Acting Up: Soul Inspiration
This past month I had the opportunity to travel to Machu Picchu. Wow! Did that trip turn my vibration, my reality, my thoughts on their head. As time slows down for a bit this summer, I encourage you to inspire your soul. Do something extraordinarily out of the ordinary that will make this summer one to remember....
READ MOREWeekly Roundup: Emmy Fever & a New ‘View’
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READ MOREAdvice from an Indie Producer: Locations
Locations are an important part of your prep as a filmmaker. The places you choose can either enhance or potentially harm the production value of your project. The process to find locations can be daunting especially on a full-length feature film, so it’s imperative that you have a plan. BreakdownsBreaking down the script is the...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Vanessa Williams, ‘Thelma & Louise’ & Diversity in UK Films
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READ MORENotes from a Screenreader: Right Hook
Photo via Go Into the Story. A spec script with a real hook jumps right out of the pile. It’s the difference between an indestructible cyborg from the future relentlessly attempting to murder Sarah Connor and Sarah Connor, for instance, getting a message from the future that she should start taking self-defense classes while she...
READ MOREWeekly Roundup: ‘Tammy’ Is Here, Academy Invites Are Not
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READ MOREFlix Not to Miss: ‘Belle’
Belle is inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the mixed-race daughter of an aristocratic navy officer. She was also the great-niece of Lord Chief Justice Mansfield, who paved the way for the abolishment of slavery in Britain and the British Empire when he ruled on two cases. Even though Belle is told against the backdrop...
READ MORE‘The Lighthouse Project’ Film Saga
Erica Fae and Jane Applegate in front of Moose Peak Light on a recent scouting trip to Jonesport, ME. Photo credit: The Applegate Group. Believe you can and you’re halfway there. —Theodore Roosevelt Joining a protest march to the U.S. Capitol on a snowy day in March led me to producing a feature this summer, set on...
READ MORENotes from a Screenreader: GOOOOAAAALLLL!
Photo via Go Into the Story. Many a spec script hits page 20 at a dead run, then pulls a hamstring and limps all the way through the second act while the writer chips away at what the story is actually about. It’s painfully slow to read. All of that should be resolved in rewrites,...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Women Directors, ‘Obvious Child’ & ‘Reckless’
Not surprised by: this infographic (above) from Women and Hollywood about how major studios have released very few films directed by women over the last five years. Really loved: Obvious Child, a funny, well-made and important movie about the realities of women’s lives. Caught the premiere of: Reckless, a new show that has many more women working on every...
READ MOREWeekly Roundup: #HireTheseWomen, Diane Sawyer & Comedy Central Prez Michele Ganeless
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READ MOREActing Up: Revamp Your Online Bio
Every six months or so, I always find myself looking over my website, Actors Access account and IMDB page to see if everything is up to date and current. This time around, as I read my bio, I could feel a heaviness. I just didn’t connect with what I was reading. So, I decided on...
READ MORENotes from a Screenreader: Discuss
Photo via Go Into the Story. Discussions are the enemy of drama in a spec script. They are info swaps to give the reader story information, which is like putting stale bagels out for guests: unwelcoming and hard to swallow. It’s more accomplished work to compose images that do the same job. Crazy, Stupid, Love opens...
READ MORELaughs, Glam & Inspiration at NYWIFT’s Designing Women 2014
Michelle Williams, Denis Leary, Jessica Alba and Rose Byrne at NYWIFT’s Designing Women 2014. (Photo via NY Post’s PageSix.com.) They may have come for glam moments and the chance to rub shoulders with celebs like Michelle Williams, Denis Leary, Jessica Alba and Rose Byrne. But attendees of New York Women in Film and Television’s Designing...
READ MOREWeekly Roundup: Designing Women, Chelsea Handler & Comedy Actress Roundtable
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READ MORENotes from a Screenreader: Luggage Handling
Photo via Go Into the Story. Luggage handling is the awkward moment when characters have to take story time to account for their props. “Henderson! They’ve buried the bomb in the middle of the densest civilian population on the planet!” “Let’s go! I’ll pack the trunks in the jet.” This is an extreme example, obviously,...
READ MORERoad to Designing Women: Goodie Madness in the Gift Bags
Goodie bag items at the NYWIFT office waiting to be packed up. One of the fun things about New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) awards shows is the gift bags, and this year’s Designing Women is no exception to the rule. This year’s bag will overflow with goodies from Ricky’s and Sephora. Taste buds...
READ MORERoad to Designing Women: ’70s Glam Makes a Comeback
Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams in American Hustle. Seventies retro is in. Along with the comeback of flared jeans, maxi dresses, and floppy hats are the faces that mirror the fashion. Women on runways, red carpets, and city streets are sporting heavy eyeliner, false eyelashes, and bronzed cheekbones à la American Hustle. American Hustle makeup department...
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