Oscar Bound

In Memory of Dad

Following is the eulogy I gave for my Dad, Gary Joseph Schneider, at his memorial service yesterday. He passed away unexpectedly from a massive heart attack last Tuesday at age 66.

Little did I know that when I began my quest to become a filmmaker seven years ago, that one of my first projects would be a script that would provide the basis for what I want to say today.   When you develop a script, the experts say, “Write what you know.” So I thought for awhile, and it wasn’t long before I knew that of all the people in my life, Dad’s larger than life personality was the right place to start. 

The next decision to make was what the actual storyline was going to be. We all know Dad led a colorful life full of ups and downs, but I decided to focus on what I knew best….and that was our relationship as father and daughter  So, the story quickly began to unfold in my mind and eventually on paper (thanks to my writing partner, Liz)….this was to be a tale of reconciliation and redemption…..of two people finding their way back to each other and finding peace within themselves.  The title of the script is “Relative Distance” and that’s the concept I’d like to talk about for a minute.

Typically when defined it means “a distance relative to a specified reference point, usually one in motion.”  To me, it means how close or how distant I was to my dad at any point in time.  Between us, we’ve covered about every distance on the map…but it was the distance of the heart that of course takes its toll on your soul.  There were many times when Dad and I were not in touch….sometimes because he was in a dark period and others because I was mad at him for what he might have done during those dark periods.

Despite all of those times, we eventually found a way to close the distance and find our way back to each other. I’m glad we did, because for the last ten years I was fortunate to know my dad as the guy I like to think he really wanted to be, but didn’t know how to earlier in life.  The dad that I’m choosing to remember is the man who:

*bragged to anyone who would listen that he had “seven wonderful children”

*got a kick out of teaching his grandchildren to fly kites

*loved his dogs and couldn’t turn away a stray

*enjoyed a good card game of 500 and thought nothing of bidding 10 no trump without the joker

*had to drive a Lincoln or a Cadillac….whether or not he had a dime to his name

*was able to find humor in almost every situation

*could make friends with strangers instantly, spending hours on the phone with credit collectors, hanging up to say,  “That person was from Des Moines”

*admitted “he was a handful” but asked Gloria to put up with him with a charming smile and a plea for some more ice water

*always worried that I was mad at him if he didn’t hear from me for a couple of weeks, no matter how many times I reassured him that I wasn’t

*cheered me on in my film endeavors and would leave me voice mail messages posing as Steven Spielberg to make me feel like I’d hit it big

*the man who couldn’t stop thanking Chris and I for all of the help we gave him once he couldn’t work anymore

*and mostly, I will remember him as the man who I know loved me deeply and told me so every single time we talked.

So now, when I think about the term “Relative Distance”, it has one more meaning to me….that Dad will from now on only be as far from me as the memories I hold in my heart.

As a footnote, about six months ago, the “Relative Distance” script magically fell into the hands of an up and coming production company in NYC and they are currently planning to produce the film next year. They recently asked me to provide some casting suggestions and when I asked Dad who he would like to play him I had to laugh….his list included Charlie Sheen,  John Travolta  and Patrick Swayze.  I said Dad, one is too young, one is too Italian and the other is not doing so well….maybe you should give it some more thought.  I’m hoping for Nick Nolte myself ☺

Time to find some balance :)

I've been burning the candle at both ends again, and of course came down with a nasty cold and cough as a result! This ALWAYS happens when I find myself moving down that slippery slope of over-scheduling and  feeling stressed. You'd think I would learn by now that too much of anything (even the good stuff) is sometimes just plain overwhelming!

The crazy part is that it's nobody's fault but my OWN as I'm the one in charge of my schedule; LOL :) So, why do I keep doing this to myself? Nobody is forcing me to stay up til 2 AM most nights. Nor is anyone telling me to take on multiple film projects at one time. And who is the one who decided now was the time I need to start home-schooling my kids? Yep, that's right...me!

Time to come up with a PLAN for Balance!  That is....after I get back from my whirlwind trip to Iowa where I will be meeting with no less than about 20 people in 3 days, all while trying to spend as much time as I can at the nursing home with my ailing grandmother. Not to mention the exhaustion of just getting there (literally think trains, planes and automobiles)! 

Calgon, take me away....oh, that's right...I can't even do that as my bathroom has been under renovations for three months (don't ask; LOL)!

Now taking applications for the role of "Alice" (a la Brady Bunch days)!!!

Film Festival Smestival

I don't usually do this, but have just gotta vent a bit about the wonderful world of film festivals. While on the surface they sound glamorous, in my experience they are usually disorganized and have very little to do with making filmmakers feel good about their work. More and more I see that most festivals are really an ego trip for those who run them and a way for them to hob nob with a few mostly D-list celebrities.  Sort of along the old adage of...if you can't do, teach....or if you can't make films, run a film festival :)

Many may have been started by someone passionate about film, but these people rarely know much about event planning. And since they are mostly run by volunteers, can be hugely inconsistent from year to year.  One year a festival may be great...the next, crappy. One year they may love documentaries, the next year they want horror.

Having now participated in, competed at or attended over 30 festivals throughout the U.S. and Canada, I have a few suggestions to offer:

1.  In addition to the goals of making money, meeting celebrities and feeling important within your community, make it a top priority to make your film festival one that is a fantastic experience for the filmmakers.  The world of filmmaking is small....we TALK to each other...and we will spread word that your festival is GREAT or it sucks.  Believe me, when I make it big (and I will one day), I will remember which festivals treated me well :)

2. Communicate with your filmmakers EARLY and OFTEN....it's great to receive the notice that you've been accepted, but what we really need to know is WHEN we will screen, what events you have planned and where I can stay while there.  I can't tell you how often this information is poorly communicated...often times not until the week before the festival. If you want me to attend, I most likely have to travel and incur expenses...the more time and information I have, the better.

3. At a MINIMUM, have a welcome area set up for the filmmakers as they arrive...give out packets of information about the festival. Make them FEEL GOOD about having traveled to participate in the experience. INTRODUCE THEM to other filmmakers and festival execs. You would not believe how many festivals I have attended where not one person from the festival ever extended a hello or acknowledged our presence in ANY WAY!! I know this sounds crazy, but it's TRUE...it's as if once they have your film, they could care less if you were there.

4. Along these lines, make sure someone from the festival is at EVERY screening to introduce the filmmakers.  You can't know how disappointing it is to travel to a festival, sit in your screening and never even be introduced (and yes, this happens frequently!) The audience usually wants to ask questions of the filmmaker...they wouldn't be attending a film festival if they didn't have an above average interest in film and even if you don't have time for a formal Q & A, let people know who the filmmaker is so they can talk to them in the lobby afterwards!!

5. I highly recommend having the Q & A' s after each screening...this is what the audience members want!! Even an average film is more interesting once you know the story behind how it was made...and believe me, every project has a story and represents someone's dream and hard work. In many cases, this may be the only film the person will have in a festival....give them their moment in the sun!! It's a small thing, but it's actually HUGE in terms of making the filmmaker feel good about their experience.
The key is to have someone skilled running it so that you stay on schedule. You can have an overflow area where you suggest anyone with additional questions can talk to the filmmaker after the screening.

6.  Assign volunteers as liasons to each filmmaker....someone to welcome them, make introductions, set up meetings for them with other filmmakers or press, give them tips on getting around town or tourist things to see while in the area. Only one festival I attended did this, but it was so amazing...it's a simple idea really and it's also a great experience for the volunteer as they also get to know a filmmaker really well.

7.  Every festival has badges for people to wear....COLOR CODE them so we know who the filmmakers are vs. the festival volunteers vs. the Press, vs. the Judges, etc...I just attended a festival this week and had NO IDEA who anyone was :)  And they apparently had NO IDEA who we were since we were there three times and not ONE person from the festival ever greeted us or said "boo" about our film.

8. Hold special "filmmaker only" events....panels, breakfast mtgs, cocktail parties....and have a Filmmaker only hangout area stocked with water/snacks...this could be a restaurant or a room in a hotel or other venue.  Filmmakers want to network...that is one of the main incentives for attending a festival.

9.  If you can't help out with transportation expenses, at least let filmmakers into the events and other screenings for free...yes, believe it or not, I've been charged $$ to attend an awards ceremony at a festival where I was screening. What ???  And give them a t-shirt or mug or SOMETHING they can take away from the event as a memento.

10.  Hold lots of panels and invite the filmmakers to be on them...it feels great to participate and share whatever knowledge you can. Open these panels up to the public as well. It will add something extra to your festival.

I guess one day I'm going to have to add running an amazing film festival to my to do list :)

Go Iowa!

Is it just me, or is my home state becoming hip these days? Not only did they recently legalize gay marriage, which is pretty interesting, but it seems to be referenced in practically every TV show I've watched lately and is featured in the new Star Trek movie-- as Captain Kirk is of course from Iowa!

Iowans themselves are in the news. Last week, Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson, who hails from Iowa, won the current season of Dancing With the Stars. And who could miss Iowa native Ashton Kutcher all over the news a few weeks ago for being the first person to reach one million followers on Twitter :) What I like about these two is that they exude what I term "Iowaness"...very down to earth, friendly and determined types of people.

Bizarrely (to me anyway), both Dear Abby and Ann Landers were from Iowa, as well as the original and most recent Superman actors...George Reeves and Brandon Routh. And let's not forget Jerry Mathers, who will live forever as the Beaver (from Leave It to Beaver fame).

Although I haven't lived there for almost 25 years, my mom and several relatives, as well as my best friend all still live in Iowa and seem to have no intention of going anywhere else. In fact, many rarely leave, very content with the lives they lead in Hawkeye state.

Recently, I became involved in a script project based on a little known story involving my hometown of Algona, IA...during WW2 the town was the site of a large German POW camp. Yes, that's right...there were German POW's in America...over 300,000 of them in fact. And they worked in the factories and on the farms right alongside those they had previously fought against. It's a fascinating and little known part of our country's history...and hopefully it will make it to the big screen and join the ranks of the other famous Iowa-based flicks.....Field of Dreams and The Bridges of Madison County.

So GO IOWA...you ROCK! Now if you only were within commuting distance of New York City :)

Meanwhile, some other famous Iowans you may recognize include:

Tom Arnold (actor)
Lara Flynn Boyle (actress)
Bill Bryson (writer)
William "Buffalo Bill" Cody (frontier scout)
Steven Collins (actor)
Janet Dailey (romance novelist)
Mamie Doud Eisenhower (First Lady)
Dan Gable (Olympic Gold wrestler and coach)
George H. Gallup (the poll taker)
William Frawley (actor)
Halston (fashion designer)
Herbert Hoover (31st U.S. President)
Lou Hoover (First Lady)
Howard Hughes, Sr (inventor & founder of Hughes Tool Co)
Mary Beth Hurt (actress)
Cloris Leachman (actress)
Laura Leighton (actress; Melrose Place)
E.F. Lindquist (inventor of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills)
Ron Livingston (actor)
Jerry Mathers (Yes....the "Beaver" is from Iowa!)
The McCaughy Septuplets
Glenn Miller (bandleader)
Michelle Monaghan (actress)
Kate Mulgrew (actress)
Harriet Nelson (actress & mom of singer Ricky Nelson)
Robert Noyce (co-inventor of the microchip)
David Rabe (playwright)
Harry Reasoner (newscaster)
Donna Reed (actress)
Lillian Russell (actress/singer)
Jean Seberg (actress)
Wallace Stegner (author)
Sullivan Brothers (war heroes)
Sada Thompson (actress)
Henry A. Wallace (Vice President under FDR)
Marcia Wallace (actress, Bob Newhart Show)
Kurt Warner (football quarterback)
Tionne Watkins (singer, TLC)
John Wayne (actor)
Andy Williams (singer)
Meredith Wilson (composer, "The Music Man")
Elijah Wood (actor; Lord of the Rings trilogy)
Grant Wood (painter)

Where does the time go?

Wow...3 months since my last blog. Yikes! I've been busy, but didn't think it was THAT long :)

To be honest, I've been a bit obsessed with Facebook (and now Twitter) and was debating dropping the blog, however, after thinking it over a bit, I realize that 140 characters is sometimes not enough.

So, here's the condensed version of what's new:

*Finally finished the re-vamped version of The BlueBelles and all of the DVD extras, which are now longer than the movie itself, but fun. And, we're very happy to announce that we  just got into our first festival...The Jersey Shore Film Festival which will be in and around Asbury Park in mid-July (screening date and time TBA).

*Wit's End continues to have some great momentum...we have now been in four festivals since January and have a screening coming up at The Hoboken Film Festival on June 1st (where we are in the pilot competition). Fingers crossed for a WIN! We also have some interest in the show from a NY based production company but I can't name names yet...to be continued :)

*Just finished a book proposal that we will be shopping around as a complement to the BlueBelles doc...we see it as a gift set. Concept is a book of tips about life, love & friendship from the Belles, along with the DVD. It seems to be getting some great feedback so far, so hope to meet with some publishers over the summer.

*Still co-producing the documentary, "Waking Up" about juvenile arthritis. We're looking for funding at the moment so it's a bit slow-going, but it has been very inspiring to meet and talk with the film's subjects. For more info and video clips about this project, join the Facebook group for Waking Up.

*We're in pre-pro on a new doc about psychics...this probably won't really get off the ground until the fall as we need to finish some other projects first, but it's something I've wanted to work on for a long time and it's going to be a good one.

*Liz and I are thrilled to have been asked to join the development team for an exciting new production company in the city....Kipany Productions. And, most exciting about this is that one of the films they are considering producing is our script, Relative Distance.

*TOP OF THE LIST though in terms of exciting news is that we were hired to do a re-write of a film with some exciting A-list connections. I can't say much about it right now except that we've finished the re-write and had a great response to it so far.  This could be a major breakthrough for us in terms of establishing ourselves as screenwriters and we are very grateful for the opportunity.

*LAST, but not least, I've been working hard on the website for my new podcast show, "The Nitty Gritty Cafe". The website is almost complete and we hope to launch in the next 30 days...it's been a bit frustrating not being able to get this out there before now, but all in good time as they say :)

Stay tuned :)  I'll write more about Nitty Gritty very soon!

"Wit's End" Is On a Roll....

I'm really psyched that our sitcom, Wit's End, is starting to gain some attention.  We have now been recognized by three festivals -- Honolulu, Las Vegas & as of today, a TV festival in Muskogee, OK (anyone want to meet me there?!! This is pretty exciting because the festival world has become very competitive and we didn't really know what to expect.

More importantly, having the festival recognition may help us get some meetings in Tinseltown should we decide to head out there and try to pitch the show. Of course...our preference is that our NYC HBO connection pays off and that the person who has it on his/her desk as I am typing this will now have incentive to actually watch it.  And in my fantasies, they will be so impressed with the concept and our ability to pull off a very entertaining low budget project that they will demand to sign us to a multi-year contract immediately :)

Ok...so that's probably not gonna happen...but right now, I'll settle for a meeting in someone's boardroom or maybe a cocktail at a funky bar in the Village or even a latte at the corner Starbucks. 

Here's to Wit's End....the little show that "could"....may the awards keep rolling on...

TO HBO:  I'm waiting patiently...really, I am!

A New Era

As I sit here watching the inaugural coverage I can't help but sense we really are at the dawn of a new era in our country.  Despite all of the very real challenges we are facing, I really haven't felt a sense of hope & excitement like this in my adult life, and am very much looking forward to seeing what the next months and years bring. Just to see the country excited vs. complaining is such a wonderful change (however long it lasts).

I am also feeling all of this on a personal level as well..as if all of my efforts for the last 4-5 years are about to really take off  this year.  I'm on the verge of realizing the dream of launching my own radio podcast show...The Nitty Gritty Cafe (hopefully within two weeks) and am SO looking forward to meeting and talking to all of the people we are lining up to be on the show.  I'm also collaborating on a book which will be a companion to my latest doc, The BlueBelles...and I can't tell you how long I have had the goal of writing a book (probably since childhood).

And, I really feel I'm entering into a new level in terms of my filmmaking career...meeting great people, being offered some interesting (and paying) projects and just taking my abilities to the next level. It's a good feeling and, for today, I'm just going to bask in it for awhile.

So, here's to 2009..to positive changes, new levels of understanding & bright futures for all.

Sincere Condolences to the Travolta Family

I don't know about everyone else out there, but the year has had a bittersweet start for me after following the story of Jett Travolta's tragic death last week. I can only imagine the heartbreak they are going through and just want to send them love.

It is expected, but still disappointing,  to see the media try to  make more out of this tragedy than what it is...two parents who LOVED their son, and did everything in their power to provide him with loving care for every one of his sixteen years, lost him too soon.  You can't look at the photos that have been released and not see that mutual love and deep bond that was there.  My heart goes out to them.

As a parent, the thought of losing a child is unbearable and when I hear about this, the only thing I can do is to hug my kids and make sure they know how much they are loved. I hope you will do the same.

And a big P.S. to the media....this boy had TWO parents...stop referring to him only as John Travolta's son...show some respect and start saying "John Travolta & Kelly Preston's son". Completely inexcusable!

A great start to 2009....Wit's End win's first award!

My partners and I received great news on New Year's Eve...our sitcom pilot picked up an Award of Excellence as part of the upcoming Honolulu Film Festival (which actually doesn't happen until March, but they let us know early). This was very unexpected and a wonderful way to start the year! The sitcom is sitting in the hands of someone "high up" in development at HBO, so we are in the process of letting them know about the award in hopes that it will prompt them to at least watch it if they haven't yet. We shall see what happens :)

In other news...2009 is shaping up to be a very busy year already.

*First on my radar screen is the launch of my radio show, newly renamed:  The Nitty Gritty Cafe
We are finalizing the website and hope to have the first podcasts available in late January. Much more to follow on this :)

*Liz & I have been hired to produce a documentary about Juvenile Arthritis which we will be working on throughout the year and you will be able to follow our progress closely as the project will have a blog and website devoted to the "making of" the film, which is titled "Waking Up".

*We also have some interest in a screenplay we wrote a couple of years ago and are heading into the city tomorrow for a meeting....more to follow, but we are very thrilled about where this might lead.

*Also a priority...I am busy working on a book to pair with The BlueBelles documentary as a gift item...you will be able to purchase the book (with advice/wisdom from the Belles on aging, friendship & living life fully) packaged with the film, as well as a How-to guide for making friends and forming groups.  If you know someone who works in the non-fiction book world, let me know....this is going to have a lot of potential :) (the perfect gift for moms, grandmas, aunts & friends all around the world).

*As if that wasn't enough, we are also in the beginning phases of producing a new reality show as well as my next major documentary, which will feature the world of psychics...a long-standing interest of mine that I need to explore more fully.

So, lots going on and hopefully I will have lots to write about...my apologies for being a bit neglectful of the blog in 2008. But...I'm back & re-committed!

Wishing you all a very happy & healthy new year where you have the energy and resources to pursue all of your own dreams!

Thanks to REFRAME, "What's So Funny?" may have new life!

Last week I attended a film distribution seminar in NYC at which I learned about an interesting new project being launched by Tribeca Film Institute, called Reframe.  Essentially, their goal is to:

"help individual filmmakers, broadcasters, distributors, public media organizations, archives, libraries and other media owners digitize, market and sell their classic and hard-to-find films and video content using the Internet. The Reframe website, www.reframecollection.org, will be a one-stop location and an important resource for filmmakers and distributors wanting to bring films to educators, film scholars and the general public; it will be a destination for scholars, artists, teachers and film enthusiasts to easily search for and locate content."

Although my films are already digital, this will hopefully be a great place for projects that never found distribution to have a new life. For example, "What's So Funny?", my first doc, would be perfect for this.
In speaking to the representative from Tribeca and explaining what the film was about & its journey so far, she actually said I sounded like "the poster child" for the project. Very cool...

Stay tuned...