A Goal Without a Plan is Just a Wish

Film-making is hard.  Just in its basest form, professional film-making is really, really difficult.  Compound that by having a vision for something that goes beyond picking up a digital camera on the Blue Light Special at Kmart for $149.95, filming your friends (who are not actors) without sets or costumes, and having a “screening” in your living room for seven people and you’ve got yourself nothing but stress.  Stress and a story to tell, that is.

I started writing a screenplay a few years ago.  I would write intensely for days or weeks, creating scenes and plot developments, and then I’d leave it for months.  This cycle repeated itself since then.  I have literally worked on this from February 2009, with massive gaps between stints, until about five minutes ago.  I’ve called myself a writer for the longest time, but I’ve never really felt like it.  I mean, I guess the definition of “being a writer” is that you write things and, in that sense, I do and I am.  But, my theory is that you aren’t really a thing until you succeed at that thing.  So, I made the effort to go from the guy that Stewie Griffin would make fun of (“Got a, got a nice little story you're working on there?”) to actually finishing the screenplay and moving the project forward.

 

So many rewritten scenes

More so than writing (but less than Batman, who is typically the subject of this blog), a large interest and passion of mine is the art of film-making and the film industry as a whole.  Anyone who has ever watched a movie with me in my home has probably had to sit through me watching each and every Special Feature on the Bluray immediately after the movie is over.  That or re-watching it with the Director’s Commentary turned on.  I can’t help it!  The process, from scripting, casting, and pre-production to principal photography, re-shoots, and post-production and editing, is all so fascinating.

In reality, wanting to (and having to, if we’re being honest) be Writer, Director, and Producer on my film will help the film-making process in the long run.  It will just mean switching hats all the time.  During the writing process in these last couple of months, I’ve been stuck in director mode.  “How will I be able to get that shot?” “That scene needs less dialogue.”  These are the things that have littered my thoughts at all the wrong times.  When I should be focusing on what Character X needs to say to get his point across in a particular scene, I’m thinking about which camera or editing software I want to use.  I’m sure when I’ll need to be giving direction to an actor on set, I’ll be second guessing scene placement, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

The role that runs throughout the project, from concept to filming to editing and beyond is that of the Producer.  For those that aren’t entirely sure, the producer of a movie can be summed up in one line:  They make it happen.  Director wants a particular location for a shot, producer makes it happen.  The studio needs to cut the budget by a small margin, the producer makes it happen (without the quality suffering).  And, with the writing process (pretty much) complete, the tasks of creating a shooting schedule, making a budget, and finding actors begins.  Oh, and finding money to make this all happen.

Ultimately, the goal is to have this film prepared for screening(s) in Tulsa in Autumn 2015.  A lofty goal, I know, but “a goal without a plan is just a wish.”

I appreciate any and all support (moral or otherwise).

Thanks!

-Josh

P.S. Yes, I made a Family Guy reference.  Deal with it.