Rah! Rah! Rah!

I apologize for being a bad blogger this month. The last couple weeks have been sort of tough. Blogging from internet cafes in Paris wouldn't have been much fun, as (a)it would have been quite expensive, and (b) on French keyboards, you have to SHIFT every time you want to use a period! What is that about? It's not like they use periods less often than we do. Makes no sense at all.

I did get some good writing done in France, but I haven't been able to focus much since getting back to the States. I was in a bit of a funk but I am finally pulling out of it. You see, just before I left town I had good news on top of good news. One friend offered to invest $1K in my film, and another friend offered $10K and another friend offered about $25K! Include racking up my credit cards, I'm up to about $50K, half of the $100K I was aiming for! I thought I was on a roll and could not be stopped, and money follows money and the second $50K would be even easier to wrangle up. But that has not been the case. And I think I may have all the cash I am going to get for the film.

Which is a LOT. I have to keep telling myself that. Most independent filmmakers don't start off with a fraction of what I have pulled together. But I always aim high, so sometimes I beat myself up a little.

At the moment, the toughest part isn't even the money, it is being my own cheerleader. While getting away for a couple weeks was good in some ways and great in others, it also gave me perhaps a little TOO much perspective. I'm making a MOVIE. That is HUGE. Just watch the entire list of credits at the end of any given film and try to wrap your mind around how someone pulled that off. It is really overwhelming, and I have been thinking about that too much.

What I need to be thinking about, is that, huge or not, people do this every day. And I am really far ahead of the game when it comes down to it. I have a solid script. It still needs work, but it just keeps getting better, and I am closing in on that elusive "shooting script," the final version that happens when I stop rewriting and decide that that is as good as it gets. I have a good budget, even if it is half of what I was aiming for. And I have wriggled my way into the business and social circles of some very talented local filmmakers who have proved to be a wealth of experience, advice, connections, and support. And on top of that, they are very cool, funny people that I would want to hang out with even if they weren't filmmakers!

I was out to dinner with a very creative group of friends last night, and that is one of a few recent happenings that has refreshed and energized me. Somehow the conversation turned to the subject of tattoos. Only one of the four of us has a tattoo, and I am the only one of the four of us who doesn't plan on getting one. Years ago when I got divorced, I decided I wanted one, just to give my family something to talk about other than my divorce. I also decided I wanted to date a biker, for the same reason. Neither thing happened. My office-mate at the time, Josette, talked me out of the tattoo. "Jeanie," she said, "Think about it. No matter where you put that tattoo on your body, 40 years from now, it's gonna sag." Eww. Needles and blood make me pass out anyway. So, the tattoo was out. And my Harley-man never appeared. Probably all for the best.

Director/Consultant Sean has a tattoo that I really like, though. Just below his elbow on the inside of his left arm is a single word: MAINTAIN. It is a good reminder, and invaluable advice.

Time to get back to work.

Bonjour Mes Amis

Just a quickie, as I am in an internet cafe in Paris and time is money. Today I will be worthless, as last night I was at the Best Bar in the World, La Pomme d'Eve, watching the Super Bowl with some French friends until nearly 5:00a.m. However, I have been getting loads of work done on the script while I've been traveling by train to Toulouse, Lyon, and Dijon. I don't know what it is about France but my mind just opens wide as soon as the Eurostar exits the Chunnel on this side. When I woke up in Dijon yesterday morning, as soon as I opened my eyes I was struck by a bolt of lightning and suddenly figured out exactly how to flesh out a minor character that I thought was impossible to lend any depth to without getting very complicated. But right now I have to go to the grocery store, as my flat is completely devoid of wine.Au revoir!