Ready for the Journey

Last week, I saw a rough cut of The Watermelon and we shot some minor scenes that needed to be dropped in, like Jolene's cameo as the lead's blind date.

I was very pleased by what I saw. My opinion is biased, of course, but I think we have a good movie here.

As I watched, all I could think of was the past...remembering how this script...such as the night I came up with the idea, in Encinitas, at Liv Kellgren's house. We are walking to the bar on Highyway 101, three blocks away. I talked about the idea at the bar. Liv just smiled, probably thinking I would never write it. I was in her bed that night, her dog Mimi at our feet, her daughter at her ex-husband's house; I couldn't sleep, I could only think of this script, this movie...

I remembered sitting on the floor, at 3 a.m, mid-April 2005, franticlly finishing the script so I could give it to Liv at the airpor, before she went to Las Vegas and I went to Seattle to teach at a writing conference. I wanted to show her, prove to her, I could write a screenplay, one that would start our carers as independent filmmakers.

I remembered showing it around Los Angeles, having no idea how I would sell it or get it made. Several actors and low-levels producers said they loved it. A major studio producer had coverage done on it; the report said, "Wonderful writing, but no commercial potential."

I remembered optioning it to LightSong Filsm, alone, now that Liv and I were not speaking. I had no one to celebrate with. What was there to celebrate, anyway...

I remembered all the ups and down, the crazy people who came into the project and made a mess of things,. the investor who backed out, the woukd-be players who b.s.'ed us. It was supposed to have started shooting January 2007, but it was July 9, 2007 when first day of shooting began.

This morning, I was informed that a suitable rough cut was ready to make the deadlin for the Sundance Film Festival.

I though, Finally, here we go.

Two years.

And the journey has only started. The biggest hurdle was hurdled -- the film was shot. Now we have to show t, sell it, find an audience, maybe make some money.

There is still a long road ahead on this...

I began this blog fifteen months ago. It is a curious thing to go back and read the entries. I see the patterns. I see what worked, and what was broken. I wish I had the answers but now I have more questions.