Catch the special midnight screening of Monster Cops: The Midnight Special at Balticon 41. Baltimore's Science Fiction Convention.
The convention is at Marriott's Hunt Valley Inn, Baltimore, MD. and will take place May 25 - 28, 2007 Memorial Day Weekend.
The Midnight Special will be screening Sunday Night at Midnight at the convention.
For more info and directions to the Con, see their site at:
BALTICON.org
Showing posts with label The Midnight Special. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Midnight Special. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Batter up
My first inclination is to write the following words to start off this post: "This has been the hardest couple of days."
But that would be incorrect. It has been indeed, but really the collective difficulty is that of more than just a couple of days. I posted once on this roller coaster of emotion and drama. The pain of being a no-budget indie moviemaker combined with the pain that accompanies dealing with death and the responsibility of consoling the ones you love. This is fucking hard.
The ups and downs are in such separation that it fools you into thinking everything is ok. Then the emotions hit you. The memories hit you. You fight to get to a point where you are positive about everything, and as a husband I hope to God that the laughter me and my wife share is an indication that things are better. Then it hits. You go from trying to celebrate a life, to going back to wondering what it is you could have done differently. How could I have saved Brenda? How can I be better suppporting my wife?
And then the movie making pursuit, which is something that was set into motion before all this, hits you with it's realities and responsibilities. The DVD release is supposed to be tomorrow. The marketing must continue. And new pressures have arisen. And once again because of the Birthday Wish Syndrome I will not reveal right away what those pressures are. But it's something that needs to be done. Needs to be tried for.
All this happened yesterday. Yesterday was one of the hardest days in this journey through grieving and trying to be an artist/entrepeneur. My heart breaks in two when Juli gets hit hard with the grief. Yesterday was no exception. It's a horrible thing to hear your wife in pain. It's a horrible feeling not knowing if what you are doing is enough for your wife. I hate hearing her in such pain. But it's only been 6 months since her mother died, and there is no manual on how to grieve. There is no manual on when to expect the grief to hit and leave and hit again. I know there is much strength being gained by both of us. But like a muscle being pushed to it's limits, our resolve is being tested in much the same way. When the relief comes it comes with laughter and positivity because we are at heart people who return to love and positivity. But somedays that's just a set up for the fall.
We hit the ground pretty hard yesterday. But of course we bounce back. We fought our way back to the positive. Much hugging ensued, much leaning on one another, as a couple should and as we so often do. Juli is better for now. But it's left me drained. And as I find myself in the recovery period of this emotional workout, that's when the weight of a new challenge arises. It's something exciting. It's something I feel I need to embark on, but at the same time it puts me right back into the heart of being a no-budget, DIY moviemaker. It may very well be something I need, but right now there is alot to figure out and in a short period of time.
This is a chance for me to really get to say what it is I was trying to say with The Midnight Special. But how do I do that with even less than what I had in Texas?
I need to hit this one out of the park. DIY again. Solo. One guy tryin to play all positions in a ball game. I don't know what made me think before that this was over. Like somehow, the DVD was gong to come out and I would proceed with the business plan and the next project would be with a budget and a professional crew instead of just me running around doing everything.
But it looks like I'm going to have to do this a couple more times. But this time around I have to do it better that I ever had. It's going to take a little money (from lord knows where) but it's mainly going to take a whole lot of creativity and sweat. This is all about pressure and time, and the latter I don't have too much of.
Gotta sell some DVD's. Gotta find out what my assets are here. I need sleep.
Time to find out what exactly one spartan can do.
But that would be incorrect. It has been indeed, but really the collective difficulty is that of more than just a couple of days. I posted once on this roller coaster of emotion and drama. The pain of being a no-budget indie moviemaker combined with the pain that accompanies dealing with death and the responsibility of consoling the ones you love. This is fucking hard.
The ups and downs are in such separation that it fools you into thinking everything is ok. Then the emotions hit you. The memories hit you. You fight to get to a point where you are positive about everything, and as a husband I hope to God that the laughter me and my wife share is an indication that things are better. Then it hits. You go from trying to celebrate a life, to going back to wondering what it is you could have done differently. How could I have saved Brenda? How can I be better suppporting my wife?
And then the movie making pursuit, which is something that was set into motion before all this, hits you with it's realities and responsibilities. The DVD release is supposed to be tomorrow. The marketing must continue. And new pressures have arisen. And once again because of the Birthday Wish Syndrome I will not reveal right away what those pressures are. But it's something that needs to be done. Needs to be tried for.
All this happened yesterday. Yesterday was one of the hardest days in this journey through grieving and trying to be an artist/entrepeneur. My heart breaks in two when Juli gets hit hard with the grief. Yesterday was no exception. It's a horrible thing to hear your wife in pain. It's a horrible feeling not knowing if what you are doing is enough for your wife. I hate hearing her in such pain. But it's only been 6 months since her mother died, and there is no manual on how to grieve. There is no manual on when to expect the grief to hit and leave and hit again. I know there is much strength being gained by both of us. But like a muscle being pushed to it's limits, our resolve is being tested in much the same way. When the relief comes it comes with laughter and positivity because we are at heart people who return to love and positivity. But somedays that's just a set up for the fall.
We hit the ground pretty hard yesterday. But of course we bounce back. We fought our way back to the positive. Much hugging ensued, much leaning on one another, as a couple should and as we so often do. Juli is better for now. But it's left me drained. And as I find myself in the recovery period of this emotional workout, that's when the weight of a new challenge arises. It's something exciting. It's something I feel I need to embark on, but at the same time it puts me right back into the heart of being a no-budget, DIY moviemaker. It may very well be something I need, but right now there is alot to figure out and in a short period of time.
This is a chance for me to really get to say what it is I was trying to say with The Midnight Special. But how do I do that with even less than what I had in Texas?
I need to hit this one out of the park. DIY again. Solo. One guy tryin to play all positions in a ball game. I don't know what made me think before that this was over. Like somehow, the DVD was gong to come out and I would proceed with the business plan and the next project would be with a budget and a professional crew instead of just me running around doing everything.
But it looks like I'm going to have to do this a couple more times. But this time around I have to do it better that I ever had. It's going to take a little money (from lord knows where) but it's mainly going to take a whole lot of creativity and sweat. This is all about pressure and time, and the latter I don't have too much of.
Gotta sell some DVD's. Gotta find out what my assets are here. I need sleep.
Time to find out what exactly one spartan can do.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
New Review!
Yet another amazing review, this time from Chad Connolly over
at
at
He gave us a great blurb that I will surely be putting on posters.
"The Midnight Special is truly one of the freshest and most hilarious films to come out of the (horror/comedy) genre."
Wow! Thanks Chad!
Friday, March 9, 2007
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
NIGHT OF THE COMET!!!!!
First off I have to say that I actually really enjoyed Hostel. And although I really don't have much desire to see part 2, I did enjoy what Eli Roth is saying about HOSTEL II.
6 Reasons Why Hostel Part II Will Mess You Up By Eli Roth
6 Reasons Why Hostel Part II Will Mess You Up By Eli Roth
- In the first movie it was the three guys, but in Hostel Part II the violence is harder to watch because it’s all aimed at women. And any violence aimed at women is always gonna have a sexual element...
- Hostel Part II goes much deeper. It shows you who runs the torture chambers – the shadowy figures who are in control. Everything you need to know about the corporation is right here. And it’s fucking terrifying.
- It also looks at it from the other angle: how do people get from seeing this shit advertised on the web to standing in a torture chamber cutting someone up? The people doing it are normal guys, like you and me...
- I don’t hold back on this one. The Unrated DVD of Hostel went to No1 but I only had 30 seconds of extra material to put in. This one, I’m filming it all: the sickest shit you’ll ever see. The censor’s are gonna flip.
- I show you all the blood, because I fucking love that stuff. But with Part II, I want more suspense. I love it in the first movie where the guy is dragged along the corridor: the dread. Here, the whole fucking movie’s like that.
- There’s one scene in this film that’s gonna change horror history. Even the guys from [effects company] KNB looked away as we shot it, and those guys live and breathe that shit. It’s special. I’m really proud!
In my moviemaking opinion THAT's how you market a movie. Kudos to you Mr. Roth. You've actually got my semi interested.
More importantly ....
My world has just gotten a whole lot brighter. And here is why:
New on DVD. NIGHT OF
This movie is on my list of flicks I can watch all day long. Friday August 23rd 1985, Patrick spends entire day watching Night Of The Comet, pausing only once to watch a special episode of Macgyver that night. I love this movie, and it's not just because Kelli Maroney is frickin hot as a cheerleader with a sub machine gun.
And if you hadn't heard the news GUESS what's coming out from Lions Gate Home Video later this year. That's right bitches, It's THE mutherfuckin MONSTER SQUAD!!!!! Don't believe me, read this: http://www.movieweb.com/dvd/news/57/17857.php
WOLF MAN'S GOT NARDS!!!!
Oh what? What's that you say? Patrick's movie MONSTER COPS: THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL will be released on DVD on FRIDAY APRIL 13th? HOLY CRAP? REALLY!?
Yes.
I'm working on the special features as we speak. APRIL FRIDAY THE 13th, get your copy at monstercops.com, customflix.com, or amazon.com. It'll be available for digital download through amazon.com in June, and then we'll hit Blockbuster and Netflix before end of Summer. And all this year we'll still be hitting screenings at fests and conventions, including ...
ALL-CON DALLAS Sci-Fi/Fantasy/ Convention
March 17th
STARFEST/HORRORFEST Denver, Colorado
April 20-22 (Date and time pending)
More to come.
Goddamn, I love this movie making shit!
Friday, February 23, 2007
Monstercops.com
Website has been redone. In the process of updating all of the pages, so bare with me. Monster Cops now has it's own blog. Also I'll be adding more fun stuff and new videos.
Monstercops.com
Monstercops.com
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Candy Hearts and Knowing Your Movie
I'm just now, right at this moment, getting over being sick. As a matter of fact I'm still sick, and feeling a bit better, and most likely jinxing things by jumping the gun in posting this. It's been a bit of a rough week. The last time I was sick was back in October when Juli's mom died. So there was a bit there where I was reliving some things that really didn't really need reliving. Add in some other things. The father of an old friend of Juli's had passed away, Juli's Grandmother isn't doing all that well, and our old next door neighbor and a dear friend to me and Juli, and to Juli and her family long before I was in the picture isn't doing much better either.
I was quietly dealing with a small bout of depression, but I had a nice little cough and headache to keep me preoccupied. Juli ended up breaking down the other night. This vibe of illness, death, and depression seemed to swallow us this week. It has been a bit heartbreaking, but we've gotten really good a dealing with this kind of thing. The only thing that kept Valentine's Day from sucking was the simple fact that we have each other. And I decided to be silly super husband and brave the cold cold weather in my sick sick body to hunt down Juli's favorite candy hearts. Undercover of getting dinner and DVDs of course. That made her happy. At least I hope it did.
I'm not use to being sick. I don't really get sick that often. And when I do get sick I tend to want to still work on stuff. Especially movie stuff. So I spent the past few days struggling through a sore throat, annoying cough, stuffy nose, and sinus headaches, planning out screenings, fest entries, and convention screenings.
Thanks to Crystal for reminding me of what our exact demographic is and for pointing out conventions as a place to target our core audience. Monster Cops: The Midnight Special is, after all, Cult, Horror, SciFi, Comedy, Action. So it does reach a wide range of people. Thing is I was mainly working the Horror and Comedy crowds in my agenda. I had conventions in mind, but I was aiming mainly for horror themed cons. For some reason it didn't even occur to me to that our core audience would also be interested in general scifi fandoms. I had missed the SciFi aspect of The Midnight Special. I mean I knew it was there, but I was mainly concentrating on the two things The Midnight Special are at the forefront, Horror and Comedy.
Film Threat put out there "Top Ten Tips To Distributing Your Movie" years ago. In one section they mention Truly Understanding Your Film. The section talks of filmmaker Mark Bosko making his movie "Killer Nerd". Mr. Bosko thought he was making a simple horror film, but when he was distributing and marketing he discovered a new niche for the film, Horror Comedy. I don't know how you couldn't know from the title, Killer Nerd. But it's a good tip to truly identify what your movie is. Makes it much easier for you to identify who your audience is.
In my case I just didn't really look at it, and I would've missed a good opportunity to really get to the core audience of people who love Cult, Horror, Comedy, SciFi, Action movies. This is why I have specific people I call when I need data or assistance. Crystal is great with PR, and when I hit a point where I knew I needed to re identify our core audience in order to figure out everything I needed to supplement my agenda, I knew to call Crystal. She really hit the nail on the head with the SciFi Cons. Also helps that she's worked a few in her time.
What's great with alot of these cons is they seem open to screening indie movies. Many of them have just started their own little film festivals or at least have a video or screening room that runs movies through out the con. Even if it isn't an official screening, at least your movie will screen through out a convention run and you have the potential to reach hundreds of people. It's mainly just about having some sort of presence around your core audience. Also cons love to hand stuff out for free. Send them any promo items, especially ones with your URL on them (monstercops.com) and they'll be sure to put them in the hands of many if not all of their attendees. I'm documenting the entire process for a future article on Indies working with Cons.
Don't know how many cons Monster Cops: The Midnight Special maybe screening at, but I know it will be a couple at least. This will definitely be a great supplement to the festival screenings as well as the theatrical screenings we're going to organize.
Still have a ton of things to put together before we start getting people to the website. That is the big key here, getting people to the website, monstercops.com. this is where they will get to know the movie, get to love the movie, and then eventually where they will want to buy the movie.
To do:
- Update trailers. Cutting together a new trailer to supplement the official trailer.
- Upload clips of the movie. Must give the people a sample of the film if they're just coming to the site without having seen it at the screening. Gotta let them know what they're missing out on.
- Video Blogs. Gotta let the people know about the filmmaker. If they know you, they'll be more inclined to buy from you and support your efforts. At least I hope.
- Update all links and pages and put up some new content. Gotta keep em coming back for something until the DVD release.
- Must prep all marketing materials, fliers, cards, promo items, etc. for the conventions and possible other events.
- Still got a bunch more press kits and DVD screeners to make and burn.
- Still have a bunch of festivals to submit to.
OK gonna work on the site a bit, and email a few more cons.
Ooh, I hear the cough medicine calling me.
I was quietly dealing with a small bout of depression, but I had a nice little cough and headache to keep me preoccupied. Juli ended up breaking down the other night. This vibe of illness, death, and depression seemed to swallow us this week. It has been a bit heartbreaking, but we've gotten really good a dealing with this kind of thing. The only thing that kept Valentine's Day from sucking was the simple fact that we have each other. And I decided to be silly super husband and brave the cold cold weather in my sick sick body to hunt down Juli's favorite candy hearts. Undercover of getting dinner and DVDs of course. That made her happy. At least I hope it did.
I'm not use to being sick. I don't really get sick that often. And when I do get sick I tend to want to still work on stuff. Especially movie stuff. So I spent the past few days struggling through a sore throat, annoying cough, stuffy nose, and sinus headaches, planning out screenings, fest entries, and convention screenings.
Thanks to Crystal for reminding me of what our exact demographic is and for pointing out conventions as a place to target our core audience. Monster Cops: The Midnight Special is, after all, Cult, Horror, SciFi, Comedy, Action. So it does reach a wide range of people. Thing is I was mainly working the Horror and Comedy crowds in my agenda. I had conventions in mind, but I was aiming mainly for horror themed cons. For some reason it didn't even occur to me to that our core audience would also be interested in general scifi fandoms. I had missed the SciFi aspect of The Midnight Special. I mean I knew it was there, but I was mainly concentrating on the two things The Midnight Special are at the forefront, Horror and Comedy.
Film Threat put out there "Top Ten Tips To Distributing Your Movie" years ago. In one section they mention Truly Understanding Your Film. The section talks of filmmaker Mark Bosko making his movie "Killer Nerd". Mr. Bosko thought he was making a simple horror film, but when he was distributing and marketing he discovered a new niche for the film, Horror Comedy. I don't know how you couldn't know from the title, Killer Nerd. But it's a good tip to truly identify what your movie is. Makes it much easier for you to identify who your audience is.
In my case I just didn't really look at it, and I would've missed a good opportunity to really get to the core audience of people who love Cult, Horror, Comedy, SciFi, Action movies. This is why I have specific people I call when I need data or assistance. Crystal is great with PR, and when I hit a point where I knew I needed to re identify our core audience in order to figure out everything I needed to supplement my agenda, I knew to call Crystal. She really hit the nail on the head with the SciFi Cons. Also helps that she's worked a few in her time.
What's great with alot of these cons is they seem open to screening indie movies. Many of them have just started their own little film festivals or at least have a video or screening room that runs movies through out the con. Even if it isn't an official screening, at least your movie will screen through out a convention run and you have the potential to reach hundreds of people. It's mainly just about having some sort of presence around your core audience. Also cons love to hand stuff out for free. Send them any promo items, especially ones with your URL on them (monstercops.com) and they'll be sure to put them in the hands of many if not all of their attendees. I'm documenting the entire process for a future article on Indies working with Cons.
Don't know how many cons Monster Cops: The Midnight Special maybe screening at, but I know it will be a couple at least. This will definitely be a great supplement to the festival screenings as well as the theatrical screenings we're going to organize.
Still have a ton of things to put together before we start getting people to the website. That is the big key here, getting people to the website, monstercops.com. this is where they will get to know the movie, get to love the movie, and then eventually where they will want to buy the movie.
To do:
- Update trailers. Cutting together a new trailer to supplement the official trailer.
- Upload clips of the movie. Must give the people a sample of the film if they're just coming to the site without having seen it at the screening. Gotta let them know what they're missing out on.
- Video Blogs. Gotta let the people know about the filmmaker. If they know you, they'll be more inclined to buy from you and support your efforts. At least I hope.
- Update all links and pages and put up some new content. Gotta keep em coming back for something until the DVD release.
- Must prep all marketing materials, fliers, cards, promo items, etc. for the conventions and possible other events.
- Still got a bunch more press kits and DVD screeners to make and burn.
- Still have a bunch of festivals to submit to.
OK gonna work on the site a bit, and email a few more cons.
Ooh, I hear the cough medicine calling me.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
9:00 am
And I still haven't gone to bed yet. Why? Because I'm obsessed with movie marketing and self distribution.
My father has made a full recovery. So now that I can breath a little easier about that, I can continue to pester myself about details on the current front.
Just a few notes. As soon as I go to sleep, I'll have to get up 6 hours after that to run errands. Good things it's my day off. Also have to settle a few details, but it looks like maybe hopefully possibly we've got a lead on a screening here in Winston Salem, NC. for The Midnight Special. We shall see how and if it happens. Hopefully today also marks the day I get to actually begin to work on updating some videos and the sites. This means new trailers for TMS and a ton of footage that's begging to be turned into two video blogs and DVD extras for TMS. We are also one step closer to bringing TMS to DVD. After today I'll know for sure if it's going to be March or April for a release date. And we begin the process of platform theatrical releases and screenings. But more on that later.
A couple of notes as far as marketing is concerned. I'm taking a few notes from foureyedmonsters.com and theindywoodproject.com.
Hey look. A bed.
My father has made a full recovery. So now that I can breath a little easier about that, I can continue to pester myself about details on the current front.
Just a few notes. As soon as I go to sleep, I'll have to get up 6 hours after that to run errands. Good things it's my day off. Also have to settle a few details, but it looks like maybe hopefully possibly we've got a lead on a screening here in Winston Salem, NC. for The Midnight Special. We shall see how and if it happens. Hopefully today also marks the day I get to actually begin to work on updating some videos and the sites. This means new trailers for TMS and a ton of footage that's begging to be turned into two video blogs and DVD extras for TMS. We are also one step closer to bringing TMS to DVD. After today I'll know for sure if it's going to be March or April for a release date. And we begin the process of platform theatrical releases and screenings. But more on that later.
A couple of notes as far as marketing is concerned. I'm taking a few notes from foureyedmonsters.com and theindywoodproject.com.
Hey look. A bed.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Wow
I had no idea. Just found out about this. A little bit of something positive to keep me up. Horror Bob over at the Horror Review put up his top 10 of 2006. And my movie The Midnight Special ranked #2 for the year. Right under Lance Weiller's Head Trauma and right above Night Watch and Feast. Wow. Thanks Horror Bob. That is quite an honor.
View the list here.
View the list here.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Without A Box
The Golden Globes. Yeah, I forgot about em. I was at work.
The Superbowl. I'll probably forget about that too.
The Oscars. I really don't care.
The Superbowl, well, that has to do with me not keeping up with any sporting even that didn't involve cards, pool, or free form fighting this past year. As far as awards. I'm at the point where I don't really care what movie wins an award, because I've got my brain wrapped around making and marketing my own. However I am quite happy that Jennifer Hudson won. And it's about damn time Eddie Murphy received something as well as Forest Whitaker. So good for them. And Sacha Baron Cohen, yes I am happy you won too. But I'm still envious that you get to bang Isla Fisher with frequency. So congrats and screw you.
I didn't care to tune in, cuz I'd rather be working. I'm glad for the winners, but I don't find myself taking nights off for award shows or TV events anymore. Unless there is some sort of segment on Indie Self distribution, I most likely will not be tuning in to the Oscars. Especially if I'm working, either at the day job or my real job.
I find myself lately surrounded by budget sheets and scrap pieces of paper covered in scribbles of numbers and prices and costs and sales figures. I'm trying to take a note from a wise piece of advice Lance Weiller (The Last Broadcast) said in an article on DIY Distribution. "Don't lose that same empowerment that you felt when you picked up the camera and shot the film in the first place."
So very true. It doesn't end when the movie is in final cut. That is honestly only the beginning. And since that final edit last year, it's been a bumpy road that hasn't really alloted me the chance to get going. But I've got my second wind back, and I'm ready to get going on distribution.
I'm aiming for a DVD release date of March, but in reality it may be more like April. This is also going to coincide with Festival Screenings as well as separate theatrical screenings. Any place I can show this movie I will and at the same time let people know that they can own it on DVD. This is also going to coincide with some fundraising for the sequel. I'm going full steam ahead on MONSTER COPS the movie. The series will come after. I fully garuntee an interesting and fun fundraising and marketing ride. Get the bail money ready, cuz I've got a plan.
I've got 5 packages to send out. Each with a DVD screener/press kit/promo kit. I already did one video about the basic DVD screener creation and what that entails, but I'm documenting the creation of the full kit and promo materials. I hope to have that up in a few weeks.
I really don't know what I would do without WITHOUTABOX. If you're an indie filmmaker and you're not utilizing Withoutabox.com, than you are just plain missing out. It's a festival data base and a one stop shop for entering festivals online. No need to fill out any paper work, now you can find the fest or fests you want, submit your info and press kit details, have your entry form and applications filled out automatically online, pay all of your entry fees online, and all you have to do is mail your DVD screener in. Entering fests have been so much easier since Withoutabox came along a few years back. It's also a huge help that you get discounts on many of these fest fees.
And they've really grown too. Almost every fest on the planet has signed up with them, making it easier to enter fests in one shot. Now they also provide DVD on demand delivery. They will burn and send in your DVD everytime you enter a fest online. Soon they will be much like Indieflix or Customflix where indies can distribute there DVD's on demand. They've even started something called AUDIENCE. It's pretty much MYSPACE for Filmmakers. Got a movie to promote, you can start your own Audience Page and upload pics, info, and trailers. Check out THE MIDNIGHT SPECIALS AUDIENCE PAGE. Many films have already used Audience to build buzz about their movie.
I'll tell ya though it's getting hectic having to keep up with all these promo pages. Audience, Myspace, Indieloop, etc. But it's worth it everytime I see how many new hits there are on monstercops.com. How the hell are we so popular in Germany? Everytime I check the stats, there's 20 new hits from Germany. I don't think I've even sent a screener out that far. Whatever, as long as they spend as much time as they do on the site getting to know the movie, I'm cool with it.
As posted on the WTW Blog, there will be some major changes to monstercops.com and whethertheweather.com. Got some major work to do.
The Superbowl. I'll probably forget about that too.
The Oscars. I really don't care.
The Superbowl, well, that has to do with me not keeping up with any sporting even that didn't involve cards, pool, or free form fighting this past year. As far as awards. I'm at the point where I don't really care what movie wins an award, because I've got my brain wrapped around making and marketing my own. However I am quite happy that Jennifer Hudson won. And it's about damn time Eddie Murphy received something as well as Forest Whitaker. So good for them. And Sacha Baron Cohen, yes I am happy you won too. But I'm still envious that you get to bang Isla Fisher with frequency. So congrats and screw you.
I didn't care to tune in, cuz I'd rather be working. I'm glad for the winners, but I don't find myself taking nights off for award shows or TV events anymore. Unless there is some sort of segment on Indie Self distribution, I most likely will not be tuning in to the Oscars. Especially if I'm working, either at the day job or my real job.
I find myself lately surrounded by budget sheets and scrap pieces of paper covered in scribbles of numbers and prices and costs and sales figures. I'm trying to take a note from a wise piece of advice Lance Weiller (The Last Broadcast) said in an article on DIY Distribution. "Don't lose that same empowerment that you felt when you picked up the camera and shot the film in the first place."
So very true. It doesn't end when the movie is in final cut. That is honestly only the beginning. And since that final edit last year, it's been a bumpy road that hasn't really alloted me the chance to get going. But I've got my second wind back, and I'm ready to get going on distribution.
I'm aiming for a DVD release date of March, but in reality it may be more like April. This is also going to coincide with Festival Screenings as well as separate theatrical screenings. Any place I can show this movie I will and at the same time let people know that they can own it on DVD. This is also going to coincide with some fundraising for the sequel. I'm going full steam ahead on MONSTER COPS the movie. The series will come after. I fully garuntee an interesting and fun fundraising and marketing ride. Get the bail money ready, cuz I've got a plan.
I've got 5 packages to send out. Each with a DVD screener/press kit/promo kit. I already did one video about the basic DVD screener creation and what that entails, but I'm documenting the creation of the full kit and promo materials. I hope to have that up in a few weeks.
I really don't know what I would do without WITHOUTABOX. If you're an indie filmmaker and you're not utilizing Withoutabox.com, than you are just plain missing out. It's a festival data base and a one stop shop for entering festivals online. No need to fill out any paper work, now you can find the fest or fests you want, submit your info and press kit details, have your entry form and applications filled out automatically online, pay all of your entry fees online, and all you have to do is mail your DVD screener in. Entering fests have been so much easier since Withoutabox came along a few years back. It's also a huge help that you get discounts on many of these fest fees.
And they've really grown too. Almost every fest on the planet has signed up with them, making it easier to enter fests in one shot. Now they also provide DVD on demand delivery. They will burn and send in your DVD everytime you enter a fest online. Soon they will be much like Indieflix or Customflix where indies can distribute there DVD's on demand. They've even started something called AUDIENCE. It's pretty much MYSPACE for Filmmakers. Got a movie to promote, you can start your own Audience Page and upload pics, info, and trailers. Check out THE MIDNIGHT SPECIALS AUDIENCE PAGE. Many films have already used Audience to build buzz about their movie.
I'll tell ya though it's getting hectic having to keep up with all these promo pages. Audience, Myspace, Indieloop, etc. But it's worth it everytime I see how many new hits there are on monstercops.com. How the hell are we so popular in Germany? Everytime I check the stats, there's 20 new hits from Germany. I don't think I've even sent a screener out that far. Whatever, as long as they spend as much time as they do on the site getting to know the movie, I'm cool with it.
As posted on the WTW Blog, there will be some major changes to monstercops.com and whethertheweather.com. Got some major work to do.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
When dealing with distributors ...
it's always a good idea to consult the people they are already distributing.
Got a few emails from some people I contacted about a few of these distributors that keep tugging at me. And boy am I glad I contacted them. I've learned some very interesting things about some of these fairly popular companies. Now I'm not gonna name any names, or give away too much, that would just be bad business karma. But just know, over the next year, I'll be helping out my fellow indies by getting the word out about their product. I swear some of these guys just plain got screwed by their distributor. And these are some VERY good movies.
One indie filmmaker in particular made a deal with, let's call them Company A. Company A has had there movie for about 4 years now and they've barely done any marketing and have only sold about 500 copies. I'm hoping to God their contract is up with Company A soon. This particular movie is EXTREMELY marketable and a decent distributor should have no problem at least clearing 10,000 copies a year. Let's say you sell 10,000 DVD's at about 11 dollars each, that's $110,000.00 a year, and if the contract is 70 percent of profits to the distributor and 30 percent to the filmmaker, after the expenses have been recouped we're talking at least $24,000.00 to the filmmaker for one year. In 4 years that should have been a total of $96,000.00 that should have been paid to the filmmaker. In this case since Company A has only sold 500 copies in 4 years, the profit goes to recouping expenses of the distributor first. Which basically means this particular filmmaker hasn't seen a dime.
Tip: Be sure there is a stipulation in your contract with the distributor that says if they don't earn you X amount of dollars within X amount of time, then you retain all rights.
And what's even sadder is that we are only talking about DVD sales. What about pay-per-view, digital download, mobile video, cable, even theatrical? Your distributor should be busting his ass getting your movie out there. He should be hitting the pavement screaming to people about the catalog of great movies he has including yours. I swear talking to some of these filmmakers and really hearing these horror stories, just confirms my beliefs. Why am I going to hand over my movie to someone who is only going to do what I can do myself? The problem with DIY distribution is that you may not have the clout and weight of an experienced distribution company, but I've got the contact info for the pay-per-view folks, I know that I can easliy make my movie available on DVD, online, and even in some retail outlets, I can put my movie up for digital downloads, and I'm not that far off reaching basic cable. And as far as marketing is concerned, hearing the inside track of what alot of these companies do to get marketing done, is basically what I was going to do except I won't have to pay someone else to do it.
Unless a distributor can come up to me and offer me something that I can't do, then maybe I'll work with them. But for alot of these companies that I've been dealing with, I've been doing the research, I've been getting the info, and it doesn't sound like you can do any better job than I can. As a matter of fact it sounds like I can do a much better job than you, because I've got the full passion of this project. I love this movie. It's my baby and who better to take care of it than the baby daddy. Yeah that's right, I got fuckin ghetto on your ass.
Bottom line is, if you want something done, you gotta do it yourself.
ya-ya ya know it!
And yes I've been listening to the Ghostbusters 2 soundtrack.
AND SPEAKING OF GHOSTBUSTERS! Look what was leaked recently.
GHOSTBUSTERS 360 BITCHES!!!!
But apparently there are some licensing issues, so there is a possibility this is as close to a game (or a sequel) we'll ever get. I'd also like to note that this is similar to the look I'm going for with MONSTER COPS / SHADOW COMPANY. For a few of the action scenes that is.
Checkout More Here at Team XBOX
Got a few emails from some people I contacted about a few of these distributors that keep tugging at me. And boy am I glad I contacted them. I've learned some very interesting things about some of these fairly popular companies. Now I'm not gonna name any names, or give away too much, that would just be bad business karma. But just know, over the next year, I'll be helping out my fellow indies by getting the word out about their product. I swear some of these guys just plain got screwed by their distributor. And these are some VERY good movies.
One indie filmmaker in particular made a deal with, let's call them Company A. Company A has had there movie for about 4 years now and they've barely done any marketing and have only sold about 500 copies. I'm hoping to God their contract is up with Company A soon. This particular movie is EXTREMELY marketable and a decent distributor should have no problem at least clearing 10,000 copies a year. Let's say you sell 10,000 DVD's at about 11 dollars each, that's $110,000.00 a year, and if the contract is 70 percent of profits to the distributor and 30 percent to the filmmaker, after the expenses have been recouped we're talking at least $24,000.00 to the filmmaker for one year. In 4 years that should have been a total of $96,000.00 that should have been paid to the filmmaker. In this case since Company A has only sold 500 copies in 4 years, the profit goes to recouping expenses of the distributor first. Which basically means this particular filmmaker hasn't seen a dime.
Tip: Be sure there is a stipulation in your contract with the distributor that says if they don't earn you X amount of dollars within X amount of time, then you retain all rights.
And what's even sadder is that we are only talking about DVD sales. What about pay-per-view, digital download, mobile video, cable, even theatrical? Your distributor should be busting his ass getting your movie out there. He should be hitting the pavement screaming to people about the catalog of great movies he has including yours. I swear talking to some of these filmmakers and really hearing these horror stories, just confirms my beliefs. Why am I going to hand over my movie to someone who is only going to do what I can do myself? The problem with DIY distribution is that you may not have the clout and weight of an experienced distribution company, but I've got the contact info for the pay-per-view folks, I know that I can easliy make my movie available on DVD, online, and even in some retail outlets, I can put my movie up for digital downloads, and I'm not that far off reaching basic cable. And as far as marketing is concerned, hearing the inside track of what alot of these companies do to get marketing done, is basically what I was going to do except I won't have to pay someone else to do it.
Unless a distributor can come up to me and offer me something that I can't do, then maybe I'll work with them. But for alot of these companies that I've been dealing with, I've been doing the research, I've been getting the info, and it doesn't sound like you can do any better job than I can. As a matter of fact it sounds like I can do a much better job than you, because I've got the full passion of this project. I love this movie. It's my baby and who better to take care of it than the baby daddy. Yeah that's right, I got fuckin ghetto on your ass.
Bottom line is, if you want something done, you gotta do it yourself.
ya-ya ya know it!
And yes I've been listening to the Ghostbusters 2 soundtrack.
AND SPEAKING OF GHOSTBUSTERS! Look what was leaked recently.
GHOSTBUSTERS 360 BITCHES!!!!
But apparently there are some licensing issues, so there is a possibility this is as close to a game (or a sequel) we'll ever get. I'd also like to note that this is similar to the look I'm going for with MONSTER COPS / SHADOW COMPANY. For a few of the action scenes that is.
Checkout More Here at Team XBOX
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Life is on the wire, the rest is just waiting.
Thanks for that one Papa Wallenda. If you don't know about the high flying Wallendas, they are an elite group of high wire walkers. Papa Wallenda was the first of em. The Daddy of all tight rope walkers. And here he does indeed speak the gospel. Life is indeed on the wire. And I'm on it man. That's what it feels like right now. I'm walking that tight rope. Just trying to keep my balance. One false move and I'm gone. Just trying to make friends with gravity.
You'll have to forgive me if you're one of the many people who have messaged me, emailed me, or called. I'll get back to you soon. Right now I'm on the wire. Too busy trying to keep my balance. And I got people on all sides tuggin at me. Tellin me to go one way or another. Lemme tell you, this whole movie distribution thing is kickin me in the ass. Just in the last 24 hours, a few things have occured to change the way the game is played. Could be good and maybe even great, but it all depends on how steady I can keep it. Right now I'm just fascinated by how quickly things can change once you think you've made the right decision.
I had a few offers for the movie. I picked one. When one didn't look like it was going to work out. I decided to self distribute. And man I got gung ho about it. I had a plan all worked out. In the past two weeks, I've been making deals, talking to sponsors, hooking up screenings, talking to fests, and planning out convention appearances. I was ready to take this bad boy on tour. I got excited about the idea of handling my own movie, as opposed to handing it over to a company and let them handle my baby while I collect a small percentage off of something I've been busting my ass on for the past 3 years.
Here I am all excited, then that's when all of the companies that I've been denying, come back at me with better offers. And then the one that I picked originally has come back into the picture as well. Now, I'm not complaining. It's an excellent dilemna to be in. I remember when I had my first movie, and I was getting denied by crappy art house theatres. But it's a dilemna nonetheless. I want to stay independent, because in my hands I know what kind of noise I can make. I know what kind of publicity I can create and I get to keep one hundred percent of the profits. In the hands of a distributor, it's a garuntee that my movie will be available, but I won't have that much control over the business of it, and I only get a percentage of the profits.
And that's not even all of it. There's many other factors to consider. And the hits just keep on comin. And I can't seem to wrap my brain around anything else.
What would Papa Wallenda do?
Well maybe I'm looking to the wrong person as an example. He did fall to his death off of a tight rope. They say it was the high winds that blew him down. The family says there was a problem with the wire.
Lesson: Before proceeding across the high wire, check the weather, and secure the rope.
I got it.
You'll have to forgive me if you're one of the many people who have messaged me, emailed me, or called. I'll get back to you soon. Right now I'm on the wire. Too busy trying to keep my balance. And I got people on all sides tuggin at me. Tellin me to go one way or another. Lemme tell you, this whole movie distribution thing is kickin me in the ass. Just in the last 24 hours, a few things have occured to change the way the game is played. Could be good and maybe even great, but it all depends on how steady I can keep it. Right now I'm just fascinated by how quickly things can change once you think you've made the right decision.
I had a few offers for the movie. I picked one. When one didn't look like it was going to work out. I decided to self distribute. And man I got gung ho about it. I had a plan all worked out. In the past two weeks, I've been making deals, talking to sponsors, hooking up screenings, talking to fests, and planning out convention appearances. I was ready to take this bad boy on tour. I got excited about the idea of handling my own movie, as opposed to handing it over to a company and let them handle my baby while I collect a small percentage off of something I've been busting my ass on for the past 3 years.
Here I am all excited, then that's when all of the companies that I've been denying, come back at me with better offers. And then the one that I picked originally has come back into the picture as well. Now, I'm not complaining. It's an excellent dilemna to be in. I remember when I had my first movie, and I was getting denied by crappy art house theatres. But it's a dilemna nonetheless. I want to stay independent, because in my hands I know what kind of noise I can make. I know what kind of publicity I can create and I get to keep one hundred percent of the profits. In the hands of a distributor, it's a garuntee that my movie will be available, but I won't have that much control over the business of it, and I only get a percentage of the profits.
And that's not even all of it. There's many other factors to consider. And the hits just keep on comin. And I can't seem to wrap my brain around anything else.
What would Papa Wallenda do?
Well maybe I'm looking to the wrong person as an example. He did fall to his death off of a tight rope. They say it was the high winds that blew him down. The family says there was a problem with the wire.
Lesson: Before proceeding across the high wire, check the weather, and secure the rope.
I got it.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Before The Storm
Rule 1: Don't ever get frustrated about not being able to get somewhere when you haven't really decided where it is you're going. True. First things first. Decide on the destination. Pick your goal. Then go for it.
Example. I decided on a particular course of action for my indie film THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL. I decided that we would try for this one particular process. And it doesn't appear to be working out. Which brings me to the next rule.
Rule 2: When you decide on the goal, everything that is the exact opposite of that will come into your existence. True.
Example: Every time I try to jump off my roof top in an attempt to "fly". Gravity comes into existence. Fucking gravity. And I've done this many many times. Same thing with watching movie previews. Right when I aim to enjoy a good trailer, Joel Schumacher's name pops up. Fucking Bat nipples.
This is how it's done. You aim for the goal, you shoot for the goal, something has to make you miss. Why? It's the law of opposites. One cannot exist without the other. You cannot possibly experience achieving the goal if one hasn't experienced NOT having the goal. How am I supposed to fly if I don't first know what it's like to not fly? How can I possibly love Batman Begins as much as I do without having first experienced Batman and Robin? Actually I think we all would've been just fine without Batman and Robin.
But without the opposite of what you want, what you want cannot exist in your reality, yet. Yet.
Now this is going to happen a bunch of times in a bunch of different ways. Things are going to have to suck. Things are going to have to get rough. But the best way to perceive all this is in training. Yes that's right, training. What you think is just the world crapping on you, is just the world getting you prepared for the inevitable, which is SHIT HAPPENS. And the best way to prepare for shit happening is to experience the shit happening. Ok this is sounding gross.
Point is with The Midnight Special, I knew from previous experience and training that the first few swings at the bat for distribution weren't going to work out all that well. If it did great. But chances are our first few offers were probably going to be too good to be true, or just plain fall apart. Which I'm no saying has completely happened, but I'm smart enough to know when the boats about to sink. Which brings me to the next rule.
Rule 3: Always have a lifeboat.*
Call it what you want. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Forewarned is forearmed (Thank you Peter Vincent). Knowing is half the battle. You know what I mean. Have a plan. Don't get your hopes on one prospect. Send out many ships and one of them is bound to return through the shit storm.
With the movie I had a three part plan that included the expectation of the shit storm. And guess what? Everything is going according to plan. Shit storm is weathered. Actually there isn't really a shit storm, but I see one on the horizon and I've already got other ships out in different directions all of them scotch guarded and armed with three ply umbrellas. And Fabreeze, lots of Fabreeze.
Rule 4: Always use Fabreeze. Lysol just ends up landing on my tongue somehow.
Anyhoo.
The advantage nowadays is that it is not impossible to get distribution for your Independent film as long as it's good. You've got options like filmbaby.com, customflix.com, indieflix.com, and lulu.com. And if it's not good it better have some sex and violence. Sad but true.
Rule 5: Have a plan for your plan.
I'm probably going to put The Midnight Special on DVD soon through one of the above outlets, mainly cuz I hate disappointing these folks that keep emailing me. I really want people to see this movie. But I'm not stopping there. Just because you decide to self distribute doesn't mean your options are over. This is just the beginning and as far as my plan goes, we're only on part A of plan 1. Oh man we're just getting started here. But I've got part B of the plan in motion and I'm ever so slightly curious as to what would happen if I combined it with parts of plan 2, and some of part D of plan 6. You follow me? No. Me either.
All in all I've got plan upon plan. Like a safety net of sorts. One of my safety nets is the emergency fund. Our plan now is that before me or my wife set off to do anything else that costs money that isn't bills, we have to have an emergency fund. Not too much, just a thousand bucks put away in a money market account. I'm trying not to do anything too extravagant until that emergency fund is built up. Ya have to be prepared for the shit storm cuz it happens.
People get sick, get layed off, the car breaks, the computer crashes. Kinda hard to aim for those bigger goals in life when shit like that happens. With an emergency fund those things become more of a minor hassle than a major setback. And before we embark on anything else, I've got to make sure that fund is built back up. Gotta make sure that safety net is secure if it's going to catch us. And I've been lifting many weights and eating a whole lot more, so it has to be secure. With our plan for our plan in place, we're ready for anything. Which brings me to ...
Rule 6: You're never really ready for anything.
You cannot predict what your obstacle is going to be. You can foresee what some of them are, and perhaps even many of them. But not all of them. Honestly, was Indy really expecting for his father to be shot at the end of Last Crusade? Was Hip Hop really expecting Vanilla Ice? I don't think so. Otherwise the experience of the law of opposites would be void. And it isn't. So expect the unexpected. Ya know, like Ninjas.
Rule 7: When faced with Ninjas, act like a bear. They hate that. It'll either freak them out or annoy them, either way they'll just leave. And if they don't leave then you have to stand and fight. But becareful, if you fight a Ninja you're going to have to ...
Rule 8: Trust your instincts.
Instinct is like when your spirit or energy or inner mind, whatever, has experienced many different versions of the future, and is coming back to give you data on the situation. How many times have you tried something, failed, and then said, "I knew I should've done it the other way." How did you know? You're instincts told you. but what did you do? You listened to logic.
And hey, I'm not slamming logic. Logic is great. It's the exact measurement of process. Use it, gather all of the facts. But just because you know the wall is a foot higher than you're use to, doesn't mean you don't have it in you to scale it. A high percentage of a lot of things in your life are going to be because of you, what you can do, and what you believe in your heart you can do. If you know you can, then you can. Don't let them tell you that you can't. You decide for yourself. Which brings me to the most important rule ...
Rule 9: You can't
Just kidding.
Rule 9: There are no rules.
"When did Noah build The Ark? Before the storm. Before the storm."
- Robert Redford as Nathan Muir in SPY GAME
Example. I decided on a particular course of action for my indie film THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL. I decided that we would try for this one particular process. And it doesn't appear to be working out. Which brings me to the next rule.
Rule 2: When you decide on the goal, everything that is the exact opposite of that will come into your existence. True.
Example: Every time I try to jump off my roof top in an attempt to "fly". Gravity comes into existence. Fucking gravity. And I've done this many many times. Same thing with watching movie previews. Right when I aim to enjoy a good trailer, Joel Schumacher's name pops up. Fucking Bat nipples.
This is how it's done. You aim for the goal, you shoot for the goal, something has to make you miss. Why? It's the law of opposites. One cannot exist without the other. You cannot possibly experience achieving the goal if one hasn't experienced NOT having the goal. How am I supposed to fly if I don't first know what it's like to not fly? How can I possibly love Batman Begins as much as I do without having first experienced Batman and Robin? Actually I think we all would've been just fine without Batman and Robin.
But without the opposite of what you want, what you want cannot exist in your reality, yet. Yet.
Now this is going to happen a bunch of times in a bunch of different ways. Things are going to have to suck. Things are going to have to get rough. But the best way to perceive all this is in training. Yes that's right, training. What you think is just the world crapping on you, is just the world getting you prepared for the inevitable, which is SHIT HAPPENS. And the best way to prepare for shit happening is to experience the shit happening. Ok this is sounding gross.
Point is with The Midnight Special, I knew from previous experience and training that the first few swings at the bat for distribution weren't going to work out all that well. If it did great. But chances are our first few offers were probably going to be too good to be true, or just plain fall apart. Which I'm no saying has completely happened, but I'm smart enough to know when the boats about to sink. Which brings me to the next rule.
Rule 3: Always have a lifeboat.*
Call it what you want. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Forewarned is forearmed (Thank you Peter Vincent). Knowing is half the battle. You know what I mean. Have a plan. Don't get your hopes on one prospect. Send out many ships and one of them is bound to return through the shit storm.
With the movie I had a three part plan that included the expectation of the shit storm. And guess what? Everything is going according to plan. Shit storm is weathered. Actually there isn't really a shit storm, but I see one on the horizon and I've already got other ships out in different directions all of them scotch guarded and armed with three ply umbrellas. And Fabreeze, lots of Fabreeze.
Rule 4: Always use Fabreeze. Lysol just ends up landing on my tongue somehow.
Anyhoo.
The advantage nowadays is that it is not impossible to get distribution for your Independent film as long as it's good. You've got options like filmbaby.com, customflix.com, indieflix.com, and lulu.com. And if it's not good it better have some sex and violence. Sad but true.
Rule 5: Have a plan for your plan.
I'm probably going to put The Midnight Special on DVD soon through one of the above outlets, mainly cuz I hate disappointing these folks that keep emailing me. I really want people to see this movie. But I'm not stopping there. Just because you decide to self distribute doesn't mean your options are over. This is just the beginning and as far as my plan goes, we're only on part A of plan 1. Oh man we're just getting started here. But I've got part B of the plan in motion and I'm ever so slightly curious as to what would happen if I combined it with parts of plan 2, and some of part D of plan 6. You follow me? No. Me either.
All in all I've got plan upon plan. Like a safety net of sorts. One of my safety nets is the emergency fund. Our plan now is that before me or my wife set off to do anything else that costs money that isn't bills, we have to have an emergency fund. Not too much, just a thousand bucks put away in a money market account. I'm trying not to do anything too extravagant until that emergency fund is built up. Ya have to be prepared for the shit storm cuz it happens.
People get sick, get layed off, the car breaks, the computer crashes. Kinda hard to aim for those bigger goals in life when shit like that happens. With an emergency fund those things become more of a minor hassle than a major setback. And before we embark on anything else, I've got to make sure that fund is built back up. Gotta make sure that safety net is secure if it's going to catch us. And I've been lifting many weights and eating a whole lot more, so it has to be secure. With our plan for our plan in place, we're ready for anything. Which brings me to ...
Rule 6: You're never really ready for anything.
You cannot predict what your obstacle is going to be. You can foresee what some of them are, and perhaps even many of them. But not all of them. Honestly, was Indy really expecting for his father to be shot at the end of Last Crusade? Was Hip Hop really expecting Vanilla Ice? I don't think so. Otherwise the experience of the law of opposites would be void. And it isn't. So expect the unexpected. Ya know, like Ninjas.
Rule 7: When faced with Ninjas, act like a bear. They hate that. It'll either freak them out or annoy them, either way they'll just leave. And if they don't leave then you have to stand and fight. But becareful, if you fight a Ninja you're going to have to ...
Rule 8: Trust your instincts.
Instinct is like when your spirit or energy or inner mind, whatever, has experienced many different versions of the future, and is coming back to give you data on the situation. How many times have you tried something, failed, and then said, "I knew I should've done it the other way." How did you know? You're instincts told you. but what did you do? You listened to logic.
And hey, I'm not slamming logic. Logic is great. It's the exact measurement of process. Use it, gather all of the facts. But just because you know the wall is a foot higher than you're use to, doesn't mean you don't have it in you to scale it. A high percentage of a lot of things in your life are going to be because of you, what you can do, and what you believe in your heart you can do. If you know you can, then you can. Don't let them tell you that you can't. You decide for yourself. Which brings me to the most important rule ...
Rule 9: You can't
Just kidding.
Rule 9: There are no rules.
"When did Noah build The Ark? Before the storm. Before the storm."
- Robert Redford as Nathan Muir in SPY GAME
Friday, January 5, 2007
Just Keep Swimming
I didn't even really realize it, but I had been knocked on my ass. I knew we all suffered an emotional blow. After my mother in law passed away, I knew it knocked the wind out of everyone. I knew it would affect me, but I didn't realize how much it would affect me. I was trying to put my own feelings aside so I could be a rock for my wife and her family. And in doing that it only prolonged the pain. I felt close to her too after all. I was right there watching her slowly fade away day after day, right up until the cancer finally decided to take her completely. My heart broke watching my wife's agony in losing her mother. The helplessness of not being able to do anything, and then the punishing regret of feeling like you didn't do enough. Then the focus becomes in worrying about my wife. Knowing the best thing I could ever do for her was just be there. Trying to hide my own feelings to keep my strength in holding her up. It took some time for me to let out how I was feeling, to deal with it, and to really take a good look at it. I've never watched someone close to me die before.
That was a little over two months ago. And now it's a New Year.
Through the holidays there's been some rough road, but nothing that couldn't be handled. Some scares, some emotional turmoil, some doubts about the past, and worries about the future. But that's what comes with being married, dealing with a recent death, and trying to get back to aiming high at those goals. 5 Days in to the New Year and I've gotten so much done. Of course the over achiever in me isn't quite satisfied with that, but I've still got time before the first week of the year is done with. Just wanna be able to get a head start on what needs to be done, and a good start on everything else.
And now that I have clearer eyes, and a stronger focus I see that there is so much that needs to be done. So much I need to catch up on. And little tiny bit more I need to rethink.
What sucks about me having a blog is that often I subscribe to the idea that if I speak of something it won't happen. It's the birthday wish syndrome. Ya know, you blow out all the candles and make a wish, but if you tell anyone the wish it won't come true. And because of this I have to find a creative way to describe what's going on without really giving it away. So pardon me if I ever get cryptic and confusing, but these are things I need to make note of, even if it makes no sense to you.
Cryptic Note #1:
The Ultimate Origami. Perhaps it's because I'm just dying to take my fascination with paper art and engineering too far. In the coming months you will see me create something insanely huge and complex out of paper. Perhaps a giant pop-up book. Maybe even a giant paper crane the size of a car. Whatever it is, it's actually necessary for an upcoming production. And it may not all be paper, but the base of it, the heart, the structure will most definitely lie in paper engineering.
Cryptic Note #2:
The machine. Some of you know what the machine is. Some of you may even have been interviewed about the machine. Originally the machine was going to debut on Halloween, but now it seems it's going to be modified to be more of a year round machine, and will make it's debut online hopefully before March. Once again for another production for a very necessary and very curious experiment.
Cryptic Note #3:
Merchants in the Nineteenth Century would build grand sailing ships, hire a crew, secure provisions, and send these ships out to the East Indies and other foreign ports to trade for goods, jewels, gold, etc. There was no communication to these ships once they set out to sail, and often these ships would take months, even years to return with the Merchants' profit. So the return of one of these ships after a long journey was always call for excitement. This is where the expression "Your ship has come in" comes from. Someone would run to the Merchants yelling this as the ship actually did come in. The key to steady business and profit was to send out more than one ship. The more ships you send out, the more chance for profit you have as they return.
I've got more than one ship out. ;)
Ok, ok, enough of that. No more Cryptic Notes.
Sent some packages out today. More DVD screeners out to two fests and two reviewers. But as always, you send em out and then forget about them. Maybe check up on em in a few weeks, but for the most part, let the screener do the work for ya.
The possibility of a North Carolina screening is pending, but I'm not really worried about that right now.
Some people will soon be getting a the official bootleg copy of THE MIDINIGHT SPECIAL, which includes a whole other disc of extras, including the gag reel.
Found the basic location for the ZOMBIE Episode of Monster Cops. Of course what I was aiming for was 5 minutes, but it may be more like 10. Just depends. I've been going back and forth on working on the Untitled Detective Short and the Monster Cops Episode, and now it looks like Monster Cops may be it for the next few months.
Ok, time for some sleep, so I can attempt to be up the same time the sun is. Ignore the following. It's only a test.
That was a little over two months ago. And now it's a New Year.
Through the holidays there's been some rough road, but nothing that couldn't be handled. Some scares, some emotional turmoil, some doubts about the past, and worries about the future. But that's what comes with being married, dealing with a recent death, and trying to get back to aiming high at those goals. 5 Days in to the New Year and I've gotten so much done. Of course the over achiever in me isn't quite satisfied with that, but I've still got time before the first week of the year is done with. Just wanna be able to get a head start on what needs to be done, and a good start on everything else.
And now that I have clearer eyes, and a stronger focus I see that there is so much that needs to be done. So much I need to catch up on. And little tiny bit more I need to rethink.
What sucks about me having a blog is that often I subscribe to the idea that if I speak of something it won't happen. It's the birthday wish syndrome. Ya know, you blow out all the candles and make a wish, but if you tell anyone the wish it won't come true. And because of this I have to find a creative way to describe what's going on without really giving it away. So pardon me if I ever get cryptic and confusing, but these are things I need to make note of, even if it makes no sense to you.
Cryptic Note #1:
The Ultimate Origami. Perhaps it's because I'm just dying to take my fascination with paper art and engineering too far. In the coming months you will see me create something insanely huge and complex out of paper. Perhaps a giant pop-up book. Maybe even a giant paper crane the size of a car. Whatever it is, it's actually necessary for an upcoming production. And it may not all be paper, but the base of it, the heart, the structure will most definitely lie in paper engineering.
Cryptic Note #2:
The machine. Some of you know what the machine is. Some of you may even have been interviewed about the machine. Originally the machine was going to debut on Halloween, but now it seems it's going to be modified to be more of a year round machine, and will make it's debut online hopefully before March. Once again for another production for a very necessary and very curious experiment.
Cryptic Note #3:
Merchants in the Nineteenth Century would build grand sailing ships, hire a crew, secure provisions, and send these ships out to the East Indies and other foreign ports to trade for goods, jewels, gold, etc. There was no communication to these ships once they set out to sail, and often these ships would take months, even years to return with the Merchants' profit. So the return of one of these ships after a long journey was always call for excitement. This is where the expression "Your ship has come in" comes from. Someone would run to the Merchants yelling this as the ship actually did come in. The key to steady business and profit was to send out more than one ship. The more ships you send out, the more chance for profit you have as they return.
I've got more than one ship out. ;)
Ok, ok, enough of that. No more Cryptic Notes.
Sent some packages out today. More DVD screeners out to two fests and two reviewers. But as always, you send em out and then forget about them. Maybe check up on em in a few weeks, but for the most part, let the screener do the work for ya.
The possibility of a North Carolina screening is pending, but I'm not really worried about that right now.
Some people will soon be getting a the official bootleg copy of THE MIDINIGHT SPECIAL, which includes a whole other disc of extras, including the gag reel.
Found the basic location for the ZOMBIE Episode of Monster Cops. Of course what I was aiming for was 5 minutes, but it may be more like 10. Just depends. I've been going back and forth on working on the Untitled Detective Short and the Monster Cops Episode, and now it looks like Monster Cops may be it for the next few months.
Ok, time for some sleep, so I can attempt to be up the same time the sun is. Ignore the following. It's only a test.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten
New Years once again. I know I've changed alot over the past few years, but I'd have to say that I've probably changed the most this past year, and definitely in the past 6 months, and in ways I didn't know I could change. I've grown up alot, and that's saying alot, because I felt grown up before. My views on things that have always been static, are now turned around. Nothing too major. I don't believe much in Bigfoot anymore, I don't think the Lochness Monster exists, and I'm pretty sure Oswald acted alone. Shocking news to my fellow Conspiracy Theorists, I apologize. I still love the conspiracies, but I hold them in a different regard and are now mainly for my amusement.
The feelings I thought would never change have changed completely. The feelings I feared would change have only been strengthened. And with all that myself and this family have had to go through, with all the pain, and anguish, I find myself in awe of the power of Love and family. Ok, enough of that. That's really for another post and one I'm certainly not ready for just yet. What I'm really trying to get at is the idea that now more than ever, I'm ready to get back to work at making this new year even more productive then the last. So let's get to it.
As of right now I'm working on:
1) Zombie Episode of Monster Cops. 5 minutes.
2) Untitled Detective Short Film. 5 Minutes.
Which will supplement ...
3) Untitled Detective Screenplay.
4) Misc Vids and Shorts:
- Dinosaur Killers Episodes
- Video Blogs
- Metacafe Vids
- The Super Secret Project 1*
- The Super Secret Project 2
5) Vampire Episode of Monster Cops.
6) Continued Marketing of The Midnight Special.
7) M&(&#$ C@&%#*$ (which is still questionable)*
The zombie episode won't be a problem. I've got a quarter of the footage I need. The rest won't really be a problem to shoot as long as I can secure some minor casting. FX tests pending. One location down, but I may need another one. Also it would be helpful if someone from the cast (or more than one) of TMS came down. I know Terry expressed interest. That would be a huge help in keeping in many of the same characters from the movie.
For the detective short, there is a problem with lighting in the location I have. It takes place in one room, during the day, with plenty of sunlight. My location has no windows. So I'll be rewriting that bit. Plus there are a few items in this location that I cannot move, and the room has to be completely empty. So some improvising is in order. The minor FX in this one are covered as well.
But as for other upcoming projects, I'm going to need assitance from a professional FX company. Been talking to a couple of em. One in L.A. and another in Canada. A little bit too pricey for what I have, but definitely folks I'd like to keep in contact with once we have a real budget to work with.
As for where the funding is coming from for this, well for the most part, these are all no budget productions, as always. But I'm in the midst of working out a deal with a company for a small bit of funding for the other projects. This is not to mention what may be brewing with our little indie film THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL. It's going to be an interesting next few months. Until then we work no budget, as usual, and keep hittin that day job. And of course I'll be posting the little behind the scenes tricks on all these productions and more.
Also some interesting developments at the day job. Digital technology is really picking up within the movie theatre industry. This past year UltraStar Theatres in Southern Cali went 100 percent digital. Carmike Theatres are in the process of going the same route. I've been working as a projection tech for several years now and I'm blown away each day I work with the digital equipment. I find it odd how often I actually have to use a computer to fix a problem in the projection booth. In the past it was always a splicer and tape. Now if you don't have a familiarity with computers to go along with projection experience, you're pretty much useless. Thank god I've been doing both for a while now.
We're only a few years away from having a complete digital system replacing these old 35mm projectors in almost every theatre across the country. It's scary this equipment I get to work with. The things that these computers and digital projectors are capable of are mind blowing. I swear to God the other day the main server booted up, took a deep Darth Vader breath, and in this deep Dr. Claw voice, told me to Fuck off. Seriously. The system is filled with glitches, of course, but the speed at which they are being fixed is phenomenal.
I have to say though, as much as I love 35mm film projectors, this new digital technology will really help out indie moviemakers even more so then it previously has. No need to bust out 3 to 4 grand to transfer your movie to film. Now you can keep your movie digital, film look it if you want to, have it loaded into a portable hard drive and ingested in to the main LMS, or just simply burn a high quality DVD, or even hook up your laptop or camera. Screening DVDs through a digital projector is how we've done screenings in the past, but now the ease at how this can be done and then projected at such great quality, it really is mind blowing.
It's an interesting time to be a movie maker and a projectionist. I'm having a blast being both.
Happy New Year! God I miss being in Texas with a house full of Filipinos singing bad karaoke on New Years Eve. Wherever you are, I hope this will be an amazing new year for all of us.
The feelings I thought would never change have changed completely. The feelings I feared would change have only been strengthened. And with all that myself and this family have had to go through, with all the pain, and anguish, I find myself in awe of the power of Love and family. Ok, enough of that. That's really for another post and one I'm certainly not ready for just yet. What I'm really trying to get at is the idea that now more than ever, I'm ready to get back to work at making this new year even more productive then the last. So let's get to it.
As of right now I'm working on:
1) Zombie Episode of Monster Cops. 5 minutes.
2) Untitled Detective Short Film. 5 Minutes.
Which will supplement ...
3) Untitled Detective Screenplay.
4) Misc Vids and Shorts:
- Dinosaur Killers Episodes
- Video Blogs
- Metacafe Vids
- The Super Secret Project 1*
- The Super Secret Project 2
5) Vampire Episode of Monster Cops.
6) Continued Marketing of The Midnight Special.
7) M&(&#$ C@&%#*$ (which is still questionable)*
The zombie episode won't be a problem. I've got a quarter of the footage I need. The rest won't really be a problem to shoot as long as I can secure some minor casting. FX tests pending. One location down, but I may need another one. Also it would be helpful if someone from the cast (or more than one) of TMS came down. I know Terry expressed interest. That would be a huge help in keeping in many of the same characters from the movie.
For the detective short, there is a problem with lighting in the location I have. It takes place in one room, during the day, with plenty of sunlight. My location has no windows. So I'll be rewriting that bit. Plus there are a few items in this location that I cannot move, and the room has to be completely empty. So some improvising is in order. The minor FX in this one are covered as well.
But as for other upcoming projects, I'm going to need assitance from a professional FX company. Been talking to a couple of em. One in L.A. and another in Canada. A little bit too pricey for what I have, but definitely folks I'd like to keep in contact with once we have a real budget to work with.
As for where the funding is coming from for this, well for the most part, these are all no budget productions, as always. But I'm in the midst of working out a deal with a company for a small bit of funding for the other projects. This is not to mention what may be brewing with our little indie film THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL. It's going to be an interesting next few months. Until then we work no budget, as usual, and keep hittin that day job. And of course I'll be posting the little behind the scenes tricks on all these productions and more.
Also some interesting developments at the day job. Digital technology is really picking up within the movie theatre industry. This past year UltraStar Theatres in Southern Cali went 100 percent digital. Carmike Theatres are in the process of going the same route. I've been working as a projection tech for several years now and I'm blown away each day I work with the digital equipment. I find it odd how often I actually have to use a computer to fix a problem in the projection booth. In the past it was always a splicer and tape. Now if you don't have a familiarity with computers to go along with projection experience, you're pretty much useless. Thank god I've been doing both for a while now.
We're only a few years away from having a complete digital system replacing these old 35mm projectors in almost every theatre across the country. It's scary this equipment I get to work with. The things that these computers and digital projectors are capable of are mind blowing. I swear to God the other day the main server booted up, took a deep Darth Vader breath, and in this deep Dr. Claw voice, told me to Fuck off. Seriously. The system is filled with glitches, of course, but the speed at which they are being fixed is phenomenal.
I have to say though, as much as I love 35mm film projectors, this new digital technology will really help out indie moviemakers even more so then it previously has. No need to bust out 3 to 4 grand to transfer your movie to film. Now you can keep your movie digital, film look it if you want to, have it loaded into a portable hard drive and ingested in to the main LMS, or just simply burn a high quality DVD, or even hook up your laptop or camera. Screening DVDs through a digital projector is how we've done screenings in the past, but now the ease at how this can be done and then projected at such great quality, it really is mind blowing.
It's an interesting time to be a movie maker and a projectionist. I'm having a blast being both.
Happy New Year! God I miss being in Texas with a house full of Filipinos singing bad karaoke on New Years Eve. Wherever you are, I hope this will be an amazing new year for all of us.
Friday, December 22, 2006
The Midnight Special Update 12/06
For those that have been asking, The Midnight Special isn't available on DVD yet. We're working out details for distribution right now. We may still pop up with a few more fests and screenings, but all that will be posted about in January.
We'll be working on the short series of The Midnight Special entitled Monster Cops. more details about that in January, but expect to see a webisode or two around that time as well. Sorry no hints right now as to who may be picking up the series or the movie. In due time.
I'll be posting about all the details of all of our upcoming productions and distribution news in the near future on both the WTW blog and in more detail on my blog, One Spartan.
Happy Holidays folks.
- Patrick A. Prejusa
We'll be working on the short series of The Midnight Special entitled Monster Cops. more details about that in January, but expect to see a webisode or two around that time as well. Sorry no hints right now as to who may be picking up the series or the movie. In due time.
I'll be posting about all the details of all of our upcoming productions and distribution news in the near future on both the WTW blog and in more detail on my blog, One Spartan.
Happy Holidays folks.
- Patrick A. Prejusa
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Make The Best With Less
It's something I find myself talking to more and more filmmakers about. Less is more. Also something that was hammered into my head back in my early days of Theatre. It's a concept that seems to be ignored by too many indies. Too many people focusing on what they can't get instead of (here comes that phrase Patrick likes so damn much) "doing the best with what they have."
I went on about it a few posts back, and for many of you who have kept up with my previous blogs and journals, you know I say this quite a bit. Now more than ever you can afford the very basic things you need to make a movie. Cameras are more affordable, computers, yadda, yadda, yadda. But still too many people focus on, "Geez, if we only had a better camera!" or "Just another grand to match the grand we already have to make this movie..."
If you have access to a camera, shut up and shoot something. If you have a grand set aside to make a movie and you're still hesitating, I'm comin over right now to slap you in the frickin face. Do you know what I could do with a grand? How about this? What if Steven Spielberg had no money, no studio backing, no connections? What if all he had was his talent? What do you think he could do with a grand? I mean lets say all he could get with that grand was a camera, a computer, some tape stock, some cheap lights, and maybe a few more odds and ends that he could only get with one grand. What kind of movie do you think he would come up with?
This particular subject has been conceptualized and documented in a kick ass site called, you guessed it, $1000 Spielberg. Check out the site. These guys have got it down. Much of the rules and concepts I've set for myself, these guys have got listed on their site. They talk about it too. The idea of using what you've got, as well as knowing how to use what you've got. If you have a lower end MiniDV camera that has decent resolution but isn't quite up to par with HD or 35mm, then why are you going to set out to make a 35mm film? I'm going to shoot this 357 using paintballs.
I've known too many of these guys. I've seen their shorts. Too many people trying to imitate the latest Hollywood trends. Hey, practice is great. Go out and practice some of your Matrix style moves and fx, lord knows we have, but as far as conceptualizing a feature film, too many people wanna go out and make a million dollar movie with only a grand in their pocket. Sometimes less. Hey I get it, we think big, we want to make big impressive movies. But I repeat what Clive and James over at $1000 Spielberg have said. "Make your format your advantage."
If you're going to make your guerilla movie, than adhere to some of the rules of guerilla tactics. One of those rules is this: Make your weaknesses your strengths. If you can only afford a low end MiniDV camera, start thinking about what you can make in that format. What is something that would look feasible in this particular format? Obviously you can't shoot widescreen panavision style epics. You could try, and many have, but it doesn't seem to work well. So how do you make it work? How could lower resolution video look "good"?
For me, doing The Midnight Special was an easy concept. It just clicked with me one day. It has to be reality TV. A huge inspiration was Cops. When Cops first came on the air (seems like ages ago) I was a little angry I didn't do it first. I thought, well here's a genuis idea. Low production costs, hight end concept. One camera, video tape Cops at work. Cut it together, get some minor graphics, got enough money left over to get a theme song, get it on the air, and boom. Instant TV show. No actors, no fx. Cops became a staple along with many other shows on TV we all now know as "reality TV". Along comes The Real World and America's Funniest Home Videos and the increase in the voyeuristic, cinema verite, type programming, and now everyone's use to seeing this look. This rough, spy cam, realistic, home movieish look. So why not come up with a storyline around that particular kind of look, heck we've got the cameras for it. That's what they did with Blair Witch and The Last Broadcast.
So that was our niche. A reality TV look into the "training video" of a Secret Government Agency that fights monsters. Basically it's Reno 911 except with monsters. Of course there's more to it than that, a little bit of added pathos and drama along with the comedy. But that was the basic idea. A training video. Would definitely fit the format. Features interviews, camera tag alongs on cases, monster sighting type footage, etc. No need to spend money making it look real, because most of it was real, well, except for the monsters, but we'll cover that later.
So instead of looking at what you can't make with what you don't have, start looking at what you can make with what you do have. Blair Witch is an example, except I would advise you actually write a script. The Last Broadcast is a really great example, and it's well written. And there it is, it's in the writing. A great story can be told with a movie, and you should be creative enough to come up with something amazing with what you've already got. Make the best with less.
And speaking of that, here's a movie that won the Fangoria Chainsaw Award for the BEST WITH LESS Category. It's a movie called Zombie Honeymoon. Written and Directed by David Gebroe. I haven't seen it yet, but the trailer looks great. Good job David! I am really impressed.
Zombie Honeymoon Trailer
Add to My Profile | More Videos
Check out the official site for Zombie Honeymoon.
I went on about it a few posts back, and for many of you who have kept up with my previous blogs and journals, you know I say this quite a bit. Now more than ever you can afford the very basic things you need to make a movie. Cameras are more affordable, computers, yadda, yadda, yadda. But still too many people focus on, "Geez, if we only had a better camera!" or "Just another grand to match the grand we already have to make this movie..."
If you have access to a camera, shut up and shoot something. If you have a grand set aside to make a movie and you're still hesitating, I'm comin over right now to slap you in the frickin face. Do you know what I could do with a grand? How about this? What if Steven Spielberg had no money, no studio backing, no connections? What if all he had was his talent? What do you think he could do with a grand? I mean lets say all he could get with that grand was a camera, a computer, some tape stock, some cheap lights, and maybe a few more odds and ends that he could only get with one grand. What kind of movie do you think he would come up with?
This particular subject has been conceptualized and documented in a kick ass site called, you guessed it, $1000 Spielberg. Check out the site. These guys have got it down. Much of the rules and concepts I've set for myself, these guys have got listed on their site. They talk about it too. The idea of using what you've got, as well as knowing how to use what you've got. If you have a lower end MiniDV camera that has decent resolution but isn't quite up to par with HD or 35mm, then why are you going to set out to make a 35mm film? I'm going to shoot this 357 using paintballs.
I've known too many of these guys. I've seen their shorts. Too many people trying to imitate the latest Hollywood trends. Hey, practice is great. Go out and practice some of your Matrix style moves and fx, lord knows we have, but as far as conceptualizing a feature film, too many people wanna go out and make a million dollar movie with only a grand in their pocket. Sometimes less. Hey I get it, we think big, we want to make big impressive movies. But I repeat what Clive and James over at $1000 Spielberg have said. "Make your format your advantage."
If you're going to make your guerilla movie, than adhere to some of the rules of guerilla tactics. One of those rules is this: Make your weaknesses your strengths. If you can only afford a low end MiniDV camera, start thinking about what you can make in that format. What is something that would look feasible in this particular format? Obviously you can't shoot widescreen panavision style epics. You could try, and many have, but it doesn't seem to work well. So how do you make it work? How could lower resolution video look "good"?
For me, doing The Midnight Special was an easy concept. It just clicked with me one day. It has to be reality TV. A huge inspiration was Cops. When Cops first came on the air (seems like ages ago) I was a little angry I didn't do it first. I thought, well here's a genuis idea. Low production costs, hight end concept. One camera, video tape Cops at work. Cut it together, get some minor graphics, got enough money left over to get a theme song, get it on the air, and boom. Instant TV show. No actors, no fx. Cops became a staple along with many other shows on TV we all now know as "reality TV". Along comes The Real World and America's Funniest Home Videos and the increase in the voyeuristic, cinema verite, type programming, and now everyone's use to seeing this look. This rough, spy cam, realistic, home movieish look. So why not come up with a storyline around that particular kind of look, heck we've got the cameras for it. That's what they did with Blair Witch and The Last Broadcast.
So that was our niche. A reality TV look into the "training video" of a Secret Government Agency that fights monsters. Basically it's Reno 911 except with monsters. Of course there's more to it than that, a little bit of added pathos and drama along with the comedy. But that was the basic idea. A training video. Would definitely fit the format. Features interviews, camera tag alongs on cases, monster sighting type footage, etc. No need to spend money making it look real, because most of it was real, well, except for the monsters, but we'll cover that later.
So instead of looking at what you can't make with what you don't have, start looking at what you can make with what you do have. Blair Witch is an example, except I would advise you actually write a script. The Last Broadcast is a really great example, and it's well written. And there it is, it's in the writing. A great story can be told with a movie, and you should be creative enough to come up with something amazing with what you've already got. Make the best with less.
And speaking of that, here's a movie that won the Fangoria Chainsaw Award for the BEST WITH LESS Category. It's a movie called Zombie Honeymoon. Written and Directed by David Gebroe. I haven't seen it yet, but the trailer looks great. Good job David! I am really impressed.
Zombie Honeymoon Trailer
Add to My Profile | More Videos
Check out the official site for Zombie Honeymoon.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Monster Cops
Been doing alot of prepping for the upcoming productions. Here's a little taste of one of them. I apologize for the low quality, I haven't had a chance to upload to our Brightcove player yet.
Get video codes at Bolt.
What started with The Midnight Special, is now evolving into it's intended form. A series.
That's a very rough cut of the opening intro to each episode. I'm going to get to work on 3 episodes the first of this year. 2 for online debut and 1 for ... well ... we'll talk about that later. Let's just say things are looking up.
That is the theme song. Busted my ass recording that this past week and a half, but I finally nailed the sound I was looking for. I needed something dark but with a bluesy feel. I don't know if that's what you guys can hear out of that, but that there is the sound I've been aiming for. Synthesized pads over a beat designed with Fruity Loops, threw in some very light orchestration in the background, and topped it off with my harmonica, key of C to be exact. Ran the final mix through Acid and it was good to go.
However I would like to make the orchestration a bit heavier and a little more echo to the harmonica. I'll tweak it later. Also need more shots of The Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex as well as more Monster Sighting Photos and art. Gonna have to make a few calls.
Ok, off to go see how much full S.W.A.T. gear costs and then it's bedtime.
- P
Get video codes at Bolt.
What started with The Midnight Special, is now evolving into it's intended form. A series.
That's a very rough cut of the opening intro to each episode. I'm going to get to work on 3 episodes the first of this year. 2 for online debut and 1 for ... well ... we'll talk about that later. Let's just say things are looking up.
That is the theme song. Busted my ass recording that this past week and a half, but I finally nailed the sound I was looking for. I needed something dark but with a bluesy feel. I don't know if that's what you guys can hear out of that, but that there is the sound I've been aiming for. Synthesized pads over a beat designed with Fruity Loops, threw in some very light orchestration in the background, and topped it off with my harmonica, key of C to be exact. Ran the final mix through Acid and it was good to go.
However I would like to make the orchestration a bit heavier and a little more echo to the harmonica. I'll tweak it later. Also need more shots of The Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex as well as more Monster Sighting Photos and art. Gonna have to make a few calls.
Ok, off to go see how much full S.W.A.T. gear costs and then it's bedtime.
- P
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)