Open Plan Films Blog

Netflix Watch Instantly

2008-04-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have PC computers and are Netflix subscribers, you can now watch Eve of Understanding instantly on your computer! Netflix doesn't yet provide this service to Mac users, but if you have a PC - go for it!

I was hoping they'd add us to their "watch instantly" selections and lo and behold yesterday I discovered we had been added.

If you haven't already - please also boost our rating on Netflix and IMDB. See links below in my previous entry.

And, of course, buy your copy today! You know you want to.

Thank you supporters!

2008-04-07T12:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who has ordered an Eve of Understanding DVD or added us to your rental queues! We really appreciate it.

Keep spreading the word!!! Tell your friends what they can do to support our film.

BUY YOUR COPY HERE TODAY.

Please go to IMDB and rank us highly. Also, if you're a member of Netflix, rank us there too and leave a positive review. These things really help!

Pirates!

2008-04-01T11:14:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it! Eve of Understanding is already being pirated! We have these google alerts we're signed up for on our gmail account and we're getting alerts about pirates offering our movie for download. It's so violating!!! I know these sites are probably not going to get enough attention to be a real issue, but it just makes me angry!!! I have tried to post little comments telling these jerks that this is ripping off a tiny indie movie, but I'm sure those comments will be cackled at and deleted.

Annoying!!!

Grrr....Argh....

Buy your Eve of Understanding DVD!

2008-03-22T23:40:00.000-07:00

Tonight I got to open up our DVD for the first time. Exciting! I think the distributor did a nice job. It was pretty weird this far in the process to finally have something to do with the movie that we didn't have to 100% construct ourselves. It's quite a relief actually! Packaging, menus, printing, shrinkwrap. I have to say, it's been a long time coming, but seeing our little film that could on Netflix, Barnes N Noble and the Best Buy websites...it is definitely exciting despite the wait.

We're selling the DVDs directly on our website as well as the other outlets Vanguard Cinema has released the film to. The page is now live. Please support Open Plan Films and buy your Eve of Understanding DVD if you haven't already! It's lovely! It's here! It's happening Tuesdsay!

http://www.openplanfilms.com/shop
Click there to buy your copy today!!!

Eve of Understanding - buy, rent, add to your queue!

2008-03-17T14:13:00.000-07:00

You can get a glimpse of the cover art for the Eve of Understanding DVD to the left. Exciting.

Eve of Understanding can now be pre-ordered or added to your Netflix queue. It will also be available for rental at Hollywood Video and Movie Gallery, as well as a lot of indie video stores across the country.

It hits the streets March 25, 2008...that's a week from tomorrow! Here are a few of the places you can find it online pasted below. Please help us spread the word. Emails, word of mouth, buzz generating - very very helpful to us. Hopefully soon we will also make the DVD available on our own site too. For now, take a look at the following places you can direct folks to in order to see Eve of Understanding:

Amazon.com
Barnes N Noble.com
Netflix
Vanguard Cinema (distributor)

Please also go to our imdb page and rate us highly if you haven't already - it all helps!!

Hooray!

Peter Senchuk, Composer

2008-03-05T18:30:00.000-08:00

Peter Senchuk, our go-to composer, has launched his website. You should check it out! You can hear all kinds of samples of his music. Be sure to bookmark it and contact him the next time you're working on a film. You won't regret it!

http://www.petersenchuk.com

Cheers, Peter!

DVD release date

2008-01-15T16:32:00.000-08:00

We had a fun email from our distributor yesterday - they're working on the box art and it should be going to print this weekend. They're meeting with buyers and soon we'll have a real sense for where it will be available. I spoke with them today and their plan is to release the DVD for Eve of Understanding on March 25th. We have a release date! Obviously, this is pending any issues with printing or replication, etc, but for now - that's the word.

Looking forward to sharing more details as they're available. For now, it's a great relief to see them taking care to work hard on the release and packaging of the DVD - so far, so good.

Open Plan Films Launches Website

2008-01-03T10:27:00.000-08:00

We've just launched our new website for all things Open Plan Films.

http://www.openplanfilms.com

A special thank you to Rachel Queen for her design workhttp://www.smallstepforward.com.

On the site, you'll be able to read about our projects in development and soon you'll be able to buy the Eve of Understanding DVD.

We're excited about it - enjoy exploring!

A very happy new year to all of you. Cheers!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE NEW SITE.

Happy Holidays

2007-12-17T22:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from Open Plan Films! And yes, there's still time to visit our cafe press site and order some fabulous merchandise to share your holiday joy! Just click on the little pretty box to the left in the sidebar.

All our deliverables have been shipped off to our distributor - boy does that feel good to say in 2007! It took a bit of effort for us to get all the latest versions of every file and press kit item collected in one easy to find place and make sure all our masters were prepped for them. Here's hoping for a smooth transition to our release of the film - for now, it's out of our hands. That, too, feels really good to say. After doing so much ourselves, it's a very welcome concept to have a company working on our behalf for the moment. More details coming as soon as we have them.

This will be my first Christmas in Los Angeles. I usually travel to visit friends and family, but this year I'm staying here, laying low. I'm actually excited about getting a little R&R and gearing up for 2008. To all of you traveling this holiday season, be safe, be well, and take good care. Enjoy your holidays - and as always, we're looking forward to whatever is next. If the next year is anything like the past few we've had here at Open Plan Films, it's sure to be a good adventure.

Cheers!

Signed. Eve of Understanding has Distribution.

2007-11-13T10:07:00.000-08:00

Alyson and I signed a distribution contract this weekend. The film will be distributed on DVD in the coming months. There are still a lot of steps before it hits the shelves, but the ball is rolling. I now have to deliver the deliverables - all our masters and artwork. I'm looking forward to seeing if they decide to use our poster or if they'll design something new - could be fun to see them interpret the movie through all our images (or it could be weird). I'm pleased that we were able to negotiate a few changes to the contract - nothing that will probably make us see more money (and by more I mean, hypothetically more - we did not receive an advance). But the principle of the changes made me feel good about the contract and about the company. And it made me feel satisfied that I didn't just accept the first offer -despite these being uncharted waters for me, I negotiated a little. That is a good feeling, one of those growth things.

It feels good to know that Eve will soon find its way onto Netflix queues and store shelves and people's DVD players. It deserves to be seen. And there are hundreds, possibly thousands of features that don't get a DVD release. It's just a different marketplace, a different world, with a glut of content.

What a long haul to this point. I know a lot of people have thought we were crazy or stupid for putting so much time into something that might not see the light of day and for which we may never get paid. Clearly, we define success differently. I'm so proud we didn't give up. And I'm proud to represent this film. Congrats to Alyson, Cody, Liz, Peter, Will, Rebecca, the entire cast and crew.

We'll keep you posted on the timeline. Right now it looks like March '08.

The AFM is a crazy place.

2007-11-06T10:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon I met with the CEO of our distribution company. We haven't actually signed the deal yet, we're getting a revised contract in the coming days, but we're pretty sure that we will be signing by December. Which means that our film, barring any unforseen weirdness, should be released on DVD somewhere during March/April/May. We met at the AFM (American Film Market) in Santa Monica. It is a total madhouse. I wondered if I'd be able to actually FIND who I was meeting in this storm of people, much less be able to HEAR what he was saying - the air was pretty thick with pomp and circumstance. And people love namebadges, man. You put a namebadge on someone with a string around it and they suddenly walk with more importance. I did not have a namebadge, but I puffed out my chest anyway. And through the miracle of cellphones, I was able to direct him to the tall red head by the ocean view, find a couch, and hear the pitch in person.

It's always nice to put a face to a name. Ultimately, I really wanted to hear from our distributor why they wanted the film, why they love the film, and why they think we are a match for them. So many of these smaller labels seem to forget that they are the caretakers of something very special to the group of people who made it and their audience - some distributors don't even seem like they've actually SEEN the movie. I heard glowing praise and then some, as well as the reality of what a film our size and scope can do in the indie marketplace. It's a reality we're familiar with and understand, and while it would be fantastic to see a real financial return on these years of work, ultimately, we're trying to build careers and place the film in the best hands we can for getting into the hands of people who seek out indie film. We'd already hashed out a lot of details over email prior to meeting in person, this was really to cement in my gut that these people could be trusted with our film. And who knows, all you can do is do your research, follow up with references/filmmakers who have worked with them before, and get the best contract you can negotiate. He was particularly excited about the fact that we've mastered to HD, and there is the potential that the film will be released on both HD and standard def. That is still to be determined, but the possibility is exciting. All in all, it was a good meeting, I feel that these guys genuinely care about the film and want it in their catalogue and will actually release it - not just let it sit on a shelf.

I'll emphasize for any filmmakers reading this, that our attention to clearances, SAG rules, location releases, all of those clearance issues made a difference at this point in the process. Don't gimp on that. Our soundtrack made a difference - and having all the rights to our music. Going the extra mile and mastering properly made a difference. Collecting quotes for publicity and making our "inside look" featurette and behind the scenes featurette and trailer - all of those things came up in the meeting and were seen as real assets by the distributor. Those things do make a difference, and they're worth doing.

More details as they emerge - hopefully we'll sign a contract soon. Then we'll be asking for your help to promote our DVD release - you are our best advertisers!

Eve of Understanding actors on TV

2007-11-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

If you aren't making a habit of it already, be sure to catch Bellamy Young recurring on Dirty Sexy Money on Wednesdays on ABC, 10pm/9 c. Also, see Bellamy this week on Cold Case! Sunday, at 9pm/8c on CBS. Bellamy played Cassie in Eve of Understanding.

Then on 11/12 tune into Prision Break 8pm/7c on Monday to see Tom Procida. Tom played Marc in Eve of Understanding.

Keep us posted on your adventures! We like to share and spread the word.

Traditional or Hybrid...the path to DVD

2007-10-31T15:46:00.000-07:00

We're going back and forth with our distributor to see what ground we can agree on in our final version of the contract. For example, we'd like to retain the right to sell the DVD on our own website. We'd obviously like to maximize the percentage the film will receive of gross receipts, especially since we won't get an advance - so this percentage is all we'll see of the $ that comes in from the sale and rental of the film. There are a lot of hybrid options now too - companies set up to market and fulfill sales of independent DVDs from their own internet storefronts, many of whom are offering a larger percentage of sales to filmmakers than the traditional vehicles, but who don't generally have access to or pursue the same venues as a traditional distributor - I call these hybrid models because they're somewhere in between self-distribution and a distributor. They're generally non-exclusive, so you could put your film on multiple sites like this. Traditional distributors are exclusive. Hopefully we'll have it all hammered out in the next week or so and will be able to give a prognosis for when the film will be released on DVD. I've been writing to a couple filmmakers we met along our festival circuit for insight into their experiences with our distributors, can't hurt to have feedback straight from the horses mouth. There are a lot of factors to consider before signing on the dotted line, but it's so nice to have this distribution ship moving.

At the same time, we're still getting requests from film festivals, can you believe it? I'm getting ready to send off a screener of the film to yet another film festival who has heard about the film and is interested in considering it for submission.

Edit Bay Dreams

2007-10-24T17:17:00.000-07:00

I visited Cody and Alyson for lunch today and we left from their edit bay at work. I couldn't help dreaming that I was really going there to work on a new project of ours instead. I had that feeling walking in, wait, shouldn't we be making our own movie here? Doesn't that feel right? Yes, it did feel right. I will hang on to that dream.

The FIND Filmmaker Forum was excellent. I met some new folks, have some people to follow up with and came away armed with a few more pieces of good information than I walked in with. All in all, it's a very well put together panel. This year they also had hosted lunches, which I thought were a very nice touch. The hosts are various people in the industry that are generally difficult to get a lunch with, willing to answer questions and discuss various topics of their expertise over lunch with just a handful of other filmmakers. Going around the table, I was pretty impressed with the company I was in - most of them had made features or were making features and had history in the industry. The forum manages to attract people who aren't totally green, which is nice - it provides for more intelligent and useful Q&A. There is the occasional person with no experience, but overall, it's a pretty high caliber - at least the sampling I was exposed to. We saw a preview screening of The Kite Runner and the producers were on hand to discuss it. It doesn't come out for a bit, so I won't spoil anything by giving my two cents. I will say that I enjoyed it, you should read the book and see the movie, and don't watch the trailer because I think the trailer is weird and not representative of the film. So props to the FIND Filmmaker Forum. If you're considering going next year, it's worthwhile and be sure to register early to save $. I'll go back over my notes and share any gems I picked up this weekend soon.

Overall, it was inspiring, movtivating....and terribly frustrating all at the same time. The frustration merely because all that talking about making a movie emphasized how much I'd like to actually make another one. Which led me to the edit bay dreaming this afternoon...

One Step Closer to Distribution

2007-10-19T10:54:00.001-07:00

This morning I got word from SAG that we are cleared to move forward with DVD distribution. We had been involved in a lengthy process to make sure that our contracts with the SAG actors were in order and SAG was reviewing the distribution contracts we have been considering.

This is great news because it means that in the not too distant future Eve of Understanding will be out on DVD. We have a couple of options to consider and we're just waiting for some of our questions to be answered by the distributors. We're not being offered any fancy deals, but we are going to get the film out there and available and if our grassroots efforts pay off, many more people will have the opportunity to see and own the film.

Hip, hip, hooray.

On the Open Plan Films front, I believe we'll be launching our Open Plan Films website next week, which is exciting. I'm attending the Film Independent Filmmaker Forum this weekend. I attended the first one of these they did a couple years ago and I found it to be very informative and well put together - I am hoping that this one is even better (and hoping it's not just a repeat of the same). I'll report on the highlights next week.

All in all, this is a good day. Now, if we could just get someone to open another door for us, it could be a great year.

While we're on the subject...

2007-10-12T10:02:00.000-07:00

Chicks behind the flicks

Ten of Hollywood's most powerful women sit down to discuss the state of the movie business -- why there aren't more female directors, why blowing things up is fun, and more.

READ THE FULL TEXT HERE.
Below is the introduction to the transcription of a panel discussion, but it's pretty interesting reading if you click above to read the full text of the discussion.

---

By Rebecca Traister

Oct. 11, 2007 | On Friday of last week, movie business reporter Nikki Finke wrote on "Deadline Hollywood" that Warner Bros. president of production Jeff Robinov had issued a company edict: "We are no longer doing movies with women in the lead." According to Finke's sources, Robinov's decree came in the wake of underperformance by two summer movies, "The Invasion" and "The Brave One," which featured Nicole Kidman and Jodie Foster, respectively, in starring roles. One of Finke's sources, an unnamed producer, asked, "What's next -- fire all the Warner Bros. women executives?" If so, it would be a bloody day: Three of Robinov's four executive vice presidents of production are women.

Whether or not Robinov made the remark -- a Warner Bros. spokesman told Salon, "Jeff Robinov did not make that statement, nor is it his philosophy" -- female film executives seemed to regard the sentiment as a distillation of a broader antipathy toward women in the film business. The sense that this antipathy has been building is so pervasive that few women (and these are powerful women who tend to get pissed about things like outright institutional misogyny) could even muster real shock at Finke's story.

Every female filmmaker and executive I spoke to -- all of whom declined to go on the record -- expressed surprise only that an executive would go public with what has long been accepted as an unspoken clubhouse policy. It's not, as Finke's source suggests, that the women are going to be kicked out of their studio offices, but it's no secret that Hollywood has always been a dicey industry for women, and that recent years have seen it grow increasingly inhospitable. "I don't think you can blame the Robinovs of the world," one female producer told me. "It's not something that every other studio head doesn't think."

More women than ever write, direct and produce movies. But we're in a period in which their on-screen stock is falling. This summer brought us "Knocked Up," about how a schlubby guy can land a hot successful woman and make audiences whoop in appreciation when he kicks her shrill (responsible, adult) sister from a delivery room. Hollywood has ushered in a mini-era of thinly veiled derision of women. "The Heartbreak Kid," the remake of a funny 1970s Elaine May movie, in 2007 features at its center a premise of assumed animosity toward the feminine. But if Hollywood isn't doing much for female moviegoers, it's in part because female moviegoers have not, of late, been doing much for Hollywood. They haven't been showing up to multiplexes, at least not on the first weekend, which is all that counts. And in Hollywood, money has always been a bigger motivator than visions of equality. You can bet that the weekend on which audiences line up around the block to get into a Barbara Jordan biopic is the weekend studios all over Tinseltown green-light a slate of movies about black, wheelchair-bound lesbians. As soon as ladies put their asses in the seats at a movie about one of their own, studios will make a zillion more, or so goes conventional wisdom. But that hasn't happened in some time.

What propitious timing, then, for the arrival this week of Elle magazine's Women in Hollywood issue (a franchise the magazine inherited from Premiere magazine), featuring among other things an interview with Robinov whistle-blower Nikki Finke and a round-table conversation among 10 of the most powerful women in Hollywood. The discussion was held in August, around a conference table at the utterly glam Beverly Hills Hotel. I know it was glam because I got to attend, and I can attest that the conversation that took place two months ago was downright prophetic in its assessment of gender conditions in Hollywood.

The panel was moderated by one of Tinseltown's great brains, producer Lynda Obst ("Contact," "Sleepless in Seattle," "How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days"). She nimbly guided panelists Nora Ephron (screenwriter, director, "When Harry Met Sally," "Sleepless in Seattle"), Laura Ziskin (writer, producer, "Hero," "To Die For," "Spider-Man"), Callie Khouri (screenwriter, director, "Thelma & Louise," "Something to Talk About"), Patty Jenkins (writer, director, "Monster"), Cathy Konrad (producer, "Walk the Line," "3:10 to Yuma"), Kimberly Piece (writer, director, producer, "Boys Don't Cry"), Andrea Berloff (writer, producer, "World Trade Center"), Margaret Nagle (writer, producer, "Warm Springs"), and that rarest of Hollywood breeds, a female studio head, Universal president of production Donna Langley, in a conversation that touched on issues that cut to the heart of the Robinov story. They spoke of the remaining handful of female movies stars as if they were the last hope of the Jedi order -- Luke ... Leia ... Julia ... Reese -- and maybe they are. If these female machers are to be believed, the business of making movies for women remains one of constant juggling between progress and regress, of compensation and compromise. Below, Salon presents an extended version of the conversation that appears in this month's Elle.

You're kidding me with this, right?

2007-10-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

Check out this obnoxious news item I stumbled on at Cinematical Indie. L.A. Weekly columnist and blogger Nikki Finke claims that she has received, from three different sources, copies of an internal Warner Brothers memo from president of production Jeff Robinov. In it, Robinov claims "we are no longer doing movies with women in the lead."

Read the full story HERE.

You can also read Nikki Finke's blog with comment by Gloria Allred HERE.

So Robinov on his way out, right? Come on with this bullshit.

UPDATE: Robinov responds. What a joke!

Hey Y'all!

2007-10-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Jen for holding down the blog front these last months. I'm still working away with Cody on Everyday Italian. It's going well, it's nice getting paid, all that jazz. Like Jen, I'm excited about 'Eve of Understanding' getting out there on DVD. Jen has spent many hours on the phone getting this to happen with SAG, so I'm thrilled all that work will be paying off soon.

And like Jen, I don't know what's next, but life is good. I'm happy I got a chance to write so much before I started this job, that way I'm not crazy missing it now.

Hope everyone is having a lovely fall!

Lovely IMDB Comment

2007-10-05T15:33:00.000-07:00

This landed in my inbox today, thanks to Jen.

Thanks to PickMePickMe, whoever you are:)

extremely impressive, 27 August 2007
Author: PickMePickMe from Los Angeles

This film is something rare for a low budget indie: a simple story, well told, with no gimmicks.

The other reviews speak enough about the plot and characters, so I'll address the film-making technique itself.

I hesitate to define it by all the things it isn't, but here's a few things it DOESN'T have that help make it so good: - shaky camera - amateur acting - bad sound - overbearing soundtrack - rapid cutting to cover up poor performances

And the list goes on.

I'm very appreciative of a movie that has a good script, great acting, and tells the story in a straightforward (but not boring) way.

This movie works well on many levels, and is a shining example of what a few dedicated filmmakers can do with no money and a lot of talent. I urge you to go to the official site and read the filmmakers' blog. It's as well done and thoughtful as the movie itself.

In fact, if you're thinking about making a low budget movie yourself, then it should be required reading.

No go on Prod Lab

2007-10-03T11:13:00.001-07:00

Got our rejection today from the FIND Producers Lab. Funny, I also got my renewal notice on the same day. I'm not surprised, like I said in my last entry, these labs and mentorship things don't seem to fall in our favor, but would have been cool to get selected. I thought our application was pretty good, if I may say so myself.

So...right...what's next...

Anyone see any piles of money lying around?

Nearly Standing Still

2007-10-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

What can I say, there simply isn't much to report. We should be hearing from Film Independent any day now about the Producers Lab that Alyson and I applied to as a team. We've applied three times now to this lab and been rejected twice, so we'll see if third time is a charm. I am not holding my breath. I'm not sure what we have to do to get some mentorship going, but so far, no dice. The producers lab kicks off with their Filmmaker Forum, a two and a half day conference that I'm already registered to attend regardless. That's in a couple weeks. I'm hoping it will be inspiring.

We're getting closer to Eve's distribution on DVD. I really hope to have something to report on that front in the next couple of weeks. That would be fantastic and a long time coming. We are in the final paperwork stage with SAG to be able to move forward. We aren't going to be millionaires, we might still not even get paid our deferred salaries, but we're going to get the film out there. And at this point, I am happy to see that happening.

I wish I could say I knew what was next. It's kind of a soul-searching time. I love these people I work with and there's a lot I'd like to accomplish with them. I've failed to find funding. I've nearly run out of ideas of where to look or how to approach this age old problem. We have some super low budget ideas, but frankly, none of us have any more personal funds we can throw into a project at this time. So I'm hopeful something will appear before me, as it has before, with a direction, a path, an idea of what to try next. For the moment, I'm a little unsure.

Still, I'm feeling relaxed and happy. There are other wonderful things happening in our lives and I'm okay with the balance of it all sliding back and forth. I know something will eventually happen and hopefully we'll get to make another movie. Can't force it, I guess.

I'm back.

2007-09-13T17:34:00.000-07:00

I am exhausted. But I am so happy to be returning to my life and maybe even some film-related creativity. I'm working on moving forward on Eve's distribution, hoping to have some news soon as we creep inch by inch closer to getting the film out there.

I hope we haven't lost you all during our absence.

It's been a hell of a few weeks, but I should be back in the normal ebb and flow by next week.

Knock, knock, is this thing on?

The Latest

2007-08-16T08:41:00.001-07:00

The latest is we're working. Alyson and Cody are getting to work together and get paid for it, how fabulous is that. And I'm doing some work at the same time that is right up my alley and is rewarding - so that's great too. It means for the next 3 weeks (and the past couple) we're pretty busy.

We're working on a new Open Plan Films website, so that will be coming soon. It will have links to information about all our projects and serve as a site for what we're building, rather than just one film.

We've applied (yes, again) to the FIND Producer's lab. Wish us luck - we'd really like to utilize the resources of the lab to get a project off the ground.

I've been doing some budgeting and scheduling on Alyson's latest script - just because you never know. It would be great fun to make.

And I really really hope to have some Eve of Understanding distribution news soon. I think I will.

Sorry for the radio silence, once our work is done or settles down some more, we'll be back on in normal cadence.

8 things you know you love about me

2007-07-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

That title is supposed to inspire me to come up with 8 things of interest that are pertinent to this blog. Hm. Here goes.

Rules (copied from Sujewa’s blog):

1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.3. People who are tagged write their own blog post about their eight things and include these rules.4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged and that they should read your blog.

JEN SAYS...
1) When I started film school, I had never made any films. I wasn't one of the wonderboy types who has been making films since the womb. No, I filled my childhood with other creative endeavors and a lot of sports. So I didn't have any filmmaking experience behind the camera prior to film school. I don't believe that makes my interest in this pursuit any less relevant, but if you read filmmaker bios very often, sometimes there seems to be an assertion to the contrary. =)

2) Inspired by Alyson's #2...I have lived in California (three times - I was born at Beale AFB in Northern Cali, then later lived on Travis AFB, then eventually much much later moved back to go to grad school and have been here now for eight years since that move). I spent most of my formative years in San Antonio, Texas and have a soft spot in my heart for the state, it's where I would love to get back to someday. I also lived in Seattle and Germany when I was a kid for a bit.

3) On a film set, whenever possible, I like to watch the actors - not the monitor.

4) Some of my favorite films are the longest classic films simply because I would check them out repeatedly when I was a kid. I figured for my $2.17 I was getting a better value if the movie was four hours long - 2 vhs tapes for the price of one. That criteria no longer holds for me, but it's at least partially responsible for my falling in love with Gone with the Wind and Giant. I loved walking to that little video store. A good long movie, a good long book, a good long conversation. I like taking my time with things. Proven things. New movies? I have to admit I love a good 90 minute movie. Brevity has value.

5) In the seventh grade we had to make an ambitious list of goals - ways we'd like to change the world. Filmmaking wasn't yet on the radar for me, though I loved films, but I was already thinking about some of the issues we discuss on the blog. In 7th grade I wrote that my #1 would be to create the Women's NBA. The boys in my class told me it would never happen. It did happen, and it took much much less time than NEVER. I suppose I should have made even more ambitious goals. There's still time.

6) There's a film I'd like to make in Russia someday. There's a film I will find a way to make in Russia someday. I'd like to age a little before telling that story, but it's in the new list of ambitious goals. It's based on a one-woman show I wrote back in college.

7) I love office supplies. Fresh notebooks, paper, pens, ink, folders, calendars. Envelopes. Blank sketchpads. I love looking through office supply catalogues. Maybe that's a key to being an organized person - fall in love with the stuff that helps you do it?

8) I believe in the loosest definition of art. Felt like saying that after reading Ebert's discussion of whether or not video games are art.

I don't know if those satisfy your craving for 8 random thoughts about Jen, but there's my attempt this afternoon. You'll have to tag us again if we left you wanting more.

Okay...now for eight people...
I have to think on it a minute...

Hi all. Hi Stacy!

2007-07-20T17:30:00.001-07:00

I've been remiss in my blog writing, I'll admit that. I haven't had much to say. And I know I wrote an entry a while ago about how I wasn't going to write something unless I had something to say, so there you go. And Jen was so good about describing our conversation about 'Broken English' for the blog. I couldn't have said it better, or as well, for that matter.

It's summer. It's beautiful and sunny and happy. I'm catching up with friends and family, in person and on the phone. I'm writing. Some more. I'm finishing another script. This one is low low low budget, on par with 'Eve of Understanding' in that respect. I felt like, OK, I'm going to take a swipe at ultra low budget again, just in case we decide to go that direction again. After finishing 'Eve' I didn't want to make another movie that way, but now I'm feeling more like I want to make a movie again, not sure how or when, but I want to, and we will. So I just keep writing. And writing. I think once I finish this one, I'm taking a step back. I'll have 9 scripts that are finished and ready to go, and damn, that's enough. Plus, I'll be working, so I have an excuse;) And don't think I'm ever complaining about writing. I'm not. I feel grateful I love writing, feel inspired and have ideas. It's great. I'm fortunate. Just hope someday I get paid for it, but in the meantime, I'm enjoying myself.

So Stacy "tagged" us in our comments. And here's what that means.

Rules (copied from Sujewa’s blog):
1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged write their own blog post about their eight things and include these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged and that they should read your blog.

8 people to tag...I'm hoping Jen has thoughts on that way. I'm feeling fresh out of those. But I will attempt to write down 8 things, if only to write a darn entry!

I'm sitting here. Thinking. Procrastinating really. Stacy! 8 things. Jeez.

This is also challenging cause this blog is about the making movies, not me...hmmmm....8 things that are film/Alyson related, that I haven't already written about in detail on the blog, so I'll leave 'Eve' out of this.

Here they are:

1. 'Til I was 14, I wanted to be a doctor. Than I stopped liking and going to doctors very much and decided I wanted to be a lawyer. It wasn't until after my junior year of high school that I admitted to myself that I wanted to do something so impractical, like being creative for a living.

2. I've lived in Southern California 24 years of my life! This fact comes as a shock to me, still.

3. I took a class called Reading and Writing Fiction in college, figuring since I wanted to be a writer, I would write fiction, writing screenplays hadn't even occurred to me, yet. My writing teacher told me my viewpoint was strange and no one would be interested in reading was I had to say. I then submitted the same story to the screenwriting program. That advisor told me my perspective was unique and that I'd be a great addition to the program. She wrote me a recommendation for USC. A wonderful and inspiring woman.

4. I took a photography class after college. We were told to take pictures of things we thought were interesting. I turned in my pictures. The teacher told me they were boring, and next time I should take more interesting pictures. I told him that he asked us to take pictures of things that were interesting to us and I did. He told me my pictures were so incredibly boring, that it wasn't debatable. I never went back.

5. When I made my thesis film, my advisor told me that no one would want to watch it cause it was "about a slut." And I should rewrite it to make her more sympathetic, i.e. for her to leave her undies on. I didn't do that. It's funny the way I wrote it.

6. In film school my first female professor told me that I should go into documentary filmmaking cause women don't make it in the narrative world. I told her I didn't have any documentary ideas and that I wanted to focus on cinematography, directing, and production. She told me I was making a mistake.

7. One of my last female professors told my thesis advisor, that she liked "movies about sluts, in fact if you're calling this character a slut, I used to be one." I still love her.

8. In fact, she's really the one female professors in grad school that encouraged or supported my work. All the others were men, and they were vocal and wonderful in their support of me. Thanks, guys!

So I think I managed to make these 8 things applicable to the blog. Hope it's interesting. Thanks, Stacy!

Jen, your turn, and 8 people, I'm thinking, I'm thinking.