Great Minds

I can't stress the following point enough: when making a micro-budget movie, well, any movie really but this kind especially, you need to be surrounded by people of a like mind. The last thing you need going into a production is some member of your team thinking he is above the project. Eventually that turns into snide comments and a lack of focus you can't afford (literally and figuratively).

It's hard enough to get a movie made but it's doubly so when making one with a team member pulling in a different direction. It's worth the extra time finding someone who appreciates the common goal.

"south loop" on TribLocal

I think low angle photos make me look thinner.

"south loop" on DIY Film

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While I Have this Chance to Breathe...

Our effort to sell south loop has hit a point where we're a little less busy than usual, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to look back on a few things I might have done differently in the making of the movie.

First, I would have put together the self-distribution plan while in pre-production. I made a bunch of little mistakes that would have easily been avoided with some foresight: getting the right printer lined up, mastering the disc, designing the one-sheet, etc.

Second, I would have spent more time in pre-production working on the visual design. Don't get me wrong, I love the way the movie looks, but my DP (Kirk Johnson) and I both wish we had given ourselves more time to discover a coherent visual strategy.

Thirdly, and finally, I would have hired my entire post-production team in prep. In fact, we did try to do so but it just didn't work out that way. I would have tried harder.

In short, DO IT ALL IN PREP and the rest gets easier.

Filmmaker Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison

Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was sentenced to six years in prison and is forbidden to make films for twenty years.

The absurdity of that sentence speaks for itself.

An Anecdote from the Premiere

Our DVDs arrived a few days before the screening and the covers looked like shit so we had to get them reprinted locally. The DVDs were shrink wrapped which meant we had to unwrap each one, take out the shitty cover and replace with it with a new one, and do this all on time for the screening.

The way things worked out, Juan (my producing partner and lead actor) and I spent two hours before the screening replacing DVD covers in the lobby of the Portage Theater while they put up their Christmas decorations.

I told Juan that's what self-distribution looks like. And it was fun in a way.

The Screening

The premiere for south loop went very well. We had a good turnout (better than my cynical expectations) and I didn't vomit during the Q&A. And we sold a few DVDs.

The highlight of the night was the two or three times I peeked inside the theater and got to see and hear the movie play on a big screen. After watching it on monitors for two years, it was nice to see it projected. Really nice.

In all seriousness, I know Q&As are important to the process and ours went well. It's important to just be as direct and honest as possible. And avoid too many tangents. Provide the information the audience wants and deserves and move on to the next question.

Anyway, you can buy the DVD at the movie's website for $15 or for $10 in person (at screenings).