Film as Prayer

My first screening in my first film festival was a blast, in Utah last night. I didn't win, but "Dancing With You" was up against some MAJOR competition for "Best Short", and I believe we got fairly close, from the "word on the street". There were 157 films, most of which, of course, were shorts. And I know it will always be that way. I was of course a tad wistful, of course, but it truly was an honor to be asked. One always hopes, secretly . . .

Next competition: we screen at 9:50 p.m. (sigh) on Saturday April 9th at the San Fernando Valley International Film Festival. Hey, it ain't Sundance, but it IS in L.A.!

I hope and pray for something I've made to become an "Award-winning film" someday. That is why I have spent way too many bucks in the last few months submitting the film to festivals. It's why all the filmmakers do. Sigh. When I was driving to the dinner with several of the winners, last night, in Ogden, one of them said "Hey, I'm not going to lie, winning is why I came. Your turn will come."

Maybe, and maybe not. Competition is enormous, and just getting into any festival is a coup.

It was fun. I really liked the eager 25-yr-old director/curator (who picked my film for the festival, but did not vote for awards). I met some wonderful people, with some incredible films. It was great to see another state, and city, that I've never seen before. To this Seattle webfoot, Utah is an anomaly. It was wierd knowing I was so far below sea level. All that space, all that sky, and no green anywhere - I felt like a rabbit hiding from a circling hawk with no cover. The only discernable winter plant life consisted of little scrub oak trees and dry brown grass (with an occasional bonsai'd pet evergreen tree on a brown front yard). I found so much horizon unsettling. But the mountains, while smaller than ours, were majestic, snowy, and beautiful. They made me smile. Friends in all that flatness.

I just barely made it to Easter service this morning, and it was sweet, sitting and holding hands with Terry as the choir and orchestra did their thing. I got up at 5:30 a.m., landed in rainy Seattle at 10am and drove to church, getting into the sanctuary at 11:10, which was actually miraculous - because my flight had been cancelled and rescheduled an hour later! I bought a little cheap dress in the Salt Lake airport during the delay, because I now didn't have time to go home to change. Phew! And the rainy egg hunt was pretty darling. Each of the four young hunters had to account for ten eggs. A good system. Mom was sweet to host it again.

May Easter bring hope to all of us trying to serve a calling.

Today I actually turned down a feature offer for script work. Can't quite believe it. But I am under the weather, overwhelmed with work for Prodigy Camp, trying to get my sorry scripts ready for submission, and working very hard on my documentary, which is going to take a long, long while. And the offer was for was a 3-week shoot, with 6-day weeks and little prep; probably very intense . . . still, I feel very mixed about it. Wish I could be two people.

I am taking an editing class, to try and become my own editor and save our (nonexistent) money.

Got a call today from Mark, who has been editing with Rick for weeks on "Expiration Date". They have somehow misplaced four days of my notes (oh, please!) and need me to send them those days. So Terry has to xerox them for me and send them tomorrow.

Sigh.

I am off to Utah day after tomorrow to see my short in its very first festival. I am beyond excited.

My short, "Dancing With You", just got into its first film festival. It has had a rejection or two from other festivals, so I was very happy. I am actually flying to Utah in two weeks to see it in front of a real audience. YAY! It's called "Just Another International Film Festival".

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I am very happy.

And I am considering an offer from a producer's rep to actually represent it! The deal is that they hawk it for a year, and if it doesn't sell, all rights revert back to me. WHEEE!

And now I have moved on to a new project, acting as a casting director for a short called "As Long as it Takes", which is shooting in Seattle in the next three weekends. Sweating out the last few roles. What a surprise, they had tiny parts for Terry and Tallis again (yay). It's a SAG waiver shoot, directed by my friend Bill Murray, and it ought to be fun.

And I am working hard on getting my fourth screenplay ready for a meeting. This wacky old messy house is going to have to wait. Even with piles of papers on every available flat surface. Even with Terry's string quartet practicing here Monday night! When I am working it just piles up and up . . . I need a clutter management course.

I need a wife. Or at least a staff . . .

Then on to the next feature, which will be "The Gamers: Dorkness Rising". Work is good.

Still recovering from "Expiration Date". Finally got my 3k photos organized. Lusting after a new camera after seeing the amazing on-set shots the astonishing Terry Preshaw got . . . mine are sadly just snapshots. Arggh.

We loaded the office out yesterday, March 3rd. John, Bert, Rick, and the amazing Robert did all the heavy lifting (particularly Robert - whew!), and I put the phones away and took stuff off the walls and did the kitchen and tried to clean . . .

Robert loaded all my office stuff into my truck.

I was all excited about keeping the desk I bought from Patsy Molen, but it turns out that it's fiberboard, unbreathable by me, so it's going to the "Superfluity" rummage sale for charity at church. All that hauling. Dang.

So Rick now has months of editing to do, bless him. But for the rest of it, it's over.

Contemplating two other jobs before me . . .

I have basically taken two weeks off, gradually crawling back toward my life, but I am still exhausted. Phew. The virus in my sinuses, which half of Seattle has, makes it all the more fun. Really dim and slow. Trying to get back to work on the four projects that are yelling at me to get to. Ha.

It really took a toll.

I HAVE to get to the scripts. And to the documentary. And to Prodigy.

Still haven't heard from Rick at all. I assume he is otherwise trashed.

Must get back on the horse. Literally.

Though I have been riding a couple of times, thank God!

Tomorrow John the Producer, Alex, Robert, and I move the furniture out of the office. Or at least onto the loading dock.

I clocked over 600 hours of registered work on the project, but much of it, like tomorrow, won't count.

Praying for excellent editing now . . .