Stepping Up

I’ve been writing all my life and I wrote my first feature-length screenplay decades ago. Because A New Promise was a short film, it seemed natural that the first film I directed be another short film, hence Second Story. I didn’t want to be a one-and-done director so I made Around to It. By that point, I was hooked and set my sights on a feature film. Gray Area, Heart Monitor, Killdeer, and The Last Artist are the steps along the path to build my skills to make a feature. In April of 2025 I began working on the screenplay for Retirement Party for the fun of an exploring an idea but, as I got further into the first draft, I realized that I wanted to tell this story in film. When I looked at the production schedule for 2025 and 2026, it became obvious that principal photography would probably happen in 2027. So, I finished the screenplay and then set it aside during production and post-production for Heart Monitor and Killdeer. I told myself that we would start pre-production on Retirement Party in 2026.

Well, it’s 2026 now.

So, today we had the first production meeting for Retirement Party. I’m both thrilled and terrified, which is about right for undertaking another film. Thrilled because a film is an opportunity to realize this story. Terrified because a film is a huge undertaking. It’s going to be a hoot and I’m looking forward to it, even though I know that there will inevitably be moments of stress and uncertainty. Whee!