In my previous article I wrote about the perils of finding film locations that are matched with the vision but also the budget. I went from a seaside scene to harbor to canals to… well, that’s the topic of this post. If you want to catch up on the location scouting journey, here is the first article.

Let me make one thing clear - nothing is impossible. We could have shot this film at the pier, and had it closed to the public. We could have waited for a day when the weather was just right, and we could have reshot every scene if the wind picked up. We could have if we had had a huge budget. That was not the case. At least not this time. Wink wink investors.

So the resourceful producer hat went on again and I started to think: what locations will satisfy the story demands, the budget and will keep the crew happy and safe? My main character goes on a frantic search for a live fish. Where can she get a fish? Oh yeah, a fish store. Actually, that was always the plan – to have her start at the fish store. I secured the first one I walked into. The store was perfect; it even had shark heads at the entrance. As I walked in, the owner greeted me and once I explained to him my idea, he was in! A small catch – he was in the middle of the shop renovation and half of it was tore out but he said it will be ready by the time we would start production. I asked for his email, and he wrote it on a little fish tray – picture below. At least one location was served on a ‘silver platter’.

It pains me to report that the renovations of the fish store were not completed by the day of our first shoot. The producer t hat went back on. Where else can our character go to get a fish? The answer revealed itself as I wondered down the street in my neighbourhood. Sometimes things are right in front of you. An oyster bar! I was pleased. This was going to be even more absurd. I stepped in, and so it happened the first person I met was the owner. I seem to be either lucky, very charming or convincing, or all three, as he agreed for us to film there right away.

I joked throughout the pre-production that making a movie feels like dancing tango or some strange version of it. Slow, slow, quick-quick-slow… or two steps forward, one step back, one sideways and so on. Intense, improvised, but a lot of fun. With that spirit, I sat down to rethink and rewrite the scene where my main character meets her last antagonist standing between her and the fish. I didn’t have the sea, the harbor nor the canal so I had to do with the street. As it happens, the oyster bar is right next to a picturesque seafood store. Bingo.

As for the rest of the locations – these were easy – streets and a house. All I needed to do was to ask my family to go on a day trip. They really support me in all my crazy endeavours.

With locations locked and actors casted, it was time to finalize our crew. But that’s a tale for another day.

Easing into a turn is how you are supposed to race - it makes you faster not slower. As you have guessed by now, that analogy holds for work productivity too. It does not mean, however, that it comes easy. A few weeks ago, I put my feet up after finalizing the cast and crew list of my upcoming short film. Within minutes, I found my mind wondering back to my project. I realized that I needed to relearn how to rest.

Stopping before you finnish a project feels sometimes impossible. I tried to fight it at first. If my mind wonders if I do nothing, it will stop wondering if I do something. So I started with the greatest distraction of them all - cleaning the house! It worked, at least at first. Cleaning your home is like cleaning your mind. I felt good during the process and I felt nice in clean and tidy environment but I did not feel recharged.

Why on earth was relaxing so hard?! Was it because I was a busy parent and barely had the chance to stop? Was it because we live in an age where your phone distracts you a lot? Was it because there was something wrong with me? No, in my case, I realized that more than anything it was the fact that being mentally active and then immediately doing nothing caused my mind wonder. I had always had a very active mind and I needed to learn how to work with it. I could not shift from the 5th gear to the 2nd in an instance. To return to my driving analogy - no car should do that either. I had to downshift first. So I went on a bicycle ride.

I was moving, I was outside in beautiful nature and I was finally relaxing - riding my bike like a kid. For fun! When I came back after a short 10km ride I made myself a nice cup of camomile tea. Finally, I was ready to listen to mellow music, sip my drink and put my feet up. The next day, I picked up my film project where I left it. Slowly at first and within few days at full speed again.

If rest is part of the creative process, then we must treat it not only as a priority but also as a skill to be learned. Understanding the process of slowing down and learning what brings us energy and joy are things to be mastered over time. I would love to hear what works for you, dear reader. Partially because I’m curious and partially because, by no means, do I have this figured out - so let’s inspire each other with ideas for relaxation.

When I wrote my script, I dreamed up an emotional scene happening at the northern pier on the Scheveningen beach in The Hague. Just imagine it: the wind picks up, the waves are crashing against the rocks and a highly dramatic exchange between three actors takes place. Spoiler alert, from production point of view, I knew this was a dream requiring big budget or writing a completely different movie with fewer characters. Yet, I believed, I could find a suitable substitute that would carry similar emotional weight.

The reality hit hard though. We are filming in the Netherlands near the coast in February. The weather changes fast. Yesterday it was sunny in the morning, then snowing in the afternoon, and by midnight it all turned into heavy rain. On top of that, it is still fairly cold. Not as cold as on the East coast in Canada (where I spent almost a decade) but still too cold to stand outside for 2+ hours holding a camera, microphone, and waiting for the director (me) to make up their mind. People also need to visit a bathroom from time to time. Most importantly, everyone’s safety on the set should be a top priority and you can imagine that shooting surrounded by the sea on both sides requires some extra considerations. Hence the pier was always a pretty dream. One day! I swear!

My second option was to shoot the film’s scene in the harbor where the beautiful fishing boats and yachts are moored. There are lots of restaurants and cafes providing safe haven from the weather elements. I was extatic for about two weeks until I realized a few “minor” issues. We are still shooting next to water - so everyone will need to be vigilant not to take a step too close to the edge or they would be taking a very refreshing winter dip. More importantly, fishing is forbidden in this harbor so setting up a fisherman scene there felt a tiny bit risky in terms of attracting unwanted attention. The biggest issue though was the fact we were shooting at a fish restaurant in the morning and would have move all the crew and cast to this location. Moving a location is a logistical nightmare - it adds lots of time! Think packing gear, getting into a car, reparking it in a new location, unloading the gear, resetting everything, etc. That’s when a brilliant idea came to my mind - we are in the Netherlands - there are canals everywhere!

I was ecstatic! Canals were even more Dutch, somehow more iconic. I only needed to rewrite some of the stuff a fisherman would be a able to catch in a canal vs the sea. Then something else hit me. If the weather turns, there is no shelter here. We will have to wait until it improves. The reality of not being able to predict nor control weather led me to me to figuring out our ‘plan B’ - finding a place where we can film even in light rain. Since we are low-budget production we don’t have the luxury of rescheduling due to weather and spreading the filming of one scene over multiple days. So, I came up with a cunning rewrite…

But that’s a story for next time!

I finished my short film script last year in December. Over the span of 3 months, it went through 3 drafts before I dared to name the file “FINAL”. Every writer, designer, project manager knows very well from their own painful experience, that the word final, even if written in all caps, doesn’t actually mean the final stage has been reaching. The likelihood of having “FINAL FINAL”, “FINAL 2'“ and “REALLY FINAL” documents is sky high.

We are two weeks from the film shoot (oh my!), and I still find myself rewriting parts of the script. I’m okay with it! Actually, it’s expected and part of the process. You might wonder why, so let me unpack it.

Once we found our actors I needed to adjust the script for them. For example, our lead actress is a bit younger than originally intended. Our child actor is a few years older than planned. Those are small changes that dont’t break the creative vision though. I just need to adjust the mother’s description and adjust the child’s lines so that they sound more like something a bigger kid would say compared to a 6 year old. Another change I need to make is to rewrite the father’s background - from Dutch to Canadian. This one is driven by a strategic choice - to have a Canada/Netherlands co-production and also reflect on my and my family’s Canadian experience and roots.

In the beginning, I said that it is important to never stop writing. There actually is a point when one has to stop but it might be later in the process that you might think. There might be a change on the day we are filming. No matter how prepared you are, it happens that you realize that something doesn’t work on set or that you forgot a prop - things happen. Then, and this is not a rewrite, the actors need to have the freedom to deliver the performance rather than the lines word by word. Thus, it could be argued that they will kind of rewrite too. Finally, in the editing process you are kind of rewriting again - not words, but the way the story gets told.

So, why never stop writing? Because when you’re not writing, you are thinking. Thinking often leads to overthinking or writer’s block. My script-writing software actually counts the time I write and the time I spend thinking. I’m not obsessing over it but if I see a lopsided score it is a signal. A signal that perhaps writing and rewriting is actually better than the ideas staying in my head.

How do you approach scriptwriting or the writing part of your creative projects? I would love to know.

Big screens, red chairs, red carpets, laurels, photo ops, parties,… it is easy to get swept up by the glamour. There are competitios, awards, prizes, and marketplaces to preview and back films in various stages from development to pos-production. It is a beautiful congregation of artists in one place and while it might look sparkly on the outside, it is kind of messy on the inside. One might say there’s some posturing going on too to portray a certain image but in the end it’s just people meeting each other and talking about projects - the stuff they made, the stuff they are making or the stuff they want to make. What surprises me, and this might be because of my business background, are the endless conversations, panels and presentations on how to make films and get them to festivals. I question if we truly need more of those.

So, what’s behind the festival curtain?

Behind the curtain is simply a conference. It is not unlike than a tech conference - just the products and services are of different nature. What makes a festival distinct though is that films get discussed as business marginally. In the end - it’s art! Sure, but even art needs to be made by people, and people have needs that are, well, fueled by money. There is this preconceived notion that you just need to make art, exceptional, new, wonderful art and all will solve itself. Just be a creative genius! I don’t know how many times I heard the word ‘authentic’ over the past few weeks. I’m not saying you should not. I’m saying that is only a part of the equation and that other parts should be talked about more.

The ‘make beauftiful art’ point of view doesn’t take into account the agenda of the festival programmer, the goal of a film fund, the target of a sales agent and distributor. Some might argue these are topics for the producer but I strongly believe that writers, directors, actors, and crew should also understand their industry so that they can navigate it with eyes wide open.

One thing that everyone can agree on is that the sector is going through major changes and the landscape is shifting below our feet as we try to walk a path. The internet broke the TV model, and AI will break the production model. I would love to have seen some discussions on the emerging business models, case studies on successful new appraoches, instead of talking how programmers curate their festivals or how to work with script editors for instance. I would love to have seen hands-on workshops. I would love to have seen networking that breaks the closed circles.

So dear festival people - do you think we can make a film festival for the industry that talks business first and dares to get messy exploring new ways?

That said, please do keep the parties and social drinks coming - that’s where you meet new friends and in the end every industry is about people.

I set out to find the right actors with a determination of keeping the process both simple and fair. I think my life would have been easier if I opted for just simple. At least for a while. Since I’ve been on both sides of recruitment - as the interviewee and the interviewer - I felt strongly to do the right thing - get back to everyone, give feedback, and timely response - in basic terms, treat people right. I wanted to make everyone feel like their efforts were truly appreciated.

Yet the constraints were very real - I was still searching for locations, writing the director’s stament, working on the film’s storyboard, raising funds, and more. I noticed work had started to slip into my personal and family time. The very little I had already. One day, I drifted off while trying to relax by reading a book but I reread the same paragraph three times! I closed the book frustrated and went to bed just to wake up in three hours thinking about my film. It was time to become more efficient.

We decided in respect of everyone’s time asking the actors send us a self-tape auditioning for the role they wanted. Aftwr receivingthe first few, I realized I needed the applicants understanding my vision as the writer/director better. They had the script but that was not enough and I could not hop on a call with everyone to talk it out. So, I set out to make the film’s look book that painted the tone and feel and my overarching vision. I added a paragraph or so for every character explaining their background, how they feel, what drives them to make their decisions, and what are they after.

Communicating your vision with your team is one of the most difficult parts to master in creative direction. The director must do so in such a way that the cast and crew understand her vision and at the same time feel that they have room to add their own take on things. Ultimately, this is achieved through repetition - with each film and project you get better and better at expressing your ideas and vision. That said, the other side of the coin is taking the time to find not only skilled people, but also actors that truly believe in your film and are excited to play a part in it. It is a bit like tuning to the same wavelength on a radio.

I wonder if these references will make any sense to my kids’ generation but I digress.

While the process of finding your cast is lengthy and cumbersome at times, it is a great practice in communicating your vision and building your network. The secret super power that pulls it all together? The ability to get people excited about the challenge they’re about to embark on. But more on that next time.

I’ve been blessed to find a friend and a producer in Ivanna Laka. Soon more people joined our production. What started with an idea transformed into a passionate group of people. Now it’s time to bring the film to live. That’s why we’re opening up our crowdfunding campaign. It is not just a way to raise money. It is a way to build a community around this film from the very beginning.

Back this film on gofundme

This might be a 10-minute short film but make no mistake. our ambitions are sky high. We want as many people as possible all around the world to be touched by the message of Carp Diem. That can be achieved through film festivals, screenings, press releases, and word of mouth. But it certainly cannot be achieved alone.

If this story resonates with you, this is your invitation. By supporting the campaign, you’re helping us rent gear, pay cast and crew, secure filming locations, and more. We’d love to make this film with you so thank you for being here at the start.

Back this film on gofundme

There are so many books, films, comics, podcasts, and other story formats at our fingertips that make you pause when creating a new one. I felt strongly it needed to be something that came from my unique perspective and inspired by my own experience. It occured to me that there weren’t many films talking about expat experience. And please, Emily in Paris, does not count.

Digging deeper, I wondered what would a story about international families look like. That is because I have one now. When I grew up in Slovakia, most of my friends and neighbours were Slovak. Then, when my homecountry joined the EU, my opportunities suddenly expanded. The world was my oyster. And so it happened that right at the end of my university degree I met a handsome American guy in Prague. The rest is history, as they say.

Over the years, I met others who married someone from a different country, continent, or moved abroad to start new life. I met people who grew up as first generation and reflected on how their parents’ experience had shaped them. All these people… and where are the films about them?

As a mother raising children abroad and with a spouse who was born in a different country than me, I knew I wanted to talk about the dillemmas that parents like us have when it comes to passing on their cultural heritage. We live in The Netherlands and celebrate everything from Thanksgiving to Sinterklass and Slovak namesdays. So I made up Natalia who after the death of her parents (drama!) finds herself navigating a difficult question - how do I pass on my culture to my daughter so that she knows where she came from? The only catch? It is Christmas Eve and Natalia’s family tradition involves getting a live fish, a carp, in The Hague. Did I mention it’s illegal?

There it was. A story that felt like something only I could write. If you are curious to know more about the film, check out the film site, and follow my publication here as I will be documenting the whole process of bringing this project to life.

I’m honouring a special, albeit slightly crazy, tradition.

I’m choosing 33336669999+++++yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.uyyyhjmjn,kk./l

Sorry for the interuption. No stroke, just a very excited child pressing buttons. I’m leaving it in because it sums up the tone of this film well: it will be real, heartfelt but it won’t take itself too seriously.

If you want to follow this journey, you’re in the right place.

More soon.