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I’m excited to announce that we have most of our cast for the Staged Reading of Sin Ti (Without You)!

We wrapped up the auditions yesterday. This is the first time that I’ve included video auditions as an option. I have to say that it worked out well.

If COVID led the film industry to do more video audtions, I’m okay with that. While I’m always going to be a fan of working with actors in person, I don’t think we need to restrict ourselves to that mindset.

In addition to working with some great actors, I’m excited to work with several talented dancers.

I’m thrilled to be working with Lorena Charry and B-Sensual. She’s choreographing several numbers to give the audience a glimpse of what we have in mind for this movie.

I can’t wait to share this story with more people!

It may be that some screenwriters pump out an entire screenplay quickly, with almost no revisions.

That’s not my process. (At least not yet!)

With more feedback, I’ve made more revisions.

I’m learning to trust myself, to really consider what it is I want to say with this movie.

My latest updates include identifying the WOUNDS that motivate each character. Yes, characters tend to WANT external goals, but how they pursue them depends on their past experiences.

My hope is that this approach can make the main characters more believable.

More engaging. More interesting for actors to play. More fascinating for audience members to watch.

Soon, I need to lock down the script for our Staged Reading.

I’ll let you know when I get there!

Today’s an exciting day.

We’ve announced our Staged Reading for the movie Sin Ti.

Oh, and that’s another announcement! The movie previously called Bachata Becomes Her is now called Sin Ti.

While I like the previous title, I think Sin Ti better captures the spirit of the movie. The translation of the Spanish phrase Sin Ti is “Without You”.

For Paloma, she’s trying to survive without her brother. While there are other meanings, this is the one that gets me.

Here’s our announcement card.

The purpose of the Staged Reading is to gather feedback from a diverse audience. We want to improve the screenplay before moving into the pre-production phase.

I hope to see you there!

I can immediately say it needs another revision.

I didn’t manage to address all of the feedback. And there remains room for improvement in some of the feedback I addressed.

Still, this is an exciting moment!

I look forward to reading the whole thing again. Because I’ve been focused on individual details, I need to step back and see what the story looks like as a whole.

There’s a lot of space between “I know it’s better” and “I know it needs another revision”! I’m curious to see where it lands, how it all feels.

My next question: How much work is needed BEFORE we do a staged reading? Do I want to cut the total number of pages down to a reasonable amount BEFORE then? What’s the quickest path forward that still feels good to me?

I guess we’ll see!

One important aspect of writing a screenplay is to recognize the theme. This often emerges from our work in progress.

As we go through the process of rewriting an initial script, we can explore how to present the theme in a compelling way.

Here’s the theme of Bachata Becomes Her: “Your relationships make life worth living.”

Note: I could be wrong. Audience members may take something else away from the story. Nevertheless, this is the theme I want to convey to everyone who watches the movie.

Relationships matter. Connections matter. While it’s important to know yourself and to follow your dreams, you don’t want to do it alone.

Paloma begins the story by moving out. She doesn’t want to have anything to do with her father. She wants to remove her father from her life. She wants to go it alone. She wants to be self-sufficient.

But none of us can do anything truly worthwhile while working in complete isolation.

We need each other. Humans are a social species.

For this reason, I want to identify the theme of Bachata Becomes Her, and I want to state it clearly.

“Your relationships make life worth living.”

I haven’t read the entire Bachata Becomes Her script for quite some time.

That’s what I did today.

Here’s what I noticed. The recent improvements are making a difference. It’s a better story, with more specific details.

And I also realize that it’s not ready for production!

Not yet.

The story itself is still missing some crucial details. That’s okay. I know what else is needed. And I know I can do more to bring the characters to life.

Talk about needing to appreciate the process!

I’m organizing the remaining feedback based on what’s in progress and what still remains to be done.

I’m happy with the progress I’ve made so far.

And I look forward to making the script ready for a Staged Reading!

I’ve categorized each bit of the Coverage feedback as easy, ok, or big.

While I’ve started thinking about the big changes needed, I’m giving myself plenty of time to address these. The most significant change is to make the antagonist a more worthy foe. It often requires a compelling bad guy to really make a movie come alive.

Today, I’ve completed updating all of the easy ones. An example is updating the slug lines to be consistent.

Many of the ok items are also fairly easy. Some require threading ideas throughout the script so that a particular scene makes more sense when the reader gets to it.

I’m very excited to see the story getting better!

On May 20, just five days after my request, I got the script coverage back from Script Reader Pro. I’m thrilled that this happened so quickly.

I’m also excited about the process.

The script recommendation is “Development Needed”. This is expected.

The best part of the coverage is the detailed analysis the reader performed. Over ten pages of detailed notes!

Not only did the reader understand the intent of Bachata Becomes Her, but she also offered valuable insights into what is currently working and what could be improved.

I’m excited to respond to her feedback and take the next steps needed to improve the screenplay.

Based on my experience with Script Reader Pro, I highly recommend the service. Writers should definitely get script coverage before trying to get their movie made. Getting feedback from a talented reader is invaluable.

Now, it’s time to make the script even better!

During Pre-Production, I look forward to working with a cinematographer to discuss the look and feel of Bachata Becomes Her. I’ve done this for other movie projects.

Here’s an example of what we might consider.

This may look like a picture of our dog, relaxing on a couch. And it is.

But it’s also something more. Notice the vertical shadows on the armchair of the couch. These are caused by sunlight going through the blinds of our window.

To my eye, the shadows evoke prison bars. No matter how comfortable he looks, our dog appears to be imprisoned.

This is how Paloma feels during part of the movie. To a greater or lesser degree, I want the cinematography to provide visual clues that relate to her emotional state.

Especially when Paloma is in her father’s house, she feels trapped. Imagery like the above can be used to evoke such feelings.

Some of the buildings at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado, have a utilitarian look. Shooting exterior scenes there might show the school’s functional role. This contrasts with the beauty Paloma experiences in Ms. Schmidt’s dance class.

It’s fun to consider such possibilities!

Look, I know that I have plenty to do. I know that it’s important to let others know about the movie I want to make to celebrate Bachata Danding in Colorado.

I’m excited to host a Staged Reading of the script.

However, before we do this, I want to get professional feedback on the screenplay’s quality. I want to make sure that any investor interested in the project can have a good shot at making money.

I wish that investing in movies were more of a sure thing. It’s not. Many movies have failed to recoup the losses associated with making them.

How can I convince people that this movie is different?

One approach is to polish the script. If more than one reader is impressed, we’ll likely find an enthusiastic audience for the movie. If not, we’ll continue to polish it.

While there are no guarantees, I’m excited to announce that I’ve requested coverage from Script Reader Pro.

Next Steps: In about 14 days, I’m going to get some feedback. I do not expect a standing ovation. Instead, I expect to react. I expect to improve the screenplay so that it has a higher probability of making a difference.

Wish me luck!

This is the next step toward making Bachata Becomes Her a successful movie!