To Open Script on Sigma or Not, That is the Question...

To reveal or not, that is the eternal question, and the thought of the day.

It's so ironic that we are still struggling with this question, here in this extraordinary technologically advanced day and age, anyone can literally tell the whole world anything you want, and anyone can learn and read about it. We have texting, twittering, skyping, mass blogging, google mapping and surely don't forget youtubing: all things you can do to your heart's content to spread the word on whatever you want.

It is true of course that we all seek to communicate reach out share with others our emotions, ideas, connect -no man is truly an island despite our best efforts at seeking a life of solitude and privacy that we all need from time to time. I would have never found out more about things like Sigma had it not been for the technology (ie the ubiquitous google search)that helped me find my way to the original getyourpeople blog heh well almost 2 years ago now.

The question seems to be whether to reveal the working script for I Love Luci whether now or at any time in the future, and frankly I hope the author does NOT publish in advance of the film's release. Freaky and weird and probably the minority opinion I know, esp given that I write this blog, I work in news where I always have to KNOW and then SHARE. True enough, I believe in honesty, transparency, candor and truthfulness in my life, whether its in my work, the way I conduct myself and in the manner I interact with people. I've also had to learn the hard way many many times over if you dont say something, don't embrace the moment, then its gone and that opportunity just wont come again. It is to my great strength but often enough my own folly and detracting that I say how I feel, share my emotions and wear my heart out there, but this is who I am, so I always want to know what others are feeling thinking doing.

Having said all this, I most sincerely hope Colin doesn't give too much away too soon. I never read David Mackenzie's Hallam Foe script before it got yanked, didn't read the entire book by Peter Jinks before I saw the film, and I think it worked to my benefit. I know enough about the disappointments in the translation of words to screen (Harry Potter, even to some extent, LOTR), but imagination should be your own-thats something that no marketing, no spin, no filter can take away from you. I can not possibly begin to describe then my emotions after having followed that HF blog for so long, sitting the dark by myself watching Hallam Foe for the first time, what a joy it was-I almost cried lol when the opening titles played at the beginning, just overwhelming for me, and it was like Christmas the birthday and getting a huge hug all at once. Plainly speaking, I want to have this same thing happen again with Luci.

Writing is such an intimate personal thing anyway, even for a script. There are scores and scores of classes, blogs and websites for learning scriptwriting, and even though I've tried writing a script twice before (and failed miserably ), I just don't know what the honest benefits are to having the entire thing out there for the world to dissect and judge before the finished product. I think you should listen to the few you share it with, those that care the most, but at the end of the day, follow your gut your instincts. After all these films and scripts are a reflection of YOU and that is what I want to see, not some 'well this is the majority opinion, so that is what Im giving you then' type of movie. Sure enough you can always benefit from others critiques, opinions and improve for the better, but still.... Give me honest and sincere (if not 100% perfect)any day than a glossy pre-approved piece of work. Flaws and bumps are all part of the package of life; you can still have a great great great film , even with a few rough patches.

I often wonder what Shakespeare or writers like Dickens or Hemingway or even like Agatha Christie would have said if their publishers would have told them 'hey lets have a forum and reveal all the endings to your works BEFORE the audience reads them and if someone doesn't like say Iago or the murder should have been committed in the bedroom and not the study, we'll change them because a poll told us so! " Oy! On the Sigma website, it reads "Sigma focuses on identifying, nurturing and developing creative talent in order to produce work of the highest artistic value." While I appreciate this stance immensely, I think you can achieve this without having to tip your entire hand before, save some of the best for last!

Anyway, I enjoy the process of learning and chatting and the slow reveal and joy in getting to know people over a period of time. I also enjoy a surprise now and then, and part of the enjoyment of discovering and enjoying a film is NOT knowing every single thing before hand. What was that great line from Forrest Gump?..."Life's like a box of chocolates Forrest, you never know what you're gonna get." Just because you know the mechanical workings of a process, there is still great joy in discovering that final package, that seduction of the story and journey a film can take you on, so I for one just would rather know only tidbits. I'm more keen on learning and hearing about HOW you do this process, what thought patterns are behind the decision making than learning the entire script before hand. The learning and blogging of the journey is the package, the present is the film completed unopened and waiting for me in the theater at the end, and that's one present Im willing to wait for.