Girl, Interrupted

 

"Suzie! Time for dinner!"

"Okay!"

Scuffle scuffle run run run blam! In the chair.

"Did you wash your hands?"

"Aw, Mom, I'm hungry!"

"I don't care, wash your hands."

"Mom..."

"Wash."

Chair scooch. Stomp stomp stomp. Splash.

"Good. Did you pick up your toys?"

"........" 

Towel flip. 

"........Yup."

 "Fine. Let's eat."

Script Kitchen

UPDATE: 

John and Tara report strong response to Script Kitchen, so they'll open a Sunday class soon. Date and time TBA. Questions? Want in? scriptkitchen@gmail.com

**********

Tara Samuel and my husband John Sandel finalized plans yesterday for the screenwriting class the two of them will begin teaching in--wow--just over a week. We're pretty excited around here.

Script Kitchen will include 7 students in 6 weekly classes, "focusing on story structure and how the hero determines the tale." John and Tara believe we all know deep down how a good story is supposed to work. (You know when a story doesn't work, don't you?) In their class you'll find out how much you know and how to apply it to creating a screenplay, full length or short.

I'm sorry they're not teaching novel writing. Next time, maybe? I learned everything I needed to know about story structure from John.

There are still a couple of openings. Here's the info:

In the picture, Tara is not taking dictation. I gave her the notepad as a prop because all she had was that little ole' apple and John had a whole bowl of chili. We offered Tara some chili. Really we did.

Dog Wrangler

John and crew have been shooting his short film, Strong Love, at our house. My job is "dog wrangler."

During the two days of shooting last week I made myself scarce and took Boz to Burbank for play dates. But at 4:30 in the afternoon it's time for Boz to eat. Dinner has to happen because he's got a tummy like a clock. I could take kibble with me in the car, right? Not exactly. This puppy is 14 years old, with a gastrointestinal system like a 19th century sewer. He gets hamburger with his pills. So I brought him home for meals.

After dinner and a long walk, Boz and I closed ourselves in my office and he napped while I worked. Sometimes, between shots, we'd take a break. Dogs just have to be in the middle of things. I don't think he even liked it but he had to be there. (Thus the need for a dog wrangler.)

Two more days of shooting are set to happen in a couple of weeks. That's bonding time for the dog wrangler and her pal.


Be sure and vote before midnight tonight for your favorite of this past week's entries in the Camelot Where You Are photo contest! (Poll at upper left.)

Idylls are the Thing

It's not that I haven't been taking photos, but I couldn't resist posting another shot by a guest photographer: my husband, John Sandel. I wish I were tall enough to photograph such a view; luckily, John is.

While you're here today, please vote for your favorite photo from this week's entries in the Camelot Where You Are photo contest. The poll is at the upper left of the blog and will be available until midnight Sunday night. It should work; I believe I've got the time zone thing figured out.

I can't tell you how much I've been enjoying the contest. I've received so many great entries that we're going to skip Zen Monday this coming week and do Camelot for five days straight.

In case you're wondering why: it's because I've written a novel and it's being published this fall. Camelot & Vine is about an actress who, on the day before her 40th birthday, loses everything she never cared about, flees Hollywood for England, falls through a gap in time and accidentally saves King Arthur's life. A lot more happens after that. Think 6th century Britain, chain mail, love triangles and Saxon invaders.

Each weekly winner receives a free copy of Camelot & Vine upon publication, about which I will have more details soon. Publication day, whatever day it turns out to be, will be the final day for entries. 

Send in your pic now! It's easy to enter and anyone can do it. Entry details are here. And be sure to vote for your favorite! Thanks.

Picture Picture

I'm reading an excellent book by Ann Patchett called State of Wonder in which a doctor from Minnesota takes a trip (for which she is unprepared) to the deepest Amazon. Patchett makes the jungle real in her writing. I wonder how she researched that. I mean, did she look it up online? Read books? See a movie? Or did she actually go there?

I might be able to research Patchett and find out, but for the moment I'd like to ponder the question.

In one scene an anaconda nearly kills a boy. I don't know a thing about anacondas and it would have seemed real enough to me if the danger had come from either constriction or the snake's bite. But let's say you know about snakes. Would it bother you if the author got it wrong? Or would you just think, "It's fiction, she's allowed to make it up"?

John and I discuss questions like this when we talk about writing. When we talk about photography, we don't. We just take our pictures from our different angles, and we're fine with that.

Boz, Muse

I resist posting about Boz every week--even every day. He's one of my favorite subjects, so as soon as I think I've let enough time pass as not to bore you, I'll put up a picture of him. I've got a million of 'em. I mean that very close to literally.

Boz is muse to other photographers as well. He even appears in Ibarionex Perello's Chasing the Light, an honest-to-goodness published book about photography by an honest-to-goodness professional photographer.

John made this impressionistic image of our elderly beastie on one of our Hahamongna romps. Boz mopes around the neighborhood like Eeyore. But a dog can have a muse, too. Out in the open spaces where his cousin coyotes roam, he is inspired.

He Make Movies

Along about the time I started this blog (1/1/08) I was transitioning from an acting career into writing. I didn't know at the time why I lost interest in acting, though it's clearer to me now. I'd been working in Hollywood, in small parts on television. At first it was exciting--let's face it, it's fun to be on TV and it's an honor, too, because there's a lot of competition. But I found myself playing the same parts over and over again.

When you work in the Hollywood entertainment industry, unless you're a mogul you're always working for one--serving someone else's vision, supporting someone else's story, making someone else's dream come true. There's nothing wrong with that. But if you've ever wondered why even famous actors sometimes perform live theater for free, perhaps this makes it clear. Hollywood's not about art, it's about money. That's why you see remakes, why "blockbuster" films feel formulaic. They are.

Not so independent films. Their makers don't hold the big purse strings, but like self-publishing authors they are finding ways to make movies. Smaller movies. Different movies. Often better movies.

Which brings me to my husband, John. He's an independent filmmaker--a self-published filmmaker, if you will, "independent" isn't exactly the word. John's part of a collective called We Make Movies. I told you about We Make Movies when John and I went to a screening a few months ago. WMM was formed by indie filmmakers to help each other make their movies by sharing resources and working together. It started out as a couple of people. Now they have more than 500 members: actors, writers, producers and other film artists.

John produced a video for WMM's Kickstarter spring funding effort (other members shot, edited and participated, as you'll see). You could watch this video. You could even kick in a buck or two if you are so inclined. (It won't make you a mogul, but there are no moguls here, which is kind of the idea.) In the video, John explains (in fewer words than I've used here) why independent filmmaking is important. You get to see him in action! Sort of! (Well, he sits and talks, and he's wearing the same t-shirt in the video as in this photo!)

And if WMM reaches their fundraising goal you'll get to see John's short film, because his script was selected for funding this time around.

Home Studio

Lately my multi-talented husband's been doing some drawing work (animation, logo design) and yesterday he had an on-camera job. No, he's not launching an acting career. John's arm and hand were filmed at high speed while he drew, to be pixilated in a web video for a new website.

For one day, John's home office became both animation studio and filming location. This would have been claustrophobic for a big crew, but there was enough room for both set and crew because the cinematographer, lighting designer and post-production supervisor are all one person named Denny Kukahiko.

I took this shot of John and Denny before they started shooting. You can see the camera suspended above the drawing table. The lamps are called China Balls. I know they resemble what my parents had in their dining room when I was in high school but these are slightly different and they give a sugary, diffuse light.

There wasn't quite enough room on the set for producer Kendall Kanoa Hawley, who set up her laptop in the dining room. Kendall, Denny and Denny's brother Chad Kukahiko make up Superfreako Productions (rhymes with Kukahiko, see?). You met them here when I told you about their short film, Carefully Descending. John met them through his participation in the Hollywood film collective, We Make Movies. John's got more projects coming up with WMM, so I'll have more to tell you soon.


Update 1/17/12: Cinematographer Denny Kukahiko posted about the shoot on Superfreako's blog.

Update 1/20/12: Hey! Here's the final product.