Ceara Comeau's Blog: Lessons From A Struggling Writer - Posts Tagged "filmmaker"
Balancing Act
June flew by so fast that I honestly didn’t even have time to stop and think about what valuable lesson the month held for me. I guess that’s what happens when you are working on two big projects! Speaking of which, I have some pretty awesome news regarding them.
I’m pleased to report that the third book of my trilogy is halfway finished…well the first draft that is, but hey, it’s progress! And, I’d say that’s pretty good considering the summer film project I’m working on with one of my closest friends, Killarney Traynor.
Along with the title, “Author”, I can now also include on my growing resume: producer, costume designer, assistant director, props, film marketer, and actress. In just a few short weeks, we will start the filming of a summer short series titled, “The Sadie McAllister Files”, the coolest thing about this series is that it’s also in the same genre as my “Amber Oak” series that we are in the process of.
Unlike these summer shorts, we have BIG plans for “Amber Oak”, this coming September is the month where we plan to start getting paperwork together and making Amber official! There is still a lot to be done with it besides the paperwork, but we are continuously moving forward with our artistic goals!
I’m pleased to report that the third book of my trilogy is halfway finished…well the first draft that is, but hey, it’s progress! And, I’d say that’s pretty good considering the summer film project I’m working on with one of my closest friends, Killarney Traynor.
Along with the title, “Author”, I can now also include on my growing resume: producer, costume designer, assistant director, props, film marketer, and actress. In just a few short weeks, we will start the filming of a summer short series titled, “The Sadie McAllister Files”, the coolest thing about this series is that it’s also in the same genre as my “Amber Oak” series that we are in the process of.
Unlike these summer shorts, we have BIG plans for “Amber Oak”, this coming September is the month where we plan to start getting paperwork together and making Amber official! There is still a lot to be done with it besides the paperwork, but we are continuously moving forward with our artistic goals!
Childhood Dreams
Imagine this…
It’s summer of 2006 and you’re driving down a lonely road in the rural town of Acworth, NH. About ten miles back you convinced yourself you were on the right track to your destination. But now, the road has become narrow, a river is to your right, and thick woods to your left. There seems to be no one around for miles to ask for directions. You slow your car down as it bounces over some unexpected potholes. You’re about to find the next available U-turn when you look off to the side and see this grand, beautiful yard. But that’s not what catches your attention. It’s the thirteen-year-old girl who appears to be dancing to the beat of her own drum, literally. You think it's nice that she’s getting fresh air and has no care in the world, but you continue to drive on by, seeking your destination.
That little girl barely noticed you, she didn’t have a care in the world because she was not in this world. She had her headphones in her ears listening to a song that resonated with a story she was writing. And, she wasn’t dancing—she was acting. She was imagining how her characters would respond to a scene while at the same time imagining the actors who’d play the roles in the future live-action movie. This girl had so many dreams—this girl was me!
If you had told me all those years ago that I’d be filming my pilot episode in that very same backyard, I’d have been so confused and probably doubtful, “Who’d care about my Amber Oak stories?” I might have said. If you’ve followed my blogs, you probably have noticed that my writing journey has been a long and bumpy one, and one that will never be over as I am always writing still in some way or another.
The truth is, filming had been something I always wanted to do. In fact, when my mom found out how to self-publish my work when I was 15, I was honestly indifferent. Publishing didn’t matter to me so much as imagining the people who’d become the characters in my head. I found so much joy in my friends helping me act out scenes.
As I get ready to start filming this coming weekend, I reflect back even on the journey of getting into film. It was bumpy as well and I’ve faced so many challenges already. But the support from my friends, family, and even cast has been so encouraging. Even though I’ve been planning this for months, it feels so surreal to me. The characters aren’t imaginary anymore, they’re real.
Ever since I finished the last “Amber Oak” book, something had been nagging at me, I’d work on other stories and it’d be fun for a while, but I still kept thinking back on Amber and what she’d be doing right now. I’d ask myself the “what if's” and two summers ago I could almost hear her say to me, “My story isn’t done yet, it’s just beginning!”
I’ve met a LOT of people on this long journey to making Amber become real. And every single one of them helped me in their own way. So, to those who gave me my “wings” and to those who taught me how to use them…Thank you!
It’s summer of 2006 and you’re driving down a lonely road in the rural town of Acworth, NH. About ten miles back you convinced yourself you were on the right track to your destination. But now, the road has become narrow, a river is to your right, and thick woods to your left. There seems to be no one around for miles to ask for directions. You slow your car down as it bounces over some unexpected potholes. You’re about to find the next available U-turn when you look off to the side and see this grand, beautiful yard. But that’s not what catches your attention. It’s the thirteen-year-old girl who appears to be dancing to the beat of her own drum, literally. You think it's nice that she’s getting fresh air and has no care in the world, but you continue to drive on by, seeking your destination.
That little girl barely noticed you, she didn’t have a care in the world because she was not in this world. She had her headphones in her ears listening to a song that resonated with a story she was writing. And, she wasn’t dancing—she was acting. She was imagining how her characters would respond to a scene while at the same time imagining the actors who’d play the roles in the future live-action movie. This girl had so many dreams—this girl was me!
If you had told me all those years ago that I’d be filming my pilot episode in that very same backyard, I’d have been so confused and probably doubtful, “Who’d care about my Amber Oak stories?” I might have said. If you’ve followed my blogs, you probably have noticed that my writing journey has been a long and bumpy one, and one that will never be over as I am always writing still in some way or another.
The truth is, filming had been something I always wanted to do. In fact, when my mom found out how to self-publish my work when I was 15, I was honestly indifferent. Publishing didn’t matter to me so much as imagining the people who’d become the characters in my head. I found so much joy in my friends helping me act out scenes.
As I get ready to start filming this coming weekend, I reflect back even on the journey of getting into film. It was bumpy as well and I’ve faced so many challenges already. But the support from my friends, family, and even cast has been so encouraging. Even though I’ve been planning this for months, it feels so surreal to me. The characters aren’t imaginary anymore, they’re real.
Ever since I finished the last “Amber Oak” book, something had been nagging at me, I’d work on other stories and it’d be fun for a while, but I still kept thinking back on Amber and what she’d be doing right now. I’d ask myself the “what if's” and two summers ago I could almost hear her say to me, “My story isn’t done yet, it’s just beginning!”
I’ve met a LOT of people on this long journey to making Amber become real. And every single one of them helped me in their own way. So, to those who gave me my “wings” and to those who taught me how to use them…Thank you!
Published on May 30, 2023 19:38
•
Tags:
acting, childhood, director, dreams, filmmaker, filmmaking, imagination, writer
Childhood Dreams
Imagine this…
It’s summer of 2006 and you’re driving down a lonely road in the rural town of Acworth, NH. About ten miles back you convinced yourself you were on the right track to your destination. But now, the road has become narrow, a river is to your right, and thick woods to your left. There seems to be no one around for miles to ask for directions. You slow your car down as it bounces over some unexpected potholes. You’re about to find the next available U-turn when you look off to the side and see this grand, beautiful yard. But that’s not what catches your attention. It’s the thirteen-year-old girl who appears to be dancing to the beat of her own drum, literally. You think it's nice that she’s getting fresh air and has no care in the world, but you continue to drive on by, seeking your destination.
That little girl barely noticed you, she didn’t have a care in the world because she was not in this world. She had her headphones in her ears listening to a song that resonated with a story she was writing. And, she wasn’t dancing—she was acting. She was imagining how her characters would respond to a scene while at the same time imagining the actors who’d play the roles in the future live-action movie. This girl had so many dreams—this girl was me!
If you had told me all those years ago that I’d be filming my pilot episode in that very same backyard, I’d have been so confused and probably doubtful, “Who’d care about my Amber Oak stories?” I might have said. If you’ve followed my blogs, you probably have noticed that my writing journey has been a long and bumpy one, and one that will never be over as I am always writing still in some way or another.
The truth is, filming had been something I always wanted to do. In fact, when my mom found out how to self-publish my work when I was 15, I was honestly indifferent. Publishing didn’t matter to me so much as imagining the people who’d become the characters in my head. I found so much joy in my friends helping me act out scenes.
As I get ready to start filming this coming weekend, I reflect back even on the journey of getting into film. It was bumpy as well and I’ve faced so many challenges already. But the support from my friends, family, and even cast has been so encouraging. Even though I’ve been planning this for months, it feels so surreal to me. The characters aren’t imaginary anymore, they’re real.
Ever since I finished the last “Amber Oak” book, something had been nagging at me, I’d work on other stories and it’d be fun for a while, but I still kept thinking back on Amber and what she’d be doing right now. I’d ask myself the “what if's” and two summers ago I could almost hear her say to me, “My story isn’t done yet, it’s just beginning!”
I’ve met a LOT of people on this long journey to making Amber become real. And every single one of them helped me in their own way. So, to those who gave me my “wings” and to those who taught me how to use them…Thank you!
It’s summer of 2006 and you’re driving down a lonely road in the rural town of Acworth, NH. About ten miles back you convinced yourself you were on the right track to your destination. But now, the road has become narrow, a river is to your right, and thick woods to your left. There seems to be no one around for miles to ask for directions. You slow your car down as it bounces over some unexpected potholes. You’re about to find the next available U-turn when you look off to the side and see this grand, beautiful yard. But that’s not what catches your attention. It’s the thirteen-year-old girl who appears to be dancing to the beat of her own drum, literally. You think it's nice that she’s getting fresh air and has no care in the world, but you continue to drive on by, seeking your destination.
That little girl barely noticed you, she didn’t have a care in the world because she was not in this world. She had her headphones in her ears listening to a song that resonated with a story she was writing. And, she wasn’t dancing—she was acting. She was imagining how her characters would respond to a scene while at the same time imagining the actors who’d play the roles in the future live-action movie. This girl had so many dreams—this girl was me!
If you had told me all those years ago that I’d be filming my pilot episode in that very same backyard, I’d have been so confused and probably doubtful, “Who’d care about my Amber Oak stories?” I might have said. If you’ve followed my blogs, you probably have noticed that my writing journey has been a long and bumpy one, and one that will never be over as I am always writing still in some way or another.
The truth is, filming had been something I always wanted to do. In fact, when my mom found out how to self-publish my work when I was 15, I was honestly indifferent. Publishing didn’t matter to me so much as imagining the people who’d become the characters in my head. I found so much joy in my friends helping me act out scenes.
As I get ready to start filming this coming weekend, I reflect back even on the journey of getting into film. It was bumpy as well and I’ve faced so many challenges already. But the support from my friends, family, and even cast has been so encouraging. Even though I’ve been planning this for months, it feels so surreal to me. The characters aren’t imaginary anymore, they’re real.
Ever since I finished the last “Amber Oak” book, something had been nagging at me, I’d work on other stories and it’d be fun for a while, but I still kept thinking back on Amber and what she’d be doing right now. I’d ask myself the “what if's” and two summers ago I could almost hear her say to me, “My story isn’t done yet, it’s just beginning!”
I’ve met a LOT of people on this long journey to making Amber become real. And every single one of them helped me in their own way. So, to those who gave me my “wings” and to those who taught me how to use them…Thank you!
Published on May 30, 2023 19:38
•
Tags:
acting, childhood, director, dreams, filmmaker, filmmaking, imagination, writer