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My sister just wrote how great Avatar is; I still haven't seen it. In fact, the only movie I saw this week was "Shoot 'Em Up" with Clive Owen. Can't ever complain about Clive Owen, though!

We're about to settle in and watch Inglourious Basterds. It's part of my countdown for the Oscars - movies you've got to see. Which movies are you planning to see before the Oscars?

Mature Romance is Great!

I watched Open Range last night on my boyfriend's recommendation.  (From 2003 starring Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening, and Diego Luna.)  It had a cowboys vs. cowboys conflict of "open range" cattle vs. the land owner.  The conflict culminates in a rather amazing and intense shoot-out sequence. 

But I also give kudos to Mr. Costner for his execution of the mature love story sub-plot.  Even before today's romances for mature adults (Hello, Meryl Streep!) he portrayed a credible, romantic and understated love story between two adults who could accept and love each other as they are today, regardless of all that may have come before. 

I like it because it speaks to where I am in life, and it's so, well, mature.  Also, the characters were all likeable, despite their quirks and pasts...

What other "mature love stories" have you seen recently that really spoke to you?  Do you have any all-time favorites? 

Screenwriting Master Class Begins This Week!

Yay!  My screenwriting master class begins this week with Kevin Jackson!  I really enjoyed the first 8-session program I did in the fall, and got started on my first screenplay, but everything ground to a halt over the holidays. 

Now, with class starting up, and after my "review" with Kevin this past Friday, I am ready to pick up where I left off, develop my characters, and learn from them.  I can best create my main character by "becoming" like her.  My "conceit" is a character who is how I want to be.  I have to practice "being" like her, then put her personality on the page.  It's the perfect exercise for me to practice what I'm learning from The Purpose Driven Life, Maria Gamb, David Neagle, Think and Grow Rich and others.  These are the kinds of teachings I want to display in romantic comedies. 

It will make romantic comedies great again!

But I'll only succeed if I do it first.  I walk the walk, and then I can talk the talk!  Yay!

I bought a copy of Final Draft screenwriting software several weeks ago from eBay, but I just started using it this week. It's awesome! Makes the whole process much easier. To think I'd been writing in Word! I definitely recommend it for anyone who may be wondering if it's worth the investment. (About $150)

Got Script?

The last class of my 8-session screenwriting class with Kevin Jackson of Lombardi Street was this past Tuesday.  The program was phenomenal, in my opinion. I have about 54 pages of script written, along with a list of characters, my "3-6-3 page," and other tools I learned along the way.  I have until December 15 to turn in a more or less complete script.  Lots of work these next 11 days!

There may be a master class beginning January.  I'm pretty psyched about that, because, as I told Kevin, I don't think I ever would have written one word of an actual script if I hadn't been in the class. Now I have a script well on the way, and the tools to move on to the next one as soon as I choose. 

Is there anyone out there who is wondering what it takes to get a script written?  I can put you in touch with Kevin...I'm a firm believer in being in a program and/or getting a coach or mentor to support myself in accomplishing major goals.  I'm also a firm believer in lifelong learning.  It's never too late to learn something new or change a behavior.

So who's got a script in your head that needs to get onto paper?  Let me/us know! 

My George Clooney Movie Idea

Just the other day I heard that George Clooney had been robbed at gunpoint while on a trip to Africa last year.  I don't remember hearing about it at the time.

Then today I read in my Purdue Perspectives - the alumni newsletter for Purdue's School of Agriculture - about the Ethiopian professor who won a World Food Prize for his research on sorghum.  (It's a prize started by Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug - look it up!) That story is totally inspiring.

So here's how I put the two together:  A famous movie star decides he wants to make a difference in Africa, but he also wants to get lots of people and non-profits involved.  So he decides to hold an "America Idol" type televised giveaway program.  Kind of like Oprah did last year with one of her giveaways.

So, the audience gets personal glimpses into the star's personal life, images of realities in Africa, images of the non-profits at work, and competing, and something special in the selection process... (That's my conceit - what criteria he uses to choose the winner!)

I know most of us don't think what's going on in Africa is too fun, but I do want this movie to be light hearted.  You heard it here first, folks!

Screenwriting class

I signed up for a screenwriting class with Kevin Jackson of www.lombardistreet.com in California.  We start the second week of October.

He sent the first assignment, which is to write a "Premise Line." That's a one-sentence description of my movie containing specific elements to help clarify the story and creative goals.  Now to decide which of my movie ideas I plan to work on while in this program...

I invited a friend to join me in the class.  Don't know if she took me up on it.  I suppose if anyone else is interested you can contact Kevin directly at Lombardi Street.

What I would tell a teenager

If you could travel back in time and meet yourself as a teenager, what three things would you tell yourself?
Submitted by Digital Scrapbooking.

Life is good - be grateful.

Study creative arts like theatre, film, writing or drama.

You create your own reality, so dream big and never give up! 

Service and Life

Queen L saves the life of a young farmer - a nobody.  He's grateful, but she tells him that since she saved his life, technically he owes her his life.  But, she does not ask him to offer his life of service to her.  She asks him to offer one year of service to her - doing whatever she asks of him.

God saved us for service.  We are called to excel.

When the farmer comes to begin his year of service, he first gets trained in some hand-to-hand combat. Then Queen L challenges him on different seemingly impossible quests.  He keeps trying to beg off because of his lowly background... She insists; he challenges his beliefs.  He does what he didn't think was possible. He is a changed man at the end of the year.

Queen L sets him free at the end of his year of service, and points out he has the choice: Go back to your lowly farmer status, or go on to do great things in service to others.

Some references to use:
Jeremiah 1:5
Ephesians 2:10b; 4:4-14
Phillipians 3:14
1 Peter 2:9
Romans 12:1; 1:6-7; 8:28-30
2 Timothy 1:9
1 Corinthians 6:20; 1:2,9,26; 7:17
1 John 3:14