What I really want to talk about is the definition of “projects with a purpose.” within the entertainment world. Because I think every successful project has a purpose — whether it’s a good cause or a theme I agree with, or a cause I don’t care for or a theme that doesn’t interest me.

Let’s take television programming for example. For me, what distinguishes an epic television show from a dud is:

1. Does it take me into a world I wouldn’t know about otherwise?                              2. Does it contain lead characters I’m unlikely to meet in the course of my day?         3. Does it make a lasting impression so that I’m still thinking about the characters and their lives after the show is over?

So, Without a Trace, CSI and the Law & Order franchises gave us a taste of the inner workings of the justice system, showed us what happens when a person goes missing, how forensic evidence works (kind of), all while providing a compelling and entertaining way to neatly resolve the real-life news horror stories. All while satisfying the above criteria.

The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, Rome, Game of Thrones, Justified, Breaking Bad– all ‘teach’ us history of sorts, and/or give us a glimpse into the workings of regional power, crime and politics, all while thrilling us with the complexities of the characters, their conflicts and their obstacles — none of which we’re likely to encounter on the same scale in our own lives, but with just enough humanity to make the characters seem like they could be people we know.

The purpose behind 24 was ostensibly to entertain, but subliminally to make torture and privacy-protection infringements palatable to the audience so we would accept it as a governmental policy– a project with a purpose, but compelling television nevertheless.

Stay with me.  There’s a method to my ramblings…

I believe that the audiences who watch one-hour scripted dramas (and I can’t speak for reality non-scripted audiences, and I’m not addressing 1/2-hour sitcoms here either), I believe those audiences WANT their stories to have a purpose.  To teach them something.  To be able to come away with topics to think about and details to discuss with family and friends.

Lately there’s been an incredible number of fairy-tale projects: Grimm and Once Upon a Time; the soon-to-be released duplicate fairy-tale films based on Snow White and Hansel & Gretel.  I think TV and movie audiences have an unquenchable thirst for fairy tales in which the young and powerless face seemingly unbeatable odds, only to overcome them. Because it’s how we all feel.  Regardless of the social issues subliminal to the stories.

I believe, with all my heart, that FINDING HOPE is such a story.  It explores several unfamiliar worlds: the inner workings of a cult community and a human trafficking organization; a big-city underworld teeming with nightly dangers;  a justice system that doesn’t always work the way it’s supposed to; characters who are hard to forget, and betrayals by those who should be trusted.

FINDING HOPE is a fairy tale–the story of what it’s like to be a teen fugitive alone in an adult world — the story of how the human spirit triumphs over adversity.

Stay tuned for updates on when FINDING HOPE will be coming to you!

And Happy 2012!

In the world of stage, many people find theater a thankless pursuit.  It’s not especially profitable in monetary terms.  And yet, there’s something about live theater that keeps us all coming back — particularly to this show.  I believe the thing that keeps us coming back is the joy we take in creating something that brings so much joy to others.

We recently had a special performance — a show donated by a sponsor –so that a full house of elementary school kids (from grades 1 to 6) from the Inglewood School district could attend. As much as I love the show, I think what I love more is watching its effect on the audience.  Their laughter, their tears, their surprise and their wonder make me…simply…happy.

In a world in which so many forms of passive entertainment place great demands on our attention, and yet provide so few rewards — it’s just nothing short of wonderful to see that theater is alive and well, and that our universal desire for storytelling and our search for joy are happily satisfied by our “little-engine-that-could” production of MRS. SCROOGE THE MUSICAL.

If you’re in Santa Monica over the next two weekends and are in search of some joy, please go to www.westofbroadway.org for tickets and information. Reviews below!

www.smmirror.com/single.php?id=33702

http://grigware.blogspot.com/2011/12/review-mrs-scrooge-musical.html

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And the question that seems to be on everyone’s lips is, “Why are these allegations coming forth now?”

Really?

The question is specious and the askers are disingenuous.  Herman Cain wants to run for president. Of course, anyone who knows anything about his character, as a man and as a potential world leader, has a responsibility to come forward and tell of their own personal experiences.

I have a question for those who ridicule and scoff at the testimony these women offer. Do you think that it’s easy to come forward and describe one of the most humiliating experiences they’ve ever had, and that, without a doubt, they’ve spent the last few years trying to forget?

Through my research for FINDING HOPE, I came across a rather disturbing statistic.  One out of four women in the US has been sexually assaulted, molested or attacked. That’s 25% of the female population.  And those are only the reported cases.  The real question is — how to make our social environment a SAFER place for women to be able to report misconduct.  And yet, more often than not, a woman who does speak up is treated to a barrage of ridicule and humiliation from people who should know better.

Why would any woman come forward under these circumstances?

Some people believe it’s for monetary gain or 15-minutes of fame.  And, sometimes, there’s an element of that in certain cases.  But let’s not confuse the women in the Cain case with the fortune & fame hunters who seek out celebrities and wealthy men so they can release a “tell-all” article or perhaps swing a book or a movie deal.

Ms. Bialek has a young son.  Whether or not it’s appropriate for her to have told him about Cain’s behavior (and I’m not sure I agree that it was), she did.  Consequently, she’s willing to brave certain national ridicule and scrutiny in order for him to see that his mother is willing to stand up for herself — at great personal cost — because the man who harrassed her is RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT!

This raises an interesting question.  Why is consensual sexual activity (albeit outside their marriages) on the part of Democrats (Gary Hart, Bill Clinton, John Edwards) so scandalous as to wreck havoc on their political careers?  The answer is clearly, because they’re not Republicans.

Why do I care about this particular subject?  The Cain accusers are grown women.  They’re not the victimized children and teens I write about in FINDING HOPE.  They’re not casualties of war rapes or domestic violence.  They’re not homeless or alone in the world.

In fact, they’re women who have a lot at stake.  Lives, families, professions — and they came forward at the risk of all that.  And the only reason they would do that, is because they believe something happened…and it was something they can never forget. And it makes no difference how long ago the incident occurred.  Humiliation like that remains fresh and raw in the mind and the psyche.  That’s why it’s such an effective and controlling weapon.

So the real question is, is this the kind of weapon we want a prospective presidential candidate to have in his daily arsenal?  I think the only answer has to be a resounding and united, “No!”

I’m a writer, director and occasional blogger — and I work pretty much nonstop.

I made the unfortunate mistake of choosing your hotel to spend the one night and morning I’ve had in six months to sleep in.

But I get ahead of myself.

Let me take you through my last 24 hours, so you’ll understand my experience…

My husband and I arrived last night, and we were given keys to a room that was, as it turns out, already occupied.  I’m quite sure that the couple we walked in on was as unhappy as we were about the situation.

We were then taken to a ‘cottage’ room in the remote regions of the hotel.  Down several staircases and through a hidden corridor (reminiscent of the film Being John Malkovich) until we, at long last, reached the end of our sojourn and arrived at a large, seemingly lovely room.  We inhaled deeply, preparing to relax for the first time in months, and nearly choked on the stifling mildew-scented air, evidence that the carpet had been marinated in sewage and water for many months prior to our arrival.

So, we were then brought to Room 5-7.  Ah.  Room 5-7!  It has a lovely ring to it doesn’t it?  LOUD and ear-damaging ring is really more the case.  At 7:50am this morning (which you’ll remember, from the first paragraph, is my only morning to sleep in in six months, and the only morning that I’m likely to have to sleep in for the next 2 months) an EAR-SPLITTING smoke alarm went off in our room, bringing my one night of rest to an abrupt and crashing halt.

We immediately called to have someone come up to address it.  TWENTY ear-ringing MINUTES later….we were still waiting.  It’s now one hour later…we’re sitting in the lobby of the hotel — with no word on whether or not the alarm has been addressed — (We did return to the room on the word of your staff that it was fixed, only to discover that, no — it wasn’t.).

Oh, wait — have an update for you.  We’ve just been told that the alarm has finally been turned off.

Now, we can return to the room which has just been trampled by the engineers, and do our best to get back to sleep before we attend the wedding for which we came to town– which should have been a happy occasion for us, but instead has turned into a never-ending marathon of discomfort.

Just thought you’d want to know!

Sleepily,

But I have faith that this is all about to change!  The 2011 fall and mid-season television lineups provide a glimmer of hope. Following in the bold footsteps of Sex and the City, where no female-driven show had gone before, we can expect comedies with a “raw and intimate,” down-and-dirty, take-the-mystery-out-of-being-female POV, in search of the television equivalent of the holy grail– eyeballs!– which translates into high ratings, higher advertising dollars and more outlets for female-driven stories than Lifetime, WE and Oxygen.

I hope that the eyeball-gods are good to these upcoming shows (2 Broke Girls, Zooey Deschanel’s New Girl, Whitney, Lena Dunham and Judd Apatow’s Girls, Sarah Silverman’s Show and more) because the world can use more women in charge–(Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann exempted).

So…stay tuned!

Do we really have to wage this civil rights battle again?

The newly proposed anti-immigration statue in Alabama is even more offensive than the 1070 Arizona statue.  Something I didn’t think was possible. And the wave of anti-immigration statutes sweeping the country should sound an alarm for everyone — because, if history has taught us anything, it’s that there’s never just one scapegoat. 

The “rage against the immigrant” tune is old and outdated.  So, why do Americans replay this song every time the going gets rough?  Particularly since the majority of Americans are immigrants themselves?  The answer eludes me.  How often does history have to repeat itself for us to learn its lessons?

MISSING IN ARIZONA, a narrative short, explains just how devastating the consequences of institutionalizing and ‘legalizing’  this “rage against the immigrant” can be.  Not just for one single family, but for all of us.  Because once we start down the path of targeting ethnic minorities — out of fear, anger, economic distress, or intolerance — we lay the foundation for the kind of state-sanctioned holocausts that happen ‘elsewhere’ e.g. the killing of millions of Armenians, Jews, Burmese, Rwandans and hundreds of other ‘ethnic’ groups worldwide.

We become the anti-thesis of what America is supposed to represent.

Perhaps I’m simply naiive.  Perhaps America has devolved.  Maybe those years under the Bush administration have changed America forever. But I refuse to believe it.

In my mind, America is supposed to be the land of tolerance and inclusion.  At least that’s how I interpret the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.  We’ve been fortunate, as a nation, to have attained world power, strength and leadership.  Our economy is built on the contributions of immigrant populations from the moment the Pilgrims stepped off the Mayflower to the present.

(Although I recognize the Native Americans would probably not agree with my version of history, and, most likely, they’re right.)

I’ve always taken to heart the words, “with great power comes great responsibility,” in spite of its comic-book hero origins.  And so, making MISSING IN ARIZONA is my way of trying to take responsibility for the wrongdoing in which we’re engaging, and, by showing its effects, somehow make it right.

http://illuminate.newsvine.com/_news/2011/06/11/6838340-alabamas-new-immigration-law-is-worse-than-sb1070-wheres-the-outrage,

Of course, God could also have created science to warn us of the coming weather, so we’d be prepared.  And one would think, that if Michelle is so in touch with God, she might have warned us about the weather–much like Noah did before the floods. (BTW, Does anyone else think it’s somewhat funny that the National Oceanic Association of America’s acronym is NOAA — pronounced, Noah? So perhaps God does talk to the weather association!!)  But I digress…

Maybe I have it wrong, and God doesn’t talk to Michelle — she’s just tuned in enough to know what he or she is thinking, after the fact, which, of course, isn’t really much help to the rest of the class.  The really good news is that Michelle now has a book deal — so we’ll probably be getting a lot more information about what God thinks and doesn’t think.  And where God’s vengeance will be directed next. I know that I, for one, can’t wait.

I would be curious if Michelle knows, however, why God’s vengeance doesn’t seem to extend to taking out the really bad guys, like Warren Jeffs or Gadhaffi, or any number of truly heinous villains.

Perhaps God’s just too busy making weather and doesn’t have time to deal with human rights violators and dictatorships.  Ironically, Zeus seemed to be able to control lightning and had lots of time for other endeavors.  But Michelle’s God seems determined to eradicate whole areas of innocent people in his or her thirst for random vengeance — although what that vengeance is about isn’t entirely clear either.

Perhaps God is mad about the oil and car industries creating atmospheric changes on the planet he/she created with such care — and God created global warming to punish us!

It’s a theory — not mine, but I don’t claim to know God’s thoughts.  Perhaps I’ll ask Michelle….

In any case, if God’s using weather for vengeance, it’s a lucky thing for Michelle Bachmann and Sarah Palin that he or she doesn’t have perfect aim. Wouldn’t you agree?

Diane’s Answer:  There were three scenes that were especially difficult:

1. The cellar scene in which Tyler, Esmee’s best friend, was held captive. It was very difficult to emulate the real-world abuse without imposing physical hardship on the actor, even though he was an incredibly good sport about it;

2. The violin-breaking moment in the office scene between Rev and Esmee.  We could only afford two ‘breakable’ violins, so we had to make sure we got the smashing shots in just two takes.  Thankfully, we did!

3. The train station – making a Long Beach Port terminal look like a Grand Central train platform with a limited budget was a feat and a half.  Luckily, my production team was amazing and worked their magic to make it happen.

• Question: Were there any unforeseen circumstances that you had to deal with and how did you work around them/change your plans? 

Diane’s Answer:  We shot during the worst and rainiest week in Los Angeles history – but the rain began AFTER the first day of shooting.  So, sadly, we were unable to take advantage of the production value of free rain – and had to make it look like it WASN’T raining for the remaining 6 days.  This changed substantially the scene in which Esmee takes her final leave of the compound.  It was supposed to be shot outside under a tree.  Instead, I had to quickly re-think the leavetaking – hence the scene in Ella’s sleeping place, where Esmee changes clothes – and the emotionally charged goodbye with Ella at the glass window were the much-better result.

• Question: How long did it take to make the pilot from inception to the finished product?

Diane’s Answer:  We actually set out to make a sequel to my first short film THE SACRIFICE.  However, once we were in the editing room, we realized the footage just naturally formatted into a television pilot.  I wrote the script in about a month.  Then waited a year or two to come up with the funding.  Shot in 7 days.  Post took about a month.  And then we were done!

• Question: How did the vision for your project change over that time? 

Diane’s Answer: The thematic vision has always been the same, whether as a feature, or now as a television show – to follow Esmee’s runaway journey and the relationships of all the adults involved, and see where they lead.

• Question:  What was your favorite/least favorite part about producing a pilot? 

 Diane’s Answer: My least favorite part about producing the pilot was being limited by our budget and having to cut a number of scenes because of the location or production expense.  My MOST favorite part is having the honor and privilege of working with the incredibly talented and hard-working cast, crew and my Emmy-nominated producer Eric Mofford!

• Question: How much of the acting was scripted and how much was improvised?

Diane’s Answer:  All of the acting was scripted.  But with the high-powered cast in Finding Hope, the actors ALWAYS brought something more to the performance than simply the words on the page.

• Question: What was the best part of the production that the audience DIDN’T see? 

Diane’s Answer: How well, in real life, everyone in the cast got along.  We were very blessed to have an entire cast and crew made up of good-natured, patient individuals, who never complained once in spite of the rain, the cold, and the breakneck shooting schedule so that we could pack as much as possible into one day.  As far as the shots go – we put every best part into the pilot!

• Question: What flubs made the final cut? 

Diane’s Answer: None!

• Question:  What are some of your inspirations? Were you inspired by other show(s), or did your pilot come out of seeing a void in the TV market?

Diane’s Answer:  In addition to wanting to continue Esmee’s story from THE SACRIFICE short film, I was very influenced by Winter’s Bone, at first.  Once I decided to make Esmee’s story into a tv series, I’d have to say that classic TV series THE FUGITIVE, THE KILLING, LAW & ORDER: SVU, WITHOUT A TRACE were some of my biggest influences.

• Question:  Where do you see the plot/characters going for future episodes?

Diane’s Answer:  Well, I have a 12-episode Bible for the series that outlines all the character arcs and storylines: Esmee’s journey; the police pursuit by Lani the FBI Agent and Rafe the undercover cop/busdriver; and the unraveling of events back at Rev’s compound.

• Question:  What channel do you see your show airing on?

Diane’s Answer:  I believe FINDING HOPE would fit a wide range of channels.  From Showtime to A&E, Lifetime, F/X or OWN to ABC, CBS or NBC.  The audience for this show is similar to that of Law&Order, CSI or any of the crime-drama series.

• Question: Do you have any additional stories or anecdotes to share? 

Diane’s Answer: When THE SACRIFICE was invited to the Marketplace in Cannes, I brought Molly Quinn (who was then 15 years old) with me to tape a video pitch of FINDING HOPE to potential investors.  I painted on her “black-eye bruise” in preparation for the “train-station” scene.  Dressed in dirty denim and with greasy hair, Molly (head bent and in-character) and I traversed the length of the Cannes Festival.  Many people glared at me, a number of people asked her (in French) if she needed help.  She ignored them all, staying in character, and we finally got to the studio tent.  While we waited our turn to be taped, Molly, in character, sat off by herself, hugging her elbows, rocking back and forth, listening to her ipod.  A crowd formed, all very concerned for the abused girl in the corner.  I finally had to stand up and make an announcement (in English AND French) that Molly was an actress; I was her director; NOT her abuser — and that Molly was preparing for a scene so please leave her alone.

We shot the scene, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the studio. That was two years ago.  And I believe, with all my heart, that the FINDING HOPE pilot will have the same effect on an audience today.

And in Related News:

There is also a SCRIPTS/BOOKS section on the Lady of the Canyon website listing screenplays and books I’ve written that are now available for development.

So, check us out — keep us in mind–and let us know what you think of the site!