Stardance : : The Official Movie Blog

It’ll Be No Tribble Atall, Now…

2009-10-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

We have BIG news to report, and a bigger favor to ask.

Short back story (if you’ve been on Mars) – Jeanne has been sick, and Jim is doing his best to continue writing “Stardance,” and so far Jeanne approves, but the going has been a bit slow as hospital stays, surgery, doctor visits and most recently chemotherapy have gotten in the way of Jeanne’s direct participation in the process.

End back story – here’s what’s new.

Jeanne says to Jim “What if we get a pro screenwriter to help?” Jim says, “Sounds good, as long as the screenwriter is good and we can afford her/him – it should speed us up and give us some new perspective.”

Jeanne, feeling “Time Pressure” asks some writer friends what it might cost to hire such a gun, and one of them says “Hey Jeanne, I’ll join your little team. I can carve out three months for you starting as soon as next month.” Jeanne and Jim say “You’re ON!”

Hopefully the title gave it away, that generous writer is David Gerrold. This is the man whose first pro sale was Star Trek’s “The Trouble with Tribbles,” way back when. More recently he penned the Nebula and Hugo winning “Martian Child,” and scripts for Babylon 5 and Twilight Zone, among others. In between these impressive bookends David has done a slew of television writing and script doctoring plus he has written loads of fantastic SF prose. Not only is he an old friend of Jeanne’s but Jim has been a fan of his novels for a long time.

So, here’s the pitch. Counting what we have in the donation kitty, a chunk directly from Jim’s savings, and the generous donations of a few special Starseeders, we have rustled up the first third of David’s fee. That buys us a month and gets us started. I know we’re asking a lot, but we’re holding out our Buddha Bowl one more time, to ask for your help.

There’s a Paypal link on the Supporters page http://www.stardancemovie.com/supporters.html
We promise to add your name to the list of Honorary Stardancers you’ll find there, if you can find it in your pants to help us. (Presuming your name isn’t listed there already. If it is, we’ll put it in boldface, with asterisks.)

David’s talent, experience, discipline, and ferocious energy will be a godsend to us both, particularly while one of us is dealing with chemotherapy. From here, things should go back into high gear again.

Oh, and if you’re listening to the theme music on this website’s home page, we recommend you not use your computer’s built-in speakers…or there’ll be no treble atall, Captain.

Love, Jeanne and Jim.

Inconceivable Mutual Benefit

2009-09-27T22:06:00.000-07:00

Before I danced at my benefit concert, I told the audience that my Zen teacher Reb Anderson Roshi describes the fourth and highest state of samadhi as the collective realization of "inconceivable mutual benefit"....exactly what we were all experiencing together at that moment. What an extraordinary event. I felt bathed in love and warmth and kindness and support. Matt Maxwell and Michelle Meyrink had everything running smoothly on tracks, and the musical talent was absolutely top notch, even for Bowen Island. My sister Laurie startled the dickens out of me by appearing as a Surprise Guest at the beginning of the evening, all the way from Dartmouth MA....bearing with her a video of my youngest sister Dori Legge singing a song she had just written for me, "Three Wishes," accompanied by her guitarist husband Donn.

After intermission I got up onstage and danced a dance of shared love and bliss. Spider was the last act, singing two love songs to me (one by him, and one written by my elder sister Kathy Rubbicco); then I joined him for his finale: James Raymond's beautiful song for Crosby & Nash, "Lay Me Down."
The concert took in a substantial amount of money which will be a huge help to us in the weeks to come. But more would still be most welcome: you can send donations via PayPal and Jan Schroeder continues to run her science fictional Dream For Jeanne Auctions on my behalf. I literally can never thank enough all of you who have contributed already, for your kindness and accompanying words of support and love. It means a lot to know that I've touched so many lives so intimately.

The Third Act

2009-08-29T22:22:00.001-07:00

For over 2500 years, Buddhists have studied the question of how one can best live in the presence of death. In a sense, a life-threatening disease makes Buddhists of us all, waking us from the illusion of immortality, suddenly and from that time forth.

As some of you know, I’ve been dealing with a rare biliary cancer for many months. It has already taken my gall bladder, bile duct and most of my liver…and it’s not done yet. It looks like in a matter of weeks I’ll be facing chemotherapy, in an attempt to at least slow its progress.

I originally came to Buddhism as a result of a Near Death Experience, or what I now call the Bodhicitta Awakening of arousing the mind of enlightenment. So for decades now, I’ve been studying the matter of living and dying. I’m not afraid of death. But I do fear pain, nausea, and diminished capacities.

Despite this I have been surrounded by loving friends and family. Above all else, I’ve been blessed with my beautiful granddaughter Marisa Alegria.

I feel I have so much to be thankful for….and whenever my time comes, I will not have a lengthy list of regrets, of opportunities missed or things left undone. As a matter of fact, my partner Jim and I are steaming away on the Stardance screenplay. With luck I’ll be there for its premiere.

There are many things I need as I prepare for my third act—supplements, prescription drugs, counseling, expensive alternative therapies, etc—and they all cost money…money I don’t have. So, after all these months of being silent and private about my illness, I recently said yes to my close friend Michelle Meyrink when she asked if she could organize a benefit concert for me. http://www.spiderrobinson.com/images/Dream%20for%20jeanne.pdf
Others have since jumped in, including my Vancouver Buddhist sangha, Mountain Rain Zen Community, and a dear friend in Florida, Jan Schroeder, who has been auctioning donated items (such as rare Babylon 5 scripts and other SF memorabilia) on eBay for me. Goods or services can be donated for the auction by contacting Jan at dreamforjeanne@aol.com. Several other methods of helping out, including a straightforward PayPal donation account, can be found at http://wedreamforjeanne.blogspot.com/.

Another way to help would be to buy our books from Amazon by clicking-through from Spider's site, so we can get the affiliate commission. We’ve spent decades holding up visions of humankind’s highest evolutionary potential while entertaining you enough to keep you turning pages.

Any help you can offer is gratefully appreciated by Spider and me.

In the meantime, I continue to work on, as Roshi Joan Halifax titled her latest book, BEING WITH DYING: Cultivating Compassion And Fearlessness In The Presence of Death. Which aptly describes the human condition, don’t you think?

A 40 year old vision of the future?

2009-07-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

I watched "Moon" today. This film is fantastic - true to form, hard science fiction, literary...yeah, this is one of the very rare ones. Kudos to director/co-writer Duncan Jones (David Bowie's son, no less, who should know a thing or two about existential astronauts.)

While watching this film, I noticed something; from a production design standpoint, the "future" hasn't changed much in the past 40 years. There are exceptions to point to, no doubt, but take a look at these images from various space based films of the last 40 years and you tell me, is this progress?

2001 (1968)
Solaris (1972)

Alien (1979)

Mission to Mars (2000)

Solaris (2002)

Moon (2009)

The most striking vision of the future seems to be "padded walls" - perhaps we will need them due to the high cost of health insurance, or due to a propensity for beating our heads against them.

Speaking of which; I've been doing a lot of thinking about how the "future" we are envisioning in Stardance should be described, especially the space habitat and space factory and the like. I'm thinking perhaps we should be a little more vague...leave those thoughts up to a very talented art department during pre-production.

Oh well, back to the asteroid mines.

Zietgeist - Guy Laliberté - Space - Art

2009-06-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

It seems Mr. Cirque Du Soleil is on his way to the ISS on a "Poetic Social Mission" - we wish him well. Through Space Adventures (our friend Peter Diamandis' company, who helped us in our Weightless Research) he will embark on high to bring attention to his "One Drop" foundation. No word on weather he plans to dance, but he seems to be taking a page out of our fictional playbook, to unite humanity around an extraterrestrial artistic event.

We're so glad to witness again that, as with so much of SF, life not only imitates, but embraces art. I know that Spider and Jeanne are proud to see the concepts they brought forth in their Stardance series of novels begin to come to fruition in real life, and both Jeanne and I agree that this bodes well for our film.

Exciting times we live in, folks.

Birth Announcement!

2009-06-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

Our granddaughter, Marisa Alegria da Silva, arrived on planet Earth in New York City on Thursday, May 28th at 1:56 PM Eastern Standard Time, weighing 8 pounds 5, long and lean and hairy and impeccably beautiful in all respects. Mother and child are both in good health, save for a minor fever that showed up at the last possible second, controlled easily by antibiotics.

Terri Luanna was in labor for 36 hours, beating my record by 8 hours. She's exhausted but exceedingly happy....as is everyone here, especially her husband Heron.

Waiting Is…

2009-05-18T16:18:00.000-07:00

….as Valentine Michael Smith was always telling Jubal Harshaw in Robert Heinlein’s STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND.

Spider and I have been in New York City for a couple of weeks now, awaiting the birth of Marisa Alegria, our first grandchild. By now, we’re almost as eager for it to happen as our daughter Terri Luanna is.

While we’re here, though, we’ve been making good use of our time. For instance, on May 9 we both attended the NYC Aerial Dance Festival 2009, presented by Fly-By-Night Dance Theater.

It was inspirational. As I sat and watched I realized there will definitely have to be at least some aerial dance in the Stardance film. I’ve been following it closely for years to study how to adapt some of their rigging skills and harness work for the zero gee sequences. Now I realize the third and final earthbound dance I have in mind will definitely have to feature some aerial dance on its own terms, too.

And of course Spider and I both found ourselves a bit teary-eyed as we watched Sara Joel’s piece “Surface,” which opened with her inside a transparent Plexiglass sphere that unmistakably represented a womb, doing movement clearly designed to evoke fetal life. Then halfway through she hung upside down from the sphere’s opening…..and it became apparent that she was in fact pregnant, at least five or six months along. It was a transcendent moment, and everyone gasped, even those non-grandparents-to-be in the audience.

The entire evening inspired and informed my next script-meeting with Jim. We’re moving right along—somewhat interrupted by this and that of course—finding ways to adapt the storyline of the original novella to the differing demands and constraints of the screen. It’s an exciting process…..even compared to waiting for a grandchild.

Back to waiting. As soon as we have Marisa on film, we’ll post a snapshot or two for you.

Miracles of Each Moment

2009-05-02T12:50:00.000-07:00

Underneath the blazing orange-red Zen circle hanging above my altar, calligrapher Kazuaki Tanahashi wrote, “Miracles of each moment.” I’ve been studying those words daily since I became ill.

My latest miracle came last week on West 10th Avenue where Dr. Sharlene Gill and the board of specialists unanimously agreed that I’m healed enough to travel cross country to NY for our granddaughter’s birth. A true miracle!

For the moment, I’m off the hook, and in joyous disbelief. After weeks of lamenting the lost opportunity to be there for the birthing of my first grandchild, I find once again that as Mark Twain said, “The worst moments of my life…never happened.”

Spider and I found a fabulous cat-sitter for Symba, and now we’re busy packing for our early morning departure. So we’re happily heading east in time to meet baby Marisa Alegria da Silva, Buddha’s newest incarnation.

--Jeanne (aka: Nana Canada)

The Drain And I Are No Longer Circling Each Other

2009-04-04T15:08:00.000-07:00

...because I had it taken out last week by my brilliant surgeon, Dr. Buczkowski. I am once again a standalone, totally autonomous human person, without a five-pound weight and a bunch of circled tubing hanging from my side. I’m 5 weeks into a 6 to 8 week healing/recovery process following major abdominal surgery.

The public health nurses still come by to visit two days a week, to clean the wound and change the dressing. But it looks like I’m healing pretty well. I’ve even been encouraged to eat my favorite foods, to gain some weight back—so I’m having fun....but in small portions.

Things are looking good. I would like to thank my family, my husband, my sisters, for their amazing support and love throughout this ordeal. And now that I’m home, all the wonderful meals, home-made breads and other gifts that have turned up from my dear friends are deeply appreciated as well.

All this has served to remind me of the words of Suzuki Roshi, my first Zen teacher: “Don’t waste time.” I treasure each day as a gift, in a whole new way I’ve never experienced before. I’m so grateful for my 35 years of practicing Zen.

New news from Jeanne and Spider

2009-03-07T21:17:00.001-08:00

Hi Folks, Jim here - we didn't want to broadcast this at the time, but just before I went out to work with Jeanne she came down with...well...something (at the time the doctors were guessing at a few causes of her illness - ranging from somewhat minor to extremely scary.) We almost postponed, but the docs did something to tide Jeanne over and she felt good enough to work - and we did work, quite a bit. But during my trip out there Jeanne started to feel not-so-good again, and when I say "not-so-good" I mean to say TOP OF THE PAIN SCALE bad. She soldiered on, when she could, but shortly after my visit the docs finally figured out what was wrong - and they did something about it, pronto.

The pronto has lasted a few days now and Spider has asked me to post the following to the blog and get everyone up to speed. Take it away Spider...

FIRST THE GOOD NEWS:

Jeanne’s recent surgery at Vancouver General Hospital was a great success, from which she is expected to make a full complete recovery. YAY!!!

But it was far more complicated than expected, taking over 9 hours; that recovery will be slower and more difficult than anticipated. We’re now hoping she’ll be sent home Monday the 9th, by which time I’ll be over the flu I caught by hanging around hospitals all day and night. Her sister Laurie O’Neil has arrived from the east coast to help, with 2 others on standby.

PLEASE DON’T send flowers or cards; we appreciate the thought, a lot, but neither of us has the energy to deal. Emails that don’t call for response are OK, but please send them ONLY to my website, spiderweb@shaw.ca —I want to keep her personal In Box as empty as I possibly can. Prayers, healing thoughts of any sort, are more than welcome; thank you.

And God bless Tommy Douglas, who created Canada’s socialized medicine.

-- Spider

Two and a Half Weeks Later

2009-02-18T19:21:00.000-08:00

It's been two and a half weeks since I left the Island - and while there we got a good start on the screenplay adaptation - over 20 pages, and we've added about 6 pages since then. I had a blast with Spider and Jeanne as they hosted me in their lovely home. (That's the three of us waiting for a water taxi to take us into Vancouver to see a marvelous play called "SkyDive" - that happens to use some technology that might prove useful for our film - yes, research can be fun.)

As far as those 6 pages go we're a little behind schedule (having the stated goal of 3 to 5 pages per week) but I blame some of the slow progress to catching up on personal stuff left by the wayside while I was living on a island in Canada, though I can't rule out writer's block coupled with procrastination. I will tell you that BREAKTHROUGHS are happening in these few pages.

Other cool things happened during my "writing vacation": I got to play some tunes with Spider (he did most of the playing, but I sung along and tried to keep up on guitar...as any of you have seen Spider live can attest, he's the consummate showman, even when playing for an audience of one.) Also, we hiked out to Jeanne's Zen spot on the rocky north point of the island. But collaborating with Jeanne and getting a good deal of writing done eclipsed everything else.

Afterglow

2009-01-31T14:39:00.000-08:00

Here at Tottering-on-the Brink, my home, Jim’s radiant light continues to remain visible even though he’s currently in midflight, on his way home to his loving family.

We shared a remarkable week -- with Stardance at its centre. Not only did the screenplay progress, but Jim and I became a solid writing team. Collaboration is an intimate act of trust, respect, generosity, and faith. By the end of our first marathon session, we knew we were a solid karass, and will be able to complete the script long distance.

We’ve mapped out a schedule to keep us on track. Feel free to ask us questions about the work or our process, and we’ll do our best to respond as time allows.

Spider spent part of the week looking over our shoulders as we worked at the kitchen table. (He took the photo that accompanies this.) A few days ago we invited him to sit down at Jim’s largescreen monitor and read the work, and he says we’re nailing it.

(Spider here: it’s way better than I could have done. I’m dead chuffed, as they say on Coronation Street. Jim isn’t just a very good screenwriter, he’s compatible with Jeanne’s mindset: they make a good team.)

Continued thanks to all of you who have helped make this wonderful process possible. It’s gonna be great….

Writing Marathon

2009-01-24T21:10:00.000-08:00

Jim’s here! He arrived safely on the doorstep of our island cottage, Tottering-on-the-Brink, for a weeklong script conference/writing marathon. We’ve just come back from dinner at Doc Morgan’s, a local pub, and the coffee’s brewing in the background as I type this. Jim looks great, and we’re both excited about the opportunity to advance this project.

Spider will be looking over our shoulder and cheerleading, since Tor has not yet seen fit to grind out the contract for his new Orphan Stars Trilogy (check his website for details). Fortunately, the weather has finally decided to have mercy on us: it doesn’t look as though any snow or hail have been scheduled for this week. I have several “Muse-spots” on this island that I use for inspiration…and we can bring our laptops with us as long as the weather permits.

Wish us luck. I’m excited….

High Tech Collaboration

2009-01-07T20:54:00.000-08:00

Things just keep getting better and better.

I purchased a copy of Final Draft, an amazingly powerful screenwriting program, specifically for Stardance, and it makes formatting a breeze - anticipates every keystroke....I wouldn't be surprised if it warns us of tired plot devices and filters worn-out phrases.

It get's better - I get two installations with my license - so Jeanne and I both have FinalDraft installed on our respective mac-books, and today I discovered the feature to end all features. These puppies talk to each other over the Webbernet - allowing us to open ONE document together and take turns writing on the thing IN REAL TIME. (And here I thought we would only be able to do true "lets sit down and write together" stuff with the help of an airplane.)

Add SKYPE or YIM with sound and video into the mix and we'll be practically in the same room.

We're just steps away from stepping discs, Larry. WooHoo!

Happy New Year, thanks all for your support.

Our mission – a year later

2008-12-30T08:57:00.000-08:00

It’s the traditional time of year to look back and reflect—and we zero-G dancers are nothing if not traditional. So I’ve just finished rereading our earliest blog entries about last year’s zero-g ride on December 30th, 2007.

The entry I wrote a week later on January 6, 2007 says it best, marrying the past with the present. I’m as committed today as I was then, following our first zero-g research ride. The thrill of that gift will remain with me for lifetimes. And I have Dr. Peter Diamandis and Zero G Corp to thank for their visionary generosity in giving me and the Stardance team that extraordinary gift.

As I’ve said before, being free of falling is an unforgettable experience. For a fleeting eternity, you feel bathed in a delicious, unspeakable delight. It’s a universally familiar experience the first time it ever happens to you; one whose memory lingers. Odd, really, when you consider that not one of my evolutionary ancestors was ever in zero-G for longer than it took them to fall off a roof. (Or maybe I’m just not going far enough back into my ancestry. Spider may be right: we may all be descended from stardwellers.)

Last year on the day of our flight my Zen Calendar offered a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: "The days come and go like muffled and veiled figures sent from a distant party, but they say nothing, and if we do not use the gifts they bring, they carry them as silently away."

I said it then and I’ll say it now: be assured that I won't be silent about the gifts I've been given, and they are being fully used.

The Stardance team continues on its mission of discovery to expand the vocabulary of human feeling by presenting us with something we've never experienced before. Last year's zero-g ride was a breathtakingly weightless step toward the realization of our mission.

And the year just past has been a period of long, slow reentry, which as you know is a process of building energy that only starts to seem really exciting to an observer right at the end. Jim and I are now at that stage Spider calls the most paradoxical part of writing, where we are busting our chops so hard that to a hypothetical outsider it looks as though we’re both just staring into space, doing nothing at all. Things will continue like that, Spider says, for a hundred million billion years…and then we’ll suddenly look up and realize we’re holding a completed screenplay (our third) in our hands, ready for the cameras. And meanwhile we continue to beat the bushes for our angel: the funding source who can greenlight us to make the film. Exciting, satisfying times, for Jim and I both.

(There’s an added layer of meaning for me. I’ve spent a lot of time recently trying to establish telepathic communication with my first grandchild—who is, at this moment, in free fall, being a zero-G dancer…in my daughter’s womb. But more on that after I’ve seen the kid, sometime in May.)

Today, right now, Jim and I just want to honor and thank all of you who have joined the Stardance mission of discovery. We could not have come this far without you—and we’ll continue thanks to you. We’re creating a new artform together: what could be cooler than that?

That is after all (somebody once said) what it is to be human: to persist.

Happy New Year!

--Jeanne

Family Matters

2008-11-24T21:30:00.000-08:00

Spider is celebrating his 60th cycle-around-the-sun today. Actually we’ve been celebrating for months, at any excuse. We’ve had parties in NY, MA, at home on Bowen Island, and now on-line. He says he doesn’t feel a day over 59.

In addition to our advancing ages, family news includes a story of extreme youth. Like Mike Callahan says, "Shared joy is increased." So I’d like to share the joyous news that our daughter, Terri Luanna and her husband, Heron, are pregnant! Spider and I are overjoyed, and looking forward to joining the ranks of Grandparenthood. Here’s the first sonogram of the little one, making baby Nameless even more real to us. Terri’s due date is May 11th. We plan on being in NY for the big event.

All of this happiness has made me reminisce about Terri Luanna’s childhood. Lots of great memories. When Terri and Heron got married, Spider and I posted a selection of photos with a poem to reflect where we were and what we were doing at the age she was on her wedding day. I’d like to share them with you.

Here’s another inspired reminiscence written by Spider in his Online Diary to Terri Luanna on her 28th birthday, including Terri’s response.

As for the Stardance project, Jim and I continue our efforts. He’s been busy re-designing the website to reflect our new direction. I’ve been working on updating the story. Jim will be here in January to work with me on the screenplay.

This weekend I’ll be off to Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, just north of San Francisco for the 7-day Rohatsu sesshin with Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi. At the end of his life Buddha said, "Life is very short; please investigate it closely." Sesshins are traditional Soto Zen meditation retreats that include formal zendo meals, Dharma talks, sitting and walking meditation – offering practioners like me the opportunity for true investigation and to “wake up from our dream and help our world.” This is useful even when the dream you’re waking up from is a happy one, like the past few months have been.

Lastly, Happy Thanksgiving to all my American family and friends. Heaven knows all of America (and the world) have much to be thankful for this election year.

Many bows,
Jeanne

A New Direction

2008-11-04T10:11:00.000-08:00

When I originally approached Jeanne about creating an IMAX (or Giant Screen) version of Stardance, my strategy had to do with expanding on her short-film vision - in a kind of parallel track. Traditionally, short films don't really have markets - and with something as ambitious as Stardance, the budget would require SOME kind of market to justify it. Large format (up to this very moment, as you have read in Jeanne's recent posts) seemed a viable venue that created a market for shorter pieces - and though large format films aren't traditional big moneymakers, they nonetheless have financing opportunities beyond the traditional investor/producer relationship, be they grants or sponsorships. Sounds good, and even with the change in the industry it would still be a valid choice.

But with the giant screen choice there come limitations. The main limitation being that we have to take the TEETH out of the original award winning story to make it fit this semi-educational and agenda filled entertainment format. That's a shame, because Stardance is such a wonderful and powerful story with real conflict and heartbreak, hope and transcendence. Our newly derived story is filled with hope and transcendence, but like so many large format films the story really serves as a vehicle to get to the cool parts, the giant screen set-pieces that give the visceral thrill of immersion. But our giant-screen story doesn't really immerse the viewer in the drama - and since we've been collaborating on this new story my main cry has been "Where's The Conflict?"

The answer to this ancient question bandied about by aspiring and veteran screenwriters alike, was staring us in the face the whole time. Forget the "Stardance Experience" in IMAX, and make Stardance as a feature. The original story that caught the hearts and minds of so many, once updated beyond its prescient view from the mid 70s, has everything we need. And so much of what we have discussed and written together for this project WILL apply.

Jeanne and I are beginning the task of adapting the original story for the screen. Our primrose path has just taken a turn into the woods, and we have promises to keep (and miles to go before we sleep.)

Thank you all.

Full Circle: Maitreya’s Circuitous Seat

2008-10-27T21:03:00.000-07:00

I’ve been working part time on filming Stardance for four years. Originally I conceived Stardance as a short film. (For details, go to the June 19th blog.) When I started I was working alone, and thought I had a reasonable chance of raising enough financing for a 10 minute short.

That meant I’d have to re-imagine the story. The Stardance novella had too much story for a film that short. I needed just a thimble-full of story to frame the zero-gravity dance which was the heart of the film I was now imagining.

Here’s an excerpt from a February blog, "Holding Up Visions," about the first script: .
"When I began work on the original short film script, I named the protagonist, Treya. She is named after Maitreya, the Future Buddha of all-encompassing love -- the fifth and last of the earthly Buddhas. I feel we need to aspire to do all we can to bring the Future Buddha of Love here now. Our world can't wait several thousands of years. Iconographically Maitreya is depicted on a raised seat with her feet resting on the ground in a state of readiness -- ready to appear in the world to give us whatever is needed."

So I spent a lot of time and donated money creating a team, writing several drafts of the screenplay, setting up the website, doing photo shoots for posters and a brochure, and a lot more, all based on a 10-minute film featuring a new character, Treya Anderson.

Then on 07/07/07 I brought all that to the Heinlein Centennial Gala and made my pitch—and two remarkable things happened: first, Peter Diamandis gave me two free tickets to experience zero gravity aboard his Zero-G Corp’s 727, and second, Jim Sposto came aboard as producer/co-director.

One of Jim’s first achievements was to convince me we could find sufficient financing for a 44-minute film in IMAX-sized large-screen format. That would obviously allow for more and better dance, and some real story—though it still would not be long enough for even a compressed version of the original novella. So Jim and I invested a lot of time and energy and money retrofitting the project for longer length. We created a new website, a sponsor’s kit and other publicity material, and several more outlines and treatments.

Then, last month, Jim and I both attended the Giant Screen Cinema Association Conference in New York…..and Everything Changed yet again.

If you read the blog entry immediately preceding this one (below), "Change: the only constant," you’ll better understand what I mean by that. Basically, the whole large-screen-format industry is in free fall. This is the worst time in history to try and interest it in a 44-minute offbeat film with a story.

It took me nearly a month to fully realize what an incredible blessing in disguise that is.

If we’re not going to be able to make a 44-minute film, and we don’t want to go back to 10 minutes, the logical next step is to go up to a feature length film.

There is no need to reinvent Stardance a third time. Not at feature length. It’s already done. Spider and I got it right the first time. We won a Hugo and Nebula doing it.

Treya Anderson was originally created as a shorthand substitute for Shara Drummond, because Shara wouldn’t fit into ten minutes. Or 44. But that problem is now gone. We can have Shara, AND Charlie.

Movie industry people will love the fact that the public demanded, and bought, three books’ worth of sequels. It’s a franchise. They’ll also love that it was voted Best Radio Play in Australia.

All we’ll need to do is set the story 20 years from now, and most of it still works. And we can come up with fixes for things that don’t work.

Believe me, there’ll be plenty of hard work for us to do as writers, turning it into a workable screenplay. But the story part is solid, with character arcs already worked out and developed. And a novella is the perfect length for adapting to a feature film.

And the weirdest part is, none of the last four years was wasted work. This version of Stardance will, I think, be even better than the first, because it will be informed by the visions of Treya, engaged in Maitreya’s Mission—accelerating our evolution with a picture of a new, enlightened paradigm of humanity.

All I can say is, what a long strange trip it’s been, and still is.

Change: the only constant

2008-10-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

Where to begin…

The latest issue of the LF Examiner – The Independent Journal Of The Large Format Motion Picture Industry just arrived. Here’s the top headline: GELFORD: IMAX IS NOT “GIANT SCREEN”

Gelford is Richard Gelford, co-CEO of IMAX Corp. On the first day of the Giant Screen Cinema Association (GSCA) conference Jim and I attended last month (see our last 2 blog entries below), Mr. Gelford stunned the GSCA with the news that IMAX is reversing 4 decades of company branding. Of the IMAX experience he said, “we don’t think of it as giant screen.” Rather, he said, “it is the best immersive experience on the planet.” Mr. Gelford’s announcement coincided with the rollout of the IMAX company’s new digital projection system, intended to be retrofitted into 35mm multiplex theaters. IMAX is going digital with Hollywood movies in Multiplex theaters.

The news was not well-received by most of the GSCA operators of IMAX large screen film-based theaters. They contend that the “wow factor” is gone when viewing a film in an ordinary multiplex house that has been modified slightly. The screens are only a fraction of the size of the “real” IMAX theater screen.

The changes the giant-screen association is going through as a result of the new IMAX branding are unlike anything the industry has seen in the last 25 years.

The transitional fallout from this digital revolution will be on-going for several years. The GSCA is in an “identity crisis” brought on by outside forces, leaving them very unclear on their market segment. They claim that, “if we’re confused, our audiences are very confused.”

I can tell you that this conference experience left me very confused. For the last month I’ve been trying to figure out what the implications of this change mean for Stardance. That’s why I haven’t written a new blog entry. Jim and I both needed time.

Earlier this week I made a decision. I sent Jim a long email laying out my reasons for deciding to switch from making a 44 minute IMAX to a full-length feature film. The events at the GSCA conference forced me to re-access our plans. A few days ago, Jim concurred with my decision. The result is we’ve agreed to forgo the Giant Screen.

My next entry will explain in more detail the effect our decision will have on our film.

In closing, I again want to thank all of you for your ongoing interest and support. Stardance lives!

Warm, grateful smiles,
Jeanne

New Jersey to New York to New England

2008-09-16T13:00:00.001-07:00

Spider here--since this system just today arbitrarily decided there is no such person as Jeanne, and never has been. Because we're on the road at the moment there is no easy way to fix this. So for now I'm going to pretend I'm Jeanne and type for her.....much as I did back in the day, when we were writing novels together.

Jeanne here now, speaking through Spider's fingers:

As Spider just explained, we've been on the road for awhile, so this has been my first opportunity to blog since Jim and I attended the Giant Screen Cinema Association conference in New Jersey last week. And to my absolute lack of surprise, Jim has already given you a thorough, accurate and articulate account of our adventures there. It leaves me little to comment on except to say that the more we pursue this, the longer and more complex the path before us seems to get.

You might think that would be dismaying--but it's just the opposite. Working with Jim at yet another conference continues to build my confidence that we're going to reach the end of that path with success. Each time I get a closer look at the process, I better understand just how good my partner is at this, and how fortunate I am to be working with him.

We'll be on the road for some time yet. We just had a Robinson family reunion last week in New York, and of course we've been lucky enough to also spend time with our daughter Terri Luanna and son-in-law Heron in the Bronx. And this week will be spent with my family in Massachusetts.

Meanwhile work continues on the script, and Jim has some interesting new strategy ideas I'm sure he'll be discussing in days and weeks to come. I give my continuing thanks to all of you for your ongoing support; filmmaking is an expensive game.

Meanwhile, for a quick reminder of how this all got started, go to Spider's website or the iTunes Store, and check his latest podcast, SPIDER ON THE WEB #54, which contains a short excerpt read by Spider from Blackstone Audio's newly released audiobook of STARDANCE. The next podcast will contain an even longer excerpt from the next book in the trilogy, STARSEED. And as soon as Blackstone can get it out there, STARMIND (which has already been recorded) will be available too. Astute friends of Stardance will notice that Jim designed the covers for Blackstone's editions. Aren't they pretty?

Warm, weightless smiles to you all,

Jeanne

GSCA Conference

2008-09-11T15:51:00.000-07:00

This week Jeanne and I are attending the Giant Screen Cinema Association conference in NYC. We're meeting all sorts of great folks here, and getting a warm reception to boot.

The nice thing about this crowd? No Hollywood Attitude - these are all incredibly sharp and dedicated people who love Large Format film. We've met people from IMAX, representatives of Technicolor, various theater principals and independent producers, film buyers and folks from various production companies. Greg McGillvray of McGillivray Freeman films was kind enough to invite us onto their chartered party boat on our first night here (that's a pic from our trip around Manhattan - under the Manhattan bridge, with the Brooklyn Bridge and the twin towers lights in the background.) A gorgeous night made all the more fun by good company, including our "mentor" Andrew Gellis - a man also responsible for some very successful giant screen films. He's been quite a boon to us as well.

We've seen a slew of large-format films, especially notable was Van Gogh: Brush with Genius - surprisingly good use of the giant screen. And today we had a speaker talking about marketing through blogging and viral video, etc. And Jeanne and I looked at each other and thought "We're way ahead of you, Buddy." (Well, I thought "buddy", she man have thought "man".)

But that reminded me, hence this post.

Speaking of which, jump out to YouTube, people, and share our clip some more - we'll get something new soon. Also, tell us what you think of the new home page intro on Stardancemovie.com.

Links To Us

2008-08-22T23:23:00.000-07:00

Wow, lots of blogs linking to us. Nice to see - check them out.

In Russian: http://arisingmagic.info/tag/zvezdnyj-tanec/
In Verse: http://yldann.livejournal.com/49886.html
In Dance: http://blog.danceruniverse.com/blog/story/2008/8/11/111919/774
And more dance: http://danceadvantage.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/dancing-with-the-stars/

We're loving the attention. We love the support, and of course we love you all.

From the Earth to NewSpace

2008-08-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

We made First Contact. Lots of them—with minds so different from my own they might as well have been aliens. But they were all there in pursuit of the same ultimate dream, manned spaceflight, so these “aliens” weren’t strange to me at all.

The difference was, they want manned spaceflight so they can make money. I want it so I can make new art. But there was absolutely no conflict at all. Everyone James Sposto and I spoke with at Newspace 2008 in Crystal City VA got us at once, and without exception they were thrilled by our plans to film zero-G dance. None actually pulled out a chequebook—these are not flush times for most astropreneurs—but many rushed forward to offer us connections, contacts, referrals, ideas and advice, and we’ll be following those up for weeks and months to come. All agreed that the Stardance story is an excellent, indeed an iconic way to sell space to ordinary civilians and bureaucrats.

My only major disappointment was that, despite tall effort, I never managed to fight my way through the crowds to meet Esther Dyson.

Right now, James and I are getting ready to attend the Giant Screen Cinema Association’s International Conference in NYC and Jersey City, September 8-12th. There we will talk to distributors and other folks in the large screen format business to get them interested in the Stardance movie. As members we're privy to information that tells us one complaint most often heard from IMAX audiences is the lack of any IMAX movies that tell stories; they’d like some to balance out all those documentaries.

We’ve had lots of expenses recently: travel and accommodations, of course, and conference fees, and printing expenses for our sponsor’s kit and other graphic materials, and a dozen other things. In consequence, our Stardance Movie seed money account is nearly dry.

You readers and fans have helped us bring the Stardance Movie this far. Like the protagonists of Spider’s story “The Magnificent Conspiracy,” we are still in the early stages of this conspiracy. I need to ask for your continued help and support as we approach the most critical juncture in our quest. I’m once again Calling All Visionaries...

Ad Astra!

--Jeanne

Big Trip to DC

2008-07-10T16:05:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in the Charlotte Airport - in my limited travels this is consistently THE MOST civilized airport I have been to in the USA. Courteous people, beautiful architecture, nifty airplanes hanging from the rafters...free internet access.

I feel like royalty - the spaceports of the future can take a lesson. I get to take some inspiration here, in this lush terminal of modern travel, while I play futurist and imagine the spaces (and space) that we will eventually bring to a very big screen. But I digress. I'm starting a trip that will take me from my home in TN to my offices in PA to culminate in capitol of these United States where I will meet up with my Canadian counterpart, one Jeanne Robinson.

What's in DC, you say?

Why "NewSpace 2008" is all - a convention of space entrepreneurs, or "astropreneurs" that Jeanne and I are attending. Not only attending, though, we are Exhibiting. We will have a booth, we will have assistants, we will have audio/visual presentation materials - and we will be sharpening our pitch as we believe that STARDANCE is set squarely (Tesseractly? - hows about thems references?) in the zeitgeist of this space-culture wave of 2008/2009.

The aspect of our film that is "a love letter to the future of space exploration" is rife for sponsorship from these self-same space-based businesses. The independents, the mavericks, the old establishment - all will benefit from our film's representation of (repeat after me) "an attainable, realistic and positive future of mankind in space."

All sorts of fascinating speakers will be there as well, including our friend David Beaver who will be discussing "The Overview Effect" and the philosophy behind the change of map that space-travelers experience by being in space and separate from this pebble in the sky we presently call home.

Jeanne and I are also attending a black-tie dinner in honor of Sir Arthur Clarke, and we're sure there will be a mindquake with this many thoughtful and inspired folks in one place.

Wish us luck, send us your love, do unto others (and when you do, do really nice things.)

The Story of our Founding Angel

2008-06-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

In early June Spider and I were graced by a visit from our dear friend, John Barnstead. (That's him in a painting by Halifax artist Brooks Kind.) On the website's Supporters page there is a short piece about John's contribution to our film titled "Stardance's First Angel." Making this film was his idea, and he's been generously supporting our effort ever since. A true patron of the arts.

John has been a friend of ours for many years. Our friendship goes back to our time in Halifax when I was AD of Nova Dance Theatre and DancExchange. While he was recently visiting, we enjoyed long talks along the island trails and by the edge of the sea. During one of our conversations, he surprised me with the story of what inspired him to ask me the life-altering question about making a zero-gravity dance on film.

John told me he got the idea while we were watching the historic video of Walter Cronkite interviewing Robert Heinlein on the day of the moon landing in July 1969. The video was featured as part of the celebration at the first Robert A. Heinlein Literary Award Presentation at the 2003 WorldCon in Toronto. Near the end of the interview Robert talked about mankind's future in space, including the amazing new art forms like zero-gravity dance that will be inspired by the experience of being set free by weightlessness. In that moment, John observed me turning in amazement toward Spider and excitedly grabbing his arm. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I had never seen this interview before. My astonishment was profound. Apparently John noticed my reaction.

Later that evening while standing in a small circle of friends discussing the plans for the 2007 Heinlein Centennial, John asked me if it would be possible to create a zero-G dance on film, perhaps as part of the Centennial. That was the big moment. It was the beginning of what has become the making of the movie, The Stardance Experience.

As you know, John has done much more than ask that all-important question. Following that eventful evening, John went on to offer a 6-week course in SF&F at Dalhousie University for 2 summers, and sent me his entire pay cheque -- both times. That was the seed money I needed to start the Stardance Project. After that, he began giving me a monthly honorarium to continue work on the film. Today, without that support, I'd be working for a living, and not creating art.

Words can't reach the depth of my gratitude to this visionary man. Even though I make my living making things up, I couldn't have imagined a man like John. He's truly a member of Spider's MAGNIFICENT CONSPIRACY.

But I've left the best for last. John regularly insists that I remember the terms of our agreement. From the start he said he wanted me to work on this project in my own way, in my own time, and that he trusted me completely. More importantly, he told me he didn't expect anything in return -- not even a movie. He simply wanted me to be able to work on it.

How are you not going to love somebody like that? I ask you all to join me in saying "Spasebo, Professor Barnstead!"

--Jeanne