http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1094772583/the-canyons/widget/video.html

I respect it immensely, but it does seem to raise the stakes a bit for other independent films. I don’t think many can offer something as cool as a Robert DeNiro/Taxi Driver money clip, but there are cool films and filmmakers to support.

Do support THE CANYONS. Funding closes June 9th. And while you are on Kickstarter, show some more love for other projects. It’s hard to get art funded. Every artist needs support. Even the ones with unbelievable swag.

Here’s to us.  Here’s to going after the dream. Going after it with such fervor, it’s actually storyboarded, each scene broken down and budget perfected.

Here’s to those who support us and finance us.  Those who give their talents for free, because we can only give so much sweat and blood equity.  We couldn’t do it without out.  Thanks.

Here’s to those who are ready to queue up and buy tickets and champion our movies, even though they haven’t even read the script.  We want nothing more than to please you, move you, or at least make you think, “What the hell does that mean?”

Here’s to the community that supports Independent Film.  Those who want to hear that unique voice and see that avant-garde vision.  Those who want something more for their ticket price.  We are grateful to you.

Here’s to a New Year where we all can succeed in bringing our dreams, our visions and our voices to the screens. Here’s to all of us. Happy New Year!

Our Director has been working like a madman; he’s either on a plane or on a set. P1 has opened his own shingle. And I got sidetracked on another project. The next thing you know, it’s the end of May.

While we’ve all been busy, what we’ve been passively waiting on since the end of February was Film Independent’s Fast Track program. Word on acceptance was supposed to come in the first week of June. Not that we weren’t still seeking other partners and funds, but it was nice to think that was percolating while we were working on other things. And June was, finally, just around the corner.

On Tuesday afternoon, I got not one but two emails from FIND. Early notice. This had to be good. I opened the first message: “Unfortunately…”

Boo. But there was another email. Perhaps they changed their minds? “Unfortunately…” Really? They cc’d me on the original email so I could get the rejection twice?  Now, that is love.

There are only ten film projects accepted into Fast Track, and we all knew that a dark comedy set in Hollywood at our budget level was going to be a challenge. Hello? We’ve been doing this a while. We know the industry comments: “It’s a hard sell.” We continue to respectfully disagree. A smart movie about a common theme (we’ve all suffered working with a jerk…and fantasized about *not* working with them anymore, haven’t we?) isn’t a hard sell. And I look forward to proving that point. Soon.

To those ten films that did make it into Fast Track, we wish you each a great deal of wonderful luck, and look forward to seeing your movies.

For us? We have another meeting on Friday.

I believe it was back in September that I boldly noted my in calendar that January 18th would be the first day of pre-production.  If I had a penny for every ounce of faith I have in this film, cameras would be rolling by now.  In some ways, Tuesday will be our first day of pre-pro.  We can move forward with casting.  We can reach out to new investors.  We can keep pushing forward.

Now, I expect us to be in production offices in April, with cameras rolling in May. That may seem unrealistic to some, but sometimes I think being a bit unrealistic is the only way to get a movie done.

Sounds kind of familiar, yes?

But, even though we are well into autumn and the rain is falling in L.A., it feels as though we have the sun on our backs.  We are preparing to hibernate.  We are just getting our second wind.

If I could give just one piece of advice to any filmmaker, it would be to embrace the NO.  Don’t be afraid to hear it, and don’t be afraid to say it when you need to.

No is my new best friend.

After the no we had to give (see previous post), there was an opportunity to start embracing a fair share of YES.   Yes, we have a new Line Producer.  Yes, she is amazing.  Yes, we have a new budget, and it is a thing a beauty.  And, if I could give a second piece of advice to any filmmaker, it would be to do a full, honest, no bullsh*t, don’t-leave-anything-out/don’t-include-tax-credits-or-incentives-in-it budget that includes everything you really want/need.  Walk away with a number you know is real, that will deliver the film in the way you want it done.  There will be plenty of room to compromise later, but I say start with the most accurate financial portrayal of your story rather than aim for a number people assume is palatable.

Oh, believe me, I swallowed hard when I heard what we were coming in at, until I read through it.  The budget is set for shooting in Los Angeles (which has always been my goal).  We have our music covered, contingency, post, wrap party, final print and even research screenings.  To say it is thorough is an understatement.  I had to wipe away a tear of joy upon reading it. It tells me YES, we can make the movie the way we want to make it at a reasonable amount.

This is all a huge learning curve for me.  The budget is the easy part.  Math I get.  But now I have to learn a new world of lingo for financing and pre-sales.  They don’t seem to have a translation app for that (but I would kiss anyone who would come up with such a thing).  But, I find this rather exciting.  The old paradigm is gone.  We not only get to break some rules, but blaze a new path or two (she says optimistically).

And I am optimistic.  I feel like this is a fresh, new, wonderful start.  We have made more progress in the last six weeks than we have in the last six months.  Everyone is following through and everything is falling into place.  All we need now is money and actors.

That’s the easy part, right?

PS – If you are on Facebook, please join us there at http://facebook.com/BlackCoffeeMovie

A week ago Friday, I was told by P1 that, yes, they want to move forward.  Even better, they want to shoot it all in LA (something I have been pushing for).  They still had a couple of questions and concerns, and would have script notes, but we were moving forward.

Kind of.

Last Friday, we came to a dealbreaker.  The new producers didn’t want our Director attached.  When P1 called to tell me this, my answer was simple, immediate, and without hesitation: “Tell them thanks, but no thanks.  I’m not making this without D.”  It was the easiest decision I had ever made.

Filmmaking is nothing but compromise.  But, removing our Director would be too much of a risk.  Back we go to the drawing board.  I think I’m going to start doing car washes and bake sales.  Anything I can to get this done.  As we near year three, I intend to have the funds by that anniversary.  So, please run out and by your lotto tickets.  I know the perfect investment for those winnings.

I’m not a “Glee” freak, but for those of you who are, you can’t miss this.  For the rest of us, you must see this well-made, feel-good, laugh-out-loud, bring-a-tissue film.  And I don’t say stuff like that lightly.  Really.  You will love this movie.

To find them on Facebook, click here.

And I know this has made the rounds ages ago, but I just love it. (Language NSFW, so, if you’re at your day-job, turn down the volume.)

I’m not sure that everyone has fully embraced the fact that the industry is forever changed. The big names in Hollywood can’t open their own movies. We’ve seen flop after flop after flop this year (I’m too kind to list them here). The audiences are either being assumed or misread…or the movies are just merde. And it’s frustrating to watch. The smart money would be on solid independent films with reasonable budgets requiring smaller audiences to make a profit. But, maybe I’m the only person who sees it that way. And, being a writer, who’s going to buy my take? I’m an unproven entity. It’s easy to dismiss my experience in the industry because I’ve not had my name in the trades or carry an executive title. I’ve not produced a film. I’ve only paid attention to audience trends and box office since I was in elementary school, excited when the LA Times was finally delivered to my suburban town, where I studied the deals, the successes and failures and came to understand why one film was a hit and another a miss. Not to mention I was an assistant in the chairman’s office of a major studio, where the marketing team knew what you’d eat for breakfast even before you did, and the box office predictions were never off…even if they weren’t in our favor. You learn a little in that environment. But it isn’t really about what one knows, is it? Because, right now, no one knows anything.

The thing we keep running into is that people don’t want to make a film about Hollywood because they don’t think audiences want to see a film about Hollywood. Um, Black Coffee is not *about* Hollywood, it’s merely *set* in Hollywood. Why? A film studio is more fun than a law firm, don’t you think? This isn’t an “insider” film. There isn’t a lot of mumbo jumbo dialogue about production, deals or development. And, if people really read the script, I think they’d see that. But, it seems that they just get hung up on the location rather than the characters, plot and action. Yes, I know the track record of Hollywood insider films. The Player and Swimming with Sharks are films I love and indie darling classics…with pretty anemic box office returns. But, because of that, no one wants to try again? Even if Hollywood is only the backdrop? Really???

August will mark three years of this waiting. Some would say that’s a helluva long time. Others would tell you their tales of five, ten and twelve-spans of holding breath before their project saw the greenlight of funding day. I mean, I nearly cried when I watched the DVD extras of Rachel Getting Married and heard Jonathan Demme say it took him eight years to make that film. That’s a painful reality check. Yeah, I don’t have the wherewithal to wait eight years. We need to make this movie soon. While I don’t necessarily come with the patience required for filmmaking, I certainly have the tenacity, and stubbornness to spare.

At the end of the day, the one who should get the Patience Award is our fabulous director who isn’t reading any other material. Really. Who does that? That, right there, is commitment and belief in the project. He’s keeping himself busy with commercials, so thank God for that. But I am amazed and truly grateful that he’s stuck by the project, because I couldn’t imagine doing this without him. And, if you’ll recall, last summer, I had to do just that. Boy, that sucked. But, we got through it and we are more determined than ever to make BC.

The one who should get the Dipped in Gold Award is our amazing producer, who is responsible for bringing this project to life. He has shopped it for nearly three years, and has gotten us really close more than once (damn this economy). Not to mention, he’s put up with my impatience. I tell him regularly that I worship and adore him, and that’s not flip. I do. I am very fortunate to have these two people on the BC team, and want nothing more for them to reap the rewards of their belief in the movie that will one day be.

And so, we just keep moving forward. We just keep believing we will get Black Coffee made. Because we will. There’s another meeting next week. Perhaps this will all come together soon.

Now, while my favorite answer is Yes, my first runner-up is No. I so much prefer that to Maybe or We-Should-Have-An-Answer-Soon or the endless cacophony of crickets we’ve so often heard. I’m a woman who prefers definitives (for some reason, that isn’t really a word, but it should be, so I am making it one now…some adjectives really should be nouns, too). Yes or no. Black or white. ‘Maybe’ isn’t even gray…it’s so very beige. I like knowing where we stand. Information is my Xanax, friends. And, now we (finally) know.

I have to say, that No was incredibly liberating. It sort of gave us permission to go beyond the conventional and get creative, to stop waiting so politely for someone to say Yes. We are going to create our own affirmative. (I’ll share the more successful approaches when we nail them.) But, after six months of waiting, waiting, waiting for an answer, to finally get one, even if it was the one we didn’t want, is such a wonderful relief. And, no, that’s not sarcasm.

Even with all the ups and downs, no one is giving up. As a matter of fact, we are more determined than ever to get this movie made. The D and I have even threatened bake sales and car washes. Lottery tickets are purchased regularly, if only for the comedic value. Because you really need a good sense of humor — especially a dark one — if you are going to make an independent film. Seriously. Otherwise, I would suggest a career in dentistry.