The Dreaming You

Giving Yourself A Second Act

Until recently I didn’t know that movies had three acts.  It has been part of my screenwriting education to see the structure underneath the movies I love.  Now when I watch movies, I know how to look for the things that happen at 30 minutes, 60 minutes and so on.  What has recently struck me are the things that happen at those same points in our lives.

 

In a screenplay, one page of the written word translates to roughly one minute on film.  I believe in our lives – the ratio is often closer to one year.  In a film, the first 30 pages are about “the normal world”.  This is when we find out what it’s like to be the main character.  In life - this is when we find out what it means to be us.  Then long about 30 pages – there is the Decision to Act.  It is this decision that takes us in to Act II – the meat of the movie – when our hero leaves the world they know and goes out on an adventure.

 

So here I sit at 35 and I realize that I am on the cusp of my very own Act II.  I am contemplating my life as a storyteller.  I plan to continue my beautiful day job and some wonderful opportunities there.  I also plan to continue taking my life and my understanding of it into writing.  How exciting is that!

 

As with any adventure, I’m not sure where this story goes next, but I am ready for the journey.  As I take the first steps  and continue to learn a new craft - I know this is right.  So often in our world we are taught to fear these changes in life.  We call natural transitions a “crisis” – when it is actually a gift.  It’s being able to look at your life and give yourself an Act II.

Unafraid and Little Bit Unreasonable

I really enjoy working with Barri Evins because she is teaching me about the power of being unreasonable - first hand.  Barri is a Hollywood film producer and teacher I met through Cinestory.   She has had a long career in the industry – which she partially attributes to being unreasonable.  How else could you persist in an industry that is famous for exclusivity and rejection?  As she said,  “Any reasonable person would pack up and go home.  But where is the fun in that?”

 

So how has she done it?  I think the key is to understand that ultimately she is fearless.  She will ask for anything and work for anything if it is something that matters to her.  Here’s an example:  Barri once decided that the children in the Head Start programs she was working with should have the same warm Santa experience that other children have when they receive their gifts for the Holidays.  There would be no more plastic chairs and boring backdrops. 

 

So this nice Jewish girl decided to design sets for all of the Head Start Programs her literacy charity was working with that year.  First she built a small six inch model and then it was simply a matter of taking the steps – one after the other – until every school had their own fairy tale land complete with working lights, fake snow – you name it.  Ultimately it was a matter of asking a lot of people to work together to support a common vision.

 

That’s how she does it.  Barri starts with a vision of where she is going – and then it’s just a matter of taking the steps and asking for what she needs – often beginning with the first thing she does know how to do on her own.  Frankly, this is exactly what I needed to learn right now as I work to build this site.  I have to be unafraid – whether I am approaching people to be interviewed or simply asking you to take your time to read my posts.

 

What a powerful combination – Unreasonable and Unafraid!  Just think what we can accomplish with those two simple traits.  So – Thank you to Barri for being a role model and for believing in me and my Unreasonable Dream of building this site!!!

 

Here’s to being Unafraid!!

First Steps Toward a Screenplay

Aisha got things started on the Saying It Out Loud page with the following post:

I want to write a screenplay. I used to make pretend movies on my parents' cash register rolls and hold them up to a desk lamp to show my captive audience (several younger siblings). - Aisha

Hey Aisha,

I am busily working on the concept for my next screenplay revision now.  I have completed 5 screenplays and learned something significant from every one.  As you saw in my post - it has been an interesting life journey as well.  I love writing and I have big dreams for these scripts!!

Here are some of the things that have helped me and been recommended by fellow screenwriters:

1.  Final Draft Software - the industry standard, takes all the worries about formatting off the table.  Not cheap but worth it.

2.  Reading Tons of Scripts - this is the site I like the best for accessibility and depth of screenplays offered:  http://www.imsdb.com/

3.  Finding Other Writers – For me this has been through Cinestory http://cinestory.org/wordpress/  I have gone to their retreats and even done classes via Skype.  I have found this invaluable and the friendships worth the price of admission regardless.

 

What else has worked for people?