It's June!!!

Yes, it's June, 140 shoots in 21 days! I have still have 12 filmmakers to find. I haven't heard back from a couple of filmmakers so I may have to find more, it's hard to know if people still want to take part when they don't reply to emails, @ of DMs. So we'll see. 

I think I hope I'll have all the filmmakers by the end of this week. I'll have to push because I want cut off the application process soon, people still need time to think about what they're going to do. I need time to think about what I'm going to do! I have a few ideas, but I honestly haven't had time to decide. 

But I have confidence that it will all come together. It's going to be a hell of an edit job no matter what! But it's gonna be good!

I'm looking forward to this week because on Thursday I'm going to the Give Me Direction seminar in Dublin, organised by the Irish Film Board and the Dublin International Film Festival. It's a two day screenwriting seminar featuring Shane Black (writer/creator of Lethal Weapon, writer/director Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang) and Shane Meadows (Dead Man's Shoes, This is England) among others. Should be interesting. 

I have to be honest though, I never really take much away from these things, in terms of my process. I have never changed the way I write, think about scripts, find stories - so Give me Direction is something of a condescending title, as if we screenwriters don't have a clue what we're doing. I have direction, I know what stories I want to tell and I know it's going to be bloody hard if not near impossible to get them done, so there's no need for you to tell me that. I just like hearing what other writers have to say, especially writers I admire and respect. And it's nice to hang out with like minded people, friends and see what other people are up to. I'm looking forward to it.

I should be working on the music to Slán agus Beannacht this week. Friend and musician Paddy McArdle will be dropping around a mic and mixer later today. I'm looking forward to that, I like but music together, clunking through some notes on the guitar and other instruments and then editing and mixing it all together to make it sound like I can actually play something! 

Then the final sound mix and grade and I'll finished. I've already started sending it out to festival, Cork, Galway and Heartland of course! So we'll see it goes. I found, from the last two, it's usually 6 months before anyone bites and then a few role in together. It's a slog getting it out there though, and being as broke as I am at the moment I really have to be selective. The cost of padded envelopes, dvds, case, ink for my printer and postage (anywhere from €1.25 a package to €4.25 depending on where it's going) all adds up. I tend to avoid festivals that have entry fees, usless it's a biggy and I think there might be a slim chance of getting in. 

It's hard to know how this one will go, if at all, whether or not it will connect with people on an international level the way Emily's Song did or the way Bill, For Short seems to be doing. It's very much an Irish story, but I'm hoping the theme of lose will be a universal one, the idea that things move on and change often leaves people spinning in the wind with no direction.

I miss writing at the moment. I haven't had a moment to do anything for a while. I need to be more disciplined. I have lots of projects I want to get working on, but I haven't settled on one yet. I'd love to find the time to finish my novel The Cats of the Crescent, even if just for me. I'm more then half way through it and I've been really enjoying writing it. I like the flow of ideas and not having any solid idea of the where the story is going, just a vague one, and allowing the characters to take me where they want to go.

I had an interesting incident when I stopped the last time. Emma, the main character, is involved in this war of sorts, she has been dragged into another world, but for a moment she finds herself close to her home. They all must leave as quickly as they came - fine I though, on we go - then I typed - "I have to get my mother," said Emma. Hang on a minute... that doesn't work! I hadn't planned her mother being a part of this story! No, no she can't go with her... but Emma wouldn't leave her behind if she had the chance to take her, which she does... Ah nuts! Prime example of a character telling me what to do! 

So that stumped me for a while, but I've had time with it and find it works and increases the dramatic intensity of the piece and gives them all more to deal with and means there is more at stake for the main character. So I'm looking forward to working on it again. 

Well, it's a glorious sunny day outside so I should hang up the keyboard and go get some Vitamin D. 

More on 140 as it happens. Hopefully new on Slán agus Beannacht completion soon. And expect a full report on the Give me Direction :b seminar. And hopefully some more interesting news too. Bye for now.