STORIES IN THE SPACE IS A SELLOUT!
Joan Scheckel and Cindy Chupack present a night of heartbreaking and hysterical true tales from some of Los Angeles' best storytellers. Featuring Caroline Aaron, Tim Bagley, Bill Brochtrup, Brian Finkelstein, Annie Korzen, Carlos Kotkin, Laura Krafft, Monica Piper and Lew Schneider.

STORIES IN THE SPACE - BUILDING A CREATIVE COMMUNITY
by Dane Reade

Last night some of the members of my writers group attended a night of storytelling, featuring several writers from tv and film in an event modelled after THE MOTH. The night was hosted by Joan Schekel whose filmmaking labs have been largely responsible for some of the most memorable independent films of the past decade

Co-hosted by Emmy and Golden Globe winning writer Cindy Chupack (Sex and the City,Modern Family), the evening was billed as “Stories In The Space”.  The “space” is a large art studio in Hollywood that Schekel’s Filmmaking Labs recently moved into. It played more like a housewarming party, intimate and inviting with everyone and anyone welcome. The moment you walked down the unique tunnel entrance and rounded the corner into the large room, you could feel the creative energy of a space filled with writers, artists, actors, directors, producers and creative folks of all types. It was as if we had walked into one of those parties you see in a Woody Allen film where everyone is smart and interesting.

The evening kicked off with Joan Schekel introducing herself and welcoming everyone to a place she has “long dreamed of” where a community of artists can explore and express themselves, where people can gather and connect to one another. I had not even heard of Schekel until a few months ago when I attended a WGA event called “Action! Make Your Scipt A Film” and writer/director Jill Soloway (Afternoon Delight) mentioned her and how life changing Joan’s Filmmaking Labs were. As I recall one of the other panellists echoed her statement so I wrote down the name and decided that might need to go on my list of things to investigate.  Everything I’d been able to find out about Schekel was kind of vague and mysterious. I even asked people who had been through her labs and they weren’t able to quite articulate why the labs were so amazing but they were. I believed. When Schekel took the microphone and addressed her standing room only crowd of hundreds of people she was vulnerable and authentic. This was her dream she kept saying. I felt honored to be part of it. There was a warmth and love that filled the room because this was clearly a community of people she had built. As vague and mysterious as it may sound, it was amazing...
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SPIRIT OF STORY: A CONVERSATION WITH JOAN SCHECKEL
This month's edition of Spirit of Story features an interview with Joan Scheckel about what inspires the work, the approach, and the filmmaking labs community.

What inspires the work that you do with filmmakers?
I've always been interested in the "new" and how what I'm doing is pushing forward the artistic continuum, and in particular, new forms. So I never wanted to repeat stories that were told before or the ways we had told them before. Because for a story to touch or be effective, to affect, it has to be relevant to the way that we communicate now and what we need to communicate now. Which means being societally, emotionally, personally, extremely present to the NOW.  

What is "new" about your approach?
If you just think very simply about how we're taught acting or writing for the screen, it's all about conflict. And I thought, what is the technique for the 21st century? How are we going to be telling stories that have to do with relating, that have to do with coherence, that have to do with opening the heart? So there's a whole series of fusion-based models and techniques made out of that very simple idea that I teach in the filmmaking labs.

Read the full interview here

THAT'S A WRAP FOR THE JUNE FILMMAKING 1 LAB
Congratulations to all of our LADL90 Alumi! Directors: Cindy Chupack, Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris, Joy Gohring, Jay Knowlton, Tia Matza, Marla Mitchnick, Robin Swicord. Actors: O-Lan Jones, John Pearson, Luka Jones, Don O. Knowlton, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Kate Herman, Mason Pryor, Josh Mann, Pat Healy, Brian Boone, Aaron Sanders, Caitlin Mulvey, Cyrus Farmer, Daniela Sea.

THE LABS COME TO NYC!
That's a wrap for the New York 3 Day Filmmaking Lab. Congrats to April Barton, Andres Clariond, Maria Finitzo, J.C. Khoury, Imani Powers, Richard Press, and Sherryn Smith.