Plans for 2009

- Self-publish short story book
- Make new website to showcase all my many talents
- Finish Civil Unrest script
- Self-distribute "Reduced to Dust" (Eight years is long enough)
- Blog more


Things I have finished

- First time I don't have to worry about resolutions to lose weight
- Completed first draft of Soul Escape with Rebekah Del Rio
- Quit one of my day jobs
- Read several books (where did I find the time?)

End of the Year

This has been a rocky year for not only for me, but for most people I know. I just wanted to take a moment and wish all of us better things to come in 2009. I think I'm due. :)

"Disfigured" Review

A producer/ director just passed on "Disfigured." Very positive reaction, though.


---



"Thanks very much for sending the script of Disfigured. I really enjoyed the story, and thought you did a great job of addressing and dramatizing the "tyranny of beauty" issue that's so prevalent in today's society. To be honest though we are just not the right company to do justice to your script. We are primarily looking for projects I would direct myself, and I feel Disfigured would work best under the stewardship of a female director who will be better able to elicit from the cast the layers of unspoken subtext that the subject requires. I really wish you the best though in finding the right company to take on this project because I think it's a terrific thriller and certainly one I would enjoy watching on the big screen."

Box Office Flops

Interesting article from Forbes.com listing the biggest flops of the year and stating big names don't always mean big bucks. Nothing new here, but what caught my eye was the fact that some of these "flops" made over 30 Million dollars. I think the problem is over-inflated budgets!


If any of these movies had cost 10 to 15 Million dollars, 30 Million would have been a decent profit margin. But considering most movie stars demand that amount for their salaries alone, not sure how the studios are going to fix this situation. The irony of it all is that is no shortage of young struggling actors who would do anything for a part and would work for scale. Oh, Hollywood, land of irony.

Read the forbes.com article on This Year's Superstar Flops.

Climate Changing Conference

I attended this conference last month and blogged about it here. I have been so busy lately I haven't had a chance to write anything new here, but don't want to neglect this blog either, so, in the mean time, read my latest Changing Climate conference blog entry and get some useful tips for being green and helping the environment.

Another blog

I posted a blog about the Women in Film Entertainment Forum. I have been working for Touch Light Media for a few months now and highly recommend our blog!

"Bridesmaids" review

Good review from a producer!

"I just finished reading 'Here Comes the Bridesmaids' and could not put it down.
Julie Camara wrote a sweet, fun and engaging script. What I enjoyed most about the script is how clearly set-up each character was.
Amanda's radio job was perfect. It played as the 'narrative of the story'--which I found to be creative and necessary.
The race to the altar was hilarious, one thing after another after another, which in the end showed that love does conquer all!"

The Duchess

I went to an early screening at WIF. Amazing visuals, sets and costumes. Who doesn’t love a good period piece? Keira Knightly gives a very powerful performance as the title character. The movie has gotten a lot of press around the fact that princess Diana was related to the Duchess. There are some definite parallels between theirs lives.

I like seeing strong women on screen. There’s a very dysfunctional female friendship in the movie and some really powerful moments. I’m curious to see how it does in the box office and how it does come Oscar time. I have to say Keira Knightly has own me over. I don’t think she was ever given a part that was somewhat risky and edgy like this.

I got to meet the author of the book the film was based and the Q&A was fascinating. This movie would have been so different if they had gotten some of the actresses they had approached... And we also left with a goody bag full or make-up and other swag!

Big Bear Film Festival

Tim and were lucky to get passes from a producer I know and we couldn’t miss the opportunity. I love Big Bear because it reminds me of a mountain town I used to go to in Brazil with my family when I was a kid.

And to be able to see some films while I’m there was the icing on the cake. We went on friday night and stayed at this cute little cabins. We were quickly homesick and feeling isolated when we discovered there’s no internet connection accept in the office, but we survived.

Saturday morning I went to the screenwiting panel and got some really great information and met some agents.

Then we rushed to catch a batch of student shorts. We were impressed with the quality overall, but two films stuck out:
Smoke, an AFI short about a couple of teenagers who are car thieves, which actually won for best student short.

Fatherland, a black and white World War II piece in German and subtitled, from Chapman University.

Then in the afternoon, we saw another batch of shorts. Three that we loved were:

Struck, a very cute story about a man who's impaled with an arrow on his way to work. The winner for best short.

No. 6, starring Ron Perlman, in Tim's words: It played like a feature.

The Winged Man, I'm a little biased with this one since I know the producer, and got a chance to talk to the director, but this one was written by Jose Rivera, the story of a young woman who claims she was impregnated by an angel.

They also all stared known actors and had amazing cinematography.

We finished the evening by going to the wrap party and the awards ceremony. We had a chance to try some of the local food and beer at the party, so we had to swing by the Mountain Brewery and buy some to take home.

Branching out

It's been a while since I blogged. The main reason being my trip to Brazil was a great opportunity to slow down and take a good long look at my career path. This past year was really great. I met a lot of great producers and made some progress with my screenplays. I also spent a lot of time waiting for answers from people and have felt that I have little control over my own destiny by being just the writer.


I decided it was time to educate myself about the film finance scene and start taking steps to set up my own projects and become the master of my own destiny.

Wow, that come out way more intense than I expected...

I'm now sticking my toes in the water and seeing if this is indeed for me. I just attended a film financing seminar organized by California Lawyers for Arts and have another one schedule for mid-September.

I must say I have neglected my writing, which I hate doing, specially when I have a really cool idea to work on...

Quote of the day!

"Success is a finished book, a stack of pages each of which is filled with words. If you reach that point, you have won a victory over yourself no less impressive than sailing single-handed around the world."
– Tom Clancy

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

Is 4 really the magic number?

Wondering what that question means exactly? Well, I went to a screening of Sisterhood 2 last night, and some women have brought up a similarity with Sex and the City. Don’t worry, the only thing these movies have in common is four leading ladies. Sisterhood is completely teen friendly and more grounded in reality than Sex and the City, quote coming straight from director Sanaa Hamri’s mouth. I feel better about my own screenplay, Here Come the Bridesmaids, having also four, very different leading ladies. I chose the number for a reason. Each character represents someone I know, and a certain type of women. I also understand why other writers have chosen the number. Four just feels right.

Having read all the books and seen the first movie, I applaud novelist Ann Brashares and the filmmakers for creating something so positive and fun for young women everywhere. It’s refreshing to see women struggling with their identities, settling into their adult lives and exploring their options. It was a very good adaptation of the books. Of course, some of my favorite moments from the book were lost or changed more than I would like to see. But that’s the nature of adapting something, and I think outside a few story beats that didn’t quite work, the movie can stand on its own.

The reviews I’ve read and heard are saying this movie is for young women only. I resent that. Nobody was running around saying Batman was for young men only. Women are expected to see movies that testosterone driven that have almost no female characters, but men won’t be caught dead watching Sisterhood 2? I think it’s time we changed the way we think and behave around movies. Did anyone say Superbad was for young men only? No women would want to watch it? I saw it and liked it. I dare the men out there to go see Sisterhood 2 and learn something about women of all ages. We were all teenagers once. What woman hasn’t had a pregnancy scare? Or a dark family secret? Or felt out of place and insecure in college? Make no mistake, people, there are millions of women stories out there and even more women wanting to see them. I only hope men become brave enough to go see it with us.

Body Image

I'm not the only who thinks they've gone crazy trying to make women look a certain way.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?cl=9031011


Keira Says No to Bigger Bust

The 23-year-old Says She's Proud of Her Natural Body and Doesn't Want Film Promos Enhanced
By JUJU CHANG, COLE KAZDIN and KELLY HAGAN
July 29, 2008


Call it truth in advertising: Waifish actress Keira Knightly has balked at having the digital wizards enhance her breasts in publicity photos for her new film, "Duchess."
The actress objects to her cleavage being altered in publicity photos.

The sultry star of "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Atonement" feels she doesn't need cleavage to be sexy and insists on being portrayed as the A-cup beauty that she is rather than being air-brushed into a more voluptuous C-cup.

"Keira Knightly is essentially giving young women permission to stand up in their communities and their schools and their families and say, 'Look, this is the way I look and it is OK," said "Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters" author Courtney Martin.

The 23-year-old's chest has been the subjected to scrutiny before. In promotions for "King Arthur" in 2004, the actress' A-cup was morphed into a C-cup on posters. At the time Knightly admitted, "those things weren't really mine," though she still went along with the publicity campaign. "I think that's incredibly brave and could have a huge impact on young women," Martin said of Knightly's decision.

Documentary

It's been a while since I made this little documentary about this great cause and event. I was thinking about it today and just felt like posting it again. If you're new to this blog and have five minutes to spare, take a look and feel free to comment or email me.



You can watch a lot of my other videos on YouTube.

Quote

"You always pass failure on the way to success."
Mickey Rooney

Does this mean I'm getting close to success? I've gotten pretty good at failure. : )

Picking myself up

They say idle hands are the devil's tools. Well, I'm starting to believe that. In my last post I talked about this mild depression I was suffering from. I got out of it by working on an idea I forgot I had. I scrolled down and read my own blog. (I have now one reader, me!)



I remembered this photo. This image that ended up stuck in my head a while back. I started writing one scene and the story begun. And I do feel better. Now I'm not sulking and feeling sorry for myself, I'm writing about it!

Post Vacation Depression

I feel like I've hit a brick wall. I got back from vacation as was totally loving my life. Now, as I look at it, it all feels so pointless. What have I accomplished, really? I haven't made a cent with my writing, I still work the same day job, I have a lot of debt, I shouldn't even have gone on vacation. I really couldn't afford it, but I missed everyone too much. I'm feeling like a failure right now. What do I really have to show for? It's been so hard to just live my life lately, I don't know what to do to pick myself up.

My Name in Print

Check out my name on the list of finalists for the Broad Humor Film Festival. Click here.

Broad Humor Film Festival - I'm a finalist!!!

In my inbox this morning:








Congratulations,

Your screenplay has been selected as a finalist in the 2008 Broad Humor Film Festival taking place June 13-15 in Venice, California.

I'm so excited! Also, kind of sad I'll be in Brazil during the festival...

Read a synopsis of Here Come the Bridesmaids here.

Juggling

Life as an aspiring writer feels like a juggling and balancing act most of the time. Here are some of the things required to have a career as a screenwriter:


-Writing new material constantly.
-Rewriting already existing scripts.
-Begging friends, spouse and other writers for input on your stuff so you can do yet another rewrite.
-Submitting to agents, managers and producers.
-Going to events to meet new people so that you can submit to yet more people.
-Tracking submissions you made via email or phone.
-Printing, photocopying and mailing scripts to competitions, agents managers and producers. (I'm always happy to see a competitions that accepts PDF files, the same goes for producers, managers and agents)
-Watching movies and TV shows that are pertinent to what you are writing.



-Watching movies and TV shows because of your love for art. (That's why you're doing all this in the first place, isn't it?)
-Reading the blogs and trades so you get your entertainment news.
-Reading books about the craft of writing.
-Taking writing classes and going to seminars.
-Reading books that are pertinent to what you are writing.
-Reading books for the love of it and because reading will make you a better writer.
-Reading screenplays, produced, unproduced, for friends or for fun.




If think that's about it..

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. A day job so you can pay for costs of being an aspiring writer. Make sure to squeeze that in somewhere.

Collaboration - part 2

It has begun. Had my first meeting about this collaboration project and I'm so excited to be working on someone else's idea. I have learned so much already... Too bad I can't go into too much details right now. Stay tuned for more.

I wish I had written this...

I have a list of movies I wish I had written. This one is moving to the top of the list and I haven't even seen it yet. It's so inspiring to see another Brazilian doing well in Hollywood with a project that doesn't have "Brazil" stamped all over it. Not that there is anything wrong with that, is just that I feel I have more than my nationality to offer as an artist. I also have been told I have to rock my Brazilian side and use that as an angle to break in. Don't know how I feel about that, or exactly how to do it, so I just keep writing stories that move me and inspire me.

Vision

I woke up with an image similar to these ones in my head today. I know there's a story here and I know what the story is. I also think it describes my emotional state these days.



But this is also how Plastic came to me to. Just before I feel asleep one night I had a image burned into my brain. I remember telling myself I had to remember that haunting image of a Life-Size Barbie Doll the next day. And I did. I think I also was feeling less then appreciated that day. I had stayed up super late working to deliver a translation and was feeling less then human.

Now, almost a year later I've done about seven drafts of Plastic, placed in a competition with it, and hopefully you will see it in the theaters soon... I guess good does come out of my darkest moments.

Emotional roller coaster

I was a little upset yesterday. I have had a good night sleep and have picked myself up from my funk. I considered taking down the previous post, but I want to be honest about what the life of a writer can be like sometimes. So, it's stays. Just FYI, I'm not always that bitter. I think most of the time I'm extremely positive, too positive, borderline delusional positive.

Tired

Sometimes life feels like an uphill battle with very little meaning to it. That's how I feel right now. I'm physically and emotionally tired of this Hollywood struggle. I'm about ready to pack it in. You win, Hollywood. Go make another razzy winning sequel while I leave town with my tale between my legs. In case you haven't figured it out yet, someone just passed on one of my scripts. I just can't catch a break.

New Script

Just finished a draft of yet another screenplay. It's always exciting to finish something, but the work is far from over. I'm hoping to do another pass before I go on vacation in June.

Disfigured

Logline: After suffering a disfiguring accident, a woman discovers she’s the latest victim of a serial attacker.

Synopsis:

Madison’s life as a young and attractive schoolteacher seems perfect to the naked eye. She has an attentive fiancée, friends and students that adore her. Everything is turned upside down when Madison suffers a horrible disfiguring car accident. A deranged person throws a brick from a freeway overpass striking her car and her perfect face. Now Madison will have to put her life back together and adjust to being stared at and treated like a freak. But when she discovers she’s only the latest victim of a serial attacker, no one around her is safe. She’ll have to fight to stay alive and save the ones she loves.

Collaboration

I'm excited to report that I have two collaborations projects in the works with two amazing women. Can't discuss details since nothing is set in stone, but I'm excited to be working with some cool people.

Interesting

I had an interesting experience yesterday. Monday is my day off. I usually write all day, or do translations all day, or run errands. Yesterday the task at hand was finishing The Tempter rewrite for the producer. After I finished around 3 pm, I went back to Disfigured. I have been eager to go back to this script for a while, I guess mostly because I had to work on The Tempter, it sort was the last thing I wanted to do. What can I say, I’m a rebel at heart. If I have to do something, I’ll have to force myself to do it. The artist in me is life a spoiled child that has to be kept in check at all times.

But, I should say, going through The Tempter, I impressed myself at how good the story was. It had been a while since I had looked at it and I have to say I was pleased with myself. I have a feeling The Tempter is commercial and very much high concept. I think you’ll see that in the big screen before any other one of my scripts.

That wasn’t the strange experience I was talking about. I started working on Disfigured again. I came with this concept shot:



It helps me to have the visual inspiration to keep writing. I was afraid that the third act was going to be too short, that I didn’t have much mileage on this story anymore. But once I started writing it, I came up with stuff I had never even imagined before. This is why I like writing scenes versus outlining it. You never know what will come to you when you’re writing scenes. I can say that my writing ritual/style is very unique to myself. There’s very little structure to it, and I don’t think I’ve written two scripts the same way. Some I have outlined severely, others I have written with no outline at all.

But I digress. The interesting experience is I started writing this violent sequence in the third act, and the setting, the acts, the suffering, it all started to bother me and I finally had to call it a night. My own writing was making me squeamish. What is wrong with me? I’m not usually squeamish at all, especially if I’m creating it. It also occurred to me to change the ending of the script. I think I’m coming to terms with women and finally truly learning to love women.

This only makes sense to me right now, but once you read the script, it will make sense to you too. Right now the Alanis Morissette lyrics for the song Eight Easy Steps comes to mind. I think I finally get it.

“I'll teach you all this in 8 easy steps
A course of a lifetime you'll never forget
....
How to hate women when you're supposed to be a feminist”

The Sociopath Next Door

The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout

A great book I've been reading. A must for any writer, a very haunting read for the rest of us. You'll start to recognize people you've met out in the world and you just couldn't believe they could be so malicious.

Back on The Tempter

Yes, I'm back working on The Tempter. I had a great script meeting with the producer, and aside from hearing a Hollywood horror story that I won't repeat here, it was a very good meeting. I'm excited to get back to work. I guess long gone are the days I would turn bitter and angry when anybody told me I had to change a typo on one of my scripts.

I used to be very protective of my babies, I guess now I know the works has to be done. I agreed with all of his notes, I think that was a first too. That made me specially happy, because now I know we have a similar vision of the kind of movie we want to make.

New Food Blog

My good friend Kathy is one of the best cooks I know. She had this great idea to start a food blog. I'm a contributor, so go visit is when you can.

All Food Considered

At the risk of repeating myself

Seriously, we're out of control with the beauty obsession. This is a book for the purpose of explaining to children why their mommies are going under the knife after giving birth.

Is it me, or is there really something seriously wrong with humanity these days?



Quoting from newsweek website:

"What's the market for a children's picture book about moms getting cosmetic surgery? No one specifically tracks the number of tummy-tuck-and-breast-implant combos (or "mommy makeovers," as they're called), but according to the latest numbers from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, breast augmentation was the most popular cosmetic surgery procedure last year, with 348,000 performed (up 6 percent over 2006). Of those, about one-third were for women over 40 who often opt for implants to restore lost volume in their breasts due to aging or pregnancy weight gain. There were 148,000 tummy tucks—up 1 percent from the previous year."

At the risk of sounding like a bitter old hag

Mariah Carey was on Oprah earlier this week. This is her big comeback. She has a new album coming out, she’s lost a lot of weight, she’s back better than ever. I’m not the biggest Mariah fan but I do like her music. I won’t even get into her movie Glitter.

What bothered me was that Oprah teased the show saying that Mariah had just made history by breaking one of Elvis’ records. Big deal, right? Don’t you want to know more? Don’t you want to hear all about her journey getting there, writing songs, performing, failures and successes?



No, Oprah had to spend the first segment asking Mariah about her weight loss. We got to watch Mariah showing Oprah her kitchen and her French chef/trainer. (I was confused by the two in one too, but the same woman cooking some chicken with no butter or fat for Mariah is also telling her how to exercise!)

I pretty much checked out after a few shots of Mariah and the French lady working out and the sad little chicken pieces Mariah has to eat to keep her skinny body.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for health and weight loss. I’ve been trying myself to exercise more and eat less. But I don’t think that’s the most fascinating thing about me or Mariah. Call me crazy, Oprah, but I actually wanted to hear about the music! It is what Mariah does, isn’t it?



This is the world we live in now. We’re more interested in knowing how singers stay so pretty and skinny then to hear them sing. We’d rather give her kudos for not eating then for breaking a record and making history.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love Oprah. I just think she’s kind of feeding the image obsession by focusing so much on Mariah’s body. I guess there’s no way not to, since Mariah’s new hit single is titled “Touch My Body.”

In case you’re curious to know what the record Mariah broke was, here’s the info straight from Oprah’s website.

“In April 2008, Mariah made music history when "Touch My Body," the first single off her album E=MC² reached the top spot on the Billboard charts. With 18 number one hits, she broke the previous record set by a solo artist…the king himself, Elvis Presley. Now, she's second only to The Beatles, who had 20 chart-toppers during their heyday.”



And if you want to see how hot Mariah looks, just look up the music video for “Touch My Body,” but I’d rather you’d take a moment to think about the singers and artists out there who do use their bodies as a selling point.

Okay, I got a little preachy, I’m sorry. Mariah looks good and sounds good, but why is the first one more important then the second?

Even the fortune cookie agrees

I guess I've been focusing too much on one issue. It's so obvious even the fortune cookies know my deep dark secret. I promise once I'm done with Disfigure I'll move on.

I should be writing novels

I feel like I'm finally getting good at writing screenplays, but then I came across this blog entry on Amazon, thanks to my wonderful husband. Now I don't know what to do. I do want to make a living out of the written word. My passion for movies brought me here, but the odds are not all that great... Read the whole post here.

The Novel vs. the Screenplay (Guest Blogger: Lisa Lutz)

* If you have a completed novel and a completed screenplay, your chances of getting the novel published far exceed your chances of getting a screenplay produced.

This is an obvious statistic when you think of how many books are published every year vs. how many films are made.

* In terms of money, the scales tip in the other direction. If you have a major Hollywood film made you’re bound to make more money off the script sale than you would from a novel.

Script Notes

I'm back working on The Tempter. I just got notes from the producer. I thought it might be a good time to post notes I got from WriteMovies.Com last year.

---

THE TEMPTER
By: Julia M. Camara
Notes by: Aisleigh Sawyer
Date: 04/25/07

The premise of this screenplay is original and the story unfolds in a way that is suspenseful, unpredictable and exciting. The script’s open-ended finale leaves a lot to the audience’s imagination and provides a clever and dramatically satisfying twist to the story. The supernatural element is kept grounded in the everyday and is thus believable in the context of the story but the action and fantasy have the imaginative power to sweep an audience up into the thrill of things. There is a lot in this script to keep an audience on their toes, keep them intrigued and wanting to know what happens next: it is a compelling story that combines elements of horror, fantasy and drama to great effect.

Despite the unreal events, the story is still connected to real life – the universal themes of grief, desperation and fear are expressed via strong and emotionally deep characters whose relationships with each other are nicely developed. The central character, Debora, undergoes a significant character transformation, which adds emotional depth to the story. The characters are rendered with insight and natural dialogue that befits them, making them three-dimensional and believable. Hence, they are characters to whom an audience would relate and sympathize with. The only exception is the ‘evil villain’ John, who remains perhaps too much of a mystery. His characterization is too thin and hence he seems little more than a stereotype. Who he is, the background to what he does/what he offers and the Biblical reference that is only very briefly touched on could be fleshed out to provide a more compelling and dramatically rich backdrop. This area of the story would certainly benefit from being more highly developed.

Visually, this is an engaging piece that would work well on the screen; the supernatural and disturbing scenes are subtle enough so as not to be obtrusive but provide an interesting and stimulating spectacle. The fast pace is maintained by a tight and focused story and increases accordingly with the climatic final plot point and resolution. However, unless the story behind John is developed the story as a whole risks being too thin and too reliant simply on the momentum of events to propel it forward.

Back to Work

I have been back working on scripts since the last post, honestly! I can't say it hasn’t been on my mind and that I don’t oscillate between loving my curves and my body and skipping dinner because I just don’t want to be called fat anymore. At least I haven’t been too preoccupied with my body to write.

I’m working on two scripts at once. Retail Therapy and Disfigured. Tim just finished reading my crazy rough draft of Retail Therapy and now I’m thinking it’s almost time to work on it again.

Except Disfigured is coming so easily to me, I wonder why I ever decided to venture into comedy and black comedy. The good, old-fashioned thriller makes me so much happier. Maybe because I grew up on this genre, I feel like I know where a story like this can go.

I also have had mixed feelings from people on my writer’s group about Retail Therapy. From things like: “Being addicted to shopping is a real problem and not funny” and “People will be offended that you’re making light of a real addiction” and “Characters should not die in a comedy, even if it is a black comedy”. I brought up the Coen Brothers’ movie Intolerable Cruelty and I mostly got blank stares from people. I guess nobody has seen this movie. Go put it on your queue on netflix right now! It’s a must see.

I’ve managed to go whole three paragraphs without talking about women and their bodies! Progress… : )

Stop calling me fat

I just recently reconnected with an old friend I hadn’t talked to in years. I sent her some photos, a late Christmas card and all kinds of news about all the things I’ve been doing here in L.A. I talked about my script being optioned, the producers I’ve been meeting and where “Plastic” is as far as development and casting. (I can’t really go into much detail right here because nothing is set in stone.) After hearing all my news and seeing my pictures, her very first comment was: “How come you’ve gain so much weight?” She said it nicely and I’m sure really didn’t mean to hurt my feelings. She even went on to say that she gained a lot of weight herself.

This got me thinking that we women are so good at putting our fellow women down. Should I remind you she’s a friend? She named her youngest daughter Julia because we were so close when we were younger. I have no doubt in my mind she didn’t mean to hurt me. But, why is it that we do this to each other? I had many more exciting things happening in my life than what the scale says. I also happen to be happily married. Why does it matter that I’m a size 10? Does being a few pounds overweight really make you useless? Does that mean your voice shouldn’t count in the world? Why do we do this to ourselves? I’m sitting here not being able to concentrate on my writing because I’m thinking I should be working out.


We’ve gotten really good at sabotaging each other. It seems like no matter what you’re doing in life, other women won’t respect you unless you’re thin. Why is that? Is fat really all that awful and scary? Do we forget that we’re biologically designed to retain fat so we nourish babies?


Oh, yeah, babies. That seems to be second thing everyone wants me to do with my life. Nobody seems to care about my career, they just want to know when I’m having babies, and how come I’m so fat. I feel like I could find the cure for cancer and people would still be asking where the babies are, and how come I won’t go on a diet.



Women everywhere, I ask all of you: When are we going to stop sabotaging each other? When are we going to start celebrating each other for what we’ve accomplished with our minds and not our looks? When are we going to stop being so cruel to one another?

And people still ask why I’ve written three screenplays about women and body image.

Only in LA – part 2

Read Only in LA part 1 here

Yesterday I went to have coffee with a friend. I sat at the coffee shop with a sinking feeling in my gut. I just knew I had given her the wrong address. After I got her on the phone and confirmed my stupidity, (I’m not allowed to make fun of any other idiots for at least 72 hours, this is my self-imposed punishment) I drove the few extra blocks to the correct coffee shop. It wasn’t even a Starbucks, who knew there were so many chains with stores blocks away from each other. We sure like our overpriced coffee here in L.A.

Anyway, I get there feeling like crap because I left her waiting for a half an hour, and there’s a creepy guy sitting on a table next to her, chatting away with her. Let me remind you, this is at 10 am on a Tuesday. (She’s an actress, I’m a writer, these are our excuses for the free time in the middle of the week.) So, weird guy is in his late 50s (my guesstimate), has a large bag with wheels on it, has a five o’clock shadow, wears several layers of clothing (it was a very sunny day) and a baseball cap.

He was busy showing her some sort of manuscript of something he transcribed when I arrived. He kept on talking for a good five minutes after I sat down, barely allowing me to get a “Hi, sorry I’m an idiot” in.

Boy, did he have things to say. He told us how he once lived in the valley, and how he doesn’t have a car or needs one in L.A. He must be the only one, I thought. He also told us about his love for movies, Paris Hilton and the City of Pasadena. He also managed to use the priceless line: “Do you collect anything?” after telling us about his passion for antiques and coin collecting.



You must be wondering what we did to entice him into befriend us, telling us so many personal things and monopolizing most of our coffee time. The answer is: nothing. We just sat there, wishing he’d take a hint, nodding and smiling. Women are way too nice. If I were crazy looking and approached some random guy, he’d for sure walk away. But I just don’t have in my to be rude to an apparently harmless nut.

Eventually he got quiet and started going through some coins he took out of his bag. We also spent a large amount of time in the bathroom. (Sorry, I couldn’t help but notice.) We got on with our conversation and ended up having a very good time talking about career goals, life, husbands and the film industry in general.

Creepy guy even felt the need to say good-bye to us before he left. He let us know he had to go to catch the Pasadena Library still open. I know, I was just dying to know where he was going from there. I’m surprised he didn’t ask for our phone numbers…

I believe L.A. is one of the few places in this planet where certain characters like this roam through the streets, populate coffee shops, laundry mats, restaurants and other businesses. They walk among the actors, musicians, filmmakers, writers and other artists. And because artists can be a little eccentric they blend in seamlessly, until they come up to you on a Tuesday morning.

I wondered where he lived and what he did for money, but maybe that’s the beauty and mystery of a character like him.

Feel free to use him as a character in your next novel or screenplay.

Spring in LA

I have to say I’m not one of those transplants that walks around complaining about the lack of weather, rain and four seasons in southern California. I love that I’m able to spend March through October sometimes in shorts, tank-tops and sandals. I did enjoy the rain we got this year. I remember napping to the sound of the rain one afternoon in January. It’s one of those memories I’ll treasure forever. But the sunny weather here keeps me always sunny on the inside. (Is that cheese to say?) Plus, I have a lot of fond memories of summertime; my wedding, moving into our place in Santa Monica, vacations… What can I say? Makes me want to write a happy screenplay.


This is kind of a cheat because it was taken in Santa Barbara in December, but it does illustrate my point that there are no gloomy days in California (or very few ones)

Mom's the inspiration

The entry below is the synopsis for the script my mom inspired me to write when she was visiting from Brazil. I must say she's no where near as wacky as my character and has never done anything as crazy as keeping a secret storage unit. (Not that I know of...) Anyway, I'm still working on the script, but there it is.

Retail Therapy

A comedy by Julia Camara

Logline: An ad executive goes to great lengths to keep her shopping addiction secret. When she’s caught shopping by her husband and family she’ll have to go to rehab.

Synopsis:

Shopping is Holly’s life, fashion her religion. After many failed attempts at quitting her debt accruing habit, she decides it's just easier to keep it a secret from her loved ones. When her nosy neighbor Arlene discovers her hiding place for her goods, a hidden storage unit, Holly jumps through hoops to keep her quiet until she can jump no longer. As Arlene blows the whistle Holly is forced to sell her designer clothes and agrees to rehab. In rehab she meets Demetria, a kindred spirit with as much love for retail as Holly. They join forces the moment they get out. Together they are unstoppable.


© 2008 Julia Camara

Quotes

"You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you."
– Ray Bradbury

"Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia."
– E.L. Doctorow

Penelope - Spoiler alert!

This is not a review. Last week I went to a free screening of “Penelope.” Aside from everything the critics may have said, I still enjoyed it for my own reasons. I was curious to see a movie with the same themes as my script “Plastic” that was light, funny, cute and ultimately has a positive message. I’m starting to think I’m incapable of writing anything even close to light when it comes to the subject of female body image. My mind has been stuck on it for quite a while. Two scripts finished, and the third in the works, one of these days I’ll move on and stop asking how far women will go in the name of beauty.

If only I could be like Penelope and break my own curse by saying the powerful words: “I like myself the way I am.” Maybe when I do, I’ll be able to write about women who don’t diet obsessively, who don’t use food to hide from their feelings, who don’t get horribly disfigured by other enraged women, who don’t turn into full size Barbie dolls.

Whatever others might say about the movie, it struck me, it moved me, and it made sense to me. If nothing else, it made me wish life were that simple. One epiphany and your whole life is changed, you suddenly accept yourself. I’ve been working on that for 28 years, and haven’t quite mastered it. Would Penelope’s snout come back on days she feels ugly and less accepting of herself? Now, that would be more realistic. Still, I think everyone wishes they could find someone who would love then even if they had a pig snout. But in real life you’d be calling Dr. 90210, curse or not…

Here's to Women!

I did a little investigating this morning. I went to the Oscars website and got the numbers for the women ever nominated in the two writing categories. I have to say I was expecting to be angry. To see us so underrepresented. The fact is, at the very first ceremony in 1928 there was a woman nominated. An unofficial nomination as they did in those days but, Josephine Lovett was nominated for "Our Dancing Daughters".

Eighty years, two writing categories, five nominees in each category equals a total of 800 nominees. (Is my math right?) There have been a total of 123 women nominated. Wait a minute, I am angry. That's only 15% of all nominees! How many women are in this country? About 51%? Is that right? When I saw 123 I thought, we came a long way. And I guess we did. But there's a long way to go.
Nominees for the screenwriting categories

Out of the total 160 winners, 20 were women. (Sorry, received the Oscar, I forgot we don't say "the winner is" anymore. It creates too much competition. I just hate our new P.C. world.)

So, here's something else that annoyed me. Straight from the website, here are the women nominated in the Directing category:

Results displayed by award category; sort is chronological
Win indicated by an asterisk (*)


1976 (49th)
DIRECTING

Seven Beauties -- Lina Wertmüller

1993 (66th)
DIRECTING

The Piano -- Jane Campion

2003 (76th)
DIRECTING

Lost in Translation -- Sofia Coppola

Three out of 400 nominees. Zero wins. Does anyone else see a problem here? Why are we being kept away from the director's chair?

Okay, I'll stop now and get back to my own screenplays. But think about this, if the majority of directors and producers are white males how are we ever going to have real diversity in this industry? People focus so much on actors winning the Oscars and their ethnicities, but we should really be worried about the people behind the cameras, choosing who gets to go in front of them...

Premonition

Yesterday I showed up at work after walking in the rain. This co-worker who I like very much was reading a Chinese horoscope book. We had a few minutes to spare with the rain and all not much was going on. She proceeds to read my Chinese horoscope. We came to the conclusion I’m a goat. Kind of funny considering I’m a Capricorn. (Does that mean I’m twice as stubborn?) So, it says the goat is going to have a prosperous year with lots of change, money and maybe even a move. Okay, sounds kind of vague now, I realize, but it got me really pumped up and excited. I got thinking about all the projects I have up in the air and started getting so excited I just knew I was going to come home and check my email and find some good news. Now, you have to understand I really convinced myself. I spent the rest of the day walking on cloud, smiling like a teenager with a secret crush.


So, I was a little more than disappointed to find nothing at all in my inbox. I felt like such an idiot. Giving myself fake hope and getting all worked up over the Chinese horoscope silliness. I was so frustrated with myself and I could barely go to work this morning. I spent the day cranky, wondering if there really isn’t anything else I could do with my life. I still have time to go back to school, right? Is it too late to become an accountant?

And then today I got a little something. I got home and there was the email I expected. No big news, just a quick updated that the script was received and we should hear something soon. That’s the part that kind of gave me goose bumps. I was right, kind of. Was it the universe telling me to be patient? They’ll call my name eventually? I think so. I hope so.

Waiting is the name of the game

One of my scripts was submitted to an actress for her consideration. Now, I have been extremely excited to hear her answer. To me it’s been a long wait. Close to a decade. If you count my early highschool years, even longer. To her only a few months. I understand I’m nobody. I understand everyone was on a forced vacation because of the strike and probably used that time to relax and do family stuff. But it’s killing me! Weeks few like months, days few like weeks when you’re waiting for your career to start. And then to finally hear that she hasn’t read it yet, that her assistant lost the script… Ah, so exhausting. My mother told me to look on the bright side, at least she hasn’t said no. Hehe.



I was also waiting for a yes or no from another producer on another project. I waited and waited twice the length I was told it would take. I finally sent a "just checking email" and waited some more. Nothing. I was getting pretty paranoid. I started thinking that everyone hated me for reasons unknown to myself. It was all a big conspiracy to see how long I would hold out before killing myself. Well, I showed them! I'm still here. Then I heard from my mother that she never got one of my emails. I went and check my spam folder. There it was, the message that said "failure notice." My email to my mom had bounced back. I also found a response from the producer. It said: "Haven't read it yet, will let you know." My heart is way too weak for all these ups and downs.

So, what do I do while I wait? I have a day job and two other scripts I’m working on. I also struggle with my weight, try to be social with friends and spend time with the husband and dog. Not in that order.

Looking back

Following your dreams takes courage. Yes, it does. Even more than I always I thought. I’ve been thinking a lot about my past lately, about the long road that has brought me here. I watched old acting projects of mine, and I remembered inhabiting that body. Much thinner and younger. I sure was naïve, and optimistic, and self-conscious. I remembered feeling fat and inadequate. Much like I feel now. So, not much has changed, I guess. No matter what size am I, I feel like I don’t measure up. I also criticized my acting skills and my accent. Those have changed for sure. At the end, I realized I’m my worst critic. I got in my own way. Two of those projects actually aired on TV, and yet I felt like a loser, a poser, another person in LA saying they were an actor with nothing to show for.

Except I did have something to show for, didn’t I? So, why was I so hard on myself? And why exactly did I stop auditioning? Was it fear? Was it the day job that ate up over three years of my life? Was self-consciousness? Was the voice of the naysayers too loud in my head? I guess in the end it was all of it. It’s not like it’s been any easier being a writer. It’s not like there’s no rejection or negative feedback or nasty attitude with writing. On the contrary, sometimes I feel people are harsher to writers then actors.

I knew it was hard enough to pursue one dream. I didn’t think there would be room for a second one. So I chose writing. But was it a choice out of fear? Is it safer to hide behind a computer than to put my face out there for the world to see?

I think I always felt that spending money on acting classes was somehow bad and wasteful and yet, I’ve spent (God, I’m afraid to say) close to ten thousand dollars in writing classes without even flinching. Well, I did flinch. Actually I sweated bullets each time wondering where I get the money to cover my other bills, but I still did it. I guess I always felt that I was less than noble for me to want to be an actor. Deep down I guess I thought it was just a secret desire to get attention. Like I spoiled child I had to be watched by all. Somehow, in my head it was more acceptable to be a writer. But I do wish I hadn’t been so hard on my young self, and had allowed me to see where acting could have taken me. I guess it’s a lesson learned. In my next lifetime, I hope I can learn to cope with myself.

Wanna watch me act? Click here.

Strike

Looks like the WGA strike is finally over. I'm very proud of what was achieved and sad for those who are out of work. I guess that kind of includes me since I'm in writing limbo, just waiting to hear good news from a handful of producers.

27 Dresses

I just saw 27 Dresses and I have to say after all the mix reviews, I had a good time. I’m not a huge fan of romantic comedies and I knew from the trailer exactly where the plot was going, but I still thought that they had enough cute, funny moments to sustain my attention. I particularly like going to see it with a girlfriend on Super Bowl Sunday, but that’s a whole other discussion.

I must say I was worried and excited before seeing it. I have been working on this wedding comedy for almost a year now (on and off), so I had to check out another movie about the same subject. Mine is not a rom-com, though, it’s more about women and how insane they can go while planning a wedding. Oh, and it’s about so much more. I guess you’ll have to read it to truly understand.

I was relieved. There are almost no similarities between this movie and my script. Aside from some of the abuse bridesmaids can get. And the lack of appreciation brides seem to have for the money and time invested in their “special day.” Okay, I had promised myself I wouldn’t go into a rampage about my one time experience as a bridesmaid. There’s a reason why I had a small wedding without any fuss or puffy dresses.

I came home wishing I had the script in front of me. I haven’t been able to find it online. I was also surprised to see how many stories can come out with just the backdrop of a wedding. I told an older friend awhile back that it felt like it was wedding season. She told me: “That’s your twenties for you.” I guess that’s why we can’t stop writing about it.

Here Come the Bridesmaids

"Here Come the Bridesmaids" was named finalist in the 2008 Broad Humor Film Festival.

A comedy about weddings, women and the secrets they keep from each other.

Logline: Three bridesmaids kidnap a bridezilla on her wedding day to stop her from getting married.

Synopsis:

Amanda is a successful radio talk-show host. She preaches to millions of women about how to succeed in life. Her number one advice: “dump that jerk.” Amanda believes men are dead weight and marriage is for women with no goals in life. There’s only one catch: Amanda is madly in love and has recently said “yes” to her boyfriend’s marriage proposal. Her best friends and bridesmaids are convinced she has lost her mind and will stop at nothing to call off the wedding.

© 2008 Julia Camara

It ain't easy

I thought that during a WGA strike I'd be able to get a minute from an agent or a manager. I mean, it's not like their making deals for WGA writers right now. I thought that with a deal in development they would have an interest in me. I thought they'd be interest in hear from a non-union writer who has her own deal going on. All they would have to do is step in and represent me during negotiations. Boy, was I wrong. I guess I have to wait until everything is 100% finalized. Or until I get a personal referral or introduction. This business takes a lot of patience.

Family time

I had a great long vacation with my family. My mom and my grandparents came to visit and I had about three weeks off. I went to see a lot of movies, walked around L.A. like a tourist and visited places I hadn't been to after living here for nine years. It was great, relaxing and fun! But more important, my mom gave me another killer idea for a script. So, vacations do pay off. I'll post more when I have more worked out!

Happy New Year

I'm still on vacation. Not a lot of news to report. I'm rested and waiting to hear "Plastic" news. Not really writing at the moment, I must admit.