Roses and Thorns Jan 16 - 22

Rose
After some more long nights, we wrapped up our final tweaks. And again, not to pat ourselves on the back, but while tweaking, Jim n' I came up with some really great new stuff. I'm loving the extra bits of conflict we've added to a couple scenes. We just passed it off to les producers, who seem very happy with it, and as of yesterday, they have sent it on to their pro readers again.

To refresh your memories, pro readers are folks who use to approve scripts for Telefilm funding. Now they get paid to give people constructive criticism before they try to apply. I'm also sure I mentioned that the two readers who read our last draft were the toughest TC & AS could find, and that one is known as "She who hates everything". Lucky for us, they both really enjoyed our last script.

Since then, we've incorporated their feedback, as well as a whole bunch of revisions we (meaning Jim n' I, and our producers) came up with on our own. I'm hoping that if they were so flattering about the last draft, that this version will blow their socks off. (Not that our script is necessarily a blow your socks off kind of movie... I'm just using that to illustrate a point. ;)

Thorn
Luna chewed through my headphones... again. Stinkin' brat. I already took advantage of The Source's warrantee last time. (Yes, they will replace you headphones if your cat chews through the cord, believe it or not.) So I guess I'm gonna have to pick up a new pair. Not a big deal, just a nuisance. She doesn't chew on any other cords in the house, (thankfully), but she can't resist the thin n' stringy style of headphones. It's my own fault for leaving them on the dining room table. I know she can't help herself.

Rose
To increase ROI, I've been asked to convert our DE script into a novel, which our investor will take to his publishing contact. This is exciting on so many levels!

I've always wanted to be an author more than a screenwriter. (Not that I haven't loved the process.) I had started writing my first novel around the same time Jim began work on DE, but then he asked me to write it with him, so my novel got shelved. (No pun intended.)

While I really enjoy the screenplay writing process, there are a lot of rules. Beside the challenges posed by page limits, one of the biggest differences is that in a script you must always show - never tell. So, in other words, you can't get into your character's head and describe what s/he is thinking.

For example, in a novel, you could get away with saying something like:
Donovan's eyes shift away from his friend's intense stare and sink to the bottom of his coffee cup. Finnley's comment had left a bad taste in his mouth, and yet he knew that he was right. He wasn't the man Jasmine had married. Oh, what he wouldn't give just to turn back the clock and make things right! But it was too late. Fin's honest words stung like coarse salt rubbed in a infected wound... a wound that hadn't healed in thirty years. 

Meanwhile, in a script:
Donovan's eyes shift.

I enjoy playing with words, describing a character's thoughts, and being long-winded (in case you couldn't tell), so I think the opportunity to write a novel should be kinda fun. (That is if the publishing contact actually wants to publish it? Sounds pretty promising anyway....) Best of all, for the most part, all the hard work is already done. The story has been written... now I just have to embellish on it and maybe add scenes back in that we've had to cut from the script.

And in case you're wondering, I will be taking this project on as a solo endeavour, as Jim will be busy story-boarding and doing his director thing.

Like I was saying, very exciting! Of course, I've really got my work cut out for me, because they'd ideally like to publish the book around the same time the movie comes out, which would probably be sometime in the latter half of next year. (Hopefully.) So yeah, while the script writing is pretty much done, there's still a LOT of writing left to do.

'Kay, that was a long rose. I'll try to keep my other ones shorter.

Thorn
THIS!  I'm not going to get into it because it made me sick, and I want to give you the option to decline from hearing about things that might put a damper on your day. Simply put, it deals with U.S. Global Exotics and the insane cruelty to animals that goes on behind the scenes, before the little creatures are sold to pet stores.  Some people are real mother fuckers. (Pardon my language, but they are.)

Rose
Even though our final draft is currently in the hands of pro readers (again, fingers crossed they still love it), we just got the go-ahead confirmation that once we're ready in the next month or so, we will receive the necessary financing to go after our lead actor.

To elaborate, Canadian film funding is obviously highly competitive. Only about four projects in BC get regional production funding through Telefilm each year. (Although there are still a couple other sources we could try.) Anyhow, our strategy has been to use one source of funding to secure an actor, and then when Telefilm's new fiscal year begins in April, we will approach them armed with an awesome script and a reputable actor attached. Our producers are very confident (cocky, even!) that this will definitely get us the Telefilm money we need to enter production this fall. (Or, again, at the very least, revenue from other source.)

Although I wasn't really worried about getting the money to start approaching our Donovans (I honestly believed it would all fall into place one way or another), it is exciting to know that yes, the ball is actually rolling along as planned.

Thorn
Okay, don't get me wrong.... I loooove the sunshine and this warmer weather is awesome n' all, but seriously! This is January! We had one week of snow, and then we were back into the pluses. If we don't get another dump of snow before Spring, we're in for a crispy summer. Not to mention the serious problems we're having with the pine beetles! Don't we need at least a week of -40'C to kill them?

I'm including a couple photos of pine beetle destruction for my Ontario readers...

Gross, huh?

Rose
Something else happened, but Jim won't let me tell anyone because it's not officially a done deal yet.

Okay, fair enough.

All he'll let me say is, "There have been some surprising developments that we couldn't have anticipated, that will definitely be helpful down the road."

This actually applies to two things that have happened over the last two weeks. One of 'em, I wouldn't have told you about anyway because it's definitely not a done deal. But the second, I really wanted to share, because it's kind of a little miracle... but yeah, like I said, I'm not allowed. Maybe in a few months. ;)

At the very least, we have A LOT to smile about these days, and I've lost count of how many times we've just stopped to marvel to one another that, "Man! We are SO friggin' blessed!!!" We truly are.

Thorn
The handle on my toilet broke this week. But then we went to Home Hardware and Jim got the part and fixed it for me, which took him all of two seconds. Not really a big thorn, but as you can tell, I'm running low.

Actually, maybe there's a little more to this thorn...

Here at home, I use the "public" bathroom because it has more counter space and cupboards for all my girly stuff. This leaves Jim with our en-suite bathroom. Even though Jim has less stuff, his bathroom is still pretty cluttered with his manly things, because it's got probably less than half the counter/cupboard space than I do.

So when we bought a new handle for my toilet, Jim picked up a shelving unit for his bathroom at Home Hardware. Y'know, one of those things that stand in behind your toilet with the shelves? Well, he got it home and discovered that there were 18 screws missing. The taped-up box had clearly already been opened, so we figured that's what must've been the problem.

Anyhow, he returned the unit yesterday and picked up another one - an unopened box. Sure enough, he got home and that same package of 18 screws that are supposed to be included were missing again!

I guess you can't blame Home Hardware. It's probably the maker of the lame-o shelving system who missed the screws, not the store, but still.... Since it's the only brand of behind-the-toilet-shelving-system-thingies that HH carries, I'm thinking that when we return it today, we should just go across the street n' see what they have at Rona. So stupid n' frustrating.

BTW, the brand is called "Novel", and they suck.

Rose
I guess it's because we've had so many good things going on, but overall, I really feel great.  I think that in itself is worthy of a rose, because usually there's always something lingering in the back of one's mind... but I'm not stressed or worried or anything... I just feel good.