Wednesday, September 21, 2011

I will not stop

Just like the child that is kicking and screaming just down the hall from me, I will not let this project out of my grips until it is COMPLETE! That being said, I have a bunch of stuff I want to say in this update.

I have been working on this since project since April 2011. It was during April and May of 2011 that I wrote the script. During May I began thinking about the casting process. Since then I have finished the script, although there are a couple of extra scenes that have been written and might/might not be included in the film, continued working on casting, and have done some preliminary filming without any actors.

The idea behind the script was simple. I wanted to write a script about a young woman who is very involved in music, who wants to become a concert pianist, who is gay, and who was adopted at birth. At times when I think about the original concept, I think that it seems so simple. And at other times the concept seems so complex. But when I think about it, I always think about myself and how a film like this could have changed my life if I had seen a film like it as a child. After all, when I grew up I didn’t know any gays/lesbians, and so I had no role models during my earliest years. I also had nob ody to be a role model that was working in the music industry. I may not be adopted, or have ever had a child I gave up fo adoption. But I do know someone who was adopted. And through that friendship, I realized that not eveyone who is adopted always wants to know their biological parents. I also realized that sometimes parents keep things from their children in an effort to protect their child from bullying and the pain that goes with bullying.

I wanted to portray a gay/lesbian young woman who is accepting of her sexuality and whose family is accepting of her sexuality. I wanted to portray a gay/lesbian couple as a couple just like any other couple. I wanted to show the world that being a musician isn’t a way of life that should be discouraged, but something that should be encouraged if it is something that a person wants. I wanted to portray being adopted as something that is completley normal and something that should not cause bullying.

I want this film to be about things that occur in every day life. I want people to see this film and see themselves in the characters.

Keep your eyes on http://www.indiegogo.com/Homethemove for more updates. That same site is where I would like to ask you to go to help fund the film. And if you have questions that you want answered about the film, you can also go to http://formspring.me/erindalke

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Late Nights, Long Days

Late last night (about midnight here in Michigan), I was still awake, and working on some stuff for this film. The rest of my family was fast asleep, and yet I was awake staring at my computer as I attempted to write an e-mail to another Michigan composer. As I wrote the e-mail I thought about the film, and realized something that I hadn't thought about once since I began working on putting this film together. I realized that even when things weren't going well in my personal life, and even when I wasn't sure if this film was going to happen, I didn't give up on the film.

When I woke up this morning, I was amazed. I was the first one out of bed and fully ready for the day. The rest of my family took much longer to get ready for the day. My parents both were moving rather slowly, and my brother slept in. Somehow I had managed to sleep enough that when I woke up I was ready to go and get back to work on this film.

The hardest part for me so far when it comes to putting this film together is finding the funding (aka fundraising). I have never been very outgoing, so fundraising has never been easy for me. But I have found that it has gotten easier over the years as I have had more practice being an outgoing person.

Several people have read the script (besides myself). One person who read it, told me that it is written beautifully. When the friend that told me that told me what she thought about the script, I couldn't help but smile. The way she talked about the script, I knew that I had found something that would touch people personally when they read the script. I also knew in that moment that if I kept working at it, made the film, and got the film out there, it could touch even more people. That is the main reason I want to make this film happen. Another person who read the script told me that the issue of being gay/lesbian in the script made the story/script hard to read at times because of the emotions it provoked for her. That comment made me smile, after all the subject of being gay/lesbian isn't always easy to deal with and has a lot of emotions involved for many people for many different reasons.

When I began writing the script, I had no idea just how many different subjects that I would cover in the script. I just knew that I had a story to tell about a young woman who wants to become a concert pianist, who was adopted, who goes in search of her biological family, and who is a lesbian. Throughout the film gay marriage, straight marriage, music, adoption, and family are all topics addressed.

There are a lot of things I know about. And there are a lot of things I don't know about. I do know that I still need funding for this film. I would ask you to go to the following link and put some of your money (that I am sure you have worked hard for) into this film so that it is made. No amount put into this project is too small. No amount is too large. Whatever you can put into this film WILL be greatly appretiated!

http://www.indiegogo.com/Homethemovie

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Film Update

Time for an update on the film.
  • I am still looking for a couple of actors. I am specifically looking for two women to play the roles of Jennifer's adoptive mother and Jennifer's biological mother. I will be holding open auditions on September 19 in Midland, MI. More information to come in a later blog.

  • Still need funding to make the filming possible. Go to: http://www.indiegogo.com/Homethemovie?a=135344&i=addr to help fund the film

  • Costume design is finished. Once I have the funds in hand, I will be able to put everything together when it comes to the costumes.


  • As for funding, I have a bit of an added plus that you won't see on the indiegogo page ready to go. If at least 50 people help to fund the film, I WILL put everyone's name into a hat, mix the names up, and pick five names. Those five people will get to visit the set during filming. One of the five will get to participate as an extra. A second will get a backpack used as a prop in the film. A third will get the hat I wear whenever I am working on anything related to the film, and it will be autographed. A fourth will get a sharpe marker, and a baseball signed by Loons players (www.loons.com) during a scene during the film. And the fifth will get a journal that I will be keeping throughout the filming.

  • If AT LEAST 100 people help to fund the film, I will put everyone's name into a hat, and draw ten names. Five of those people will get the backpack, being an extra in the film, autographed baseball, journal, and the hat. The other five will get a phone call from me to talk about whatever you want.

So stay tuned for more information as it is posted here, and for more information on open auditions in Midland, MI on September 19.

The joys of fundraising

I knew from the start of this project that there were going to be aspects of it that weren't going to be easy. From the getgo I knew that the fundraising would be the part that would be the hardest for me to do. This was because I am naturally outgoing. And so the fundraising for this film is difficult for me to do because I'm not very outgoing making it hard for me to just approach people about funding the film.

I still need the funds to actually buy the costumes, pay for transportation from location to location, pay for hotel rooms for the actors and crew during the filming, and to feed the cast and crew during filming. Doesn't sound cheap does it? Exactly why I have to fund raise.

Here is the link to the site that you can donate to at:
http://www.indiegogo.com/Homethemovie?a=135344&i=addr

Any and all donations will be greatley appreciated.