The Senate

Margaret Miller’s book plays a central role in the sequel to Justice Is Mind.

Having completed up to page 41 on the sequel to Justice Is Mind this morning, I’m now at that point in act two where the characters are starting their journeys in earnest. What’s going to happen to Henri Miller? In the quest to save Henri, what will Margaret Miller find? What do Constance Smith and John Darrow reveal at the congressional hearings? And what has Judge Wagner been appointed to? And these are just the recurring characters from part one. Indeed, when I’m writing I try very hard to not go with the obvious but to present the subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, turns.  As Unsung Films said about Justice Is Mind, “And this is when the film changes gear for one last time, turning into a science fiction tale – unexpectedly and viciously.”

What I have learned with the sequel is that if I can imagine a fictional situation, scary, it seems to exist in some sort of preliminary form. From DNA memory sequencing to secret courts in the United States. Like it or not we now live in a world where technology, privacy and science are all part of our daily lives.  Growing up we yearned for a future of flying cars and a Jetson’s life. But in all actuality, do our homes and lives look any different from the early 1980s? But what has changed since then is how we personally interact on a daily basis. Between social media, the storage of our data and the electronic world we live in, privacy is all but gone (just ask Sony Pictures Entertainment). In the sequel to Justice Is Mind, one particular question will come to light – what’s your right to privacy?

What happens to the characters in the sequel to Justice Is Mind.

So while I continue to write the sequel with its variety of twists and turns, this past week was also investor conversations and some interaction with the industry.  Let me just say this to filmmakers looking for funding – don’t be fooled by “bright and shiny” brochures and fancy looking websites with all kinds of claims. Unbelievably, a company that reached out to me last week claimed they invested millions in a slate films. Of course I asked the names of these films for my own due diligence. Sure, but not after I paid a retainer. Sorry, I don’t recall having the word idiot stamped on my forehead. I didn’t bother to tell them that a simple search on IMDB revealed zero listings for these people.

In a new article this week, it looks like the Royal Navy’s HMS Queen Elizabeth may belong to the US Marines rather than Britain. In SOS United States, the President and Prime Minister plan to merge their respective militaries.

But on a more festive note (this is the season!), I have found it pretty straight forward to simply call the people you want to reach from investors to agents and production companies. Everyone is entitled to say no (we all do it), but I find the soft and brief phone pitch followed up by an email with more information can easily lead to some nice conversations.  Building relationships takes time and trust. Everyone in this industry, it doesn’t matter who, is looking for the next deal, connection, gig or whatever.

I did, however, have the opportunity to submit First World to an agency. In as much as I know the story inside out, I haven’t read the script in a couple of years. It is amazing what a fresh set of eyes can bring. While the script has been vetted, nominated for few awards, produced as a short film and is registered, there was always a brief interaction with the President and Secretary of State that I felt just didn’t click. Well, I think it came to me when I read the script on Friday and made the adjustment before I emailed it. It was just two lines of dialogue but to a writer, and indeed to an audience, they can make all the difference.

Act Two

This past week NASA successfully launched Orion. One step closer to the story in First World.