Girl Power!

Hello My Fellow Blog Lovers and Supporters!

We are already well into July – Where is the time going!?

It has been a hot one here, not too much complaints from me, not a huge fan of humidity, but I will suck it up if the sun is shining that is for sure. As I have been getting back into the world of script writing, I am struck on the new wave of strong female leads and or action stars that have been hitting the big screen, with Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman doing extremely well at the box office and now with the new release of Atomic Blonde starring Charlize Theron (total girl crush for me) as a 1980’s super spy with MI6 who totally kicks ass – literally.  I am fraught with the notion – Why has it taken Hollywood so freaking long to realize this untouched demographic?  We want to see these stories and characters on the big screen and cheer them on or be intrigued or horrified by them for that matter, but yet ‘Hollyweird’ is still resisting this notion?

As you can expect I have thoughts on this and well here they are…

Hollywood is and always has been run by middle aged white men – There I said it! So logically they will want to see stories that are by and for them, who they mistakenly think is a general rule for all of society.  For the most part, we as a society have just put up with it and have tried ways around it by creating specialty networks like The Women’s Network or BET.  But, in my opinion it is not enough.  Women and minorities are still sadly under represented in both above and below the line jobs in film and TV and even less as Directors or Directors of Photography!  It still is by and large an ‘old boys club’ and basically they have closed ranks for any and all who try to break those stereotypical glass ceilings  More importantly, we need to note the huge impact downloading movies online has had on the industry at large.  Where we used to make and produce 100’s of films per year, we are lucky to see 10 to 15 from big studios now.

I am going to go a bit against the grain here and say, part of this is their own fault – More importantly their egos is what has gotten them into this hot water.  Instead of getting ahead of it – The onslaught of illegal downloads and the rise of Android boxes going mainstream, and finding a way to use it or invert it for their own benefit, they instead did nothing, believing that no one would ever challenge or topple the great studio system. I mean come on did they not learn anything from the music industry and the whole Napster debacle!? Apparently not…

As a result, because of the rapid decline of ticket sales and green lighting projects, many studio execs are feeling the pressure to be ‘safe’ in the projects they do make – Projects that follow a tried and true formula or in the form of a sequel trying to ensure a sure fire WIN at the box office.  This has made film and art in this vein much more vanilla or boring – Lacking risk and that spark to push boundaries and ultimately start a conversation, which in my opinion is what art is supposed to do in the first place.

So when we see those rare projects like Wonder Woman who use that system (comic book character) but subvert it by using a female lead, harolded by a female filmmaker, like Patty Jenkins of ‘Monster’ fame, audiences pay attention and do so by spending their hard earned money at the box office!  People want to be entertained, but challenged with their own unique human story in all of its beautiful, horrific, depressing and or joyous journeys.  They want to see themselves in the characters on screen and we can only do that if we tell ALL stories, not just the middle aged male whitewashed versions.

So for me, I hope that I can be a part of that solution and not just another cog in the already existing wheel.  I too want to tell unique stories of the underdogs.  Portray women in a more realistic but empowering role – Yes they can be superheroes who kick ass but they also can bleed, get hurt and get defeated sometimes in the process.  Which is why I am so excited to see Atomic Blonde’s character of Lorraine Broughton played by the very talented Charlize Theron kick ass and take names while she takes care of who is killing her fellow agents during 1980’s Berlin.  Not a femme fatale per say, just an action star who takes no prisoners.  What I am finding so appealing is the obvious part of a female action star who really does kick ass (fast forward to a 10 minute fight scene done by Charlize herself all in one take no edits) but, also showcases the sheer brutality of it with bruises, blood and broken bones – which in most cases is non existent in most male centered action movies.

Action with a touch of realism is a great genre in my opinion!  I hope that this new wave of women centered films continues to gain steam and garner possible spin offs of more minority or gay/lesbian or transgender projects getting green lighted as well.  We all have a story to tell and it is about time Hollywood took notice and gave everyone, someone and something to aspire to!

Thank you all once again for your continued support and for coming along on this blog writing journey with me each week – noted and appreciated that I can assure you!

But before we go, let me ask you this – what changes in stories or types of films would you like to see more of in Hollywood?  I can not wait to see your answers!

Until we meet again,

Love and Light Always,

Dina xxoo

Dream On…

Hello fellow blog lovers and followers,

Another week has come and gone and here we are already in the second week of September!  Is it just me or is time just seem to be speeding up not slowing down as we get older?  Sorry, showing my age again, I promise I won’t start complaining about my aches and pains and having to get up to go pee multiple times in the night, welllll not in this blog anyways, I make no promises 😛

OK onward and upwards to today’s blog post, this week, something stuck me or I had an Aha moment ala Oprah and it came to me, dreams change, at least mine have.

Let me explain…

As some of you may know or I have said it here in passing, my first love has always been film making.  The glamour and mystique of the big screen struck me at a very young age when I was watching The Wizard of Oz one day.  If you haven’t seen it, GO SEE IT, rent it, (yes we used to rent movies), download it or Netflix it, it still holds up today with elements of whimsy and make believe.  I knew that at a young age I wanted to be a part of ‘that’, in what ever capacity I could.  Fast forward, getting my Honours Communications Degree from Brock University, my Broadcasting Diploma in Radio, TV and Film from Niagara College and living out in Vancouver for many years, trying to live the film making dream but STILL having to say, “Do you want fries with that?” in order to survive.  I realized that my dream may need to be reevaluated or at least adjusted.

Me shooting a VLog (Video Blog) for a client

 

Like it or not, the Canadian film and television industry is a tough nut to crack even for the seasoned pros.  Canadian film making phenom Anne Wheeler, once told me during an interview I had with her for my final thesis project about Canadian woman filmmakers;

“After I finish every film project, I have to start back at square one hustling for funding for the next one”  

We are a public funded based industry unlike the US who is primarily based on a studio system.  There are pros and cons to both and I won’t get into them here, but when you are ALL fighting for the same money, the unknown Indy filmmaker generally gets lost in the shuffle.  So, when I finally came to the conclusion that I was always going to have to have a day job, I figured why not find one that I can utilize my experiences and knowledge I had already acquired from the Film & TV industry, and voila here I am working in Public Relations and social media management!

So where am I going with all this you ask?  Well, recently I sat back and realized that I hadn’t had the craving and need to write a film script in quite some time. No really I used to thirst for it!  And it got me thinking, was my passion gone?  Was I never really supposed to be filmmaker?  Was it all a lie?  And this is where Oprah, gave me a car…. Kidding 😛

No this is where I had my Aha moment; I am not craving it because what I loved the most about film making and script writing I am actually already getting from my PR work, telling the human story.

Every day when I am managing the social media platforms for my clients, I am telling their own unique story, all the while building communities and relationships around them and their brand online. I mean how freaking cool is that!  I have a hand it not only telling but creating multiple human stories every day.  Essentially, my dream evolved as I and my life did.

For the longest time, I equated my identity as film maker.  My quirky creative tendencies, my eclectic taste in music, art and avant garde traditions.  I felt like the Jackson Pollock of the 1990’s if there really ever was such a  thing. But, what I have come to realize all these years later, is that I can still wear the doc martins (and I do), have the funky glasses (yup got those) and wear the wild coloured hair (about to make a comeback) and still be ME, but a more mature and evolved Me. Today, my identity is Digital Media Strategist and that is still pretty fucking cool too! I know I am not the same person I was 20 years ago, hell I am not the same person I was last week. But, my core values and desires have never wavered and they never will.

Now, this doesn’t mean that I still wouldn’t jump at an opportunity to collaborate and create films if given the opportunity, in fact acknowledging this revelation has reignited my desire to do just that.  Just now, I can do it for the sheer love of it and not because I need to pay the rent, that, I already have covered. 🙂

If any of you are interested, here is a film short called Redemption that I wrote, directed and produced and was shown in the Reel Women International Film Fest in LA in 2007.

Warning: there may be some abuse triggers for some in it.  Please click the link and tell me what you think!

Again, thank you for coming along on these blog rides with me every week, I hope that my writing has given you a pause for thought or made you think or feel in some way.  I am always so grateful for your support in taking the time to read my ramblings every week, it does not go unnoticed I assure you.  But, before I go, let me know have any of your dreams evolved or changed?  Have new ones replaced them?  I would love to hear!

Until next time,

Love & Light I send to each and every one of you always,

Dina xxoo