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I've been busy doing and creating and stuff. So here's a list of things, if you're so inclined, to check out. Adam Parker Mystery Series ​I released the second book in the Adam Parker saga (Adam Parker and the High School Bully) and this time it's personal. (My apologies to Jaws: The Revenge, but that movie should apologize to me!) Everyone's lovable self-hating amateur detective returns to find someone from his past is out to ruin his life before ultimately ending it. If you're thinking, what's an Adam Parker? Then I'd suggest checking out the first book (Adam Parker and the Radioactive Scout) where we meet Adam, Kevin, Becky, Chief Kenney and many more. This first story finds Adam returning to his hometown of HIlldale a broken man and in need of emotional saving. Both books are available as ebooks and paperbacks at Amazon.com. (But you know this already!!!) The NOMCAST Andrew Morgan (@jokesondrew) has a podcast which highlights Netflix Original Movies called The NOMCAST. I've known Andrew for over 20 years. (That's a guesstimate) We did a little unknown gem of a movie called Save the Forest together with a few other friends. Andrew and a carousel of guests breakdown one of the many original films that Netflix offers. I was on the inaugural episode where we talked about The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and I was asked back to discuss the testosterone-charged Triple Frontier. Check out the episodes, but also check out the podcast. It's quite the listen. More to Come I'm never one to talk about projects before they actually exist. Call it superstition, bad karma, counting your chickens before they hatch, good 'ol fashioned paranoia, but since if I don't talk about it, it may seem like I'm doing nothing... Noppera-bō: Creepy, ghost story I'm trying to get started with a few talented people in the area. This would be a short film, probably 7-10 mins, and somewhat of a new experience for me working within the genre of horror. Super Chief: My last script is one I find hard to explain, because I suck at log-lines. But here it goes: "In the Spring of 1944, A Nazi sleeper cell takes over the Super Chief Railroad, hijacking a shipment of uranium to give Germany the atomic bomb. A disgraced Army Lieutenant and MGM’s new star, Frank Sinatra are America’s only hope." May 19, 1999: This is a play about a group of people waiting in line to watch the advanced show at 12:01am on May 19, 1999 (Oh my God! The Title!) of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. This one is close to some personal thoughts and feelings as the lead character is based on friend that passed away over 15 years ago. (Of course, I'm starting to think of this as a feature film, so who knows.)

Adam Parker is back! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, maybe check out purchasing the wildly inexpensive first book: Adam Parker and the Radioactive Scout I know that doesn't help with this blog post right now so... Adam Parker was a kid detective in the small town of Hilldale many years ago, a regular Encyclopedia Brown, but then Adam grew up and didn't want to play detective, even though he was very good at it. He left his best friend, Kevin and his secret crush, Becky, and ventured into the world on his own. He returned in the first Adam Parker adventure a broken man, but after investigating a small-town burglary and uncovering a plot to blow up a local hotel, Parker was back solving crimes. Now, this second book takes place four months after the events of Adam Parker and the Radioactive Scout and finds someone from Adam's past looking to ruin his life and the lives of everyone that Adam cares about. If interested in learning more, please feel free to click on the books to purchase them. And if you do read the books, drop a review on Amazon. Thanks!

Why do I keep creating content? Why do I continue to write with no hope of having it be read? Why do I shoot short films with no chance they could be seen? Why do I write books with limited options to getting published? ​Why am I asking myself questions? That's just lazy writing. The idealistic answer to those questions is for the sake of creating art. The simple act of creating something out of imagination is what fuels me and I would think, many others out there. To be creative is to be. While that's certainly a part of it, the practical answer to why I keep creating. Because it keeps me fresh. Creating keeps me learning. It forces me to find ways to make the edit work. To make the shot work with the limited budget I have. If I'm not creating content or telling stories in some way, then my skills set will go stale. And avoiding getting stale is the goal, just as much as satisfying that creative desire. But, let's be honest. The real reason I keep creating content is because if didn't, I'd be depressed and angry all the time. Telling stories is what I love to do. I can't not (double negative) do it. Screenplays, short films, web series, books...all of it, is to fill this need inside of me to tell a story and be creative. I have to be creative, otherwise I'll walk the earth in a spiral of depression and anger. I couldn't live a life like that. #creative #filmmaking #writing #MichaelField

I haven't directed anything since last year when we did the 3rd season of Scenes from the Movies, which was last year around this time. And I haven't directed a short since we did the prequel of the highly-promising feature Life Ends @ 30 called "Escape the Room", which I believe was three years ago, but it's been so long I can't remember. And the last project I directed that wasn't a comedy was my first web series, The Puzzle Maker's Son. Nine years ago! This brings us to Noppera-bō. Adapted from the Japanese folklore about a faceless woman who haunts a Good Samaritan, this short is something new and different and, of course, exciting. And here's my pitch for money. I tease. I'm going to be updating the blog from time to time, providing progress on the short in all its phases. For now, I wanted to provide some background on our ghost story. I'm collaborating with Renato Ghio, an excellent DP/Cinematographer, from Rmedia. Renato and I have a vision for this piece, which if we can pull it off (and we will), should be something special. So about that money pitch... #nopperabo #nopperabo #japanese #folklore #yokai #writing #shortfilm #rmedia #RenatoGhio #MichaelField

Change is inevitable and sometimes needed. I'm hoping to create some changes this year. Whether I'm successful or not remains to be seen. The first change is one you may notice. It's the website. I did some redecorating. Now, some of these may change as well. Some background photos and such, but I figured it was at least ready to make live and since the new book is coming out at the end of the month, well, it made sense to do it. That's right. A new book. The follow up to Adam Parker and the Radioactive Scout (get your cheap copy today) will be made available on February 28th. It's called Adam Parker and the High School Bully and while the first book dealt with an external threat to the town of Hilldale, this new book is more of a personal threat to Adam and his friends as someone from their past resurfaces with an evil plan. Hard copy is available on the 28th, but you can pre-order the ebook which will be made available on February 21st. All exclusively through Amazon.com. I've got some other, hopefully, newer projects coming, but for now. Enjoy the new site. Mark down your order for the new book. Buy the first book...again, right? For right now...I'm going grocery food shopping. #AdamParker #AdamParker #writing #book #mystery #MichaelField

That's my little nickname of Adam Parker Book #1. It's easier to write out on file names on the laptop. As I approach the becoming-clearer-conclusion that I'll probably self-publish the follow up to Adam Parker and the Radioactive Scout, I need to get Book 1 into more people's hands. Something I should've been doing when I first self-published the book, but after I finished that process of writing the first book, I dove right into a feature screenplay and I sort of half-assed it on the book promotions. Not anymore. The price for the e-book has dropped to $0.99, because I don't want the money. I want the reviews. I want the stats. I need to build a "fan club" for Adam Parker, so when the second book comes out - Adam Parker and the High School Bully - it will be able to hit the ground running. Hence the book trailer for Book #1 below. It's a quick read. It's cheap. And I'm looking for reviews, either on Amazon or Goodreads. Share with friends! Share with enemies! Share with acquaintances! #AdamParker #AdamParker #Book #trailer #Amazon #selfpublishing #goodreads

Let me start out with admitting that I'm no expert when it comes to self-publishing. Yes, I did it with Adam Parker and the Radioactive Scout (Available now online. Order your copy today), but I didn't really dive into the self-publishing world when I published AP1. I had to learn how to format for different outlets. CreateSpace (Amazon), Nook Press (Barnes and Noble) and Smashwords all have different formatting rules that you have to follow in order to make sure your e-pub isn't a mess on someone's device. I paid someone to design by book jacket, of course, having to learn the dimensions I really needed. All sorts of other good things, I learned. Now with the 2nd book completed (minus a professional edit and perhaps some adjustments aided by feedback from some readers), I'm starting to look into finding a publisher who might be interested in including the Adam Parker series into their library. I've mainly kept to the small presses, but I keep seeing a trend of 'preferences' where the publisher tells authors that they must expect to vigorously promote their book, because resources cannot be given to promotion. But of course, authors are given a strong voice when it comes to book design, edit, etc. That's great, but that's self-publishing. I'm trying to find a press who will take the book and reach people who I cannot reach, but if I'm being told that's not an option, well then I'll self-publish and just do all of that promotion without having to split the royalties with a press (i.e. the middle-man) Maybe I'm thinking of this the wrong way. And please, I hope so. I'd love to have a publisher on board with Adam Parker and help grow the brand. I don't want to self-publish because I'm not very good at self-promotion. But I will if it means the alternative is splitting profits while doing the same amount of work. #writing #selfpublishing #AdamParker #amwriting

I enjoy a good world building when it comes to storytelling. Immediately, the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) comes to mind for many of us. And while that's definitely a high-profile example of world building, it's not the kind I prefer. When building a story-verse amongst several different intellectual properties comes ahead of actually telling the main story, that's a problem. Star Wars: A New Hope works because it's a stand-alone story. If you never had the countless stories after A New Hope it would stand on its own and people would love it. Even though Lucas knew what he wanted to do in Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, etc, etc, he didn't let it overtake his original tale. Most (not all) Marvel movies don't do this. There are other examples. Jurassic World comes to mind. But there are also examples of it being done in a way where it doesn't pull focus away from the main story, yet can be appreciated on its own. Fantastic Beasts is good with this, as well as Quentin Tarantino. All of his movies live in the same world, but you don't need to know this when watching them individually. Stephen King is just one of many, many novelists who do this with great ease. And I know this is nothing new. It's just increased in popularity for some reason lately. I bring all of this up because I am guilty of it as well. All of my stories live in the same world, in different locations, but coexisting in one dimension of time whether it's screenplays, short stories, novels, short films. I've never blended characters or locations in stories until the second, and latest, Adam Parker book. I set up a town in the book, known as Brookville, where strange things have been known to occur. Things like what my next story will be about. I introduce stories or asides in the book which reference other stories known, and unknown, to many. In fact, I also have a character in the new Adam Parker book from the feature I made: Save the Forest. So I like world-building, but it's a fine line between telling the story you're writing and sacrificing that story for something bigger. The assumption that your reader will dig your decisions is big and if there's ever a doubt while writing, always err to the side of the story you are telling, not the stories you're referencing. #writing #WorldBuilding #amwriting #AdamParker #MCU #Marvel #StephenKing #JurassicWorld #StarWars

I recently finished my second edit on a new book. The second in the Adam Parker comedy-mystery series - Adam Parker and the High School Bully. It took me awhile to get that title. Primarily because the story changed on me while writing and my focus became clearer about what I was writing about. I'm at the place where I'm ready for people to give it a read and tell me how awful or good it is. The rough draft for anything I write is usually a race to the finish. Like "Just get to the end!" kind of thing. Not that I'm writing however many pages of junk, but not all thread lines in the story are connecting. I might have character arcs that are incomplete. I may have introduced a moment at the end of the story, but never set it up in the beginning. During the initial first draft, the goal is to complete the manuscript. If I went back, while writing, I'd never finish. The second edit is where I start making all those loose ends make sense. I find the second edit easier since the bones of the story are already in place. Granted, if I come upon a glaring story error that's going to take more than a few sentences to adjust, it can get tough. But if I know my story, I know how to make it work. The reason I share this is two-fold. To explain my writing process, if there is one. For many other writers, it's probably different. And good. If everyone had the same process, we'd all write the same type of stories and that would be boring. Second edit done. Feedback cycle to begin. And then the 3rd edit, then 4th, then 5th....it's usually endless. #AdamParker #book #comedy #mystery #writing #novels

Will & Grace came back. The X-Files came back. Roseanne is coming back. And now, here comes Scenes from the Movies! The comedic classic (someone one time said that, right?) about employees of a movie theater that hate customers is returning for a Season 3 almost five years after the finale of Season 2. Shooting for Season 3 commenced over this past weekend and I wanted to express my sincerest gratitude for everyone involved in the production this season. We rescheduled around snow and availability with great ease to lens ten episodes and three promos in the span of two separate weekend days. It was great to revisit the acrimony of this unnamed theater and its workers. Many, if not all, of these episodes are based on real-life experiences of myself and others. Yes, we had a customer who made a doll for her to watch the movie. (Mannix) Yes, customers take popcorn bags out of the trash can looking for free refills. (Free Refill) And yes, customers think Google is a movie website. (That's in Season 3) We had three returning cast members this season, as John (Greg Barone) and Jack (Michael Butler), graduated to management while Garrett (Shaun Mitchell) remains the employee with a love for great work ethic and now revenge-filled fantasies after being passed over for management. They are joined by the jaded post-grad, Sheila (Emily Santarsiero) and the new hire, Eve (Aislinn Otero) who fall right in line with their dislike of customers, hard work and the overall movie theater life. Thank you to all of you for returning and joining us for the first time. I hope you had great fun. A show like Scenes from the Movies can only be successful is everyone involved is having a good time while doing it. No doubt, that energy translates onto the screen. Thank you to Renato Ghio and Alicia Ghio of RmediA for joining the production as they opened the doors to their studio and helped a great deal to make this production a reality. Thank you to Aaron Miller for being our Master of Sound. He's always willing to help us out and I can't him enough for that. Thank you to Trish Clark and Patrick Whalen, friends and fellow storytellers, for if not involved Season 3 wouldn't happen. Special thanks to Michael Butler who helped "procure" equipment, the set and props as well as assist the production through the two days. If you're a storyteller, all you can ask for is the chance to keep telling stories. I was able to do that over the past month and soon you'll be able to see all of our hard work. And then perhaps...we can start working on Season 4. #ScenesfromtheMovies #ScenesfromtheMovies #storytelling #filmmaking #Writing #webseries #webseries #comedy #movietheater

The script, Kiddo, is one of my favorite stories I've ever written. Please do not mistake my pride with cockiness. If I went back to that script, I'd probably start tweaking the language like nobody's business. No, the story of Kiddo is something I had to wrestle with when creating it and I was able to accomplish everything I set out to do. I wanted to write a noir adventure set in the 1940s NYC with Nazis as the bad guys. And when I started my research, I couldn't believe the back story I discovered. Much of what's in the script is from that research, but there is so much I left out. Along with creating the story, I developed my characters in ways I hadn't yet done. Some, I wrote short stories about them and others I simply created back stories that would never be referenced in the Kiddo. They were for me to help guide my writing when Mack needed to react to a situation. Why was he helping Chloe? Why did he leave the police force? Why is he so depressed and negative? Writing a script or a novel, is more than just what you put on that page. It's what you don't put. It's what you write for yourself to help you create fully-expressed characters. Write everything. Not all of it will be in the script, but the feelings, emotions and motivations of your characters will be influenced by it. If you're interested in reading my Mack Roberts description, it's below. Mack Roberts (Age 53) Born in 1888 and left on the doorstep of an orphanage, Mack has never known a decent family until he fell in love and married Georgia Pederson in 1909 at the age of 21. They had two children, John and Margaret, and life was good. Not soon after, Mack found himself fighting alongside the English in World War I. While he was away, his wife, Georgia, was brutally murdered in their New York City flat by a deviant who had been terrorizing the city throughout the war. The children were playing at a neighbor’s apartment during the murder. After their mother’s death, they were taken by Georgia’s parents to live in upstate NY, where a better life could be provided. Mack reluctantly agreed and the chasm between his kids would grow over the years to the point when seeing each other was a chore. Mack relented and removed himself from their lives. During that time, Mack signed up for the NYPD and dedicated his life to stopping criminals of the most heinous kind. It was that desire and passion and sometimes, brutal determination that landed him in hot water with the powers that be, enough so Mack was forced into early retirement in 1926. But that didn’t stop Mack. He opened his own private investigator service within the city and actively searched for New York’s worst criminals. To pay the bills, Mack would take the usual PI cases: cheating spouses, petty theft, missing pets, etc. It was on a case tracking down a serial killer, that Mack met Chloe. He had been tracking the killer’s whereabouts to the abandoned tenement near the docks when he found the body of his latest victim and a scared 15 year-old girl standing over her. A few slices of pie helped the teenager open up to Mack and he heard all about her travels, her father’s friend and what she had left behind. What he didn’t hear about was her power, but he knew something was special about her. He took her in, partly to protect her against the city and to fill the void left by his own children no longer in his life. He knew her name would attract attention and if she were truly running from the danger of the Third Reich, a new name would only help hide her more. He chose a name his daughter, Margaret, had named her favorite doll. Chloe. Hanover was just the name of the street he happened to make the deal with the city’s renowned purveyor of doctored credentials. Another perk of not being a police officer; you may occasionally dip below that morality line for a good cause. So Mack set up his new ward, Chloe Hanover and it wasn’t much later when he discovered her gift as Mack tailed a suspect for the night, Chloe followed him. She had sensed something and went with her instincts. If she hadn’t, the bullet meant for Mack’s head would’ve reached its target. As it was, Chloe shoved him aside as soon as her vision became clearer. That shove made it no longer possible to hide the truth from Mack. Upon hearing of the gift, Mack knew it was of utmost importance to keep her safe and to keep her unknown. He did everything he could to protect Chloe from the world. But she insisted on helping him with his cases and always the sucker, Mack relented. Mack and Chloe were now the most important thing in each other’s lives. #kiddo #writing #amwriting #script #story #characters

There's a new movie coming out in March from Steven Soderbergh called Unsane. It stars Claire Foy (who is great in The Crown), Juno Temple and Amy Irving. Watch the trailer before reading on. Please. Pretty interesting, right? The entire movie is shot on an iPhone camera. All of it. Let that sink in. They used the devices that 98% of use every day and shot a movie with that camera that's attached. That's not only insane, it's unsane! (Sorry. I couldn't resist) But seriously, I have no more excuses anymore. Now, I'm not saying I can make some gigantic space epic with explosions and laser effects. That costs a lot of money. But I can make something small. I can make something intimate. And you can, too. I love beautiful cinematography as much as everyone who lights sets for a living, but if you're story is strong, it's not going to matter what you shoot on. Call Me By Your Name was shot on one 35mm lens. One!! And it's a great story which has you thinking about it days after watching it. But what about sound, Mike? Well, you can get an inexpensive digital audio recorder or...use another smart phone. What about actors, Mike? They're all around you. Clint Eastwood used the real-life heroes for his new movie 15:17 to Paris to play themselves in the movie. You can find someone to encompass the story you're telling? Go tell your story. You have the tools around you. Do it. #unsane #iphone #indiefilm #ClaireFoy #SteveSoderbergh