Last night I dremt I was in a pharmacy full of goods. Amongst the items were “Polish Girls Gum” and “Russian Cavalry Gum.” They were both packaged in a foreign language with non-identifiable ingredients and nutritional facts; however, I somehow knew that the first imbued the chewer with the essence of Polish “girl-ness” and the second vicariously placed the chewer in the boots of a Russian cavalry soldier.

Definitely weird, yet it’s incredibly imaginative.

Sleep seems to be the perfect environment for creativity. First, there is no inhibition. I can dream about whatever I want, however I want, without boundaries nor censorship. Second, I use more of my brain while I dream. Things long forgotten often resurface in my sleep; I remember obscure data, song lyrics, even people’s voices. And finally, dreams are not bound by logic – they play by their own rules.

If only I could harness such ingenuity while awake?

Whether you’re a filmmaker or a table maker, most people will not understand what you’re up to until they can actually see it.  So when you share your new idea, they’re perplexed, skeptical, and often speechless, leaving you insecure and doubtful.

Protect your vision; share it only with those you must, and only with those who have the imagination, wisdom, and grace to see and encourage you.

It’s not enough to think art.  It’s not enough to talk art.  It’s even not enough to make art.  Because, ultimately, the bona fide artist completes and delivers art.

Jobs could have used the word create.  Rather, he chose ship, a highly commercial term with an end-user implied (it reminds me of FedEx and Amazon.com).  No doubt, Steve Jobs believed that artists need to serve a purpose beyond “art for art’s sake.”  In other words, the “real artist” creates a work of art and delivers it to others, who, in turn, engages with it.

Imagine if Steve Jobs thought about, talked about, and made the Macintosh computer, but did not ship it – scary!

It pains me to think of myself as a non-real anything, especially a non-real artist (a phony artist?).  Thinking, talking, even making is not enough.  If I am to consider myself the real deal in the art world, I need to ship; ship as though Mr. Jobs were my boss!

Some of the worst legislation we’ve ever seen is currently before Congress.  Three pieces of legislation, H.R. 3261 in the House of Representatives and S. 968 and S. 978 in the Senate, would cripple the internet by stripping your due process rights and making everyday users wary that the next thing you post might get you sued or thrown in jail. 

Wanna learn more?  Wanna do something about it and protect your freedom of speech?  Here you go: sopastrike.com/strike

Good morning.  This was the view outside my window this morning!

I thought I’d share it with you and wish you a beautiful day full of hope and love…

It’s better to simply point out that their idea reminds you of such and such, then encouraging that person to make their version even better…

You might guess it’s because I was having a difficult time or, perhaps, that I was too tired; however, the weird thing is that I was really enjoying the work.  Things were unfolding smoothly and I was fully engaged.  Yet, I felt an impulse to stop.

Well, I did stop – I stopped to think.  Why in the world was part of me trying to abandon the work, shut off the flow?  And which part of me was this?

My suspicion is that the urge was coming from a negative place, some kind of censor.  Fear, perhaps?  Insecurity?  I’m not sure, but I did the only thing I could think of to counteract the ugly little beast: I continued working…

Thank you all who have stayed up-to-date with this blog.  Your support and interest truly is a blessing.

Here’s a photo of me on Christmas Sunday with my wife, Joletta, and my son, Simon.

My father’s recovery from open-heart surgery has been a lot more challenging for us, his family, than we ever imagined.  I’ve spent countless hours at his home to support not only him, but my mother as well.  And on top of that, I’ve been bombarded with quite a bit of negativity elsewhere in life.

This has been quite a blow to my productivity, which was recently cut in half to begin with, since I watch my son, Simon, on weekday afternoons.  Creative work amidst all these immediate pressures has been nearly impossible.

I write this not to garner pity nor compassion, but to share my hardships in addition to my successes and creative work.  Perhaps some of you have been in my shoes or are currently right there with me.  I’m not sure what it is that keeps me going, creatively, that is; nonetheless, I’m just very fortunate that I’m making a bit of progress regardless.

Thank you all, sincerely, for your support and interest in my work…

What struck me most in the letter was the claim that Sundance received over 11,700 submissions and accepted only 180 films.

Harvard University accepts around 7% of its undergraduate applicants; however, the Sundance acceptance rate this year was about 1.5%!  That’s unbelievable.  Of course, Sundance is including both short and feature films in its 11,700; nonetheless, the numbers are astronomical.

I don’t regret submitting to Sundance and I fully respect their decision.  Girlfriend 19 is a film I am extremely proud of and our rejection by Sundance does not contradict that; it simply means our film is not a good fit for their 2012 season. 

I’ve got 7 more festivals to hear from, all very prominent with similarly difficult acceptance rates.  Although I dislike rejection, I fully realize it’s part of the nebulous world of independent film.

Towering over me while I reclined in his chair during a routine check-up, my dentist asked how my work was going.  After bringing him up to speed, he slowed down, took a moment, and said, “It must be hard doing what you do: writing day in, day out…all without a carrot.”

I was blown away.  Of all people, my dentist perfectly captured the most challenging aspects of independent filmmaking: working on speculation.  This, by far, is one of my greatest burdens as an independent filmmaker.

The carrot metaphor has left me wondering: why isn’t there a carrot?  Or is there?  Will I ever get to it?  Or will it forever dangle in front of me?  Even worse: am I being an ass in need of a carrot to motivate me?

First, my father underwent open heart surgery today and is doing very well.  It was a planned procedure, but very nerve-wracking nonetheless.  I was at the hospital for quite some time yesterday and will be heading back today.  It’s not easy seeing your father poked and prodded in a hospital bed, but I sure am thankful his life has been dramatically fortified.

On the flip side, I have been watching my son, Simon, on weekday afternoons while my wife teaches piano.  Although it has encumbered my work flow quite drastically, I have absolutely enjoyed spending time with him.  We often walk down to my parent’s house, grandmother’s apartment, and/or my sister’s house, thus, being with Simon has also brought be closer to family in general.  He truly is a blessing.

Check out this picture of me with my dad and Simon on Halloween!

Just for fun, I thought I’d share one of my favorite “horror” film trailers…

As promised, the DVD contains exclusive bonus features, including a commentary by me, the writer/director, and the original audition videos of the three lead actors!

Once again, a big thank you to all who contributed to our crowdfunding campaign. 

And please keep in mind: Girlfriend 19 remains a fiscally sponsored film, thus, financial contributions are still being accepted in exchange for special gifts (including a DVD) and a tax-deduction.

Please contact girlfriend19movie@gmail.com for more information.

- Christopher

]]> http://followmyfilm.com/2011/10/25/contributor-dvds-in-the-mail/feed/ 6 Christopher Girlfriend 19 Contributor DVD http://followmyfilm.com/2011/10/18/sacrificial-plot-point-lamb/ http://followmyfilm.com/2011/10/18/sacrificial-plot-point-lamb/#comments Tue, 18 Oct 2011 08:09:06 +0000 Christopher http://followmyfilm.com/?p=3621 ]]> Why do filmmakers repeatedly rely on death, especially murder, to move their story forward?  True, reckless killings happen often; however, they repeatedly happen in movies.   

I’ll never forget listening to the director’s commentary of a famous independent film.  During a scene in which an adolescent character is killed, the writer/director said that he “needed something to move the story forward…a device.” So he killed off a kid.  I’m sorry, but that is downright disgusting.

Personally, I feel death is the easy choice.  Like in life, one simply needs to pull out a gun and shoot their character – done, which leads to drama.  It gives the writer something to write about.  But I believe there are much better ways to generate drama and move the story forward.

More importantly, I believe these better alternatives to death lead to developments in the plot that would otherwise never have happened if death were chosen.  In other words, by simply choosing death as a plot point, other, more beautiful and exciting developments are also put to death.

Believe me, I’m not immune to death as an idea.  I am currently developing a feature film script and death has arisen as an option multiple times, not to mention rape and incest.  It’s sick, I know.  But from a writer’s perspective, they are “tools of the trade.”  They have been ingrained in me.

Not sure if that’s such a good thing….