The summer months always seem to fly by so fast. When the weather is good we have to take advantage. Get outside, enjoy and get things done. Last year I spent most of my summer writing a feature script. This year I am overwhelmed with some amazing but physically taxing projects going on in my life that are taking up a lot of my energy.
Next Saturday is a film screening by some Toledo natives showing their award winning independent film at the Maumee Indoor Theater. Link for tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/burt-toledo-movie-premiere-tickets-1296136281509?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl
I will also be attending Horror Hotel in Cleveland (I was a judge this year) the following weekend. This is occurring on our normal meetup weekend.
June is a really busy month so we are not meeting in person but will have a Zoom meetup instead. If you have screenwriting questions we will have an open Q & A. We may have time to read a short script if you have new pages you want feedback on.
Heads up this is a Third Thursday evening meetup! Can’t wait to see you on Zoom!
Here is the information. We will also share in the event page on Facebook
Time: Jun 19, 2025 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/73682396042?pwd=pW8I0yAP0stYl6LWiLdRRypPUnvKmP.1
Meeting ID: 736 8239 6042
Passcode: 8PBVVz
I will try to post a helpful screenwriting resource every month. This month check out Lee Jessup’s You Tube videos, they are so helpful. She is a screenwriting career couch.
The weather has been amazing lately, and my garden looks great! We haven’t had rain so I’ve been watering the garden instead of writing. 🙃 Such is life sometimes.
Recently a filmmaker friend shared his lack of passion in creating another passion project.This is something we all struggle with. At the beginning, the idea and script stage are the dream. It’s exciting, fun, and essentially free, other than the time and research part. The production part costs real money, real risk, sweat and tears.
After you manage to complete post production, which is a mind numbing amount of hours editing and fixing things in post, you have to enter festivals $$$ or four wall the film $$$$. Independent filmmakers generally do not have major money for advertising so we rely on friends and family along with social media to spread the word.
It’s painful to hear that a super talented friend feels discouraged by the lack of support, mainly financially, for all of the work it takes. Film is our creative expression and an artistic pursuit. Yes it can be commercial, yes it can be “content “, but it can also be beautiful art and be socially relevant.
Do what is necessary to make money and continue to do what you love creatively. Hopefully you can do both! Supporting local films and filmmakers by going to our events means the world to us, sharing our work and making back some of our money also feels good.
Saturday June 17th is the next meetup at 1pm at the Oregon library. We will continue a bit of free writing time as a regular feature to focus some time on our personal projects. I will also share news from the festival road for Old West End.
Upcoming: Saturday July 8th will be the Glass City Screenwriters film event at Maumee Theater. Doors at 630, films at 7pm full details soon, you are all invited!