Behind the Scenes of Broken Ankle: Unpacking the Journey of a Feature Film Script Collaboration

David Mendoza and Elivra work on solving a community college locker issue.

The story behind a film often holds as much intrigue as the film itself. Broken Ankle, a new feature film script by Olivia Montgomery Bull and Todd Bull, offers a fascinating glimpse into the creative process that brought it to life. This blog post takes you through the inspiration, rapid development, unique collaboration, casting updates, and the core themes that make Broken Ankle a compelling project. Whether you are a film enthusiast, aspiring actor, or a creative collaborator, this journey reveals how passion and teamwork shape storytelling.

David Mendoza and Elvira Lockhart solving a locker issue.

Inspiration Behind the Script

Every great story begins with a spark. For Broken Ankle, that spark came from an unexpected source: a vivid dream experienced by Olivia Montgomery Bull. This dream planted the seed for a narrative that would soon intertwine with real-world events. Olivia’s vision captured a moment of personal struggle and societal tension, reflecting the impact of laws that, when misapplied, can deeply affect individuals’ lives.

The script draws from current events that highlight the consequences of legal systems failing those they are meant to protect. This blend of personal insight and social commentary gives Broken Ankle a powerful emotional core. Olivia and Todd aimed to tell a story that resonates on a human level, showing how the law’s reach can sometimes cause unintended harm.

Rapid Development from Concept to First Draft

Turning a dream and news headlines into a full script usually takes months or even years. Yet, Olivia and Todd moved swiftly. From the initial concept to the first draft, the process took just a few intense weeks. This rapid development was fueled by a shared urgency to tell this story and a clear vision of its message.

The first draft laid the foundation for the characters, plot, and themes. It captured the emotional weight of the story while setting up the narrative arc. This quick turnaround allowed the team to maintain momentum and keep the story fresh in their minds, which is crucial for effective storytelling.

Unique Writing Collaboration Between Olivia and Todd

Collaboration in writing can be challenging, especially when two voices must blend seamlessly. Olivia and Todd found a rhythm that balanced their strengths. Olivia’s dream-inspired vision combined with Todd’s structural expertise to create a script that is both imaginative and tightly crafted.

Currently, they are in the revision stage, refining dialogue, pacing, and character development. This phase involves detailed discussions and multiple rewrites, ensuring the story remains authentic and impactful. Their partnership highlights the value of open communication and mutual respect in creative work.

Casting Updates and Call for Experienced Actors

Casting is a vital step in bringing Broken Ankle to life on screen. The lead roles have been tentatively cast, with actors who bring depth and nuance to their characters. These choices reflect the script’s demand for performers who can convey complex emotions and navigate the story’s challenging themes.

Circle B Productions is now inviting experienced actors to audition for supporting roles. The production team seeks performers who can contribute to the film’s authenticity and emotional resonance. Interested actors are encouraged to prepare for auditions that will test their ability to embody characters affected by legal and personal struggles.

Logline and Theme of the Film

The logline for Broken Ankle captures the essence of the story:

A woman’s life unravels after a misapplied law leads to unexpected consequences, forcing her to confront the fragile line between justice and injustice.

At its heart, the film explores how laws, intended to protect, can sometimes cause harm when applied without understanding or compassion. This theme invites viewers to reflect on the human side of legal systems and the ripple effects of decisions made in courtrooms.

Circle B Productions’ Commitment to Human Voice-Over Actors

In an era where digital voices and AI are increasingly common, Circle B Productions stands firm in its commitment to using human actors for voice-over work. This choice ensures that every line carries genuine emotion and subtlety, enhancing the film’s authenticity.

Human voice actors bring nuance and life to characters, making the story more relatable and engaging. This commitment aligns with the production’s broader goal of honoring the human experience at every stage of filmmaking.

The Annual Circle B Holidays Card

We debated briefly if we should continue our Circle B Productions LLC tradition of sending out custom holiday greetings card. It remains the single biggest marketing budget line item each year other than unique software assets and travel to support our brand. It has an annual budget line of around $650 a year when postage is added. That may not seem like a lot of money, but when you're a creative endeavor yet to produce regular income, as your films move through an extended production cycle, it adds a bit of financial stress. In the end, we decided to keep this five year tradition rolling, especially when we completely fell for this years design. As we wait for our cards to arrive, we're reviewing and updating our mailing list. We'll be verifying some existing addresses and adding new ones for people and organizations who've joined the Circle B Productions LLC Inner Circle in 2025.

Character Creator 5 - What a Ride!

Last month we got the news that Reallusion was about to upgrade some software we use, Character Creator, to Version 5. This software is at the core of our production efforts. In the process of making our 3D-animated feature films, we've been through software several major upgrades before. We knew we should expect a few bugs and a bit of down time. This time it was DIFFERENT.

When we first got the news about the upgrade, we were excited. The release would be a couple of months away - sometime in July - and we felt it would be best to wait for it. The new features were super enticing, and we loved the results the promos teased. We looked forward to greater detail and better animation options for our characters. That would ultimately translate to more provocative performances by the avatars in our films. Yay upgrade!

Upon getting the news, we shifted our production efforts to focusing solely on non-character related work - tweaking scenery, modifying lighting, working on continuity - drumming our fingers all the while.

Then in mid-July we got more news. Character Creator 5 wouldn't be released until August 27. This was just days before Olivia was scheduled to go on an 800-mile road trip, shooting B-roll for multiple film projects we currently have in production. It also meant the upgrade was interfering with our timeline for "Singlewide Pride", our 3 D Photorealistic Animated Feature Film, deep in production.

August 27 came around, and as promised, Character Creator 5 was released. With bugs. Okay, there are always bugs. But these were cockroach-sized bugs, like water bugs from the Desert Southwest. We were aghast. Dealing with them would have to wait until Olivia returned from her trip in mid-September.

There was one bug in particular that was a show-stopper. CC5 ate our content library's database. Just gone. Sure, the software got cues from the mother ship as to which content packs we had purchased (all 1200 of them). But the packs needed to be installed again - not just updated, which would be a quick fix, but actually downloaded and installed. We went to work, and 4 days later, after downloading content day and night, the library was intact. Olivia restarted the software, and the content manager crashed again. One more time, all of the packs had disappeared, and they needed to be installed again.

Tech Support from Reallusion was sympathetic and gave advice, but ultimately all they could do was refer our issues to their software development team. The software was not supposed to work this way. In the meantime, the company issued several updates to both CC5 as well as the animation engine we rely on, iClone. You have to give them credit for the incremental fixes they've issued thus far. But our Support ticket still remains open after a full month.

We don't know what really happened, but we've seen multiple comments in RL's forums musing about whether the company was relying on their end users to QA test the software. The world may never know.

Over time, the bug count has fallen and the system crashes are much less. We were able to re-install the content library in both CC5 and iC8. We finished exactly 30 days after we started. We're very pleased to say that we've been able to re-save our cast of characters for Singlewide Pride as CC5 avatars and animate them. So far, so good.

We love the results, and overall the upgrade has been worth it. Olivia has gone a little more gray, and Todd's missing some hair, but our projects are back on track and rolling along at a good clip. One thing we've decided, though: we're never buying a software upgrade again on the day it's released.

Here is a sample before and after of the character Colleen, Art's mom in Singlewide Pride. We feel that her grit and sassy defiance make a good metaphor for the state our production is currently in. As with all the other SWP characters, we've been able to add more detail to the textures of her face and hair, as well as give her a more nuanced expression. We hope you agree.