Tag Archives: Washington’s Motion Picture Competitiveness Program

Keeping Positive

Hello beautiful and sexylicious people,

Every day I have a habit I do with the Internet.  I post a motivational message out to the Universe  that reminds me to be human in the form of peppy-self-talk to get the day motivated.  Since then, I have learned that these daily motivational messages have inspired and even saved a few people from really bad situations.  I take what I post serious because I grew up with a negative person who should have been inspirational but was not.  It actually caused me to rebel against negativity and know that even through darkness, there is light.

You will find that you can gravitate towards negative people if you’re a helper and that’s a fault I have – if I don’t catch it fast enough, I find they can drain my energy very fast.  You have to remove those people or you will start to sound like them.  You might like them, but they are toxic for you.  Let me put it this way, if you see a bottle of bleach on the counter, do you pick it up and drink it?  No, of course not.  It’s toxic and will kill you.  The same goes for toxic people.  Negativity kills.  Releasing them means to release yourself from their bondage.  Wish them well on their own adventures but you have yours to look forward to…with a positive attitude.

Well anyhow, I thought I would just take some of the messages from Facebook and add them here. Some are funny, goofy, film related or just in general.  If they inspire you to be a better person – beautiful.  I know they keep me in check.

Cheers.

Gina Lockhart
Producer/Director/Writer
Philosophia Studios

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HellooooOooOooOooo beautiful and sexylicious Facebook friends! Be good to yourself and turn unhappy situations into humor. Humor has a way of allowing you to be creative, healing and forgiving. Enjoy your day!
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Have a great day – put on some music, a smile, clothes, and some sassitude. Let’s all take a moment today and be grateful that spiders can’t fly. Cheers
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MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY:
The second you lament over it being Monday – kick that thought in the neck and take charge! It’s YOUR day to get things started right for YOU. It’s not for your boss, it’s not for others, it’s not for anything else. Getting things started right for YOU benefits others. Prioritize your tasks, projects and reward yourself at the end of the day. Think positive, be beautiful – because you are! Cheers.
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HellooooOooOooOooo beautiful and sexylicious Facebook friends! Be good to yourself and turn unhappy situations into humor. Humor has a way of allowing you to be creative, healing and forgiving. Enjoy your day!
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Have a great day – put on some music, a smile, clothes, and some sassitude. Let’s all take a moment today and be grateful that spiders can’t fly. Cheers!
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Friday!!!
This has been an amazing week and I’m filled with gratitude!!! I want to thank those who gave me some feedback for the film posters. You rock!
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No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying. Bam! Now have a great day!!
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Let no one and nothing ruin your day. CARPE DIEM!!!
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MONDAY IS HERE!! Don’t forget to have a little more coffee since it is more coffee Monday. Focus on you, your loved ones, friends and then then beyond. Be good to you. Now – get motivated and rip this week up for you to own it!
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Be beautiful. Because you are. Each and every one of you.
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Now – have a fantastic Friday and let it make for a great weekend! Cheers!
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Oh and another very point blank tip of the day and specifically to those in the entertainment industry:
Fuck what others think of you.
Fuck what others are doing.
Fuck the ‘in crowd’ because I’ve seen amazing work come from outcasts.
Go forth and work on your career with higher expectations and goals!
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Honestly….. I don’t care what a film is shot with. If you don’t have a story, good actors, and lighting – it’s over with and the targeted audience (non filmmakers) won’t give two dumps what it was shot with. ~~Gina Lockhart
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So very many things in life are worth the wait. Never give up with your belief that things can change, someone amazing will come along, that your (dreams to) goals can happen.
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In life, you will always find that some people get ahead who don’t deserve it. You don’t know how they got there and why due to lack of skills….but they did. This happens all over the place – it could even be your own boss that you’re thinking of as you work away right now (snicker – on Facebook). Remind yourself that it’s not about you trying harder or that there is something wrong with you.
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This topic could get really deep but I’m trying to encourage you all in a short status. So, the moral is this – maybe you’re limiting yourself and that isn’t the only place to work. Sometimes we confine ourselves to our simple worlds and we don’t look out there to see that there is a whole lot more than just the world we confine ourselves in. Release yourself. Fly.
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Holy awesomesauce!! You’re all amazing and beautiful people. Why? Because you all have different thoughts, feelings, views, beliefs, religions and you manage to get along. Why? Because you are child-like and not grown up stuffy jerks. When you become a complete jerk and don’t allow someone else to have a view and call the other person names, it’s you that needs to un-grow up. Have a beautiful day!!
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What is on my mind? That I freakin’ love you people! That’s what’s up!
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Know thyself. Own your decisions, your surroundings, your thoughts, your feelings and your actions. Be good and do things with integrity and not with a motive. Clinging to hate, bitterness, etc only keeps you from finding positive solutions. Be responsible. Walk in light, walk with peace.  ~Gina Lockhart
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I don’t know why people are so effin’ negative. Without asking, without trying, without hope…what good would the world be? It’s one thing to play “devil’s advocate” (logic) but when you piss all over people’s ideas, efforts and asking – that’s just straight up negative. Negative people are like plague. Avoid at all cost.
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Don’t get discouraged. Keep going.
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Having a positive attitude doesn’t come from a secret, a book, a religion, or a big mouthed money making new age speaker. Attitude is within YOU – your heart, mind and soul = your being. It’s you connecting within you and choosing to think and feel in a positive direction for personal happiness. Screw all the money makers – happiness and a positive attitude is FREE – not a secret. Have a great day!
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Feelin’ sassy, frisky, spunky and silly today. Bursting with great ideas and good things are happenin’.
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Today – make the most of every move you do. Down? Think on good things. Jealous? Why? Be you and only you. Angry? Resolve it peacefully. Prideful? “Pride goes before a fall.” Insecure? Look within and love. Happy? Outstanding! Now move away from negative/bad influences and press on with your future. Get with those who are like you and your beliefs. Two magnets back to back do nothing. Have a great day!
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Never clip your own wings! Never settle for less!
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“Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.” ~ Oscar Wilde
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Do one thing today towards your goals/dreams that is outside of your comfort zone. Write. Call someone. Apply for a new job. Plan a trip to where you want to live. Meet with someone new. Buy a new notebook as a journal. It will make you smile and you’ll like the feeling. What are you waiting for? Go for it!
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Today is a great day to be grateful. Why? Because you’re alive and no matter how you look at it, your live could be worse but it isn’t. Everything in your life is changeable. Are you miserable? Change it. In debt? Patience. Regrets? Forgive yourself and move on. Took a wrong turn in your career? Create a new path to achieve it!
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Lead by example of what you say you are – be it a Christian, a filmmaker, a lover, a Buddhist, a happy person, an activist, etc. Lead by your words and your actions with integrity, honor, peace, love and earning the trust of others. Never use or take for granted those you love, work with, and run into or you will find yourself alone. Give. It will come back to you. ~~Gina
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Passion, it lies in all of us. It speaks to us, guides us – passion rules us all, and we obey. What other choice do we have? Passion is the source of our finest moments. If we could live without passion maybe we`d know some kind of peace… but we would be hollow… Empty rooms shuttered and dank. Without passion we`d be truly dead. ~~Joss Whedon
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I AM REVOLUTIONARY.
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Resilient. Persistent. Determined. Focused. Not-A-Quitter. Always finds a way. *cracks whip*
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LET’S ROCK!!! Be humble. Be good. Be strong. Be funny. Be important – because you are. Cheers!

What ALL Washington State residents should know about SB 5539

This is a personal request for support to all my friends who work just as hard as I do.  Boeing, Microsoft, Real Estate, Media, Retail, Graphic Artist, Game Industry, Musicians, State Employees, Teachers, Union and Non-Union – Yes, there are Union and Non-Union jobs within the film industry.

WHAT’S THE DEAL GINA?

Washington’s Motion Picture Competitiveness Program gives a refund of up to 30 percent to movies, television shows and commercials filmed in Washington (providing the budget is over $500,000).

SB 5539, the bill to renew the Motion Picture Competitiveness Program,  was voted out of the House Committee on Community & Economic  Development & Housing on Monday with a vote of 8 to 1. Representative  Santos was the single no vote on the committee. We are working with  Representative Santos to address her issues with the legislation and  we hope to have her vote when the bill comes up on the floor.

SB 5539 will now be referred to the House Ways and Means Committee chaired by Representative Ross Hunter and we will likely have a hearing scheduled  this week. As a reminder, Representative Hunter put an amendment on  the bill during the 2011 legislative session which cut the funding for  the program in half so we expect it to be a tough committee and will  need your support.

OKAY, BUT WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT THIS?

Well it helps keep myself and other filmmakers here in Washington so that we provide you all with work too and it brings Hollywood/International Studios back to Washington State to film the ‘real’ Washington vs. going to Vancouver BC or Portland…or worse, a recent film called “Chronicle” was filmed in South Africa to be Seattle. They even used Seattle as the cover for their movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1706593/

Chronicle
Budget: $12M (estimated)
Opening Wknd:  $22M (USA)
Gross: $83.9M (Worldwide)

If they had really filmed here and only 10% of that budget went to Washington State – it would be $1.2 million dollars.

Twilight is another example but this time, it is a HUGE franchise that  – filmed in Louisiana, Oregon and B.C with a few establishing shots needed to remind the viewer that it’s based in rainy Washington.   Let’s quickly take a look at the financial figures:

The first movie Twilight:
Budget: $37M (estimated)
Opening Wknd:  $69.6M (USA)
Gross: $351M (Worldwide)

The second – New Moon:
Budget: $50M (estimated)
Opening Wknd:  $143M (USA)
Gross: $710M (Worldwide)

The third – Eclipse:
Budget: $68M (estimated)
Opening Wknd: $83.6M (USA)
Gross: $695M (Worldwide)

The fourth – Breaking Dawn P1
Budget: $110M (estimated)
Opening Wknd: $41.7M (USA)|
Gross: $662M (Worldwide)

TWILIGHT’S BUDGET AND WHAT COULD HAVE GONE INTO THE STATE:

Breaking Dawn P1 & P2: Filming began on November 1, 2010 and wrapped on April 15, 2011. They are the only two installments of the franchise not entirely filmed on location in Canada. Filming took place on location in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Rio de Janiero, Brazil as well as in Vancouver, Canada.

So adding up the budgets (since part 2 info isn’t out yet, I made the budget equal P1) it comes to $375,000,000.

IF only 10% of that money went into Washington State’s economy – that would be $37.5 MILLION dollars.  Corry’s Cleaners, Production Assistants, Extras, Taxis, WA State Ferry system, restaurants, hotels, hardware stores etc would have benefited from it.

OKAY, SO WHAT DOES IT BENEFIT FOR WASHINGTON STATE BUSINESSES?

The first thing to remember is that this is not about Seattle. Filming has gone around the entire State of Washington for decades.  From Snohomish to Spokane to Oak Harbor to Seattle.

Filming in Washington State means business for you by productions using: Hardware stores, SeaTac, restaurants, catering services, Attorneys, hiring security, taxi/van services, Macs, grocery stores, night clubs, gas stations, Adobe products, PCs, local musicians, graphic artists, clothespins for god sakes, and much more.

It also means tourism which means revenue for businesses as well.  Had Twilight actually been entirely filmed here in Washington – imagine the tourism revenue like what Northern Exposure and Twin Peaks did for North Bend and other places.  The very airport runway that I used for filming the “Carrera” car race was the same airport that Northern Exposure used.

Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, is one of the bill’s sponsors. She says the bill’s focus is on jobs and points out that projects don’t get any incentive money until they have gone through a rigorous review of their spending, including wages and benefits, in the state.

FOR WASHINGTON STATE FILMMAKERS & ALL OTHERS – WRITE IT UP

For all film industry professionals, write your Representatives to urge them to support the renewal of the program. It is especially important that members of the Ways and Means Committee hear from constituents in their districts.

For all others such as businesses and people who just want to support, please contact them and explain why you support as well.  For a full list of members on this committee visit the following link:

http://www.leg.wa.gov/House/Committees/WAYS/Pages/MembersStaff.aspx

EASY WRITING OR YOUR OWN WORDS

Our friends at IndieClub have designed a wonderful online resource to  make writing Representatives fast and efficient.
http://www.indieclub.com/wasupport

OR

If you prefer to write in your own words or directly, click on your Reps name and then their email address.
http://www.leg.wa.gov/House/Committees/WAYS/Pages/MembersStaff.aspx

MAKE IT PERSONAL

As always you are encouraged to personalize your letters and tell your  representatives how this program has impacted your lives.  This is a critical week for the legislation. We have a series of blog  posts scheduled to publish this week to encourage the film industry to get involved. Please remind your team members to check the blog regularly for the most up to date information about the status of the  bill (www.blog.washingtonfilmworks.org).

CALL

Legislative Hotline Operators: 1-800-562-6000
Just remember, it’s only one minute of your time to call as well.

Thanks for your continued support!

Gina Lockhart
Producer/Director/Writer