film

Joy today: Traveling to Saudi Arabia and the UAE for the first time

Next week I’ll be on the most unique trip I’ve ever taken—to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. I’ll be there for work on a film, and will be visiting Jeddah (on the coast of the Red Sea) via Amman in Jordan, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and the Empty Quarter, the world’s largest continuous sand desert. I’m excited to show you these countries through my lens and stories, and can’t wait to share what I find. Follow along here, and on Instagram (christarosenyc) and Twitter (@christanyc).

Joy today: My camera arrived

Let the filming begin! I’m so excited that my camera kit arrived and I can start getting a feel for filmmaking with my hands, heart, and mind. Let’s tell some stories that matter, shall we? Take one…

Joy today: Masterclass with writer Neil Gaiman and many more inspiring classes

As a gift to myself to spur inspiration, I signed up for Masterclass’s All-Access Pass. I’m obsessed. Masterclass is basically Netflix for online learning. Neil Gaiman, one of my favorite authors, teaches a class on storytelling class and it’s wonderful. I’m about half-way through and I’ve already learned so much that is immediately helping me as a writer and author.

Given my new job for a film production company, I’m so excited to take the film and TV classes with:

• Jodie Foster
• Mira Nair
• Ken Burns
• Spike Lee
• Judd Apatow
• Werner Herzog
• Ron Howard
• Martin Scorsese
• Shonda Rhimes
• Aaron Sorkin
• Samuel L. Jackson
• Helen Mirren
• Natalie Portman
• David Lynch

Other classes on my “I need to take this” list:

• Comedy with Steve Martin
• Writing classes with Judy Blume, Margaret Atwood, and Dan Brown
• Cooking with Alice Waters and Thomas Keller
• Adventure photography with Jimmy Chin
• Conservation with Jane Goodall
• Space exploration with Chris Hadfield
• Tennis with Serena Williams (I don’t even play tennis, but if Serena’s going to teach it, I’m going to take it!)
• Jazz with Herbie Hancock
• Fashion with Diane Von Furstenberg

What I can’t believe is that for just $180, I get all of these incredible classes and more for a year. Each class also comes with a downloadable PDF workbook and there is a mini-forum and office hours where you can post your comments and ask questions. Plus there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee so there’s no risk to try it out.

And I’ve got some good news for you! When I bought my 1-year All-Access Pass, they offered me a link to share with others to give you $30 off an All-Access Pass. So you can get all of this for $150 for a year. Just follow this link, and check it out for yourself: https://share.masterclass.com/x/5d9sN3

Joy today: How film editing is like writing

Got started today in film editing with Adobe Premiere Pro and I love it! As writers and storytellers, we often hear that writing is editing. It’s also true for filmmaking – editing is the key to removing the unnecessary so the necessary can literally speak.

Joy today: Learning to edit film with Adobe Premiere

Today I’m rolling up my sleeves and starting to learn how to edit film footage with the Premiere software package by Adobe. Please send me any of your tips, tutorials, and resources that you think would be helpful! I’m so excited to dive in and learning this new skill.

Joy today: I accepted a new job…at the movies

I’m absolutely THRILLED to share that I’ve been offered & accepted a new job as a Development Manager at a TV & film production company in New York City to develop, produce, and write. I’m over-the-moon excited about this new adventure and dream job. I’m literally pinching myself to make sure this is really happening! A year ago I never would have believed this was even a possibility. It’s been a huge lesson for me that if we live our passions and share them, our lives can change in ways we can barely imagine.

Joy today: Taking over Young Entertainment Magazine’s Twitter account

I’m doing a #YAAuthorTakeover on Thursday for Young Entertainment Mag ‘s Twitter account @YoungEntMag. I’ll be talking about my book, writing / publishing, turning a book into a film, etc. What questions would you want me to answer?

Joy today: My book is a finalist in ScreenCraft’s Cinematic Book Competition

So thrilled to tell you that my book, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, is one of 25 finalists in ScreenCraft‘s Cinematic Book Competition. My heart is overflowing with gratitude and excitement. So honored. Grand Prize Winner will be announced soon. Stay tuned! In the meantime, I’ll just be over here smiling so wide my face hurts. And again, thank you to everyone who has been so insanely supportive during this whole ride. It means everything to me. Announcement here: https://screencraft.org/2019/02/27/2018-screencraft-cinematic-book-competition-finalists-announced/

Joy Today: My book becomes a semifinalist for ScreenCraft’s Cinematic Book Competition

My book, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, made it into the semifinals of the Cinematic Book Competition with ScreenCraft. I’m ecstatic! One step closer to the possibility of Emerson Page going from page to screen. A million thanks to all of you cheering us on! Grab a copy of the book here: https://emersonpage.com/shop/

There were over 1,200 books submitted and we’re now a field of 128 books. This is such an incredible honor to make it this far and I’m over the moon about it. Congrats to all of the semifinalists. More news soon!

Joy Today: My book made it into the ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition Quarterfinals

I closed out the week on a huge high. My book, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, advanced to the Quarterfinals for the ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition. Over 1200 books were submitted for consideration so I’m thrilled to have made it to this stage. This year’s jury is comprised of a literary agent from Abrams Artists Agency, a publishing coordinator from The Gersh Agency, the editor of Red Hen Press, a manager at MXN Entertainment, and a New York Times best-selling author. I’m so excited about this news and couldn’t wait to share it with all of you. Thank you to everyone who’s been so insanely supportive of me and of Emerson. It means more to me than I know how to say.