16 Pages
I spoke with the writer this morning, and we have decided not to submit our application this Friday. Very simply put, we do not have a producer. Someone who has been attached to the project for some time, who knows the script, the story and the characters. Someone who can make the calls, cut the deals, and then get an application together. Even if we were handed this person on a platter today, it’s very unlikely they would have the application ready by Friday. Rushing at this stage would be a disservice to all the hard work the writer and I have put in so far.
But this is hardly the end. Now that the script is, more or less, a final draft, we really are only on the first rung of the ladder. There are two further rounds of funding over the next two months, so now we have time to put together a great application. We also have the time to investigate other funding opportunities. It could be that the film is made for a third of the current budget, and this could be money we raise privately.
The trick is to cut the script without losing it’s appeal. We are currently on 19 pages. I have managed to get that down to 16. The magic number we are aiming for is 15, as 15 minute films are much easier for festivals to schedule than 20 or 25 minute films.
The other upside of this situation is that I now have time back to concentrate on the two feature projects I’m attached to. I have options to get these to L.A., so the best thing I can do at the moment is finish them both. Life is certainly busy.
Tomorrow I have scheduled myself to go to the cinema. I think that I need to see more quality films as this will inspire me. I also need to get my mits on a copy of Mean Creek.
