Soundtrack & Pre-Production

It has been a pretty good week for pre-production and current progress on the film. The last blog mentioned the possibility of a wonderful, new female artist to the soundtrack for the film. "She" was excited about the project and is interested in having one of her songs included. We are working out some of the details and will announce her song and bio in the very near future. Equally as exciting, another incredible, independent female artist has shown interest in the project. Ironically, I came upon her through MySpace and she has a beautiful voice and song that fits very well with the feel of the film. As with the previous artist, this young woman is excited about the possibilities and a few details need to be discussed with her as well. I will be very excited to announce them both very soon. Music is such an important part of my life and I wanted the soundtrack of the film to have some very unique sounds and a variety of musical artists. We have eight great (and unique) artists so far and I am looking forward to adding more.

The films progress is slow, but steady. No other way to put it than to say that it is an intense process and bringing all the pieces together takes time. Persistent patience is the key. I am just finishing the final two films of ten that I was watching to get "the feel" and cinemaphotograpy ideas for our film. Silent Lucidity is going to have a unique 'edge' to it and we are working adamantly to figure out how we are going to bring that to the audience. We are looking to find just the right combination to show the dynamics of the relationship between Garrett and Leah Brooks, the co-existing role of their son Jack, and the internal/emotional struggles of Garrett. Putting that all together in a unique, new viewpoint will be the fun part. I will be meeting again this week with the other two producers and we will be focusing on the remaining fundraising and narrowing in on our lead actress for the role of Leah Brooks. Stay tuned.

Waukesha Parent Group

Thursday, June 1st, with the Waukesha parent group W.A.S.S.U.P. was one of the most interesting and intriguing speaking events to date. It was a mixture of parents with teenage children and parents whose children had or showed signs of bipolar disorder. We sat around a group of tables together in a large, lobby-cafeteria type room, in a very relaxed setting. I gave my normal presentation, but shared my story as it related more to my experiences as a teenager and how my life was affected with bipolar disorder. There were a couple parents crying and while I never want to see anyone that way, I was really moved to know that what I was sharing touched someone on a personal level. I actually got goosebumps when I saw that. What was really great about the night and discussion was that the conversation and questions were so engaging by everyone. Parents shared some very personal and traumatic experiences about their children and people were on the edge of their seats wanting to listen, ask questions, and share similar struggles of their own. In the same breath there was no loss of a sense of humor and we laughed as much as we shared situations and dialogue. We were fortunate to have two psychologists in attendance and they too offered a tremendous amount of value to the discussions. The one foundational message I left with that night was that sharing experiences with other parents and people who are struggling with a variety of issues is an absolute positive, no matter how difficult the situation. People need to know there are others who are going through some of the very same things as they are. Sharing those experiences brings objectivity to the situations and people can see more clearly how to approach resources and people who can help them. My sincere thanks to Stacey and Katrina at W.A.S.S.U.P. for having me as their guest speaker. It was once again a wonderful and rewarding experience.