THE FUTURE OF SCREENLINE:

ORIGINAL NOTE FROM JANUARY 23, 2007

Hi Screenline Friends,

I would like to ask for your help. I'd love to hear from everyone on the Screenline newsletter list.

All 188 of you -- that's right, 188 -- are being asked to share your thoughts and ideas with me.

We need a renewed vision for Screenline.

When we first started, there were three of us. We recruited people from among our NCSU classmates and friends. Our friends brought their friends. Before a year had passed, we had fifteen or more people coming to meetings regularly. Some of us can recall meetings with twenty-five or more in attendance.

For the past several months, our attendance at meetings has not been high. Last night, it was myself and two others. The three of us spent quite a bit of time talking about this, and tossing ideas around.

What would you like to see changed about our group?

That's right. It is OUR group. Not mine. Not any other individual's. Screenline was founded on the spirit expressed in the motto of Alexandre Dumas' "Three Musketeers:"

"ALL FOR ONE, and ONE FOR ALL!"

Please share your ideas. Would you like to see a renewed effort to recruit NCSU students? Would you like to see Screenline meetings in other venues than the one we've used for the past 13 years? Would you like to see us reach out to other writers' groups -- not only screenwriters -- to garner new members? Would you like for us to present programs, perhaps involving area independent filmmakers or film professionals?

Would you prefer a different format for meetings? What about, occasionally, a more structured situation involving instruction on various aspects of screenwriting, or sessions on topics like pitching, marketing, etc?

Would you be willing to help organize and present programs?

Please, give your ideas. If you have not been to Screenline for a while, what would bring you back?

The future direction of YOUR screenwriting group is important. YOU are important! YOUR ideas, YOUR constructive criticism, is VITAL and WELCOME and WANTED.

Screenline has a fine reputation, one which extends far beyond Raleigh. We have produced some excellent writers who have done well. We are known as a safe haven, a place where aspiring screenwriters can come for help and advice, honest feedback and constructive criticism without fear of their stories being compromised or stolen. Let's keep it going. Let's make it even better.

Please, let's hear from you.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

JANUARY 26, 2007 UPDATE

I asked for your input on the future of Screenline. A huge THANK YOU to the 18 people who have responded so far. Indeed, quite a few responses are from people we haven't heard from in quite a while. I am grateful for those.

Please fill up my mailbox. I need to hear more of your ideas. So far there are a couple of common threads. I'd like to know what else is among your concerns and suggestions.

Once I get your input, I'll report what you've said. Some excellent suggestions have been made. I will tell you that several folks have asked for a change in meeting place and/or meeting night. The most workable alternative for me would be Wednesday, during the week. My Tuesdays are taken up, and I would prefer to keep Thursday for my use if I could.

Some have asked for consideration of weekend meetings. This might work, if we can find a place.

The University would be available on Saturdays, I think; and most Sundays. However, we are unofficially there, and only by squatters' rights.

Some folks would much prefer another site. I agree, to a point; here's some things which must be considered. YOUR IDEAS ON THIS ARE WANTED!

Wherever we might move, it has to have one thing in particular: PRIVACY. I am currently not in favor of going to a book store to meet, because there is NO privacy in the middle of the sales floor, coffee shop or stacks. We'd have all sorts of kibitzers. And, though several of the "chain" bookstores might like to have us, I fear we would become THEIR group, THEIR dog-and-pony show. If I am wrong about any of this, please let me know. I'm aware that there is at least one bookstore staffer on our mailing list; please let me hear from you.

For a potentially large group like ours, it is probably impractical to consider rotating meeting places. Besides, we have the problem of people not knowing where we will be next, or getting lost, etc etc.

The new meeting place would have to be free. Otherwise, we'll have to charge dues. We have never done this in our existence. I'd really prefer to keep money out of the equation. If money is involved, we'll have to draft a constitution and by-laws. So, you see, it gets complicated real fast.

The meeting place must be easily accessible and "centrally located." So far the consensus is that it should be "more in the direction of Cary." Other ideas? Wherever it ends up, it should not be in "BFE." (If you don't know what that means, check a slang dictionary.)

Some of your other ideas regarding activities and special events are wonderful suggestions and I am all for it. But, I can't do it by myself. I will need your help. More on these things later.

Nonetheless, LET'S HEAR FROM YOU. Please give the matters some thought.

Thanks to everyone who has responded to my request for ideas on how to make Screenline better. So far, I have heard from almost 30 people. I'm grateful for all your thoughts and suggestions. There have been lots of great ones.

FEBRUARY 4, 2007 UPDATE

Our February 5 meeting will be one opportunity, with others sure to follow, to have a discussion of these matters. I plan to print out all the e-mails I have received, and we'll look for the common threads. We'll talk about what we can do now, and what may take time; and what we can expect. I would really like for those of you who responded, but haven't actually participated in meetings lately, to come and be part of this.

We have a great future ahead. Making it happen is up to YOU.

FEBRUARY 18, 2007 UPDATE

I have received a lot of input from many sources. Thanks to everyone who has responded. In fact, many responses have been from people who either have not come often, or have not been in a long time. I asked what it would take to bring some folks back; I have had a lot of ideas on that subject.

One request has been to change the meeting place, and the night. If we can come up with some place that is (a) accessible, (b) schedulable on a regular basis, (c) has plenty of convenient and well lighted parking, (d) is private, (e) is FREE, we'll try it. Some have asked about libraries. A great idea, except it appears at this point that we can't be assured of a regular access. Also, they close by 9 pm. On top of that, they require any groups meeting in the libraries to be incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation -- in other words, to use a public facility, we must have some stamp of approval and identity from officialdom. This is a result of 9/11, more than likely. As I told someone off the list, it is downright scary too.

I would like to investigate apartment or neighborhood clubhouses. If the place you live has a facility available that we might use, please let me know.

What about churches? Well, that is a nice idea; but most churches want money for use of space. On top of that, they would of course like to know what we might be bringing into the church. Quite frankly, some of the stuff we read isn't very "churchy." I can just imagine what might happen if a church staffer or pastor heard us reading such material.... "Outta here!"

What about meeting in homes? Another nice idea; but for a group as potentially large as ours could become, and with the logistical problems of a shifting meeting site, I really don't think it's practical to do this.

As for a meeting night, here are the facts.

I could possibly change it to Tuesdays during the period May through August.

I am committed to a Tuesday activity at other times during the year. I do not want to give that up.

My teaching schedule is committed to Wednesday-Thursday nights through July 2007. If, after that, we want to do Wednesdays, I can possibly change my teaching schedule to Monday to leave Wednesday free; but that also means, for me, either giving up my other group (I really don't want to do this), or persuading them to switch to Wednesdays as well (might be possible but I don't know at this point).

Bottom line: Right now, Mondays are "it" through July 2007. We'll see, after that.

Some of you have asked for programs, instruction on various subjects, etc. I think this is definitely do-able; but I would remind everyone that I teach classes for Wake tech and the reason I started doing this was to provide instruction in a formal, structured situation. Still, we can take up topics of your interest in meetings. We have done this all along as the need presented itself during the reading of a script; it does seem kind of catch-as-catch-can though.

Let me know what topics you're particularly interested in, and I'll see about scheduling some things.

Some of you want us to bring in agents, producers, filmmakers to speak to the group. I would love to do this. Please help me identify and locate these resources. You may not be aware of it, but there are not that many in NC any more; the state's film industry has been in a downhill slide since 1999-2000. There are no agents in NC. There used to be an agency in Raeford, of all places (!!!), and I tried for a long time to set up a joint meeting for Screenline and the Wilmington Screenwriters' Group (unfortunately now inactive or even defunct) to speak with an agent. The agency never returned my phone calls or e-mails. If someone has a connection to ANY resource person whom we might be able to invite and schedule, let me know and I will see what we can do.

There are indie filmmakers whom we might invite. I am working on identifying some of these folks. However, be advised that there is no studio production company in NC, and never has been. This is, in part, a result of the wonderful support offered to the film industry by our legislature (I am being satirical here). There are a number of production facilities -- studios -- here, but these are rental facilities that are contracted by out-of-state companies. ScreenGems in Wilmington is such a facility. No major producer is headquartered in our state; some, however, may have homes at Wrightsville Beach, but that doesn't make them "North Carolina Producers," unfortunately.

Bottom line: If you have access to resource people, help me out. We'll try to get them for you.

Screenline is YOUR group. Help make it better. I need your help. Please, let's hear from you.

Mike