Large State, Small Town

Ice on Twenty-Mile river

Last week's post on our table-read has been linked to by screenwriting site 'Go Into The Story' (Saturday hot links). A good kick-start for this blog, considering it's brand spanking new.

Go Into The Story is one of the sites I've included in my own links. When you get a moment peruse these -- especially if you're a neophyte to screenwriting.

There are obviously many good screenwriting blogs, websites, articles out there, but I chose these to link to because they are:

• Consistent with posting
  
• Each cover a different aspect of screenwriting, including: script analysis, current successful screenwriter, notes from a pro and instructor, point of view from a pro-reader, where to buy Acco #5 brads (can't find 'em in Anchorage!), and even where to register your bled-upon reams of paper (though if you actually write a 500 page script you might be the only one reading it).
• They are popular sites, so you have a chance to pick-up additional info and make new friends from amongst the comment sections.

Glenn Studios

Yesterday I drove out to Palmer to visit Alaska's newest film studio, Glenn Studios.

George Sikat III graciously gave me a tour of the facilities, after which a group of us did the Alaskan thing on a sunny day and stood around bs-ing.

A great space.

Decent ceiling height with multiple load-in doors big enough for your standard truck. Plenty of parking as well as extra space for Star Waggons/trucks/honey-wagons, etc, or to construct additional buildings and even land a helicopter. Nice entryway with offices. Restrooms, actor holding area, welding area (or fabrication room), paint room, costume storage, in fact - plenty of storage and/or work-spaces. Less than an hour from Anchorage by road.

Should work well for many productions. The really large set needs (Abyss, Pirates, Poseidon type stuff) would most likely require more ceiling height, but the word I got yesterday was:

You want to add twenty-five feet. No problem.

Of course this requires a financial commitment, but the studio is willing to talk.

Local Artists

While visiting Glenn Studios I also met Anchorage based screenwriter Jim McLain, who penned the up-coming Edward Asner picture The Doppelganger Principle.

McLain is now a 'pro' with his sale of Doppelganger, and I am happy to see other Alaskan scribes crawling out of their moss-chinked cabins and getting a taste of Tinseltown. Doppelganger is slated to begin shooting in Alaska next Fall.

It turns out McLain also spent some time in Ketchikan (my old hometown) and I will try to pin him down for a Q&A in the near future.

Speaking of Q&A's, Alaska-based professional actor and director Ron Holmstrom will be featured in the first one later this week.

Holmstrom will also be directing The Doppelganger Principle, proving that - for such a large state, Alaska really is a small town.