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Hi, Everyone!
Well, as steps toward my vision of making movies, Barb and I did some traveling in April.
First we drove south to the Nez Perce Indian Reservation to meet two of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet, Chloe Halfmoon and Chief of Police Leslie Hendricks. I'm working on a screenplay of my novel, Monster, and as those of you who have read it recall, one of the key characters is a Native American lady named Sing. Well, for the movie I hope to make, I want to recheck and revamp everything, and the Sing character is no exception. I want her to be accurate and even a deeper character, and so Barb, myself, Chloe, and Chief Hendricks had a creative research meeting in which they helped me to better form that character. I can't go into much of the details without spoiling the story for those who have yet to read it, but I sure like the new lady we're coming up with. By the way, we'll be changing the name. I've asked Chloe and Chief Hendricks to look around, talk around, listen around, and find a good name that reflects her heritage. (Chloe thought "Sing" sounded too Chinese, and yeah ... she's right.)
| Here are Chief Hendricks, myself, and Chloe standing in front of what has to be the spitting image of Sing's mobile crime scene reconstruction lab. It's amazing how God works things out. |
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Next, I flew down to LA to participate in an Acting for Directors workshop, taught by a tremendous acting and directing mentor, Judith Weston. She wrote a fabulous book on how to direct actors, and I liked the book so much I took the class. Wow! That took me places creatively that I've never been before. Good acting isn't as simple as the good actors make it look - but it's fun, and I came away with a new measure of knowledge and confidence.
Lastly, Barb and I just got back from a visit to The Compass Academy in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where we got to know some wonderful people with a real vision for equipping and enabling future filmmakers. I spoke to a few film classes about Story and Screenwriting and also sat on a panel of judges for a 24-hour Film Festival. Quite the experience, and as always, very enlightening and educational.
So the movie journey continues. I can't say exactly what doors God will open first, but if it's His will, there should be a movie coming out one of these days "Written and Directed" by yours truly.
Keep us in your prayers!
Frank
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