markashtonlund

[markashtonlund]

America’s Flagship

The SS United States off the coast of Florida My post two weeks ago was titled Final Voyage, and while the subject talked about the last journey the historic SS United States was going to take, I don’t think any of us following this voyage could have foreseen the outpouring of affection for this legendary liner. The SS United States in the Gulf of America. Picture from Vinik 6. From the moment…

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Final Voyage

SS United States being moved to Pier 80. The day many of us never wanted to see is now upon us. The SS United States is in final preparation to be towed to Mobile, Alabama, for a year-long conversion to prepare the great liner for reefing. Last week she was moved from Pier 82, a place she has called home since 1996, to the adjacent Pier 80. When her stern was turned towards the pier the majestic…

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The Journey

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The Intermission

Gone With the Wind When I first started to get involved in this industry on the other side of the camera as a filmmaker, there were a variety of rules I started to hear. A screenplay should never be over 120 pages and even better if it was only 90 pages. Then there was the runtime of films themselves that they should never be longer than 90 minutes. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned about…

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Scene One

An AI rendering of the opening scene in First Launch. Many have asked me over the years how I come up with ideas for my screenplays and other endeavors. The truth of the matter is that it isn’t easy. There isn’t some sort of switch to turn on and off. But what does happen is that suddenly an idea pops into your head and from there you begin to build off it. With Justice Is Mind, the spark was a…

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In Character

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A Woman of Substance

Barbara Taylor Bradford “We are each the authors of our own lives, Emma. We live in what we have created. There is no way to shift the blame and no one else to accept the accolades.” Although that quote was from Paul McGill to Emma Harte in the novel A Woman of Substance, it could also be attributed to its author, the legendary Barbara Taylor Bradford.  That quote is often one I reference when…

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An Illusion

Every so often a booking comes along that is just pure fun. In this case, it was for the Museum of Illusions new location in Boston. Like most actors, on any given week, I submit to a variety of projects. Aside from what they are looking for in their listing, I honestly don’t spend that much time researching the client or agency. It’s only when the booking comes through that the research begins.…

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The Staircase

The Grand Staircase – Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition As 2024 begins to wind down, I could not be prouder of the film festival results for First Launch. Earlier this year the sequel to First Signal began its journey through the festival market at the script stage. Over the last two weeks, First Launch has been accepted into The Macoproject Film Festival and the Asian Film Festival. This brings…

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Market Faith

Ralph Fiennes in Conclave. Friday night, I saw a movie I had been waiting for since I first became aware of it in the trades: Conclave. It did not disappoint. From the richness of the locations to the twists and turns of the story, to an Oscar-worthy performance by Raph Fiennes as Thomas Cardinal Lawrence, Conclave delivered on all fronts against an industry slowdown. Conclave’s ending was…

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America's Heritage

Yesterday I attended my favorite event of the year – The American Heritage Museum’s production of World War II Battle for the Airfield. I’ve written about this event in past blog posts, but for some reason, this year’s had a particular resonance. World War II veterans at the Veterans Roundtable. When three veterans of World War II spoke at the Veterans Roundtable, I was reminded how few of the…

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The Manuscript

An AI-generated scene in SOS United States. Last week a publisher formally requested the complete manuscript to SOS United States for review. This request came after I sent an initial query introducing the project along with some additional information. I was particularly pleased with this request, as this publisher was specifically looking for political thrillers. Will they like the SOS United…

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Stonegate Spirit

Between takes on the set of Stonegate. (l-r) Brian Rukstalis, Mark Lund and Patrick McAvoy. This past Saturday principal photography wrapped on Dan Groom’s second feature film Stonegate. Thus, my role as Father Clayton has come to an end. For those of us who work in this industry, these moments are always bittersweet. While all are happy that the project concluded successfully, we know no more…

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Memory Trust

In Mind We Trust, the sequel to Justice Is Mind, primarily takes place in Washington, D.C. It has been some time since I read In Mind We Trust, the sequel to Justice Is Mind. As Justice Is Mind was the first feature film I wrote, produced and directed, I couldn’t help but be proud of the accomplishment. But even more interesting today than when I wrote it, is how much I enjoy the story…

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The United States

The SS United States in her prime. No, the title of this blog post isn’t about the United States as a country—but maybe it is—it’s about the storied ocean liner SS United States that is currently moored in Philadelphia. The landlord that owns the pier where this majestic, American-built, ocean liner is docked has a court order to remove her by mid-September.  The article title from one newspaper…

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Stonegate Institute

Stonegate stars Patrick McAvoy (l) as Marshall. Mark Lund (r) as Father Clayton. It was about two years ago when my friend and fellow filmmaker, Dan Groom, asked me to accompany him on a site tour for a possible psychological thriller/drama he wanted to direct. The original location was quite impressive, and things seemed to be moving along smoothly. However, as often happens in this industry,…

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In Time

Dinosaur State Park Yesterday I met with a friend to see the movie Twisters. I met this friend when we worked together on First Signal. Among the numerous conversation topics, one was the speed at which time flies by. Neither one of us could believe that we filmed First Signal in 2019 (it was released in 2021) nor that the last time we saw each other was exactly a year ago at this same theatre…