Alfred Hitchcock once said, "Drama is nothing more than life with all the boring bits cut out."    In a complicated movie like Plasma Dreams, you really have to cut out a lot of boring bits to make it all fit into a measly two hour production.  When I first looked at this project, my first thought was, how in the world can I fill out two hours!  That's a LOT of talking!  After just two filmings, I realize that I'm running out of time a lot faster than I'm running out of script.  In some ways this is great....it means that we're almost a quarter way through the process....if every scene goes the same...which is a big IF.  On the other hand, one really has to be careful to cut out the RIGHT boring bits. 
    A certain number of boring bits are absolutely necessary in Plasma Dreams in order for the audience to make sense out of it.  Deciding just what clues to leave out is the trick.  What's a boring bit for some people may be the crucial morsel of information for others.  People who have read the book can get by with a lot fewer of the boring bits.
    But, that's not what I want to address here.  I want to talk about the Call to Adventure.  This is a crucial point in every drama, the point where the main character has to decide either to continue their life of nothing but boring bits, or to dive into the unknown.
    In Plasma Dreams, the call to adventure is well defined.  It is the scene we will be shooting next, the hospital scene.  Lisa is tempted to just go home and live out a quiet life with her parents in San Francisco.  A.M. Leander, Lisa's bombastic and all-wise friend, isn't going to let that happen.  It is A.M. who convinces Lisa that she should attach herself to Vengeance Toy, no matter the cost, and find out "where her missing brain has been."  If Lisa had said NO to A.M.'s suggestion, there would be no story.
    Lisa's answer to the Call to Adventure is little more than a feeble nod and a groan.  And yet it is a defining point, the point at which Plasma Dreams is really launched.  Everything up to that point is mere chewing gum for the mind. 
    Because this call is so crucial, we need the RIGHT PERSON to present that call.  Whoever plays A.M. Leander has to be larger than life.  Her role in the movie is short but profound.  Mike Johnstone, the fellow who will be playing Venny's boss, Mark Rodale, describes A.M. as "like Yoda."  This is actually quite accurate.  She needs to exude wisdom and common sense.  She has to be the sort of person that cannot be ignored...even someone with only half a brain left... like Lisa.
    We have a few potential actresses in the queue for the role of A.M.  We will need the wisdom of A.M. herself to finally choose the right one.  I am convinced we will pick a winner.

Eric