Karen Sandler

Category: Holiday

  • Is Recombined Really a Christmas Movie?

    While my largest body of work is in the form of published novels, I have also written a number of screenplays. I have a habit of writing a script, then deciding it would make a better novel or writing a novel that later becomes a script. My Tankborn Trilogy started as a feature screenplay (for a full-length movie). The trilogy then came full circle when I adapted the world of Tankborn into a short film script. Here’s an account of how it all happened.

    Back in September 2016, I attended a pitch session in Los Angeles. It was one of those “speed dating” kinds of things, where we had five or ten minutes to sell our work to a director. After time ran out, the director would move down to the next writer in line and we writers would do our sales pitch all over again.

    The Tankborn Trilogy

    I hadn’t intended to pitch my YA sci-fi trilogy, Tankborn, but I’d brought along a copy of the first book to show I had some cred. Once the five directors I pitched to spotted the hardcover sitting on the table, they didn’t seem to want to talk about anything else. I had screenplays to offer up, but the book was “IP” (Intellectual Property, a term I learned that night). And for many in Hollywood, IP is like catnip to producers and directors.

    I hit it off with one director in particular, Regina Ainsworth, and I sent her my trilogy. Regina loved the books and wanted to talk to me about a possible movie trilogy. But by the time of our chat, I realized what I really wanted to do was to adapt the three books for television. Regina came around to my way of thinking, but then she upped the ante. To give us a “proof-of-concept” to use to pitch the TV series, we would make a short film.

    We brainstormed ideas, and eventually agreed on the concept for Recombined. It took over a year from the concept to the script (rewrites, and rewrites, and rewrites). Plus we were fundraising, and Regina was locking down locations, crew, and cast.

    Recombined Movie Posters

    Meanwhile, we were writing draft after draft of the pilot for our series and working out the series bible. I was working on other projects as well, and helping Regina whenever I could. But as director, the heaviest lift was hers. Finally, in early December 2018, at the former Warner Bros Ranch lot in Burbank, our marathon shoot of Recombined commenced. For that part of the story, check out this post from 2019.

    So, is Recombined a Christmas movie? You decide:

    • It was shot in December, the month we celebrate Christmas
    • The plot of Recombined revolved around a celebration, just like Christmas does
    • It premiered in November, which is pretty close to Christmas
    • There were festive decorations on set
    Festive decorations

    QED

    So, what movies do you think are non-obvious Christmas movies? Share in the comments.

  • Memories of Halloweens Past

    I loved Halloween as a kid. Spooky decorations. Carving jack-o-lanterns. Dressing up in a costume and going out door to door in the neighborhood.

    And candy, candy, candy! After I got home from trick-or-treating, I immediately dumped out my candy on the living room floor and took stock of what I got.

    My mom could be pretty creative with the costumes. One year she made my two older sisters matching pumpkin costumes. I don’t know why, but Mom tied them together by the wrist. Maybe she didn’t want them to get lost? One of my sisters told me she was in tears the whole night.

    The next Halloween it was my turn to wear the pumpkin costume. Mom stuffed a bunch of newspaper into the big orange bag to make it round like a pumpkin. I remember how scratchy it was to wear. To give you an idea of what it looked like, here’s Gnorm the garden gnome wearing a pumpkin costume.

    Pinocchio was one of my favorite books, so another year, Mom made me a Pinocchio costume. It had shorts with suspenders and a white shirt. To make me look like a wooden marionette, Mom wrapped brown Kraft paper around and around my arms and legs. I couldn’t bend my elbows or knees. Not sure how I made it around the neighborhood to trick-or-treat.

    As a grownup, I’ve dressed up for the occasional Halloween party. A couple years ago, I attended a horsey Halloween. Those horses were saints considering what they put up with. Hershey, a quarter horse mare, was especially sweet to the kids despite being decorated with fake spider webs.

    What are your memories of Halloween? What candy did you always want to see in your trick-or-treat bag? What was the coolest pumpkin you ever carved? I’d love to hear from you how you celebrated (or didn’t celebrate) the holiday. Let me know in the comments.