Every Night

Every night, once I’ve closed my eyes to sleep, I start telling myself a story. It’s usually one or two that I’ve been sorting out during the day or from previous weeks. For the most part, I just let it bubble up from my subconscious. I try not to analyze things like shot angles, color palettes, costumes, lighting, etc., because it’s already there in the story and if I work too hard thinking about it, I’m taken out of it. So I drift into a different world, where the characters from my imagination, seem to desperately want to tell me something important. Something that is pivotal in their lives. They lead me into dreams, they have adventures, and they become real. As real as you and me.
One day I will bring them and their story to life for everyone to see, and I hope I will tell it truthfully, and beautifully, and I will not disappoint them.

Summer Time

Summer Time

Two weeks left of summer. Two little, they-will-fly-by-in-a-heartbeat, weeks. As usual, there wasn’t enough time from the end of one school year, to the beginning of the next school year, to hurry up and relax. (But “not enough time” is a daily problem, so I shouldn’t be surprised that it’s a seasonal problem.)
I did get a few things done this summer though, which I’m very happy about – I finished the application for the Texas Film Makers Fund and hopefully I’ll get some grant money. I wrapped up my short film Eulogy Maker and it’s now been submitted to 14 film festivals and counting (hence the need for some grant money!), I took the kids to Europe and showed them some sights and visited with special friends whom I love dearly. I worked on the house and we finally replaced our truck that had been totaled.

Which leaves me now with only two weeks left of summer, a craving for Nutella crapes, missing my German friends, need to hurry for back-to-school supplies/clothes/etc., for the kids, and the realization that I didn’t finish any of my scripts.

So I didn’t get to relax, but let’s face it - for me, relaxing is stressful. Which means it’s been a great summer!!

kinda getting a little tired

I don’t mean to sound like I’m complaining, but I’m getting tired of not quite being done with the film. It’s getting so that I cringe when someone asks me how it’s going and I reply that it’s almost done, and then I realize I told them the same thing a 3 months ago. This film making stuff is so complicated and it takes so loooong. Don’t get me wrong - I love writing, the excitement of getting ready for the shoot , the thrill of being on set, seeing it put together in editing and then finally having it come together in post with music, sound mixing and color correction. But I’m really getting tired of it taking week after week, month after month, to get done. Of course this is what happens when you don’t have studio money, and your thankful for any and everything that people will do. (I am so very thankful!!!)
Please, oh please little film, please be done soon. Please be done in time for me to submit it to the Austin Film Festival. Please be done, so that I can finally stop worrying about it and thinking about it and hoping it will turn out as beautiful as I know it can be. And most importantly, please be done so I can start this crazy, exciting process all over again!!

Picture Lock for Eulogy Maker

Every Sunday for the past two months, my producer Nancy Gresham, and I have sat down in my office for eight to ten hours to edit my short film Eulogy Maker. Since the film is only about five minutes, that means we’ve spent between 10 and 15 hours on editing for each minute. O.K. so there were a few hours in there were we grabbed dinner downstairs, or chatted about wonderful silly girl stuff, but even if it’s on the low side, say 10 hours a minute, that’s still a huge amount of time. But it’s all good! We went through each shot and every bit of footage with a fine tooth comb. We moved scenes around, shaved frames here and there, looked for just the right expression or turn of the head, or which foot is taking a step and then looked through it again. We scrutinized and even agonized over every little thing. Was a cut away necessary or just in because it was a beautiful shot? Should the walking scene go here or there. What about the house shot, what about the pacing? When we had something to show, we would send it to our friends for comments and start all over again the next Sunday.

To put it mildly, editing Eulogy Maker has been an eye opener in efficiency. A shot can be unbelievably beautiful, but if it doesn’t move the story forward, it shouldn’t be in there. Everything must support the story and everything is story. Editing has also been a lesson in tough love. Nothing quite like cutting a cherished shot. (Who knew editing could be so heart breaking! )

So I am happy to announce that I’ve finally reached picture lock. It looks great and I’m thrilled and proud of it. I really love this little film and it’s starting to show through.

NINJA JAMES AND THE BEAST BOY

If you happen to be in Harrisburg, PA, check out the screening of Ninja James and the Beast Boy at the Artsfest Film Festival, Saturday May 29th at 1pm.

Patience

I wish my film was done and ready to be sent out, but it’s not. I’m still editing and even after that, it needs to go back to different folks for titles and credits, color correction, original music and sound editing. I realize now, that I was terribly naive to think that I understood film making enough to complete this one in a few months. I knew I would need a good story(check), talented crew and actors (check, check), beautiful location (check), and commitment to the project (check!), but I didn’t realize it would take so much time and I’d need so much patience! (nada, zip, zilch).

Fortunately though, when I’ve committed to a project, I’m stubborn enough to see it through to the end no matter what. But I’m also really lucky, in that there are folks in my life, that are pulling for me. They are there with words of encouragement to finish this film, to keep on acting and writing, to make more films … They pull me out of the details and show me the big picture.

Thanks!!

Good, Bad and Bitchy

Just can’t seem to get going on my blog these days (or I should say these weeks).

I’m getting a website, biz cards etc with links to this blog and I’m supposed to report happy, cheerful news and blog about how my filmmaking and actress career are going great. But that’s not what I do - I blog about what’s going on in my life, the funny and sad and I throw in some complaining every now and then. It’s who I am and this blog is a very simple extension of … well, me. The good, the bad and the bitchy.

So here is some of all of that:

Bitchy Part : Everything is going in super slow motion. For a person who would rather be traveling at 90 miles an hour, 6 days a week (7^th day is rest ya know), this lack of momentum feels more like suffocation.

Bad Part: I have decided to be selfish and put my needs as a film maker ahead of other family members. Hence the pile of dishes, laundry, still unrepaired crack in the ceiling, unpaid bills and no food in the fridge.

Good Part: Little by little, I am learning and making films. By not allowing frustration to deter my ambitions, I am currently working on three short screenplays, and my last short film is nearing it’s completion date. I’m working with creative, giving, positive people and ultimately I’m grateful to not be dealing with cancer, so that I can hold and play and laugh with my children, and focus on living a creative life.

grrr.

I had planned to shoot my next film in May, but I’m not ready and May is just around the corner. Once again time snuck up on me. I know I’ve been really busy - Making Spring Break plans and submitting Ninja James and the Beast Boy to film festivals, and working with my kids on their projects and driving them places, and working on Eulogy Maker in post and researching cars to replace our old decrepit wheezing ford explorer (plus doing a hell of a lot of daydreaming about making films and acting and working on a set!). But I wasn’t working on my screenplay. Grrr. enough whining, I need to get writing!!!

EULOGY MAKER

Here's the opening shot from my short film Eulogy Maker. The photo is a little stretched, but you get an idea of the look and feel of the film.
I'm really proud of the way it's coming together and I can't wait until it's finished and sent out into the world.
Just a few more weeks of editing...

Copies ready for you!!

Cast and Crew and Everyone who helped in the making of Ninja James and the Beast Boy,

Thank you so much for all of your hard work, effort and patience. We greatly appreciate everything you did to help put this film together!!

We now have copies available for everyone(!!), and they are ready to be picked up or if you're out of town, I can get it to you snail mail.

Let me know (email me or leave a reply here) and I’ll get back with you. J

THANKS!!!!

!!!YEAH!!!

Leslie