Decembert 24, 2006- Creepy Chords
The moment I thought I'd never have finally arrived yesterday. I heard the score for the film! I went in to Geoff Koch's studio after he mentioned he had a rough draft complete. The good news is it was fantastic! The sad news is, it was only for the opening scene. I was a little dissapointed, but the thing I've learned is that this is normal for a project like this. Everything takes longer than expected, especially when there isn't a whole lot of money to go around. I'm really glad I made the choice to wait on entering more film festivals until I know the film is complete.
I will say this, though, Geoff is really good. I've spoken with a lot of composers and listened to their work, and Geoff is one of the few that really gets it. Even though much of his work is created on keyboards, he has a way of making it sound bigger. When I watched the opening scene with his score attached, it was the first time I've been creeped out in quite awhile. : )
I really like his choice of sounds and is ear for creating and enhancing moments. What's more, is he actually bought a piece of gear to use for this film. It's a fairly complex little box with lots of knobs and switches, but it puts out some really cool funky sounds.
I haven't heard how he's going to use it with "Trace" yet, but I'm sure it'll be great.
November 29, 2006- The "N" Word.
"No. Na. Nope. Nada. Nyet. Nam." That's what Sundace said in several different languages and forms of slang.
Now, I can change the movie poster to say, "The film Sundance doesn't want you to see."
Or, "Official rejection of the Sundance Film Festival."
All is not lost, though. There is always Des Moines.
November 25, 2006- Joy in the Journey, or Tension on the Trail?
Sundance announces who has officially made it into the festival in four days.
November 16, 2006- Park City?
I received an email yesterday from a distributor who had heard about the film. This is always a flattering situation. Someone calls and wants to buy my product. Excellent!
The email read something like, "Interested in your film. . . would like to see a full length cut. . . please send press kit and screener. . . yada yada yada."
All in all it was a pretty standard aquisitions letter, nothing fancy and fairly straight ahead. What didn't completely register until hours later was their address: Park City, Utah.
I don't think I need to tell you that this is the same city that holds the Sundance film festival. Six hours later my rusty wheels slipped a cog and slowly came around to the question, "How did they hear about my film?"
I don't want to get my hopes up here, after all 3,000 films are submitted to Sundance every year and only 30 to 40 are chosen. My film has no stars, and I am not related to the president of Paramount. I'm not even related to anyone at the local public access station. I have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than getting in to that festival. (Actually, I've already been struck by lightning so my odds are more like getting struck by lighting TWICE.) But I can't help but wonder how the word got out about the film. It seems unlikely that a distributor in Park City finds films by random internet searches. So, what happened?
Is it possible that the screener I sent in September made a little buzz? Did someone make a phone call? Did an outsider go digging in the trash of the Sundance Institute and find my DVD, or is this all a complete coincidence?
Whatever the case, I find it interesting that I get this email a week before they announce who made it into the festival. Hmmm.
November 11, 2006- Waiting to Exhale
(Is is just me or do a lot of the titles of these blogs have the word "waiting" in them?)
I just talked to Geoff Koch, the film's composer, and he is adding the final score elements to the opening scene. I should be able to listen to it in the next couple of days! I can't tell you how excited I am to hear the music. It's the final puzzle piece that will complete the film's feel. After two years of waiting and wondering, the moment is almost here. What that means is that we are so very close to having the premier.
I think it might be time to dust off my one and only tie.
November 7, 2006- The L.A. Fan Club
As I was standing in line to cast my vote for the fall elections, I received a long awaited call from an L.A. producer. A couple of months ago I sent him a screener of the film to see if he would be interested in pushing the film and in helping me land representation. It took him forever to watch it because of his busy schedule and problems he was having with a scratched DVD. However, even after a few failed attempts, his interest remained high and he was finally able to view the complete cut.
The first words out of his mouth were,
"I cannot believe you completed this film for $12,000. That is amazing."
I, of course, couldn't help but dance a little jig when he made his comment,
even though I got some strange looks from my fellow registerd voters. He was
very nice and offered excellent advice, but was realistic about how difficult
it is to break into the business. He agreed to pass the film to some of his
contacts to see what happens, but didn't want to make any promises. I certainly
understand the realities of Hollywood, but I am extremely grateful for his
generosity in lending a brother a hand.
I feel so fortunate that up to this point I have met so many great people in the industry. All of them have been impressed with the film, have offered excellent advice and have done what they could to get the film to that "next person." It seems that all you ever hear is that people in Hollywood are dirty and jaded, so it's great to be in contact with the ones who break the stereotype.
I'm not going to lie, though. I'm still
dancing a jig because so far EVERYONE who has seen the full cut - including
the industry insiders - have been impressed with what they have seen.
I can't wait to release this to the world!
October 25, 2006- One For The Money
Excellent day. I deposited the check from my investor and wrote out another one to the composor. We are locked in to getting this film completed. According to Geoff Koch (the composer) he should be able to get the majority of the score completed by the end of November. Any left over bits can be cleaned up in December.
What that means is I just might be able to finish this film by the end of the year. It's hard to believe that it is actually happening, but here we go. So, all of you following this blog, keep January open for the big screening of the film.
It's gonna be a party. : )
October 11, 2006- How Do You Spell Relief?
The answer? M-O-N-E-Y. Finally, after all this time I have money to pay for the score! Whew! This is probably the most difficult task as an independent film maker; Searching for money. Over the last several months I've had a hard time keeping my chin up without any leads for cash. People continually ask how the film is going and every day it was getting harder to keep that smile of confidence going. I know that the film will get finished, I know that it will go far, but I don't exactly know how or when it will happen. I have to say though, that the one thing that has kept me feeling better is the fact that every other film maker I know is also trying to raise money for their films. We are all in the same boat. What's funny is that they ask me how I got money to shoot my film.
"Um, well, I can tell you from personal experience that Vanderbilt University isn't buying testicles. That's just an urban myth, but the REI visa card is good and it gives you dividend points at the end of the year."
But, YAHOO! I can move forward again! I was really starting to sweat too because if I do win the lottery and get into Sundance, I wasn't sure how I'd get the film done before the festival! Now, if they call I can actually get it finished. : )
October 2, 2006- Regaining my Composer
Miracles never cease. Finally, after
waiting four months, Geoff Koch has a hole in his schedule and can start scoring
the film. Of course, he just got a job this week, but after that he says his
schedule is shaping up quite nicely. I have to be thankful for all the time
I can get since I have no money to pay him. A mere $5,000 is all it would
take to keep me on the front burner for a few weeks, but so far I haven't
been able to raise even that amount. It's amazing how small of a number that
is, yet how large.
When the bank account reads "0", it may as well be Mt. Everest.
I'm not giving up, though. I'm still talking to everyone I can while I bid on bigger jobs. If I can't find the money, maybe I can at least pay for it myself. : )
September 26, 2006- You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You
One down, three to go. Just heard back from the agent at William Morris, and the verdict?
I need to be established before I can get representation.
Yes, folks, you heard it here first. All the books tell you to work on getting an agent so that they can help you get established in the marketplace, but nope, it's the other way around. You need to hustle, win some awards, get a buzz, land some big jobs, THEN, you can find representation. That way you can pay someone else a percentage for all your hard work, right?
Okay, I don't mean to sound cynical. I actually feel fine, and even - dare I say - upbeat about all of this. I know that a big part of success is rejection, and I just got my first rejection!! She also had a few things to say about the film that I feel pretty good about. (Even though they weren't necessarily positive critiques.)
She liked the film overall, and said that I should pat myself on the back because it is better than most of the crap that slides across her desk. However, she said she couldn't figure out if it was a character driven film or a thriller.
Hm. Lord forbid anyone combine genres.
I told her that it's a character driven thriller.
This single critique alone instills more confidence in me about this film than anything else. Character driven thriller and action films are what I like, and apparently I nailed the mark. I don't really care that she had a hard time catagorizing it, I made the film I set out to do, AND, this is the kind of film that does well at festivals. It doesn't matter if they are horror, action, or comedy; popular festival films are usually very character driven.
So, I started a new file called, "'Human
Trace' Rejection Letters!" right next to "'The Academy' Rejection
Letters!" and I am putting her words right up front. I am going to continue
my search for finishing funds, and just got word that Geoff Koch is able to
start scoring the film next week. Woohoo!
All good news. I know that a lot of the time I feel like no progress is being
made, but today I hit a closed door. That tells me that progress is being
made because if I wasn't moving forward, I wouldn't have slammed into it.
September 24, 2006- Secret Agent Man
Over the last two weeks I have sent out three copies of the film to three seperate industry insiders in hopes to land some sort of representation.
The first, incredibly enough, went to an accountant in Memphis. If he likes the film, he will pass it to his brother-in-law who works at an agency in L.A. The brother-in-law doesn't represent directors, but other people in his agency do, so, if he likes it will pass it to one of them. I'm sure that this process will only take about a year.
The second, went to a producer in L.A. who knows some other producers that might be willing to help. He should be getting the DVD any day now and if he likes it, will pass it to someone. I'm not really sure who all these people are or who they are connected to, but if anything comes of this, I'll be sure to put it in another blog entry.
The third, is currently sitting on the desk of an agent at the William Morris Agency in Nashville. WMA is one of the largest agencies in the world and, as crazy as it sounds, has offices in L.A., New York and Nashville. I think they consider themselves tri-costal if you count the Cumberland River as one of the coasts. This agent also does not represent directors, but if she likes it, she will pass it on to other agents in the L.A. offices.
Now, for the hard part. . . the waiting. I am the most unpatient person on the planet, and the only thing I can do is wait for all of these people to watch the film. Then, once they've watched it, I wait for them to send it to their connections and we wait for them to watch it. It seems to be very difficult to land an agent and apparently the only way they will talk to you is through a reccomendation. So, it's probably very normal for this kind of hang time. Every time the phone rings I jump up and look at the area code hoping for that golden call. So far it has only been friends calling to see if anyone has called.
September 16, 2006- Leather Face
For the past week I have been helping out on another movie for a friend of mine. His name is Ben Dixon and even though he doesn't come from a film background, he is now onto his third feature. His first, Scarecrow, is going to be released to video stores in a few weeks.
Now, he's working on, "Shudder." It's a ghost story starring Gunnar Hansen (Leather Face from the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacare,") Edwin Neil, who played Leather Face's brother, and a cameo appearance from Jim Siedow who played the old man in "Chainsaw." It's the first time all three have acted together on a film since "Chainsaw." Way to go Ben!
However, the biggest surreal experience was when Ben asked me to play a cop and stand next to Gunner in a scene. I didn't think about it until later, but hey! I was just in a movie with Leather Face!
There is one thing that bothers me, though. I have discovered, rather shockingly, that there is a lack of passion from the actors for their respective carreers. Making movies is about the hardest job to land, and I expected everyone who had "made it" to be thrilled to be there. I know that burn out happens, but many of these actors don't seem to care if their lines or acting make any sense. One of them didn't even read the script before they arrived. I asked one of the actresses how many films she had been in and she replied with a smile, "Oh, fifty crappy ones."
I'm sure that saying this just maganafies my nievity, but I want to make sure I am surrouned by people with passion. Movie making is a magical experience and when it works well, everyone buzzes. Everyone, I mean EVERYONE, wants to be around when a movie is being shot. Why not make sure that the film is an event, not just a paycheck? I am going to make it my mission to make films that people WANT to work on. Not only fun to shoot but when asked you are proud to say, "Yes, I worked on that."
September 8, 2006- In a world. . .
Have you ever noticed how cheesy the narraration is on most movie trailers? Ever try to write some copy for a trailer? Since the beginning of this film I have been trying to come up with some clever copy and a clever slug line for the poster. On the trailer it got to the point where I was analyzing every word until all of it had lost it's meaning.
What's better, "In the quiet town of Solace? In the lonesome town of Solace? In the peaceful town of Solace? Solace was a quiet town? Life in Solace was lonely?" Aaaaaarrgh!
I'm now at the point where my idea is the best that I can come up with, and if I think of a better one, I'll just change it. : )
The film poster has gone through many incarnations too, and the slug line continues to evolve. The first concept was:
"How far would you go to escape
yourself?"
It did hint to what the movie is about, but didn't leave a powerful "must
see" impression on me. I felt that it could be stronger, so I changed
it to:
"You can really lose yourself in
a small town."
I lived with this one for quite awhile, but still wasn't satisfied with the
impact. It seemed to be about as impactful as the first version, so it was
changed again.
"Loosing yourself can be murder."
This one I liked. The "murder" seemed stronger. However, I still
felt that it could be darker. I didn't feel that if I walked past it in a
movie lobby, I would would walk away wanting to see it. After my recent meeting,
we toyed with some other lines and came up with this one.
"If you're lucky, your fate will
be murder."
Now, I think, we're getting somewhere. I'm going to sit on it and think about
it for now, but I think I like it. I think if I was walking past the poster
in a theater, I'd wonder what the film was about. The next stage of evolution
is going to be the design itself. We've already talked about what to do, we
just have to do it. For example, the chalk outline at the bottom needs to
be stronger. To date, no one has even noticed it. Have you?
September 4, 2006- The PR Drive
Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that in order to make this film a success, it would come down to the marketing. That fact is no clearer than it is today. For the last two weeks I've been stuck in Texas editing a hunting show, and during the downtimes there was nothing to do but research past film maker war stories. I re-read The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide and am humbled by the amount of work still ahead of me.
The bottom line is this: It's not enough to make a film. It's not even enough to make a great film. If no one knows it exists, no one will care. I must work harder to promote this film than I did making it.
That is a daunting task, especially since I am the most un-networked person on the planet. I just got finished meeting with a few key friends and we've made a to do list to get this film noticed. Just looking at the list makes me feel tired, however, I have not come this far to give up now.
August 14, 2006- Bombs Away!
Okay, maybe not "Bombs Away," I should actually say, "Hit's Away!" But, that isn't as catchy. The point is, I have just submitted the film to Sundace. I know that since Christian Bale isn't in my film, and John Singleton didn't produce it, I have a snowball's chance in hell in getting in, but there still is that chance! It has happened before, and there is no reason why it can't happen again. You can't win if you don't play, right?
Anyway, whether I get in or not, I am still proud of the fact that I have gotten this far. I have just submitted a feature film to one of the biggest festivals on the planet. A film that I wrote, produced and directed. It certainly is a very nice feeling.
August 7, 2006- On the Big Screen
Thanks to the ever helpful Steve-O, I was able to finally watch the film on an official big screen! Steve is a mangager at a local theater, and last night he let me in to watch it after all the employees had left. I brought two people with me just so there'd be a small audience, and it went over very well!
I was racked with nerves before we played it even through were only three people there. I can't imagine how stressed I'm going to be after a real showing. However, I HAD to see what it looked like and sounded like before that day comes. I just wanted to see if there were any glaring flaws that jumped out once everything was magnified. All in all, I was pleased. There are still a few sound issues I need to fix, but overall everything was great. I even found myself on the edge of my seat in a few scenes!
August 4, 2006- The Point of No Return
I have passed through most of the gauntlet with a shocking realization. I've been so busy taking care of legal matters and finishing the film, I lost track of how much work I've had this month.
I've only worked three days.
The upside is that I've completed all the legal crap that I needed to do. (Big Puddle Films is MINE! Woohoo!) Now, I can move forward again with a clear head and a clean slate. I'm just not looking forward to when all these bills come due. I hope something comes in soon. . .
July 30, 2006- I wanna be a Cowboy
We finally have finished shooting the J-Remy cowboy video and I believe that it's going to turn out extremely well, but this re-shoot has just about wiped me out financially. Unfortunately, the equipment malfunction falls on my shoulders, thus, it's my resposibility to make sure my client has a product. However, it was a blast to shoot. I was able to work with the Portland crew again and it was wonderful. I am amazed at how many great people are out there. I can't wait to move back!
Follow this link to watch the finished video:
July 1, 2006- The Gauntlet
I'm starting to get addicted to the taste of Pepto Bismol. I have three gigantic tasks ahead of me this month. I have to finish the sound design of the film, finish the music video, and I have several business and legal matters to attend to. I won't bore you with details, but let's just say that doing business with friends is always stressful. Especially if you want to stay friends before, during and after your business transactions.
June 20, 2006- Safe Water
Steve-O and I have just spent the day recording underwater sounds. That's right, underwater. All along I was wondering how to do this, and had to call Nathan Whitehead (sound designer guru) to get some advice. He suggested wrapping a condom around a microphone and dunking it in a tub or swimming pool. So, we tried it, and it worked! However, I wish I could've taken a picture of the look on my wife's face when she came home and found a used condom in the trash. She didn't say anything, but she was seriously wondering what Steve and I had been up to.
I think this might be the first time Steve has ever used a condom.
May 15, 2006- The Good, The Bad, and the Crappy
We all flew out to Portland and spent two exhasting days shooting the music video for JRemy. We didn't quite get everything we needed, but the shoot went well enough. That is, until I was ready to fly out. I got a call from Dave Steen, who helping with the footage aquisition and he informed me that about half of the shots are missing.
Unfortunately, we were shooting with brand new technology and we got boned by either user error, or mechanical breakdown. Either way, the footage is gone and we have to do a re-shoot.
I guess overall I don't mind doing the re-shoot because it will give us a chance to get some of the shots we ran out of time for on the first go around, but finacially it's going to be brutal. Technically, the responsibility of making sure we had product lands on my shoulders. And, to make matters worse, I couldn't afford the insurance that covers this kind of mishap. So, I'm going to be out quite a lot.
Chalk it up to another adventure in film making.
May 1, 2006- When it Rains, it Pours
If you're going to get asked to do one music video, why not just do two? A good friend of my has just contacted me and asked if I wanted to direct a video for his upcoming album. He was promped to do this because of a mass email I set out regarding The Human Trace. He saw the clips and decided to give me a call.
So, I listened to his songs, came up with an idea, and he's on board! the concept is really fun. We've decided to shoot a western with a shootout in the dusty street. The incredible Jerry Buxbaum is on board and we are going to do it big. High falls, rain, explosions, you name it. I can't wait!
April 20, 2006- A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Office
If you take a look at the careers of
many A-List Film makers, you'll find that they started their careers by making
music videos, then jumped in to the feature film world.
Well, I live in Nashville - Music City. Ever since I've lived here I've toyed
with the idea of directing a few music videos, but as I look at my friends
who do that, none of it seems worth it.
There are several reasons for my opinion: First, a massive amount of people would love to direct music videos. So, when the call goes out for bid requests, everyone low-balls it in order to get the job. That makes the record executives believe that it really doesn't cost much to produce music videos.
Second, I've had friends who've worked for years to get their foot in the door at the major labels, they get their shot with one video, then everyone they know leaves or gets fired. It just seems like a lot of fruitless work to me, so I left my focus on completing a feature film.
So, here I am, working away on my feature and low-and-behold I get a call from a record company. They've seen the trailer for The Human Trace, and would like to talk to me about doing a music video. Isn't that funny the way the world works? Instead of music videos leading the way to feature films, my feature has opened the door to music videos. I love it.
I don't have the job yet, but I think they are very interested in using me. They like the way I shoot, edit, and tell stories. I'm going to be meeting with them next week to discuss ideas.
April 24, 2006- The Sound of Solace
I am continually amazed at how important sound is in the making of a film. I spent the day looping dialogue with Jeff Wilson. We recorded several lines, along with some random grunts, groans and heavy breathing for the fight and chase scenes. I layered some of that into the edit, and it really enhances the film! My wife took a look at a particular scene where Jeff gets hit by a car. She said that the sound took it from, "Oh, that looked like a nice stunt." To, "Ooooh, that had to hurt!"
March 10, 2006- Chop Chop
I did it! 23 minutes have now been cut from the film! I started an editing style that involved hearing the conversations from the next scene before you cut to the next scene. It was very effective, and now that I've done it, I've started to see it on every other movie. I guess that means I'm on the right track.
I also need to throw a big "THANK YOU" out to Jimmy Self who has come in and helped me whack the film down. He has a good editors eye and is able to see this thing from a fresh perspective. The film is sooo much stronger!!
Now, it's time to have focus group #2.
February 4, 2006- I guess I spoke to Soon
Unfortunately, I have just experienced what most film makers go through on a regular basis. I found my guy, he has the money, he has bought in to the idea, and he is going to write a check.
However, never get your hopes up until the check is signed. It turns out that some family emergencies have come up and he has to tend to those problems. Regretfully, he has had to pull out. . . leaving me. . . back at square one.
Some person once said that the joy is in the journey. I think whoever said that was immediately lynched after making that statement.
January 15, 2006- In Focus
Last night I had my first focus group for the film. Man, what a freaky experience! I've been madly editing the film all week and now it's time to get some outside opinions. I invited five friends who are good at critiquing films, gave them all a pen and paper, and let them watch. Everyone kept notes as the film went along and we had a crucifixion when everything was done.
The response was mixed. Overall everyone liked the film, however, it's much to long. Everyone agreed that the action needed to come quicker, and there were many scenes that simply had no point. Sooo, I'm about to take out my knife and start my ruthless chopping. Right now the film sits at just over two hours. If I can cut a good 20-30 minutes out, it would feel much better.
Even though most of the comments were negative, the overall response was upbeat. Everyone agreed that the film has lots of potential, but the fat needs to be trimmed out. Everyone also felt that when the scenes were flowing and tight, the film was great! Now, I just need to be a pro and cut shots no matter how hard I worked to create them.
January 10, 2006- The End of the Rainbow
Amazingly enough, after all this time, I have finally heard the words every film maker longs to hear. "You have the money to finish your film." I have recently been in contact with an investor and he has fully bought into to project. I am so excited! I can get this film completed and start the big festival run! Woohoo. He is supposed to fly in to town in a few weeks and we will be sealing the deal.
Finally!
