The If's of Writing

If the catalyst for the story never speaks one word, will you know him as deeply as I do –left only to the actor’s prowess on the screen?

Is it really something HE would say?

It’s such a strange reaction, how would it be perceived?

Are HER attempts at proving her flesh and blood state coming through?

If I switch the order, would the effect be the same or more dramatic?

Can I cut that scene out entirely without losing the gem?

If SHE says nothing, how would the other person react – forced to fill in the gap or respect it?

These are a sampling of questions I ask myself as I work my way through Draft 2 of the screenplay for next year’s production. The story was simple and came as if from nowhere, inspired by actual events (some and not others – you can decide that when you see it), plopped on the page in a fury of writing over only a few weeks.

It’s been a year since the story began! I can’t believe how far we’ve all come since then.

I now no longer see the original characters that made up the novel. I am not sad. After adapting it to screenplay, I see the wonderful local actors I want to have in the production – I hear their voices, I see their faces, I see them as the characters. They move the way I know the characters do, the little nuances that make a person who they are, habits and fears, grins and concerns, incorporating amazing surprises I will not have thought of as they flesh out their characters. I hope not to intimidate anyone with this statement – but it was a simple transition of the talent available to us.

I can’t wait for the read-through’s. I’m anxious to hear familiar voices speak words I expect them to say and can’t wait to hear feedback on that which doesn’t ring true. It’s like a sour note, a key gone flat on the piano, when something just isn’t right. Sometimes I notice it. Sometimes I don’t and someone else will.

I love the collaboration of pulling out fully formed characters from my imagination, ironing them flat to fit on the page with hopefully just enough embellishment to be pulled off the page once again, like a sticker, and puffed up with the actor’s breath into a real, living, moving, breathing, speaking person!

See you soon!

“Fresno” on TV!

Be one of the first to see a clip from Entandem Productions’ upcoming documentary, “Fresno!” Christine and Jaguar are scheduled to appear on Channel 26’s morning show, “Great Day,” this Tuesday, June 19, at way too early in the morning. We’ll be showing a clip from “Fresno”—the first time anyone in the world, anywhere, will get a chance to see a portion of the film.

Want to see a little bit of what we’ve been doing, get up early (or stay up late, depending on your habits) and catch us on Great Day! Tell all your friends!

Fresno Soul

We are constantly being asked what our film is about. What often arises is Fresno’s self-defeatist attitude of why a film about Fresno? Well, if you see it through our lens, it’s a pretty interesting place with amazing people. Moreover, it’s Any-Growing-City, USA.

We're entering the villages of Fresno -- those pockets like little villages that combine into an economy and complex social structure. We enter these neighborhoods through the hearts and minds of its people to discover how this place is perceived and how its future is being shaped. Not everyone is optimistic.

We’re so lucky to have this insight and we can’t wait to share it with all of you! I wish everyone could get a chance to sit with us as we interview someone. Foremost, because we hear incredible ideas, but also because we’re forced to listen. By listening, we give up our selfish ways for a little while and are rewarded by bits of enlightenment. I’ve decided that communication is an invitation and one must have the patience to listen or it is not effective.

We face many changes in Fresno since our population is expected to double in less than a decade. Are you prepared? Have you thought about this? How will this affect you, your family, your neighbors, your neighborhood, your neighbors across town?

I’ve lived in a city in which the infrastructure failed when its growth exceeded all expectation, all planning, all common sense, and greed prevailed there. (Sounds like a wicked fairy tale, doesn’t it?) Let’s utilize our resources – the most valuable of which are our people! Apathy needs to be banished by us all. Let’s just “do” something, no matter how small it seems. There are many doing something, anything, some do a great deal, many put forth good ideas, plenty more are organizing. (Can you picture the little elves with tiny tools building the future?) Let’s work together to implement those smart growth ideas.

Fresno is perched on something – let it be greatness!