Indie Film Blog

                                                 One Vision's Long Journey into Reality

  

A diary of my arduous process to develop, finance, produce and distribute a totally independent, digital, feature film (DREAMS AWAKE).  Come along for the ride, comment if you like, and maybe we’ll learn something, and of course have a little fun.  Originally I gave myself from March 15, 2005 to September 15, 2006 to turn my dream and vision into reality, with only my imagination to guide me.  Since we all know film development can be unpredictable and full of unanticipated obstacles, a self-imposed deadline should not jeopardize the project's quality.  My new timeline was more flexible and production finally commenced in July, 2007 when the script was where it needed to be in order to tell an engaging and original story.  Check in regularly for the ongoing progress.   We wrapped in September, 2007, and are currently in a prolonged post-production mode, with some type of release expected in late 2009 ...  Jerry Alden Deal

     

Bookmark and Share
 


Comments?
 

June 28, 2009 - Interview Clips

More goodies for your eyes ...

Posted a couple more videos on YouTube.  Both of them are interviews with principal cast; one is with Erin Gray, the main lead, and the other is with Gary Graham, the male lead.  I will also have some interviews from the other cast members posted up soon ...

Also, I just got back from an all-day social media workshop in Burbank -- Social Networking For Filmmakers: A Bootcamp - very well done and some really great and amazing information.  Will post some video clips of that soon.  I got one of these new Flip cameras, an HD one, which is very simple to use, cheap and easy to import into your laptop.  And the footage is pretty high quality ...

ERIN GRAY INTERVIEW

 

 

GARY GRAHAM INTERVIEW

 

 

 

June 18, 2009 - Fun Clips

A few Youtube videos of our primary cast ...

Thought I'd have a little fun and toss these out for ya'.  Enjoy!

ERIN GRAY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GARY GRAHAM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TIM O'CONNOR & ERIN GRAY

 

 

 

 

NAJARRA TOWNSEND

 

 

MITCHELL PRESAS

 

 

Jerry

 

June 8, 2009 - A Time for Everything

Living life and passing it on ...

I spent this past week in Chicago, where my wife's mother passed away.  It's one those tough times in life that all of us has to deal with, and as you get older it seems more of those days creep up at a continuingly faster rate.  Karla was her name and by all accounts she was quite a fantastic person.  I say it that way because I am sorry to say I did not know the woman the way I wished I had.  By the time Berry (my wife) and I were married Karla's poor health had already progressed to the point that she was not quite the vibrant woman she had always been.  She had lived a very full and rich life, and carried with her an amazing history.  She was one of the lucky ones in her family who had gotten out of Germany during the craziness of Nazi Germany in the late 1930's.  In fact, she had been arrested by the Gestapo at the age of 15 and was accused of being a spy.  They then deported her, separating her from her family, some of whom she was later reunited with, and some of whom were never heard from again.  The stories go on and on about this woman, as many were told about her this week and me just sitting in awe as her family spilled them out before me.  I could only think, wow ...

But this is only half the story, as there are two bookends to my posting today.  In early July of 2007 when we going into pre-production, we got the word that Berry's father, Walter, had been taken to the hospital suddenly, and probably only had a short time on this earth.  So she flew back to Chicago, while I stayed on course with the film.  When I got word from my wife of his passing, I realized there was no way I could just stop the film and go to the funeral.  I felt bad about the situation, but everyone in her family assured me that they completely understood.  Yet, it was not an easy decision, and I still wonder if I did the right thing.  Looking back though, and knowing her father, I think he would have been all right with it.  He was that way ...

An odd bit synchronicity?  The universe playing its game?  Berry lost her father just as we were beginning this film, and she loses her mother just as we are finishing it.  The final chapters of these two people's lives form the bookends on the creation of this film.  This film, with an underlying theme about the possibilities of spiritual immortality.  How fitting that it all worked out this way.  And how fitting that this second time, with another chance, that I could go and pay my respects to a woman I wish I had known.  Maybe in another life, in another time and place ...

Jerry

 

May 29, 2009 - A Few Handy Resources

Opportunities awaiting to be discovered and utilized ...

'Do-It-Yourself' (DIY) and 'Self-Distribution' have become quite the buzzwords in the indie film world these days.  So, thought I'd share some DIY distribution info, articles and resources for you fellow filmmakers (and anyone else who might be interested):

     Truly Free Film  http://trulyfreefilm.blogspot.com
"We are on the verge of a new film culture and infrastructure, driven by both the creators and the audiences. We must accept that being a filmmaker means taking responsibility for our films all the way through the process. Building the new infrastructure is the first step towards real media independence."

      Internet Marketing For Filmmakers  http://www.internetmarketingforfilmmakers.com
"One of the 50 best sites for independent filmmakers"

      Peter Broderick  http://www.peterbroderick.com/writing/writing.html &
          http://www.peterbroderick.com/distributionbulletins/distributionbulletins.html

"
We help filmmakers design and implement state-of-the-art financing, distribution, and outreach strategies. We also work with media companies on innovative distribution approaches."

      Film Specific  http://www.filmspecific.com
"The premier online resource for independent filmmakers serious about getting their projects made, seen and distributed worldwide."

      Jon Reiss News  http://jonreiss.com/blog
"What Now? A Practical Guide to DIY, WEB and Hybrid Distribution for Independent Filmmakers"

      CinemaTech  http://cinematech.blogspot.com & http://www.scottkirsner.com/fff
"Focuses on how new technologies are changing cinema - the way movies get made, discovered, marketed, distributed, shown, and seen."

      Filmmaker Magazine Blog  http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/blog
"The Magazine of Independent Film"

      MovieMaker Magazine Blog  http://www.moviemaker.com/index.php/blog
"The Art and Business of Making Movies"

      Be The Media  http://www.bethemedia.org
"How to create and accelerate your message...your way."

      The Workbook Project  http://workbookproject.com
" :: fund :: create :: distribute :: sustain :: "

      Do-It-Yourself Flix  http://diyflix.com
"
Helping Filmmakers Navigate Do-It-Yourself Distribution"

I know there are lots of other resources out there, but these will certainly give you quite a bit to get going, as well as link you to a whole lot more.  Have fun!

Jerry

 

May 18, 2009 - Finding My (Our) DIY Way

The sweet smell of self-imposed exile ...

Seems I have been putting it off, but I finally decided to get myself together and come up with a marketing and distribution plan for the film.  Just in case some big-time distributor doesn't decide to lay a huge wad of cash at my doorsteps for going through all the trials and tribs of delivering a finished film onto their doorsteps.  Imagine that, doing them a favor like that.  Hell, why should they want to pay us for that?  Anyway, with the state of film distribution these days, any meaningful distribution looks very iffy.  So, that means it's back on the filmmaker's shoulders to follow through and become an artist/filmmaker/entrepreneur.  Wow, we're back into the triple hat territory.  Didn't I already do that? ...

Just a note before we get into all this.  Late last year, when the editor and I were heavy into the edit, I was beginning to get antsy with the process.  And since the film deals with some serious issues, I felt the need to lighten things up a bit.  So one day I suggested to Bob (editor) that we recut the footage for another film and actually do a spoof of our own film.  We could call it "Dreams Whacked", making fun of all things metaphysical/mystical/spiritual, and without holding back at all.  Needless to say, he gave me one of those 'wtf are you talking about' glares.  I still say it's doable and would be fun.  In fact, I mention it because maybe as part of our online viral marketing plan we'll make some footage available for mashups and I could work with other cutters to do exactly that.  Hhhmm, moving on ...

Anyway, I've spent several days sequestered away in an undisclosed location trying to figure out all the immense complexities of film marketing and distribution.  And once attempting that, trying to find a viable (and successful) pathway for us.  Wow, this has been truly harder than imagined.  So please, where is the simplistic beauty of it all?  Didn't someone once say that the solution to any problem is either awfully simple or simply awful?  Uh, oh ...

So, I'm going to go over it all, in a general way, because if we get too specific I'll be writing this all week.  Plus, the specifics will be laid out neatly in our own written marketing business plan.  I went through four main steps to get what I wanted; a) I had to identify all the general pieces of the plan (the what to do), b) Next I had to specify each item of each piece (a list of the who), c) Then I had to strategize the how and when (most difficult), and finally d) I had to lay it all out three dimensionally to see how it all looked put together, more like a circular flow chart instead in a linear timeline.  Mainly because we need to be flexible in accordance with how that world is operating at any given time.  And there seems to be no real 'window' or 'medium' or 'access point' in the overall formula.  In essence, we have to build an equation in which several of the variables may have to be unknown and then plugged in as required to keep us moving into a shifting world where the film can generate its own traction.  In essence, grow from hobbling babyhood to confident adult ...

Identified these 9 modules of operation in the flow, in no particular order:

     1.  Reach out to our core/niche/targeted audiences in a number of ways, and develop; affiliate, partners, email lists, etc. for targeted (non-spam) online campaigns.

     2.  Target specific film festivals as a theatrical springboard, and utilize accordingly.

     3.  Utilize social media platforms to help build awareness, and connect to, cultivate and grow an interested, engaged audience and fan base.

     4.  Create a series of clips & trailers to spread virally to identified sites, venues, etc.

     5.  Target and partner with alternative and appropriate community venues for public viewing.

     6.  Work with online distributors, either as downloads, streams or DVD's.

     7.  A fluid, changing main website for blog, clips, forums, EPK, etc., to keep dialogue going about the issues raised in film.

     8.  Identify and work with targeted bloggers and online reviewers to help spread online word-of-mouth to predisposed audience for film.

     9.  Create a landing page for DVD sales off our own website.

Each one of these points is obviously very general and seems a bit simplistic, but in most cases the details have been identified and described in several pages of text.  In addition, none of these will work in a vacuum by itself, but in a managed unified process.  And constant change will be the main constant.  We will try to keep you updated as we track forward.  And finally, these 9 parts could easily become 10 or 11.  Oh boy.  Anyone know any college students who might want to intern over the summer, and who will learn a lot in the process? ...

Next time I'll throw out some great self-distribution resources ...

Jerry

 

May 7, 2009 - Escaping My Way

Music to my ears ...

Went to the composers recording studio yesterday to watch over the recording of the song that is sung at the end of the film.  Most of the performance occurs off camera, as the visuals spin and zoom all over the place (sorry can't be a spoiler here so won't tell you any more details about that) before the film ends.  But you ever feel like the fifth wheel?  I have to admit that I did a bit.  The composers, Geoff and Bruce, went to work with the actress/singer Najarra, and for the most part I just watched.  They worked amazing magic as they went through the lyrics beat by beat, verse by verse, and into the chorus, putting it all together before they actually recorded ...

    

Once they started recording, everything happened very quickly, as they breezed right through it, barely needing me.  Sure at first, we all discussed the song which we'd all done previously several times.  But once they got into their creative groove, I just had to get out of their way. Did I feel unneeded?  To tell you the truth I really didn't.  It was kind of nice, just watching the process develop and eventually come to fruition.  My wife accompanied me, as she surely has a much more musical ear than I do.  She did offer some good a direction a few times, so that was refreshing.  I liked hanging back a bit, just nodding and smiling here and there as it all came together ...

    

And boy, did it come together.  By the end of the session, Najarra was belting it out, and the song really sounds amazing.  Kudos to all three of them for a job well done.  And hey, I should hang back a little more.  I could get used to that ...

Jerry

 

April 26, 2009 - Taking Care of Business

A new series of checks and balances ...

Several things going on now.  Finalizing the last three VFX clips.  About finished tweaking the lyrics for the song that is sung at the end of the film.  Yes, we still need to record that in a studio, hopefully this week.  We also finished a first attempt at a trailer.  Of course, it's not an official trailer, just an exercise at this point.  But of course you already know all this because you have been following us on Twitter.  Right?  I know its a bit frivolous, but I'm trying to have a little fun with it, so follow along and have a little fun with me ...

I did have a great weekend at the Going Global 2-day Boot Camp I mentioned a couple weeks ago.  Met some amazing filmmakers, who along with myself are searching for some answers in the shifting sands of the distribution world these days.  The presenters had some very sobering info, but also offered some realistic light at the end of the tunnel.  As long as we filmmakers are in it for the long haul and are willing to work hard, very hard, to become filmmaker-entrepreneurs.  Funny, I always felt it would come down to that.  Taking hold of the business of filmmaking and making it work creatively within a whole new world view and paradigm.  Filmmakers of today are going to need the attitude and toughness of the pioneers of the old west.  Whether we go off together in a wagon train or traverse into that abyss solo, there's a great wilderness out there, and a chance to build a different kind for community out on that there frontier.  There will be numerous hardships, mistakes and casualties, but also loads of opportunities.  So, guess it's once again about time to put buckle up those bootstraps and reload that ammo, 'cause a brave new world is a coming around the bend.  I can't wait, my blood's a flowing ...

Jerry

 

April 15, 2009 - "Music of the Spheres"

A summary sheet on a background theme ...

Following is a piece I wrote originally just for myself as background material for the story of our film, which was the result of a fair amount of research I did before I actually wrote the screenplay for "Dreams Awake".  It essentially lays out a simplification for a very complex, very ancient set of metaphysical theories that supposedly have been floating around different cultures for, well, who knows how long.  It lays the foundation for a major underlying theme of our film.  Enjoy ...

 The Sound of Silence

The sound is the source of all manifestation ... The knower of the mystery of sound knows the mystery of the whole universe.”

“For in the beginning of the times so did we all share in the Holy Stream of Sound that gave birth to all creation.”

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

“The Tao is the source of all things ... existed before heaven and earth ... eternal ... pervades everywhere.”

“In the beginning was OM ...”

Virtually every civilization in the world has had some type of creation myth that involved sound, usually sound that was equated with consciousness and that this celestial sound was the first creation, so that everything else created came from such ‘otherworldly’ sound in the ether.  A number of spiritual, mystical and religious texts have spoken of this metaphysical equation of sound as an element of their most honored traditions.

Plato wrote that the cosmos was constructed according to musical intervals and proportions.  Pythagoras called it ‘Music of the Spheres’ and believed that it fills our inner ears and we are constantly in contact with it from the moment of our birth.  Another Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, called it ‘Logos’ (divine word or sound).  Some Native American traditions call it ‘Song of the Creator,’ while the Bible calls it ‘The Word’ and ‘Voice of Many Waters’.  Hindus refer to it as ‘Anahad Shabd’ (unlimited tone or unstruck melody) and ‘Akash Bani’ (voice from the heavens), while the Sufis say it is ‘Saute Surmad’ (tone that fills the cosmos).  Lao Tzu described the Tao as ‘unimpeded harmony’ and referred to the ‘Great Tone’ as the source of all things.  Guru Nanak built Sikhism on the foundations of this 'cosmic tone'.  Some believe the knowledge of this 'mystery tone' goes back even farther, beyond the origins of Hinduism, and to the ancient Egyptians of several thousand B.C.  Others believe that Jesus taught it to his inner circle, his disciples, and also that Mohammed was aware of it when he was enlightened in the cave at Gare-Hira.  Several spiritual Masters teach that this sound of God is in everyone and that we explore this inner space through meditation.  A number of ancient Gnostics mystical texts refer to hearing the sound of God while in deep meditation states. Today, these traditions are a part of the Radhasoami movement, as well as several others around the world.  In addition, a number of other cultures, such as the Aborigines, Aztecs, Eskimos, Malayans and Persians all believed that the universe originated in sound.  In fact, the very word universe actually means ‘one song or sound’, uni meaning one and verse meaning song.

The details of these esoteric theories are as follows.  This one sound is divided into unlimited frequencies or tones that generate a geometric wave pattern containing the information of its order and structure in nature.  Sound is in this way a storage and transfer system for information or the intelligence of the universe bio-system.  Much of our life is spent under the influence of disorganized, chaotic, frantic sound.  However, the more time one spends within the influence of highly organized and repeating fractal tone patterns, the more solution orientated is the information attracted and maintained in one’s energy field.  This can help allow stress to be replaced with ease by relaxation, which is why the sacred geometry of sound is a foundation for sound healing.  In addition, symbols are the language of the unconscious and higher conscious mental bodies, and they provide the keys to one’s journey into the sensations of tone.  The physical body, the subtle bodies and their points of confluence, vibrate at different frequencies.  These are modified or literally attuned by the resonation of the inner sound current, sacred algorithms or mantras, which can then harmonize and realign the dense and subtle components of the energetic body.

It has also been said that the vibrations of this sound are too fine to be audible, making it difficult to be aware of these very fine, ethereal vibrations.  However, as this sound is supposedly always resounding in the soul and when one attains a certain level of stillness and concentration, the sound can become audible.  It is supposedly the ringing tone one can hear when all other sounds are silent.  Depending upon the person, a variety of sounds may be heard, similar to the following physical representations; rushing waters, thunder, ringing bells, conch sounds, gong echoes, steam engine, crickets chirping, bees or hummingbirds flying, or even instruments like harps, horns, flutes or lutes being played.  Ascetics blow a horn, a shell or a flute to awaken this inner tone in them.  The bells and gongs in churches and temples are meant to suggest this same inner sound and thus lead one to take up the clarion call towards the inner life.

In the even deeper esoteric world of mystics, there is a spiritual practice (meditation) called Surat Shabd(a) Yoga, (yoga of the celestial sound current), which is followed by a number of ancient spiritual traditions.  Surat means “soul,” shabd means “word” and yoga means “union.”  Word means the “Sound Current,” the “Audible Life Stream” or the “Essence of the Absolute Supreme Being.”  That is, the dynamic force of creative energy that was sent out, as sound vibration, from the Supreme Being/Force into the abyss of space at the dawn of the universe's manifestation, and that is being sent forth, through the ages, framing all things that constitute and inhabit the universe.  It is also implied that through this practice of meditation, one can learn to access the workings of this inner sound and actually travel spiritually into other levels or dimensions within the inner cosmos.  If one follows the theory on down to biological human beings, it says this inner sound is the spiritual energy that actually drives your consciousness and provides the energy to hold your genetic structure in balance.  And that this energy is supplied through an umbilical cord arrangement, and this ringing or buzzing sound we all can actually hear is the current flow in that power line.  And thus, that one’s hair swirl is physical evidence of its path, as it enters at that point in a vortex pattern.

In addition to these mystical theories and practices, today there is a popular, still developing theory among physicists called String Theory, which attempts to provide a complete, unified and consistent description of the fundamental structure of our universe.  Very basically, it explains the smallest possible component of reality as a vibrating string, or a bundle of them intertwined, and that how matter is created depends on the way these strings vibrate.  And of course when something vibrates, it creates a tone or harmonic of tones.  String theory tries to bridge and tie together the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics into the currently accepted “Big Bang” theory of the universe’s creation.  And as previously mentioned, universe meaning one song, is creation then merely a song being sung or played?  A cosmic symphony of sorts?  And each one of us exists as a unique harmonic signature within this overall celestial symphony?

And finally, we must certainly mention the medical condition of tinnitus, which may or may not relate to these theories.  Webster’s dictionary defines tinnitus as, “any ringing or buzzing in the ear not resulting from an external stimulus.”  The medical community reports that at least 20%, if not more, of the people in the U.S. suffer from it on a regular basis.  Things mentioned that bring it on are allergies, head injuries, loud noises, medications, infections, tumors and diseases.  Several treatments are offered to treat symptoms, but they truly do not even know what causes it.  And even though it is recognized as a medical condition, it is one that doesn’t seem to do much harm, other than being a nuisance for those affected.  In fact, most patients report that their doctors usually tell them to just learn to deal with it, since there is no long-lasting cure except ways to temporarily relieve the annoyance.  And polls reveal that 60-90% of the time these treatments don’t work.  So learning to live with it is basically the solution most people accept, because it’s also noted that at one time or another almost everyone gets it to some degree.  Does this possibly give any more credence to these metaphysical theories of this mystery tone?  Can we ever really know?  Will we?  Should we?  And if we do, does that really mean anything anyway?  So many questions, so few answers.  Yet, is that really so? ...

Yes, I know, a lot to take in.  In the next post we will delve into some of the nagging issues that are brought up by the film.  And then we plan to begin a discussion about them here, and on our Facebook Page, and as much as possible, on our Twitter Page, and maybe even on other venues.  I realize it may be difficult to get very far into all this without first seeing the film.  However, I thought we could go ahead and create a starting point before the film actually comes out.  We'll just see how far we can go with it.  And then we can progress it even farther once the film is finally out there ...

Jerry

 

April 9, 2009 - Notes

Moving along  ...

Well hey, guess what, our little blog made the list, "The 100 Best Movie Blogs."  They have  several different categories catalogued, and ours is listed under 'Filmmaker Blogs' at #81.  Now sure, this certainly is no official list of any kind.  In fact, who knows, there may dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of these lists floating all around the Internet.  But hey, it is kinda cool.  Getting listed along with Roger Ebert, Filmmaker Magazine, Indiewire and all those biggies.  And then, on the other hand, I know it doesn't really mean squat, but I'll take whatever I can.  But this is what I like about our listing, quoting them, "This one is different from the other blogs on this list, because he’s chronicling his attempt to make an indie film of his own."  Yeah, I'll take that any day ...

On another front, IMDB has finally put up several screen shots from the film.  I know they've been up on this blog already, but they look great on IMDB.  So sure, you gotta go check them out -- "Dreams Awake" ...

Been working this past week trying to put together a trailer.  Damn, it's hard work, trying to encapsulate this involved film into two minutes of screen time.  I've put aside about twenty minutes of the best footage and am now sifting it down to 10% of that.  It's starting to finally take shape, after trying several different directions that just didn't work.  There are so many trailers that I just haven't liked, that I wanted to avoid the trap of telling the whole story.  It's one of my pet peeves about trailers.  When I know all I need to about a film from its trailer I ever rarely want to go to that film, because I just saw it.  Know what I mean?.  Anyway, once I get this thing totally I ironed out, I figured I'd paste the web with it.  Tsk tsk, but in a nice, well-directed way.  I don't want to create more net trash ;-) ...

A couple seminars coming up that you should be aware of:

Film Specific's Going Global Bootcamp on April 25 & 25 -- About the complex world of global film distribution.  Stacy Parks really knows her stuff.  Should be exciting, and we'll be there ...

&

The No Budget Film School on May 30 & 31 -- About the nuts and bolts of the very low to no budget world of film production.  Mark Stolaroff doesn't just teach this stuff, but puts it work on his own films.  We've taken a couple of classes, but not sure yet if we'll make this one, yet we highly recommended it ...

Jerry

 

March 31, 2009 - Online Social Networking

Flying across the universe ...

As you can see we're certainly getting seduced by the online networking scene, which seems to be taking over everything everywhere ...

Yes, we of course have our Facebook Page and our IMDB presence, but now we've also moved into the Twitter space and the YouTube universe.  Will it ever end?  Probably not, as I imagine there will be other online networks we will wire ourselves into, if it appears that is what we need to do to get the word out.  Now if the whole Internet goes down, well, there you go, back to the age of stones.  But to look at it another way, here's something to make your belly jiggle - Trouble with Twitters - enjoy ...

Also, got a couple new videos for you; both are behind-the-scenes clips, which are just a complication of all our hard work over several  days of production.  Enjoy ...

 

 

 

 

I think this writer at the Ventura County Reporter is on to something -- "Crimes and Misdemeanors" ...

Jerry

 

March 21, 2009 - Communication

Do you hear what I say or said, or what I mean or meant? ...

What is the lifeblood of any creative endeavor?  Any collaborative effort when a team of people have to align themselves to a singular goal or vision?  I think most of us in that spot know that answer, or can at least give up a decent guess.  Yes, that big old C word, that means so much but can also be so indescribable, even many times quite unreachable.  It goes without saying that everyone has their own unique way of communicating, usually built into their own private comfort zone of social interaction.  Working in intense, fast-paced environments like film production, you've not only got to be able to peel off those layers but you've got to do it quickly and efficiently.  Or else ...

As a director on set I have to be able to communicate this way with my first main layer of contact; the actors, cinematographer, first assistant director and production designer.  And they all speak different languages.  In essence, a director has to speak many languages, in effect be multi-lingual film wise.  But not just speak them, but to be fluent and turn on a dime from one language to another.  And not just be fluent, but be able to communicate meaningfully, and then realizing if you really are or not.  Confusing?  You bet ...

That lesson came back to the forefront the other day when I was sitting in a spotting session with the editor, sound designer, composer, his engineer and the executive producer.  As the six of us hashed out the film, reel by reel, scene by scene, the different languages all played out, each in their mighty splendor.  Creative juices flowed, sparks ignited and issues played out.  At least we were there for a common purpose, to get the very best score possible, in conjunction with an overall sound design.  How we got there took us all over the place at times, as we each had territory to protect, but we did get there after a long day ...

Reflecting on all that later, I wondered if I had 'got it' completely.  Did I really understand what everyone was communicating, and if not, did it matter?  Did we get it enough to make it all work, might be the more appropriate question?  Making it work?  What does that really mean?  Making it work?  For each of us?  Any or us?  All of us?  Our future audiences?  Huh?  It seems lots of times communication may be more about asking questions than answering them.  Don't you think?  In the end I think (hope?) our little piece of cinema asks lots of  questions.  I believe it does, 'cause I'm not sure it actually answers any.  Or will it?  ...

Jerry

 

March 10, 2009 - More Videos

A little more of the process and the result ...

I thought I'd post a couple more videos.  The first is another Behind the Scenes clip of us trying to get a scene 'up on its feet.'  The scene takes place very early in the film, as we're trying to establish the characters.  And of course, the second is the scene itself, taking place  in the kitchen of their home.  Enjoy ...

Jerry

 

 

 

 

February 28, 2009 - Videos

A little before and a little after ...

A Behind the Scenes video of the family at a diner:

 

And then the Diner Scene itself:

 

February 24, 2009 - Hybrid Pathways

Lo and behold, and the seas and the land did not part as expected ...

Things are progressing along bit by bit on a lot of the little loose ends, to enable us to get to some kind of release this summer.  Which brings us up to that looming mountain off in the distance.  Distribution.  A filmmaker has three major stages in the life of their project; fundraising, production and distribution.  We conquered the first, are finalizing the second and will shortly be facing the third.  Which could be the most challenging, riskiest stage of all ...

       

Behind The Scenes Shots

There have been a lot of changes in the distribution world since I started this project years ago.  Lots of companies in this space have gone out of business, others have scaled back, and the possibilities of DIY (do-it-yourself) distribution are both slowing coming to fruition and littering the landscape with casualties.  I suspect it will take a number of daring filmmakers who don't mind flying by the seats of their pants to help this process evolve and become more real.  It has been something nagging me in the  back of my mind, but like a lot of other filmmakers out there who may be reluctant to take up the sword, we do know it's double-edged.  The device of that empowerment may also be the source of our demise.  I certainly never had hari-kari in mind when I went down this path, but I can see the farther you go down it, the higher the stakes are ...

       

Behind The Scenes Shots

In the end I think we'll be attempting a hybrid strategy of distribution, where we will use more traditional avenues of distribution, when and if they present themselves, and more cutting edge still evolving models for little ol' indies like us.  I'm still putting that plan together, but it is a bit like hitting a moving target.  Which means we have to nimble, open and flexible to the weather of these fast-paced times.  And we all know how quick the weather can change.  I'd like to go into this in more detail, but that's for another day.  I feel a different wind blowing in, and I'd better see what it's all about ...

        

Behind The Scenes Shots

Jerry

 

February 15, 2009 - Almost There

Locking up the picture, finally? ...

Well, we've almost got a picture lock.  I'm now going over every scene, every beat, practically every frame to make sure I've got what I want.  Am I being too anal, too controlling here?  Maybe so, but why not, huh? ...

            

            

            

Hey, more screen shots from the film.  Enjoy again! ...

Also, we've finally got a Facebook Page up.  Check it out ...

Jerry

 

February 7, 2009 - Back to Final

Locking up the picture, really? ...

Bob and I have been hard at it again, trying to get this picture all locked up.  After compiling all our notes from the screening and delving into issues we both already had, it looks like we're very close.  We'll screen it again ourselves this next week and lock it down.  Anyway, thought I'd post some stills from the film.  They certainly don't look as high quality as they do in the film, but give you a bit of an idea ...

         

        

       

There will be more to come soon.  Enjoy! ...

Jerry

 

Comments -- Hello! -- 2/6

Hi!  I just stumbled into your site coz a friend of mine suggested it to me.  I haven't read the entries in detail yet, but it seems that we're in the same plight at the moment. We're also doing our indie movie here in the phils and we're doing it for a festival. We were fortunate to have been chose from over 100 entries to be in the top 10.  It will be shown at the cultural center of the Philippines as they are the ones hosting the festival.

Anyhow, will find time to read your entries and hopefully learn more about doing a movie from you.  Perhaps we can also share some ideas. Thanks so much and more power to all of us!  Good luck and God speed!

Alemberg Ang ,
Be a part of our movie, check out: www.theraptureoffe.com.

 

Comments -- Hello! -- 2/1

I just came across your site and thought you might be interested in our site, Icewhole.com which is a social network for filmmakers, supported by some great film names including Richard Attenborough, Morgan Freeman, John Hurt, Ben Kingsley and so forth. 

Also of interest to you might be the following which has a deadline of 28th February 2009:  We have been approached by some serious film financiers who are keen on making low budget feature films. They want to cherry pick the most exciting new film talent and are not afraid to take a chance on new film makers/actors/writers if their ideas are good enough.

So here's what we're after: Original full treatments or full length scripts.  And, if you have a made a trailer or short film specifically, to be expanded into a full length low budget feature, and we like them, then we would be prepared to include it in our submissions to the financiers.

I wondered if you could kindly inform your readers of this opportunity and our site.

With best wishes, Ross Grayle Jones
Underground Movies Ltd
www.icewhole.com
(Please email us at: firstfilmfund@icewhole.com with your idea and a link to your Icewhole.com profile page.)

 

Comments -- UNUSUALS offering -- 1/30

The reason I am writing is because of your presence on Indie Film Blog and I thought UNUSUALS.net might be something you would like to share with your readers, or check out yourself.  UNUSUALS is the only social network designed with the commercial film professional in mind, including grips, directors, DPs, post production people, producers, actors, stylist, etc.

UNUSUALS allows you to share your reels, connect on projects, discover and be discovered via our Massive Search Engine.  I've put together this social media news release which explains everything: http://www.unusuals.net/smnr

Oh, and one more thing, UNUSUALS is offering you and your readers a 6 week free membership with access to all of the services on the site upon registration. Please feel free to steal and repost anything from the news release and if you are able to post, or have any questions please let me know.

Cheers, Nayer
http://www.unusuals.net/

 

January 28, 2009 - The Screening

New input, and now what -- new output?  ...

Wow.  Well, we did it.  We held a small intimate screening of the film, with about 20-25 people shuffling in and out.  And yes, we got started late because of some tech issues with the equipment.  Seems I've got this love-hate relationship with technology going on.  But in the end we got it up and running, and overall we had some favorable responses ...

After the film we had them each fill out a questionnaire before diving into discussion mode.  I've provided a link here for the form we used, just in case some of you out there might want some info about doing this.  I didn't find a lot of info myself, just a few tidbits here and there online.  I've come to learn there are actually two types of screenings at this stage; one for editing purposes and the other for marketing.  We used this one mostly for the cut, but we did mix in some marketing questions.  It was two pages long and we printed it on both sides using card stock, making it simple and quick to fill out with pencils we of course provided ...

Once everyone turned those in we went around the room with a microphone for everyone to speak their piece.  We of course recorded them all.  Wow.  Pretty intriguing.  I know I predicted earlier that I was pretty sure what most of the comments would probably be.  And for the most part a lot of the issues I had with the film were brought up.  However, there were a couple things that came so far out of left field I didn't feel I was in the same ball park with the person expressing them.  So, I of course listened very intently, really trying hard to understand where they were coming from.  The uniqueness of all of us human beings continues to amaze me.  What it might be like to walk in the shoes of someone so different that yourself, even if just for a day or an hour.  Now that would be something.  That's a bit what it felt like listening to a couple people.  And not to be disparaging or condescending at all, but just to stand with a little bit of awe in the middle of that and take it in.  It's actually indescribable ...

But in the end, did I get anything out of this?  Absolutely!  By my estimation we have about two or three main issues that need to be resolved, as well as a couple minor bits to clean up.  So I'm currently mulling over several ideas to clear all that up, and in the process that should enhance and improve the film.  To make it all it can be! ...

In the end I was glad I did this.  Will we do it again before a final cut?  Probably not, but who knows? ...

Jerry

 

January 19, 2009 - Words (and pix) from Another

A humble thanks (and how much do I owe you now?) ...

I figured I would post some comments from someone who was involved with our little production, and I believe the first time he'd worked on a film.  A real nice guy, he was our construction coordinator, and helped mainly with building the only set we had to build, which we called the Primitive Domicile.  Once that was done, he was one of our devoted drivers.  Below are portions of emails he's sent me over the past year and a half, along with a few of his photos.  Here's to you and all you are, Eric (the Elder) ...

   

Eric (the Elder) and Winston (PA) working on roof.       Eric (the Younger) (PA) working on inside.    

Hi Jerry, I have been following along quietly as you sweat it out, and sitting here feeling bad that you are putting all of this work into our baby. The trials and tribulations. And now you are getting closer to seeing your dream, your sweat and blood and even your soul. I applaud your patience. I marvel at the persistence, the determination. I wonder if you will from exhaustion once this baby hits the film festivals. I do hope you and Berry have been taking good care of yourselves as this thing has progressed. I cannot thank you all enough for allowing me to be part of it ...

     

 Winston and Eric (Younger) working on roof.            Renee (Prod Designer) working on door.

Hi Jerry, I'm just stopping in to say hello. I've been keeping up with your great communications. You must be exhausted!? All these years of putting this thing together and the stress doesn't fade. You are a marathon man, for sure. I look forward to sitting in a theater and seeing our work (yours really) up on the big screen. I'm proud to have been a small part of your success in bringing this to screen, and I am excited to see the final result.  How's the hot tub, these days? ...

    

Eric (Younger) and Carlos (Art Dir) working inside.             Eric (Elder) taking a much-needed rest.

Okay Jerry, I've been quietly following along, feeling guilty that you're doing all the work.  I find this whole thing intriguing, mysterious, awe-inspiring. So many hands in the cookie jar, and yet only one vision. To see your work be put onto the big screen must afford you a daily shot of adrenaline. I know that if my stories or poems were ever put into script, my heart would be racing. Such a task of handing the reigns over to someone else to breathe physical life into it, well that's for you Buddha-types...calm, collected, confident, and compassionate. So I ask you, HOW DID YOU DO IT? ...

I can only hope that there will be enough members of the collective audience who appreciates everything that has gone into this undertaking, AND, that they pay you your proper respects once they've had the privilege to be in audience. I know that when I sit my butt down to enjoy your film, I will be perplexed, because I am not a movie folk. I have not been on ten or twenty or more movies/tv shows/etc., so I have not and will not easily forget the many events, experiences, and conversations that went into creating this thing. I will be struggling to separate the finished work from the daily sweat that I put in in helping to make some scenes 'memorable'. I  am sure that your baby will be beautiful, bring tears to people's eyes, joy to their hearts, and questions to their psyches. But will it live up to YOUR standards? Will it entertain YOU? Will it satisfy you? My guess, temporarily. Like any creative mind...you don't/won't rest your laurels on your past successes and/or failures. No, you will quickly be reshaping some other tale to fit the silver screen, or you'll be writing something. It's in your nature. It's in your blood ...


     

Almost complete - outside.                              Almost complete - inside.

Jerry, I thank you for the opportunity we had to be part of the filming experience. I only hope that I contributed in a good way and that your vision did not suffer too much damage/erasure at my hands. I will fondly remember the month living within the culture we created, to dream for peace and hope. It is a culture you dreamt into existence, and the elation must be overwhelming at times, in anticipating the first breath that your film takes in the air of the celluloid jungle; the physical birth of a truly supernatural membrane. May you receive more blessings than you can fit into one lifetime ...

Peace, Eric Hoff (the Elder)
http://www.geocities.com/eric_g_hoff
http://myspace.com/yeoldehippie

 

Comments -- I've begun reading your blog -- 1/12

Albeit a bit late, but decided to start at the beginning. Reading about your struggles, ups and downs with producing your own movie has helped to encourage me to pursue my dream of making films, starting any way I can. I had been searching for film making blogs for the past couple of days, before running across yours and it is as though I've hit a gold mine of observations, notes and frustrations to consider. Yet even in what I've read so far, I can definitely tell there's a passion for creating. I like the idea of a spiritual mystery. Altogether, I'm intrigued and shall be searching for more of your work. Thank you for the blog.

Patrique Vosges
http://patrique.wordpress.com

 

January 9, 2009 - Lessons & Resolutions

Looking forward and backward at the same time ...

Guess it's that time of year once again, resolutions and all that?  I'll certainly toss out a few here, but more importantly I'd also like to throw out what I'd do different when I shoot my next film.  In other words, what lessons did I truly learn from this one?  Now some of us might call this listing our regrets, but I prefer taking that in a more positive stride.  I mean, aren't we all here to learn, life being quite a demanding school and all that? ...

Lessons Learned
(I'm sure there are more)

1) Hire the 1st AD sooner -- Scheduling a low budget indie and then logistically pulling it off is paramount in the low budget realm.  A good 1st AD is essential to making that happen.  We had him, but he came aboard awful late in prep.  That did handcuff us some, but it wasn't deadly.  However, next time that will be higher on my priority list ...

2) Hire an editor for the shoot -- I now see the logic of that.  Having someone doing a rough cut when we were shooting certainly would have helped, not only to see what we had but to insure that we go after what we didn't ...

3) Hire a publicist before, during and after the shoot -- Is there such a thing as too much publicity?  For indies like us I doubt it, but when it's very minimal you're starting out of the gate behind the curve.  We didn't hit this one right ...

4) Hire someone to really control the budget -- Since we didn't do #1 on cue, that put us behind the momentum of the shoot in keeping track of cash, cash flow and cash reserves.  Having someone experienced and aware of this should help close that gap ...

5) Be more competent -- This one I direct directly at me, being the director and all, and everything else I was, or still am.  As a perfectionist at heart, I was sometimes disheartened at how thin I had to spread myself out.  I knew sometimes I had to set certain priorities of the moment and let other things drop by the wayside, always hoping others could pick up the slack.  Sometimes that happened, sometimes not.  But no matter what, I was (am) always responsible in the end ...

6) Fewer challenging locations -- Yeah, let's go film a feature on a high mountain and bring up a lot of people and equipment where no motorized vehicles can go.  And then let's do it in the heat of the summer and go where there are no facilities for everyone.  And let's do it all low budget under the regulations of the federal government and local Native American tribes.  Right ...

7) More prep time -- Don't we always want this luxury?  Yeah, but I only want a couple more days. Just a couple more, can't I?  It may seem that upfront more prep time will add to the budget, but properly managed more prep time can certainly save you time (and money) on the back end ...

8) Less post time -- This is only so because ours has gone on longer than normal, and certainly longer than was ever intended.  If we had done things normally, this probably wouldn't be here.  Anyway, next time we will have a real Post Supervisor, as I've shockingly realized this is not my forte ...

9) More $$$$$ -- Ha, no brainer, huh?  Cash dough, we can always stand to swim with more.  The trick is taking those extra dollars and stretching them out better than before, since this is where the rubber will always meet the road.  Good luck doing that in this economy.  You may have to hit up that rich eccentric Uncle, or learn to count cards in Vegas ...

10) Less hats to wear -- As a low budget indie filmmaker this is usually difficult to avoid.  But, please forget about the romance of being a filmmaker, because just being in love with the idea of being a filmmaker can never sustain you when you have to actually do the hard work.  On the other side of that coin, when those hard realities do set in, don't try and to do it all.  You may harm the project beyond what you can repair.  In other words, get out of the way of your ego and don't fall in love with yourself ...

11) Relax & have more fun -- At the heart of it all.  Always keep your vision and grow with it, but let go, relax and have fun within it.  There were times I got so caught up in the frenzied moment that I didn't savor it enough before it passed.  Each day slow it down a bit and take it all in, because who knows, you may never get to make another film again ...

2009 Resolutions

1) Finish this film! -- 'Nuff said ...

2) Market this film! -- Not enough ever said or done ...

3) Distribute this film! -- Take control, never too late to execute ...

4) Find our audience! -- For sure the biggest challenge of the new year ...

5) Count my lucky stars! -- Every day, with lots of stars to count and hopefully many days off in the future to count them all...

Be well in the new year ...

Jerry

 

 

Last Quarter's Archive

 

 

 











DREAMS AWAKE
VIDEOS


Archives
 
Mar-05
Apr-05
May-05
Jun-05
Jul-05
Aug-05
Sep-05
Oct-05
Nov-05
Dec-05
Jan-06
Feb-06
Mar-06
Apr-06
May-06
Jun-06
Jul-06
Aug-06
Sep-06
Oct-06
Nov-06
Dec-06
Jan-07
Feb-07
Mar-07
Apr-07
May-07
Jun-07
Jul-Sep-07
Oct-Dec-07
Jan-Mar-08
Apr-Jun-08
Jul-Aug-08
Sep-Dec-08

Profile

Blogroll
 
A Filmmaker's Life
All About Indie Film
Alligators in a Helo
Angry Filmmaker
Austin Film Guerilla
Backstage Unscripted
Blog Stage
B-Scene Films
Cinema Tech
Cinematical
Creatve Cow
David Bordwell Blog
DIY Distribution
DIY Filmmaker
DIY Flix
Drifting
DV Guru
Esoteric Rabbit Films
Fast Cheap Movie
Film Brain

Film Dailies
Film Dependent
Film Directing Tips
Film Experience Blog
Film Festival Secrets
Film Independent Blogs
Film Industry Bloggers
Film Journey
Film Linker
Filmmaker
Filmmaking Stuff
Film Panel Notetaker
Freedom Fighters
FresHDV
Getting the Score
Girish
Green Cine
Hacking Netflix
HD for Indies

House Next Door
Illiterary Fiction
Independent Eye
Independent Film Blog
Indie 2.0
Indie GoGo
Indiepix Blog
Indiewire Blogs
Infinicine
John August
Just TV
Lance Weiler
LA Times
Loud Buzz
Making the Movie
Making Movies Flyover
M
arcus Makes Movies
Media Production Blog
Metaphilm
Movie City Indie
Movie Dist Facts
Movie Marketing
Moviemaker
M
yFilm
Netflix Blog
NewTeeVee
NYIndieSeen
Out of Focus
Outside Hollywood
Prep Shoot Post
Projector Films
ProLost
 Pullquote
Risky Biz
Roger Ebert Journal
Sam Longoria Film
Sceneclips
Screenwritng Goldmine
Self-Reliant Film
Self-Styled Siren
Sex in a Submarine
SpoutBlog
Steady Diet of  Film
Still in Motion
The Apple Blog
The Chutry Experiment
The Hot Blog
The LAMB
The Movie Blog
Time/CNN TV
Timewarp
Truly Free Film
TV Squad
TV Week/Blink
TV Week/Digital Dish
Unknown Screenwriter
Wind in the Trees
Workbook Project
Write Vision
Zen Pictures

Other Film Sites
Ain't It Cool News

AIVF
Brilliant Light Fest
Creative Screenwriting
Digital Cinema Report
DV Info Network
DVXuser
Film Independent
Filmmaker Mag
Filmmaking.Net
Film Specific
Film Threat
HFI
HW Scriptwriter
Icewhole
IDA
IFC
IFP
IMDB
IndieShares
IndieWire
Indie Slate
ITVS
Journal of Short Film
Mandy
Microcinema Int'l
Moviemaker Mag
Mt. Shasta Film Festival
No Budget Film School
Nomads Land
NY Film Academy
Production Hub
Script Mag
Shooting People
Spiritual Cinema Circle
Unusuals
Webcinema
Withoutabox
Writer's Store
YouTube Screening Room

IndieTalk
Filmmaking Forum
 
Discussion and resources for independent filmmakers - discuss filmmaking, screenwriting, financing, distribution, and more!

 


Privacy Policy                                                  Terms of Use

Copyright 2009 WTG Media