It's really always been about restaurants and my love of the industry.
I was looking at old emails the other day and got inspired all over again. Even though I don't get comments on my blogs. I don't have many views on YouTube for either the movie or the trailer, and took my movie off of facebook because I don't have many likes, I still can't seem to give up on getting the movie remade.
Maybe it's because people like it. I know for a fact that hundreds of thousands of people have watched it and then tell their friends to watch it. How else would it have spread all over the world without a stick of advertising or campaigning? Why else would someone put "HOT NEW MOVIE" on a torrent site when it's 5 years old?
Maybe it's because when I do sit and watch it with new friends, we sit around talking about our own restaurant experiences and we relate to the movie on interesting levels and in fun ways.
Maybe because it wasn't my idea in the first place. I know in my heart and will always know that God called me to make it and this is the path of my life. How else could a feature-length movie with over 80 speaking parts, and 26 locations with multiple sets within those locations, ever get made in 25 days by basically one person? It wouldn't. But God provided everything: so it did.
I am currently working in commercials in Vancouver and am amazed at how many people it takes to make a commercial. Granted, the production value is extremely high---not like my movie as the reviews say. But they also say that my movie is sincere and honest and a gem of a story. I believe that is why it's been seen in every country of the world and then some.
So that's why I won't give up. Honestly, sometimes I really want to. My life would make more sense and be less frustrating and difficult. But, when was following your heart and doing what you believe is God's will for your life easy?
Remake 4 Water may no longer be a website, but I will never stop my passion for helping others get water. I am up to 11 wells in Cambodia now and will keep on going until I'm ashes. So although World Water Day STILL isn't on any calendars that I have seen, I will honour it and keep trying to help.
Showing posts with label water use. Show all posts
Showing posts with label water use. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Where's The Beef?!
It's comin'. It's comin'. But not on a platter.
Do you remember that slogan? Clara Peller was the cute little ol' lady who shouted it at all of us back in the late 1980's. What a massive ad campaign THAT was. And....it worked.
At Wendy's, sales jumped 31% to $945 million in 1985 worldwide. Wendy's senior vice president for communications, Denny Lynch, stated at
the time that "with Clara we accomplished as much in five weeks as we
did in 14½ years." (Taken from Wikipedia.)
Just as a great ad campaign boosts sales, great movies boost... ah... well... what do great movies boost? There are many answers to that question and I suppose it really depends on the person watching the movie. But regardless of your answer, there is absolutely no doubt that movies and the celebrities that are in them have a huge effect on the lives of people all around the world. And this is exactly why I will never give up on my mission to find the right people to remake my indie movie.
I was thrilled a few weeks ago when I discovered that we have officially been seen all over the world: in every country...196 total, and I wouldn't doubt if there are even more. It's just that 196 is the magic number the United Nations agree is the number of countries on the planet. There are many websites where you can get the movie downloaded for free and when I check on them now and then, it's really cool to see how many people at any given time are getting the movie. It makes me realize how popular the remake will be when it happens. That is, if it's made with the same element that draws people in now. I believe that will happen, and I am not giving up!
So what did I mean by "but not on a platter"? I can't really waitress any more, but am still in the food biz--that is when you consider hauling cattle to be an integral part of the process: albeit not the most pleasant part. I love the driving... I just don't look them in the eye when I drop them off. I do try to give them a comfortable final ride and watched the Temple Grandin movie because I believe in treating animals with respect regardless of their role in my life.
What does this have to do with my movie? Well, given the fact that it takes almost 2000 gallons of water to produce merely 1/2 pound of beef, and there have been unprecedented droughts in some of the beef producing states, maybe we need to take a closer look at how we act concerning our water. If we don't make changes to our behavior, we are in big trouble. My mission is to find the right people to remake my restaurant love story movie and use it to bring awareness and funds to the serious water situation. Water and restaurants are related in more ways than the obvious one and I won't quit trying until I find the right people.
Where's the beef? Hopefully, still on its way........
Do you remember that slogan? Clara Peller was the cute little ol' lady who shouted it at all of us back in the late 1980's. What a massive ad campaign THAT was. And....it worked.
Just as a great ad campaign boosts sales, great movies boost... ah... well... what do great movies boost? There are many answers to that question and I suppose it really depends on the person watching the movie. But regardless of your answer, there is absolutely no doubt that movies and the celebrities that are in them have a huge effect on the lives of people all around the world. And this is exactly why I will never give up on my mission to find the right people to remake my indie movie.
I was thrilled a few weeks ago when I discovered that we have officially been seen all over the world: in every country...196 total, and I wouldn't doubt if there are even more. It's just that 196 is the magic number the United Nations agree is the number of countries on the planet. There are many websites where you can get the movie downloaded for free and when I check on them now and then, it's really cool to see how many people at any given time are getting the movie. It makes me realize how popular the remake will be when it happens. That is, if it's made with the same element that draws people in now. I believe that will happen, and I am not giving up!
So what did I mean by "but not on a platter"? I can't really waitress any more, but am still in the food biz--that is when you consider hauling cattle to be an integral part of the process: albeit not the most pleasant part. I love the driving... I just don't look them in the eye when I drop them off. I do try to give them a comfortable final ride and watched the Temple Grandin movie because I believe in treating animals with respect regardless of their role in my life.
What does this have to do with my movie? Well, given the fact that it takes almost 2000 gallons of water to produce merely 1/2 pound of beef, and there have been unprecedented droughts in some of the beef producing states, maybe we need to take a closer look at how we act concerning our water. If we don't make changes to our behavior, we are in big trouble. My mission is to find the right people to remake my restaurant love story movie and use it to bring awareness and funds to the serious water situation. Water and restaurants are related in more ways than the obvious one and I won't quit trying until I find the right people.
Where's the beef? Hopefully, still on its way........
Monday, June 4, 2012
For The Record
Blogging used to be a simple way to share thoughts with others. It's
escalated into so much more but I never caught on so back to basics and
sharing thoughts just for the record.
Water. Always been my thing. Always been on water patrol everywhere I went.
Waitressing. Loved it all my life. Yup, got the university degree, and from a great school by the way, but stayed out of the corporate world. Just didn't fit my life (and I'm not alone).
Movies. Fun to watch, but never wanted to be in the biz. Still don't and won't ever be.
Why these three things? No idea. Just the way it happened. Now my mission has to do with all three.
You know? I just want to help servers to be seen in a way that isn't degrading. I want to tell the public in a nice way, that they might want to consider changing their opinions about servers. (AND I heard it again on Friday night) "People are waitresses because they can't do anything else." Really? But I loved my job and made good money, even though I always hated filling out my tax forms and wished I didn't have to put "waitress" as my job. I hate to admit it that I allowed others to influence my feelings, but I always felt inferior, and I'm not alone it that either. "A real job"? Tried them. Made less money. Had more stress. Had less fun. I was miserable. Sure if I stuck to them for years I would have made more money, but it was never that important to me. My freedom and quality of life has always been worth more. Call me crazy that's fine with me--always have been, but it's kept me from goin' insane. Sing it Waylon!
I want to help people know that water is a concern that has to be addressed. We really can't waste much more time on this fact. So how do we address it? Stars! With stars! Not the kind that twinkle, the kind that billions of people have to know what they do. The kind that everyone wants to follow, copy or be associated with. If you put a Hollywood star and a Nobel Peace Prize winner in the same room. Who do you think will get the most attention? Who draws the crowds?
So remake a movie that has already been seen all over the world. Put together a soundtrack that has music that crosses generations (which is easy to do these days), and open it on World Water Day or during World Water Week and get money for water orgs. After that, everyone can make their money.
I haven't written this down, but have told some people: when I got back from Ireland where I lived while I was writing the script, I happened to watch "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" when it was released on DVD. I ended up watching it twice in a row-- listening to the commentary the second time. I had 4 pages of notes. Nia and I were thinking and feeling the same things when we were writing our respective movie and how we hoped people would feel when they watched it! I was amazed and very happy at the time. I was on the right track, and now I know my movie hits a nerve--in a good way.
Is it crazy to think that any good clean movies, fund raising events (outside of politics) or generous group actions can come out of Hollywood anymore? I don't think so. Despite what so many people on the street say, I think there are a lot of good people there who are getting involved in social issues even more in innovative ways. Use up and coming stars. Use interns and film schools to supply the crew. Use the companies that are water conscious for product placement. Use existing music from musicians who care about water. Have the CD sales go to water. Advertize who is involved and showcase their generosity and concern. We seem to do it with all the bad, why not with some good for a change?
My friend cautioned me as what to write here in this blog, but I just want to shout: IT'S SO EASY, THIS WOULD HELP! IT CAN BE DONE! I ALREADY HAVE AN AUDIENCE! As a Hollywood movie this would be popular. It already is. Here's an idea. We already have: get this free action toy at _________when you buy a ________. Some plastic thing that is played with for a day and ends up in a land fill. Let's try: get this refillable water bottle at ___________ when you buy a large salad (promoting healthy eating while we're at it) during opening week. Let's use social media to promote and not spend millions on advertising. Word of mouth works we all know that! There are loads of ideas and ways to make this happen that would benefit so many people.
Being raised in the burbs of Chicago but born on a farm, my dream was always to live in a cabin in the mountains and have a horse. Well I've had that for years so I have to default to one of my other dreams. That was: to do something big that would help a lot of people. Never had a clue how, what or if that was even possible. Well it is and this is it. So crazy as it might be, I will persist. There will be someone who discovers Remake 4 Water and says, hey, she might have something there.
Water. Always been my thing. Always been on water patrol everywhere I went.
Waitressing. Loved it all my life. Yup, got the university degree, and from a great school by the way, but stayed out of the corporate world. Just didn't fit my life (and I'm not alone).
Movies. Fun to watch, but never wanted to be in the biz. Still don't and won't ever be.
Why these three things? No idea. Just the way it happened. Now my mission has to do with all three.
You know? I just want to help servers to be seen in a way that isn't degrading. I want to tell the public in a nice way, that they might want to consider changing their opinions about servers. (AND I heard it again on Friday night) "People are waitresses because they can't do anything else." Really? But I loved my job and made good money, even though I always hated filling out my tax forms and wished I didn't have to put "waitress" as my job. I hate to admit it that I allowed others to influence my feelings, but I always felt inferior, and I'm not alone it that either. "A real job"? Tried them. Made less money. Had more stress. Had less fun. I was miserable. Sure if I stuck to them for years I would have made more money, but it was never that important to me. My freedom and quality of life has always been worth more. Call me crazy that's fine with me--always have been, but it's kept me from goin' insane. Sing it Waylon!
I want to help people know that water is a concern that has to be addressed. We really can't waste much more time on this fact. So how do we address it? Stars! With stars! Not the kind that twinkle, the kind that billions of people have to know what they do. The kind that everyone wants to follow, copy or be associated with. If you put a Hollywood star and a Nobel Peace Prize winner in the same room. Who do you think will get the most attention? Who draws the crowds?
So remake a movie that has already been seen all over the world. Put together a soundtrack that has music that crosses generations (which is easy to do these days), and open it on World Water Day or during World Water Week and get money for water orgs. After that, everyone can make their money.
I haven't written this down, but have told some people: when I got back from Ireland where I lived while I was writing the script, I happened to watch "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" when it was released on DVD. I ended up watching it twice in a row-- listening to the commentary the second time. I had 4 pages of notes. Nia and I were thinking and feeling the same things when we were writing our respective movie and how we hoped people would feel when they watched it! I was amazed and very happy at the time. I was on the right track, and now I know my movie hits a nerve--in a good way.
Is it crazy to think that any good clean movies, fund raising events (outside of politics) or generous group actions can come out of Hollywood anymore? I don't think so. Despite what so many people on the street say, I think there are a lot of good people there who are getting involved in social issues even more in innovative ways. Use up and coming stars. Use interns and film schools to supply the crew. Use the companies that are water conscious for product placement. Use existing music from musicians who care about water. Have the CD sales go to water. Advertize who is involved and showcase their generosity and concern. We seem to do it with all the bad, why not with some good for a change?
My friend cautioned me as what to write here in this blog, but I just want to shout: IT'S SO EASY, THIS WOULD HELP! IT CAN BE DONE! I ALREADY HAVE AN AUDIENCE! As a Hollywood movie this would be popular. It already is. Here's an idea. We already have: get this free action toy at _________when you buy a ________. Some plastic thing that is played with for a day and ends up in a land fill. Let's try: get this refillable water bottle at ___________ when you buy a large salad (promoting healthy eating while we're at it) during opening week. Let's use social media to promote and not spend millions on advertising. Word of mouth works we all know that! There are loads of ideas and ways to make this happen that would benefit so many people.
Being raised in the burbs of Chicago but born on a farm, my dream was always to live in a cabin in the mountains and have a horse. Well I've had that for years so I have to default to one of my other dreams. That was: to do something big that would help a lot of people. Never had a clue how, what or if that was even possible. Well it is and this is it. So crazy as it might be, I will persist. There will be someone who discovers Remake 4 Water and says, hey, she might have something there.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Horses and Chimpanzees
The average age of the crowd that went to see War Horse last Tuesday was surprising. Maybe it was the day of the week, maybe the time of year, I don't know. But I would say the average age was over 40.
When I premiered "Did I Say Thousand Island?" in Colorado, people of all ages came to see it, but I have been surprised over time that I get the most emails from middle aged folks who say they enjoyed the movie. One of the largest demographic today is women over 35, and that bodes well for a remake of this restaurant movie. Aren't most servers female? Yes. Which brings me to another interesting fact. Two of the most popular offerings the public has had about the restaurant industry in recent years have been written by men who have spent only 10 years in the industry in one city. I'm talking about the book Waiter Rant and the movie Waiting.
I thought Waiter Rant was very well written, and the content was, I am assuming, true for a New Yorker who is a waiter by default, but it certainly isn't true across the board. Too much research that I did when I was making my movie just disagrees. Many waitresses and waiters actually do enjoy their job, and I can bet more would if it was considered to be a "real job".
"Did I Say Thousand Island?" shows servers as the fun and smart people they are and as I have been told many times, is a realistic portrayal of the restaurant industry. That must be why it's been downloaded over 55,000 times in 183 countries so far. For a no-name movie made by basically one person (with awesome help from friends) that's pretty good. Here's a link to the latest press release talking about the new project going on with the movie concerning water.
Why did I put chimpanzees at the top? When I saw War Horse, one of the ads at the beginning was for Chimpanzee, a documentary/story about a wee monkey, and if you go and see it during the opening week, Disney will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Jane Goodall Institute. That's the exact idea I have been proposing with Remake 4 Water for a long time, so see? It can be done. The difference is that my movie isn't mostly a documentary, it's a story. It's a story about everyone--everyone goes out to eat. Remake 4 Water...c'mon. Let's Do It!
When I premiered "Did I Say Thousand Island?" in Colorado, people of all ages came to see it, but I have been surprised over time that I get the most emails from middle aged folks who say they enjoyed the movie. One of the largest demographic today is women over 35, and that bodes well for a remake of this restaurant movie. Aren't most servers female? Yes. Which brings me to another interesting fact. Two of the most popular offerings the public has had about the restaurant industry in recent years have been written by men who have spent only 10 years in the industry in one city. I'm talking about the book Waiter Rant and the movie Waiting.
I thought Waiter Rant was very well written, and the content was, I am assuming, true for a New Yorker who is a waiter by default, but it certainly isn't true across the board. Too much research that I did when I was making my movie just disagrees. Many waitresses and waiters actually do enjoy their job, and I can bet more would if it was considered to be a "real job".
"Did I Say Thousand Island?" shows servers as the fun and smart people they are and as I have been told many times, is a realistic portrayal of the restaurant industry. That must be why it's been downloaded over 55,000 times in 183 countries so far. For a no-name movie made by basically one person (with awesome help from friends) that's pretty good. Here's a link to the latest press release talking about the new project going on with the movie concerning water.
Why did I put chimpanzees at the top? When I saw War Horse, one of the ads at the beginning was for Chimpanzee, a documentary/story about a wee monkey, and if you go and see it during the opening week, Disney will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Jane Goodall Institute. That's the exact idea I have been proposing with Remake 4 Water for a long time, so see? It can be done. The difference is that my movie isn't mostly a documentary, it's a story. It's a story about everyone--everyone goes out to eat. Remake 4 Water...c'mon. Let's Do It!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Returning to "My Community"
After returning home from my 6 week trip down east as they say here in Canada, I have come to realize something. I've been concentrating so hard on the "water" aspect of this mission, that the other part of my heart of this mission has fallen by the way side.
It occurred to me this morning as I was throwing away the brochure from a restaurant that I went to in Maine. I had intended to give them feedback from our visit (and it wasn't exactly positive) but decided not to, as it wasn't positive. But then I thought WAIT, if I do it in a kind way, it might actually help them. How can they fix a problem if they don't even know it exists? Then it hit me how no matter how much time I spend away from waitressing, I will never lose the love I have for the job and freedom based lifestyle, the people and the desire to do something about the negative attitudes and stereotypes that remain. Maybe it's a losing battle, but if you don't try, how can things change?
Whenever there's an article relating to anything in the restaurant business, it always receives so many comments. Why? People usually have an opinion because it might have happened to them, or they just want to be heard. Or maybe because the restaurant biz is the largest private employer in the US and probably world. That's why I am working to get my movie remade so it's seen by more people. I had so many emails saying that it "should get out there more so people see it".
Now after attending the International Water Forum at the UN in September, I know I'm on the right track. What was the biggest issue with the Global Water Crisis? AWARENESS!! That's right. People just don't know there are water troubles. So by combining a "fun and engaging" (quoting a viewer) and realistic movie about restaurant life with the subject of water (which a restaurant can't run without), we can get the messages out! We're not stupid people in the business, and wouldn't you love that cranky and demanding customer to hear that! It's in the movie. That, and a lot of other messages. Do you really like doing separate checks when the people are all over the place!? It's in the movie too...
Why do people think we spit in their food? It's in the movies. Why do they think we hate our jobs? It's in the movies. Why do they think we're stupid and are total losers? It's in the movies. It's about time there's a movie that tells them the way it really is. By the way, we just added another country: people in 182 countries have seen the movie and it's growing everyday! Not bad for a 5 year old nobody movie made by a waitress. C'mon. Let's Do It! www.remake4water.org
It occurred to me this morning as I was throwing away the brochure from a restaurant that I went to in Maine. I had intended to give them feedback from our visit (and it wasn't exactly positive) but decided not to, as it wasn't positive. But then I thought WAIT, if I do it in a kind way, it might actually help them. How can they fix a problem if they don't even know it exists? Then it hit me how no matter how much time I spend away from waitressing, I will never lose the love I have for the job and freedom based lifestyle, the people and the desire to do something about the negative attitudes and stereotypes that remain. Maybe it's a losing battle, but if you don't try, how can things change?
Whenever there's an article relating to anything in the restaurant business, it always receives so many comments. Why? People usually have an opinion because it might have happened to them, or they just want to be heard. Or maybe because the restaurant biz is the largest private employer in the US and probably world. That's why I am working to get my movie remade so it's seen by more people. I had so many emails saying that it "should get out there more so people see it".
Now after attending the International Water Forum at the UN in September, I know I'm on the right track. What was the biggest issue with the Global Water Crisis? AWARENESS!! That's right. People just don't know there are water troubles. So by combining a "fun and engaging" (quoting a viewer) and realistic movie about restaurant life with the subject of water (which a restaurant can't run without), we can get the messages out! We're not stupid people in the business, and wouldn't you love that cranky and demanding customer to hear that! It's in the movie. That, and a lot of other messages. Do you really like doing separate checks when the people are all over the place!? It's in the movie too...
Why do people think we spit in their food? It's in the movies. Why do they think we hate our jobs? It's in the movies. Why do they think we're stupid and are total losers? It's in the movies. It's about time there's a movie that tells them the way it really is. By the way, we just added another country: people in 182 countries have seen the movie and it's growing everyday! Not bad for a 5 year old nobody movie made by a waitress. C'mon. Let's Do It! www.remake4water.org
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