Trailerpark has a write up in the Fall issue of Filmmaker Magazine! Pretty exciting. Just a few years ago I frequented a local Borders bookstore in order to read this magazine. Never did I think that something I worked on in college would get any sort of recognition in the publication I admired so much.
Well I was going to write a post the other day but then I got cut off by Kanye…
Sorry, terrible joke I know.
So what have we been doing? Well we cut 10 minutes from the film. Now we are back into the final stages of post production, adding some more music, redoing the audio mix, and finalizing all the color. We have also been formulating a festival strategy.
For those not familiar with the independent film world, film festivals are awesome. They are a great place to show your film, meet filmmakers, and schmooze with all other types. The best part is that the people who attend the festivals all love movies and really appreciate independent film.
Here’s the downside: they are very, very difficult to get accepted into. Even the BEST independent films, with million dollar budgets and movie stars are lucky if they have a 50% acceptance rate. So you need to anticipate rejection and apply to a lot of film festivals. The more fests you get into the more publicity your film gets. But I am not going to ramble, there is a really good discussion on festivals at the workbook project which you can check out HERE.
The good thing about film fests is they understand that filmmakers are often working down until the day of the fest, so they often accept work-in-progress cuts of your film. So we have actually begun submitting. While the real submission season doesn’t begin until December, there are a few notable fests we wanted to make sure we applied to.
So that is where we are right now. The audio and color guys are working hard, the festivals are gearing up for the 2010 season, and I am watching Andy Barker P.I. on Hulu.
It’s amazing.
Thanks for following, we’ll keep you posted as we keep applying.
In looking over the influences I listed, I realized I forgot one of the most important of all.
In 1993, Robert Rodriguez’s first feature El Mariachi, won the audience award at the Sundance Film Festival. Made for only $7,000, most of which was raised by testing experimental drugs, the film is an inspiration for any independent filmmaker.
I remember reading his book, Rebel Without a Crew in high school and then instantly starting it over and reading it again. Jason Reitman has even been quotes saying that the book was a huge influence on him as a filmmaker. And that is coming from a guy who grew up on the Ghostbusters set.
I don’t think any of us would have even dreamed of making something like Trailerpark if it weren’t for Mr. Rodriguez paving the way 15 years ago. Certainly there were other great filmmakers that did similar things, but no one has left as much of an impression as Robert.
Now if only he would stop making films like Shorts.
Now I thought I’d share some of the movies we watched in preparation for making this movie.
Lars and the Real Girl
I really love the tone of this movie. It does an excellent job of walking that fine line between quirky comedy and drama and never feels insincere. Also, we looked at this one for tips on transitioning between seasons and extended time periods. Plus, Ryan Gosling is absolutely fantastic.
Snow Angels
This was one we really looked at to see how the characters intertwined as well as how to blend comedy into some serious dramatic moments. There are a lot of goofy moments in this very serious movie that play really well. I know Jonny watched this a lot for blocking as well.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
This movie feels similar to Trailerpark in so many ways. It really captures the small town feel and does a great job of incorporating so many strong supporting characters and their plot lines, like John C. Reilly and Crispin Glover. Also, it involves a fire at the climax so it’s strikingly similar in that regard. One thing I really love about this movie is how it incorporated the environments and the sunsets into the pacing and tone.
Kicking and Screaming
We needed to watch a movie that is entirely dialogue based and this one is a great example. It’s young people talking. They talk in bars, houses, and clubs. But it is never boring, so we looked at how they shot and paced a lot of the talking in this one.
Short Cuts
Robert Altman’s movie based on a book of interconnecting short stories by Raymond Carver. This one has a much different feel from Trailerpark, as we focus so much on a tiny community, but there are plenty of striking similarities in the two.
Alright, I hope that keeps you guys interested while we are trimming.
I thought I’d share some of the books I have enjoyed over the course of making Trailerpark.
The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide by Chris Gore
-This book is an amazing guide to the entire festival process. Through applying and making a press packet, all the way to selling and getting that magical distribution deal. Which we are still waiting for…
Directing Actors by Judith Weston
-This book is an amazing resource for anyone interesting in doing any kind of directing in front of the camera. It really opened my eyes to a lot of great techniques.
I’m sure other members of the crew did a lot of reading as well, so hopefully some of them will post some of their recommendations. In the upcoming week I’ll post some of the movies we watched for inspiration.
Just replace “Mikey” with “Russell” and you can infer how Lake Placid went.
We had a wonderful time up north and really fell in love with the beautiful town full of very fit people doing very fit things. Like Marathons. Or freestyle skiing.
We stuck to eating and watching movies.
But we had a blast and finally got to screen Trailerpark to the author himself, Russell Banks. And he loved it, which allowed us to all let out a giant sigh of relief. So thank you Lake Placid for the wonderful four days and another great screening.
So now what? Well we are headed back to the editing room for a month or two to trim things up and tighten the movie a bit. Then it’s on to the final mix and then off to film festivals. Hopefully by early 2010, Trailerpark will be touring the country on the festival circuit.
Thanks for all the support thusfar and we will be sure to keep everyone informed throughout the summer.
Our Athens work in progress premiere went great. Thank you to everyone who came and supported the film, we truly appreciate it.
We are screening next Saturday the 13th at the Lake Placid Film Forum. Russell will be watching the film for the first time so we are all incredibly excited. For more information head over to http://lakeplacidfilmforum.com/
