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These Are Those Things

Making A Movie… the right way with the right people

Isn’t it nice how sometimes everything seems to go right?

Years back, we were given a script by a director whose work we admired. He was committed to getting it right and luckily we all worked well together. He kept making the script better and better. Yet, times are always tough and a period youth movie is never high on buyers must -have list. Still, we were prepared to make the film at any budget even if you needed more than a little just to license the period songs that punctuated every page of the script. One of his TV buddies then offered him a gig on a flick without any stars, making it seem like a Direct-To-DVD assignment. But it wasn’t — not even close.

By the time Greg Mottola was done with that little film, it was SUPERBAD, and now he wanted to make some more changes to what now felt like our script. Summer was almost over and our project had to shoot when it still looked looked hot & sweaty. With a month or so left in the season, we went out with the script, and found financing partners who believed in our vision and wanted to go right away, happy to cast whom we wanted.

We assembled a great team to make the movie, some old friends, others that became new friends. Everyone was talented. Everyone had a good attitude. Everyone worked really hard and had a good time in the process. The prep was short, the hours longs, but it still was a great time. Kinda like the film we made, but with less drama and less ball taps.

Our partners gave us enough money, encouraged to keep making things better, and when we were done, they worked incredibly hard and with tremendous passion to promote the film to the fullest. Even more, they believed that whomever saw it would dig it just as much, and they’ve been willing to screen it over and over just to get the word out.  Fortunately, the reviews do everyone’s efforts proud.

So this Friday night, our good fortune and everyone’s hard work is offered up to you, albeit for the price of a movie ticket.

Check out the website: http://www.adventurelandthefilm.com/
Michael Phillip’s Chicago Trib 4 Star Review
Harry Knowles’ rave: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/40374
David Edelstien’s New York Mag rave.
Oh, and Matt Dentler threw five questions at me about the film, sucky jobs, social networks, and first features.  Check it out here.
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Truly Free Film

Who Is Making Additional Material For Their Features?

I am not even talking about true transmedia work with developed story lines and expanded narratives; I am just wondering what examples are out there of additional material that has been used by filmmakers, mainstream and the indie DIY side both, to help bring audiences to the films.

Rainn Wilson tweeted about the shorts he did with Slash for The Rocker a few days ago, and I checked them out, but at that time, six months after the release less than 300 people had watched them on YouTube.
We have the videos s that Arin & Susan did for Four Eyed Monsters and set the bar for indie film promotion.  We have Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up skits, and Wes Anderson’s short for Darjeeling Express.  But what else is there?  Why isn’t everyone doing it?  I would think that it is by now standard practice, but no.  It’s not truly a money issue because there are lots of ways to do work on the cheap.
On Adventureland, we came up with a couple of short pieces that will soon debut on iTunes and elsewhere, but that was the first time that a studio “let” us do it.  I want to do it on every film now, and hopefully scripted well in advance.
Let us know what other examples you’ve found.

Categories
These Are Those Things

The Changing World Of The Trailer

I love how the internet has redefined what a trailer is and what a trailer isn’t.  Post modern times indeed.

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Truly Free Film

Who Is Really Prepared For Sundance?

If only I had more hands.  And more time.  And less things that really got me excited — like movies I want to make.

Anyway, I have been wondering what films and what filmmakers had gone ahead and made a trailer, built a website, had been blogging, placing clips on line.  You know: all the sort of stuff that needs to be done so you can truly launch at Sundance.  
It currently looks like the list of Those Who Are Prepared is not surprisingly dominated by those that have the most funding (and thus the most hands).  But it really doesn’t have to be so (I know that’s a lot easy to say, than do, but still…).  
Cinematical has run with a good opening list of the trailers for Sundance films.  I hope someone does a list of websites soon too.
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Truly Free Film

Our New Film!

We interrupt this blog to bring you the trailer of our new film!  Granted, it’s not the kind of movie we will be doing all the kinds of things we’ve been talking about here, but it is still truly great.  Mark your calendars: ADVENTURELAND opens March 27th.

Adventureland trailer in HD

Categories
These Are Those Things

Our New Film!: Adventureland

We interrupt this blog to share the trailer for our new film.  It will open March 27th.  Stay tuned.

Adventureland trailer in HD