As a 5th grade Reading teacher, one of my main objectives is to teach students how to write. This involves many different layers. I teach them how to read and analyze a prompt, plan, write, and finally revise. It’s the last step that students tend to freak out about. You mean, after writing for over an hour you now want me to make corrections and revisions?! Yeh, no.
I always wanted to work behind the camera to capture the images that tell the stories. It never occurred to me that in filmmaking, especially for Independent filmmakers, I would need to learn and probably wear all hats involved in the filmmaking process. While working in New York, I stumbled into a Sketch Writing class. Comedy was never on my radar and at first I rejected the idea. However, a free Sketch Writing class at the second most influencial comedy club in Manhattan is not something that you pass up.
For six weeks I worked alongside a small group of writers. What an amazing experience! It was the first time since college that I had written and probably the first time ever that I shared creative writing samples. I definitely came out of that experience understanding that storytelling starts on the page and feedback is essential.
I sat down this weekend to once again revise my script, “Aafa.” I’ve been adding revision dates to the files to keep track of all the changes. I believe I am now on my 4th draft. As I drove to the coffee shop to write, I thought about the many changes that the script has gone through and smiled with pride. Some people may find this process infuriating. Not me, you see, because I see it as an opportunity to make the story even better.
The take away from this post is the following: I believe in the film industry we have to be willing to listen to others and understand that the project is not just unilateral. In order for the film to be successful it has to be a creative collaboration. To close, I hope that all projects that are lead by me offer a safe space for sharing ideas. The story takes on life when all involved are invested and inspired to share their little piece of creativity. Likewise, I am also eager to contribute to the project of others and give them the committment that their project deserves. When energy, committment, creativity, and most importantly trust exists amongst a group of creatives, the sky is the limit and the film will succeed.
Christy Fleetwood 