Is your plate too full?

How many people experience this problem?

Who hasn’t?

It’s important to learn how to prioritize your life with so much going on.  I’m still learning that skill. It’s not easy.

I’m having one of those weeks where it seems like there aren’t enough hours to get everything done.  The solution?

I’ve focused only on the things that NEED to be done.

For example, I have a career outside of the movies, websites and screenplays.  Paying bills is always number 1.  (It helps that editing pro sports is really fun.)

But I’m not always at work.

The Climb is now about 6-7 weeks away from shooting and it’s been a busy week of planning.

The other day I woke up and fired off a series of emails confirming our massive make-up/wardrobe/rehearsal day in a few weeks.  With everyone confirmed it was time to focus on what should be the final draft of the script.  (I wrote about that earlier.)

The new draft is now completed and I was genuinely excited to send it out to the cast and crew. It has a brand new ending that strengthens what I want the movie to be.  I say new ending but it’s more like a reimagined version of the original ending.  Just a few small changes that made a huge difference.

We’re still finalizing the tattoo make-up for Destiny and it’s coming along gloriously.  I’m so happy with the overall look of the design.  Alex is doing a great job.

I’ve also got a producer hat on but it’s Eric who is really the MVP behind the scenes.  Today we went over the films meager budget to ensure we’ll have everything we need come May.  It’s hard to believe we are already gathering tape stock and equipment.  It’s coming so fast!

In less than two weeks we’ll be traveling to the main location to rehearse on site and I’ll be filming some of the run throughs.

You may even see some test footage up on this blog soon after.

Things are moving forward nicely. Once the rehearsal is over, I get to go into director mode and really start planning the shots and moments I want to achieve.  I’ll have a month to get my act together.  More than enough time considering I’ve been thinking about this movie for 4 years.

We’re making a movie!

Note: Actually, we’re making 2 but Strings is a ways off yet.  Still on the plate but it’s not taking up a lot of space.

I’ve been in hardcore screenwriting mode for a few weeks now and there’s no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

I’ll be putting my latest projects on hold for the month of April and May to focus on the movie but this summer is all about shorts and features.  For now, I’m mainly working on the new feature and developping a couple shorts.  One of which is a cartoon.  My first.

Screenwriting is by far my favorite passion in life.  It’s hard to put it on the back burner but truthfully, I’ll probably still sneak in a few hours here and there to write.

This blog is now over 6 months old with nearly 200 entries.

200 posts!

This blog has been a dream of mine for a long time and it’s been a blast building up the brand.  I’ve set my goals extremely high for this site and I’m no where near them yet but I’m certainly committed to achieving them.

Lately, screenwriting has taken over most of the posts but I’ll be switching gears to regular film updates again as we continue towards The Climb’s shooting dates.  I say this lightly but there is a strong possibility that 6 posts a week may be too much for the remainder of the production process.  Don’t be alarmed if there are a few stretches without updates.

The Lesson

I used to have a tendency to bite off more than I could chew.  Another food comparison but my plate has been full numerous times in the past.  What I have learned is that prioritizing the work load is key.  There was a time when I would become a ghost for months and bury myself in my work.

Those days are long gone because I know that you aren’t nearly as creative or inspired without stopping to live a little too!

So instead of cracking down and setting ambitious deadlines, I’m just working.  Making progress.

Oh by the way, I’ll be taking a week off starting Friday!

I’m taking a little time to recharge before The Climb revs up!

PS: When I say week off I mean it.  Actual days off!