I guess I should mention...

Part of the reason I decided to start this ‘public’ blog is because some friends n’ family have suggested that it might be a neat idea to record this period of our lives. For those I haven’t told yet, our script has entered ‘development’ – the first phase towards making it into a film for theatrical release. So yeah, it might be fun to write about this whole process, because I honestly don’t know what to expect on this journey into film and writing.

Will it be:

• Painfully slow n’ banging-your-head-against-the-wall frustrating?
  
• Easy-peasy smooth sailing?
  
• Other (please specify):

Because Facebook has made me oh-so incredibly lazy, you might’ve noticed that I don’t send out friendly touchin’ base emails as often as I use to. So to (not-so) quickly recap about what’s been going on with me lately, as most of you know, Jim n’ I co-wrote a script together that did a’ight in a couple contests. In 2007 we placed Quarter-Finalist in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Competition. Then later that year, out of 5,000 n’ some scripts, we were awarded Third for Drama in the Page International Screenwriting Awards.

The next year was spent speaking with producers who contacted us. (Mostly Jim speaking, of course… I’m not a speaker. I’m a writer. ;) Lots of companies from all over asked to read our script – and in time, eventually everyone either passed on it or things gradually fell apart. However, if you watch the ‘Behind the Scenes’ features for any DVD you own, for the most part, you’ll see that’s just how it goes. The process for making almost every movie is a usually a very long uphill battle.

One of our main challenges was that Jim intended to attach himself as the director. This was an absolute ‘must’ for us. However, even though J directed an award-winning short film, when budgets expand from thousands to millions, production companies want someone with feature film experience. A first time feature director is a big risk… which is understandable -- a director has a lot of responsibility. Still, it makes for quite the whole chicken n’ the egg scenario, doesn’t it? How can one gain experience and direct his first feature film if no one will let him?

Another big issue was that our movie is about a 60-something year old protagonist. Everyone wants typical leading man age. (In other words, anything younger than 50.)

Then there’s the fact that everybody is looking to produce a) Slasher/Horrors b) Teen Comedies c) Sequels d) Remakes. Our movie doesn’t fit into any of these genres.

Oh yeah, and have you been watchin’ the news lately? Apparently, the economy is not doing so swell. So it’s no shocker that people are reluctant to invest in much of anything these days… let alone a twisty drama about a man in his 60’s, directed by a first-time feature director.

Still, we’ve been plugging away and have met some very helpful people in the process. Last year we received the support of an executive producer who believed in our potential, and wanted to contribute a large portion of the budget (1M). We also had an LA producer working with us for a while, and she managed to obtain some great coverage (feedback) from five other industry professionals.

Coverage is coveted. It is sooo valuable to get honest, discriminating – and fortunately, also complimentary – input from real professionals. Sure, opinions will always differ here n’ there, but coverage can really give you a full 360 view of what works and what doesn’t.

We had also sent our script out to a handful of friends and family to get their thoughts through an anonymous online survey. (Thanks again everyone!)

Using all this assorted feedback, we started our complete overhaul. We began at the script’s most basic bones and sewed it all back up together like Frankenstein – adding new flesh and amputating the rotten stuff.

Ew! What a totally gross image I painted there. As if I just wrote that! Oh well, I’m leaving it in anyway. Ha.

Anyhow, as we were still tinkering away, Jim came across a synopsis for a movie called “Knowing”. If you already know the story, then you’re either sitting there nodding your head right now, or you’re about to skim forward thinking to yourself, “That’s such old news!” That’s okay. I don’t blame you. I’m pretty sick of this story myself. ;) And so I’ll keep it brief….

While the overall storyline wasn’t the same, some general similarities were too close for comfort. In a nutshell: There’s an alcoholic professor, who has lost his wife, and along with a little boy named Caleb, together they uncover a document in a time capsule that contains predictions of the future.

Yuck.

Making matters worse, this discovery came only two months after we had just received enough funding that allowed us to quit our cozy day jobs and pursue further rewrites on a full time basis. Grrreeeeaaat – the moment we leave our jobs, our movie idea is already in production by someone else. Oh yeah… good times.

Fortunately, a producer we knew managed to get their hands on a draft of the Knowing script, and passed it along to us -- otherwise, we would’ve had to wait almost six months until the movie finally came to theaters to find out the ending. If they had the same unusual twist as ours, we’d be totally screwed.

Jim n’ I sat down together, and with our hearts in our throats we read the entire Knowing script from beginning to end. And what a friggin’ RELIEF!! It was nothing like our movie AT ALL! (And, if I may say so, what a ree-dick-you-lous ending! But that’s just IMHO. You may like it. I’ve actually had it recommended to me by a few people, and so I always try to keep my muttering to a minimum.)

So while terrifying at the time, I have to say that the whole ordeal ended up being a real blessing in disguise, for it allowed us the insight to tweak a few elements and avoid comparisons.

By February, we were done our rewrites and Jim was back on the phone, evoking images of Fred Flintstone, “Who’s your baby? I’ll buy that! What’s your angle?” (Remember that episode?) The only difference was there was no hearty laugh track. This process was no picnic.

While our script consistently got flattering feedback, it was always followed by, “Unfortunately, DE is not a project for us at this time…” But like I told Jim, it only takes one person to say, “Yes, let’s do it” and that we should just consider any passes as the natural process of elimination. The right people will get involved when it's the right time – whether is takes two more weeks or ten more years. (But I was totally wishing on every star, 11:11, and birthday candle that it wasn’t going to take ten more years!)

Flash-forward six months later and it looks like the time might finally be right. We now have two experienced Vancouver producers on board and we’ve managed to secure development funding. Now the process officially begins… starting with our first series of ‘real’ conference calls and face-to-face meetings this week. So, we'll see how it goes...

But, just so you’re aware… this blog isn’t only going to be about our lil’ movie-making adventure. Hell, no! Too much nonsense floats through my mind on a daily basis, making it next to impossible for me to dedicate this blog to only one topic. I need a writing outlet, so this space will serve as that too. I’m not a talented enough writer to keep more than one blog breathing at a time. It’s all or nothing, baby! I just wanted to get you all up-to-date with the movie background info, before I resume with regularly scheduled randomness.