A few years ago, maybe it was more, certainly not less but time is an odd thing anymore, I made a decision that I was going to direct a movie. My movie.
I made this decision after a host of adventures in this industry, some good, some less than good, and then set about to learn everything I could about directing.
I shadowed a well-known episodic director. I read books. I listened to podcasts. I attended roundtables and classes and screenings. I took classes. I signed up for programs and talked to other directors and actors. I directed a scene. I planned to direct more, to gather groups of friends and start the actual work of training. And then...well we all know what happened. Time became odd. Months morphed into years and here we are.
I didn't exactly give up on directing but when the pandemic hit I realized my project had to go on the shelf for a host of reasons. So I dove back into writing. I blogged daily. I wrote a new screenplay and another pilot. I wrote a novel. I started rewriting said novel. And then I got a text message.
It was in December, right before we were scheduled to go back home for Christmas. It was from my friend and former producing partner, Ayelette, of The Couch fame! She was thinking of dipping her toe back in the water of production. Was I interested?
I was. I am. And so here we are. Six months later.
I've written a short film script titled Laughing Again.
The script was years, then months, in the making. As most stories are for me. I write them all at once after I've been writing them my whole life.
This year has been a whirlwind. It started with Dad getting sick and then Angela and I traveling back and forth to Michigan more than we ever do in a given year, much less in the span of a few months. It has been new and continuing waves of the pandemic that have created so much uncertainty and fear in so many ways but we've figured it all out. But when Ayelette and I first chatted on Zoom in December, I knew this was going to happen. I already had the central image of the film in my mind. I saw it as clearly as if it were already filmed.
And it will be. Soon. Very soon.
Yesterday, Angela and I took the training to become COVID Compliance Officers (CCOs) on film sets. We did this because the first week of August we'll be filming Laughing Again.
There's so much work left to do. But it's all falling into place and coming together and it's happening.
This morning I received the first batch of taped auditions for the two roles we have left to cast. It was exhilarating to watch these women, to listen to these women, as they read my words. As they embodied the characters I created. As they brought to life, for just a few moments, this story I've seen only in my head and on some pieces of paper.
Angela will be our CCO. A friend's daughter who wants to make movies is going to help us out on set. We'll film over the course of a weekend at our house. (Not the plan when we started but it seems meant to be now, #ClubCleon is going to be famous!)
And I'm going to direct.
Finally!
Recently, a friend asked if I was nervous about directing. And honestly? No. I thought I would be. And no, this isn't about hubris. I know I've only ever directed one scene in my life. And I'll mess up and I'll do it a bunch before I get better. But...I'm preparing. I'm learning. And I'm excited. I'm surrounded by people who are also excited to do this. To produce. To film. To make something.
And I cannot wait to share that something with the world. Soon. So soon.
In our pre-production days. On set. After. What an adventure. Let's go!
#AWomanWroteThat
#AWomanDirectedThat
