The conversion begins!

About three weeks ago, I started learning how to convert my stories into movie-script. The first one I wrote was my Romantic Comedy, Inspirational, "Dreaming of You." I still need to tweak some places in the script, but overall, I'm pretty darn happy that I was able to do it!

The next story I'm converting is my Young Adult Fantasy, "The Witch Hunt". I'm having MORE fun with this conversion, believe it or not, and hopefully, it doesn't take me long to finish this one, too.

I thought I'd give you a sneak peak of the scene I just converted. My three characters, Rick, his sister Brooke, and their neighbor, Eric, have been inside the haunted house. Brooke took a book, which she wasn't supposed to take. They hurry out of the haunted house, and back down to their home. Now this scene takes place next...

Mr. Kings lumbers toward them.  The scent of alcohol is heavy in the air.  The forty-year-old, brown hair, man wasn't very large, but because of his bushy beard, and blood-shot eyes, he was an intimidating man.

Mr. King glares at Eric.

MR. KING
You've been up to the house, haven't you?

Mr. King's attention drops to the book in Brooke's hand.  He scowls and points at the book.

MR. KING
That came from the house.

Brooke trembles with fear

.

BROOKE
Yes, Sir.  I didn't mean to take it, I just--

Mr. King swings toward Eric and growls.

MR. KING
Get rid of it now!  You know full well the evil that book holds.

Eric doesn't move.  He doesn't speak.  Mr. King steps closer to his son, staring him down.

MR. KING
You are the keeper now.  It's your responsibility.

Eric gives a quick nod and looks away.  Mr. Kings mutters something under his breath, turns and sways as he heads back toward the house.  Eric's jaw hardens as he pushes his fingers through his hair.

BROOKE
Eric, I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to upset your dad.

ERIC
He's always mad.  But he's right.  Everything that comes from that house is evil, especially the book.

Brooke gulps and looks at the leather-bound book.

BROOKE
We need to take it back, immediately.

Rick snorts

.

RICK
I'm not going.

Eric rolls his eyes at Rick.

ERIC
Well, at least you were brave enough to go up there and take some pictures.  Heaven forbid you have to return to there.
(shakes his head)
I'll take it back myself.  I don't want either of you near that place again.  And besides, you heard my dad.  It's my responsibility.

BROOKE
I'm coming with you.
(glares at Rick)
Because I'm not scared.  It's not like this was your fault, anyway.  So if we disappear, I hope your guilt-stricken for the rest of your life.

Eric bites his bottom lip as he tries to keep the grin from tugging on his mouth.  Brooke smiles at Eric, noticing that he's holding back a laugh.

Eric motions his head to Brooke.

ERIC
Come on, let's go.

Rick stays behind, as he'd promised, as Brooke and Eric walk up the hill toward the haunted house.

BROOKE
I can't believe my brother, sometimes.  He's become quite the dim-wit lately.

They pass an alley, and a dog starts barking.  She quickens her step until she's right beside Eric.

Eric zips up his jacket and stuffs his hands in the pockets.

ERIC
Maybe you were being a little hard on him.

Brooke laughs.

BROOKE
Hard on him?  You saw the way he acted.

ERIC
There's always a reason people act the way they do.

BROOKE
Yeah, because he's selfish and rude.  And.. an idiot.

They remain quiet as they continue to the house.  They reach the property, step through the fence, and head toward the house.  Brooke glances longingly at the book in her arms.

BROOKE
Eric?  Aren't you the least bit curious to what's inside the book?

She traces the gold lettering pressed into the soft leather.  Pale moonlight reveals what looks like faint scorch marks along the edges of the pages and cover as if it had almost been burned.

ERIC
I'm not curious at all.  I know how vile that thing is, and the kind of magic--
(he stops, hitching a quick breath. He looks up into the sky)
At least it's not too cold for a walk tonight.

Brooke arches an eyebrow curiously.

BROOKE
Magic?  Eric, were you trying to say magic spells?

Eric flicks the flashlight on as they near the front porch.  The crow bar Rick had used earlier to break the board away was still laying near the door.  Eric leads the way, walking inside first.  Brooke follows.

INT. HAUNTED HOUSE, INSIDE - NIGHT

They walk through the entryway and into the library.  Eric stops and points toward the bookshelf.

ERIC
Okay, put that thing away and lets get out of here.

Sighing, Brooke steps forward and balances the book on the edge of the shelf.

BROOKE
Aren't you curious to take even one little look?

ERIC
Brooke, I don't think--

Before Eric can stop her, she flips the book open and props it on her forearms.

BROOKE
Just a peek, and I promise to put it back.  I just want to see what kind of stories are in here.

Eric moves next to her.  His body is rigid and his jaw his hard.  He shines the flashlight on the book.

ERIC
Okay, hurry, so we can leave.

Brooke stares at the words.  She runs the pads of her fingers across the thick parchment.

BROOKE
Listen to what is written on the first page.
(clears throat)
To read and truly understand, one must fight the danger at hand.  To solve the riddles in this book, one must go to their heart to look.  To be freed from the mysteries' hold, one must learn from the stories untold.

Feeling puzzled, Brooke looks at Eric.

BROOKE
What do you think that means?

ERIC
I don't know, but I don't have a good feeling about this.  Let's get out of here.

She slowly turns the page, and her breath catches in her throat.  She runs her finger across the large script words Hansel and Gretel.  A brightly painted forest scene covers the rest of the page.

The green, red, and blue colors splashed on the page seem to swirl around the parchment.  Quickly, the picture began to grow...

Not believing what she's seeing, she blinks and looks again.  Towering trees, and lush, green bushes, stand out like three-dimensional pictures in a pop-up book.  The painting of Hansel and Gretel seem to come to life, as well.  Brooke even thought she could see a gingerbread cottage.

Beside her, Eric's gaze is glued to the page.  He can't move.

Slowly, tendrils of white mist lifts from the book and drifts toward them.  A sense of panic grows inside of Brooke and she clamps onto Eric's arm.

BROOKE
Wh-what's happening?

The tendrils grow larger.  Claw-like fingers curl toward them, reaching out to take hold...

ERIC
Run!

They struggle to move their legs, but they can't.  It's too late.  The white mist surrounds them and pulls them into the book.

LIGHTS...CAMERA...ACTION!!! On the movie set of "Not Cinderella's Type:

This post is a special addition. Since I posted the last part of my experience on the set of "Not Cinderella's Type", I've received information from one of the crew members, RuBen Permel, that I interviewed online.  I knew this was great information that I had to share!

ME:  Tell us how you got started in film, and what was your duties on the set of "Not Cinderella's Type".

RuBen:
I have been designing costumes for stage for more than 25 years. I was a stage performer for many years on the road and kind of fell into costumes. I was always artistic and able to pick skill very quickly. I learn to sew while working as a professional puppeteer right out of high school. Who knew those talent who lead to a career in Costumes and Wardrobe. For the past 13 years I have been working for Cirque du Soleil as a Wardrobe Supervisor for 4 of their internationally acclaimed show. ALegria, KA, Viva Elvis and Zarkana. I also designed the first One Night for One Drop for them at the Bellagio in 2013.

I have always been interested in Film and Television. It was different from stage and I enjoyed trying new projects. I have worked on Film and television project with Cirque and then start working on them independently. If fact I Directed and produced a short film, Whisper Goliath in 2016 which has been shown at 4 film festivals. Not Cinderella's Type (NCT) is the 3 film I design costume for this year And I will start IN Emma's Footsteps next week. I like to focus my design on the Character of a story. What they wear has to make sense in their role And how it can't support or tell the story.

On NCT, the Lead role of Indy wasn't made to feel a part of the family. She only got hand me down and wore plain clothing. I use color to enhance her design and look instead of detail. The role of Clarise who represents the Wicked Step Mother Theme is complete opposite for her and the Family. They wore very bold patterns and color. Well put together and always accessorized. I enjoyed costuming Aunt Clarise the most as her role and Character was most theatrical. I felt her look had to be strong and very detailed from Hair, Nails, makeup, jewelry, shoes and even how she wore certain garments. Again the script gives you starting point and once I met the Actors the look develops more.

A big part of my Job is to coordinate the costumes with the light, Sets and mood the director is trying to create. You must be flexible and open top change when necessary. In an scene we shot during NCT, the top I picked for Indy was the same color as the sheets, so I has to quickly find a complimentary alternative. I try to always be aware in advance but sometimes you can't see everything prior to the scene being shot.

We also shot out of order so continuity is so important. Some of the roles had to wear the same costumes for 4-5 difference days. It was my job to ensure that they wore the correct clothing in the same way. 

NCT was a wonderful film to work on and I hope in some small way my Artistic touches enhance the viewer enjoyment of the movie.

Please visit Act2Art.com to see more about my work.

THANKS AGAIN TO THE CAST AND CREW OF "NOT CINDERELLA'S TYPE"!!!

BOOK COVER

MOVIE COVER!

LIGHTS...CAMERA...ACTION!! On the set of the movie, "Not Cinderella's Type" - pt 5

I want to thank everyone who has been following my blogs and reading about my experience on the movie set of "Not Cinderella's Type."


In today's segment, I'm going to show you more pictures and tell you about some of the other people I met.


Jenni James (author of the book) introduced me to a very interesting man. His name is Warren Workman. He is AMAZING! He is over Utah Film Awards. How cool is that? He was able to tell me about what producers are looking for, which of course, got me excited to learn how to write my own script. AND...we discovered we have something in common. We love watching movies, and we quote lines from our favorite movies all the time. Okay, Warren...what movie did these lines come from -

The pointy end goes into the other man…  So, what’s lesson number three?  To get to lesson number four…  He was very vigorous, Father.

Here is Warren's bio from IMBd.com:


Born in Oakland, California Warren Workman was raised up and down the east and west coast as his father was in the Navy. He made his 1st television appearance when he was 12 on Adak, Alaska by winning the school song writing competition.

In 2009 Workman competed in a reality show on the Oxygen Channel. After leaving the show Warren returned to Utah To begin making films, web series, and television shows.

In 2011, Workman created "Filmed in Utah", a weekly television show covering productions filmed within the state. Filmed in Utah has been syndicated on eight television stations and is also available online. The show led to Workman being offered a teaching position at Salt lake Community College.

Workman has over 250 televised interview with guest such as Sean Astin, Kevin Sorbo, Doug Jones, and Danny Trejo, has received several awards for his Filmed in Utah production, and taught producing at SLCC.

In 2012 Film in Utah got picked up nationally and was re-branded "Film Buzz" and regularly covers film festivals and new film premieres.

Workman is the executive producer of many shows including "Gods Among Men", "Afterlife", and "Ultra Championship Wrestling". Workman also manages the Utah Film Awards every spring, the Park City International Film Festival in the summer, and the Utah Music Awards in the fall.

I also met the man in charge of wardrobe - RuBen Permel. Unfortunately, we were never able to connect for me to interview him.

RuBen and the wardrobe needed for the scenes they shot that day.



Isn't she adorable in that dress? Do kids really wear dresses like that to school? lol

Here are some pics of the actors getting their hair done, or their make-up on. Jenni James told me that this particular crew member has to know exactly how she did the actors make-up and fixed their hair in each scene, just in case they have to reshoot later on. All I can say is...dang - that's a lot to remember!!

Here are more pictures that my daughter, Chrystal, took while we were walking around Orem High School in Utah.


Out front of Orem High School during a scene.

We are standing on the second level looking down at the main hall.

This was where the main actors hung out.

These are extras getting ready for their scene.



Here are the extras again, waiting for the same scene.

Close up of the main actors hanging out.

The lady in the skirt plays the principal in the movie.

And now...the AWESOME author, Jenni James, and her husband, Jason!

Thank you cast and crew of  'NOT CINDERELLA'S TYPE". It was so much fun to be there with you and talk to you. I hope we meet up again some day...or maybe you can play parts in MY movies.