SCREENWRITING/FILMMAKING RETREAT

On a whim a few years ago I invited some friends, half professional actors and half talented-in-their-own-right "normal people", up to Tahoe and asked if they'd mind if I shot a short film. They were all on board. In ten hours, I wrote characters and a treatment. I invited up a young Cinematographer friend. I coached my friends on their characters, and directed them as they improvised off the treatment...and voila!  We had a BLAST and raw, unique and quirky footage of a comic-thriller. With holes in the story, I took a couple more weeks to write and shoot in L.A. and S.F. and a lot longer to edit, add sound, original music, and credits. It was not ready for prime time but a great memory of our time together.

On the shores of beautiful Lake Tahoe, Shakti hosts a collection of colorful characters for a healthy get-away. A run-away ship captain reconnects with his estranged teen-aged daughters. A troubled couple deals with an indiscretion. A socialite with a secret falls in love. A famous Russian actress, still in mourning for her pet ferret, shares her talent for animal impersonations. And a mangy caretaker doesn’t want anything touched, especially a corkscrew that may stir up the spirits of the recently deceased— what could be more restful? 

Pamela Gaye Walker’s comedy, comic thriller, SHAKTI’S RETREAT stars a sensational ensemble cast which includes Megan Cavanagh (A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS); Mary-Pat Green (YES MAN, THE BREAK UP); Jim Ortlieb (MAGNOLIA, A MIGHTY WIND); John Walker (THE INCREDIBLES, THE IRON GIANT and TOMORROWLAND).

My vision for the future of the retreats is to explore the various jobs of a film shoot, jobs as a performer, i.e. singing, dancing, acting, culminating in the making of a short (or feature), with better and better quality as we go along. I hope you'll take this fun and exciting journey with us!