TITLE VII - Our Film on Same Race Discrimination

#TITLEVII #CivilRights We're thrilled to launch our funding campaign for the feature we're filming this summer. Our story TITLE VII--a subject that everyone is talking about these days--has a twist. We're taking on same-race discrimination, which is a subject that is rarely discussed on screen but we're going for it. Thank you so much for your support over the years. Because of you we have reached this milestone as TITLE VII is our first narrative feature. Thank you! Please continue your support and share our news by clicking here.  Scroll through the beautiful photos of our talented cast. Add your voice to make sure workplace discrimination is no longer something we come to expect--especially from people we thought were on our side. Join us. TITLE VII. It's the law.

Graphics by Carlos Dos Santos

Graphics by Carlos Dos Santos

Two Cool FREE Events in STL this June!

One of my favorite projects launched last year is Hack4Hope, our free introduction to the #tech industry for St. Louis Teens. The tech industry is significant to the economic boom in the city's downtown area. We believe careers in this field are available to all and have gathered up many partners who believe the same. Students in underserved areas of the Metro St. Louis (including our friends across the river) are introduced to a world of opportunity, and my fantastic team and I are committed to their success. June is a busy month for us for two FREE Events.  Registration is now open for the following:

"She's Pivotal: Transforming Who's Building the World's Software" - Pivotal Labs and Hack4Hope present a Day of Technology for young women to learn about careers - Thursday, June 9, 2016.  Female High School and College Students are encouraged to apply by clicking here. Space is limited. Again, it's FREE.

"Hack4Hope Hackathon 2016"! We're back and looking forward to a FREE immersive weekend as students from grades 7 - 12 learn technology to provide solutions to better their lives in St. Louis. Join us Friday, June 10 - Sunday, June 12, 2016. Students who have expressed a financial need to support their educational goals are encouraged to apply by clicking here. Space is limited. Again, it's FREE.

Register today and bring hope to your future.  Let's go!!

That's a Bad Ass Ride

#MoneyShot That's right. We need to borrow a luxury car for our #TITLEVII film in production this summer in NJ.  Our scene will take one day to film and with the return your vehicle you'll have our utmost gratitude. Your automobile will be prominently featured in our film as well! Our lead character in TITLE VII drives a bad ass ride to work.  Because he looks so sleek and so confident on his commute, it leads him right into the hands of the law. Will you lend us your car? It will not be harmed in the filming, we promise.  In fact, our lead character gets "Get out of the car!" screamed at him, so your car will be very much in the clear. And we very much want you to come to set to car-sit and join our crew!  Know of our car who wants a cameo?  Please let us know! And please share this post! Any and everyone can follow our production here and on Medium @Nicoleedits. We've also jumpstarted the fundraising process with a pre-fundraiser at Fractured Atlas.  If you pre-pay for tickets with a tax-deductible $15 contribution at this link at An EPIPHANY Conversation, you will receive unlimited streaming of the film, a credit in the film (if your name is submitted by our post deadline of July 30, 2016), and a social media shoutout. We look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for playing! Let's go!

We'd love to feature your ride in our film!

We'd love to feature your ride in our film!

Have a Bed for our Crew?

#NJ Not just one bed for us, of course, but how about a few!  As you've been seeing our #Microbudget film TITLE VII (and my first narrative feature as writer/director) will be filming this summer in New Jersey. It's a microbudget so we have a little--not a lot--to spend on accommodations for myself, DP, lead actors and a few key crew members.  From July 5 through 20 we'll need to house about six to eight people.  We're planning for 10 to 12 hours of daily filming in Morristown, NJ. If you know of places with in a 20 mile radius that could house us for a reasonable fee, please give us a shout!  Of course we'll credit you and promote you like you've never been promoted before (smile). Thank you for your consideration!  And please share this post! Any and everyone can follow our production here and on Medium @Nicoleedits. We've also jumpstarted the fundraising process with a pre-fundraiser at Fractured Atlas.  If you pre-pay for tickets with a tax-deductible $15 contribution at this link at An EPIPHANY Conversation, you will receive unlimited streaming of the film, a credit in the film (if your name is submitted by our post deadline of July 30, 2016), and a social media shoutout. We look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for playing! Let's go!

Have a bed for our crew? TITLE VII films this summer in Morristown, NJ.

Have a bed for our crew? TITLE VII films this summer in Morristown, NJ.

Our first celebrity Brother for Little Brother

#LittleBrotherFilm #WADFF We have a big announcement to share on Saturday, May 7, 2016.  First, we're thrilled to return to the Women of African Descent Film Festival (WADFF) and their annual film festival held at the Spike Lee Screening Room at LIU Brooklyn Campus. This is the 15th anniversary for our sisters in service, the Brooklyn Links. They have personally been terrific film supporters of mine since The Double Dutch Divas! I love them. That's why when they asked to screen an encore presentation of Chapter 1, Little Brother: Things Fall Apart, I thought this would be a prime opportunity to share with the world the next chapter of our series:  The first of our celebrity lineup to direct the next four installments of our groundbreaking film series.  Join us May 7 and *see* who he is! See more about the history of this very special film festival by clicking here. See you with our new addition to the family!

 

 

The Figurines are Out!

The figurines are out. And I bought a new box of them from Toys R Us yesterday. There's only one reason they make an appearance--and that's for notes on a shot list.  Filming our microbudget film, TITLE VII, this summer will be a blast once I clearly communicate with my DP and crew what type of shots we'll have to tell our story.  Sure I have an idea in my head, but it becomes more clear and more layered when I do something as simple as moving figurines around on a table mapped with a blueprint of the set. I can't wait to get started.  My DP will have a ton of ideas, I'm sure, but I have to lay the foundation. We're planning a very involved location scout this week as well.  All with notes in hand. Thank you "little people" as my sister would refer to the toys that kept her occupied for hours with the made-up stories of a three year-old.  It feels good being forever young. That just comes with diving into a movie. 

Please share this post! Any and everyone can follow our production here and on Medium @Nicoleedits. We've also jumpstarted the fundraising process with a pre-fundraiser at Fractured Atlas.  If you pre-pay for tickets with a tax-deductible $15 contribution at this link at An EPIPHANY Conversation, you will receive unlimited streaming of the film, a credit in the film (if your name is submitted by our post deadline of July 30, 2016), and a social media shoutout. We look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for playing! Let's go!

  

It Takes A Village to Move Mountains

An EPIPHANY Village! We have new project filming this summer. It's called Title VII and it's a #microbudget feature film to be produced in cooperation with FDUFilm in New Jersey.  The screenplay is based on an adaptation of the novel Within The Walls by first-time author Daisy M. Jenkins. Not only is this my first narrative feature (so far my documentaries have ranged from feature-length to a multitude of shorts), but TITLE VII will also be a learning laboratory for students at New Jersey’s Farleigh Dickinson University where I am fortunate enough to be their filmmaker-in-residence. Students will be working as crew members alongside key film professionals including SAG actors. This is turning into a terrific team!

CLICK HERE to read why I May Never Participate in Crowdfunding Again…

What is the film about? As you may know, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act banned employment discrimination in 1964. But still today harassment of a racial or sexual nature may be found lurking in corporate America's halls. Our film is set in a top technology firm headed by a Black male CEO. Turns out being a Black male is something he's spent a lifetime trying to avoid until the presence of the new woman hired forces him to accept his past.  We're excited to bring you a scenario that will have people talking.

Major plot twist behind the scenes: Screenwriter Craig T. Williams switched the male lead character to female, didn’t change the dialogue, and it worked! CLICK HERE to watch TITLE VII!

At the end of April we will launch a crowdfunding campaign to raise the necessary $30,000 to feed the crew, cover transportation, provide insurance, pay SAG actor fees and fund all of the incidentals that come with a safe and successful production. This is where you may join us. Crowdfunding campaigns have exponential reach across social media platforms. We'd like to promote you as you share our fundraiser with your networks!

Please join our EPIPHANY Village and agree to the following:

1) Post YOUR COMPANY as a team member on our TITLE VII campaign

2) Contact your mailing list THREE times:  a) With our campaign announcement, and b) with Two Updates of your choosing from our campaign

3) Allow us to include news about YOUR COMPANY in THREE of our updates--let us know what you're promoting--it could be fundraising as well!

4) Have a T-shirt or a giveaway? Offer one of those swag items to donors who give at a certain level

5) Receive a credit on our film and be included in our publicity material.

Please email me here if you wish to join our EPIPHANY Village and enjoy the publicity!

And, please share this post! Any and everyone can follow our production here and on Medium @Nicoleedits.

We've also jumpstarted the fundraising process with a pre-fundraiser at Fractured Atlas.  If you pre-pay for tickets with a tax-deductible $15 contribution at this link at An EPIPHANY Conversation, you will receive unlimited streaming of the film, a credit in the film (if your name is submitted by our post deadline of July 30, 2016), and a social media shoutout! 

We're thrilled to have you come on board our TITLE VII production. We look forward to hearing from you. Let's go!

He Opposed Her Hire. She Saved His Soul.

Staging in Scandinavia

Our microbudget feature film TITLE VII is in pre-production, our next chapter of our Little Brother film series is currently in development (with a fantastic NY-based celebrity director warming up for the challenge: Stay Tuned!), final shoots are being scheduled for a second short film on the U.S. conversation on race on which I've been enjoying a fruitful collaboration and I'm happily overworked with writing assignments at the moment. It's been an incredible start to April in NYC--aside from the snow, of course.  But cold temperatures to run inside and warm up from are the perfect setting for a creative stretch. This week I had the pleasure of both the stretch and the inspirational workout with not one, but two encounters of a Scandinavian nature.  The Belgian director (by way of Amsterdam) Ivo Van Hove was back in town having directed Broadway's "The Crucible." And being that my Ivo Van Hove theatre buddy Myra Velasquez and I have been on this unintended mission to follow this man off Broadway and on wherever he goes, this past Wednesday's matinee makes number three for us in less than two years' time. By simply accepting Myra's invitation to my first Ivo Van Hove staging of "Scenes from a Marriage" produced by NY Theater Workshop I quickly found the director whose work makes me want to get back to work on something--anything--I can get my hands on. The use of his sets, no matter how bare or hauntingly cold and monochromatic when presenting revelations of a character's most darkest secret (Arthur Miller's "A View From the Bridge" was our sophomore Van Hove theatre experience) keeps those actors in a delicate and sometimes violent dance that crushes you to the core. This talented and vibrant director keeps you on the edge of your best voyeuristic seat. However many times "The Crucible" has been performed, I'm pretty sure it does not come close to the imaginative use of space and natural elements....I mean, of course you would have a tornado-like wind blow across the stage, there are strategically-placed windows to be used! And we were treated to a dog--a nice-sized wolflike, dog--not Toto or a lap accessory.  This is life!

The end of the week brought an event that always brings me joy--and that's any opportunity to celebrate the life and career of soprano Anne Wiggins Brown.  The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has been performing "Porgy and Bess" and a young opera singer contacted me a few weeks ago telling me of her own travels to Baltimore, MD and how she wanted the world to know more about the Baltimore-born Anne Brown. She was thrilled to find my work, filming Anne's story in her adopted home of Norway, and wanted to somehow connect the dots. Thank you Rhea Beckett for designing the bookmarks BSO audiences are treated to this weekend with a gorgeous image and brief biography of our friend--and my inspiration--Anne Brown. We are keeping her in the film libraries through our DVD, Gershwin & Bess:  A Dialogue with Anne Brown at Third World Newsreel (www.TWN.org) and as a video stream at kweliTV.  Please join us in sharing her story.  Thank you, BSO! And thank you, Rhea, for making my week!      

Anne Brown's story available in our film Gershwin & Bess: A Dialogue with Anne Brown on kweliTV and at TWN.org.

Anne Brown's story available in our film Gershwin & Bess: A Dialogue with Anne Brown on kweliTV and at TWN.org.

Join our Feature Film!

#MoneyShot Catering and Wardrobe needed! Please join our crew and hop into the film industry with a character drama that will have Everyone talking!

#TITLEVII is our #microbudget filming this summer with the assistance of Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) in Morristown, NJ.  This feature-length drama involves racial and sexual politics in the workplace and we look forward to bringing you a film that shows just how much things are not always what they seem. We're blogging about each step to keep our early fans in the loop. Want to join our crew? We're filming this July and are looking for fashion designers, restaurants and caterers who wish to sponsor our 15-day production schedule and receive an extraordinary amount of publicity in return. Since the story takes place in Corporate America, fashionable business attire is preferred. We accept all types of cuisine for the catering sponsorship.  If you are unable to assist in either of these departments, would you have suggestions for who may be interested? Are you an up and coming designer or restaurateur? Please contact me at Nicoleedits@gmail.com with your interested. Excited to hear from you. And please share our news! Thanks!

Nicole's Diary - Page 22

I recently spoke at my high school's career day (I'm from St. Louis...what high school did I go to?Rosati-Kain, Baby!) and I was given the nametag below to parade on my chest and talk about where life has taken me. In all honesty, life for me has truly, truly been a magic carpet ride. The girl in the picture was encouraged to make three wishes, so she did and received so much more. I encourage girls everywhere to do the same. And I wish for a world that provides the light to guide the way.  Change can sometimes be bittersweet.  Keep on keepin' on. Cheers to a new chapter in 2016. 

Third Draft Complete!

#MoneyShot I'm feeling really good about the latest draft of my screenplay, TITLE VII, that's filming this summer. The characters have come to life--off the page and into my life.  I'm now thinking about them all the time. I think about how they were introduced to the audience by way of how they were introduced to each other. I think about what obstacles were put in front of them by their circumstance or deliberately and I play over and over again in my head, "Yeah...you did the right thing here. Are you o.k. with it? You've earned this!" Now that hours at my desk will be turned from writing to organizing the troops (my trusty cast and crew) I can be social again! That's the life of a writer/director. They are two disciplines separated at birth. I enjoy the solitude and camaraderie that both offer.  And the best: My actors and crew will bring these characters into the real world. From the first time I "met" them in author Daisy M. Jenkins' book, Within The Walls from which I adapted the screenplay, until now, they were just in my head. I'm excited to touch and experience their brilliance.  Follow our journey here and on Medium @Nicoleedits.  And if you pre-pay for tickets with a tax-deducible $15 contribution at this link, you will receive unlimited streaming of the film, a credit in the film (if your name is submitted by our post deadline) and a social media shoutout! Thrilled to have you along for the ride!

February and March My Most Popular Months!

I always joke that my most popular months are Black History Month and Women's History Month. As a Black activist and feminist I'm thrilled that this has been the case for over a decade during the months of February and March and I hope it will continue to be for decades to come. Black history month this year ends with the Tucson, Arizona premiere of Little Brother:  Manchild in the Promised Land (Chapter 5), returning to my alma mater University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) at the start of Women's History Month to be the keynote speaker for the Grace Holt Legacy Luncheon and wrapping out the week as the keynote speaker at Fairleigh Dickinson University's One-Day Film Conference. I'm a filmmaker-in-residence at FDU this summer with my microbudget feature TITLE VII and I couldn't be more thrilled to work with the student crew. This opportunity was offered to me by FDU's extremely supportive film chair Professor Howard Libov. It'll be a busy week ahead but totally worth it. If you're in the vicinity, please give a "Hello"! And please share the good news.  

Hack4Hope is Open for Registration!

After a successful 2015 summer launch of one of St. Louis’ newest most exciting Hackathon weekends plus coding academies, our exciting coding initiative for St. Louis teens, Hack4Hope, is back for its second year in search of more students ready for new opportunities!

Our program keeps lessons in coding accessible to all. Hack4Hope is free introductory training for careers in technology. Our students from underserved communities in the Metro area learn various coding languages, enjoy field trips, enhance their STEAM learning and network with peer and adult mentors.  A Hack4Hope weekend and combination six-month coding academy is a student’s entry into a promising future. And it's free!

We’re looking for 50 students for June 10! 

Friday, June 10 - Sunday, June 12, 2016 at CIC, 20 S. Sarah St.,  St. Louis, MO 63108. Cost:  FREE.

Register by emailing us at info@hack4Hope.org. And, please share our flier!

It's an Art

When planning for my microbudget feature film this summer, my DP Cybel Martin said first and foremost "we need a strong art department." Due to this being a microbudget (under $100k in my book), we only have my imagination (whatever's there) and the students at Fairleigh Dickinson University who know intimately what treasures are hidden away in those set design storage rooms.  Was I doomed?  After a meeting last week with my student crew, an eager Sarah Blanton raised her hand and offered that if the crew of the Art Department hadn't been filled, she would love to have the position. A quick unanimous nod across the room of her classmates confirmed, she's our lead designer!  We then went for a location scout/tour (my second) with the director of the film program, Sarah, gaffer Mariam Bakashvili and one of our two AD's, Adrieliz Lopez, to make more set selections. Sarah's commentary and suggestions of dressing the various spaces put me right at ease.  She's also had experience off-campus as well and is quite passionate about studying every detail of the script's character.  I think we're in good hands. I can breathe now and get back to telling the story. Please visit some of our location photos on my Pinterest page here. More about my cast in my next post! Click here and enjoy some of the locations serving as our canvas!

By the way, we're still requesting tax-deductible donations toward our film. Currently donations are being accepted through An EPIPHANY Conversation, our fiscally sponsored education division that supports community dialogues about the film and digital media we produce through EPIPHANY Inc. This journey I am taking with the FDU students through the filming of this script, TITLE VII, is the perfect example. Want to join us with a $15 tax-deductible donation for unlimited streaming of the film, a credit and a social media shoutout? Please click here. Thanks so much! 

 

Talking to Thelma

Never in my years growing up in 1970s St. Louis did I ever imagine that I would be talking to the best big sis I always wish I had--and the teenager I had wished I could be:  "Thelma" from "Good Times." I interviewed her recently because of the new venture she has taking on with her original castmates from this iconic series. And I learned so much about staying in your truth.  Please enjoy our article in the Toronto-based ByBlacks.com by clicking here.  Such a good time.  Enjoy!



Not So Personal Film Journal

One of the highlights of deciding last year to write and direct a microbudget feature (my first narrative feature film), option a novel, write the adaptation, meet with the crew, turn in drafts to the cast and crew and hop into pre-production this month has been doing all of that in a public forum.  I started a very open journal on Medium @Nicoleedits to hold me accountable for this endeavor I've called TITLE VII.  And, I invite other creatives, students and veterans of the craft to comment, critique or just give a thumbs up whenever possible.  One detail filmmakers are never told is that during the development stage you are never more alone. Sure you have a crew of at least 35 people (usually) waiting on your vision, your explanation and blueprint of your vision, your direction of their role in your vision and the release of your vision to a world saturated with what seems to be a new release every minute.  Trust me, it crosses our minds at times that when putting yourself out there you could either sink or swim or--how I usually envision it--suck or soar. But through my posts to all of you, I can admit the journal keeps me focused, responsible, and always pushing to improve upon my best. You're never alone when that is the goal. Join me on Medium by clicking here.  I'll be adding to this blog log quite frequently as we count down the months to an exciting June production.

And if you want to assist in our $30,000 bill to feed and house the crew, provide liability and loss of footage insurance for the production, dress set locations and underwrite rehearsal time to prep what we hope to be an exceptional character-driven story, please visit our fiscally sponsored donation page, An EPIPHANY Conversation.  The root of An EPIPHANY Conversation is employing EPIPHANY Inc. films and digital media as teaching tools. Your minimum $15 tax-deductible donation is most welcome. In return, you'll receive unlimited streaming of the film, a credit in the film (if donations are received by the editing deadline) and a social media shoutout.  Please click on and share our link here.  Thank you so much for your incredible support! 

Stability

Yay, my camera rig arrived today! I own the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera but it's always terrifying to use because it's so small and even the slightest move turns all your shots into earthquake cam. I borrowed a wonderful tripod from my friend Leslie when filming Little Brother: Manchild in the Promised Land (Chapter 5 - Tucson).  Wonderful 16mm look. And sometimes you just have to run and go, you now? So I needed some shoulder action.  Eager to take it out of the box, but I'm clearing off my desk this week, and doing my taxes (blah!)....Next week I'll get to play. Oh yes, it's the Ikan ES-T13 Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera Rig in case you want one for yourself. Let me know if you're working this way as well! Let's compare notes!

Ikan ES-T13 Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera Rig (Tilta)


And We're Off!

Very excited to have the pre-fundraiser/on-the-way-to-no fundraiser campaign (our #MoneyShot) started with friends making a $15 tax-deductible donation to fund my first narrative feature--a microbudget called TITLE VII.  I'm so thrilled to be well on our way to being 1% funded already! I knew our tax-deductible donation request meant 2,000 individual contributions in order to make it happen. Not impossible, but definitely a little scary.  What's been nice is having friends double that amount and for that generosity (thank you!), not only will donors have unlimited streaming capabilities of the film when it's complete, but please send me the name of a friend you wish to have a guest pass and they will receive a private link as well! All thanks to you! So grateful. We're on our second day! Fifteen weeks to go.  Please follow me on Medium @Nicoleedits where I'm blogging about the creative process. And join me on Pinterest for pre-production and production photos. Follow me here as well for news, updates and production notes of the day.  Your tax-deductible donation is possible because of An EPIPHANY Conversation, our community dialogues about the film and digital media we produce to educate and inform audiences using our films featuring communities of color. TITLE VII, our first narrative feature, is an example. This experience is a teaching tool for me and the generous students at Fairleigh Dickinson University who are joining me on this journey as well. Want to join us with a $15 tax-deductible donation for unlimited streaming of the film, a credit and a social media shoutout? Please click here.  Thanks so much! 

Money Shot

As I shared with my Instagram friends, it's now time to identify the right strategy for raising individual contributions toward the $30,000 needed to finance my microbudget feature this summer. Thanks to the generous offer from Fairleigh Dickinson University to have our location shoot on their campus with their talented student crew, we're looking at a (fingers crossed) seamless 15-day shoot of a character drama that will have audiences talking.  The film, TITLE VII, is my screenplay adaptation of the debut novel from author Daisy M. Jenkins. It explores racial and sexual politics in the workplace. This project has been a teaching tool for me and the production is intended to leave a good impression on the students as well. I have been writing about my journey with the screenplay on Medium @Nicoleedits. Location photos and updates will be on Pinterest and please continue to check in here for moral support! First comes raising the funds to feed my student crew who are faithfully staying on campus this summer for us for a career-boosting experience and take care of the professional actors and key crew who we are sure will impress us all. Yes, we are budgeting $30,000 to keep things lean and affordable. So we look to you, our friend, fam and fans for assistance.  How about this?  If for a tax-deductible $15 I offer unlimited streaming, a credit in the film and a social media shoutout, would you find that amount reasonable to join our journey? Let's give it a money shot and please click this link!