Thursday, December 21, 2006

Kids film camp and brief update...

Thought I'd point out an opportunity I ran across that might be interesting for parents of children who are interested in film.

http://www.cinequest.org/camp/campCQ.php

Good organization, good people--could be a great chance for your kids to start learning now.

I'm finishing up the music for Midnight Clear, and we do the final sound mix in early January. The film is almost officially complete! Will continue with updates as I get them...
Fun stuff...

Published: December 1, 2006
Got some bad and good news on Midnight Clear in the last couple days. Bad news is we got rejected by Sundance. Good news is they told us that they loved the film, that it was a finalist and got as close as you can come without getting in. One of the programmers raved about the film, saying it handled the inter-weaving storyline with "uncommon subtlety and grace." Depressing and encouraging at the same time.

Also, we found out today we got accepted into the Cinequest Film Festival! That's pretty cool, as Chris Gore's Festival Guide has it listed as one of the top 15 festivals in the world, and Moviemaker Magazine said it's one of the top 20 worth the entry fee. Hopefully this will be the first of many.

Interesting article on mtv.com that features my Dad and me:

Have had a few screenings of Midnight Clear lately and have decided to do a little more tweaking. Got a little more work to do on the music, and I'm probably going to cut a scene and make a few tweaks elsewhere...right now I think the film drags a bit in the first half. It's a fine line, because it's intentionally a slower-paced, subtle film, but you also want to be compelling. If a scene you've created is meant to be funny and people aren't laughing, or sad and people aren't touched, then you need to evaluate whether the scene belongs at all, even if it's "good."

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Welcome!

Welcome!
I had a blog at the old version of the site, but that is gone now. Welcome to the new blog. No special categories, just weekly updates on what's going on with the company, some answers to common questions, and perhaps a few pretentious rants about movies and whatnot.

Quick update: Midnight Clear is almost done, as we're finalizing the sound mix. The music is finished, and it's really terrific. Our composer, Jeehun Hwang, is a genius. We have a screening for distributors Wednesday, November 15th, and a screening for cast/crew/friends/industry acquaintances on the 21st. The distributor screening is huge, obviously, as this will define our chances of getting good distribution. The goal is to find a distributor that can get the movie mainstream exposure while also exploiting the Christian market. I know the Christian market is a valuable resource for this film, and I know they'll appreciate the message of the film, but I don't want this picture categorized only in that box. Also, we'll be hearing from Sundance within a month if we're in or not. I have inside word that the film is a finalist, which is great, and getting in would be HUGE for the film. We'll see.


Most common question response:

The most common question I get usually refers to how to get in the industry, how to get scripts read, etc. As I mention elsewhere in this site, you should check out the books by K Callan, especially if you're an actor. There are dozens of other books that are helpful as well. In my opinion, though, the two best routes are to either move to L.A. and get a job in a production company, then working your way up; or, simply making a movie where you're at. Whether it's a $500 short film, or something bigger, simply getting something on video or film sets you apart. Then you can make the next one bigger if you can even make a tiny profit on the first one (selling it locally and to your friends and family, making a profit for yourself or an investor).

I'm not trying to get too comprehensive here in just a paragraph, I'm just trying to give a quick bullet point or two. The main thing is, I can't really read scripts sent out from around the country, and neither can most production companies.


More to come...enjoy...

Dallas