What's the HOLD UP?

Persistence and patience. I'm anxious to make this movie a reality. While I believe that the universe will provide the means, my thinking lately is, "OK... what's the hold up?"

With that said though, a business packet, including the script was recently dropped into the hands of a promising investor who avidly supports independent cinema. Trust and patience!

I have been carrying around positive affirmations in my wallet on a post-it note, proclaiming the dates of pre-production, production, festival premieres, and distribution dates and how much the project will make in the first year. Believe and it will be manifested, right?

Until then, I am busy with my (about 11th or 12th) re-write of the script.... and I find it most interesting that new things arise that make it stronger, better. I'm also working on my script analysis for my directing duties.

Little by little, step by step. The question to ask yourself in anything that you do in your daily life, "Is this bringing me closer to my goal, or further from it?" Words of wisdom for the day.

Biz-ness!

I'm an artist, a creative soul, a human who's inspired to tell stories through the visual medium of cinema. BUT, films cost a LOT of dough. No dough=No project

That's what I'm learning now. The BIZ of it all. I suppose it might take a lifetime to figure it all out. This is the side that I need more patience and understanding for. The side that doesn't want to speak. I'm learning to embrace the fundamentals of pitching, creating business plans, networking, planning, and more pitching.

Slowly, but surely. I believe that I'm just the instrument to implement and create this story to life. Embrace this and the universe will provide for it's existence. This story is bigger than you and I. This story comes from NOT me, but from somewhere beyond me. It begs to be alive.

The TEAM grows.

Please welcome Doug Freeman, Production Designer. I am most excited to add him to our already stellar collaborators! He has an excellent and most impressive track record. He's enthusiatic, dedicated, and passionate about his work. He told me at our first meeting, "What else would I be doing? I love this job.... a doctor, a lawyer?... yeah, right!"

Doug is known to create "outside the box" and brings his well-honed experience and talents from a wide array of design work across the board. To view Doug's work and see more of what makes him tick, visit: www.JetSets.net

Welcome SVETLANA, Director of Photography

She's sweet. She's talented. She's driven. Watch out! It's a honor to announce the addition of SVETLANA CVETKO to the bUs tRip team. Please visit this website to see her amazing skills in cinematography at: www.svetlana-dp.com

She expressed to me that she's been waiting for a story like bUs tRip to come along and has been turning down scripts. This means an incredible amount to me and proof that this tale rings true to other artists and their desire to become involved.

The collaboration is growing! Thank you Svetlana! Let's create some beautiful moving images!

I'm going HUNTING!

OK. I grew up in the Upper Michigan where you weren't a real man/boy, unless you toted a rifle and shot and killed just about any animal that moved... no, really!

I'm using those tracking skills (that I didn't really learn anyway, cuz I hated guns) to find my talent and crew for bUs tRip. It's actually a fun process and I'm enjoying it.

I'm really honing into my "street wise" skills of going with my gut instincts in determining those who might be perfect for the job(s). It's really more about respect, the vibe, energy, than sheer experience.

For instance, when meeting my current casting director, Nina Henninger it was like meeting an old friend that I hadn't talked to for a few years and we connected like old souls.

We've got the script out to some top talent, great cinematographers and possible executive producers to find us the dough.... show me the dough!

Like the rehearsal photo above, when Jose attacks Jeff.... so does the director, "attack" his prey of the best in the business to join his posse. Over and out, yah!

The Storyboard process...

...is much like the writing process. You start with a first draft, which comes out like a blob, then you get feedback, collaborate, and then re-visit it. With that you re-storyboard, re-storyboard, re-storyboard!

It's an interesting process and I find it baffling that other filmmakers DO NOT storyboard. Cinema is a VISUAL (and audio) experience. How could you NOT storyboard your vision. Words are a good first way to get things down and then pictures, right?

I've struggled, kicking and screaming sometimes with sitting down to get my ideas in pictures. I can "see" them, but when it comes to pushing the pencil on the paper, I stumble. The main reason is that drawing is NOT my favorite thing to do. I'm not that good at it and I don't have the patience to get perspective and details just so.

...but.... I'm learning to embrace this part of the process and am realizing the invaluable tool it will serve later when I come to direct this story. (I am also playing the protagonist role of Jeff in this film... more to come on that later)

With my drawings, I am working with my creative writing group for feedback and then I submit those changes to the professional storyboard/illustrator for a final draft (well... nothing is final, until you shoot)........ So go ahead..... DRAW something!

An overview from the past.

OK. After almost 5 years of film-related classes, 2 years of screenwriting, and 3 years of writing, and re-writing the script, workshopping the script with my writing group, 2 rehearsal films to support the project, a website, storyboards, networking constantly, securing the TOP producer in the Bay Area (Debbie Brubaker, look her up on imdb.com), a comprehensive budget completed with schedule, a solid busines plan, and securing a top Casting Director, Nina Henninger.... I think, NO, I KNOW, that this project is OFF the ground, hovering ever so slightly and ready for take off!

It's really amazing how much work goes into creating a feature film. It's really a job, equal to building a major suspension bridge or a complicated skyscraper. Planning, planning, planning...

Hard work DOES pay off in the end.

I am meeting with Nina, the casting director this week to brainstorm over what A-list talent to target and for what parts. It is a juicy job, figuring out who we want and why. This is the FUN stuff.