Inspiration & Transitions

We made a lot of changes to Act I yesterday: we rearranged, deleted and shaved down quite a few scenes. The great thing is that Gloria and I don't have a problem with throwing out scenes that don't work. Or at least at the moment, we haven't had a problem. In Act I, we have deleted four scenes. Getting rid of and replacing scenes is as easy as clicking a mouse, so at the moment no decision is permanent. We are in the exploratory stage. The stage where we can play with ideas, the stage where we can dream..the stage where there really isn't a cause and effect to choices. I love this stage...it's the most fun because it's the most free. It also is the stage that requires the most inspiration, the most ideas, the stage where we have to think outside of the box.

Last night I saw The Seagull (which I highly recommend...I LOVE CHEKHOV) and afterward I ran into a friend on the train. It was lovely to see her but she was quite surprised to see me. Surprised because she thought that now in the editing stage I would only be focused on the film. She thought my creative process would sequester me for months. I smiled and explained to her that I cannot have that process. When I am in the thicket of creativity I MUST go out and experience art. I must go and see work that inspires me,that most of the time at first glance has nothing to do with what I am working on. Yet somewhere my mind will make a connection to the story I am trying to tell. As an example, last night at The Seagull I had two very important realizations. For those of you that do not know The Seagull, it is about a Russian family who is struggling with MANY things but at its core is about love and the artistic process and the sacrifices that are made for both. Now the Russians they know how to torture themselves, they know how to wallow in pain, self pity and anger and because we are talking about Chekhov he knows how to do it brilliantly. Part of what is brilliant about Chekhov is he grapples with such heavy issues but somehow manages to have the audience laughing through out. This of course makes the devastating moments all the more devastating. Watching this last night reminded me how crucial those comical moments in Entre Nos must be. We have to find them, nurture them and make them poignant. Last night was also a beautiful example of transitions. The transitions from scene to scene were stunning, poetic, dreamlike and - most importantly - seamless. We are in the process of creating those transitions in ACT I and I want to have our transitions be everything that last night's were. We have something to aspire to. A tall order to aspire to but none the less Act I is all about "transitions" at the moment.