Plasma Dreams

In the Meantime

kl7aj@acsalaska.net (Eric Nichols) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:28:00 GMT

Just in case you were wondering, there have been a lot of activities going on in the background that may have great import for the Plasma Dreams project. I have a potential new agent. As some of you know, I lost my previous agent soon after the publication of Plasma Dreams, which is not a good way to keep up one's literary momentum. In many ways it's like trying ot start one's writing career from scratch. However, one of my advocates on the San Francisco based Red Room says her agent is interested in Steel Stonehenge (the prequel to plasma dreams) and will be contacting me soon. So, stay tuned!

In the meantime, I am rehashing my screenplay...incorporating the things we learned during the making of the trailer. Keep us in prayers....we have it on good authority that Plasma Dreams will come to fruition in due time.

Blessings, all!
Eric

Changes and Regrouping

kl7aj@acsalaska.net (Eric Nichols) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:44:00 GMT

Greetings all!

     I wish to introduce Eric Hulbert, our new executive director. He will be doing the daunting task of filling Peigi's shoes. As most of you know, Peigi had to step down upon taking in a Foster Child. As much as we would love to think otherwise, raising a child is an even higher priority than Plasma Dreams!

   All our love and thanks go to Peigi for the hard work she's done during the formative years of this project. Her vision still remains.

   We are going to be resuming our regular Tuesday meetings at Friends Church....practice from 5 to 6 pm and business from 6 yo 7pm.

See you there!

Eric

Tonight's Meeting

kl7aj@acsalaska.net (Eric Nichols) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:06:37 GMT

We want to be sure everyone has the latest scripts. I will be bringing
some binders for all of you to keep your materials handy.

Keep this project in your prayers. We have some crucial decisions to make.

Blessings!

Eric

--
Eric P. Nichols
Hard Right Productions
3763 Lyle Avenue
P.O. Box 56235
North Pole, AK 99705
(907) 488-0483

Some Big Changes

kl7aj@acsalaska.net (Eric Nichols) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:12:00 GMT

It is with great trepidation that I have to announce that Peigi has resigned her position as Executive Director of Plasma Dreams in order to take care of family business. She will be SO sorely missed. I know she will be with us in spirit even when not in body. She has been the driving force and the glue that has held the project together so far. We will continue, however. And we know Peigi will be back.

God bless you Peigi, and your family. You have been amazing.

We will continue our regular 5pm meetings at Friends Church for the foreseeable future...or until the movie's done.

Onward and upward!

Eric

New cast member, New activities, New events coming up!

kl7aj@acsalaska.net (Eric Nichols) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 06:48:00 GMT

    ...So after the effects of exhaustion/excitement have now worn off, I can finally get out a couple words for our progress report!

    Our best news is that we have cast the part for Loretta #3!! Her name is Lara Maddox, who is full of charachter, and experience AND a Bachelors degree in Business Management!! God is so awesome in bringing us together in this production!

    It was Lara who inspired our new fundraising activities, and has also put lots of effort forward, to achieve a very successful first event, as we work towards taking the company to Los Angeles, for a shoot on the U.C.L.A. campus! We are tentatively scheduling travel for May 1, 2008!

    Let me voice our THANK YOU'S here for Firends Community Church kitchen, Jackie McGraw and the staff of Common Grounds Coffee Shop, Sam's Club, both Safeway stores and Fred Meyer's West store, Quality Food Sales, and Food Services of America!!

Our next event will be a bookfair at Barnes & Noble, on Saturday, March 15. Several fun events will be conducted in the store that day, including some music performances by Eric. We're still working on the ideas for this day, so if you come up with anything nifty, please give us a post here.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

kl7aj@acsalaska.net (Eric Nichols) — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 03:35:00 GMT

Hi and hope you had fun with your holidays!

Just wanted to drop a quick note, and let you all know that things are moving along in the background. I've been doing the job of making kind requests to some folks for different things, and we are getting some positive feedback!

It's possible I've located the next set we will be using for "Lisa's Lament", the hospital scene. We still need to have a solid actress to commit to the part of "A.M. Leander", a large Greenlandic eskimo lady. I might have a lead there too, but just like everything else, we're still waiting for everything to come together. Sets, lights, actors, etc.

Thank you again for everyone on board to see this project through to the end! You are amazing, and part of my 'thankful for...' prayers!

The Lord Bless your New Year with an abundant filling of Spirit!

talk again later,

Peigi Midey

A New Link

kl7aj@acsalaska.net (Eric Nichols) — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 19:21:00 GMT

Dear "Plasma Dream Team"

Please take a peek at the new link on the main movie page, "What the Movie's all about". As an actor or actress, it can really add a lot to your performance if you really understand the character's motives, fears, hopes and desires. No matter how well you might have the lines memorized, there is a certain "magic" if you will, that can only come from understanding and "living" the character. Of course, a little uncertainty can be quite effective, as well. You want to leave a little to the audience's imagination, which is why we leave some questions unanswered. Not to mention that this also makes a convenient excuse for a sequel!
By the way, it's not chiseled in granit yet, but I have a tentative book signing at Barnes and Noble on December 15th. I should be getting confirmation some time this week. If you don't have a copy of the book, this is a good time to get one!

Blessings one and all,

Eric

Lisa finding her way?

kl7aj@acsalaska.net (Eric Nichols) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 03:06:00 GMT

Prayers and Plans

kl7aj@acsalaska.net (Eric Nichols) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 02:42:00 GMT

Hi All!!!

I'm writing from the Nichols 'Think Tank', and I got a couple things pertaining to our plans...so we need some prayers ... of course!

Next scenes we want to work on will be with A.M. and Lisa; will come under the heading of "Lisa's Lament"-that's the plan.

So we need your prayers for casting the part of Alice Margarette Leander, Greenland Eskimo, and a hospital room to shoot in.

That's it, for the moment...thank you for tuning in ....

S.D.G.
Peigi

The Call to Adventure

kl7aj@acsalaska.net (Eric Nichols) — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 04:41:00 GMT

    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

Lisa's Lament

kl7aj@acsalaska.net (Eric Nichols) — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 02:52:00 GMT

Technorati Profile

The next scene we will be filming is Lisa's Lament, the very intense and rather long interrogation scene in Venny's weird-tech dormitory. We will need to settle on a character for A.M. before we begin this shoot. Please be on the lookout for possible prospects for A.M. (Her character study is on the main site under "Characters." Or if YOU happen to be a Greenlandic Eskimo, who might be a suitable A.M., let us know immediately!

Thanks again!

Eric

Some handy things to know

kl7aj@acsalaska.net (Eric Nichols) — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 18:14:00 GMT

We want to make this blog the central meeting point for all the Plasma Dreams staff and actors. Please check here often. We will have all the latest scripts posted on the FTP site. We regret that we can no longer use anonymous FTP, but if you contact Peigi or myself, we will give you the simple login instructions and passwords. Feel free to download any materials you see there, as well as uploading any documents you feel will be useful for the group.

God bless you all. Things are moving along quickly!

Eric

A Real Movie!

kl7aj@acsalaska.net (Eric Nichols) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 17:20:00 GMT

Last Monday, Veterans Day, we filmed scene two, "Another Day in Paradise" and let me tell you, Lisa Tang, played by Jenny Tse, was BRILLIANT. After filming this scene, you just came away knowing that you had a REAL MOVIE in the making. Her performance was realistic, touching, and flawless.

The right people are coming along at the right time for this entire project. Many thanks to Bob Kreiser for the use of his monster Winnebago, as well as his acting skills! He filled in as "Mr. Winnebago" with just a day of rehearsal. You're a star, Bob!

Stay tuned!

eric

Titles, Clapperboards, and Magic

kl7aj@acsalaska.net (Eric Nichols) — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 05:38:00 GMT

    Well, Hard Right Productions is beginning to look more like an actual company all the time! Hopefully, this is a good thing, though we don't want bureaucracy to overshadow our purpose....and that is to make a movie! Peigi Midey is now officially our Executive Producer, which is basically a euphemism for THE BOSS. I have given Peigi a mind meld, so that she has a very clear vision of what the movie should look like, so things can happen when I'm not around, and vice versa. Peigi has a very keen eye, and that rare commodity known as "taste." I trust her implicitly with my vision of Plasma Dreams.
    We also have a Script Supervisor, Hosanna Tolman, whose job it is to edit the scripts as we rehearse, and alter them to fit the particular characters. Unlike the novel, which is chiseled in marble, the script is a living document...and it's a BLAST watching it evolve. We want to catch those rare, spontaneous lines that the actors throw in...sometimes intentionally, sometimes not, and incorporate them into the script. Hosanna is also a capable acting coach.
    My ninth-grade daughter, Jasmine Nichols, is the Camera Assistant...she gets to mark and clap the clapperboard before each scene, and will also be responsible for making sure there's a clear path for the cinematographers to maneuver. It's a grunt job but extremely important....and Jasmine loves doing the clapperboard thing.
    Jasmine's friend, Stephanie Smith, also a ninth grader, has been showing up regularly at our rehearsals, also, and is showing some talent as an acting coach and cheerleader, as well. It's so good to have some young eyes on this project...they catch inconsistencies we old geezers easily miss.
    And now for the most exciting news. Her name is Marlene Young, an Athabaskan woman who just returned from Arizona. Tonight, as a first blush audition, we had Marlene fill in for the role of A.M., since Veronica couldn't make rehearsal. She did a fine job for a first reading, and showed some promise. On a lark, we had her try out Scene One as Vengeance Toy, with Hosanna reading Lisa....and.....

    MAGIC HAPPENED

   It's one of those things you can never explain, but you know it when you see it. It's that fleeting moment when you KNOW you have an actress and a movie. The first line out of Marlene's mouth.....I knew that was Vengeance Toy....exactly as I envisioned her twenty years ago when I penned (literally) Plasma Dreams. The fact that Marlene is not Chinese, but Athabaskan, was/is immaterial. (With a bit of makeup and Venny's dark shades, she WILL be Chinese, easily) I never would have predicted this...I might have seen her as A.M., or one of the minor Indian characters in the story. But Marlene Young is Vengeance Toy.

Case closed.

Titles, Clapperboards, and Magic

kl7aj@acsalaska.net (Eric Nichols) — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 05:38:00 GMT

Hard Right Productions

kl7aj@acsalaska.net (Eric Nichols) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 05:28:00 GMT

Thank you one and all for the wonderful, productive meeting tonight! It's thrilling to see this team work as a living organism....sign of great things to come!   For those who couldn't make it, we are now officially Hard Right Production Company. Feel free to use that name when you're asking folks for favors...people like knowing that you have a title of some sort.
We are delighted to announce our latest member, Veronica Erikana from Barrow, Alaska, who will be playing the part of Alice-Margretted Leander ("A.M."). She has a wonderful, bubbly personality, as perfect for any part as I have seen. She's been teaching us all some Inupiat. I'm really looking forward to the flashback scene when A.M. teaches Lisa how to eat muktuk. It's destined to be a classic, if I say so myself. Thank you so much, Veronica, for arriving at such a crucial time!

Speaking of crucial...we still need an actress for Lisa. Our first alternate, XiaoPien Hulbert, just had a baby yesterday, so she is understandably not quite in a position to play Lisa....but perhaps she will be in a few weeks. I really think she will make a perfect Lisa, but of course, motherhood responsibilities take priority.    Everyone, please keep an eye out for a potential Lisa. We really want to shoot the cabin scene before the snow flies. Lisa is around thirty, fairly small, and, most importantly, nerdy-looking. And Chinese, of course. And whoever plays her has to be able to make a firm commitment to the role. Hopefully this will be someone who's been in Fairbanks for a while.

Although we definitely prefer Fairbanks actors, we will consider an exceptional Lisa from the lower 48, if necessary. Once we begin shooting, things should go pretty fast.

Ahh...so many things to say. Oh yes...Peggy will be posting photos of the Hard Right Productions staff on the website soon. We're asking for short little bios to put with your photos. If you don't supply one, we'll make one up. (Just kidding).   But this will be a great team-building thing.

Thanks again, and God bless each of you unspeakably!

Eric

Juliana Shankle is really fitting into the part of Venny well. We are learning tidbits about her that make her ever-more-suitable for the part. We just have to make her a TAD more cranky.

Photos, etc

kl7aj@acsalaska.net (Eric Nichols) — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 21:57:00 GMT

Hello, everyone!

     Hopefully you've all found this website by now! Pay special attention to the comments to this blog...it's where all the latest and greatest is. My heartfelt thanks to Peggy Midey, cheerleader supreme of this project. She has managed to secure a DC-6 aircraft for filming the interior shots! This is a great milestone....we can theoretically get on with the filming at any time!
     On the next meeting, Wednesday, July 11, at Friends Church, I want to take photos of ALL the participants, and post it on the website with a little biography/resume. I think this will be the best way to match up the necessary skills and talents with the right personnel.
     A note especially to the actors. When we meet together, I want you to always refer to your fellow actors by their CHARACTER names. There is a tremendous psychological boost to this...it forces you to "live" in the character's role, which will make your acting more natural, when it's time to film. This is an old "method acting" exercise which has been very effective for many decades. On Wednesday evening, I'm going to give a little talk about my vision of acting in general, and especially the unique requirements of Plasma Dreams.
    I encourage you to come to the meeting thinking about your favorite movies, and what it is about them that particularly holds your attention. We will discuss these, and apply the best characteristics to Plasma Dreams. I want each one of you to have your own vision for your role...this is crucial to making the movie "magic" as opposed to just a bunch of people on a stage acting.

God bless you all until Wednesday!

Eric

Almost Forgot

kl7aj@acsalaska.net (Eric Nichols) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 03:55:00 GMT

Marcia Boyette will be sharing secretarial duties with Hosanna Tolman. Between us three, we should be able to keep things straight! Thanks again, everyone! Eric

Character Studiies

kl7aj@acsalaska.net (Eric Nichols) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 02:49:00 GMT

Good afternoon, everyone! I trust you had a relaxing and enjoyable Fourth of July! I hope next week you arrive at our meeting with lots of new ideas and creative energy....we're going to need all you've got! Please be sure we have all your current mailing addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. We will take every effort to keep in contact with you through any and all means. We know how busy you all are, and how easy it is to lose track of time.
By the way, the most immediate way to keep eveyone appraised of new developments is through the COMMENTS function of this blog. Feel free to add anything you want...we will post it on the main site as soon as possible. Also, in the "shared files" section of the main website, I will deposit the latest files in Word Document format. Please feel free to download these and print as you see fit.
For you actors, to aid you in understanding your roles fully, I will be presenting a series of character studies, which go into the "back story" of each person. This will help you "absorb" the character more fully, and make the role much more natural.

Have a great week!

Eric

And We're Off!

kl7aj@acsalaska.net (Eric Nichols) — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 07:51:00 GMT

Well, I'm amazed at the talent that has come forth to make Plasma Dreams a reality. I don't need to tell anyone that it's a long road ahead, but things are falling into place. We have the technical people necessary to make the first trailer, beginning at Scene One.
By now, I trust that most of you have read enough of Plasma Dreams to know what the story is about, and a little idea of my vision. By putting this together in bite sized chunks, we can make this full length movie manageable!

Many thanks to Marcia, who is helping with the coordination of the team, and to Peggy, who has a sharp eye for continuity.

Eric