After a couple of rounds of self-editing and a first round of corrections from a trusted test-reader, Amantos is now off to a professional editor for copyediting and proofreading.
Just in case you want to know, I used Reedsy to find an appropriate editor for my fantasy novel. I am super nervous and excited to share this fantastic novel with you soon.
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Having been actively involved for two years in Armidale’s theatre community, and having directed two short plays, I already had suitable actresses and actors in mind that I wanted for my main roles. For the role of the mother, Mrs. Shoemaker, I contacted the actress that had portrayed Mrs. Shoemaker already on stage. Heather joined a group of fellow retirees who read and discuss plays and went on to act for the first time in a production of George Orwell's ANIMAL FARM, followed by a revised version of JACK AND THE BEANSTALK and finally took on the role of Mrs. Shoemaker in the stage version of DEATH AND OTHER VANITIES. She definitely has a natural talent for acting and I was delighted that she agreed to reprise her role for the big screen. The daughter Belinda was played by Valerie. We were in the midst of another season for Armidale's Favourite Shorts and were both acting in the short play Artic Homes. I had had several months to see her acting talent close up and was convinced she would do justice to the role of the depressed daughter. At the end of a rehearsal, I told Valerie about my plan to make a short film and without hesitation, she agreed to come on board. Valerie has been acting as a hobby for several years now and has carved out a reputation as an excellent character actress and taken on parts in THE LYONS, A BUNCH OF AMATEURS, RED JACK, ARCTIC HOMES, and IN BED WITH THE BISHOPS. Belinda’s husband Pete was played by Stephen who was also part of the Artic Homes cast as well as being one of the main characters in my play Harriette also for Armidale’s Favourite Shorts. Stephen has been involved in plays and musicals since primary school and went on to obtain a B.A. in Theatre Studies. Stephen acted in a few productions, but more often than not, he would be found behind the lighting desk. He built a reputation as a lighting designer and operator and worked as tech crew for professional and amateur theatres in Sydney, Ballarat, Melbourne, and Armidale as well as for small local film productions. Belinda’s psychiatrist was played by Gordon who is a veteran film and theatre actor and director. He is running the High Country Theatre and is part of the Armchair Theatre initiative, where theatre enthusiasts like Gordon and Heather get together to read and discuss plays. Gordon was a great asset as he brought a wealth of experience and lighting equipment to the production. Our two youngest cast members were Sophie and Caoiltiarn who played Valerie's and Stephen's daughter, Caoiltiarn being the real-life daughter of Stephen. Sophie together with her older brother Nicholas (who played Belinda's coworker) have been around the Armidale theatre circuit multiple times and are well versed actors. Nicholas is currently studying for a B.A. majoring in Theatre and Performance (minoring in Screen Media) and has been involved in plays and musicals since 2013 with the Felt Tip Theatre Company, Two Sticks Theatre Company, the Armidale Drama and Musical Society, High Country Theatre and is now on the board of the UNE Friends of Theatre Society. Some time ago, I stumbled across Chris Jones' film blog where he describes how he set out to make an Oscar winning short film “Gone Fishing”. It didn’t win in the end but made it on the long list, which is quite an impressive feat. This enthusiasm and high set goal are definitely something I have embraced for my first short film, consequently making me freak out over what I have started. I might be a little late to fill you in about my filmmaking journey, as it is largely done, but better late than never.
In my previous blog post, I told you about how the mother-daughter conflict in “Death and other Vanities” has seen several reincarnations and it was feedback from the Page awards that encouraged me to progress this short film. So here we are. I met my cinematographer Mike Terry on my last day of my day-job and since then I have been riding the dopamine waves to propel this project forward before relocating back to Germany (I moved in July 2022). Introducing the characters of Death and other Vanities: Belinda: a high performing mother of two who has recently lost her father and is the sole breadwinner. She is at an emotional tipping point in her life, feeling overwhelmed but still soldiering on. The question is how long she’ll be able to keep up with her hectic life before she breaks. Mrs. Shoemaker: a hoarder and undiagnosed ADHDer who tries to hold up time by refusing to let anything change in her life. She has lost her husband and also has to come to terms with it. Pete: Belinda’s husband who has lost his job and is currently paralyzed by the prospect of redefining his purpose in life. Elody and Grace: Belinda’s and Pete’s daughters who are not consciously aware of the troubles of their parents but are picking up the frustrated vibes in the family. Psychiatrist: Belinda sees a psychiatrist to help her get through this difficult time and prevent her from doing something regrettable. Colleague: A nosy colleague of Belinda’s who is not aware of her troubles. Before I approached any talent to fill these roles, I decided to do some location scouting to feel more secure that this project would go ahead. The film required five sets. My own house (Mrs. Shoemaker’s place) as well as a friend’s house (Belinda’s place) were easily sorted, and location release forms signed. Next, I contacted the local council regarding a filming permit for the public car park. it took a while to hear back from them but then they were super helpful and easy going. We weren't going to rock up with a crane and close streets, so nothing would get disrupted. Then I got in touch with the University of New England and was surprised that they were totally fine with us using one of their open-plan offices as a set for Belinda’s work. Again, we would film on a weekend when no one else was using the office, so maybe that was the reason. The last set for the psychiatrist was planned to be at a neighbour’s house, but due to personal circumstances, this set fell through, and we improvised in our basement, which also helped to consolidate the shooting schedule in the end as I didn't have to work around other people and have cast and crew travel multiple times. Happy New Year 2022Getting off to a good start in 2022! I decided to write four novellas this year just to get the stories out that are piling up in my head. Two of them are aimed at young readers with the protagonist around 8-10 years of age, and the other two are more for an adult-y readership.
All four stories deal at the core with environmental change and are set in the sci-fi/fantasy genres. Which one will you like? Besides these four stories, I have also started with part II of my sci-fi trilogy XX, which is set 15 years after part I and will see several characters return and new characters introduced. The first part is scheduled to launch in Summer 2022. |
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March 2023
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