The script is sent!

Nothing But The Truth is first-draft finished and sent out to all the actors who are performing in the actors' reading Saturday.

Some special guests also received copies of the script for feedback.

What happens is that actors sit in a semi-circle and read all the roles with a narrator reading the action parts ... so I - and the audience - can hear clearly how well the story moves, how the dialogue sounds, any problems of structure, etc.

In addition to "industry" folks and people who will potentially work on producing the film, there will be "earthlings," regular folks who can say what they enjoyed and what they thought sucked. I am not extremely sensitive about feedback, because everyone is giving me their best thoughts in an effort to make it great.

In fact, I enjoy it. When people give feedback at all, it means they got involved enough with the story and characters to CARE about what happens.

Then I can do a tough rewrite based on this reading and feedback (my own as well as theirs) - meaning I will be very tough on myself and all the areas of the script that need improving.

It should mostly be an entertaining afternoon for the audience!

I love having actors' readings of my work because it also spawns so many ideas - I hear where I had a nugget of an idea that needs to be expanded, or a bit that needs to be followed up or wrapped up; missed opportunities for great acting or dialogue.

The actors love it too because they have the opportunity to create at least a couple new characters and aren't under pressure to committ anything to memory, plus they can show off their acting chops to special guests who are in a position to cast them in other work!

Production-types can decide whether this is a project that they would love to be part of.

My plan is to have Nothing But The Truth independently produced, and properly done (35mm film) it has considerable commercial distribution potential so the investors can actually make their money back!

This is one of three projects I'm developing - the others are a kick-ass documentary and an art film whose script an Academy Award-winning director proclaimed "brilliant." Brilliant, perhaps, but not commercial.

I'm just relieved that the first draft of Nothing But The Truth is finally ready for me to let go of it enough to have actors read it for an audience (and me!). And that despite all the life challenges I've dealt with the past couple months I'm still in shape to move forward with it, maintaining my production schedule for 2007.

To all the actors and audience members coming Saturday - see you there!