Lessons Learned at AM

I'm here at AFM (American Film Market) and I have to say that this has been an eye opener. This whole market appears to be about international distribution of, more or less, straight to video movies. That's not a bad thing necessarily, and there is a lot to learn from this. It seems that most of these films could care less about the festival circuit. As a matter of fact, during the orientation for first timers to AFM, the organizer of the whole market said so much. His recommendation was to setup distributor screenings in New York and LA and only then, if you fail to get the offer you want, go the festival route. That's very easy to say of course, but for my film that has no name talent, I seriously wonder how many distributors would come without any festival accolades. Anyway, I've had 10 meeting so far and another 5 tomorrow. We'll see where it all leads.

In other news, Cuba Gooding has proven that he will take any role as demonstrated by this poster. The tagline is "Caught in the middle with no bullets." Sounds like the shortest gun fight in the history of cinema.

Life with Child is a Blur

Sorry for the long time between blogs. Since the last one, my wife and I have welcomed our first child and with that, every free second has seemed to disappear. No surprise there. Anyway, the film continues to play well with a great screening at Woods Hole Film Festival in late July to over 200 people. It was the first festival I was unable to make, but in my stead, I sent my mother to read a note from me. Here is what she read: (to be performed in your head with an Australian accent)

________

Thank you for coming tonight to The Full Picture. I would like to thank the Woods Hole Film Festival and all their volunteers for their hard work and for giving us the opportunity to screen for you tonight. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to answer your questions due to the recent birth of my son. Though tempted to fly out for the festival and leave our newborn with my wife, having dedicated three years of my life to a film based on a family divided by a non-existent father, I thought it would be wise for me to stay put. However, I have sent the best representative and unabashed supporter of the film I could find; my mother. And no, she is not the inspiration for Gretchen Foster.

In anticipation of some of the questions you may have, I made a quick list of some of the most popular answers I’ve given at each and every festival.

1) The film shoot was 17 days.
2) No, we don’t tell people our budget, sorry.
3) Yes, we did shoot digitally on HD but with 35mm lenses, which is why it looks like film.
4) No, we do not have distribution yet, but if you know anyone, talk to my mom.

Mom, take it away.

___________

I had some friends from college in the audience who told me the speech was a hit and my mom did a really good job. Is it strange to send your mom in your place to a film festival? Yes. But when someone goes to a film festival, they expect to see a representative from the film and one thing is for sure, none of this would have happened with out her support...or birthing me.

Next up, Red Rocks Film Festival in Utah in November...

Mo' Festival Dates!

THE FULL PICTURE is proud to be playing the Woods Hole Film Festival on Cape Cod, Tuesday, July 28 at 9pm in the Redfield Auditorium. (festival information here) This is our fifth festival and second trip back east with the film. As a native east coaster, I look forward to this screening as I wrote the Fosters’ -the family represented in the film- to be instilled with east coast sensibilities. Also, it’s a damn good reason to get back to the Cape as it’s been some years since I spent my summer between high school and college as the whipping-boy/front desk manager at Rainbow Motors on Nantucket.

SONOMA WRAP

First thing, a big thank you to Suzanne Brangham and her partner Jack who invited me and Denise into their beautiful home for the whole festival. They have an amazing home on the hillside overlooking Sonoma Valley and each night, as I blissfully went off to sleep in a wine induced coma, I would peer out though one blurry eye at the twinkling lights below and feel like a kid falling to sleep on an airplane. Thank you.

As for the festival, well...both screenings were scheduled at the "Highway 12 Lounge" which is really the community center. At first, I thought the facility was going to be awful as I have seen some films in rundown gymnasiums with the worst projectors and shitty sound. However, THX was a sponsor and this venue was their responsibility so they dialed it in with THX speakers and a projector so bright, it could burn a hole through the screen. Simply, it rocked.

On Thursday, we were one of the opening night films which was a great honor. We had a very respectable crowd of about 150 people but with THE ANSWER MAN, a film with Jeff Daniels coming straight from Sundance, playing at the same time, we didn't fill the seats. However, the crowd was highly responsive and as they left, we felt that people would start to talk and generate buzz. But with our next screening the following day at 3:30pm, a horrible time slot, I thought for sure that there wouldn't be enough time to spread the word and we would have only 50 people or so in the audience. I had visions of apologizing to the festival for the weak draw and wondering what we could have done differently. Boy, was I wrong. As we rounded the corner half an hour before the film began, you could see a crowd coming out of the front doors, making a left hand turn and going half way down the block. It honestly looked like STAR WARS was playing. Needless to say we sold out and every single seat was filled, in total about 270 people. And as more people came, they were turned away with the unfortunate news that they "should have gotten here earlier." Though I felt badly for those people, it felt good to have a hit.

We spent the rest of the festival meeting other filmmakers and movie-goers who were incredibly complimentary about THE FULL PICTURE. We also saw some other amazing films like PUNCHING THE CLOWN and GOOD DICK, plus a really cool short called TERMINUS. At festival end, THE FULL PICTURE was the highest rated American feature according to the Sonoma website, a honor we are pleased to have for the second festival in a row.

Sonoma Bound with "Mr. Santaland Diaries."

One day before heading up to Sonoma and I'm getting really excited, but not as much for myself as I am one of my leads, Joshua Hutchinson. Josh was born and raised in Sonoma (he was Josh Farrell then) and still has many ties there. Though he now lives in Los Angeles, he still is involved in Sonoma having volunteered on many occasions and most recently, performing two sold out weeks of David Sedaris' THE SANTALAND DIARIES at the community center with all proceeds benefiting an arts programs for children in Sonoma. Some of his previous films have played Sonoma like last year's THE VILLAGE BARBERSHOP, but he has never been the lead. Now, with THE FULL PICTURE, he gets to return to his roots with a film that he stars in and here's the other thing: Josh nailed his role.

The character, Hal Foster, is a corporate lawyer with a oral fetish and interesting take of fidelity. On paper, the guy appears like a slimy, know-it-all jackass, but that's the challenge of the role. It is imperative to the story that you, the viewer, still like this guy, and with some of Hal's actions it is not a easy thing to do. But Josh worked diligently on his character and tapped into the fun-loving side of Hal Foster so that even against their better judgement, the audience can't help but love this guy. Quite simply, Hal's a crowd pleaser and this film wouldn't be successful with out Josh's talent and ability. So, for this festival, I get to play second fiddle and fade into the background, with the limelight being cast where it should be, on the star, Joshua Hutchinson.

Durango Wrap-up...Next Stop, Sonoma.

I just came back on Sunday night from Durango Independent Film Festival and after two nights of comatose sleep, I finally feel capable of forming a coherent sentence. So here’s how it went. I was initially concerned about our Friday screening at 3:15pm but what I didn’t realize is that the whole town supports this “little” festival and everyone makes sacrifices to go to the screenings. So for our Friday screening, we had a very respectable crowd and more importantly, the people that came responded as we had hoped, which was really important being that Mike and Tony from Rivercoast Films Distibution were there. I had met them in the filmmaker lounge on Thursday night and after a couple drinks and a few laughs, (very good guys BTW) convinced them to come to our screening. To make a long story short, they loved it, and though that is just a start, it’s the right start to potentially work together.

As for the rest of the festival, well, it was a blur. We partied some on Friday, then woke at 5:45am on Saturday to drive an hour away to ski at Silverton Mountain. Our guide, “Ron-bow” ran us ragged, hiking and skiing till the last chair. Then we raced back, had a quick soak in the hot tub, and got dressed for the 9:15pm showing of THE FULL PICTURE. Once again, we had a good crowd and after a lengthy Q & A, joined the other filmmakers at the closing night party. By this time, Joe, Keith and I were spent and even though we managed to choke down a couple drinks (Tom Collins were the special on the night…too sweet to enjoy but free so we tolerated them), we couldn’t physically make it to the late night parties.

So in short, Durango…very cool and a great festival experience. If you are a skier and film lover, I highly recommend hitting this little gem but bring No Doz and an oxygen mask, because sleeping four hours a night and skiing at 13,000 feet can kick your ass.

Onwards to Sonoma International Film Festival (April 1st-5th) where one of my lead actors, Joshua Hutchinson (he was Joshua Farrell then), grew up. For schedule information, click here.

The Snow Be A Coming

Just a little update for everyone, fast and furious. Keith Stockmann and Joey Oh, two longtime friends, have joined me for the trip to Durango. We touched down, went to the filmmaker lounge, met the festival staff, had some drinks, and promoted the hell out of the film. The Durango community appears to be incredibly supportive of the festival and everyone we've talked to seems to be interested in our film. On Thursday, we headed up to Silverton to get some skiing in. The mountain is in the San Juan mountain range which are simply majestic, reminiscent of the Canadian Rockies. Silverton has some great terrain but the snow quality was lacking. A storm is supposed to be rolling in tonight so we're excited by the prospect of heading back to Silverton tomorrow.

THE FULL PICTURE is screening today at 3:15pm and we're fired up to be playing in front of a crowd where we know absolutely no one. This is first time that all the feedback will be raw and uncensored. I feel very confident in the way the film is playing and look forward to the challenge.

SF Indie Wrap-up and Durango Prelude

So yesterday was THE FULL PICTURE'S last showing at SF Indie Fest and after 4 screenings in 3 weeks, I'm happy to report that the festival was incredible success. Every show was packed to the gills with enthusiastic, attentive crowds and press coverage could not have been better with seven interviews and four reviews to date. We were the best selling film of the entire festival and finally have the necessary -and complimentary- press coverage to fill our press kit. We were selected as one of only four films for a bonus screening at Sugarbowl ski area in Lake Tahoe and I was fortunate enough to be the only filmmaker in attendance. It was the first year that SF Indie tried such a thing but thanks to Alex West and some of my ol' buddies from my Tahoe days, we were able to drum up a good crowd.

I have two days to recharge the batteries before heading off to Colorado for Durango Independent and begin this cycle again. The past month has been a whirlwind but I honestly couldn't be more pleased with how the film is playing and the comments we've received. It's at moments like this, I begin to believe that we can be one of the lucky small films that finds its audience. Oh yeah, and we got into Somoma International too!

New Interview and Review

So we continue to get some great press from our screenings which by the way, were packed. Check out this ridiculouly complimentary review from My Cultural Landscape (bottom of the page) and a great interview with the Examiner. Also we're screening on Feb. 28th at 6pm in Lake Tahoe as part of the SF Indie Fest at Sugar Bowl ski resort in the Judah Lounge. Click here for the announcement.

GREAT NIGHT!

So we had our first screening of SF Indie Fest and WOW, what a great response! I don't have much time to write about the experience as we have another screening today and I have 2 interviews this morning but I can say, last night was a home run. We had a fantastic turn out and the audience was connected and plugged for the opening line. David Lamble, a local critic for the Bay Area Reporter, was in attendance even though he had already given the film a glowing review, he led the Q&A with some favorable comments. We capped the nights with friends across the street at Kilowatt, talking and laughing the night away.

Read All About It!

With HD camera so widely available, one just doesn't make a movie these days and expect to be on the front page of Variety. Getting noticed is a full-time job and as any publicist would tell you, it's not for those who take rejection poorly. However, as important as writing a good script is, so too is press coverage. We filmmakers must be recognized, or bury your film along side all those home movies starring your friends.

Here's a list of our efforts:

IndieWire, Bay Area Reporter, SF Weekly, SF360, Casting Connection, Movie Close-Up Interview (Part1) (Part2)

I also gave an interview yesterday with Christopher Smith of the Examiner. I'll post it when it gets online.

OPENING NIGHT. Who Dat Being Interviewed?

The S.F. Indie Fest has officially begun! The night before the opening, I went down to the public access station and was interviewed by Bonnie Steiger of "Movie Close-up." It's a local show that I was originally on about 5 years ago. Take a look and let me know your thoughts. She's a fun one.

I also went to the opening night to pass out postcards and check out the films. Unfortunately, I only caught the tail end of the first film, but I was able to stay for all of FANBOYS which is a movie about four Star Wars fanatics in 1998 who go on a road trip from Ohio to San Francisco to break into Skywalker Ranch and watch the yet to be released Episode 1. Without getting to into it, I think the best part was the pre-show where they had Storm Troopers and a robotic R2-D2 outside the theater.

From the show, I walked the erie back roads from the Mission to Potrero Hill to attend the after party at the Cell Space. When I got there, the line was 20 people deep and it had begun to rain. Having been forced to go solo due to my wife being pregnant and just not "up to it," I couldn't stomach being alone AND drenched so jumped in the first cab available. Truly pathetic...but dry.

MO' FESTIVAL NEWS

It looks like THE FULL PICTURE is picking up some steam as we've been invited to the Durango Independent Film Festival in the beginning of March! Durango, CO is a terrific town with a dedicated film following. It also happens to be the hub for ski resorts such as Telluride, Crested Butte and Silverton. That means that one, I'm packing my skis and two, I won't be alone as my good buddies Keith Stockman and executive producer Joe Oh are avid skiers as well. So if you know anyone in that area, please spread the word as I know absolutely no one.

As for San Francisco Independent, we're busy getting the word out (I just gave my first interview yesterday for SF State's university paper), and I have my first TV interview this coming Wednesday the 4th at 7:30pm. The show is called "Movie Close-Up" and you can watch it in SF on channel 29 (A&TT subscribers/ ch.99) and for the out-of-towners, you can stream it at http://www.accessf.org/. The show is 1/2 an hour and it's all me and the interviewer, Bonnie Steiger. It's also a call-in show so please, if you're watching and I'm floundering, call in.

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!

It's that time to throw down and buy your tickets. (click here to buy.) We're working hard to fill the seats and if the last festival was any clue, they should go fairly quickly. Also, please tell your friends, work associates and family as the success of this film relies on word of mouth. As we've seen with the "president elect," never underestimate to power of grassroots advertising. And being that is all we can afford at the moment, it's going to have to do.

Hope to see you there!

Prime times at SF IndieFest!

Good news! We got our screen times for the SF IndieFest and I couldn't be happier! We're playing in February on the 14th at 7:15pm, the 15th at 2:45pm and the 21st at 9:30pm which are two Saturdays and a Sunday. We're not sure which theaters we'll be playing but I'll be sure to update you when I learn the info. The best thing about the dates is two weekends. Playing 2 weekends greatly increases the odds of everyone having an opportunity to see it...and tell their friends....so they can see it...and tell their friends, etc. BOO-YA!