CONNECTIONS

I was editing a manuscript while waiting for The Moody Blues concert to begin at Britt Festivals when the guy sitting next to me asked if I was a student. At first, I was pretty delighted to be mistaken for a college student, especially after having recently endured a birthday. Then I realized I was wearing a University of Gallifrey T-shirt. It’s a fictional place from the television show “Doctor Who.“

I bought the shirt a few years ago, having longed for one when I watched it in high school but didn’t have the money to contribute to the PBS fund drive. A necklace with a replica of a key to the TARDIS required an even bigger donation. I was going through some old videotapes and came across the episodes I’d recorded. I tried to hunt down a shirt to buy, something that looked like it could belong to a regular university. I wanted a subtle way of paying tribute to the show, like the Thor’s Hammer necklace a friend gave me that’s a reference to our mutual Stargate SG-1 appreciation. This was before the new version of Doctor Who inspired a fresh supply of merchandise, and I couldn’t find one I wanted. However, a company I contacted liked the idea and designed the one I own.

On my way to the bathroom, shortly before the concert began, I passed a guy who spotted the T-shirt and gave me a knowing nod and smile. I liked that brief connection, that tapping into a communal fictional experience. I’d like to be able to create that sort of platform for people. Inspire connections, invisible links drawn by shared enjoyment. Like singing along with others at a concert under the stars.

HAWAII FUN

Some final glimpses of the fun in Hawaii.

We found a cool tree and took turns posing by it. I had no desire to climb the tree.

Ray, Scott and Tamara by our lovely tree.

We encountered "wild" horses, one of which was especially curious and hungry. It made "friends" with Tamara.

Testing the merchandise while Ukulele shopping in Hilo.

While we were waiting for our several-hours-late United Airlines flight, Scott and Pat provided some ukulele entertainment. Tamara spotted musician Huey Lewis, who shared our flight back to San Francisco. No, I didn't take a photo of Huey Lewis or talk to him. Although I do like his music, he looked like he was doing just fine without me bothering him. I was glad of it later, when the United Airlines plane finally arrived hours late and a stranger approached me and kept saying loudly, "I think that's someone famous." Oh, to be famous enough that people will understand who you are when you explain it but not so famous that you're unable to get lost in a crowd.

MORE BIG ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL

One of the best things about film festivals is getting the chance to interact with other filmmakers. It's really a delight to connect with people and experience their efforts. I saw some things that I really enjoyed and some that didn't suit my taste. I remembered to take some photos of the people we met, although I wish I'd done more.

At the right is Leo Sears, founder and executive director of the Big Island Film Festival. He was a busy guy, of course, but it was nice to get some time to talk to him about his background and his vision for the festival. It's an ambitious undertaking, but he certainly carried a lot of energy into it.

Ray talks with Rick Stevenson, director of "Expiration Date, " after Rick was honored at the festival. I enjoyed hearing a veteran independent feature filmmaker share his thoughts about the process. Ron Beck, writer and director of "The Mini" and Ray. One disappointment is that we didn't get to see "The Mini," as it was showing opposite "Sixes and the One Eyed King" Friday night. Ron was in "Always Will," which showed at DancesWithFilms and was directed by Michael Sammaciccia, whom we met in Los Angeles. Mike was in "The Mini." I would have liked to have supported them.

I saw some really wonderful short films, ones that made me eager to see what the filmmakers will do in the future. James E. Hurd Jr.'s "Poet of the Swingin' Blade" about turpentiners in the 1930s is one of them. It was some beautiful writing from James and Linda Bannister. Here, James is at the right of Scott Ford. They said they were looking to put the story on stage, and I immediately thought of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Mason Farish, at left, created "On My Way to Pele," which gave me a chance to see parts of Hawaii I didn't get to experience while I was there, and it sure encouraged me to want to return! It also gave me a lot to think about in terms of storytelling from a sense of place that combines images and narrative.

A nice aspect of the festival was a morning chat led by Film Commissioner John Mason. It was a small, informal group, but it was a chance to talk about film and experiences from a practical standpoint. With so many films and things to do, it was nice to slow things down a bit and chat over coffee. He mentioned the range of locations on the Big Island, and he was sure right! If I had the opportunity, I do think I would go to Hawaii to film, or even to write. The Big Island Film Office has a list of movies shot there on its web site, www.filmbigisland.com, and I'll have to check some of them out. John is the tallest guy in the photo below, along with (from left) Scott, Pat, Ray and I.

MORE HAWAII

Here are a few more photos from Hawaii. More to come later as I get them sorted.

I traveled to the Big Island Film Festival with fellow "Sixes and the One Eyed King" folks. From the left, Scott Ford (Andy) and his girlfriend, Pat, director Ray Robison and Tamara Barrus (Brittany), who is sporting one of the lovely kukui nut-and-turtle necklaces the festival gave us instead of the huge cross she wears in the film.

We (OK, Scott, as I was going to get a nice sedan) rented a Jeep convertible, which proved handy for seeing the Waipio Valley and was a lot of fun. I found myself wishing I had a long scarf to wear around my hair and whip in the wind.

We saw an incredible sunset at Waikoloa, where we were staying in a condo near the festival, which was held at the Hilton, the Marriott and other nearby venues. "Sixes and the One Eyed King" and other films were shown in an outdoor theater, which was an experience that makes me think back to those days of going to drive-in movies. There was something cool about piling into the back of someone's pickup and stretching out with friends, even if I'd seen the film before. These were walk-in movies. Ours had the ocean nearby and torches for light.

I saw my first gecko in Hawaii. I hadn't understood others' fascination with the little lizards before. They're beautiful, and I was glad I had the chance to run across some. The array of plant life was also pretty incredible. I wish I were better with identification. Good writing earns flavor through details, and I rely on research and picture books where others carry ready knowledge. We had to balance time between sight-seeing and film-seeing.

There is much of Hawaii I would like to experience on a return trip as more of a tourist or as a longer working holiday. I don't regret seeing the films I did, though, and it was wonderful to mingle with others and see what they'd done.

Overall, the trip was quite relaxing, and I still have a bit of Aloha spirit clinging to me despite the busy return to my regular life.

I did hardly any writing on vacation, and I'm glad to be back at it, like a friend I hadn't seen for awhile.

CANNES AND HAWAII

I’m back from Hawaii. I had a great time. I came back with nearly 200 photos, and I’m planning to post some (not all, whew!) as I sort through them. For now, here's a photo of me at the black sands beach in the Waipio Valley, located at the northwest part of the Big Island.

Some exciting news is that “Sixes and the One Eyed King” showed in Cannes, France, this past week. Here’s a link to a tiny mention in Variety.

ON THE RADIO

On Monday, KAJO radio aired Mike Arthur's interview with Ray and I about “Sixes and the One Eyed King” and other Bison Motion Pictures projects. I combined it with a slideshow of behind-the-scenes and festival photos and put it on YouTube. This being my first radio interview, I was pretty nervous. It wasn’t nearly as painful as I feared, although I could certainly stand to improve my speaking skills. This is also my first thing uploaded to YouTube, which I enjoy quite a bit. The new trailer is up there, this one in color.

“The Unintended Mongrel” word count is up to 28,311. It was especially helpful to hold a retreat with my writing group. What a treat to devote a weekend to writing, talking about writing and generally connecting with people. While I enjoy spending time alone, it can be lonely to labor away on a project in solitude.

Hawaii, High-Five, Oh!

“Sixes and the One Eyed King” happenings continue to delight me.

The film brought home another audience favorite award from the Miami Underground Film Festival. I suppose “Golden Coconuts” are a fair trade for a pair of mouse ears from Disneyworld, at least for now.

Speaking of coconuts, I plan to enjoy Hawaii for the first time in May as I attend the Big Island Film Festival. I’m pretty excited to be going with the director, Ray Nomoto Robison and a couple of cast members, Tamara Barrus and Scott Ford.

I won’t be able to attend the Phoenix Film Festival in Arizona in April. We were added later and aren’t in competition, but it’s a delight to be included. I’m glad whenever we can get “Sixes and the One Eyed King” in front of audiences. It would be fun to go, as they’ve got an interesting line-up of films. I look forward to hearing about it when Ray returns.

Meanwhile, I’ve managed to solve my character problem with “The Unintended Mongrel.” I’d let my subconscious take over writing during a session, and it seemed to take me off on an unrelated tangent. However, I spent some time thinking about what I’d written and realized that I could use it later and tie it to a different motivation. I’m glad I don’t have to throw away everything I’d written. Although it wasn’t appropriate where and how I’d written it, the idea is solid. I’ve learned to give up some annoyance with rewriting, which used to seem like a terrible waste of time. The best way is not always the most efficient way when it comes to creativity. On a positive note, I did some more screenplay work while I was pondering the book.

Related to my novel, I recently watched Carrie Fisher’s DVD commentary for “Postcards from the Edge.” I savored her book and was glad to go back and watch the movie with her thoughts about adapting it. One thing that struck me was her concern about how her film version mother was portrayed and that people would assume things were true about her own mother because they were in the story. I worry about that at times with “The Unintended Mongrel.” Some of my book is inspired by things I‘ve lived, and I doubt I could be writing it without all of my experiences as a single woman. However, some of it isn’t reflective of myself or people I know, at all. Some of it doesn’t necessarily even reflect my personal world view. They’re simply a presentation of ideas, of observations and of potential viewpoints. I worry that people will make too close an association or wrong assumptions about me because of what I’m writing or that people may try to guess if they inspired characters or situations. Some have, but not in totality. A snatched moment, quirk or situation doesn’t equal the entire picture of a person or a complete representation of my opinion. I’ve been tempted to write for image to downplay any potential conflicts, but I don’t think that would be true to the story and certainly wouldn‘t represent the most that I have to offer as a writer. One thing I’ve repeatedly reminded myself as I’ve worked on this is that this book is about telling this story the way I want to tell it, about enjoying the writing and the exploration of ideas, regardless of the potential for selling it or the opinions of others. Maybe that will come when and if I get an agent or a publishing contract. It was nice to hear my worries expressed by a writer I enjoy.