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!

WE"RE FINALLY HOME! THE FULL PICTURE TO PLAY S.F. INDIE FEST

It is with much relief that I can finally announce our first screening in San Francisco! "The Full Picture" will be part of the upcoming San Francisco Independent Film Festival (Feb 5th-19th). We will find out more information in the coming weeks and I'll be sure to post it when we know more. In the meantime, we're going to be busy getting our materials together so we're organized...so we can send it to the press....so we can get the press there...so the press can review it..so we can use the review...to get more press...and so on and so on...

BIG UPDATE!

This past week "The Full Picture" premiered at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. We had a fantastic
screening where, due to high demand for tickets, the festival staff had to move our film into their largest venue, a gorgeous 850 seat theater! Finally, I saw the film as it was meant to be seen, on a 50 foot screen and a packed house. The crowd was really receptive with many positive comments during the Q&A. We followed the screening with a raucous after party where over 150 of the the film's friends and supporters ate and drank until the wee hours. If that wasn't enough, at the awards brunch the following Sunday, "The Full Picture" won the Grand Prize for Best Feature! It was a total shock that has of yet to sink in. For proof, please check out the link below.

http://www.indiewire.com/buzz/080810.html

Hopefully, we can use this momentum to springboard us into other festivals and down the right path to distribution. Please stay tuned.

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

So here is the little logo that every filmmaker wants to see on their film page. Two little olive branches. I could have created this in photoshop and made up a few festivals, but alas, we went the hard way and it was worth it. RIIFF has given us a prime screening time in their line-up, Friday, August 8th at 7:15pm. There's a short film for a half an hour right before our so we very well might start at 8/8/08 at 8pm. Now I'm not superstitious, but hell, that's exciting!

Follow the link below (or copy and paste into your browser) to buy your tickets and please get them early. I guarantee we'll sell out. And please, leave a couple hours free at the end. We don't know where yet, but we'll have a little after party to celebrate.

http://riiff2008.withoutabox.com/festivals/event_item.php?id=17525

WE'RE IN!

Alright, here we go. I can proudly announce that THE FULL PICTURE will be premiering at the Rhode Island International Film Festival sometime between Aug. 5th and 10th. I'll update the blog when I know more. In the meantime, you can check out the festival's information at

We're very excited about this opportunity as RIIFF is a top 15 festival and has a great reputation amongst filmmakers. My able Executive Assistant -who just happens to be my wife- and I will be making the trip back east. There's also a chance some of actors will make the trip so look out for us in The Ocean State. Giddy up!

DOES THIS WORK?

I need to pick a photo doing director stuff. Does this fill the bill -unshaven and making weird gestures?

AS WE GET READY, A LITTLE RELIEF

"The Full Picture" is shot, edited, scored and sound designed. All that we have left is color correction which will be completed before our first screening. Until then, here's a little something I wrote for our press packet. Hope you like it.

________

In the script, I had written a scene at Stow Lake, which is more like a polluted pond in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. In the scene, Mark (Daron Jennings) falls into the lake when his brother, Hal (Josh Hutchinson) throws food scraps on the ground, causing a dog to lunge in Mark’s direction. Unsure of the city's policy for swimming in the goose-shit infested lake, we did not inform the Park Ranger of our intent to dunk our good-natured actor in the water. With a water hose and a fresh pair of clothes at the ready, we ran the scene and luckily nailed it on the first take. Seeing the commotion, the Ranger ran over with a panic stricken look on his face. In his hand, he held a paper that read, "In case of contact with Stow Lake Water." On the page was a laundry list of maladies that could befall anyone that was to ingest even the slightest amount of the murky water. We kept a close watch on Daron for the next 24 hours and to our relief, he was fine. But the scene, well, it was a little over-the-top for the kind of film we were making. So, much to Daron’s chagrin, his little dunk will be only enjoyed on the “deleted scenes” section of the DVD. At least he knows the signs of infection should he ever fall into Stow Lake again.

Welcome.

Welcome to the FULL PICTURE BLOG…the making of a true Indie film.

Project Greenlight has nothing on me. If you want to experience what it’s really like to make an independent film, here’s your chance. Over the next couple of years, we will film, edit, screen and attempt to sell a feature length movie. Many have attempted such a feat; few have succeeded. Only time will tell what will happen. Let’s get started!

3/25/06
Excitement fills the air. I have begun the hiring process and believe I have found some talented and honest people. But I don’t want to write about that. Not yet. The start date is still flexible so until that is locked down and the crew has signed in blood, I’m not going to assume anything. Instead, I want to give a little back-story of how far this project has already traveled.

THE FULL PICTURE began as a simple writing exercise in December 2001. I had been laid off as a Banquet Server at the Ritz Carlton due to a downturn in business following 9/11. Still carrying a hefty credit card bill from my first film, I needed to find work quickly. The following week, as I was scrounging up change for next month’s rent, the Ritz-Carlton valet department asked me if I would help them through the busy holiday season. They needed someone to sit down at the bottom of the parking garage and shuffle cars around so they could be accessed quickly. However, they added regretfully, there would be a lot of “downtime”. Seizing the opportunity, I took the job and brought a pen and paper to fill the supposed “slow” hours. By the end of December, I had written the first act of my play, later titled, Big Mouth.

Big Mouth was a story inspired by a family in my hometown that went through a messy, public divorce. The sensational details of their separation captured the attention of our sleepy suburban town. But as quickly as the story flared up, it also went away, and life returned to business-as-usual. What intrigued me about this story was not the divorce itself, nor the public attention it received, but the time to follow. I wanted to examine what happens to such a family fifteen years after their embarrassing moment in the spotlight.

About midway through writing Big Mouth, I felt like I had something. I started work-shopping scenes in an acting class I was taking at The Shelton Theatre here in San Francisco. I decided that I was going to direct it and in August of 2003, I rented out the Actor’s Theater for the play’s debut. Big Mouth was a hit, selling out all but one show in its short run. The story worked. And more importantly, I was convinced that it deserved a larger audience. I went to work immediately adapting the play into a story to fit the screen.

One year later, I had written THE FULL PICTURE and donned my producer’s hat once again. I constructed a business plan to raise the funds and started a LLC. And that’s where I am today. It hasn’t been easy getting to this point, but believing in the material has kept me motivated.