The Secret Life of Bees...

I watched this movie 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!

Mutual Support...

Had a meeting with my DP. Shared with him my newest idea of opening a studio to be able to have a home set. He loved the idea and then went on to tell me about an idea he and a few others in the industry had of buying a building and each having an office and sharing the studio space for projects.

He suggested we talk to some of these people about renting an office in my space and then everyone is under the same roof. We could mutually support each other by renting each others equipment and using each others talents for our individual projects....loved that idea!!!

The building of my dreams...

Well I went and looked at the building for Soparia Studios yesterday. I was attracted to this building last year for a different business and once again I am blown away by how things work out.

This building is perfect for my studio. It has 3 huge rooms that can be sets for my movies and there are 5 offices that can be set up as audio and editing rooms. In addition there are two large lawn areas that can be a park and garden set.

I couldn't have planned it better if I had tried...but...someone just put a contract on the building. They have 60 days to do their due diligence.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out...

Episodes vs Sequels...

Having done quite a bit of research on writing a web series...I am thinking it's not the outlet I want to embrace while my children are still young.

I read an article here that asks some top web series creators what they wished they knew before they started and one of the things was the amount of time it take to produce one episode. I have a whole new appreciation for the shows I love to watch every week.

I can justify shooting 12-14 hour days for a 20-30 day shoot let's say two times a year but to have that kind of schedule every week! Not until my girls are living on their own.

That being said I feel my solution is sequels. I could create one new 'My Multi-Dimensional Life' movie a year. I could carry on the story line and promote 1 or 2 channelers. I have other movies I have written and I would like to help produce others' film as well. This could keep me busy until my girls are grown and then I can revisit a web series.

I AM glad I followed my inspiration and checked out creating a web series...I learned some interesting internet marketing strategies for self-distribution and now I know I will need to put sequel options in the actors' contracts once we begin casting. It drives me crazy to be excited for a sequel and then realize they replaced a key character.

I am reminded that I can have it all....just not all at the same time!

New Building...

I have an appointment next week to see the building that may become my studio and office space. As I blogged before I wanted this building last year for a different purpose but the owners changed their mind about selling and thank goodness they did.

My business has evolved so much it's almost unrecognizable and so much more in balance with how I want my Life to be.

Isn't if funny how much we hold ourselves back...I love getting older because it causes me to kick myself in the ass and get on with what I REALLY want to do!