Two Broke Girls (kind of)

Hello, well that was a fun 2014 hiatus from my life/writing/filmmaking (NOT). Long story short, I moved back to Texas and started my life over without my (now ex) husband and three pugs. And miraculously, I met the best man I've ever known in the process, and I'm happier than I've ever been. My heart has matured, and so have my priorities. I hope that you're able to discover that through my stories from now on.

Sooooo, let's get down to business! Imagine Two Broke Girls, but girls that have been trying to make it in Hollywood the last decade together, only to find themselves finally writing a book about their non-success stories.

Lorie and I have thoughtfully decided to not use our remaining resources for a short film this year, and to focus on CONTENT. CONTENT. CONTENT.

Among our content, we'll create a novel based on the screenplay I wrote, Lost In Sunshine, as well as a book about a filmmaking duo (aka Lorie & Jentri) you've never heard of sharing their non-success stories of trying to make it in Hollywood.

AND, shhh... me and my foodie boyfriend, Alex, from Milan, (also known as HIG for Hot Italian Guy) have a road trip documentary in the pipeline, too... details TBC.

xo Jentri

Writing my new normal

My posts are usually not too personal, but sometimes our work and personal lives cross and influence our decisions. I haven't been writing much the past several months, as I've been transitioning back to a life in Austin, Texas, that I love. Writing through pain has always been therapeutic for me, but these past few months I haven't felt inspired to write.. so I had to honor that. But I woke up at 3:30am this morning and felt the shift.

Inspiration comes to us at the most random times, so I encourage you to embrace the magic when it happens (even at 3am!). As writers and filmmakers, it's important to at least document these ideas/experiences however we can, so we can remember what got us here in the first place. It's part of creating connection, growth, and authenticity for our audience. There's eventual humor in heartache (you'll have to trust me on this one) and hope on the other side of hopelessness. Why else do you laugh at bad things in movies when you shouldn't? You recognize its truth. When we can give the gift of these important messages to others through our work and do it honestly, we might just have something worth while to share.

So next time you can't write/work, I recommend jogging, laughing with friends, eating your favorite food, cuddling with an animal, going for a walk, or coffee, or watching an inspiring documentary... (i.e., Happy) that lifts the spirit, until you realize the things that bring you down can be terrible, yes, but they're only temporary.

Cheers to following your dreams, honoring your spirit, jogging through the kick down, and writing/working when you feel inspired... at whatever time. And when you finally get there, enjoy your new normal.

Visible Noise Synopsis for Festivals

So it's that time... our short film is locked to picture perfection, thanks to our editor, Hutch, and we've begun submitting our film to festivals via withoutabox. So far, we've submitted to Toronto, Austin Film Festival and a few more. We will be submitting to a large handful more over the next couple of months. Meanwhile, we're still putting together our submission material online, and I thought I'd share our synopsis with you. It will help you better understand the meaning of our film, and our title - (His) Visible Noise. Now, on to our poster... ;) xoxoxo Jentri

Visible Noise

Story Leonard's love for her boyfriend, Billy, was revelatory to her. She didn't know she could love someone that deeply. But, Billy was an addict. After countless lies and excuses, she finally, reluctantly broke up with him.

Six months later, she gets a phone call she's always dreaded: Billy has overdosed and is dead. The lid she's been keeping on her heart splinters. Why did he choose drugs over her? Could she have saved him? Had he ever really loved her?

Angry and raw, she launches herself into a drug binge with Billy's best friend, Ryan. Despite Ryan's discouragement, Story's determined to feel for herself just what Billy experienced. But, this decision quickly puts her in a scary, compromising position that could even be deadly.

Finding herself strung out and shirtless in a dealer's bathroom, she wonders if she'll ever get her answers.

Chancey Marsh Production Update

I've been lucky enough to work with my partner, Lorie since 2008. Most of our film efforts have been on financing/producing Lost In Sunshine, our independent dramatic comedy about a repressed intuitive that wants to run away from her future as a small-town wife and a recovering gambler who wishes he could undo his past by writing a best-selling Self-Help book. Although we've secured some funding, and have a talented TV actress on board, the work never ends and neither does the drive. We feel we have something special and want to hang on to it. A lot of time is spent brain storming to figure out what sticks and what doesn't.

But in the meantime... we (and you) gotta keep creating.

If you're in the world of filmmaking, you understand how many years it can truly take to bring a project to life, until you have your lucky (and successful!) break. So we've branched out, created a multi-platform/transmedia approach for Lost In Sunshine, in an effort to to create additional supporting content to surround/nurture/grow it, such as another short film based on its characters, a LIS novel, and a TV/Web series.

The short film, Visible Noise, that we shot in Austin in December 2013, is near completion, and we've begun to submit it to festivals. It's about a woman who mourns the loss of her ex by taking on his bad habits. We hope to show a more serious side with this film, starring Olivia Applegate.

Our most current project that we plan on producing later this year is another short script based on two characters from LIS, Visiting Hours. It's (mostly) a comedy about a woman who wants to visit her dad in the hospital. If only her anxieties would let her get through the door.

Time to bust out the holy wood and sage.




HAPPY FILMMAKING! xo Jentri


ps. Need help with your idea/script/production? We can help -- Visit WWW.CHANCEYMARSH.COM for more info.

Killing Your Babies and Making Important Decisions as a Director

Today, I'd like to address a couple of difficulties all filmmakers endure when making indie films and how we might overcome the pressure and rise to the occasion of greatness: 1) killing your babies - whether it's a character in a script or it's a scene of dialog in your film and 2) making important decisions as a director/keeping your voice.

But first - I must send praise to the Gods - We just locked picture on Visible Noise, and it feels like an eternity coming! Earlier on, when we had some delays, it was important to take on the mentality of doing things right and not in order to make one festival deadline. I'm excited to announce that we're officially in color correction and sound design land!! Our new official deadline is May 31st.

In between edits, I've been working on perfecting a new short script, Visiting Hours, too. I think it's very important that we KEEP WORKING on creating new babies, even when we've got one almost at its due date.

So, let's first address killing babies. Writers do this daily (or they're not producing good work!). Egos must be set aside to look at what elements will keep your story moving forward. The best way to do this is to have a second person you trust read your work and give you feedback, or set it aside for a week and come back to it. Those obvious things will become clearer, once you are removed a step from the material. A person you trust should make logical suggestions, not tell you what to do. And you must be prepared to LISTEN. When we can truly kill our babies for the better, I feel we have grown as artists. It means we can see and care for the entire story/picture enough to treat it like a loving relationship that we respect. Then other people who read it will respect your work.

Now - on to the even bigger decisions you'll have to continue to make as a director, especially if you're a hyphenate. You'll have to edit your characters/story in the writing process to produce the best script, as mentioned above. Then you'll edit those ideals in production when you shoot your film, guiding the set. At times, and if we're lucky, actors will bring something more to the character than could have ever been imagined. But when there's difficulty in a performance, you have to be prepared to answer questions and make decisions that will greatly impact your project for better or worse. And third, you'll have to put on your directors hat again in editing and make the creative decisions that are the best for your project as a whole, regardless of others feelings. Keeping your vision/voice in tact while being open to suggestions is an art in itself. That's right, no thinking about who your actor friends are performing, or if an investor is going to get mad if you cut out his or her favorite scene entirely. Your job is to produce the BEST FILM POSSIBLE. Remember that, and go kick some ass.

Happy filmmaking! May the force be with you. ;)
Jentri

Still Photography by Hutch Muselessmine

Actors, Olivia Applegate, Chase Joliet, and Matt Roszak (last) on the set of Visible Noise.

Visible Noise

As the writer-director of this short film, I'd like to express my deep appreciation and love for all those who helped us make this project. While it's still in post, the joy that's come along with being able to produce something that my heart is truly invested in is priceless.

I'd like to give a special thanks to our Executive Producer, Sam, who was able to view our vision, excitement and preparedness as a PLUS, and who was able to take a leap of faith with us. While it's not finished, yet, I'm certain, with every fiber, that the end result will be something we can all be proud of.



Screen grab of our beautiful actress, Olivia Applegate in Visible Noise. Courtesy of our DP, Greg Risley.