Evolution

It's fascinating how material evolves and reappears in different forms. I started a new short script to shoot, Like Mother, Like Daughter, pretty much pre-cast with actors I've worked with so far this summer (mainly the mother-daughter leads). This is based roughly (same characters, situation) on my play Waitresses, which some twenty years ago was directed by Peter Fornara, about whom I'm writing my retrospective essay; the film rights of which were bought by a producer, beginning my screenwriting career; the screenplay resulting, Ruby's Tune, almost being funded several times (once so close a backer pulled out at the signing table at the last minute! -- because he learned Jennifer O'Neill was attached, who'd recently bombed on some TV movies). So these characters -- Ruby, her daughter Jill -- have been around a while. However, I've changed much. Originally Ruby was a teenage mother. Now, because of the age differences in my actors, she had Jill in her 40s, a late mother. The stage play had only 3 major characters; the movie (once I "got it" about screenwriting!) doubled this, and the short has five characters. I think I may still need an ending for the short but I storyboarded it roughly earlier and I'm scripting from this, and I think I'll move forward rapidly till the closing moments.

Time to get ready for piano class.