No doubt the precogs have already seen this

I remember when motion sensors were built in to specific games soon after Game Works was introduced at the Grapevine Mills mall. You could move around and control the dinos in that game where dinos fight other dinos. I remember getting a little excited about that, but then losing interest when I realized that you didn't actually have to move your body, you could just wiggle your finger and control the game. And even that wasn't even any form of precise control. Still a fascinating idea.

I like the idea of physical interactivity with technology (that sounds bad). I like Dance Dance Revolution (Although I suck at it). I like that you're doing more than just sitting on your ass and hitting buttons. I like the concept of Nintendo's Wii. Something I have yet to try, but am anxious to give a shot. But beyond gaming my obsessions lie closer to the realm of moviemaking (duh). So as far as physically interacting with technology (I need to quit saying that), you bet your ass I found the technology in MINORITY REPORT mind blowing.

Not only did I love the plot, the direction, the music, the movie itself, but seeing Tom Cruise's character manipulate those images in that fashion was a HUGE bonus. I thought, "That's exactly how I want to edit a movie." I mean I tend to get very physical when I'm creatively passionate (or is that passionately creative?), I'm in the middle of writing or editing and I have to get up and move around. I get excited about an idea and I have to pace or dance or wave my arms around. And how cool would it be to express myself physically while editing a movie. To be able to physically grab an image with my hand and place it right where I want it.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you haven't already heard, that technology is coming. Check out what Microsoft has unveiled last month in this video from popular mechanics.

popularmechanics


Pretty cool huh?

I now know what the walls of my dream house will look like. All we have to do now is wait for the comercial availability of something more than just a coffee table, give us gloves to put on that allow us to manipulate images and video from a distance, and I'll be all set. I would be able to edit where ever I wanted in my house and my wife would constantly be changing the wall paper.

Bruce Campbell's Tips on Directing

In 2005 shortly after I had wrapped shooting on Monster Cops: The Midnight Special, Bruce Campbell came to Dallas as he was on his Man With The Screaming Brain tour. You bet your ass me and my wife went. We got his autograph at Barnes and Noble (he was promoting Make Love The Bruce Campbell Way) and then saw him present his movie at the Magnolia in Dallas. It was a blast. The featured pic is of my wife as we had just caught Bruce after the screening.

Earlier in the day, at his book signing at Barnes and Noble, as he was signing my Boomstick Edition of Army of Darkness, Bruce asked me what I did. Like the silly little fanboy I am I geekily said "I'm an independent filmmaker." He replied, "Well Patrick, get to work." And then he smiled as he handed me back my freshly autographed DVD. This would've been less comical if he hadn't immediately followed that up with "And don't touch the ink, cuz it doesn't dry very fast."

I've met Dennis Hopper, got autographs from all of The Kids In The Hall, except for Bruce McCulloch he wasn't there for some unknown reason, Bruce Campbell was the first one to make me feel a little star struck. The Evil Dead movies were a huge influence on me because it was the kind of movie I wanted to try to make and also because understanding how Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Robert Tapert started out, made me really relate to them as filmmakers. Bruce always felt like one of the guys that made it big and made it the way the rest of us could make it. And here I got to meet him.

I find myself perusing Bruce's Official Site and I find one of his blog posts interesting and quite useful for all us indies. I repost it for you here. It's entitled:

JOIN THE CLUB, BE A DIRECTOR

1. Communicate, communicate, communicate!

Actors must be aware of your intentions - even how you are photographing them (to some extent) so that they can serve you and the film better. The same goes with all of the department heads - they must know what you want, or else they cannot give it to you.

2. Don't get all wrapped up in Storyboards, cool shots, lenses, etc. any more than your story demands.

Don't forget things like blocking, characters, and MOST IMPORTANTLY - a working script that doesn't suck!

3. Getting 40 set-ups in a day isn't always the goal. It isn't a contest - 40 shots of what? And how rushed do you have to be to get that? How about 20, really good, planned out shots? making the film shouldn't be a zoo, unless your producers are idiots.

4. Don't neglect the proper shooting process. First thing in the morning (and at the beginning of each new scene to be shot), clear the set, work with the actors to establish/sign off on blocking, then show the scene to all concerned departments, then get the actors out of there and line up with stand-ins and light - then bring the actors back in and shoot. It sounds horribly basic, but so many people forget/never know the correct procedure.

5. Work your little, doughy ass off!

See the original blog post HERE

See his official site HERE

I eagerly await his current movie MY NAME IS BRUCE

DIY Movie Fund Raising: The Internet

Edit 6/10/07

The internet has brought upon the DIY Indie Movie Maker much opportunity. Opportunity to market, distribute, and here lately, opportunities to raise funds. I now share with you some of my research in ways to fund your indie movie. Fair warning, you gotta be prepared. You've gotta have that finished script, you've gotta have a prepared cast and crew list, you've gotta know your budget, how, when, and where you are making this movie, and how you plan on getting it seen and make your money back.

note: I haven't tried any of these sites yet, so proceed with caution. If anyone has tried any of the below listed or have any further info feel free to comment and let me know. Always good to avoid scams. As the great Peter Vincent said on more than one occasion, "Forewarned is forearmed."


FilmTies
http://www.filmties.com
Social networking combined with indie funding. They raise money through advertising revenue for indie filmmakers.

Fundable Films
http://fundablefilms.com/
A place where filmmakers can gain monetary support and valuable feedback.

Indie Fliks
http://www.indiefliks.com
Offers accredited investors movie investing opportunities, and the connections that count in the rapidly growing independent movie market.

Movie Money
http://www.movie-money.us/
Bringing filmmakers and investors together. Especially with this one, you're eventually going to be dealing directly with investors, so you better be ready and you better know your shit.

IndieGoGo
http://www.indiegogo.com/
Where people don't just choose the movies to watch, they choose the movies to make.


Examples of movies trying to fund their movies online.

A Million Dollars and a Movie
http://www.amilliondollarsandamovie.com/
Buy a square or click on ads and help this guy raise money to make his movie.

The Indywood Project
http://www.indywoodproject.com/index.php
Another site selling off squares. Llyod Kaufman, Ken Russel, and JR Bookwalter are apparently already attached to the project and looks like they've already sold quite a few squares.

A Swarm Of Angels
http://aswarmofangels.com/
A groundbreaking project to create a movie for 1 million and give it away to over 1 million people using the internet and a global community of members.

Fund My Movie
http://www.workprint.com/fundmymovie/
Hey, ya never know.

Please Fund My Film
http://www.pleasefundmyfilm.com/
You know the drill.

Drink Me Pictures
http://www.drinkmepictures.com/
A great way to spend 10 bucks.

Cinema Shares
http://www.cinemashares.com/index_fullscreen.html
Buy stock in the movie FUNGI.

Make A Movie Happen
http://www.makeamoviehappen.com/
They've raised over $300,000.00

The 1 Second Film
http://www.the1secondfilm.com/
A film anyone can produce for $1.00


I'm posting this as well as the previous post about advertisers funding indies, for my fellow indies but also as a note to myself, because I am about to embark on my own fundraising efforts for a production I am currently finishing up the script for. More details to come.

Ad Cash For Indies

Recent article from the L.A. TIMES.

Advertiser cash flows to indie film projects
Companies seek a bond with audiences beyond product placement.
By Lorenza Muñoz, Times Staff Writer
June 1, 2007


Advertisers have long linked up with Hollywood by placing their products within films or trotting out stars as their official sponsors. But some companies are now going a step further, investing directly in movie productions in the hopes of striking even deeper connections with film audiences.

In what could be the latest trend in the financing of independent films, Unilever brand Dove has agreed to invest $3 million — about one-fifth of the budget — into "The Women," the first theatrical movie by Diane English, the creative force behind the hit television series "Murphy Brown." Gatorade, the sports drink maker, quietly put up $3 million for the production of "Gracie," a story about a girls soccer team that is coming out this weekend.

"With low-budget movies you have to have different ways to create marketing efficiencies and leverage your ability to fund them," said Andrew Shue, producer of "Gracie." He said the seed money from Gatorade enabled him to raise an additional $7 million from a hedge fund. "This is absolutely something in the future for these kinds of movies that are smaller budget and under the studio threshold."

Independent studio Lions Gate has been discussing potential producing partnerships with several corporations.

The investments are crucial for independent producers struggling to cobble together funding for their movies. National brands can give smaller movies a broader marketing appeal and can often give them the aura of a bigger studio movie.

Some Hollywood executives, however, are skeptical that corporate financing will grow into a broader movement. They point to the experience of PepsiCo Inc.'s Mountain Dew, which invested nearly $4 million in the snowboarding documentary "First Descent." The film grossed only $988,368 in worldwide ticket sales, although Mountain Dew was less interested in making a box-office profit than reaching a specific demographic: snowboarders.

"I don't see any signs that it's a significant trend," said Steve Gilula, chief operating officer of Fox Searchlight. "But it is interesting to see another source of funds flowing into filmmaking."

Some talent agencies, however, see an opportunity. ICM has hired a former marketing executive to look for potential deals to marry brands with the agency's clients.

"When it's a perfect fit, it isn't a stretch, it is organic," said Lori Sale, head of global branded entertainment for ICM, who put Dove and English together for "The Women." "It's very much matchmaking: What does the brand do for the movie? What does the movie do for the brand?"

Typically, the major studios partner with corporations to market big-budget movies, as DreamWorks Animation did with McDonald's for "Shrek" and as Sony Pictures did with NASCAR for "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."

But in today's increasingly fragmented market, with digital video recorders enabling viewers to skip TV commercials, advertisers are desperate to find new ways to reach people.

"Three million dollars is not a big deal for these people," said Claudia Caplan, chief marketing officer of Mendelsohn Zien Advertising in Los Angeles. "Everybody is trying to find new ways to reach consumers."

The companies view investment in niche movies as a way to promote a lifestyle, rather than a brand. Dove, for instance, plans to launch a marketing campaign for "The Women" that plays off of its "Campaign for Real Beauty," which garnered attention in 2004 with innovative ads featuring real women of all shapes and sizes in their underwear.

"The movie will give us an opportunity to reach women in a real way," said Kathrine O'Brien, Dove's marketing director. "It addresses the challenges that women face in society today."

English plans to create a director's blog for the Dove website, http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com . In addition, she will make a short film for the site that will chronicle the making of "The Women" featuring the movie's stars and crew.

With "Gracie," Gatorade saw a way to increase its reach with young girls, the target audience. "Consumers get turned off when film or TV shows become too commercial," said Dustin Cohn, director of strategic innovations for Gatorade and Propel, a fitness water. "We didn't want to say 'put X amount of drink shots or X amount of branding in the movie….' We did not get involved in the film to make a film. It is about leveraging an asset to help communicate our support for women in sports."

The sports drink manufacturer has produced 9 million 15-packs with a picture of the movie's lead, Carly Schroeder. The packs also have information to receive an instructional soccer video featuring soccer stars Mia Hamm and Landon Donovan.

Neither Dove nor Gatorade demanded product placement in the films in return for their investments. However, the soccer players in the movie will be drinking Gatorade, Shue said. "She wasn't going to be slugging down milk," he said. And three Gatorade executives will receive a producing credit.

English has not ruled out the possibility of inserting a Dove product into the film if it fits seamlessly into a scene. A remake of the 1939 classic comedy, "The Women" is set in contemporary New York and stars Annette Bening, Meg Ryan, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett Smith and Candice Bergen.

"I was being very, very careful about this," said English, who also wrote the screenplay. "I didn't want to be put in a position where the product was running the show. Their campaign is about reaching out globally to women and girls about self esteem and empowerment and that is what we are saying in our movie."

Although the company will not get a producing credit, Dove is entitled to a certain percentage of the profit once the $15-million investment in the movie is recovered.

Horror Junk!

I've never had so much fun getting a bad review. These guys crack me up!



I absolutely agree with much of what they're saying about the non-existant horror element. Not to worry guys, I'm working on it. Check these guys out at horrorjunk.net

You bet your ass!

Coming July 24th, 2007



It's about damn time!



PRE-ORDER IT HERE!

My mood has improved drastically.

I won't lie

it's a struggle. It's a struggle to be truely independent. To be truely DIY. When it comes to marketing the movie (Monster Cops: The Midnight Special) I assume full responsibility of EVERYTHING. I have to do all of the marketing. The emails, the press releases, the individual press releases tailor made for specific genres, crowds, and publications. Getting the word out about the different screenings, communicating with all the fests, cons, and venues about each screening. Keeping the website updated. And Myspace is a whole other thing by itself. Communicating with people through Myspace, keeping up with bulletins, and advertising on Myspace. I create the fliers, the posters. I mail them out, along with all the Press Kits, and DVD Screener Copies. And all this in between working that day job. I'm trying to do the job of an entire marketing department.

At the same time I'm planning out the next production. What am I doing next? What do I need to do to help supplement the advertising and marketing? Will I be working on a Monster Cops Webisode next or am I going straight into planning on raising funds for the next Monster Cops movie. Part of the marketing agenda is to create video blogs to help let people know just what all this Monster Cops business is about. And here I am scrounging for time to work on that.

There are times I find myself stretched thin. Honestly in these past few weeks especially I'm tearing my hair out. It does get to me. I do look forward to having a budget and being able to pay people to actually show up and do a job. I'm tired of relying on other people and being let down. All of us indies go through it. But I'm starting to feel like I've been through it more times then necessary. I'm ready for professionals. Or at least people that want to be there. People who are as enthused about doing this as I am. And the thing is the people you work with sometimes are enthusiastic, they want it like you do. But when you aren't paying, the bills, the jobs, school, and everything else you aren't providing take precedents. And you can't be mad at them for it, it's just how it is. I should know, I have a day job.

But I'm willing to bust my ass for my vision. And I can't expect other people to bust their ass for my vision. At least not without a paycheck.

Until I can get to that money and that crew, I have to do things on other people's time, and do as much of this MYSELF as possible. Honestly I'm getting cranky not having produced anything in a while, and trailers and origami tutorials don't count. Gotta work on stuff to practice, to hone my chosen craft, and to help with the marketing. So right now in this very post, I promise, by hook or by crook, I will have produced something worth while before this month is over.

But hey, I can't be too down. The movie is available on AMAZON.COM and we are officially listed on IMDB.com.

Memorial Day

To the men and women serving all over the world. I thank you so very much for the job you do and the sacrifices you have made for my freedom. Thank you on this memorial day.

Contest Roundup 23

Updated May 31st, 2007

Ok so it's not actually the 23rd time I've posted a Contest Roundup, but it sure feels like it. As usual these are posted by order of dealine. Deadlines are in ( ).
If I hear of more contests within the next few weeks, I will update this post, otherwise I'll just post Contest Roundup 32.


Acceptable TV
(Rolling Deadlines)
http://acceptable.tv/

Briobox $50,000 Contest
(Rolling Deadlines)
http://www.briobox.com/index.php

OurStage Video Contest
(Monthly Deadlines)
http://www.ourstage.com/go/vidopp

IGFDN Vegas DVD COntest
(Soon)
http://www.igfdb.com/news.php

Nintendo Short Cuts
(June 6th, 2007)
Create a three-to-five minute film incorporating Nintendo
http://www.nintendoshortcuts.com/

John Woo's Stranglehold
(June 25th, 2007)
Write, produce, and direct your own short film tribute to John Woo of no more than 2-1/2 minutes.
http://www.myspace.com/strangleholdgame

Bytecaster Video Presentation Contest
(June 29th, 2007)
http://www.bytecaster.com/contests/presentation/index.aspx

Mr Clean Scenes
(June 30th, 2007)
http://www.mrcleanscenes.com/mrclean/en_US/mclanding.do

XLNTads Contest
(June 30th, 2007)
http://www.xlntads.com/contest/

Comedy Central/Atom Films Test Pilots
(July)
Your TV pilot can download you five grand and maybe even your own development deal. Your pilot must be between one and five minutes in length and be a maximum file size of 100 MB.
http://www.comedycentral.com/events/test_pilots/index.jhtml

Heinz Top This TV Challenge
(August 6th)
http://www.topthistv.com/

One Minute Film Festival
(September 1st, 2007)
http://www.minutefilmfest.com/2007/home.htm

Call For Entries

Washington, D.C.'s Horror Film Festival ~ YEAR LONG EXPOSURE!

Friends of “The Spooky Movie” on MySpace can pay the following discounted fees for their shorts or features:

$15.00 – First Look (June 8)
$20.00 - Early (July 6)
$25.00 – Deadline (August 3)
$30.00 – Extended (August 24)

The 2007 Spooky Movie Film Festival is looking for horror, sci-fi, fantasy, fan films, thrillers, slashers, monsters, chillers, comedies with a morbid or odd bent, grindhouse, and even documentaries and animated work. Shorts and feature length - indie, underground and experiments! Send them on in!


THE 2007 SPOOKY MOVIE FILM FESTIVAL

Special Screening in Baltimore!

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

WE KILLED!

Thanks to Curtis over at the SPOOKY MOVIE FILM FESTIVAL. He's done a tremendous job of helping me out in spreading the word about Monster Cops: The Midnight Special. The Spooky Movie Film Fest in Fairfax, Virginia was one of our first Official Selections for last year. This past Saturday March 12th, Curtis screened MC:TMS again this time at ARTOMATIC Art/Media Convention in Arlington, Virginia.

He just messaged me to tell me that the movie "KILLED". Which made me feel good. YAY! Also he says he's got the movie scheduled for another screening for the final Saturday in June in Hagerstown, Maryland. Glad we're getting screened a plenty in the DC area. Thanks a bunch Curtis. I'm glad you and the Spooky Movie Film Fest enjoy the movie so much.

The Fright Channel

So let's get this straight. A few years back The Horror Channel announced it's launch. After delay after delay, set back after set back, they kinda sorta seemed like they were headed somewhere. Then eventually we ALL realized that it was really going nowhere. Then came Fangoria.TV, which is great, but is mainly confined to broadband braodcasting, which is fine, and they've got some great stuff, but still not a linear cable channel with normal programming. So FEARnet was created, which actually turned out to be a Video on Demand Channel only available on Comcast. Monsters HD has always been around and I always heard good things about, but alas, it's an HD only channel. Months back NBC Universal made the announcement they were forming their own horror channel called CHILLER. The closest thing to a 24 hour cable channel like Monsters HD, but of course, only available to Direct TV customers. What sucks is I had Direct TV back in Texas, dammit. Here, we can't get it.

Now it is important to me to have a horror channel for two main reasons. One, as a horror fan I've been dying to see programing to satisfy my horror fix. Two, as a Indie Horror Moviemaker, it's one more possible outlet to show my work. Now I'm hesitant to spread the word or even talk about a NEW horror network because I've already had my heart broken several times when it came to this subject. As a fan I've just been handed disappointment after diappointment, and not to mention I've had past dealings with one or more of the above networks about Monster Cops being developed into a show and then just subsequently dicked around. So there is reason for my hesitation in posting about the following.

There is a new venture into the world of horror networks, this one entitled THE FRIGHT CHANNEL. Great name, really, great ideas they are putting forth, but honestly, I've heard it all before. But I have to admit their approach is unique and quite intruiging. This is direct from their website:

The Fright Channel™ aims to be the nation’s premiere television network of choice for the horror fan inside us all. Programming will consist of classic monster movies, original documentary and narrative series, classic horror TV shows, and world premiere events of brand new works from today’s burgeoning horror masters. What sets The Fright Channel apart from the countless other attempts at the same goal is that we will bring together the many different local programming entities (currently serving isolated communities) under a united banner. Starting with part-time broadcasts with ever-increasing frequency on a continuingly growing number of stations, The Fright Channel will benefit from the “snowball effect,” eventually reaching every area of the country. This loose cooperative of “affiliates,” self-governed and autonomous, will, by its very existence, gain collective bargaining power in the television industry and allow its leap to major cable provider distribution. As a united group, The Fright Channel will be able to take content directly to the fan on local channels and will share programming content, allowing once-isolated talents to reach a national audience. With its totally unique platform and original approach, The Fright Channel is already “the world’s greatest all-horror network” created by the horror fan for the horror fan.

In other words they are going to start off buying air time in select cities, showing the same programming (Bi-weekly I've heard) and hopefully gain steam from there, eventually covering the entire country and expanding their air time, eventually getting popular enough to be able to become it's own network on it's own channel. Honestly I think it's a great idea and not too dissimilar to what I had in mind for Monster Cops The Series. But we shall see. I have to give the guys kudos for the second paragraph I read in their "about" section.

The Fright Channel began life as The Horror Channel in 1999 and is the abnormal brainchild of TV veteran Rob Claridge. Sadly, though we were first out of the gate, lack of initial funding and the ascension of a similarly-named online entity (good luck and keep going, guys!) sidelined the project for many years. New developments in the cable industry and a resurgence in the genre afforded a new opportunity for life and the project was fortified and re-imagined as The Fright Channel.

I laughed out loud at "good luck and keep going, guys!" An obvious jab at The Horror Channel.

It's kind of a guerrilla approach Mr. Claridge is taking. Which appeals to me. But I'll be keeping my armor on while carrying all this with a grain of salt. I hope this one works out. I think I speak for most of the die hard horror fans as well as the indie horror makers out there when I say, we are sick of being dicked around, we are sick of empty promises, and we are ready for a real horror channel that everyone can have access to. We'll see how it goes.

They launch in July on Friday The 13th in New York and L.A. and possibly other areas. If you want to help them out, the best way is to go to THEFRIGHTCHANNEL.TV and take the survey. Also email them directly and let them know you want the channel in your area. Email them your cable providers name and address at IWantTFC@thefrightchannel.tv

Funny Or Die

I'm loving these new rash of sites that are forcing you to choose between the good videos and the crap. I love Youtube and all, but since they accept everything submitted you have to dig through alot of crap to find what you're looking for, or to even find something decent.

Especially when digging for comedy, you have to put up with someone doing a horrible stand up comedy routine with bad sound in the attic of their parents house, and you happen to stumble across it because they had the nerve to tag their video as comedy, funny, or humorous.

Well, enter Funny Or Die. Which some of you may already know about. Will Ferrell's and Adam McKay's FUNNYORDIE.COM. A site in which you watch a video and you must rate it at the end, is it FUNNY? Or should it DIE? Why do I bring this up? Because I have posted our beloved Dinosaur Killers 3000: Music Mountain, on the website. I submit it to you here for your consideration. Is it funny? Or should it die? I'm proud to say that since submitting the video last night we've gotten fairly high ratings. Yay!




Another site that is currently running something similar, but not really, is OURSTAGE.COM. Here you can choose a category where you can watch music videos or comedy videos or other videos for you to vote on. Choose to "JUDGE", pick a category to judge, and then they will give you two videos to watch. Once you've watched at least 30 seconds of each video you have to choose which one is better, and by how much, as explained above the two videos. They give you 30 seconds for each video, because alot of the videos submitted you'll only be able to stand for that long.

I have submitted THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL Trailer under the COMEDY Category, and out of 139 or so vids in that category, I am proud to say that we are 3rd for this months contest. Every month winners receive a cash prize, so help us out if you can. Lord knows I'd be putting that money right back into advertising for The Midnight Special. Click this link:
ourstage.com/judge

Make sure you've selected COMEDY as the "channel" and start watching videos. What sucks is you can't just go directly to the video and rate it, you have to go through the videos they send you and choose the best, so if you decide to watch for our video, you'll have to judge two videos at a time until you get to ours. At the same time it's a great way for each video to get seen and judged.

When you do come to The Midnight Special Trailer, if the video opposite us happens to be, in your opinion, better then our trailer, then by all means, please vote their video as the best. Other indie moviemakers are out there busting their asses getting these videos out and they deserve due credit for that. The spirit of ourstage.com is to bring the best videos to the winners circle. If it's us, then great. If it's someone else, great as well, just as long as it's someone who worked hard and really did have a great video.

Holy Crap!

It's been alot of hurry up and wait trying to get through the details of putting this little indie film on DVD. And after trying to get the DVD cover design just right, deciding on the disc graphic, proof reading the hell out of everything, double and triple checking the disc, sending off to CUSTOMFLIX, and then awaiting the proof copy for my approval, FINALLY, we are on DVD.

Got the proof copy yesterday, a week late, but I'm not complaining, I'm just so excited to have my work more widely available to the public. Woke up just in time to see the FedEx truck guy pull up. Met him outside where he gleefully handed me the package. The sun was shining, rainbows formed over head, and a blue bird sat on my shoulder as I accepted the package. It felt good, that package. Nice and firm. A real feeling of excitement and satisfaction holding that package. This is sounding bad isn't it? Mr. Blue Bird flew away as I headed inside. Lemme tell ya, was I excited. I almost didn't want to open it just to prolong the excitement. I love getting mail anyhow, and this was just quintuple all that. Tore into it to find what I've been dying to see.

Understand I designed the cover and the disc design, the menu, the disc layout, etc. I give them the files and master disc, they make the entire packaging happen. Once they make it happen they send me the proof, which is exactly what the customer will recieve when they order it. So not only do I get to finally see the movie I've been busting my ass on for years now reach the next level, but I also get to see what was once just files on my computer, turned into a full professional package, as well as experience what the customer will experience, though I doubt any of you who may purchase my movie will be jumping up and down in your kitchen doing old school Arsenio Hall dog barking noises and gestures, as I was doing yesterday.

I'M A DORK!!!!


Lemme tell ya, Customflix is a dream come true for us DIY, Indie Moviemakers. Through them our movie will be listed on IMDB, it's going to available through Amazon.com in a few weeks, it'll be available for download to your home computer, through your XBOX, or if you have a TIVO. Thanks to Customflix for all that, and also without them the following pics would not be possible.

Ooooh, spine labeling, SEXY!


That's right bitches, a REAL LIFE BARCODE!


No crappy computer printed sticker labels here!


Check out one of the ad banners, which I'm sure you have, if you're on my Myspace. Yes, that's right, a dollar from every DVD sold goes to a Cancer Charity as per our mission to create and heal!


More dorkiness.


And now all we have to do is tell the world about it. So there is much much much much work to be done.

Do me favor, and tell everyone you know about it. Check out our site MONSTERCOPS.COM, to see all the trailers and clips, and decide for yourself if you'd like to get a DVD copy of our little Comedy Horror flick. Fair warning though, it's actually more of a Comedy. But it's funny as hell.

Pardon me, I have to go tell the world about it now.

Ahem.... scuse me, um... world?

Contest Round up AGAIN! Update

Major updates to the last contest round up post. Scroll down to the post or click this link: http://onespartan.blogspot.com/2007/04/contest-round-up-again.html

A Small Delay

Ok so there is a small delay on the DVD release, gotta fix a few glitches, but the good news is that it shouldn't be too long. So hold your horses if you're looking to buy a DVD. We'll be posting it everywhere as soon as it is available.

- P

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.

Holy Shit!

Cloudburst!

All of a sudden I have a TON of work to do!

brb