Family Law- Screening & Party!

Family Law Join the Cast, Crew and FANs of "Family Law" for a private screening, Q&A with writer/director CJ Powers and producer/actress Francine Locke, and live concert by Vanessa E. on May 1, at 8:00pm.

To attend this special VIP party go online to order one of the following:

A $12 DVD of "Family Law" includes 1 free screening/party pass
A $12 CD of "Meant to Be" includes 1 free screening/party pass
A $20 DVD/CD Bundle of "Family Law" and "Meant to Be" includes 2 free screening/party passes.

https://www.ticketturtle.com/index.php?theatre=ppdbo

When you get to the website for purchases, you have to scroll down and find "Family Law".

Special Screening/ Cast, Crew and FAN Party

Time:8:00PM Saturday, May 1st

Location:Cutting Hall 150 E Wood St. Palatine, IL 60067

Family Law-ready to roll!

After weeks of preparation the time has come! Family Law is ready to be launched. In just a few weeks, we will have our official release & party! On Saturday, May 1, 8pm at Cutting Hall theater in Palatine! 

Family Law is a great story told in under 10 minutes, the characters are real, the story, powerful. You'll love how much is packed into every minute. When you have seen it once, you've got to go back & suddenly it becomes so much clearer. Every step of the way, writer/director CJ Powers crafted the words & emotions to draw you in & then….a twist! Emotions are raw, but sprinkled with tenderness.

This will be an evening you should not miss! A concert by VanessaE who wrote and performed an original song "Whisper" just for Family Law, an interview with CJ, and me, introductions to the cast, and naturally, the film itself! Be the first to see it on the big screen & take home your copy to share & watch again & again.

See you there!

Fast & Furious Film Festivals

So much to do to stay on top of everything, who knew the "convenience" of "social networking" could take so many hours? Well, no more grousing, if you've been staying on top of me better than I have, you already know what's in the works for Family Law.

First off, with our entry and acceptance into the USA International Film Festival, we now have an IMDb Page. Bare bones basics are up, more info to follow. The nice benefit is for the  folks who weren't on IMDb yet, now have a credit and can continue to build their resume.

Next, today we entered into several festivals. There's the Brantford Film Festival, a niche market, with an October 15-16 date. Then there is the Reno Film festival, with a Family Friendly division, and announcements will be 5/14 to see if we have been accepted into the competition. Judging is 6/13!

Still working on the artwork for the dvd cover & promo poster. Aiming to get it off to reproduction by the end of the week, enough of a reprieve, time to move again….wait a minute, that's why I am so late on this post, I've already run out of time for the month!

Almost forgot, the premier for Opportunity Jones was Saturday in South Bend Indiana. There was a nice turnout but unfortunately, I was not in the audience. As is wont to happen in Illinois, it snowed all day on the first day of spring! Sheesh! Global warming, yea right!

Ah well, what doesn't kill only makes you stronger! Stay strong & let's get it done!

Family Law Takes off!

Family Law is off to the races! So much is happening! The Family Law facebook page is being updated and more interesting content is being added a few times a week, behind the scenes, interviews, etc.   CJ Powers gives an on-camera interview and a funny story about his involvement with the project, also one with me wearing the Producers hat! And don't miss the great article Sarah Bachtold rote after interviewing my co-star Gavin Hanson.

Family Law has been submitted to the USA International Film Festival, the receipt of which entitles it to Imdb credit. More on that in the next 2 weeks. Also on it's way to the Edinburgh Intenational film Festival and the Gideon Film Festival.

Currently being worked on is the art work for the cover, dvd menu and poster AND planning a great premier party! Entertainment, film screening, maybe even a few door prizes, a fun evening for all! Checking into a location & availability in the northwest suburbs, I hope to see every one of you there!

In the meantime, we are up to 369 fans, soon to be 500! Let's go guys! Invite your friends & family! Let's get some buzz happening! See you there!

Family Law and CJ Powers

The Facebook fan page for Family Law has 200 members, and new content being added every few days.  Today, CJ Powers put up his take on the process of creating the story & directing the scene for the film. You can watch it either on the fan page or at CJ's Corner.

Seems there is so much to do yet. It was a great feeling to get the film in the mail, but after catching our breath now there is the advertising & publicity to deal with & researching various festivals. Who know there would be over 700? Pays to be discerning!

As to those 200 fans, I was surprised to see the distance involved, there is my friend from South Korea, another from New Zealand, but Eritrea, Pakistan, Italy & Slovakia?  The world is a very small place!

As to this brief blog, short & sweet, time for sleep! If you haven't checked out the fan page, please do & leave a comment for me & CJ! Check it out!

PS I can't figure out how to get photos on this now that I have a Mac! Help

Family Law Fan Page is up!

The fan page for Family Law was created today! There will be ongoing updates, photos, links to actors reels & bios, and perhaps even some contest details! Too soon right now though!


To bring everyone up to speed, the 168 Project is a faith based film competition. Entrants are given one week, 168 hours to create a short film, that means script writing, casting, filming, editing, scoring, everything! To add to the challenge, there is an overall theme, this year it is "Hearing God", what a great theme. Entrants are also assigned a bible verse that should be incorporated into their film, the actual verse does not appear in the film, but it is illustrated.


Our verse was 1Kings 19:11-12.  Elijah wants to hear from God and finds that He is not in the wind, earthquake or fire, but in the gentle whisper. In Family Law , law firm partner Carol Peters fights to keep the legal sharks away from a teenage boy who wants emancipation from his oppressive home life. Cornered by the boy’s choices, and fiery temperament, Carol risks disbarment, unless she can find the deal-changing answer in a gentle whisper. 


This year there were 85 entrants from around the world! Most of course are from California, but this year there are 21 US teams NOT from California, and teams from Nairobi, Great Britain, Jerusalem, even Indonesia. How incredibly exciting!


This is my first venture into a film from inception to completion via production! Starring in the film is me! Francine. The aforementioned teenage boy is played by Gavin Hanson, a very talented young actor I've had the pleasure of working with on several other occasions. Also in the film is Walt Sloan who I have been paired with many times in the past few years, most recently & continuing, the Ambassadors Series. He is always a joy to work with! 


Rounding out the cast is Suzanne Doubet an incredibly talented stage actress who I met at the  Gideon Film Festival last year, David Sanchez, and Dan Bredesen, in addition to a few extras to add realism. The writer, director & editor was the exceptionally talented  CJ Powers. How we came to meet was an interesting story for another day. Add to the mix a group of ernest and talented young film makers and you end up with a great product.


The films are currently being prescreened, and in the next 2 weeks we will learn which ones make it to the first cut, the top 35. After that, the top 20 & the nominations and then California, here we come! I hope you will visit the fan page for Family Law often. We'll keep it interesting, you'll be the first to know the updates & updates there will be! Please support us & invite your friends too!!!

168 Film Finished!

What a week it was. 2 weeks ago was a frenzied planning week, getting ready & calling in cast & crew to make the short film. Although I had registered months ago, due to countless problems that arose, it became apparent that "Francine wasn't going to be able to make her little film"…and that's when things changed. I got a different perspective on the whole project & suddenly things just seemed to happen. I went from having 2 confirmed people to work with, to a cast & crew of 22, within a week!

Although filming only lasted a day, CJ had his work cut out for him in the edit suite! Great material to work with but some real challenges too. One thing he could count on with Walt, was absolute consistency, making for easy cuts. However, scenes that had quite a bit of movement, were a different story. Add to that changing light when working against 2 walls of windows, you get the idea!

Once CJ had put together a directors cut, Jim came into the picture with the music & a song Vanessa E had written & recorded the day before. Again, the speed with which it came together was amazing. Jim had described the film to her the best he could, sight unseen. Vanessa also got the fire & after coming up with the chorus, wrote 2 verses then & there! To add to the incredible way things were fitting together, the music & film "just happened" to hit the crescendo at the exact same time! Wish I had been there to hear it, but CJ & Jim both were pretty overwhelmed with how it all fit.

Would you believe saving the film seemed to present the most stressful challenge? Instructions were a bit vague on the format (there were so many variations on the codecs) and after waiting 40 minutes to save one version, it would only play on one computer, not the other. Several trips & purchases and hours later a few versions were saved & off to the post office we went.  The film was to be mailed prior to 2:00 PM local time, we got it in at 1:52…and that was after the Post office employee spent several minutes looking for a stamp that would actually show the time!

And so now we wait. The local films were turned in Friday. During the next  weeks, the films will be viewed & narrowed down from 85 to 35. The next step will be a couple weeks after that when we are notified which films are "award eligible" & the nominations….& then the big night! Que sera, sera!

It's a WRAP!

But  now, even more work begins! We had a great day of filming yesterday, had some wonderfully humorous moments, there should be a GEAT blooper roll….sponsored/starring "yours truly!"  It's funny, to have a word on the tip of your tongue, but it just doesn't come out…but something else does! makes you appreciate the good takes!

It was such a humbling experience to be surrounded by dedicated people, working together for a common goal, not for their own glory, but for the project. From novices to semi pros to pros, we all worked side by side & I think everyone learned a bit from each other. I could not have asked for a better bunch of people, folks who put their heart into what they love, film. And not just any film, but film with meaning, a message that will touch hearts, open eyes.

The day started bright, cold & early. How wonderful to have a great location for filming, lots of room to just spread out….& get lost which I did for the duration! (Where's the make up room? bathroom?) My role of producer was put on hold once everything was at the location & set up, then CJ took over. Thank heavens! Producing takes up LOTS of brain cells! Much to organize & keep straight, thankfully I had great people that took over once things were under way.

The first scene was a well orchestrated piece, several different setups to seamlessly draw the viewer in & create the opening mood & ongoing conflicts. Wonderful to see how each piece will fit together and how intricate the steps are. In addition to having the vision of how things should look overall, CJ took each actor & explained the emotional journey they were on, and how they would fit together. If one actor wasn't quite "there", he would draw out what he wanted from the other actor, all the while keeping each performance true & honest.  A tremendous experience for all of us.

The opening scene was a breeze compared to the office scene as we were then battling changing light issues and much more confined quarters. However, once again, the crew simply made it happen. I know we were all tired, but all focused & I think we all agree the footage was great, now it's up to the edit! No pressure there!

I cannot say thank you enough to this great group of people, I am confident the end result  will have each of them saying it was time well spent!

If it's thursday it must be Milwaukee?

Well, here I sit in the hotel room, many things to do, but not getting much done. The past couple weeks have been tremendously busy, so a little reprieve is a good thing! Got here this afternoon for a fitting for a commercial tomorrow morning. won't get famous on these spots, but they are short days & it's really not too bad to have a quiet day. …except for the people in the hall who SLAM the doors, sheesh!

Things seem to be pretty much on target for Saturday's shoot, so how about some details? The project is a short film, up to 11 minutes with credits. Cameras began to roll today at 2:00, but we start Saturday at 7, and will just film one day. The film must be postmarked by Feb 18 at 2:00, & so it begins!

Our scrip was written & revised & revised & revised……byCJ Powers. Of course I cannot tell the story, but suffice it to say that it'll draw you in right from the first beat. Great characters, of course there is me, once again, not the most likable person, but I've got my good points!  Then a young actor, Gavin,  who I've shared the stage with several times at church & even a couple film projects.

Naturally I had to cast Walt sloan as the serious lawyer, then there is Suzanne Doubet, David Sanchez & a couple wonderful extras, and a great crew! 22 people, plus musicians, who are sharing in this project, each with a little piece of the puzzle and together we will do great things!

None of this would have happened if it had been on my own, its obvious "someone else" wants this film to happen & I'm all for letting Him work through me!

So now that I'm back online & able to keep up with the blog (terrible when you switch too many things at the same time!) I'll post add'l photos & get you back up to speed! I can't wait for Caleb to finish with the last couple episodes for the Ambassadors series, they are really good! Even though I obviously knew what was going on, I've got to say,  "poor miserable Liz" brought a tear to my eye when I watched.
'nough for now, bedtime!

168, counting down!

Unbelievable, all the pieces are here! From no team & no ability to commit 2 short weeks ago, to a great script, full characterizations, super location, wonderful selfless people committing to making this film. I never knew it could "just fall in" like this.

Several months ago when I self assuredly (cocky!) said "I can make a film, how hard can it be", I really had no idea. My turning point was when I realized I absolutely could NOT make a film on my own. At that point, i was able to walk away from the whole concept, it was no longer "Francine's Film." Since then & most assuredly because my attitude changed, every piece I could ask for has wonderfully fit into the puzzle.

To some this would be a frustrating process, & had I discussed the countless times it was on , then off, I would have appeared completely distracted, with no goal in sight. Because I stopped trying to push my agenda,  every time one area dropped out of the equation, within days, another popped up to take it's place, me doing nothing, just knowing something would happen! Viola, it did!

In brief, the team consists of 18 people, all giving their time & talents for this project, how humbling. Sally Field will never live down her "you really like me" acceptance speech, but I understand, you never really, sincerely in your heart know if you make a difference & if others sincerely care, until you are forced to reach out….& there is a hand offered to you.

So now I begin to ramble, there are countless things to do still. There's an audition for a film tomorrow morning, in the afternoon to Milwaukee for a fitting, then the commercial shoot Friday morning, & then suddenly, it's Saturday!  Call time is 7:00 AM! Yikes, time to go!

168 film competition

168 Film Competition And so it begins, actually it began months ago when I entered the competition, but through a series of events, it has been on and off so many times in the past 2 months that I was dizzy just trying to have a conversation about the whole thing. 

Initially lined up 2 DP's with identical equipment, sweet! Writer, director, producer (ME!) and some actors. The first hiccup came when one of the DP's dropped out when he heard we had been discussing genre & he hadn't been included. hmmmmm, well, still go ahead. Then during discussions, was determined the other DP might be away, not looking too good. 

In the interim, realized we all had additional ideas of projects to shoot, maybe just take a pass, write off the entry fee & work with no time limitations. BUT what about shooting a short, short, unscripted, get it done in a day, have fun & just get 'er done! I was all for it, but didn't go over so well with the asst producer. So, then the writer, comes up with a great idea, but again some disagreement. Then the music guys are leaving for a vacation…sound guy wants to retire….the usual issues, right?

The most serious concern was when my mom had a serious health complication which put everything on hold. One week later, she is better, I'm feeling good, it's a go again! Now it's serious 'cause we are into the writing stage. Script one was fine, but not what that pesky producer wanted, script 2 was great, but then changed so it's not what the writer wants, script 3, or is it 4? is now being worked with & that's that!  

During all this on & off time, each time something was taken away or there was some dissension, suddenly a door would open & I just had to walk through. That's why we are doing what we are doing! Now, is everything perfect, no, but what is in life? The thing is, this film is being done because it is just so obvious is has to be done! I'm rather nervous about the whole thing now I started the ball in motion & have to make sure it stays on track. All the pieces are steadily falling into place, definitely through outside intervention, & I'm just going along with it all! 

Looking for a camera, Sandy's just came back from the shop, Sound guy? Scott said yes! Lights? Yea Joe! DP? back to 2! Actors all on board, food coming along (did lose my kitchen asst but I know another will show up!) a few extra bodies are around & I am so thankful!

And now that I have my new computer & figured out how to sign on again, I'll even get the blog back up to speed! wonderful things are happening! Stay tuned!