Happy Friday, Intentionalists!
All of us are artistic moviemakers. We’re creating the story of our lives with what we think and believe, the environments we build around us, and the actors we choose to have on set.
If you don’t like the movie you are currently experiencing, you have a lot of creative control to change it by switching up some or all of these elements.
When a screenwriter pitches their script to a producer or director, they often start with what is called a ‘logline’. It is the briefest description of the project that will immediately convey to everyone involved the genre and basic direction of the story.
For instance:
The logline for the classic movie Casablanca could be:
In the fraught atmosphere of World War II Africa, an American bar owner meets a former lover and must decide between his own happiness and the greater good of humankind.
We immediately know this is a romantic movie with high stakes.
Or the logline for the 1975 cult classic Jaws might be:
When a seaside town is terrorised by a giant shark, the police chief must overcome his fear of the sea and combine forces with a marine biologist and a grizzled fisherman to hunt the monster down.
Instantly, this logline conveys both the horror genre and the need to work with others (who have different skills from us) to overcome a common foe.
If you aren’t happy with your life, or part of it, you may have created a logline in your head that simply sucks. Look at these loglines:
After her divorce, a middle-aged woman gives up on life and love and becomes bitter and isolated.
A man wanders aimlessly through life, wondering if there is any point to anything.
Those don’t sound like movies any of us want to see - let alone live!
But what if we changed the above loglines to these instead:
After her divorce, a middle-aged woman reignites her passion for art and travel and creates a community of like-minded friends to share her joyful pursuits.
After some trial-and-error experiments, a man discovers the solution to a problem that has plagued humankind for centuries.
The new loglines are so much more engaging because the characters are being proactive about their lives and determining their own direction.
Take a moment now to think about the logline you are currently living. Write it down. Can you write yourself a better one? It may be a logline for an epic movie (the story of your entire life), or it might be a smaller, more contained drama (for instance, how you want your year to pan out). Write it down on a card and put it somewhere where you can see it every day to remind yourself of the movie you are making.
If you have enjoyed the above exercise, then you might be inspired to think about these other creative roles in bringing your movie to fruition:
Casting director: What other actors are you going to audition for the supporting roles in your movie? Who are you going to reject?
Set designer: What is the backdrop of your movie? Is it set in a particular city or country? (Don’t forget that movies aren’t always made in the country they are set in. So, while you may not be able to physically move, you may be able to create an atmosphere in your current environment that reflects where you would like your movie to be set).
Make-up artist and stylist: How do you, the star of your movie, dress and style yourself?
Producer: What are the practical aspects that need to be considered in making your movie? How are you going to fund it?
Soundtrack: Create a theme song and soundtrack for your movie that you can listen to in the morning or in your car to inspire you for the day.
We hope you had fun with this exercise and that you will always keep in mind that when it comes to the quality of the story of your life, you are the director!
Catch-up:
Romanticise your life
The magic is in the journey
How to survive the holidays
Be Your Own Guru
What is crush energy?
We worked hard to make the perfect tool to help you create the movie of your life.
The Feel Good NOW Journal is a place where you can:
Record your goals and work towards them
Set intentions and write affirmations
Decide how you want to feel every day
Outline your dreams and desires
Featuring monthly, weekly and daily planners for you to break everything down into easy, actionable steps you need to take to stay consistent and on track.
It only takes a few minutes in the morning and evening, with some reflection time on the weekend. Plus, the journal looks attractive on your bedside table or desk.
It’s everything that a great director needs. Create a blockbuster this year!
🤍 WHAT BELINDA IS ENJOYING:
Belinda is loving the planning that is going into the author tour for her new novel, The Italian Correspondent. It’s a romantic spy-thriller set in Rome in 1951: The era of la dolce vita! Think Vespas, Olivetti typewriters, Sophia Loren, fabulous Italian fashion, and Hollywood on the Tiber!
🖤 WHAT KELLY IS ENJOYING:
This goes with our theme this week! If you’re a bit of a history dork like me, you might enjoy a 13-part series from 1980 on silent movies. Tony Martin mentioned it in his unplugged Sizzletown podcast (which is also BRILLIANT - you must listen). It’s called Hollywood - A Celebration of the American Silent Film. Hearing from people who were part of it is really something else!
⚘ If you think a friend could do with its uplifting message, feel free to use the button below to share it with them. Let’s make life good together ⚘
One of my FAVOURITE movies when I was younger. My brother and I still do impersonations of the singing sword to each other (Bing Crosby), but in that movie, have you noticed that Christopher Lloyd’s character, Judge Doom, NEVER BLINKS!? Not once. Go back and look!
*There is a reason why he doesn’t blink, but it’s a spoiler. Message me if you want to know!
You would have noticed, he loves a good swear. Particularly ‘Motherf_cker’. But did you know that as a child, he had a debilitating stutter? He stopped talking for almost a year after he was bullied so horribly at school. He then discovered this word gave him something to focus on and release the pressure. He still uses it to this day, as he still stutters a little bit.
If you’re a child of the 80s, you remember the collective trauma we suffered in the scene where Artax the horse sinks into the Swamp of Saddness, with Atreyu desperately pulling his reins. When they filmed it, the horse was standing on a platform that sank safely, but Noah Hathaway (Atreyu) nearly drowned for real when his shoe got caught under the mechanism and started to drag him under. I’m not watching that one again. I’m so sorry I even reminded you of it.
The original title was Ghost Smashers, and the movie was to be set in the future (2012). When writing it, Dan Aykroyd had himself, John Belushi, John Candy, and Eddie Murphy in mind as the main characters. Unfortunately, though, Belushi passed away in March 1982.
Later, when Steve Johnson, the special effects artist, was told Slimer was meant as a tribute to John Belushi, he surrounded himself with Belushi headshots for inspiration as he worked. Johnson later claimed that, after taking cocaine, he felt as though Belushi’s ghost was visiting and encouraging him.
Aykroyd, who has a deep interest in all things supernatural, calls the ghost business the family business, as his great-grandfather was a spiritualist who hosted séances on his farm, and his father wrote a book called The History of Ghosts.
You’re already singing the theme song, aren’t you? Created by Lalo Schifrin, did you know that its 5/4 time signature rhythm is Morse code? It spells out MI on repeat. DUN DUN DA DA is the letters M (dash-dash) and I (dot-dot)!
Be an intentionalist.
Belinda & Kelly XX
PS: We love hearing from you, jump in the comments and let us know what you think!
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