JAMISON: If Gavin dies, I will make it my personal obligation to make sure you see things you’ll never forget.
.:Evil
As it turns out, the general consensus of the last round of screenplay readings is that the antagonists don’t seem ‘bad enough.’ While not necessarily the most enjoyable thing to write, there are little ways to show that someone means business. The above line is from the character who creates the highest body count. I wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley, personally.
.:Glass
Contrary to an earlier decision, we are now planning to use a 35mm adapter, and the some high quality lenses have been purchased and should be arriving early next week. The movie promises to be much more filmlike and cinematic than ever.
.:LegalZoom
Today a big thick binder came in the mail with all the legal filings required to get Daros Films LLC into the rest of the necessary books. So after we get the final papers out, we’ll be in business… literally! We’re still going need some help when it comes to the legal work and accounting… so if anyone knows someone… just drop us a line, please.
.:Names
The idea of obtaining someone with a “name” (read: recognizeable name/face) has approached the table, and we are currently looking into getting the financing of paying a known actor to fly out and shoot for several days for a role. Quite an exciting possibility!
.:Supplies!
We are in need of some supplies and props to go in the background (and in some instances, foreground). Several items we are in need of:
-Art supplies
-An easel
-Canvases (or at least a good place to buy them)
-More to come as the need arises.
Just a quite note to those who are/were interested in the Battlefield series. It is not forgotten by any means. Greyscale’s writing has taken up a good amount of time, and as we begin pre-production, it will give me a bit of free time to get started on Chapter Two.
WINSTON (on phone.): My show is –
OLIVER: — I got a bomb.
W: (interested) Ooh! What kind!?
O: The kind that’s gonna blow up in my face if you don’t tell me how to disarm it!
W: (disappointed) Oh, that kind.
O: Yeah, that kind.
.:Trailing the Poster-Boy
With the screenplay wrapping up soon, I started thinking about about “trailer moments” and iconic images that can be used for promotional work/DVD art/posters/etc. One thing I’ve been testing is the lines of dialog that go above the updates as potential “trailer material” that whenever we start production, I might film those parts first so I can have my interesting trailer out as soon as possible to create buzz. If you have any poster/DVD cover ideas, please feel free to send them my way. I have a few
.:Beat It!
At the behest of someone that has been very supportive of this endeavor, I have created a “beat sheet” that basically will guide you minute by minute of what happens throughout the film. This helps show if the movie is dragging anywhere and if the structure needs any fixing. I’m pretty happy with where it is currently, but that’s only because I’ve read soooo many screenwriting books that I dare not move the main plot points from pages 25 and 75, and make sure that page 55 has a suitable midpoint…
Also, regardless of which draft you’ve read last, this is something of a “cheat sheet” for you to get a high level overview of how the movie is progressing, and how it might be different from the version you’ve read last. If it is difficult to understand, I apologize. It will make the most sense if you’ve read 7.10 (which, none of you have yet…). But if you’re interested in 7.10, just let me know and I’ll send a copy.
.:Economics and Legalism
Fairly soon Daros Films LLC will be on the books, and then Greyscale contracts will be drawn up. We have been looking at comparable pricing and deferred payment plans for cast and crew, and will be rolling those out when they are completed.
.:Plug Dos
Check out MovieZeal if you have some time. They are a great new resource for insightful, witty movie reviews, and I enjoy reading them in my RSS feed on a regular basis.
.:Fin
That’s about all I have at the moment. Please feel free to let me know if you’re interested in helping or becoming a larger part of this production. I have a very good feeling about this, and am constantly praying that this will be made with as much excellence as we can muster and will accomplish all sorts of things I never thought possible.
P.S. Looks like the Open Door Film Fest is turning its gaze upon Bixby instead of Jenks… check it out anyway. 
OLIVER: I’m going after the Donnellys. Figure they might have an address or two laying around.
RACHEL (on phone): Aren’t we proactive. Got a gift for you. Check your glovebox.
Oliver leans over, opening the glovebox.
OLIVER: Lemme guess … my car was unlocked.
RACHEL: No, I broke in. You’ll thank me.
.:Plug
Playing off last week’s “Origins” section, I thought I would dovetail that into another endeavor I would like to make people aware of in hopes of garnering some support for the event. On my first visit to the Oklahoma Moviemaker group, Nathan Ashton was there and was planning what is now known as the Open Door Film Festival, which looks to currently be set for next summer at the Jenks Riverwalk. But in order for it to get off the ground, it needs the help and support of people like you. It got me on the kick that maybe making a feature film would be feasible and fun, so please check out the site, see if you can get plugged in or have a little extra scratch (or know someone who has a little extra scratch) that you could use to help support the endeavor, it would be appreciated.
.:Tunnel
Many thanks to those who have read the seventh draft and given feedback already, and I look forward to hearing from the rest of you who volunteered. Barring any epiphanies or revelations, I believe that one more round of edits and several dialog polishings are in order, and then we should be done with the script and ready to register it with the Writer’s Guild of America and get it copyrighted. The light at the end of the tunnel is shining bright, and I’m glad it finally is visible after over four months.
Also, as a note to those who have been reading the Word version of 7.03… for some reason some of the sentences were cut short from the PDF version. No clue why, but apologies nonetheless.
.:35mm Adapter
While the idea of using a 35mm adapter was nixed early on in the pre-production process, it has been brought back on the table as independent projects have been looked at, and the difference between those with and without adapters has caused me to want to be in the former category. What is a 35mm adapter? It allows someone to attach photo or film lenses to a camera and give it more a ‘filmic’ look. Click the link for a more in-depth look into a really neat technology.
.:Radio Music
While Carol Underwood is working on the score for the movie, I have reached out to several places to see if independent artists would be interested in having their work in the background of the movie. Be it music playing on the car radio or some other place where it wouldn’t seem too out of place to have music, I’m hoping to both give independent music artists a chance to be heard, and to lend a bit of reality to the movie.
.:Commissioner
I had the opportunity to speak with the new Tulsa Film Commissioner and learned about how permits and other things work for filming in Tulsa. I hope to meet with him in the next few weeks and see what sort of unexplored avenues he might be able to provide for Greyscale.
.:Casting
After the script is locked down, I will take stock of the remaining available roles in the film, and the fun process of casting will be underway.
.:Scheduling
Please check out DarosFilms.com from time to time to see any news updates beyond this weekly update (which I crosspost on the blog), come up, and I hope to be able to provide a calendar for significant events in the near future for Greyscale.
Winston goes to work on the laptop as Oliver goes to look at a device on the wall. Without looking up, he calls out.
WINSTON: (distracted) If you are at all attached to your hands and wish to remain so, I would not touch that.
Welcome everyone as we turn into Week 4! A month it’s been already, and it’s been 4 months since the concept originally popped into my mind.
.:Origins
Little bit of trivia, but the name “Greyscale” was the word that originally popped into mind before I even had much of a plot to speak of. The first draft idea of the story was that the whole world had lost its color, and the night that it did, the main character’s wife went missing… How? Why? I dunno! Never really got that far, but things quickly changed after a week of writing.
.:Seven
Draft 7.03 went out on Monday night to everyone that showed an interest in reading a draft. At the moment, I don’t foresee anymore major plot changes, but there will be some major polishing of theme and more usage of the grey/color dichotomy. There will also be some dialog cleaning, and after I speak with some of the people that will be playing some of the roles to discuss their vision of the character, I think some more good ideas will flourish from that.
I’ve only received feedback from one person on this list regarding the draft, and I must say that I am very encouraged and very much look forward to what others have to say and what new ideas will develop.
.:LLC
As of this last Saturday, Daros Films LLC is now a reality! Well, in 35 business days, everything will be cleared, but it is a very large step, and we are incredibly excited to (almost) be in business!
.:In My Arms Campaign
In My Arms Campaign? What’s that!? Well, it’s something I just now made up. “In My Arms” is a song by one of my musical heroes Jon Foreman (lead singer of Switchfoot and San Diego native) that he released on his recent “Spring EP”. I had the chance to meet him a couple years ago, and he’s as down to earth and awesome as any guy could be, and I am hoping against all hope that the long shot of having his song “In My Arms” be used during the credits of Greyscale. I figure it’s never too early to start on impossible dreams, so if you or anyone you know has any connections that could possibly make this happen, I would be eternally grateful. I think we might have a chance because Switchfoot and Jon are on their own label now, and might be more lax about letting a little film use their work… it’s a hope.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os_YK-wv6cw This is a live version of the song. I’ll post the lyrics at the very end of the e-mail. I think they fit the overall story of Oliver and Julia perfectly, and it’s one of my favorite songs of my favorite songwriter.
.:Needs
So, I’m realizing that I can only wear so many hats, and that delegation is going to need to become a reality. I’m currently looking for people who would be willing to help with the following duties:
-Wardrobe Department: Keep track of what outfits the characters wear for continuity, and maybe help frugally purchase some of the clothing for some of the characters with the movie’s budget.
-Props Department: There are a few props, and we are going to need to keep them straight.
There will be more, but once we get closer in and the need arises, I’ll be able to fill this in more. Also, prayer is requested.
In My Arms Lyrics:
Here,
My Dear,
This is where
We’ll shake the nightmare free
I dream
To hold you in my arms
Wide awake
In my arms…
I think I figured it out
We need to be together
Like the shore and the sea
We are not one thing
We’re drawn here together
My ocean and me…
Love,
We sleep apart
For the last time
For the last time…
I dream
To hold you in my arms
Wide awake
In my arms…