Act 1 - My 2nd Feature

This week, I finished a rough draft of Act 1 of my new script. It’s not perfect, it'll change over time, but those 23 pages exist now,  and a month ago, it didn’t.

I submitted another script to the Sundance Writers Lab which is a more traditional budget, but for this film, I'm aiming to make it as bare bones as possible. The story is about a father and son on a struggling farm, and at the heart of it I’m trying to weave in bigger themes of kindness and empathy. Honestly, I’m still figuring it all out, and it's okay if I don't have all the answers.

Here’s how I’m making progress: 

Each day, I go back to the scene I wrote the previous day, do a quick pass, and then move forward into the next one. I keep bullet points to remind me where I’m headed, and slowly those bullet points become scenes.

It’s not glamorous, but each little step makes the story feel more alive. And I think that’s all any of us can do, keep showing up and trusting that the work will start to take shape.

I’m also thinking about creating a small, tight-knit group for filmmakers, a space where we can chat, share progress, and hold each other accountable on our projects. A few people have already expressed interest. If you’d like to be part of it, shoot me an email and let me know — melvinthehermit@gmail.com

My indie feature that I wrote and directed is now streaming on Amazon. If helps me tremendously if you can review/rate it. 

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Watch my film The Wild Dreamers → bit.ly/4lhwCD3