The Holy of holy trinities for filmmakers and storytellers of every kind is the concepts of Story, Character and Context and how they work together in your narrative to create a story that captivates and entertains an audience or sees them playing MST3K the home edition, talking mad shit about your shit.

I’m The Movie Whore, I edit scripts and sit in the shadows as a Creative Film Producer.

The first, last and most important thing anyone in film needs to understand is the relationship between context and character as it applies to the story. Producers, Directors, Writers, Actors, Costume Designers, Set Designers, Special Effects Creators and everyone else needs to understand these concepts for a film to become something that marvels audiences for decades. To even have a chance at creating something that reaches in and takes the emotional investment that audience feels is an art form.

The films we associate with greatness are the ones that get that emotional investment from us in some way, form or fashion that makes it unforgettable and leaves a lasting imprint on our very soul. It could be a great Comedy or a great Horror or a great Scifi film that left us emotionally connected to the experience caught forever in time by the magic of movies.

Storytelling is an art form not a business model. This is why right now one of my favorite known directors is Christopher Nolan. All his work has an artistry to it that shows a mastery of context and character and how to create stories I can’t forget.

As for one of my all time favorite directors, you have probably never heard of.

I met Dom Portalla over 8 years ago when I had first started using the name The Movie Whore and one of his actors approached me. Dom had finished his first feature length film, DUALITY. Ken, the actor who played dual roles in the film as twin brothers asked me for some notes on the film. I didn’t write a critics review. I wrote a critique on technique and art. I watched the movie two or thee times to make sure I had everything that would be beneficial to the filmmaker while noting the stuff done well. In this case I had discovered a man with an eye behind the camera like few others in history, a true artist with a true gift for visual storytelling.

We’ve lost touch over the years however I know Dom is out there somewhere right now either shooting something or working on shooting something. It’s in his blood and who he is and he could never find happiness in life doing anything else. That’s what it takes to become a great filmmaker.

You make movies because you can’t imagine doing anything else and being happy. It’s why I edit scripts and take on other Creative Producer work as it comes. A Creative Producer is your Quality assurance person who protects the quality and integrity of the art while being able to translate it to a financially viable result.

Too often too much of the art is lost in favor of the business and the formula that is the reason why I stopped watching and have seen very little that Hollywood has offered up over the last several years.

OK asshole what in the blue holy fuck is all this story and context shit?

Take a moment and look at your life as a movie right now as you are reading this. Your character is reading some blog piece, why?

What is it about you that it makes sense that you are sitting here reading this right now?

How did your character get to this point in your story?

Character and identity are one in the same as it applies to storytelling. Somewhere in your life along the way you made an emotional connection to something and that became part of how you explain who you are to people through the things in life you love. These are the things that define who we think we are and who create our character to be while God, The Universe, whatever helps you sleep better at night fills in the rest so our character can have an ongoing story.

If you love Rock ‘N’ Roll it’s not likely you are going to meet very many people who don’t and be able to connect with them and their story that is their life.

That is context.

What makes sense for this character based on who this character is. It makes little sense for someone who is afraid of ever doing anything on their own to ever find the opportunity to do it without being afraid. The idea in their own mind will always produce the same option until the fear is overridden and resolved so now it makes sense for the character to do things on their own. They no longer fear it.

A film is often a showing of character refining or revealing moments in the characters life. There is someone deep within all of us that is who is revealed to us through experience. Our character is always in a state of evolution as we make choices to either keep our character similar because we like the story/life we are living or we make the choice to make changes in us to change our story/life.

My life dedicated to film has revealed more for me in understanding the character I am by looking at the characters I love. Here’s why.

Rocky Balboa was a guy who didn’t even think he was that good but went for it and took it seriously when given the opportunity and then was given a second shot and became the champ. He had a little old man in his corner to bring it out of him when he didn’t see it in himself.

Andy Dufresne was a man thrown in prison for a crime he didn’t commit and he never let it break him. He found a way to win his freedom and even set it up to meet up with his best friend at the end.

Jon Critchon was shot to other side of the universe and hunted for the knowledge in his head that could create the ultimate weapon. Jon always did exactly what he felt was the right thing in the moment for what was going on around him. He agonized over decisions with a humanness that made him a hero.

Bill S. Preston Esquire and Ted Theodore Logan said “Be excellent to each other.” What a great way to live.

What does it mean, really, to be excellent to each other?

What does excellence from you look like when you step outside yourself?

Lloyd Dobler was into something new he felt was the future in kick boxing. He was tirelessly dedicated to it. He also had the balls to stand outside with that boom box.

Blake Gardner had and audience he talked to and he referred to people in his life as “Sidekick” “Love interest” and “Nefarious Character.” As a Medium I have a sense of the other-side that is very much aware of us and watches us. If you ever feel like some unseen audience is laughing, it probably is. God is the ultimate stalker and ever present, everywhere and sees every little thing we ever do and there is no way to hide.

What God saw us do is between us and God to work out.

James T Kirk is a fictional character. William Shatner is an actor who plays James Kirk.

However my favorite totally ridiculous thought when it comes to Star Trek and William Shatner is this.

What if he really is James Tiberius Kirk traveled back in time and he secretly worked with Gene to create Star Trek to plant the seed of a brighter future for our world or all would be lost?

There are Star Trek fans out there who will read that and think that narrative has possibility.

Kirk did one thing really well, he listened to the people he trusted first and then made a decision. He acknowledged the weight that rested on his shoulders and let it be what chilled him out and focused him to find the best of all possible solutions.

What you allow to be sown within you is what you and the rest of us will reap from you.

Choose your films carefully as you do as the door mouse said and feed your head. Thank you to Jefferson Airplane for a lyric that reminds everything we take in, is what we feed our head.

Feed yourself well and it will come out in your projection of self and the way you define who your character is in this movie we call life. The reflections of yourself you see in others is what will tell you if you like yourself or not. To change any story you must first make changes in the character who is living that story or it’s nothing more than an out of context fantasy.

The Renaissance era was paid for by the patron and inspired by the muse.

In today’s culture we have made art an industry with a formula to success. We no longer have patrons we have artistic business developers looking to wrap a business model around the art.  The idea of art for the sake of art has become something we look down on.

Why?

Why would any one get into entertainment and not celebrate the artistic side of it?

Several hundred years ago what allowed for the renaissance to even happen was the wealthy giving handouts to artists to be the artists they are.

The patrons paid for the artists lives.

They paid for the artists supplies. They paid so they could revel in the art and show to their friends who they discovered.

Back then people understood that being an artist is a way of life and not something you do after work or on the weekends. Today we have little respect for any artist unless they have gone through the approved system.

Look back what the renaissance gave us using this model that history has shown works really well. It worked really well for 300 years. In fact it  worked better than any system applied to art since.

Copied from Wikipedia

The Renaissance’s intellectual basis was its own invented version of humanism, derived from the rediscovery of classical Greek philosophy, such as that of Protagoras, who said, that “Man is the measure of all things.” This new thinking became manifest in art, architecture, politics, science and literature. Early examples were the development of perspective in oil painting and the recycled knowledge of how to make concrete. Although the invention of metal movable type sped the dissemination of ideas from the later 15th century, the changes of the Renaissance were not uniformly experienced across Europe.

If you can’t market or brand your art than it’s worthless.

Art is not about marketing or branding to the masses and creating the next trend for people to follow.

That is soulless bastards and bitches who wouldn’t know art if it walked up and slapped the taste out of their mouth.

The muse that inspires the artist can vary, however I myself often find me inspired by romantic love or the idea of it. I find it often inspires me to step it up and own me and what I’m doing.

I recently had a conversation with someone wanting to get into entertainment however doesn’t want to do any scripted shows.

The reaction I kept in check and didn’t give was “Are you fucking kidding me?”

Here’s why.

Take a look at this site.

I have two sets of fictional stories that lend themselves to TV and film rather easily.

I have a few cartoon ideas as well.

I also have access to a repository of scripts that vary in genre.

I know others who are producing scripted work I would love to be a creative producer on.

One of the shows is a children’s cartoon and all the characters are dogs.

I have more than few people lined up already.

I am a scripted entertainment network waiting to happen.

What I need is one or more patrons, investors, whatever you want to call yourself.

I don’t need entertainment professionals, I need artistic professionals.

I do sell my services for consultation and for speaking at fundraisers or on video to encourage people to give when it comes to crowdfunding campaigns.

I’m an artist with a business background so I understand both sides and can translate for each side to assist them in understanding why they are both wrong and both right.

With all the strong intelligent women in this world, I never run out of muses to inspire me to rage on as the independent artist I am.

In everything I write I think about the audience and I find the most inspiring pieces, based on feedback, are the ones I let the women in my life inspire me to write. I find the pieces that people connect to the most are the ones inspired by the muse that is She.

I watched a video on Youtube today that inspired this piece. It was about owning who you are and what you do and why.

Another artist drew this below. I can do other stuff however Max The Artist is who I am.

. Caricature created by artist Sisi Smiles.

The Suicide Flowers by Pete Conrad is the last book I read cover to cover. Here’s why.

Several years ago I had just started The Movie Whore website. I met Pete on another site as he was trying to find someone to run a Bruce Campbell interview he had done.

Bruce Campbell is the King of B Movie actors and he owns it. I’m a fan and I jumped on the opportunity to run the piece. Pete and I got to talking and he threw me a copy of The Suicide Flowers.

Not only did I read it cover to cover, I’ve lent it out to many.

The story starts with Rae Messiah, the lead singer of Aluminum Jesus, getting ready to play a show in his hometown.

Rae and A.J. have been seeing dwindling numbers over the last couple of years and it feels as though their rock star is dimming out.

While at home Rae goes to visit a leukemia patient as a PR booster.

Gabriel has been fighting leukemia with his wife by his side for years. The one thing they dream of is having a child and a family.

While Rae and Gabriel visit events take place that show Rae why his star is dropping out of the sky and what truly makes life worth living.

It’s about family.

Family is the people who will always take you in or take care of you when you can’t take care of yourself.

To me there is always two families in my life, the one I was born to and the the one I meet along the way.

To me getting The Suicide Flowers made is all about seeing a brother’s dream come true.

Not only have I read the book, I’ve edited a couple versions of the script way back when.

I’m still attached as a Creative Producer to this project that is looking for investors.

I invite you to check out The Suicide Flowers.