In 2004 I completed my first feature length screenplay "The Carriage House". I then had it stage-read at the Lee Strasberg Theatre in West Hollywood to what I thought was a rousing response. Since then I've pitched to dozens of people and rewritten it seven more times.
Currently I'm building a "Crowd-funding" or "Micro-funding" website to gather enough money to make the film. Contributors will be included in the credits and enjoy the benefit of knowing they contributed to the creation of original film art.
The story is told in tandem between two time lines; that of my sisters young adulthood in Los Angeles in 1971 and of one Leo Dwight Murphy, and his marriage to Nellie Cornelia Buttles marriage in 1926. Both events cross paths, indirectly, leaving room for much interplay, intrigue, mystery and suspense.
Writing the screenplay required much research between 2002 and 2004 where I amassed over 1000 pages of material for the outline of the story. What amazes me is that to this day women fall victim to abusive husbands for some unknown allure. Just look at Rhianna and Chris Brown. I sometimes lose my objectivity with the message in this film, then it's value comes rushing back to the headlines, as it did in 1926.
The website I'm building will include: The Script, novel, budget, location-lodging-technical-expertise contribution option, production schedule and time-line, cast, dream cast, storyboard and a Pay pal option to make your contribution. Every penny will be tracked in real time for the benefit of the donor and to examine costs and hold to the budget.
Currently I am writing the novel (finding my voice) and hope to have it completed, with a web launch date of July. Feel free to send me positive encouragement.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Monday, November 17, 2008
Lose the 70s. I'm not going to lose the 70s.
Mike just told me that though we can't lose Janet, we'll have to give her something that ties her more strongly to the 20s' plot. I'm paraphrasing. The way he circles my rose bush with snipping sheers makes me edgy at best, wary, recalcitrant (whatever that means) and fuming on other levels, clearly. I wish I could engage a great filmmaker in this discussion. I'd ask Mr. X,
"Don't you agree with me, that both the 70s and the 20s are essential in bringing this story to life?" The inclusion of these eras are the story. One cannot exist without the other; if that is attempted then it's an entirely different story, which I didn't write and don't know. I'm so tired of having this defensive discussion with person after person. I'm not going to change this fact, ever. It's going to get to the screen as parallel time lines. Mike wants to have "answers ready when the tell us they want to lose the 70s." I've explained that Fried Green Tomatoes is a two era film, and when he said that the 70s are difficult I said well, 2001 and cave men were probably a tough sell too, but there in lies the essence of the art form. Creating, believably, that which is not there in so realistic a form that one is transported to that time.
"Don't you agree with me, that both the 70s and the 20s are essential in bringing this story to life?" The inclusion of these eras are the story. One cannot exist without the other; if that is attempted then it's an entirely different story, which I didn't write and don't know. I'm so tired of having this defensive discussion with person after person. I'm not going to change this fact, ever. It's going to get to the screen as parallel time lines. Mike wants to have "answers ready when the tell us they want to lose the 70s." I've explained that Fried Green Tomatoes is a two era film, and when he said that the 70s are difficult I said well, 2001 and cave men were probably a tough sell too, but there in lies the essence of the art form. Creating, believably, that which is not there in so realistic a form that one is transported to that time.
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