Adding More Words = Good

I would love to use this location for a scene in Episode 5. Also, that’s my lovely girlfriend who refuses to let me take her picture… but what Kelly don’t know won’t hurt her ; )

I’m 15 pages deep for episode 5. The word count is meaningless, the important thing is that it’s shaping into a story.

I feel the more immersed you become in your own story the better the final result will be. I’ve always had a terrible habit of focusing on the words coming out from each characters mouth. I’ve given into the momentum of the ongoing discussion and spilled more gas onto the flame. Arguments can be entertaining, revealing, and engaging. But they are only one possible area for conflict.

I’m excited writing episode 5 because every action, line, and movement orbits around one centralized question:

Who left the bizarre note for Ryan’s missing wife?

I still have to write the ending before I can send it out to some close friends for peer review. And before I can even do that I will need to clean up some names, inconsistencies, and other grammatical disasters. I really, really would like to send out for the roles this week in order to begin casting.

Yesterday I visited my parents at their new home. It was great seeing them and I was honored to be with my family in a small celebration of my Birthday. I would like to use the location for episode 5, but I have two major concerns:

1. It is 5 miles off from a main road. The main road itself is already one of the most dangerous highways in America and requires 40 minutes of winding travel.
2. Last time I filmed near my parents home, my father shouted “You’re not a fucking movie producer!” in front of the hired cast and crew.

The major issue with the drive is that the actress who will be playing my wife in a flashback would have to make it as well. I imagine the entire cast and crew that day will consist of myself, one assistant, and her. I just can’t imagine a stranger would be comfortable with that drive to such an isolated area. The 2nd obstacle is self-explanatory (and highly unprofessional).

Of course, the major benefit to filming at this location is also twofold:

1. Free to use (saving $500 or more potentially)
2. Reusable and reliable for future episodes.

So these are just some of the items on my mind. I picked up an extra shift for tomorrow as it will go a long way toward funding the upcoming shoot. The downside is I will be working 12 hour nights for 5 days in a row. Typically that results in overall fatigue that prevents me from scheduling dates, budgeting resources, and sending out cast invitations as soon as I would like to.

Obstacles will always exists, however, and these are no different. The cool thing is that I’m finally starting to feel like I’ve got a really good story to show. I’ll keep updating here regularly, but that’s all I’ve got for today.

My mom’s two chickens. The rooster on the left is named Cocky, the hen on the right is named Crispy.