JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Success Stories Forum One of my scripts is becoming a movie!

Granted, it's a local production, and any money I get will come off the "back end", but they're dropping $50,000 of their investor's money to film a small budget feature I wrote last year.

So, umm....Whoo hooooo!!!!!

Midnite

Congratulations are in order. Even if you don't get much financial reward, the fact that your stuff was picked above the competition is very, very impressive.

I'll toast a glass of wine to you tonight.

Kevin

Thanks Kevin...Toast 2 glasses of wine...One for me, since I had to give it up..<sigh>...And the thing with this one & money, is that it was never about the cash...A group of four songwriters were deeply affected by a little girl who lost her battle to leukemia shortly before her 3rd birthday & put aside their own songs to write one very special one in her memory.

That was several years ago, and the song never attained any commercial success...But they found out I had started doing screenplays and asked if I could try to tell the tale about Angels and Losers and how lives can be affected by love.

So, there ya have it...Be nice to me & I'll send ya the DVD when it comes out:-)

Midnite

Midnight,

Damn right! congratulations. You know about 12 years ago, there was this little independent movie done by this nobody actor. He had done a few minor roles for nothing money and really nobody thought much about it. He got a couple of friends in it that he had met, convinced them to work for almost nothing and released it on an almost nothing budget.
The actor was Billy Bob Thorton. The movie was Sling Blade.
Everything is important. Go get em' dude.

MAB

Bob,

That's great news! Congratulations!

Thanks Marc. I remember seeing Billy Bob in Tombstone, and then having to rewatch it later to make sure it was the same guy. And The Blair Witch Project didn't do too bad either.

And although this is more of a Lifetime Channel flick, they plan to have it completely finished by Christmas so that they can take it on the Festival Circuit next year.

& just so I get it outta my system here where they won't notice...^#^&&$%#^&^%#@# Rewrites!!!!

Midnite

Wow Bobby ! How exciting is that? I am excited and I barely know you ! My wife loves those lifetime movies ! Good luck with it !

Bob,

This is actually becoming more of the norm in the entertainment business now. A small company in the music, artistic, motion picture business, starts with a low budget feature, it is put through the film festivals, music conferences, gallery system, and a groundswell ensues using things like the Internet to provide word of mouth and publicity.
The Blair Witch phenomonom is a good example. Also with more and more cable channels, as well as unlimited Internet access,the reality is that if you make something credible, the chances of it getting a lot of attention very affodably is very good. It just better be Very good.

Congratulations.

MAB

Congratulations...This is wonderful...and reading down
the reason? and how it came about?..even more wonderful.

best to you,
Kaley

Way to go Midnite !

Keep scrawling 'em mate. Don't worry about the budget. The fact that it's being made is a real honour in itself.

Congrats !

cheers, niteshift

Thanks All!

WendyD...Check yer e-mail.

Herbie...I drove cab in Chicago for 3 years back in the late 80's...My heart is still there...So I'll be sure to hook up with ya when we have our Chicago release party......Umm, I mean "Premier"...:-)

Kaley, since you enjoy warm fuzzies...Carol, the mother of Angel Meghan, also came on board as an adviser and gave us free reign to use her blogs and family e-mails to help us get the story of Meghan's Journey straight...Talk about laying your naked pain out for everyone to see.

Shift...Once I get some weight to throw around, I'll keep The Brakeman in mind...of course, we'll hafta change those silly accents:-)

Midnite

That's awesome Bob, {from one cool Bob to another!} CONGRATS!!!

that is FAB Bob!!!! A great credit - and you never know!!

YIPEE, Midnight, congratulations, Wow hah, that's amazing.

Very excited for you!

Michele
Aussie fan

Way to go man. I've often thought about writing a book, but I don't think I could sit still long enough to get it done. Writing songs only takes a short time but a book or play, that takes time and a real commitment, and publishers can turn up their noses at all your hard work, not for me. Congratulations.

Wow, Bob, congratulations, guy! That's wonderful, you never know where it could lead. Go get 'em!

For anybody not having a script taken yet, THIS IS MAJOR! Congratulations. Small budget yes, BUT who else around here has had 50,000 plunked down to do anything with their art? (The obvious ones need not raise hand).

I am happy for you Bob. I know from wanting to have projects taken seriously, with the act of money spent on them like pulling a few mouthfuls of teeth, this is really a great step for you. As Marc points out, this better be Very Good! But, for what it is, and how much fun you will have through it all, just the acceptance of your script being used without you having to be the producer is really something! For those in the music or film business, this may seem normal. But I know it doesn't FEEL normal for you, so ENJOY! And MAJOR Congratulations!

You just helped to make my day better, which I really needed.

Now, start writing another! (More eggs to put in more baskets).

Success for sure!

John

Congratulations Midnite! Hey, 50,000 clams ain't peanuts.

Hope it hits big.

Best, John

Great news! It will be cool to hear about the progress, so keep us informed.

Thanks for sharing such exciting news Bob! You must be beside yourself! You have my curiosity up as to what it is about, but I'm sure we'll find out someday!!

Best,
Lynn

Thanks ALL,

And don't forget, I still have another one from last year with several JPF'er's "Teenage angst" songs in my back pocket just in case.

Gotta start somewhere....

Midnite

how exciting... you must be walking on air...

Great news! Warmest congratulations to you. It's so inspiring to read stories like that, really wonderful. Good luck.
Nadia
http://www.myspace.com/nadiacripps
http://nadia_christine.podomatic.com/
http://www.showcaseyourmusic.com/nlcripps

Update time...

Took another lunch with the Producer....Man, I jes' LUV sayin' "Took a lunch"...:-)....Got it all on paper this time with breakdowns and details, time-lines and reversion clauses & other lawyerly stuff...

And Julian? "Walking on air" aptly describes the 14 block stroll through downtown afterwards to get to my monthly Writer's Meet-Up. Almost got arrested a coupla times for asking perfectly cute perfect strangers to "Pinch me! Please pinch me to make sure I'm not dreamin'"

Casting begins this week....Principal Photography in June...I'll skip the blow by blows, but will keep ya'll updated because you have no idea how much your support and good wishes mean.

Midnite

Congrats Bob! I just saw this.. sorry for the belated congrats.

let's us know when we can see it! = )

Brian

Bob
Congrats!!!! Storytellers are the power movers in the digital world. Keep it up.

Lynman

Hi Bob

Terrific news ! - Hopefully you'll let us know when it hits for public viewing- I hope also it's the first of Many

Hi Bob,

I'll be waiting for the "NOW! AT A THEATER NEAR YOU!" Until then, many congrats to you.

Ricki

Criminy! I can breath again...

I hadn't heard from the Director/Producer since he went to Miami for an independent film fest three weeks ago...Sent him a coupla e-mails politely asking for an update...Got nothing in reply.

Until he called me yesterday afternoon saying he was worried that I was backing out because I hadn't responded to any of his e-mails. Which, it seems, all went into my Spam File.

We got together for dinner last night, and I must admit, that the less evolved part of me took a little satisfaction in hearing about the bit of anxiety he was going through, since they'd already put out the casting calls and had filmed a coupla "establishing shots" while the cherry blossoms were in bloom.

Nice to see someone else wearing the anxiety shoe for a change:-)

I'm not a real forceful type of person, but if I learned anything with this last episode, it's to not trust the nefariousness of the internet for all your communications needs, and to maybe pick up the phone every now and then...

Midnite

Bob, i'm late chiming in but man i'm excited for You. i hope they do what You've written justice. congratulations, i admire what You've accomplished and the fact You did it on assignment is even more impressive. would love to read that script someday. cheers...moker

Thanks Moker!

Actually, I wrote it purely on "spec", and it was during the marketing phase that a local producer stumbled on to it.

To be honest, it may not be the best thing I've ever written, but it just happened to be the right kind of story, with the right kind of cast and setting for what he was looking for...One of those Timing Thangs:-)

As an added bonus, Tampa Stan pm'd me, and at my request, he and Doug Dude got together and wrote a song that an actor will be singing, at least the chorus, in one of the scenes...So that's kinda Kewl too.

Updates as necessary, until ya'll are sick of hearing about it...& yeah, make no mistake, I'll let everyone know when & where they can eventually see it:-)

Midnite

Wanted to add that me I just put a melody to it and presented a simple demo. Stan wrote the lyric and it is one of his fun ones.

Good Luck with the project and as a note of interest you and my son as well have inspired me to do one of the things I wanted to do, "AND THANKS TO MODERN INVENTIONS, aka FINAL DRAFT 7 I HAVE BEGUN."

I have begun working on an original script of an idea that came to me, and never left, some years back AND I, who has always been a great Tarzan fan (and to date have never seen a great Tarzan flick)have begun adapting a series of comics into a script format. (Already have Part One completed, 24 pages and I am eight pages in of Part Two.)

Oh! Ya. And having a blast.

Thanks again Midnight.

Douglas

Heya Doug,

Fun, ain't it?

I won't try to slow down yer progress by asking about silly things like adaptation "rights":-)....Instead, I'll say that adapting existing works with a built in fan base, be they novels, comics, childrens' books, whatever, seems to be one of the best ways to go these days to get H'Wood's attention.

Midnite

Once done I will worry about and learn about that aspect of the business. Right now it is the experience and the satisfaction of seing it come to life.

Have a good one.

Go, Bob!! Congratulations!

Emily

One word for you:

COOL!

Awesome!

Update time.

First off, Thanks again Folks!!!

They just finished the first round of auditions, 150 actors in 4 days...Lotta talent, a lotta dregs....And here I thought open-mics were tough, but to see these people com in and give it their all for a small paying part...Sheesh!!

And we finished off on a surreal note. The film is semi-autobiographical(it involves four songwriters and a dying girl), and I was one of the original co-writers. On Wednesday, one of the other writers was visiting from Tennessee and got the chance to sit in on the auditions. We sat together in the back and giggled over who would be chosen to play us.

After all the actors had finished, the Director forced us to audition in a scene playing ourselves(because when else would we ever get the chance to do THAT?:-)

<sigh> We didn't get the parts <sigh>...."Sorry", the Director said. "I just don't see you as you."

Midnite

<sigh> We didn't get the parts <sigh>...."Sorry", the Director said. "I just don't see you as you."


Bob, I can totally relate to that! LOL! Congrats on the fun project.

Another update.

We just finished the call back auditions, and girl-0-boy is there a lot of talent out there. We found one actress, who plays a young grandmother, who was in two different films last year. One made it to Sundance and the other made it to Cannes.

There was a lot of, umm, discussion, regarding which actor was best for each part, but all in all, I'm pretty happy with the decisions.

And here's a name to remember...Miss Emma Lyle...She's 5 years old, and you'd be hard pressed to find a cuter, and more talented, charmer...The Kid can flat out ACT!!...The adults auditioning with her would just shake their heads and say "I can't compete with this."...I now understand what W.C. Fields meant.

Principal photography starts as soon as school's out. For now, I'm busy with adjusting the rewrites and scouting some locations, which is why I haven't been hanging out here much.

And thanks again for your support...I'll be putting little trailers up for viewing as they come along.

Midnite

Congratulations man!! Best of luck to ya

LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION!!!

They started actual filming last week in the DC area. As I write this, the director is now in Nashville with an actor and a 1989 GMC pick up truck they bought there this afternoon and are tooling around town filming as much as they can.

So if anyone sees a Camry driving real slow with a camera or two mounted and aimed at an old GMC, give 'em a wave & tell 'em Midnite says "Hey!"

Midnite

Hi Bob...You have got to be so excited seeing the filming start.
and the young actress...5? ..And the part she would be playing
...seems like it would require a maturity way beyond that?..
It just sounds like such a worthy project.

The little girl story I've been following...for over 6 months..
(Rosalee with leukemia)is nearing an end...unfortunately....but what a fighter!.. She's defied odds...for so long. She was making efforts to play even as of last week and was getting wagon rides through the hospital hallway..but. They've upped the morphine now though..and I guess short of a miracle... ..I'm just dreading getting that email....

****
Anyways, your film getting underway is just wonderful.
Congratulations, Bob.

best..wishes,
Kaley

Hi Kaley,

I feel for you. We had followed "our" little girl, Meghan's, battle with leukemia through the website Caringbridge. I don't know if Rosalee has a page there of her journey, but it is heart wrenching. We're sincerely hoping that as well as telling an entertaining story, the film might raise awareness a bit.

Meghan earned her Angel Wings at the age of 32 months, and last Thursday, the week filming started, would have been her 9th birthday. For her mother, the pain never goes away, but neither does the will to fight...The kids are ALL truly an inspiration.

Prayers for Rosalee & her family,

Midnite

...And apparently, if the phone call I just got is accurate, they continued filming ad-libbed scenes all night all up and down Music Row...It seems that if you go into a bar with a camera, a studley actor and a coupla technicians, then "smokin' hot babes" throw their bodies at you and bartenders lay down an unending string of drinks.

I guess that so many music videos & such are filmed there, that the whole town welcomes you with open arms. Dayum! Wish I'd made the trip. But noooo, the scenes I'm involved with helping on all take place at an abandoned farm house with no power or running water, that we're remodeling room by room as we go along.

Gotta plan better next time...

Midnite

Hey Midnite,

Tsk, tsk, tsk..... Ya won't do that again huh ? Babes and free drinks ? Wattya think you are ? A scipt writer or something ? LOL. Next time mate, you'll be sure to "be on hand for any quick re-writes that need attending to " . I know what I'd like to be attending to. Good luck. Keep us posted.

cheers, niteshift

Tell me about it 'Shift!

I would be negligent, if I didn't cut & paste the e-mail I received from my friend in Nashville who volunteered to guide the director, cinematographer & actor (the KJack character referred to) around town to try and get the most out of a day & a half of filming.

To the entire city of Nashville, from the cast & crew of The Shoebox....THANKS!!!!!

Here's the report from Jerry:

"...If I had to sum up the last 2 days in Nashville, several words & phrases come to
mind:Incredible fun, long hours, girls, props, NO sleep, 100's of on-lookers,
action, girls, free beer, gracious business owner's, free shots, very forgiving
police, cell phones, phone numbers, girls, partying, heavy equipment, many
shooting locations, being treated like rockstars (esp. KJack), girls, unexpected
Xtras added to the film (including myself), great acting, audio technitions
(your's truly), what Jose called "our first blooper", girls, girls, girls.

It is amazing at all the little details that are necessary to bring something
like this together that I never even thought of. There is an incredible amount
of thought and planning that goes into something like this; and the rest is
figured out on the spot. We attached a camera to the roof of my car while we
did driving shots of the city. I became aware of just how busy an audio tech
and an overall gopher can be in a movie.

Virtually every business owner welcomed us with open arms when it came to
shooting scenes inside or outside of their establishments. We were granted
access to the roof of a 6 story building to get overhead shots of the city and
KJack walking around. We did multiple takes / angles of every shot... ground
level, up on a ladder, from the left, right, center, ect...

We made illegal U-turns in the middle of Broadway (the main drag) during
prime-time traffic hours & right in front of the police, without any incident
whatsoever.

I took at least 100 pictures that I will go through and post in the next couple
of days. There REALLY is a movie going on here! And the last 2 days validated
the fact that I live in one of the friendliest places in the country and a place
I'm happy to call home.

Now, did I mention all the HOT girls ??????

I think I can finally get some rest...."


Yeah, great Jerry, glad you weren't too bored.

Midnite

Hehehehe....

Sounds like they had a blast. That one definitly goes down in the "things I must not miss out on again" notebook.

If you need anyone to jot down all those numbers, just holler. I work cheap, especially for beers and girls. LOL

cheers, niteshift

Figured it was time to update.

First, we've reached the half way mark of filming, but since most of the scenes we've shot involved the children, it's more like 75% of actual shooting time.

But more important, and this is a HUGE WHOO HOO!!!...We just received the official endorsement of CaringBridge.org. I've been swapping e-mails with their Media Relations Specialist, and after requesting and reading the script, she wrote us a letter of introduction and endorsement.

CaringBridge is a non-profit website where anyone and their families who've been touched by Leukemia/Cancer can set up their own website to track their Journey.

Since the story is based on strangers who began following a little girl's Journey on CaringBridge, and because it's such a delicate subject, I wanted to make sure that we were handling it with the care and respect that it deserves.

Sooo...We'll be putting a link to CaringBridge on the Home Page of our, coming soon, website, and CaringBridge will return the favor...I won't deny that this will greatly enhance our word of mouth, but waayyy beyond that, it means that we must be doing something right.

Midnite

A big Congrats to you:) Best of Luck with all of it!