Black Lotus | 1001 Positively True Stories of An Indie Filmmaker

Posts Tagged ‘black lotus’

Staying Busy

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

I’m staying busy. Very busy. There’s a lot going on in my personal life and professional life, and staying even more busy is the way I focus. I know…it sounds weird.

First up: I’m looking for two African American actresses to help me shoot a spec trailer for a project called, “Legend of Black Lotus.” It’s a BIG project: and epic martial arts fantasy. The biggest I’ve ever attempted. See the details here: http://www.AngeloBell.com/black-lotus/

I’ve decided to diversity and delegate. I’m now looking for guest directors for my upcoming web series, “Broken Hearts Club: On the Couch.” Interested parties in the LA area should hit me up. Since I’m doing On the Couch I’ve decided to push back Shadowkeeper for a while.

Speaking of “Broken Hearts Club” — I’m streaming the first episode of the series on the official website. Watch the 22-minute episode here: http://www.brokenheartsclubfilm.com/watch-first-episode/

“Resurrection of Serious Rogers” is going strong in post. Watch a 15-minute sneak peek here. Leave a comment and you might get an even bigger sneak peak… Watch the sneak peek here: http://www.angelobell.com/sneak-peek/

So subscribe to my blog if you haven’t already. I’ll keep you up to date with all the glorious madness

Tags: angelo bell, black lotus, epic martial arts fantasy, legend of black lotus, ShadowKeeper, staying busy
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Legend of Black Lotus

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

Here is a mockup of imagery I envision for my current script, “Black Lotus” – based on a story by Nicole Sessions

Tags: black lotus, screenwriting, script, Writing
Posted in Black Lotus, Writing | 1 Comment »

From Seed to Flower: Black Lotus

Saturday, October 3rd, 2009

Done. Wrapped. Finito. I just finished the script I began on September 18th. Two weeks, 110 pages. “Black Lotus”

I’ll take a few days off then commence the first draft re-write and polish. I hope to finish before thanksgiving.

I wasn’t really looking forward to the rewrite process, although I know how beneficial it is to a polished script. But a friend on twitter @jasonlblair had this to say:

Embrace the revisions, baby. Revisions refine the stone into a sculpture. The first pass is just chiseling out the big chunks.

‘Nuff said!

Tags: black lotus, screenwriting, script
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Selling a Script in the Real World

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

There is one thing that will get your script noticed. It’s not fancy script covers. Artistic packaging. Tricks and nepotism. It is Good Commercially Viable Writing.

Good writing does not mean your script is commercial. A good story doesn’t mean the writing in the script is good. Some writers trick themselves into believing the latter and the former. Thus they shoot themselves and their career in the foot.

The story for “Black Lotus” is compelling as I and the story creator envisioned it. But now that vision must be translated onto the written page. It must be deftly executed. Without that perfect execution onto the page how can we hope to sell this script? How can I leverage myself as being a studio-ready writer without a perfect example?

I delayed writing this script for two years because I was aware of the great divide between a good story and a great script. And the two are not mutually inclusive.

So, although I do LOVE the new script I’m working on, I realize that the storyTELLING must be better than or on par with the scripts out there in Hollywood land right now. It isn’t… not YET.

Tags: black lotus, black mountain, screenwriting, scripts
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Couple things

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

Couple things to catch you up to what’s happening:

The do or die situation that most filmmakers and writer’s inexorably become faced with is upon me. My film, “Broken Hearts Club” will be screening for the folks at Central Europe HBO at MIPCOM. While this isn’t the only opportunity the film is presented with at MIP it is by far the best. Who doesn’t want to work with HBO?

If selected there’s a licensing fee. Paid to yours truly. Then the film gets split into six 20-minute episode and airs as a short series. The seventh episode would be a 2-hour recap of the story as a MOW (essentially the entire film).

Or, HBO just might want to go the MOW route and simply screen the film. Either way works for me.

Next up is “Black Lotus.” I have been on cruise control with this script since I started five days ago. As of this blog post I am at page 20. The treatment was so thoroughly completed by Nicole Sessions (who has a new Target commercial airing on TV) that I am not at a loss of story. In fact, the main concern at this point is fitting it all in. A nice problem to have.

Tags: black lotus, black mountain, broken hearts club, distribution, europe, HBO, screenplay, screenwriting
Posted in Black Lotus, Broken Hearts Club, Distribution, Television, Writing | No Comments »

Five Pages

Sunday, September 20th, 2009

I just added another 5 pages to the mix.

Writing a script five pages at a time is new to me. I’m usually in a desperate rush, trying to get to page 115 as quickly as possible. It is only then I that feel accomplished.

But this time I relish in every page and every sequence. I bask in the information I’ve included– in the most duplicitous manner, or course. I attaboy myself often for not rushing, for living the script as I write, for ushering it through the birthing process like a baby slowly making it way down the canal towards the light and welcoming hands.

Black Lotus is officially on its way

Tags: black lotus, black mountain, screenwriting
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Breaking Mental Boundaries with “Black Lotus”

Saturday, September 19th, 2009

Yesterday I jumped off Twitter at 11am. I was committed to writing the first three pages (intro) for the screenplayI’m working on, tentatively titled, “Black Mountain,” which I now refer to as “Black Lotus.” Black Lotus is an epic fantasy film. It’s “Lord of the Rings” meets “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”

I’d been delaying the script for over two years. Fact is, I was afraid to write it. It is the single most ambitious screenplay I’ve ever attempted to write, and possible ever will. I was struggling with the opening sequence. For months I’d considered an opening like that of “Lord of the Rings” where there is a brilliant narration over flashback action sequences. But that technique is overdone, overused and mostly ineffective. Then it occurred to me that the theme of the script was closer to “Gladiator” than it was to LOTR.

Gladiator is my favorite film of all time. The general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an emperor. The film has an amazing opening sequence full of visual content and context. We learn all about Maximus from his actions, not his exposition. We learn how great Maximus is through other people, not from him. It was a perfect example of how I needed to open this script.

With the new direction I set out to start the introduction. I figured three pages would help me get off to a solid start. I prayed it would work.

By 8pm I’d written not 3 pages, not 5 pages, but 10. In those ten pages I’d introduced the main theme, the protagonist, the antagonist, the mythology, the prophecy and the setting/time period. It was great. At some point in the future I am sure I will change somethings but for now it is exactly what I needed.

My goal is to have the first Act (30 pages) complete by October 30th — my daughter’s 10 birthday. I just might make it with room to spare.

(image from http://www.davingreenwell.com)

Tags: black lotus, black mountain, lord of the rings meets crouching tiger hidden dragon, screenplay
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1001 Positively True Stories of An Indie Filmmaker