It’s been awhile since I went out and shot movies. I’ve been writing a lot, yes, indeed, but there’s nothing like getting up at 5am and shooting some shit. I’ve been writing these pieces of flash fiction forever, and I have so many, I thought, it might be fun to turn a couple of them into a short film. So, I brought in four wonderful actors to do a read in my directing class, and it was magical. I forgot how exciting and amazing it is to get out and yes, MAKE STUFF! So, that’s what I’m doing this weekend, shooting two of the first in a series of sketches which I’ve tentatively called, So Natural! I’m really excited about the cast, and even more excited about making content that is short, funny and for the web. We’re also shooting with small cameras, and a small crew, so there will be a lot of time and leeway to really work well with the actors. I’m a little nervous, but very excited.
Writing is process of re-writing as we writers know. Even if you have a great concept and well executed script, there are still a number of changes you may have to make to make the script even better. I have been writing and re-writing The Day with RK, all summer long. At first glance, it is a road trip moving, in which a character meets many people on the road. The script is somewhat dia heavy, and there are some places where I have been attempting to “inject meaning” where there may not actually be meaning. My task has been to reduce the “talky” nature of the script, develop some of the actions, and work on some aspects of the character. Not the easiest task, but I’ve been doing it and doing it everyday, and as a result, I do believe that the latest draft of the script is pretty tight. I’m sure I’ll go through more revisions, and make the script even better. But what I really, really want to do is a table read with some actors. I believe this is really, really going to help get the work to the next level… It’s a process!
Summer, summer, summer time…. I’m really enjoying this summer. I’ve been cranking on a number of creative projects, especially writing. It had been a while since I wrote a brand new script and completed it, but I just finished something, which I am very excited about. It’s a straight up comedy, which is exciting for me, because most of my stuff tends to be more drama with comedy. Writing comedy is fun, it feels liberating (right now), to write something that doesn’t take itself so seriously. My Experiments in Flash Fiction site is a part of this project, to free my mind, and to write with fewer inhibitions. I’ve also been taking a sketch comedy writing class at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade, which has been amazing. I really, really love writing sketch, and some of the short pieces on my website have come out of the exercises. There’s no denying that laughter is the best medicine for anything and everything.
Last week, I was at the Tribeca Film Festival, for the All Access program. It’s an amazing week of workshops, meetings and pitches, where we connected with a number of people in order to finance the next project, A Day with Dandekar. I showed up with photos and a story pitch, and my producer had a business plan ready. We met a lot of people in a very short time and really did our best to “sell ourselves.” It was an incredible experience, more to come on the new project!
I used to me a really prolific writer. I would pump out a new script every few months, and always have new pieces I was working on. But then I made a feature film and had a kid, and have been horribly sleep deprived and mentally exhausted. But recently, I’ve felt the tingle of ideas re surge and a new joy for writing again. You see, for a long time, I was preoccupied with where my writing would take me, how I would get a job, when I would get an agent and blah, blah, blah. But very recently, for the first time in my life, I’ve given myself the permission not to really give a fuck. Yeah, it sounds pretty bad seeing as I’ve got a kid and bills and lots to worry about. And maybe I should worry all the time. Or maybe not. Maybe I should just try to focus on what makes me happy and that will in the end take me some place I never even imagined. Isn’t that the purpose of art, anyway? So, I’ve started this new blog called, Experiments in Flash Fiction, dedicated to writing very, very short pieces on a weekly basis. No, the pieces won’t be perfect, and they may not even be good… But I am writing regularly and experimenting with my voice and style. And honestly, I’m just having a good time…. Because I only need four hours of sleep a night anyway…..
I am so incredibly excited that my new project, A Day with Dandekar, was recently selected for the Tribeca All Access program! It is a 5-day workshop in NYC where we’ll meet a number of development execs and also carries a development grant of $10K. I am so excited, I’m beside myself!!! Can’t wait to go out to NYC and dive into all things film… And more importantly, I cannot wait to make this movie, I have so many ideas for it!!
Beautiful music video by Eskimo.
Watch Raspberry Magic on Hulu now.
Distribution is definitely one of the biggest challenges indie filmmakers face today. The market has changed drastically in over the past few years, and markets like DVD sales have all but died, and in foreign sales, getting a drama out there isn’t easy. But, we were very lucky to be signed with a great sales company, Cinetic Rights Management, early on. We are working with them on the TV side, as well as digital distribution, which is really their core focus. The concept of digital distribution isn’t new, but for feature films, it is a newer platform/business model. Essentially, they take the movie and bring it to amazon, Hulu, iTunes and a number of other similar platforms.
Raspberry Magic has been up on amazon since mid December, but we just came out on Hulu. For a moment, I felt a little panicked about it being on Hulu, as they have a completely ad supported business model, which means that the content is free, but it is embedded with advertising throughout. Seeing the movie cut up that way was a little tough for me, but I’m trying to keep an open mid about it for several reasons. First, I believe more eyes will get on the movie through this means than even premium cable. Already, I can see that quite a few people have watched it. Also, I believe there is an opportunity for a much larger revenue stream than with any of the traditional angles we have worked thus far. So… Being a person of the digital age, I believe that I have to be open about this form of distribution.
Feminist blogger Melissa Silverstein had the same complaints that I did about the NY Times piece, check it out:
Sundance is Here and the World Discovers that Women Can Direct
