Budget, Casting and a Package

OK, many moons ago, I posted about this indie film I'm producing (make it already, right?). Well, I'm in a little crunch period with producing chores falling from the sky like snow to bury me. I recently found out that a dear friend (which in Hollywood terms means I'll return every call no matter the hour or my friend's employment status) has started packaging indie films at the Big Three Agency where (s)he works. Yippee!! At the very least I can get some idea of what the landscape is for my little movie, and at the best (in my wildest lazy-ass-I-just-want-to-stay-home-and-write dreams) it means I'll have a one-stop shop to put my movie together and the person helping me already has a vested interest in being honest and getting me good actors and a good deal.

Also, a kick-ass line producer has agreed to do a budget for me and Saturday I'm meeting with my casting director of choice who is excited that I'm excited. :-)

All of this to say, I have no idea how it will affect my blogging, since I'm known to retreat to the internet for procrastination....

*sigh*

Hopefully, my little movie will get made, I'll get a little bread for my butter, and then I'll find a writer for my book adaptation a/k/a The Project That Would Not Die! Yeah, I got high hopes, brother. Believe it.

In other news, I'm getting strong feedback on the short film I wrote, but the questions people had really surprised me. That's why you give it out, right? No one can think of everything, not even me. Damn it. OK, I actually am much better at taking notes than I used to be (I read super close, so it irks the shit out of me when others don't and ask questions like, "So this Vic Mackey guy is really unsympathetic. Honestly, no one will want to watch this guy" or worse "Where are they? Crash-landed on an island? Oh! Oh, I thought they were in Australia still...."). I'm slowly learning to enjoy the process as a way to speculate about the what if's and the could've's with someone else -- like running two systems in parallel to get more operating memory....

And finally, I officially finished DRAFT ONE of my feature spec. I'm in a finishing frame of mind right now, so I'm immediately starting a draft of a TV spec I'd put down when this producing stuff picked up, and I have another short film I need to polish that's hopefully shooting in the next month. After that, another draft of my spec feature, the 2nd hundred pages in my fiction book, and the first draft of my second spec feature. By the time I'm on set in my de-luxe producer's trailer *snark* I should be sitting pretty with at least 3-4 usuable samples for TV and feature writing work.... That's the plan anyway. And you know I love to plan....