The Secret Life of Bees...

I watched this last night. I was deeply moved by the movie. I may read the book to see how much was adapted and how much was added.

Since embarking on my new journey as an 'adaptation screenwriter' I have formed some pretty strong opinions.

If the books is a best seller this means it deeply moved people. The dialog, descriptions, and details are right in front of the screenwriter....give the people what they want...an accurate adaptation.

To counter the impulse to add your own spin, work on your own original screenplay. I have found if I stay up to speed with my creative impulses I have no desire to add anything to an adaptive screenplay.

I view it as an amazing privilege to be trusted with another creators work.

Mercury Retograde...

I never thought I would love Mercury Retrogrades but the last two have produced some amazing rewrites for my scripts.

Mercury is retro until the 29th of this month...not a good time to move forward with anything, communication is muddy and everyone is prone to over reaction.

It IS a time to regroup, retire, rejuvenate, and rewrite.

I just finished some amazing rewrites to "My Multi-Dimensional Life" and "Taboo"!

Lovin' being a writer!

New Oregon Production Rebate...

Indigenous Oregon Production Investment Fund

The 2009 Oregon legislature passed SB863 which created the "Indigenous Oregon Production Investment Fund (i-OPIF)." The i-OPIF program will provide rebates of 20% of goods and services and 10% of Oregon labor for films produced by Oregon filmmakers who spend a minimum of $75,000 but not more than $750,000 on their project. Other requirements will apply. The program will become effective, and applications will be accepted no sooner than, January 1, 2010.

The Governor's Office of Film & Television is responsible for writing rules for administration of the i-OPIF program. In order to allow input to the rules process and to make the meeting as accessible as possible for the community statewide, the Film Office has scheduled a Public Hearing on Wednesday, September 30th from 1pm - 4pm. The location of the hearing is: Oregon Business Development Department, 775 Summer Street NE, Conference Room 201, Salem, OR. A sign up sheet will be available at the door for those wishing an opportunity to speak.

Within a week of deciding to do a web series I came across this new rebate for filming in Oregon. They will implement it starting Jan. 1st, 2010...looks like I am on the right track!

Magical Music...

Music is so amazing isn't it ?! I love it when I find a song and it unlocks my mind and the visions begin. I was listening to my favorite artist right now...Sam Bradley and his song "Too Far Gone" and as I was looking at my office wall of the 50 scenes for MML the vision of two scenes popped into my head. His song (check it out on my MySpace page...here) would fit perfectly connecting these two new scenes...let's hope I can get the rights to use it!

I was in high school when MTV first came out..I would spend hours watching it. I am sure this is when I fell in love with film and the power of combining music with images.

Even tho it has taken me many years to deal with my self-doubt of being an artist...that is what I am...I can finally say it out loud...I appreciate my journey.

So all you musicians out there...keep on keeping on...you make me a better artist!

"TABOO" my newest script..

Synopsis:

Sara Reed and Juliet Walker own an independent film company and deal with many American taboos pertaining to women. We get to explore sex, age, power, fertility. Will we choose to free ourselves?

This movie is a documentary within a drama. The documentary sections will be me demonstrating a seminar called "Hide and Seek: The Earth Game". Below are my documentary segments copied straight from the script. Enjoy!


SUSETTE
Welcome everyone. This seminar is called Hide and Seek: The Earth Game. Think of me as your Game show host. I'm here to give you the rules and help coach you along so that you have a better shot at winning the Grand prize. And what is this Grand prize you ask...well, we'll get to that.

SUSETTE
I always like to start the seminar with a brief description of Who We Really Are. I know how bogged down we can get in this reality and sometimes a little reminder of Who We Are and Where We Came From can get us back into the joy of playing this Human Game. I'm pretty sure everyone here agrees that we are Spirit having a Human experience on Earth. What we may not agree on is that this Earth is not real but is projected from our Consciousness as a playground for us to play the Earth game. Whether you agree with me or not does not matter. Your Spirit will bring you the perfect experiences to know this for yourself.

SUSETTE
The primary game on Earth is Hide and Seek. When I say primary I mean it is the PRIMARY reason we come into form. I have already established we are Spirit which means we come from the Spiritual dimension...so what are the attributes of Spirit? We can all agree that Spirit is expansive, unlimited, and eternal. As spiritual beings we know we are love, joyfulness, and peace. So in order to experience anything other then Who We Are we must hide these Truths from ourselves. I mean...how can I experience betraying someone if what I Really Am is love and joyfulness?

SUSETTE
Remember I said earlier that this reality is an illusion projected from Consciousness. The story of our Life unfolds according to our BELIEFS about this reality. So our Spirit projects itself into this dimension and the experiences we have are based on the beliefs we adopt from those around us and those beliefs we form cruising along our journey. Since beliefs are here in this dimension, which is not real, then beliefs are not real. They are a tool, just like this body, to experience Earth.

SUSETTE
In keeping with this Hide and Seek model we have two phases of our journey. Phase 1 is the the Hiding Phase and Phase 2 is the Seeking Phase. So in Phase 1 of our Life we have experiences that reinforce everything we are not. When our Spirit has had enough of this it signals us to begin to awaken to Who We Really Are. When we feel the nudge, and you will know if you're being nudged, we begin Phase 2 of our journey...the Seeking Phase.

SUSETTE
What are we seeking? We are seeking the experiences of Who We Really Are and Where We Came From. These experiences are found in the places we hid our power...inside our limiting beliefs. Our Spirit will direct us to circumstances and opportunities that will allow us to use what I call the 'Feeling Process' to reclaim our power and reveal the Truth.

SUSETTE
Now I want to address how feelings can assist us in this game. First I want to distinguish the difference between feelings and emotions. A feeling just is...we have a sensation in our body and it is either enjoyable or it is uncomfortable. An emotion is the combination of a thought and a feeling.

SUSETTE
So in Phase 2 our Spirit will take us into circumstances that feel uncomfortable since this is where our limiting beliefs are holding our Power. Feeling the feelings and staying out of our heads releases the power from the belief back to ourselves and we experience the Truth of Who We Really Are.

SUSETTE
A tool for playing this game is using the Reflections around us. We can all agree that we have heard that everyone and everything is a reflection of ourselves. Again if this is not yet your Truth, your Spirit will give you the evidence at some point on your journey.

SUSETTE
Recognize that everyone and everything is a message from our Spirit. If we feel uncomfortable in their presence they are pointing us towards our limiting beliefs which are just waiting for us to open and release the power back to ourselves.

SUSETTE
The 'Feeling Process'. This is how we reclaim our power. If you feel uncomfortable, which means anything other then joyful or peaceful, then that is an indication that you have a belief ready to be opened. The first step and only step is to feel the feeling fully. Don't analyze... just feel the sensations in your body. The belief will come into your awareness when you are fully present in the feeling. You don't need to go find it. When the belief presents itself state the Truth about Yourself...I use the phrase...I am the Power and Presence of Spirit. After stating the Truth the power begins to return to you and you may feel sensations in your body. I usually feel very expanded and lighter. That's it. Simple process.

SUSETTE
Since a belief is from this reality, which is not real, trying to remove the belief or just changing the belief to a more 'positive' one does not release the power back to you. That would be like trying to remove a program from your computer while you are in the program. But if you open up the program/belief and allow the power to return to you, thru feeling, then that program/belief eventually will have no more power to keep running.

SUSETTE
The final tools to assist us in this game is Appreciation and Self-love. Like any game we can get tired and weary. If we take the time to appreciate this game and everyone in it, especially ourselves, we can access Where We Came From. By feeling this connection to the Spiritual dimension we can once again feel the joy of the game and remember we are here to have fun. So appreciate yourself for creating all the circumstances you find yourself in, they are bringing you closer to the Truth of Who You Really Are.

SUSETTE
So in summary...We are Spiritual beings having a Human experience. The Earth was created as a playground for our Consciousness. The primary game on Earth is Hide and Seek. Phase 1 of our Life is the Hiding Phase and Phase 2 is the Seeking Phase. We are Hiding and then Seeking the experiences of the Truth of Who We Really Are and Where We Came From. Our Power and this Truth is hidden within our beliefs. The tools for this game are: The Feeling Process, Reflections Around Us, and Appreciation and Self-Love.

SUSETTE
Remember I mentioned a Grand Prize at the beginning of this seminar...so here it is. Once you have been Seeking in Phase 2 for awhile, and awhile is different for everyone, then you will begin to have such a clear connection to your Spirit and the Spiritual dimension that you become the True Creator of Your Reality.

SUSETTE
What does that mean? That means you become a fully realized Spirit in a body with unlimited possibilities. You can choose to be, do or have anything. What will you do next?