Two praise reports

[tsinfield]

hey everyone!
I have only been writing movie scripts for about 3 months, and I already have two praise reports.

Short Movie
I have been given the chance to direct, and produce a short 2 minute film I wrote, with the help of a highly qualified film crew, with top of the range equiptment. We are looking at filming it by the end of next week, and have it eddited by mid march. We wil then be submitting it to the Australian Christian Channel, as well as other smaller channels, and also a lot of "indie" film websites.

Feature film script
I have been asked to create a full feature length script for a small film group, this job will be non-paid, but will be awesome to put in my portfolio. The are looking for a 1 1/2 hour script, filmed in on location, with minimal characters, and no expensive stuff - like explosions, lots of guns (yes it is a secular movie). I am looking at this as a steeping stone to set myself up as an independant scriptwriter.

I would love your prayers for favour with both these projects.

Thanyou
Thomas

[Rebecca]

Sounds very promising. Congratulations! !thumbsup!

Rebecca

[Merry]

Whew! You go, man!

[lindenbooks]

I just got home from a writers' conference last night. It was wonderful. Hopefully Jean Ann will find the time to fill you all in. Anyway, I said all that to say: I would have caught your post to congratulate you sooner if I could have -- Congratulations, Thomas! So glad we linked up, too! ; )

I'll be praying for you and for the production...Cami

[ellenjames]

Congratulations, Thomas!

Good job!

Ellenjames
www.freewebs.com/wayber

[screenwriter]

tsinfield,

This is wonderful news! Be sure and let us know where we can see your films when they're finished. I'll keep you in prayer.

[CindyLee]

Hi Thomas! I would love to hear how your project goes! I wrote and produced my own independent film too! (see www.titletomurder.com ). I wrote a sweet little 30 something murder mystery with very specific instructions that it was to have NO SEX SCENES. Three days into filming and I had a bad accident that landed me in the hospital (almost lost a finger... got crushed by a runaway generator!) and the director MURDERED MY MOVIE by re-writing my funny first time date scene (that had a kill-joy grandmother who was preventing any thing too amorous from happening) into a completely inappropriate sex scene! Needless to say, it got cut out, but it really disrupted the continuity of the story.

Moral of this tale... keep control of your own project! Direct it yourself! Get a good D.P. (Director of Photography) and a good 1st A.D. (Asst Director) and keep your own hands on the steering wheel!

[NurseConnie]

Wow Cindy!
Do I understand correctly that you wrote this film? And Maureen McCormick stars in it? All I can say is WOWie! I watched her growing up.. Looks great! Was it released in theatres? Or only thru independant purchase? Anxious to know!


God Bless
connie allen


http://www.byhisgracegiftsandmore.com

[lms64]

How exciting for you Thomas! My prayers are with you. I am sure you'll do wonderful! lyn

[screenwriter]

Hi Thomas! I would love to hear how your project goes! I wrote and produced my own independent film too! (see www.titletomurder.com ). I wrote a sweet little 30 something murder mystery with very specific instructions that it was to have NO SEX SCENES. Three days into filming and I had a bad accident that landed me in the hospital (almost lost a finger... got crushed by a runaway generator!) and the director MURDERED MY MOVIE by re-writing my funny first time date scene (that had a kill-joy grandmother who was preventing any thing too amorous from happening) into a completely inappropriate sex scene! Needless to say, it got cut out, but it really disrupted the continuity of the story.

Moral of this tale... keep control of your own project! Direct it yourself! Get a good D.P. (Director of Photography) and a good 1st A.D. (Asst Director) and keep your own hands on the steering wheel!

Hi Cindy,
I had a similar experience. I worked with several writers on a script for a show and I made sure it would be a good, clean story but the writers got together behind my back and rewrote it to make it sleazy. It turned out so poor in quality that everyone regretted having been involved with it. It was impossible to take it seriously. You absolutely have to be in a position where you can keep control of a project.

[CindyLee]

I have to tell you SW, I have trouble understanding how any one can write a creative piece "in committee". Non-fiction, yes, but a coherent story line with consistent characters? The mind boggles!

[screenwriter]

I have to tell you SW, I have trouble understanding how any one can write a creative piece "in committee". Non-fiction, yes, but a coherent story line with consistent characters? The mind boggles!

That's so true, and yet it happens all the time in Hollywood and awards are given out to them. But I can imagine the power struggle that goes on behind the scenes! By the way, are you going to produce more films?

[CindyLee]

:eek:
I don't know.... has heck frozen over yet?
:rolleyes:

I probably would produce again if the right project came along, but I kind of walked away from the whole Hollywood thing after that experience. The problem with screenplays is that EVERYONE interperts your work! The producers, the investors, the director, the DP, the wardrobe designer, the casting people, the actors... heck, even the background extras, all have an opinion as to how the story should be told. Sometimes they make your story better and you want to kiss them, (bad Cindy, stop thinking about Chris Atkins that way!) but more often then not, they fall short of what your vision was and you're disappointed.

Which is why I flipped to novels. Novels are a lot harder to write than screenplays (you can use the same phrase to describe something ten times in a screenplay, but you have to think of different ways to say the same thing in literature!), but you have COMPLETE CONTROL as an author and I have discovered that I am a COMPLETE CONTROL FREAK!

The "producing" end was kind of fun, though... creating shooting schedules, lining up locations, crew, cast and caterers, etc. That part was interesting. Trying to market a mediocre film that has no graphic sex scenes to a jaded distribution industry... :(