Our Geek Culture "First Times"

We thought it’d be fun to let you guys get to know our contributors a little bit better by exploring their first loves of genre fiction and geekdom:

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ADAM PETREY, Writer & Director

First Comic Book: Spider-Man

First Movie That Inspired You to Create Art: Magnolia

First Video Game Console: PS2

First CD Purchased With Your Own Money: Dance or Die - Family Force 5

First Movie That Made You Cry: Bridge to Terabithia

First Song You Slow Danced To: Some Taylor Swift song

First Book Series You Fell In Love With: Hardy Boys

First Piece of Media You Loved That Wasn't Introduced to You By Your Parents: Spy Kids 3-D

ALEX OAKLEY - Actor, Podcaster

First Comic Book: a Calvin & Hobbes Comic Anthology

First Movie That Inspired You to Create Art: Miyazaki’s Spirited Away

First Video Game Console: Gameboy Advance (purple see-through plastic)

First CD Purchased With Your Own Money: Flood - They Might Be Giants

First Movie That Made You Cry: Old Yeller

First Song You Slow Danced To: Oh gosh, I can’t remember last week, let alone my first High School dance

First Book Series You Fell In Love With: Guardians of Ga’Hoole by Kathryn Lasky

First Piece of Media You Loved That Wasn't Introduced to You By Your Parents: The works of Stephen King

CK LOVE, Screenwriter & Content creator

First Comic Book: Batman - but the graphic novel that made me want to make art was Dave McKean's/Neil Gaiman's - Mr. Punch

First Movie That Inspired You to Create Art: Polanski's Knife in the Water

First Video Game Console: I went to arcades / played lots of CDRom games, ie. MYST.

First CD Purchased With Your Own Money: Don't remember

First Movie That Made You Cry: Moonlight and Valentino

First Song You Slow Danced To: Don't remember

First Book Series You Fell In Love With: Yukio Mishima's tetralogy, The Sea of Fertility.

First Piece of Media You Loved That Wasn't Introduced to You By Your Parents: Giacometti's sculpture Walking Man or Motherwell's painting At Five In The Afternoon or George Bernard Shaw's play Heartbreak House

COLBY MCHUGH, Writer & Podcaster

First Comic Book: Batman and The Outsiders Annual #1. I have such a distinct memory of walking into The Book Nook in Lilburn, Georgia for the first time. I couldn't have been older than about ten or so, and I was blown away by the hundreds and hundreds of old comic books that sat in long boxes all over the store. I probably spent an hour flipping through each of them, searching for the special one that called out to me.

First Movie That Inspired Me To Create Ar: Blair Witch Project It was the first time that I watched a movie and thought, "I could do that."

First Video Game Console:- It would have to be the Game Boy Pocket I was given for Christmas one year when I was around 6 or 7.

First CD Purchased With My Own Money: Hopes and Fears by Keane.

First Movie That Made Me Cry: Emotions have never been something I've been comfortable with, especially my own. Given that, it took a while for a movie to actually make me shed tears. That movie was The Road, the Viggo Mortenson film based on the Cormac McCarthey novel of the same name.

First Song I Slow Danced To: Edwin McCain's I'll Be

First Book Series I Fell In Love With: I'm sure the typical answer for many people around my age would be the Harry Potter series. I, however, wasn't allowed to read Harry Potter, which was (and still is) a large point of contention between me and my parents. The series that really captured my attention growing up was Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.

First Piece of Media You Loved That Wasn't Introduced to You By Your Parents: Luckily, having three older siblings, all of which have great taste, was very helpful. They introduced me to what is still to this day my favorite band: Jump, Little Children

HUDSON PHILLIPS, Writer & Producer

First Comic Book: New Warriors # 1

First Movie That Inspired You to Create Art: Pump Up the Volume

First Video Game Console: Original Nintendo

First CD Purchased With Your Own Money: Simpsons Sing the Blues.

First Movie That Made You Cry: Planes, Trains, & Automobiles

First Song You Slow Danced To: Earth Angel

First Book Series You Fell In Love With: Not counting comics, I think I’d have to say Narnia.

First Piece of Media You Loved That Wasn't Introduced to You By Your Parents: Anything Shel Silverstein - in Kindergarten.I felt like Silverstein introduced me to so much - poetry, comedy, art, comics, and very scary headshots.

JACOB YORK, Writer & Actor

First Comic Book: Web of Spider-Man 31. Part 1 of Kraven's Last Hunt.

First Movie That Inspired You to Create Art: I always knew that I wanted to be an actor from when I was a CHILD, but the first time I really, truly recognized writing in a film was The Big Lebowski. Every time I watch it, I see something new. It's a towering work.

First Video Game Console: Nintendo Entertainment System, but I really came into my own on the SNES.

First CD Purchased With Your Own Money: It was a tape, thank you very much, but it was ABSOLUTELY Snow: 12 Inches of Snow. You may remember Informer, but Lady with the Red Dress On was my jam.

First Movie That Made You Cry: I vaguely remember having a really strong emotional reaction to Dumbo. Baby Mine still makes me cry.

First Song You Slow Danced To: Maybe Save the Best for Last by Vanessa Williams? That's a pull.

First Book Series You Fell In Love With: I AM A G O O S E B U M P S B O I.

First Piece of Media You Loved That Wasn't Introduced to You By Your Parents: MC Hammer was my first favorite artist that wasn't my parents' favorite artist. In so many respects, I can see their influence, but hip hop (even something that is very poppy like MC Hammer) just hit my generation like a lightning bolt.

JORDAN NOEL, Director & Editor

First Comic Book: The only comics I ever really read were Punisher and Punisher War Zone. I have no idea what issue — my dad sold all that in a garage sale when I was in college. It’s ok, I’m not mad.

First Movie That Inspired You to Create Art: Ernest Goes To Jail. Just kidding, I have no idea. Or am I kidding?

First Video Game Console: The original Nintendo Entertainment System as a Christmas gift from Grandma in 1986. She came over every day and played it. She was much, much better than me.

First CD Purchased With Your Own Money: The first one I remember going into a store by myself to purchase with my own money was Music Box by Mariah Carey. I peaked at 12 years old.

First Movie That Made You Cry: Edward Scissorhands with my mom on a sick day home from school. I was embarrassed then, I’m not now.

First Song You Slow Danced To: Almost definitely The First Time by Surface. I begged my mom to buy me the cassingle for most of 1990. She finally did and I still know every word.

First Book Series You Fell In Love With: - Fell in love, like REAL love? Orson Scott Card’s Ender/Shadow series. No question.  

First Piece of Media You Loved That Wasn't Introduced to You By Your Parents: - 1991 album by Vengeance Rising called Destruction Comes on cassette. I was 10 and it radically expanded my mind.

MONICA BEARD, Podcaster & Marketer

First Comic Book: Matt Fraction's Hawkeye

First Movie That Inspired You to Create Art: I rewrote the end of Bridge to Terabithia after I saw it for the first time

First Video Game Console: Playstation 2

First CD Purchased With Your Own Money: Destiny's Child: Survivor

First Movie That Made You Cry: Not a big crier at movies

First Song You Slow Danced To: I don't do anything slow, baby

First Book Series You Fell In Love With: Um, the Magic Tree House books just like everyone else

First Piece of Media You Loved That Wasn't Introduced to You By Your Parents: Jurassic Park, the true love of my life

PETER STEAD, Screenwriter

First Comic Book: The Beano

First Movie That Inspired You to Create Art: Probably Return of the Jedi

First Video Game Console: PS2

First CD Purchased With Your Own Money: I don’t remember first but I love David Bowie’s Buddha of Suburbia Soundtrack

First Movie That Made You Cry: The Snowman (the Animated Raymond Briggs short)

First Song You Slow Danced To: Probably Jennifer Rush The Power of Love

First Book Series You Fell In Love With: All Creatures Great and Small, James Herriot. For a while, I wanted to be a Vet. But really, it made me want to be a Writer.

First Piece of Media You Loved That Wasn't Introduced to You By Your Parents: I’m going to say the internet

PROFOUND CLARKE, Writer

First Comic Book: We didn't have a lot of money, so I read in stores and bought playing cards mostly. The first comic I remember really having was The Crow Graphic Novel. I was obsessed with the Infinity War comics back then, remembering the cards connected to it.

First Movie That Inspired You to Create Art: Pulp Fiction

First Video Game Console: SNES

First CD Purchased With Your Own Money: Rage Against the Machine - Guerrilla Radio

First Movie That Made You Cry: Can't remember what movie. I do remember being very emotional watching a sequence towards the end of the anime series Robotech.

First Song You Slow Danced To: I would be making this up. Definitely do not remember.

First Book Series You Fell In Love With: Dragon's Blood by Jane Yolen

First Piece of Media You Loved That Wasn't Introduced to You By Your Parents: My brother introduced me to everything. Monty Python's Flying Circus when I was 6 or 7 is a good example of this.

SABINA GIADO, Filmmaker

First Comic Book: I've never actually owned a comic book. But the first comic book that affected me was the Bane arc in the Batman series.

First Movie That Inspired You to Create Art:  Edward Scissorhands. It was the first time I saw the hand of the director, if that makes sense.

First Video Game Console:  Way, way, way, way, WAY back in the day, my family likely owned an Atari. But we've been all PC since then.

First CD Purchased With Your Own Money:  I'm likely the saddest person contributing to your team. I've never bought a CD. And between Napster, Vevo and illegal downloading, I've never bought music with my own money either (ouch, I know)

First Movie That Made You Cry:  The Abyss.

First Song You Slow Danced To:  I really can't remember LOL. It was likely a) not at all romantic and b) something completely wrong for the moment like hip hop.

First Book Series You Fell In Love With: - Harry Potter at the age of 13 when I read Sorceror's Stone.

First Piece of Media You Loved That Wasn't Introduced to You By Your Parents:  Probably something introduced to me by my brothers then. And that was Snatch.

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Did any major piece of pop-culture for you get left out? Fill out the survey for yourself in the comments below!

Mirror Box Podcast Ep2 — Study Up: How to Start a Podcast

Monica Beard and Alex Oakley host a new monthly segment called "Study Up" where they'll take one topic surrounding our monthly theme, go out and explore it, and come back and report about what they learned. This week, they tell us how they started their first podcast, Shot for Shot, and the lessons they learned along the way that apply to anyone beginning a new creative endeavor. 

Now available on…

Anchor

Apple

Breaker

Google Podcasts

Overcast

Pocket Casts

RadioPublic

Spotify

The Director and Stars of This World Alone on Their First-time Feature Experience and What They Learned from Each Other

In addition to running this website, Mirror Box Films is a production company and the first film we made was called This World Alone. It’s a post-apocalyptic thriller about three women attempting to survive in a world without technology or power. We set out to explore both the beauty and horror that comes from that world as well as how it affects the mother/daughter story at the heart of the film.

As the writer and producer of the film, one of the more fascinating pieces that was so foreign to me was that of the relationship between director and actor. So, since we’re talking about BEGINNINGS this month, I thought it’d be a great idea to sit down with first-time feature director, Jordan Noel, and first-time feature stars Belle Adams (“Sam” in the film) and Re Roach (“Dart”) all about their experiences working with each other for the first time.

Jordan, This World Alone was your first feature as a director. What was your journey like leading up to that?

JORDAN: After we made our first short film in 2011, Rooney’s World, our sights were set on making a feature. We actively developed several scripts but nothing really materialized until spring of 2017 when Hudson Phillips sent me a script for a short film that I loved. He then told me it was part of a feature script idea and my immediate response was “this is it, let’s shoot the feature this summer”. He quickly busted out the first draft for the full feature and we were off to the races. I believe he started writing the feature in May 2017 and we were on set and in production in late July shooting the movie. While it was certainly harrowing - we also moved so rapidly from conception to execution that there was no time to stop and say, “Oh $%#&, what are we doing?!” It was a really fun and exciting ride.

Re and Belle, what about you guys as actors?

RE: At that time I had just come back from New York, for school. I finished working on two shows at the Alliance Theatre and preparing for or working on a show at Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company.  Hudson messaged me on Facebook inviting me to read for some characters on a project he was working on at his house. At first, I was going to ignore the message and move on, because I didn't know him and I thought maybe he got the wrong person, but he knew someone in the cast. I made that leap of faith and attended the reading. Then I was invited back for the This World Alone reading later on in the year, and next thing you know, I'm sending in a self-taped audition one morning and got the job either the same day or the next day.

BELLE: I have known since I was a little kid that I wanted to be an actor so I just gunned for it. I studied theatre performance in college, graduated a year early, then made my way up to Los Angeles and things just started to fall into place. I started auditioning, had some network TV success, and in the process of all of that I met the crew that offered me the part of Sam in This World Alone. If I had to boil it down I'd say my journey was surreal and unexpected. It's interesting. I have always wanted to be a professional actor, so I kept my focus on working towards that, but never actually had the expectation that I would get there until I looked up and saw where I was.

Had you always known you wanted to be an actor / director?

RE: No. I didn't know that you could pursue acting as a career until I was in middle school. I wanted to be a Marine Biologist until I saw how much math was required, and I soon realized that I was not a fan of the Orca's and Dolphin's that swam up to me at Seaworld when I was in elementary school.

JORDAN: Not specifically, no. I had no concept of me as a director even being a possibility growing up. My family didn’t even have a tv, much less a camcorder. I loved movies but never ever imagined I’d be in a position to direct one myself. But life is strange and here we are. If I look back at some of my artistic endeavors through my 20s it starts to make a lot more sense and much of it points to a hidden desire to direct.

BELLE: For the most part, yeah. When I was a kid I tried all the things. The way I remember it my parents threw all kinds of activities and sports at the Belle wall. I played basketball, soccer, was a cheerleader, figure skated, danced, did gymnastics, karate, you name it I probably did it. Then at the end of each of those classes, sport seasons, whatever it was, Mom and Dad would ask if I wanted to continue on. Each time was an easy, confident "no". Then I did my first musical. I was Bagheera in The Jungle Book. I'm sure you can guess what I said at the closing of the show when the question "want to keep doing this?" was asked. I was all in and have been ever since.

How did you get started?

BELLE: Well, it was that first musical that really got me HOOKED. But before that, as a little one,  I had been in commercials and on Cartoon Network. Though, at age 6, that mostly felt like playtime. Theatre was really where I first fell head over heels for acting.

JORDAN: I got my first DV camcorder in my early 20s when I started touring a good bit with bands. I started documenting everything. Touring is an insane experience and a constant swirl of storytelling / story-making and story-witnessing. I just wanted to document it all so I could someday remember something of it. A few years later I taught myself to edit by creating a short travel documentary about an Italian romp in 2006 with Steven Grubbs (who wrote the ‘theme song’ for This World Alone). Then in 2010 a mis-sent email from a band manager to a band I was doing visual art for inspired a split-second decision to say that I would direct a music video for the band. In the following two years I directed 10 more music videos and our first short, Rooney’s World, which came about after a chance run-in with an old acquaintance, Hudson Phillips.

RE: I got my start in the church. But ever since I was little, I was always break-dancing, singing and reenacting movies with my action figures and other toys I could find around the house, along with my brother, who wasn't too far behind. I attended a big church when I was little and did a small role in the middle of Marietta Square during the Juneteenth Festival, and then, the drama ministry I was involved in gave me the lead role in their annual Christmas play. I was hooked ever since, and the rest is history.

What was the biggest lesson you learned on your first feature?

BELLE: I learned that in this industry, the final product is not the experience. I had such a rich experience working on TWA and that will never change no matter how the movie in its finality is received. I believe maintaining focus on process and growth is one of the most valuable lessons I learned after being on TWA.

RE: RELAX!!! Since This World Alone was my very first feature, I was everything but relaxed. I was excited, scared, and anxious all at the same time.

JORDAN: I learned so much about myself personally - it ended up being a real, inward emotional and spiritual journey in which I came out the other side hardly recognizing myself. This was a good thing. A shedding of callouses and walls and protective shell I hadn’t even known I’d built up in my adulthood. So I’d argue that the personal transformative lesson was probably the biggest but that’s probably not really what you’re asking so I’ll give a professional answer as well: working with actors. These two lessons are deeply intertwined. I essentially got a step closer to figuring out my directing style and process and what that can look like, how I can approach it. Just like any good story, I think directing has an arc of its own. I’m only at the very beginning of that trek and with every step forward the broader and deeper and more expansive the road ahead becomes.

What did you guys learn from working with Jordan?

BELLE: I learned what a real relationship with a director looked and felt like. Being open and honest about my own process and needs as an actor was a breeze with Jordan. He gave space and presence for that kind of collaboration.

RE: Trust. On set I was asking him a question or maybe explaining to him where I was a little stuck in a scene. Jordan walks over and tells me that he completely trust me and my choice. He not only believed in me and trusted me artistically he caused me to shift my thoughts and look within myself. Trust your talent, believe in your choices.

What did you guys learn from working with Belle?

RE: Have FUN! The cast and crew for This World Alone were phenomenal! But when I was acting across from Belle in a scene, she was so calm, open and she was having a blast. Meanwhile, I was rehearsing lines in my head that I already knew and taking everything so seriously. But once I saw Belle enjoying the process, I slowly started getting out of my head and enjoy the process as well. One of my favorite behind-the-scenes moments was when we were making the montage sequence in the church. We were so exhausted that day it was laughable. And in that montage, we're doing nothing but laughing at each other.

JORDAN: How much time do you have?  First off, Belle is brilliant which makes learning from her all the easier. I think the most crucial learning specifically with Belle was about trust. Collaboration is all about trust in any venture but because of the subject matter and the emotional themes we were exploring, complete trust was required. The work involved some serious vulnerability and at times painful empathy. Belle had to trust me to effectively support and love her in her work and I had to prove myself to be trustworthy and supportive. If an actor is willing to splay herself out emotionally then I must meet her there. I believe the bridge is trust.

What did you guys learn from working with Re?

JORDAN: Resilience, determination, diligence, willingness, drive, and the art of the positive mental attitude. Re is nothing short of inspiring. For starters, he’s a fantastic actor. Prepared, curious, and always asking great questions. Dart is a complex character with some very difficult and complicated emotional scenes. He’s my favorite character and also the most difficult to direct. On top of tackling the difficult complexities of the character, Re hates nature. Ha! That’s a bit of a over/mis-statement but he’s not at all into bugs or tall grass or thick woods. And yet, that’s where we were day after day. Re was always smiling and in great spirits. One of the days in the middle of a take in some tall grass a bug flew directly into his eye. He didn’t let it shake his resolve one bit. As soon as that little bugger got out of his eye he was ready to continue the work. His work ethic challenges me to attack the work tirelessly with a positive, encouraging, steadfast attitude.

BELLE: I learned to chill out, laugh and not take myself too seriously! Especially within our actual scene-work. It was easy to relinquish control after being on set with Re for a bit.

What advice would you give to young actors looking to break into film?

BELLE: Go for it only if you really believe you can't do another thing in this life that will satisfy you. Hold onto you. Work to improve, never to impress. Take your time and try not to sweat the small stuff. Recognize where you're at, and start from there. Comparison is the thief of joy! You're running a marathon, not a sprint, so enjoy it and take deep breaths.

RE: Honestly, since I'm still young and striving to break into film myself, I don't know what advice I can share. I will say, always be a student. Don't stop learning or wanting to learn more, about your craft and yourself.  Be nice, Be positive, treat others with respect, and be present. Also, enjoy and trust the journey you are on. I'm still working on that last part myself.

What about first-time directors?

JORDAN: Two things: (1) Do the work. It’s going to take a lot of time and a lot of sacrifice. Your friends/family will wonder where you’ve been. You’ve been doing the work. Keep doing the work! Slow and steady wins the race… but it requires that you just keep slogging away toward that finish line. You’re already doing the work… just keep doing it! (2) Find a champion of a filmmaking partner. You can’t do it alone. Or if by some miracle you can - you shouldn’t. Find someone that encourages and challenges you. Find someone to keep you accountable for doing the work. Have them also keep you artistically accountable. Making movies is insane enough without trying to go it alone. It’s really really hard. You’re gonna want someone on your side. Hudson Phillips is my champion… and hopefully I’m his. Sometimes I turn back and look at the footprints in the sand and only see Hudson’s.

Dawwwwww… thanks Jordan! You can find out more about This World Alone on our website or find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

How (and why) to Organise a Table Read for your Screenplay

So You’ve Begun Organising a Screenplay Table Read?

Firstly - great idea. Stepping away from your laptop-induced solitude and connecting with people is good for you in general. And you want to share your work with peers, get valuable feedback and highlight weaknesses and hearing it read aloud will do that in a way that simply reading it in your head can’t.

My table read journey

On the February 21st, the International Moving Image Society, whose Screenwriting Community I am the Leader for, hosted the winners of their Screenplay Table Read Competition “Out Loud” in London. It brought together stunning writing and acting talent for a magical night of varied writing styles and genres and the feedback we had from the audience and participants was very positive.

This event was also the culmination of my own journey as a Screenwriter and using table reads as a development tool. Some of my own table reads have been phenomenal and some have been what they call “learning experiences.”

So, based on this, here are some of my thoughts before you begin, to help you get the most out of the exercise:

What is your objective?

If you want to showcase it to the industry, then what you may need is something closer to a Rehearsed Reading – that’s a different thing to what we discuss here. If it is purely a development exercise, then a Table Read is indeed what you need, read on!

What is it?

Some types of writing do better than others in a Table Read format – if it’s lighthearted, certainly comedy, snappy dialogue-driven, light on the action description, then this will fare the best. Similarly, character-based drama will get actors really enthused.

However, if your script is not that type of writing, if it is a heavy tone, or contains lengthier action description - as in a thriller, or a fantasy world, or is mind-bendingly high concept, it might feel turgid no matter how good it actually is - simply because the Table Read format does not suit it. Don’t let that deter you from this exercise, just understand that Table Reads lend themselves more to some types of writing and not others.

Photos: Alastair Searles

Set the tone

Even if your writing is clearly of a darker nature, sometimes the energy of the occasion will kind of force it into a lighter, sometimes even silly tone, because when people gather, they naturally want to have a good time. Nothing wrong with people having a good time, but the focus needs to be primarily on work and highlighting flaws in the script with a forensic accuracy.

Therefore, make sure you give a good introduction to the Actors that includes the tone of the piece, and make sure you give each actor a good steer on the character.

I’ve made this mistake before – giving the actors as little possible because I felt that the type of material should really leap off the page and guide them. Maybe this was my ego. And sometimes I was right, they didn’t need guidance, but sometimes they really did. One time an Actor went off on such a wrong tack, that it undermined the whole exercise.

Is it part of a Writing Group?

An advantage of a writing group is it can give you access to a ready network of people who give great feedback. Unfortunately, it can also give you access to - *real talk now* - fellow writers who give derailing, self-indulgent or inaccurate feedback, including those who are actually working TV or film writers. In a group, you can’t decide who turns up to give this feedback, so if you have a group in mind, but they haven’t seemed sufficiently constructive in previous sessions, my advice is to move on to a different group or organise it yourself.

The other advantage of a writing group is that they have a ready set up location, which of course means the disadvantage is you don’t get to choose it. If it’s in a pub or restaurant, it puts it in a social occasion feeling and you may have to contend with all sorts of distractions and interruptions, such as people drinking or having the food they ordered delivered, or barman changing keg, (all of these have happened to me, best thing to do is laugh it off).

You might be better off organising it in a classroom-type venue, or even at someone’s house, if they can accommodate it.

Cost

Even if part of a group - so presumably no need to pay for the venue - the cost can be quite high. Even if you have people read the script from a tablet, you will have to have printed scripts on hand as back up. It also may be an unwritten rule you buy the Actors a drink. Last time I did this I spent £80, which starts getting very high. Factor this in from the beginning.

Photos: Alastair Searles

Casting

Obviously you’re going to cast those who can play the role the best, however, two things to consider:

The Narrator – many Actors won’t want to do this thankless role, or may be tempted to bring a “performance” to what should be a neutral-ish reading. You might better off with a non-Actor who is a good sight-reader. I had this experience with a Vampire script of mine where the Narrator happened to have a great, rich, Donald Sutherland-esque voice. This happy accident transformed what could have been an awkward Skype-read into a really positive experience.

Don’t read anything yourself, including the narrator, if you can possibly avoid it. You need to be sitting, listening, taking notes, making sure your iPhone is still recording it.

Some final suggestions

Read it straight through with no break – it is useful to note if people become restless and if it holds attention till the end, this will help demonstrate if the script has been “built” well. It can be gruelling, but is ultimately, very helpful.

And don’t trim the narrative for the purpose of the table read. Again, if there are editing opportunities, then a table read is a good way of highlighting these, don’t pre-empt where any cuts could be made because you want people to have a good time. This is about your script.

Conclusion

Take control. At one Table Read of one of my scripts, the only bad performance was from an actor who asked me to be in it. All of the other actors were ones I approached and they all gave great performances. That taught me that I have to take complete control of the whole process to get the most out of it, because if one element is wrong, performance, venue or whatever, then it can undermine the entire process.

And if you do have a negative experience with a table read, don’t let it, as a tool, deter you. Learn from it for next time, as I did in the lead up to the Table Read event I hosted for the International Moving Image Society.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the IMIS Screenwriting Community!

The First One: Ciara Bagnasco's Journey to Her First "Real Book"

We all start with the blank page. Every time we attempt to create something new, we’re greeted by its absence. But how do you start if you’ve never begun before? With “Beginnings” being our theme this month, I thought it was appropriate to speak with someone beginning all over again. Today, we talk with Ciara Bagnasco to find out what it’s like to be in the midst of writing their first “real book.”

First, who are you? Tell us a little bit about yourself

Hi! I'm Ciara, and I currently live in Orlando, FL. I like to think of myself as always having been a "creative person", and I love finding new outlets for my creativity. I've been a singer/songwriter, a graphic designer, a cross-stitcher, a set designer, and now I've ventured into one of my long-loved passions… writing!

What’s your current project?

I'm currently working on a novel, and I'm about two to three years into working on it at this point. My book is about a young boy named Charlie who discovers that he is a part of a magical, underwater community which he accidentally almost destroys. He must then set out on an adventure to save this community and the magic or else it will be lost for all eternity.

What did this project come out of? How did you overcome that first blank page?

I wrote my first two books in high school for English projects, and I was hooked. I wrote a lot of poetry in middle and high school, but after discovering how much fun it can be to write a book, I could never get over the idea of writing a real book one day. About five years ago, I started brainstorming about what kind of book I'd like to write. Originally I was going to write a post-apocalyptic type book, but halfway through planning it, I realized I didn't really like what I was planning. It was all too sad, and there wasn't enough fun. And if I didn't like it, why would anyone else? So I started the process all over again. I've always loved Fantasy and the idea of magic, so I picked up my main character (Charlie) from the first book and plopped him into this one! It originally started out as a book about mermaids, but of course so much has changed since that first day I started planning it. I'm so excited about the direction it's currently going!

As far as overcoming the first blank page, it helped me immensely to plan out the book before I started writing it. There are a lot of people who can just start writing without any idea of where they're going, but that is NOT me! I love the process of brainstorming and planning out details that will come back later in the story and make you go “OH! OH MY GOSH!!! WHAT?? DID THEY PLAN THAT?” And the answer is... yes!

What is your routine when writing, if you have one? How do you keep your work consistent with all the other distractions life provides?

To be honest, I don't have much of a routine. Having a full-time job can be really challenging to work around, so I've found that if I plan "writing dates" with other friends who write, I'm much more likely to get work done! Having people who keep me accountable has made a world of a difference when it comes to actually writing my book. In 2019, I made it a goal of mine to have the first draft completed by the end of the year. I decided to post about my writing and my goal on my social media in hopes that others online would help keep me accountable, too. And so far it's working!

You aren't done with it. When do you anticipate finishing it? How can we help encourage you to finish it?

As I said, I want to have the first draft done by the end of 2019. This is a totally achievable goal since I already have the entire book plotted out - all I have to do is write it! (Which honestly is much easier said than done…) I'm hoping that in 2020, I can finish all of my edits and start working on getting it published. But we'll see what the future holds! Again, accountability is key for me. Having people check in on me and set up writing dates with me is the most helpful way to encourage me!

What is your goal with the book?

My goal is to get it published. Obviously, I would love for it to be wildly successful, but I will be so proud of myself for finally telling this story that I find fascinating. I hope that others will fall in love with the story as much as I have!

What are some of your other creative outlets? Also, what is inspiring you lately? How do you think those feed into this project?

I'm a craft person, so I love to crochet and cross-stitch. Music is also a huge thing for me, as I love to play piano and guitar and sing. I've honestly been so inspired by my other writer friends. Seeing them work hard and getting their work published pushes me to want the same for myself. They are so full of helpful advice and encouragement, and of course they always check in on me to make sure I'm still making progress. They showed me how to utilize music (like Spotify) to create playlists that I can listen to while I write that will inspire the scenes. They've also shown me how Pinterest can help create a visual board of my book that can inspire me in new and creative ways, too! These have helped me come up with new ideas and find creative solutions to problems I find in my scenes.

I'm always looking ahead, so you may not have an answer for this, but let's say the book is done... What's next?

Well, this book is only Book 1 of 3. I've always loved reading books that are a part of a series, and I thought a trilogy would work perfectly for my story. I've already got the skeleton plot for both books 2 & 3, so the next step would be for me to start plotting out those chapters and writing those books as well! I'm so excited about Book 3 and how everything is going to end that it might make writing Book 2 a bit challenging. But I'm looking forward to facing that challenge and expand the boundaries of my creativity!

If you want to keep up with Ciara and her work, you can find her on Instagram at @ciarasunflower. 

The Long Road to "Yes:" My First Short Film as Director

My first short film – finally! 

I think I first realized that such a thing as a director existed when I was 14 years old. The nasty voices immediately started in my head: “Only old white men get to do that fun stuff. Like Scorsese and Coppola and George Lucas. Not women. Especially not tiny hijabi Sri Lankan Muslim women from Dubai.” 

But I still couldn’t shake that feeling. That I was meant to be doing that thing. That Scorsese and Coppola and Lucas were doing. 

I had been a quiet introverted ‘writer’ up until then – a writer of tortured poetry, weird plays and much angst-ridden short stories.

Because the world around me told me ‘no, you’re not allowed’, I stayed that way for about 15 years. Give or take a year. 

Then #metoo happened. Then four rejections happened in quick succession. Each one hurt worse than the others because all I needed was for one person to say yes. 

Then I thought to myself, “Why don’t I say yes… to myself? Who has the right to tell me that my story isn’t valid?”

Answer: no one. Not even me. 

After one traumatic childbirth experience, the death of my mom, three company (read: family) moves across three countries, I’ve realized that life is short. What’s the worst that could happen? Nothing will kill me except, you know, death. 

I am terrified. So so terrified. My anxiety disorder is LOVING this. My depression just waits for those rejections so it can tell me just how ‘not good enough’ I am (they’re both wrong, but I love them anyway).

But here I am, on this director’s journey at last. And I have to say, my dear friends – I feel more alive than I’ve ever felt. Good God, it hurts, but it’s a good kind of pain. 

Early last year, I made an 8-minute short called I Like Long Walks. One location (my house), one character (me), minimal set ups. We're currently tightening it up in post and hoping to submit it to a few festivals. Watch this space.

Here are a few lessons I learned from this teeny tiny but mighty experience.

1. Food rocks. Food is super important. Food is the wind beneath my wings. (I'm fasting.) Seriously though: Plan lunch in advance in consultation with your crew. If you're going to do French hours i.e. no lunch, have tons of healthy and nutritious snacks on hand. Again in consultation with your crew. I had precisely one other person so that consultation would have been easy. If I had done it. And have lots of water on hand.

2. Get help. I was so overwhelmed writing, directing, producing and starring that I failed to account for pretty basic needs (see above).

3. I was initially planning to shoot the thing myself so I did not feel the need to do a recce with sound and light in mind. If I had, I'd have known the train and the highway right outside would be rather a bother for sound. Plus my loud neighbors and their ludicrously long home improvement projects. I had also initially wanted to shoot in my bedroom. But light is terrible there. So we chose the living room but light fluctuates like crazy where I was sitting. It all made for fun times in post.

4. Take your time on set. Goodness takes time. Especially when your actor (me) has not had a lot of sleep and is acting out some tough emotions.

5. Divide your script into units even if there aren't any scenes. So this makes it easier to shoot and easier to edit as well.

6. Make sure sound is rolling when camera is rolling and off when camera is off. It can make for irritating work in post listening to sound files looking for the correct audio. Label sound files with scene numbers.

7. Choose people to work with who are generous with their knowledge. Who don't laugh at you when you ask questions. Who teach you everything they can. Because personally, I learn best from other people

8. A true spirit of collaboration is key. No creative should dominate the conversation, should drown someone out, should muscle in, negate or ignore any other. Empathy and being a good listener are SUCH PIVOTAL QUALITIES for a good filmmaker, it's ludicrous. I would highly recommend reading Marshall Rosenberg's Non Violent Communication. The whole book seems to be up here for free with seemingly no copyright claims.

9. This is where directing overlaps with mothering to a great degree - the director directs the vision of the film. What that means to  me is: Directors set the most gentle parameters they can and then allow their people to play freely within those parameters. Those gentle parameters are key, I think.

10. Keep the props in a safe place in case you need to reshoot! 

Hope this helps. If it is in your heart to do so, go out and make movies, folks. Nothing quite like it. I always knew this. But I'm only accepting this truth now. Better late than never, I guess.

Writer/Director Mitzi Peirone on Braid, the First Cryptocurrency-Funded Feature Film

Mitzi Peirone, the writer and director of the psychological horror heist film (how’s that for a “genre” film?) Braid, knows a thing or two about beginnings. Not only was the film her first feature as writer and director, it was also the first feature film fully funded by cryptocurrency (raising a reported $1.7M in just two weeks). And no, I don’t super know what that means either, but luckily we got in touch with Mitzi to explain it to us.

Starring Madeline Brewer (The Handmaid’s Tale, Cam, Black Mirror) the story follows two wanted women who decide to rob their wealthy but psychotic friend who lives in the fantasy world they created as children. In order to take the money they have to take part in a deadly perverse game of make believe… and IT LOOKS AWESOME.

We spoke with Mitzi to learn more about her filmmaking journey, what advice she offers to first-time filmmakers, and just what the hell that cryptocurrency stuff is all about.

Braid is your first feature film. How did you take it from initial idea to final film?

Braid started as an existential philosophical quest: I wanted to understand what separated reality from dreams, what that line between real and imagined was and whether that line existed at all. I started reflecting upon the fact that since childhood we instinctively play make-believe, we practice and rehearse life to a subconscious degree, without anyone telling us to, we just naturally inhabit roles and play by made up rules. I realized afterwards that as adults we still operate under the same belief system, that we abide to imaginary conventions and societary rules, playing the parts we believed were right for us. Everything is invented; names, jobs, laws, politics, philosophies, religions, geographical borders, even time, all taking part in this great play of existence.

We are still kids playing make believe, adults in global sandbox. I realized reality was an extension of our thoughts and that we are only as powerful as we believe ourselves to be. So the idea for adults playing dress up stuck in a mind game came to mind pretty early on, I was about 23; the heist propulsion of the story came afterwards, but I always wanted to make something that made the audience feel like they were getting lost in their own minds too, instead of watching and feeling the psychological downfall of the characters by association, I wanted the camera and script and colors, editing, sounds all of it to lose its mind too. I wanted to know what it was like to be incapable of discerning waking life from dreaming.

What themes did you set out to explore with Braid and how much of yourself is reflected in the final product?

Themes of existentialism, philosophical pondering, semiotics, perception of reality, time and the realms of dreams, how they affect our world: traveling through the layers of consciousness that we like to perceive as separate, are yet at once intertwined; fantasies, memories, hallucinations, daydreams all braided into one, finding us stuck, tangled and strangled in this deadly mind fever. There are parts of me in all three characters, their delusions, their wandering minds, their violent passions, their psychological manipulation, their decadence.

Braid in the end is a form of cautionary tale, a psychedelic odyssey without an exit that warns us how potent yet dangerous dreams can be, how easily they can enable us and how quickly they can trap us in the walls of our own heads: paranoia, fears, doubts, delusions, procrastination all live on the dark flip side of dreams and imagination. Being paralyzed by fear is like being stuck in a recurring nightmare. And that is made up, just as much as any other dream that can propel anyone to their rosiest futures. But here comes the element of time: in dreams time slows down. Braid warns you not to dream for too long without taking action or by the time you wake up it might be too late.

Braid was the first film fully funded by cryptocurrency. Can you tell us a little about how you decided to fund in this fashion and how exactly it works?  

I didn’t have the connections to get financing from a studio, nor did I want to use crowdfunding platforms that did not offer a return to contributors. I also wanted full creative control of the movie and needed final cut. The tokenized world is full of intelligent opportunities for alternative funding, I think it’s really great for independent artists: I partnered up with the CEO of Consensys, a leading blockchain tech company through which we created a crowd-selling platform for the film that offered 30% of the net profits in exchange for 1.7M to be raised in two weeks: our investors will be the first ones to be refunded and receive an additional 15%.

The reason why we used cryptocurrency is because of its underlying technology, the Blockchain: it is peer to peer technology that enables smart contracts at every transaction, these are also known as “if… then” contracts, which means that if the investment generates profit, then the investor will automatically receive their share. The sale started in June 2017 and it was fulfilled by our deadline. We were in production for 5 weeks, post production for 6 months and premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in April 2018. The film was released in theaters nation-wide in February 2019. World-wide rights were acquired by Blue Fox Entertainment.

What's the biggest surprise about making your first film?

My biggest surprise was how glorious being on set was. It is the most testing yet blissful experience, being on this fantastical journey with a group of people that becomes your family by having a shared lucid dream in mind, all working within this sensorial orchestra together. The artistic process is a miracle; out of nothing, suddenly, everything.

What advice would you give to an up-and-coming filmmaker looking to make their first feature?

My advice to a first time feature filmmaker would be to make the movie about what doesn’t let you sleep at night. Whether it is uplifting or terrifying, the motif behind the story has to be so invincibly important you will do anything to make it happen. Countless things will get in your way, countless sacrifices you will have to make and even after it’s done and out into the world there are chances that it will be misunderstood, berated, insulted and inevitably dissected without you being able to utter a word about it, and people will make what they want of it. But it will also shake some people from the bottom of their souls and that’s when it all pays off: when you make another human being feel less alone. Storytelling is about community, it’s to make us all feel closer, and you as the artist must show your wounds in order to heal them.

Braid is now available on VOD across all platforms: iTunes, Amazon Prime, Vudu etc.

The Kid Who Would be King and Remembering how Fun Movies Used to Be

The Goonies, Stand By Me, E.T. The Extraterrestrial.

These are all the films that I couldn’t stop thinking about as I watched writer/director Joe Cornish’s latest film, The Kid Who Would Be King. This story owes a lot to those classic 80’s adventure movies, and I certainly think that’s a good thing. There’s a reason those stuck in the minds of an entire generation. I should be honest though. I was born in 1991, so that generation isn’t even mine. Luckily for me, I had three very cool older siblings who did in fact grow up in the 80’s, so I was introduced to those stories at a very early age, and I watched them over and over and over again growing up. Clearly, they made quite the impact on me since I’m still talking about them twenty years later.

After seeing Cornish’s directorial debut, Attack The Block, back in 2011, I was delighted to find another talented British director with an eye for action and cinematography, in the same vein as Edgar Wright. That film was one of the more unique debuts I’ve ever seen. A VERY British film about a small gang in South London fighting off an alien invasion is quite the statement to make in your very first feature. To his credit, it’s incredibly entertaining and a must see for any fan of that sort of story. Cornish certainly likes his genre films. Science fiction, fantasy, and adventure are his clear calling cards.  He’s also written a few solid films in the years since Attack (Ant-Man and The Adventures of Tintin), but this modern retelling of the Arthurian legend is a return to form for him.

There’s just something pure about a movie like this, especially when the child actors are actually good. The titular “Kid” is played by Louis Ashbourne Serkis, son of the very talented Andy Serkis, and he really brings it. Like those first movies I mentioned, think of Mikey, Gordie, and Eliott. Each of those main characters had something in common, and Serkis’s Alex shares whatever that thing is. Good-hearted, brave, and a little shy; something about that sort of character makes me feel like a kid again, and that is one of the highest compliments I can give about a movie like this. The unifying trait among all those great characters is a simple one, I think. They all had a sense of wonder that is still so relatable to me even today, as a twenty-seven-year-old. They embraced the fantastic and weird and ran with it, and that always stuck with me as a kid.

So many of today’s films lack that same sense of wonderment that made those past films classics. While I understand wanting your protagonist to be sarcastic and cynical, it feels like many films rely on those quippy one-liners just a bit too much sometimes, especially in films geared towards kids. There’s something to be said about the sense of curiosity and adventure that seems to shine through in films that make an effort to do so.

Like Attack, the visual effects really look great in this one. The skeleton knights with flaming swords definitely looked like how I’d imagine skeleton knights with flaming swords to look! I joke, but they legitimately would have scared the shit out of me as a kid, and I would have loved every second of it. They reminded me of the first time I watched Jurassic Park waaaaay too early in life. Fear and excitement go hand in hand, even as a kid.

In the theater, I kept hearing the voices of kids, laughing and occasionally screaming. Normally, as a moviegoer, that would be annoying and frustrating. Silence is golden, of course. However, this time, I understood it. Had I seen Jurassic Park or The Goonies in theaters, I would have been the most annoying kid in the whole theater. I couldn’t help but smile for most of the two hour runtime.

The true highlight of this film is Angus Imrie, the young actor who gave what (I think) is my favorite portrayal of Merlin I’ve ever seen. He just infuses it with so much weirdness and even though most of that credit goes to Cornish himself for writing it that way, Imrie really stood out above everyone. Also, shout out to Patrick Stewart, who plays the old version of Merlin, because who doesn’t love Patrick Stewart?

I don’t have kids, but if I did, I’d take them to see this movie, and hopefully it would make the same impact on them that those other films had on me. Good movies like this that are made for a very specific type of kid are pretty rare, and I would love to see more of them created. Kids are getting harder and harder to impress with each new piece of technology that comes out, so I’d be interested to see what kind of storytelling techniques writers start using to keep them entertained and interested throughout. I shouldn’t speak as if I’m any better. I can barely read for longer than ten minutes!

Overall, The Kid Who Would Be King is an immensely enjoyable popcorn movie that should entertain any kid, as well as plenty of adults like me. See this one.

How Hannah Black and Megan Peterson got their First Film Produced by the Duplass Bros.

I first discovered Megan Peterson and Hannah Black while prepping for the This World Alone crowdfunding campaign. Megan and Hannah had (very) successfully funded their first feature, Drought, and we passed around their fundraising video to show everyone what a great fundraising video could be. As we continued to follow along with their journey, we were happy to learn that you couldn’t find two harder working, kinder, and more accessible filmmakers in the business. Their hard work paid off when Drought was chosen as the winner of the Hometown Heroes contest which brought on Mark and Jay Duplass as producers. Drought is currently in post-production and should be hitting the festival circuit in the fall.

Tell us a little about Drought!

Megan: Drought is a feature length film about a girl, Sam, her brother Carl, best friend Lewis, and estranged sister Lillian that find themselves on a crazy adventure to chase a storm. Carl is on the Autism spectrum & obsessed with weather, but their small town is going through a drought. All he wants is to chase a storm he is predicting. The gang ends up together on a fun adventure mixed with learning about forgiveness and the importance of family.

How did did you guys first meet and how did this big journey all this come together?

Megan: Hannah and I met in a Meisner class 5 years ago at Actor's Arsenal, an acting studio in Wilmington, NC. During the 2 year program, our acting coach, Ron Fallica, showed us Mark Duplass' SXSW talk encouraging filmmakers to make movies on the weekends with friends. So we did that!

Hannah: Megan and I had created a couple of short films and discovered that we complemented one another very well. We enjoyed and respected what the other person brought to the table and had a blast working together. She's pretty much the best! Shortly after wrapping a short film in the summer of 2015, I came to Megan with the story of what would later be, Drought. Our visions completely aligned and we quickly realized that the story deserved a longer format.

Megan: We would meet and structure the story on Tuesdays, Hannah would write and send me 5 pages a day, and in a month we had a first draft.

Hannah: We were so jazzed that we had a real life feature film in our hands that we were ready to make it on the spot. Thankfully, two of our very good friends read it over and encouraged us to keep tweaking it and make it the best it could be. We are so grateful for them and their advice because the first draft was bad... like really bad. Megan and I would meet to discuss story, I would go back and re-write a draft... and re-write again... and again.

Megan: Fast forward three years and 7 1/2ish drafts later, we were ready to make the film but didn't know how it would all come together.

Hannah: We had no idea how to make it, let alone get the finances. Just when we were about to shelf it, Seed&Spark made an announcement that they were doing a Hometown Heroes Rally. Raise funds for your feature? Gain an audience? Oh...and potentially have The Duplass Brothers executive produce? Heck yes!

And all those “potentialities” came true! You guys successfully crowdfunded your movie and now have the Duplass Brothers on as producers! How did this happen?

Hannah: Its absolutely insane right?!! We are still pinching ourselves.

Megan: We still can't believe it but it is true!! It's a pretty crazy story. In the summer of 2017, Hannah texted me a No Film School article titled "The Duplass Brothers Want To Fund Your Feature." Her text only included the article & 13 exclamation marks.

Hannah: Like I said, we were ready to shelf Drought. We had no idea how to get the finances we needed. Megs and I have always looked up to Mark and Jay Duplass and had naturally taken their way of filmmaking and implemented into our own movie making style. When we saw that Seed&Spark was doing the Hometown Heroes rally with a chance to win the Duplass Brothers as executive producers, we quickly got to work.

Megan: The Hometown Heroes Rally focused on encouraging filmmakers to create their stories in their own towns with local casts & crew, which was exactly our hope for Drought. With 6 weeks to get all of our material together, we entered the rally, meaning we would run a crowdfunding campaign for 30 days.

Hannah: Crowdfunding was the hardest thing we had ever done. It is a full time job and with a tiny team of two, we were working 12 hours a day on the campaign and then had our normal day jobs. Together, we lost 20 pounds in the one month of crowdfunding. However, Seed&Spark really sets you up for success to raise all your funds and provides you with all the education you will need to run a smart, concise, and clear campaign. This is not a plug by the way. Seed&Spark really is the best. If you are filmmaker and need to raise money, use them! They are kind and work so hard and are changing the game of independent filmmaking.

Megan: To qualify to pitch to the Duplass Brothers, we would have to raise our funds of $24K & be in the top 10 out of 73 teams with the most followers. At the end of the competition we had accomplished those two things and had the opportunity to create a 30 second pitch video (yes, only 30 seconds?!!?) that the Duplass team would watch along with the other qualifying team pitches. Then on Nov 4, 2017 we gathered with our close family & friends to watch the LIVE announcement of the winners. When Mark announced that Drought had won the Executive Producer-ship & a 25K no-interest loan, the room erupted with an energy we had never felt. Then we were on our way to make our movie with them on our team and double our original budget. It was, and is, unreal!

Hannah: We still cry about it.

Is this a personal story for you? How much of your own life or personal emotions ended up in the film?

Hannah: Drought was originally inspired by the students I used to teach who were on the Autism spectrum. These kids were pure joy and magic to me. The way they look at the world and the unique gifts they brought to the classroom were inspiring. Some of my students had siblings and to see their bond was so special. I really wanted to highlight that particular sibling relationship. However, as drafts progressed I also realized that Drought had also become a love letter to my sister; who is different than me in every way, and to anyone who has a sibling that they love and so desperately want to understand.

Megan: I believe every story you create has a touch of your personal life & emotions on some level. The theme of the movie is very personal to me. Growing up I wanted to fit in and find my place but I was given the label as the "shy girl" or the "nervous girl". I took those labels as less than. My hope through the film is that people will realize no matter the label you have been given, or have given yourself, you are more than that. Our differences make us wonderful and unique and appreciating that about each other will change our perspective for the better.

You guys co-directed Drought. How is the process of directing with another person? How do you divide up responsibilities?

Hannah: It was an absolute dream. I say this because Megan is an incredible human. The fact that I was able to collaborate with her and go on this journey together has been one of my greatest gifts in life. We are complete opposites but really respect and value what the other person brings to the table.

Megan: For me it is wonderful! Especially because we are wired so differently in personality strengths. Where I lack in something, Hannah can come in and fill that gap, then vice versa.

Hannah: We divide a lot of responsibilities depending on what we excel in. I know what I suck at and it is almost always what Megan can do with natural talent and grace.

Megan: We are also actors.

Hannah: On set, we were both playing leads while also directing. Whoever was not heavy on acting in the scene would usually take the lead in directing.

Megan: It is nice having a co-director when you are in a scene and they are able to take over the director role for that moment. The pressure feels less since you know that you have a teammate in the same role that you can pow-wow with to make decisions together.

Hannah: And if you are wondering, yes, we are jealous of one another's gifts and simultaneously cheering each other on.

What's the one thing you know now that you wish you knew before you started making the film?

Megan: You do not need to be and should not be responsible for everything. Holding all the responsibility for everything puts tremendous pressure on you and isn't healthy for you and the people around you. That is why you create an awesome team! You can share responsibilities and give full ownership to your crew. Once you do that and let them do what they are there to do to their fullest, you are free to focus on what you are there to do. It creates a really healthy working environment and brings in more creative people to the mix leading to a better product. This is challenging in low budget filmmaking as each person carries the weight of multiple jobs. We created an open space for dialogue for ourselves and crew to express if they felt they were taking on too much or not being given freedom to do their role. (Also, Hannah had full permission to call me out on things like not feeling responsible when the grip truck was stuck in sand because we had three fully capable crew working on the solution).

Hannah: I wish I would have known that you don't have to be an expert at everything. I really struggled with feeling incompetent if I did not know how every single thing worked. It could become a downward mental spiral if I saw everyone around me buzzing around set knowing exactly what to do. Imposter syndrome at its finest my friends! But that was on me. That is why everyone has different roles on set. It is okay to say you don't have an answer or do not know how to do everything. Celebrate the things you excel at and laugh at the things you struggle with.   

What advice would you give to a young filmmaker just starting out with the dream to make a movie?

Megan: It's ok to start small. Make a one minute short film on your phone. Find a partner in crime. Someone who is there to encourage you, challenge you, collaborate with you. They don't even have to live in the same town! Be prepared for the process to feel like a marathon at times and then turn quickly into a sprint. You can go to film school, but you don't have to. We didn't. However, spend time everyday to work on your craft. We have been in classes for years and study the art of filmmaking with all of the amazing resources technology brings us.

Hannah: Find your people to collaborate with. Study all elements of filmmaking. If you are a director, take an acting class. It’s important to understand the role that each person brings to set so you can encourage and support them.

Megan: Most importantly, don't give up. It is a really tough industry but it is possible and you can accomplish your dreams.

Hannah: Above anything else, be kind.

To learn more about Drought and Megan and Hannah’s journey, check out @droughtthemovie wherever you lurk on social media!

Can There Really Be “Only One?”

“Aye, yo. You see that new movie?”

I’m sitting in a cubicle staring at a screen for a job I’m grateful to have but slightly depressed because of.

“It’s crazy! You gotta check out this trailer.”

My co-worker, an older black lady with a thick New York accent is really interested in a trailer she herself had just been told about. Honestly, by this time everybody in the office is abuzz about it. They’re abuzz because the internet is abuzz.

Everybody is talking about this film.

“It’s your type of thing.”

My type of thing. This movie on the horizon was the type of movie I told her I always wanted to make; the type of film I was currently writing. It’s a genre film, with social commentary, and features people of color. It’s exactly the type of movie I planned on making, only somebody else already is.

That’s... great...?

The movie in question is Get Out, the first feature from Jordan Peele. At this point Peele is primarily a comedic actor best known for being one half of the titular duo Key & Peele (as seen on Comedy Central).

This film, however, is no comedy. It is instead a psychological thriller/horror that puts a satirical lens on an interracial couple as the black boyfriend goes to meet his girlfriend’s white parents for the first time.

Exactly the movie I wanted to see more of. So why this feeling? This feeling where my anxiety’s get closer while my dreams feel further away like a Spike Lee dolly shot. Why is my heart sinking like Catherine Keener stirred her tea cup?

Could it really just be that this movie shares a similar DNA to a project I’ve been writing? But it’s the American film industry. Duplication isn’t just possible, it’s considered best practice here. Studios hunt to find movies that match other successful movies, sometimes even producing a near replica of a film being produced by another studio at practically the same time.

So what’s different?

Hi, my name is Profound Clarke and I’m a black aspiring filmmaker. Yeah, things are different.

When you’re a black artist with an interest in exploring “white” spaces (ie things that don’t lean heavily on previously accepted cultural stereotypes for whatever non-white group you fall into), there’s a Highlander “there can be only one” element to your aspirations. At least, I’ve found, that’s how my anxiety works. I’ve also found I’m not alone.

With the opportunities few and success stories fewer, when you have an idea that hasn’t been explored yet, you know the chances of it getting made are slim. Something like it being made twice? Nearly unheard of, not in any authentic way at least.

There’s only one Spike Lee. Only one Robert Townsend. Only one Keenan Ivory Wayans. Only one... um... who did the Color Purple? White guy? Who did People Under the Stairs? White guy too? Who did Redbelt? OK, I added Redbelt in there because I love it so much, but also a white guy did that, right?

My point is that the industry seems to find a black person to whom it gives trust. By find, I really mean notice after they clawed out an undeniable lane for themselves. Other creators in that lane then seem to fall into a blindspot.

Only Spike makes Spike movies. Keenan Wayans and Robert Townsend both made comedies but they lived in different spaces. All three got to take big chances with what they were doing, but the next Spike Lee, Townsend, and Wayans wouldn’t exist for decades. Not to discount the handful of directors, black directors, doing good work in areas that audiences expected black characters to live, but to venture beyond always meant to be part of a short list.

This brings me back to Get Out, which I love. Love isn’t the word. I however Kayne feels about Kanye this movie. Yes. That’s a perfect fit. I all the way Kanye on Kanye this movie. All the adulation. All the troubled feelings. All the hating the way I feel about it. All the “I’m going to tell the world how in love with it I am” to hide how uncomfortable with it I might be” shining through.

Jordan Peele, a fellow New York native with a similarly weird brain and love for genre films, wearing skin darkened by black parenthood lightened by non-black DNA (his case: white, my case: all-of-the-cases) has lead me lower than my lowered expectations. What’s the value of a painting portraying another angle of Mona Lisa?

That question should be rhetorical, but guess who wants to know?

Jordan Peele.

Not long after delivering on the promise of his first film, Jordan Peele became a trusted voice in the industry, launching Monkeypaw Productions. One of the first things they said before they even had a functional website up? We want your scripts.

Jordan Peele, like most people of color, understands the journey my brain went on. He himself admits to not thinking his own film would ever be made. Now he’s creating opportunities for more films like his to be made. It was Monkeypaw that partnered with the aforementioned Spike Lee to make BlacKkKlansman at a time that Spike was self financing his films.

At the same time, a new group of bold filmmakers continued to claw their own way up into the industry spotlight. Filmmakers like Ava Duvernay, Ryan Coogler, and Barry Jenkins. They too are defying industry logic about what films featuring black characters are capable both on the page and at the box office.

What I’m getting at is that things are looking up for people of color like me with an interest in creating stories beyond what is expected of us. The most exciting part is that these great and ambitious filmmakers aren’t just cutting new paths, but supplying the tools for those of us who want to cut our own paths.

So no matter what happens with my project, the feeling like it won’t get a chance to coexist has settled a bit. Hopefully one day I too can join my favorite filmmakers in this tradition of calming the restless waters stirring inside a hopeful minority artist through my own success and the doors success opens. That’s a journey with much traveling left to do. For now I can worry about more conventional writing anxieties like finishing drafts, creating tension throughout the 2nd Act, and convincing my mother to listen to a 100 page read through for feedback.

February's Theme: "Beginnings"

So this is it… the beginning.

For me, it’s the beginning of a brand new production company that’s about to start pre-production on a brand new film and launching a brand new website with the goal of helping others begin their own artistic journeys.

And the thing about beginning anything is IT’S TERRIFYING. And no one really tells you that. You assume that after you create something enough times, that the fear goes away. But unfortunately it does not. I’m scared to death every single time. Anything that’s worth beginning is big and giant and ambitious and I often begin to doubt and ask “am I worthy of big and giant and ambitious?” And the answer is a big and giant and ambitious “YES!,” not because I’ve accomplished enough to earn this, but because I am a human being with a unique point of view on the world and a desire to create that is deep-seated within me. And I’m not the only one.

I believe that you have a voice. You have a unique point of view. You have a deep-seated creative desire within you. You have a story to tell. You are worthy of big and giant and ambitious things. And the reason I’ve created this website is to inspire you to begin, provide you with motivation and advice to keep going, and give you a platform for your art when you’re done.

So, what is your “what” and what is your “why?”

The key to any beginning is clarity. You need to know where you’re going in order to get there. But the “what” is easy, right? You probably have a good idea already of what excites you and is buried inside of you dying to come out. Maybe when you were little you loved drawing, but gave up on it over the years as you felt you could never live up to the idea in your head. Maybe you’ve always loved to act but felt dejected after not getting a part in the first play you tried out for. Maybe you’ve got a drawer full of poems but you’re too afraid to put them out there. There is a creative urge deep inside of you. Take a moment and listen for it.

What is the thing that lights you up whenever you do it, the thing that you think about when you’re away from it, the thing that lifts you out of your slump. THAT is your what.

The “why” is equally important. Because here’s the thing about letting your art out—you will face resistance. It will come in the form of rejection, artistic blocks, being too busy, the world will throw anything and everything at you to discourage you, but your WHY is what’s going to keep you going.

For me, my “why” came at a dark moment in my life. I had a short-lived over-before-it-really-began screenwriting career, I was a divorced single dad, and my best friend had passed away. I was struggling financially, I was struggling creatively, my entire life felt like a struggle. And then I had lunch with a friend named John who happens to be the father of the aforementioned best friend. John told me he became a pastor after the loss of his son so he could help others who have gone through similar situations. He took something so incredibly painful and used his passion and skills to connect with other humans. And over the course of this lunch he helped define my what and my why. He said “the reason you are on this earth is to take your passion (my “what”, in this case writing) and use your experiences (my “why”, my pain and struggle) to connect with others.” And after that lunch everything changed. And that “why” has kept me going through each new beginning ever since.

It’s not enough to know what you want to do creatively, you need a why to keep you going through the dark times. Your “why” is your purpose, your meaning, the thing that gives you your unique voice. No one else shares your "why” because no one has lived your life. If you’re brave enough to share that voice with the world honestly, you will connect with other humans, you will live up to your purpose, you will create unforgettable art and change the world.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be posting about other creative beginnings, whether that be talking about our first filmmaking experiences, the first time we saw ourselves on-screen, or our very first movie memories.

As you follow along with our beginnings, we’d love to follow along with yours. Share your dreams and passions and journey below!