Last week I reached out to a filmmaker who I admire for advice on making movies. She is really good at what she does and she is married with a kid. She said many great things and this one stood out: As you produce your own work, things will fall apart. You just keep going and roll with it. So far my film project has stalled for a year and a half as I try to put together a good team to get it done. And by film project I mean a three minute sketch for FunnyorDie.com I really thought that self-producing and writing original content was the answer to my quandary of living in NYC, where 18 of the 234 TV shows film. Now I have to address how (still) impossible it is to do without a director and how hard it is to get one on board and fit it into their schedule. So many great directors are directing their own work and very busy! So, what's stopping me? I need to direct my film. And, by film, I mean my three minute FunnyorDie.com sketch on airport passenger hi jinx. So I am now reaching out to directors and getting advice as I prepare to shoot on a set in L.A. in late May. Just as I start to panic about not knowing how to direct it occurs to me that nobody knew how to direct on day one. And what a perfect project to start on – it is three minutes long and really specific! I am re-reading How Not To Make a Short Film: Secrets from a Sundance Programmer by Roberta Marie Munroe. And it’s so clear and inspirational. I have a set, a script, most of the cast, a writing coach… and I have a community to turn to for help, referrals and guidance. Here goes. I am directing. Got success to share? I am listening. Poste a comment! Want to hear some great advice from Ted Hope? Click on his top 24 tweets of advice. My favorite right now is: “Create an atmosphere of inevitability.” Add Comment Solo Show for all you Funny New Yorkers 02/21/2012
 Self producing does not mean producing alone! But before I hire that team for my solo show, I have to finish rehearsal and development. For the past seven months I have been writing, rewriting, and developing my solo show Off Off Broadway with Matt Hoverman. I am happy to announce that my show will be a part of One Woman Standing, a series in the New Works play festival curated by Emerging Artists. It's called HaveYouSeenThisGirl and the date is March 6th, 2012. Advanced tickets are $10 and available here. This is the first showing of the material in its entirety, and I'd love to have you in the audience. It's a coming out story wrapped in an adoption mystery. Our class is part of a documentary on solo shows by Shannon Romines and I'll post clips or trailers as soon as they are ready for the public. I am so grateful for my classmates and my friends who showed up to one or all phases of the production and cheered me on or gave feedback. It's a slow but necessary process. While it has been a challenging seven months, it has also been more fulfilling than my busiest year pursuing TV work. And yes, I'd like both, please! In 2011 I graduated from UCB, made new friends I want to work with, and then started to develop my own work. I let my manager go, stopped commuting to L.A., and took 6 months to mark off 5 things on my Can Do List. It's only February and I have four more months to go on my quest to focus on creating my solo show, short film, sketch, and feature script. I share my goals to share inspiration, and because most people don't! I want to hear your goals! Are you writing something that lights your fire? Just talking about my feature script makes me more excited than I have ever been about anyone else's script. So tell me, what's your dream? Everybody comes to Hollywood with a dream! (And name that movie quote!) | 
Original ContentI have taken a few months off to create my own content in collaboration with people I admire. Join in the discussion and tell me what inspires you about self producing. ArchivesMay 2012 |
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