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
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."
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"
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 ...
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!
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.
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
...
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.
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...
