Bloggin' On: Updates and Musings for January 19, 2020

My current "author's photo" as it appears on my Amazon author's page and the back cover of Reunion: A Story. I need a more "writer-like" picture, though. Photo Credit: L.C.H. 

Well, hello there, Constant Reader, and welcome to another edition of Bloggin' On, the blog-within-a-blog section of A Certain Point of View where I write no reviews nor political commentary and just chat about life, the Universe, and almost anything that interests me (besides writing reviews or talking about today's toxic political environment, that is).

Today is Sunday, January 19, and it is a gray, gloomy morning here in my corner of Florida. Presently, the temperature outside is 72℉ (22℃) under partly sunny skies (although over our house, it's cloudier than it is sunny). Per the forecast on my Weather app, we can expect rain and maybe a few thunderstorms in the evening, and the temperature is expected to drop to 45℉ (7℃) in the evening hours. (Hmm. Sounds like a cold front is passing through.)

Yesterday I received a further update from my friend, actor-director Juan Carlos Hernandez, about Happy Days Are Here Again. He told me, via text, that he got the last shot he needed (a "magic hour" shot for a quick scene involving Adria K. Woomer-Hernandez (who plays Ronnie in the movie) running in a snowy park. This scene, which is not in my draft, is definitely one of the revisions I talked about a few days ago here.

Apparently, then, most of the cinematography phase of production is now complete, so hopefully, it's on to the next phase of the filmmaking process, which involves editing the footage and doing the sound mix/scoring. Since I'm the screenwriter and live approximately 1,149 miles from NYC, my involvement there is minimal, although past experience with A Simple Ad shows that I can suggest specific songs or selections, especially if I'm the original "idea guy."

 (Although Juan and Adria have the final say on everything because they're the ones who do the heavy lifting, as well as own the production company, I can suggest musical selections, so long as they are in the public domain and can be legally used. That's why Suo Gan ended up becoming A Simple Ad's main title music.)

I don't know how well things will go with the music in Happy Days Are Here Again. I really want to use the song FDR used in his first (of four) Presidential campaigns, as it matches the vibe I want for the film, and also because it was the inspiration for my title.

I really wish we had the money and clout to get a pianist (say, like Jacqueline Schwab) to perform and record our film's score, but we lack both. Budget limitations come into play in all our projects; that's why the two complete scripts I've written (plus the second act I contributed to Clown 345 last year) are written for two or three characters. So I'm hoping we can use Happy Days Are Here Again without getting into copyright infringement issues.

I am not so sure about our ability to use another song that I suggested, which is this one:

Ugh. It always comes down to budget, budget, budget, and clout, clout, clout.

In any case, I trust Juan and Adria implicitly, and I know they will do the best job possible to get our little movie from page to screen.

I don't really have much to report as far as my new life is concerned. I'm still in the prep stage of my new writing project, and I didn't do much yesterday besides take a break from my usual routine. We don't have anything planned beyond the usual Sunday routine here, so I think I'll just continue with my weekend R&R rather than chain myself to my desk for the rest of the weekend.

So, until next time, Dear Reader, that's it for now. Catch you on the sunny side of things!