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Cadillac Dreams 4:410:00/4:41
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I'm A Realist 3:380:00/3:38
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Imaginary Tomato 3:110:00/3:11
Chasing Gilels Screenplay
Blog /Timeline
3/20/2024: I am stuck as of this writing. How do you make a project like this into a real thing? Work on things while II am waiting for something to happen, such as workshopping the screenplay with live actors, continuing to immerse myself in resources and contacts through Life Out Loud and Stage 32, reminding myself that this isa process as it has been for my two albums to date and a third one coming by the end of the year. I am a doer and I like to see things created and completed. The learning process continues.
1/15/2024: In the months since my last entry, I have created a pitch deck for the movie with the help of Sara Elizabeth TImmins which is now on the front page of this website and gotten some interest in the screenplay from director/producer Susan Dynner, who was a former award winning producer at the Sundance Festival. I just recently sent out a couple more pitch queries to literary managers listed on the Virtual Pitch Fest site, recommended to me by the Screenplay Gurus service. I keep my eyes out for other supplemental workshop or networking opportunities through Stage 32 or Sara Elizabeth's Life Out Loud Production company, There is a foundation dedicated to Emil Gilels based in Frieburg, Germany http://festival.emilgilelsfoundation.net/en/ which is a resource and inspiration for all things Emil GIlels and reading through it makes me more inspired to get my screenplay into an actual film some time in the next year or two. I'm not the only one who thinks Emil is someone special and deserving of wider acclaim! Happy new year to my friend andn inspiration Sina Maritza Najarian also!
8/26/22: I completed my first draft of my screenplay last week after three years of trying to pull it together into a coherent story. I am going to be working with the folks at Stage 32 to help bring the screenplay to life in some form or fashion. So far, one of the associate executives Liz Dickler has done a first ten pages reading of my screenplay and given me some feedback. After her feedback, I decided that I wanted someone to read the whole screenplay and I have submitted the screenplay to another executive associate, Theresa Burkhart Gallagher who will provide 3-5 pages of feedback. Along with STAGE 32, I plan to contact and network with the folks at Life Out Loud, which is a Virginia based film production company which consults with screenwriters on how to bring their ideas to life. They have done several films, but the one I know best is Lake Effects which was shot at Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia. I liked their process and I think they would have valuable advice for me. The other development is that last Saturday, I got to spend some time with Sina Najarian (Sina Maritza), the inspiration for the screenplay and we talked some more about her experiences in Moscow in 1968-69. I have left her a copy of the screenplay to read although I may need to create an audio presentation, as her eyesight at this time is a little compromised. The screenplay came out to be 112 pages. Below is a link to Stage 32 and its resources. Story to be continued as I make progress with this.
6/26/23:
I revised my firsrt draft using the Final Draft software as suggested by Theresa Gallagher, I had another reader look it over and their response this time was not so favorable. The major issue seems to be formatting so I am going to try and get help with remaking the script into a narrative screenplay. There is a site called Screenwriting Gurus which appears to be very helpful along those lines. When I posted this need on Stage 32, I got a couple responses from persons interested in helping. So I am going to be moving in both directions. The second reader noted that the effort to bring Emil Gilels to greater awareness was very worthwhile and I certainly agree with him. I enjoy historical drama and I think it has much to teach us.
Stay tuned for more this summer!
7/3/23:
I put a post up in Stage 32 asking for help writing a narrative screenplay. I got two almost immediate responses from individuals that were interested and one response saying if I had $5K, he could introduce me to a number of union screenplay writers. I don't have $5K at the moment so I contacted back the two individuals and both wanted to see my script. I was also directed to a service called screenplaygurus.com and strongly urged to use their services. I wrote an email to them tonight explaining what I was looking for and asking whether they would look at what I had written first, give feedback and then do the rewrite. I have done one rewrite and sent that along this afternoon to Adrianne and Sina. Things are rolling along and it feels good.
7/16/23:
So I've been using Stage 32 resources to help the professional revision along . I put a general appeal out to screenwriters interested in working on a revision and in the process as I noted, I got a lead to a professional screenwritng service called screenplaysgurus.com.
I got a favorable response to the screenplay from them and I have decided to use them for the rewrite. I also met with a manager named Kristina Cuello and we had a good talk about where I would go once the revision is finished. She has encouraged me to create a pitch deck for the movie and I downloaded an outline earlier this afternoon. The rewrite is going to take 6-8 weeks. I am documenting my own learning process here and the work is challenging but I am encouraged that things keep moving along for me. I've got some very nice feedback about the ideas in the film in particular. To be continued...
9/4/23:
i received the professional revision of my scrennplay last week and I got the chance to go over the revision page by page this afternoon. Screenplay Gurus did a very nice job with the revision and kep most of my original script. The parts they tood out were not that improtant and they were able to move the screenplay move along faster than I could have done on my own. I have signed up for a pitch deck class with Sara Elizabet Timmons that starts in a couple weeks and getting the professional pitch deck together is my next step. It's getting easier and easier to envision how this all could happen, I also have to set up a professional read-through at some point and I am looking forward to organizing that. thanks to all who have helped me with this project to date.
11/17/23
Last week I completed the Pitch Deck class with Sara Elizabeth Timmins and yesterday, I completed watching a replay of the fillmmakers' summit that she sponsored featuring women in different management positions throughout the film industry. There were a number of notable presentations including a development director at Gramercy Park Entertainment and the producer of a new film called Red Summer, a new documentary film about the massacre of black settlers in Tulsa in 1919 and the destruction of their Black Wall Street community. Every presentation had some useful information for me and thank you again, Sara for pulling this together.
It took me the full six weeks to pull the pitch deck together but with Sara's help, I managed to put together something very nice. Last week I went to the Virtual Pitch Fest and although I had a pitch deck at the ready, I had a favorable response to my second query letter from Susan Dynner at Aberration Films, to whom I will be sending the script via PDF next week. I updated my friend Adrianne so she could tell Sina and take it from there. I also got a good response from my first query letter to The Producers Films who said it was a "strong project" but currently did not fit their needs.
I also got a video from my friend Martin produced by Susan Cooper which stated that screenwriters should not be too precious about their work and it is likely to be amended by the director and producer and any financiers which may have agendas of their own. That's fine: If I wanted to have everything just the way I want it, I would have written a novel. In Sara's words, it is a collaborative industry and the hope is that everyone will be working together to make the best product possible. I was very inspired by the recent movie of All The Light We Cannot See which changed details of the book but did a great job maintaining the spirit and intent of the story. Yes, it can be done and hopefully will be done.