Tag: Olive the woolly bugger animated film

Since last week’s update, which wasn’t much of an update, I’ve had another development in the Olive film project saga. Really it’s just a continuation of what had been set in motion earlier, but it certainly warrants an update.

I heard back via email from The Big Fish and I was provided an address for sending them a set of books. This is a good thing–it means they’re still interested enough to see what Olive is all about. So, today all three Olives went out in the mail. In a few days I hope to hear back and find out the next step–if they’re still interested in my idea after seeing the books, it could start to get exciting.

I’ll keep you all posted as I continue to keep this online journal of the adventure.

I must apologize for the slightly misleading headline which was shamelessly intended to simply get your attention.

This is another Olive film update of sorts, with again, not really much to tell you about as far as actual, real progress.  I’m still waiting to hear back from my last correspondence with The Big Fish–I’m not sure when I can hope for a reply, though hopefully before too long as the silence is deafening.

In the meantime I’ve continued working on an outline of the film, including completely new intro and ending scenes. The character bible continues to grow, with new and rich characters not seen in the books. Each day that I add something to the outline of the film, I grow more confident in the viability of the eventual film’s success. This leads me to one very important bit of news worth mentioning that comes not in the form of any actual, tangible progress, rather a philosophical approach to the whole project.

I came to the realization that referring to the project as a dream detracts from the realistic possibiity of it actually happening. While that may be a personal issue, it’s an important one. I need to start seeing this thing as an eventual reality rather than a fantasy.

If one looks at the definition of the word, ‘dream’, we see the following (thanks to Merriam-Webster)

I really have no big news to share as far as actual progress since the last installment, in which I brought my few, interested readers up to speed on the Olive the Woolly Bugger animated film project.

I haven’t heard back from Mr. Screenwriter yet. He was going to give me some creative feedback on my story premise and character arc. But he works for a living and the advice he’s shared with me is complimentary so I’m not expecting an immediate response. I appreciate his time and whatever he can help me with. It’s only been a week.

The Big Fish hasn’t responded either. It’s also been only a week, but the silence deafening. Actually, the lack of response is not being taken as a refusal, yet. I figure he’s probably enjoying his summer, away from email and the like. The pessimist in me says he saw the email and has no interest whatsoever and so I won’t be hearing back from him. The optimist tells me I haven’t given it enough time yet. I’m going to wait a couple more weeks before I determine that I need to sharpen my hook and cast to another big fish.

What I have been doing is working on developing some addition scenes that may be part of the film. The plot and storyline can take place within the existing framework of my books, but there’s a lot that needs to be added to give it length and sophistication. Animated movies, while playful in appearance, are really aimed at an adult audience so they must be very sophisticated. Adjusting the story accordingly is not difficult, but will require some creativity. For example, how might the movie begin?  Certainly there has to be a bit more to it than just starting out as things begin in Olive the Little Woolly Bugger.  I’ve actually been working on an alternative opening scene that sets the stage for the adventure. I’m pretty happy about the concept at this point, but can’t say anything about it (you’ll just have to watch the movie to see how it turns out).

The other thing I’ve been working on is a character bible. The characters from the books are already in place, but in order to grow the story I will need additional, rich characters. So far I’ve got 4 that I’m very enthused about. One of them is a terrifying and ultimately misunderstood villain that should provide lots of drama for the story. The other 3 are supplemental characters intended to offer sophistication and humor to the story. I think I’ve been pretty clever with their names, but even those audience members who’ve never heard of them will get a kick out of their personalities. Those familiar with fly fishing history will laugh out loud, I hope.

So there you have it.  Not a whole lot of excitement going on, but the dream is still alive and the story outline is being developed. My hope is that when I hear back from The Big Fish and he asks for more details, I’ll be able to provide him with material that will make the potential for the film very clear. I don’t want to leave anything to chance, so I’m trying to get all my ducks in a row.

You just never know when that email will pop into my inbox, or when that number (the one that I don’t recognize) shows up on my phone. I’ll be ready. And waiting.

But for now I am headed on a trip to do a little fly fishing in Montana (for fun) and Idaho (for fun and for a great cause). If you’re interested to hear about my trip, please check out my alter ego, the Unaccomplished Angler. Thanks for your continued enthusiastic support.