Mother's Day Romance

This has probably been one of the busiest months of my screenwriting career. The producer working on my Christmas Bonbons script for Hallmark (he changed the title to Emma and the Chocolate Factory) asked me if I'd be willing to change it from a Christmas movie to a Mother's Day movie. GASP!

The first major changed was to bring the dead mother back to life. That was actually fun, because I was able to name her Rita in honor of Mother's Day and my mother, who has been gone now for almost 25 years. Next, I need a new B-Story having to do with a missing recipe box from Rita's mother, and it reminded me of the surprise 25th Anniversary party I had planned for my parents. A few weeks before the big day, my mom's brother and sisters had decided that Grandma Nellesen should move in with my Uncle George. They planned to divide up all the stuff from my Grandma's house between the 5 of them. Everyone was going to meet at Grandma's house at 10AM and take their things. It would be rather easy because my Grandma would take masking tape and put each person's name that she wanted something to go to on the bottom. 

That fateful day, my parents arrived at 10AM, and the house was empty. Her brother and sisters had their trailers and trucks all loaded. Sitting on the porch were 3 items for my mom: an old footlocker, a book, and something that I don't remember. My dad probably knows. My mom called me crying that afternoon when she got home. She was especially upset because she knew there were keepsakes for my brother and me. She vowed that she'd never speak to her brother and sisters again.

I got my dad on the phone and told him about the big party. He told me that I would need to cancel it. Since there were hundreds of people invited, we quickly sent out postcards and called people, telling them that my dad had planned a cruise and we had to cancel. My dad quickly booked that cruise, and I spent the next few years angry at my mom's family and trying to use up all the napkins that said Rita and Larry - 25 years! But they loved their cruise and my dad ended up going on many more after my mother passed away and paid for me to go on a cruise - which I did after I retired.

So in this script, I had the B-Story be a dispute between my mom, Rita and her sister, Catherine. I picked Catherine (the tallest one in the photo to the left) because she was always one of my favorites, and Mom said I looked the most like her. Like all Hallmark-like movies, Mother's Day Romance ends happily, and this script is special because it is about a handsome chocolatier from Ecuador named Luis Silva. My precious granddaughter married the real Luis Silva last year, and I am trying to learn Spanish to travel to Ecuador in a few years to attend their second wedding for the Ecuadorian family. Luis can't travel until his green card comes through, so I have plenty of time to get fluent.

I have some other projects, the play I wrote - Colonoscopy the Musical, that I hope our local theater group, the KR Players, will perform someday. I'm pitching a girls' soccer script tomorrow, and finishing up my book Churchill's Mum - about Keith's 5th cousin, Jennie Jerome, the mother of Winston Churchill. I had to get a new picture done for that!

I had an article written about me this month - https://canvasrebel.com/meet-sandi-jerome/

That was exciting!

Getting back to the keepsakes, I'm happy today that I don't have a lot of stuff from my grandparents. I keep downsizing houses, so not a lot of room! I try to give things to my granddaughters when I can - and I wrote this blog 

https://sandijerome.blogspot.com/2021/03/your-grandkids-dont-want-your-junk.html - about how your grandkids don't want your junk.

So a very busy month - and that was only half of it! More next month! Thanks for reading!

Making First Contact

"Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were, but without it, we go nowhere."  Carl Sagan

I'm a techno freak. I read science fiction and I watch science fiction. One of my producer friends is trying to get the option for one of my favorite science fiction books (hint, hint, Melissa!) Here's a picture of me on the opening day of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind - at Epcot.

One of my favorite movies is Contact, a 1997 film with Jodie Foster as Dr. Eleanor "Ellie" Arroway, who makes first contact with aliens. Although I love science fiction, I've only written three screenplays that have elements of science fiction. Last Woman is more of a thriller with grounded science fiction.  It is about a young female scientist who suffers from a consuming fear of being alone due to a harrowing assault she endured in college.  When she tests a new device developed by her technology company, a strong electromagnetic pulse transports her to a world free of people and fears. But… she discovers that every time she does -- she grows further and further away from her reality and closer to the man who torments her. Another one of my scripts, Technically Soccer, is about a women's soccer team coached by a droid. Another script, Runaway Cricket  (in production at BlackOrb Studios,) is about a runaway girl befriending an alien. The first two are grounded sci-fi. Is Runaway Cricket grounded? 

What is "grounded sci-fi" and how does this set it apart from other types of science fiction? To really understand grounded sci-fi, it helps to first think about the broader sci-fi genre. Science fiction, at its core, imagines how the future might look based on speculations about technology, science, society and more. It asks "what if?" questions and creatively explores the possibilities. This could mean far-future worlds, alien life, time travel, alternate histories, and other mind-bending concepts.

But grounded sci-fi is a specific approach within this genre. The key word here is "grounded." This type of sci-fi tries to keep at least one foot firmly planted in reality. While it still speculates and imagines future possibilities, it aims to do so in a way that feels authentic and plausible based on what we currently know. Here are some key features that distinguish grounded sci-fi:

 1. Realistic science and technology: In Technically Soccer, droids already exist like AI-Me, (pronounced Amy,) which stands for Artificial Intelligence for Maximizing Efficiencies. Grounded sci-fi usually tries to base its speculative elements on real, cutting-edge science and engineering. The futuristic technologies feel like logical progressions from today's capabilities rather than pure magic or hand-waving. There's an emphasis on scientific accuracy and showing how these advancements might realistically function. 

 2. Relatable settings and characters: The worlds of grounded sci-fi tend to resemble our own, just with added layers of futuristic elements. The societies, cultures, and challenges faced by characters parallel contemporary issues in thought-provoking ways. Basically, despite the sci-fi trappings, this world still feels connected to and shaped by the one we know. Both of my "grounded" scripts take place in the present time and in ordinary settings; a house, an office building, and a soccer field. Runaway Cricket takes place in a small town that could be anywhere - on Earth. It is sort of a modern-day E.T., and if you believe in aliens...

 3. Exploration of near-future scenarios: Rather than leaping centuries or millennia ahead, grounded sci-fi often focuses on the near future, anywhere from a few years to a few decades away. It imagines the impact of emerging technologies, social trends, political changes, environmental challenges, etc., within a timeframe we can still reasonably wrap our minds around. I think the science behind Last Woman exists. An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is a burst of electromagnetic energy that can disrupt or damage electronic equipment. The physics behind EMPs starts with a rapid acceleration of charged particles, which creates an intense electromagnetic field. This field induces electrical currents in nearby conductors - similar to how a changing magnetic field creates electricity in a generator, but far more intense and sudden. The current military significance of EMPs comes from their ability to disable electronic systems. This is one of the small storylines in my script. When the electromagnetic wave hits electronic equipment, it can induce voltage spikes that exceed what the components are designed to handle. This can burn out semiconductors, damage integrated circuits, and corrupt stored data. Could it make someone appear to "disappear?"

 4. Emphasis on plausibility and consequences: Grounded sci-fi doesn't just focus on the "wow" factor of futuristic concepts. It deeply considers the ripple effects, unintended consequences, and socio-economic implications of these advancements. It aims to tell believable stories of how technology intersects with human experiences, both good and bad. I explore this both in Technically Soccer and Last Woman.

Some well-known examples of grounded sci-fi include:

 - "The Martian" by Andy Weir: A realistic tale of an astronaut stranded on Mars, using real science to solve problems.

- "Minority Report" by Philip Kindred  Dick: A world where "precrime" police use psychics to arrest people before they commit crimes.

The book option that I'd like Melissa to get is similar to Minority Report. One of my favorite movies, is The Martian with Matt Damon, and I started a "Mars-like garden" in my backyard. 

But movies like "Star Wars," are superhero stories, far-future tales, and fantasy-leaning sci-fi wouldn't qualify as "grounded" because they tend to prioritize imagination and drama over realism. The picture above is outside Guardians of the Galaxy in Epcot. That is my favorite franchise of movies. 

 Getting back to Contact - the book vs. the movie, there are five differences I found;

 1. Ellie's childhood and relationship with her father: I write a lot of father/daughter scripts because for the past almost thirty years, I've been close to my father after my mother died. In the book, Ellie's father dies when she is quite young, fueling her interest in science and the stars as a way to feel connected to him. Her childhood, relationship with her father, and early passion for astronomy are explored in much more depth. In contrast, the movie begins with Ellie already grown up. It shows some flashbacks to her as a girl with her father, establishing their bond and her curiosity about the universe. However, this backstory is condensed compared to the book. The film focuses more on Ellie as an adult and her present-day journey.

 2. The nature and motivations of the alien message: The book goes into great scientific and philosophical detail about the alien message, its layers of meaning, and what it suggests about the nature and intentions of the senders. Decoding the message is a major plot point that reveals fascinating insights about the aliens. We don't have the luxury to write a 5-hour movie - unless your last name is Lucus or Coppola. Although a limited series is opening up in this area. The movie streamlines the philosophical, not delving as deeply into the message's complexity. The film is more focused on Ellie's quest to understand and respond to the message rather than its intricate content. The aliens' motivations are left more mysterious and open-ended.

 3. Ellie's romantic relationships: In the book, Ellie has a few romantic partners, including her longtime boyfriend Ken der Heer. Her relationships are realistically complex, influencing her emotions and personal journey throughout the story. Actors cost a lot of money, So the movie reduces this, making Palmer Joss Ellie's primary love interest. Palmer is a Christian philosopher, allowing the film to further highlight the faith vs. science themes. The on-again/off-again nature of their movie romance drives character development and provides conflict that isn't as important in a book.

 4. Ellie's role and the machine: Ellie is part of a large team building the machine in the book based on the alien instructions. She is not the sole passenger, with several international travelers taking the journey alongside her. Compare this to the movie where Ellie is the sole American representative and ends up making the voyage by herself due to sabotage and accidents. Having her go alone heightens the drama and keeps the focus on her individual experience when meeting the aliens.

 5. The meeting with the aliens: The book's alien meeting is an incredibly vivid, almost psychedelic journey through time, space and other dimensions. Ellie has lengthy, enigmatic interactions with the aliens who take on familiar forms from her mind. But In the film, the alien encounter is briefer and less abstract. The aliens appear as fuzzy, incorporeal versions of her deceased father. The dialog is more concise and less philosophical compared to the book. 

 But the best line in the movie isn't even in the book; "The universe is a pretty big place. If it's just us, it seems like an awful waste of space." Carl Sagan wrote this, but he also wrote the first draft of the screenplay. 

 Sagan and his wife, Ann Druyan began working on the movie, Contact in 1979. They wrote a film treatment over 100 pages long and set up the project at Warner Bros. with Peter Guber and Lynda Obst as producers. Nothing happened, so Sagan published Contact as a novel. In 1981, Simon & Schuster gave Sagan a $2 million advance on the novel. At the time, the advance was the largest ever made for a book that had not yet been written. Guess what? The film reentered development in 1989. With Zemeckis as director, filming ran from September 1996 to February 1997. Carl never saw the movie, he died in 1996. 

 Writing a book after the movie is something I'm very familiar with. Last year, I wrote Mama Dallas and Augie (published by Little Studio Publishing. It is based on two screenplays, one of them that I wrote; Augie. I'm hoping to write the third one, which would be the early years of Mama Dallas (Concetta) in Italy.

If we can dream…hey, that is the title of next month's blog!

 

"It had to be snakes," from Indiana Jones

I like snakes. When I find one in the yard, I follow it around, making a lot of noise so we both know who is the bigger animal. I grew up with good and bad snakes. The bad were the rattlesnakes in Escondido. My dad showed me how to always put my bicycle in between the snake and myself to catch the strike in the spokes and to watch it coil. Like a hurricane, a rattlesnake lets you know that it is coming. Lots of warning as It rattles its tail and coils into a tight circle – ready to strike.

A few months ago, my manager did an episode of her podcast, The Heart of Show Business with with Andrea Crosta. The Italian-born, Los Angeles-based Crosta is the founder of Earth League International, a small conservation NGO that operates like a mini-FBI, using undercover operatives to infiltrate wildlife trafficking networks while feeding information to law enforcement about the key players and their modi operandi.

At one point in the podcast, Alexia mentions how Andrea looks like Leonardo DiCaprio - and I remembered how Leo was a villain -- who becomes a hero in the movie Blood Diamond.  Leo also produced Netflix's documentary 'The Ivory Game' about Andrea's work. A few days earlier, I met James Fox during Heidi’s Hage Saga's Virtual Workday https://hanesaga.com/2024-speakers and read James’ series opener, Revolution - The Sol Saga Book 1, where the evil Silas kills his targets and takes over their body and lives -  and thought, what if someone envied a person so much that they decided to take over their life?

Python Pursuit is about a handsome, passionate wildlife conservationist who breaks up one of the biggest exotic pet trade enterprises and creates an enemy that not only wants to take away our hero's life but his identity, too, in the most gruesome way possible. Yes, it had to be about snakes.

My manager is very excited about the script, but I got worried. I'm not a thriller/horror writer. I like writing about Christmas, love, kittens, soccer, and history. Uplifting stuff, funny, with happy endings. In addition, my new friend, Melissa, who is producing Hijacked (last month's blog,) is trying to get the film rights for one of my favorite books -- a SciFi. Over the past year, my manager has acquired coverage for my scripts from Heidi Stangeland, a former book editor – turned screenwriter. She writes Thrillers and SciFI. In addition, I've discovered that everything that Heidi says about my scripts is "spot on." I call her ideas –  the "magical touch" that my scripts needed. Then, it came to me. Why not partner with Heidi?

One problem: I don't like partnerships. My hero, Steve Wozniak, wrote in his book, iWoz “Artists work best alone. Work alone.” I was able to get him to autograph his book with this quote for Keith's birthday and he added…"except with Sandi." 

“Artists work best alone. Work alone.”

― Steve Wozniak, iWoz

How can I consider having a writing partner who isn't the guy I married to? Simple, I figured out that it is a lot like programming. Rarely do programmers "collaborate" when programming. I decided that this could work in screenwriting. We'll get ideas from our manager or a producer who has an existing project or book option that we'll adapt. We can also use ideas of our own. Next, I'll do the the outline, using one of the best structures for the story like Save the Cat or the 8-sequence method that I learned in the Native American fellowship last year and write the screenplay. Then off it goes to Heidi, who will add what the story, characters, or dialogue needs. Character and dialogue are my weaker areas, and Story and Structure are my strong suits. The key in our process is that when I'm finished with the first draft – that is it. Heidi will make all the changes she wants without asking me. No collaboration or committee discussions. I like the saying that a camel is a horse designed by a committee.

Our process will greatly improve our timeline and hopefully prevent creative differences. My hope is that the next time I see the story is on the screen, I want to move to the next project. Speaking of projects, my screenplay from last month, Hijacked, has taken on a production company, Autumn Bailey of AB Entertainment. She produced On a Wing and a Prayer with Dennis Quaid and has been looking for another faith-based airplane movie. This happened by chance. I use a listing service called Inktip, where I have my scripts, and various producers put out "leads" of scripts they are looking for. With 12 feature scripts and another 7 TV pilots, I respond to about 5 leads a week, and finally, someone contacted me and asked to read one of my worst scripts! Yuck. 

But when I responded to her, I thought I'd do a little research and maybe find something nice to say to her - to make up for sending her a vomit script. Well -- I found she produced On a Wing and a Prayer, and  I complimented her and gave the link about Hijacked and told her I used On a Wing as a "comp" for our movie. She immediately emailed me -- "Call me!" I did - right away, and we spent an hour on the phone talking about Hijacked. She always gets asked by Netflix, Amazon, and Apple+ - if she has another airplane/faith movie. I connected her with our Hijacked producer, Melissa and my manager, and a lovefest started. Everyone was in a buzz - but the hold-up was the Coverage for the script. That is when the dreaded reader decides if my script is a Pass, Consider, or Recommend.  It came back as a Recommend (from Heidi) the best! She made some suggestions that I took before sending it off for the WeScreenplay coverage that Autumn likes. I think you can see how this came full circle as Autumn is now a producer of Hijacked, AND has 3 of my Christmas/faith scripts in a 6-month shopping agreement.  Fingers crossed that it will be a very Merry Christmas in a few years!  I have to end this blog and get back to my Python Pursuit - and yes, "It had to be snakes!"

 

Kissing Frogs

I'm a Star Trek fan - not at the Trekkie level, but I often quote the Prime Directive and First Contact when it comes to letting people be themselves and trying not to disturb them. Up until this morning, I would almost have a panic attack at the thought of networking. I’m an introvert, but when the situation dictates, I can come out of my comfortable cocoon and transform into a social butterfly – but that was in a prior career when it meant survival.

I’m taking a course from the Hollywood Game Plan author Carole Kirschner, and last night’s bonus episode was The Ultimate Guide to Stress-Free Networking. Carole inspired a new perception of confidence and attitude about “getting out there.” Being a super techie, I created my Contacts database this morning to hold my Native American Media Alliance fellowship cohorts, along with the producers, agents, and managers with whom I have made “first contact.” I have 56 records so far. In my prior career, I had over 11,000 – so I have a ways to go.

Another homework assignment was to make a list of my screenwriting objectives, and my highest priority is to pitch my entry to Nicholl’s, Last Woman at The Austin Film Festival in late October. Like the producer of The Godfather, Allen Ruddy, I worked in technology before devoting myself full-time to screenwriting - and I like to write scripts about sci-fi and technology going wrong - or, as we like to say – “unexpected results.” I was lucky to learn the craft of screenwriting from the ultimate source of frightening Sci-Fi: Jack B. Sowards, who wrote Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan. He was my instructor during my Advanced Screenwriting Program at UCLA. I don’t know the name of those things that went in the ear that ate the brains in that movie, but this blog is about frogs. Yes, frogs.

I was born and raised in California; my mother’s family moved to Anaheim in the late 1800s. I grew up in Escondido, and when we’d go to Disneyland, my parents couldn’t tell me because I’d get so excited - I’d throw up. I’m that big of a Disney fan.  I think it was a Disney movie that coined the phrase, “You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find Prince Charming.”

A few years ago, I wanted to sell my software company and write full-time.  I met with 24 companies that wanted to buy mine - but things never worked out. I’d tell my husband, “Well - that was another frog.”   I had pretty much given up until one day, an investor asked me to call a young man who was getting started in the business and needed help.  Networking – oh no!  I didn’t want to help a competitor - and all this frog-kissing and running my company was stressing me out - but I did it anyway. We had a wonderful chat.

It was a shock to discover that we had attended the same high school in Escondido - even though we ran companies thousands of miles away - in opposite directions. Even weirder was when I heard his last name, and we figured out his father was my brother’s best friend.  It got even stranger - the next month, we were each returning to Escondido - it was his grandmother’s 90th birthday and my parent’s wedding anniversary.  We agreed to meet, and he ended up being the prince I was looking for, and even though I’m not uber-rich - his company bought out my stock by paying me enough each month to enable me to write full-time. Now I’m looking for a princess or prince to be my manager, agent, publisher, and/or producer, - so I’m ready to start networking and pucker up to kiss more frogs!