Green Means Go (FoF#3)

Looking at the date, I realize it’s been almost a year since my last update on this topic.

And now, for actual certainty, I can say that “Fight or Flight” is being made.  Of course, there’s a lot of days and updates and Hollywood madness in the past year.  Generally, I didn’t post any of that information because so much of it was talk instead of reality.

If you’d like to start at the beginning of all this, click HERE.

A couple months ago a Director came to the project who had financial backers.  They liked the script and wanted to do something revolutionary…  actually MAKE the film.  Even though I was originally slated to direct, I stepped aside in order to help the whole thing happen.

So, in a few brief weeks we went from no financing, to funding if someone else directs, to closing deals and rewrites.

And rewrites.  And more rewrites.

Ultimately it’s been a great experience and a real refresher course in the collaborative process of filmmaking.  Plus a side-dish reminder that Directors have more power than Writers.

Of course I’ve been living with this script for a while and know it backwards and forwards.  The director comes in and sees some things and doesn’t see others.  Truly fresh eyes, with many things he’d like to alter to suit his tastes or shore up the material.

I am blessed because our interaction always went well.  Many of his notes pointed out things which made the script better.  And Some didn’t.  I fought and won on the things I could.  And accepted defeat on other things.

Which left me with the classic screenwriter conundrum: Taking a note you don’t like, or isn’t your taste, and executing it well.  No underwriting for spite.  No trying to scuttle the idea and claim it’s not working.  Just writing the hell out of something you don’t love and making it work as well as possible.

Thankfully, the Director has been very happy with the changes.  And I turned around further tweaks at rapid pace to stay ahead of their “hair-on-fire” pre-production schedule.

And today… December 1, 2009… they started shooting in Louisiana.

Of course I’d love to be there.  But seeing that I’m going to be a father in a week I have another production to be involved with.

But after all this time, it’s real.

I won’t have as many production updates as I would have, yet I will pass on what I know.

And when we can watch it from the comfort of our own homes… then we can really say “Done”.