Prelude to nervous breakdown

Okay, so at the moment, I'm feeling pretty good about all of this.

I'm a little freaked out about pitching tomorrow, but I figure I'll get a basic idea of what I want to go in with and then let my talented classmates stage me up for an hour or so, so I can rework my approach. I'll go after the break - that's my resolution.

I'm currently swinging between two titles, they are as follows:

- Window Shopping
- Re-gifting (this one's new, so it could very well morph into "The Regift" or something similar)

My story follows an afternoon with a young woman named Gemma (That's Jeh-ma - for those of you who don't know), who is doing her holiday shopping and not enjoying it in the least. She's been conned into helping someone choose a present that he feels he couldn't do justice to - however, at the last moment her partner has jumped ship, leaving her to tackle this duty on her own.

So, we come in toward the end Gemma's shopping day. She's taken a pit stop at a local bookstore that's teeming with a holiday crowd she finds entirely too cheerful, and has taken to a corner of the cafe bar to muse over her lousy luck.

We see her twisting a lovely engagement ring around her finger, but she's not being cheered by the sight of it. She throws a couple of dirty looks to a wholesome looking man who has been trying to catch her eye. Could he be the cause of her bad mood?

However, her luck takes a violent shift when she is surprised by a (very attractive) childhood friend, who recognizes her from across the bookstore. They begin to strike up conversation, old flirtations sparking back to life, and we find ourselves thrust into Gemma's mind.

She and her Blast from the Past are shown in various heated moments - are they flash forwards? flash backs? who knows. Regardless, they are soon shattered by the appearance of a third character - The man's wife.

After some awkward introductions, Gemma wisely excuses herself and watches her hope at reviving the day vanish into a muddle of shoppers.

She catches the eye of the wholesome looking guy and starts after him. He waits expectantly as she reaches him, extends her hand and introduces herself.

We are once again plunged into Gemma's mind, in the exact location as her previous thoughts, with her in the same outfit, engaging in the same passionate activity with the wholesome man.

End.


Yeah, so I suck at the "in a nutshell" thing. It's something to work toward. Anyway, I've made significant progress over the past couple of days.

I've secured most of my crew (Still need a sound guy and various PA type people), and have tentative casting dates set and shooting dates.

Locations are going to be the big challenge here. I will most likely have to get a head start on them myself, as the producer I've met with to date is leaving for Utah on Friday. Asking things from strangers has always been the thing that makes me squeamish about the film biz.

My script is going through a pretty heavy re-hash at the moment. I'm altering some locations from the previously unrealistic original draft and working on some character development and more character-specific dialogue.

Anyway, back to pre-production. Suggestions are welcome (hint.)