'm writing something that will sit in a drawer or never be seen.

Actress working on one of my scripts

     Sure, like everyone else who has ever seen a check for their writing, I've created or sold pieces that never went anywhere but that didn't mean that I was any less passionate about writing the script or any less enthusiastic when I went to the bank to cash the check I got for that work.  I think the secret is to fall in love with the subject and then write what you feel.  If you love your subject, you'll write with love.  If you write with love, you can't help but succeed.

No poser, just someone being inspired....Nice!

       Did I mention my new project?  It's about this........

Ignore The Games. Keep Working, Keep Writing.

Tremblay as 'Yvette'

     Recently one of my productions was stopped.  We lost the momentum, some of the problems we were dealing with were too great and there were simply a number of other things going on that made me know that to continue would have been a mistake.  So, I choose to stop the project, but I didn't stop working.
      I had met a very talented performer in January and we spoke a few times and I had written a treatment for a script with her in the lead role.  This week, we shot the first scenes.  As a writer and director, it is incumbent upon on me to show up prepared and ready to work but it is so refreshing to arrive and find that the talent is ready as well.  Ready, excited and prepared.  Wow, a trifecta.

No Ego, No Baggage, just talent and beauty

      When we write, we hear the words as we believe they should be spoken.   It is very difficult to hear your words mangled, interpreted out of context or delivered without emotion or real intent; but when someone is ready to perform and to speak your words perfectly and beautifully; it makes all the difference in the world.
      This week, because I didn't stop writing,  because I didn't quit, I was treated to the most incredible experience of truly hearing my own words -which I had read over and over myself- spoken for the first time.  The performer had no ego, no baggage, no pre-conceived notions, just a desire to work and to bring life to the character.

Tremblay preparing and taking direction

      A lot of people tell me that after a project goes south that they lose their desire to create or interest in their work.  I suggest that they change their tact and use those times to reinvest in their work, in their words and in the chance that the next time will be the best time.

Filmmakers First.
D

Talent Doesn't Need An Excuse

Two very talented people; Bullis and Roso on set discussing their work

     I am in the middle of reading one of the best scripts I have ever read.  It is clear, concise, intelligent and relevant.  The characters are interesting, powerful, weak and in constant conflict.  Choices must be made and bad ones must be endured.
     I love this script.  I wish it were one of my own.  When I began reading it; I had just read seven or eight others and this one jumped off the page like a Frazetta hero in dire straits.  I could not put the script down until I had read it through and then I read it again.
     That's what talented people do, they create work that moves you and makes you want to achieve the same results with your own work.
     Talent doesn't need an excuse, it just exists for it's own sake and then knocks us off our feet.  Kudos to this writer, she deserves all of the rewards and accolades her talent will surely gain for her.
Until next time, Filmmakers First.
D

Why? What For?

Two of my favorite storytellers  Tim Littlefield and Michael Givens

     As I've said before, I write every day.  My lap top sits next to my chair which sits next to my desk which holds my mac and various logs and notebooks.  I got one of those Blackberry Playbooks and I write on that as well.  I'll even jot down ideas on my notepad of my phone if the mood strikes.
     No, there's no big Hollywood deal pending, I'm not writing spec scripts for the possibility that someone next to me in line at Starbucks will ask if I happen to have the next great movie concept.  I write because I write, that's the why and that's what its for.
     Last week one of our AOF Alum gave me a call to talk about his new project.  He and his partner wanted to see if I would be interested in showcasing the work at AOF 2011.  Well, since that's the business I'm in, of course I wanted to see the project and hear about what they had done and why.
     We sat in a nicely appointed booth with a large flat screen and mixer and I must say that I spent a little more time watching their reactions to their film then the film itself.  The film looked great by the way.
     I'm not so much interested in what people make as I am about the motivation behind the process, the 'why' and the 'what for'.  See, every project has a story, drama, problems, antagonists and heroes.    Many times, these problems are too difficult to overcome and we find ourselves in a place where we can't go forward with our art.  Other times; delays and issues make the process better.  What remains after all of that garbage is the 'why'.  Why, will either make you go forward or stop you in your tracks.
      I only have one why and that is, it's because writing and creating stories is what I am compelled to do.  I love story, I love film and I love helping people make their stories come true.  One of the most interesting questions that I'm able to ask at Q&As is, 'Why did you make this film?'  Knowing the answer to that question is more than half the battle in creating something worthwhile.
Until next time, Filmmakers First.
D

Writing A New Script

Actress / Filmmaker Sandy Kellerman hiding from the camera
which loves her more than she knows.

     So, I'm writing a new script.  No big deal, I write every day.  Most people who know me know that I have more scripts, teleplays, plays and treatments laying around than I know what to do with.  Recently a friend asked me why I didn't submit my work to the studios or through agents and agencies.  My answer was pretty simple;  I plan to make all of my movies.
     I'm serious.  I've never written a piece that I didn't plan on producing at some point in my career.  With that said, I have done work for hire on shows like Reality Racing, Feelin' Good, The National Sports Schedule, The AOF Channel, a children's script, a couple of scripts for small production companies and a little clean up work on other people's projects.
     The point is, what I write, I plan to produce.  My stories, my movies, my way.  Anyway, the new script is about a bouncer too old to do the job anymore but finds himself forced to do something even harder and a lot more dangerous to maintain his own integrity.  I can not wait to make this film.  I can not wait to tell this story, I can not wait to see it on screen.
     I was having lunch with AOF Filmmaker Sandy Kellerman and she asked the question, "We've heard all the stories, but did we get all the points of view?"  That statement really made me think about my own writing, originality, passion, ability and purpose.  When we write, are we following someone else's process and telling someone else's story or are we telling stories with our own unique, insightful and introspective point of view?  The only point of view -in my opinion- that really matters.

Sidney Lumet

Weston Reading About Director Lumet

     Last Saturday, Sidney Lumet died in New Your City.  The man who made quite possibly the best drama ever filmed, The Verdict, is gone.  Everyone thinks, at least everyone I've spoken to, that The Verdict was Paul Newman's film, but it wasn't, it belonged to Lumet.  Every frame, every angle, every cut and every lingering wide shot that stayed on the actor's faces -which were dwarfed by the expanse of every element included in each frame- belonged to Lumet.
      Where some directors feel the need to make constant cuts and establish multiple locations and hundreds of angles, Lumet could make the dialogue, the acting and the craft pop with a single well composed shot.  In short, he could tell a story anywhere.  From the courtroom where the church's and the legal system's crimes were going to go unpunished to a jaded and washed up attorney's final meltdown in a hotel bathroom, it didn't take much more than Lumet's keen eye and his ability to tell a story to bring every second of the film to life; and to make that life real and unforgettable.  Lumet is dead.
He will be missed.