The Hour Fast Approaches...

I know I, for one, am surprised at how quickly the 48 Hour Film Project has come. Yes, for those of you who haven’t checked your calendars lately, the competition is in just two weeks — May 4th through the 6th. And as usual, it seems like we’ve got a lot of work to do between now and then.

I’ve already heard from several of our regulars regarding their availability, but many others either have not yet responded or were tentative in their commitments. If you fall into one of those latter categories (or if your plans have changed), please let me know as soon as possible if you’ll be able to join us this time around. The big shooting day will be Saturday the 5th, but we could also use some editing and postproduction help through Sunday, if you’re so inclined.

In addition, as always, we are on the lookout for interesting or unusual locations, props, or other quirky components you may be able to contribute to the effort (or, frankly, regular locations, props, or components). So please pass those along so we can start assembling our list of potential “assets”; we’ll want to have a fairly complete inventory of our capabilities for the writers to work with — no sense writing in a 1955 Chevy if we don’t actually have one (and if we do have one, we’d be crazy not to write it in).

More details on the specifics to come across the next two weeks, so stay tuned!

Seattle Debrief

I’ve got to say, the Science Fiction Short Film Festival was an amazing experience. The trip itself was nightmarish — there’s nothing like having your travel agency neglect to actually book the ticket, and then try to stick you with an additional $480 charge if you actually want to make your flight. And neglect to inform you that the cost of your hotel room will unexpectedly skyrocket for the second night of your stay.

But despite all of that, the festival itself was fantastic. First, I participated in a special teachers’ session at the Science Fiction Museum; basically a live director’s commentary and Q&A session. (It’s kind of nice to know that Seattle-area teachers are going to be using “Machinations” to teach students about visual composition in film.) And I got a free pass to the museum and the Experience Music Project — not a bad way to kill a couple of hours before the festival proper.

(Speaking of commentaries, I should take a second to note that we have finally added a new entry to our long-neglected podcast: A commentary on “Machinations” with me and D.P. Adam Young. Enjoy.)

As for the screenings themselves, I couldn’t have asked for a better venue. The Cinerama Theatre is a surprisingly well-kept, 800-seat theater with a huge curved screen. And a good old-fashioned balcony. The filmmakers had prime reserved seats, of course — and we needed them, as the theater sold out both screenings. And that’s an audience of regular filmgoers, not a crowd stacked with the filmmakers’ friends and family.

The quality of the films varied, as one might expect. In some cases the concept was intriguing but the execution lacked. In others those two factors were reversed. A few films missed on both counts. And some were right on the money. Some personal favorites of mine were “Transgressions” (which ended up taking home the Grand Prize), “The Un-Gone,” “Maklar, Anyone?” (the Audience Favorite winner), “Singularity,” and “TV Man.” I also enjoyed “Haunted Planet” and “Face Machine,” and got a real kick out of the animated romp “The Tragical Historie of Guidolon the Giant Space Chicken.” The space effects in “Mizar” were absolutely asonishing (and on full 35mm film, no less). And I want to make special mention of “Agnieszka” and Douglas Trumbull award-winner “13 Ways to Die at Home”; I definitely enjoyed both of them, but they both fall firmly into the category of “What the hell was that?”

We didn’t take home any awards — not that we expected to, given the quality of the competition and the fact that there really weere only three awards given. But the audience really seemed to love our little picture; and in that theater, that was really some reaction. Talk about a rush. And even beyond the films, the experience of being to able to interact with other filmmakers and film fans was priceless.

Of course, lest I leave the experience thinking all was well with the world, I was brought back down to Earth on the return flight, where I had what was supposed to be a four-hour layover at Midway airport. Which kept on creeping later and later, until it reached nearly the six-hour mark. Sure, I was able to sit and watch the Superbowl (or at least the first three quarters) in an airport bar in Chicago, but that novelty wore off pretty fast. Didn’t manage to crawl out of a largely-abandoned National airport until one in the morning. Lost the whole day just trying to get home (and had to get up for an early meeting the next morning).

It was so worth it.

While I’m rambling, I might as well add a few quick news bullets:

  • Thanks to the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse screening, Tohubohu has taken in its first appreciable revenue; at just over $100, it doesn’t really begin to cover the amount we’ve spent on production (and the even greater amount we’ve since spent on promotion), but it’s still a really nice feeling to get that check in hand.
  • Still no news on any potential awards from the National Film Challenge, and we probably won’t know anything until Filmapalooza in March. And that’s assuming they post any announcements immediately: While we’d certainly like to have a representative in attendance, our budget is pretty much spent after the aforementioned Seattle trip...
  • The Internet Movie Database now has reasonably complete listings for both “Quite Contrary” and “Machinations” — so if you worked on either of those films, be sure to give those entries a look to make sure you’re credited properly (and even if you didn’t work on either of them, go give them your ratings and comments)!
  • The 2007 48 Hour Film Project for Washington, D.C., will take place over the weekend of May 4th through the 6th. Clear your calendars...

Expanding the “Official” Catalog

Just wanted to mention that “Machinations” has joined “Quite Contrary” in being included in the Internet Movie Database. No details yet (they’re coming), but the film’s there (thanks to its acceptance into the Science Fiction Short Film Festival).

And while we’re on the subject, more details have been added to the “Quite Contrary” page, meaning a lot more of the folks who worked on it have been recognized (and there are still more additions to come). Congrats to all!

Oh, and when you get a chance, you may want to head over and make sure your details are correct. And vote for the films! (Rate “Quite Contrary” here and “Machinations” here.)

Baltimore’s Battle of the Films... and DAVE

Right on the heels of our screening at the Science Fiction Short Film Festival next weekend, we will have one — and possibly two — screenings at the inaugural Battle of the Films in Baltimore. The first screening — on Thursday, February 8 — will feature “Screening Process,” and if we make it to round two (only five films will move on), the second screening — on Thursday, February 15 — will feature “Quite Contrary.” Now, as befits a true “battle,” these are all about viewer reaction — how we do is measured by the rigorously tested and eminently scientific method of audience applause volume.

In other words, we need people to show up. Preferably loud people.

The screenings will be hosted by The Cinema Lounge at Gardel’s, located at 29 South Front Street in Baltimore, and they’ll start at 7:30 pm. So please come if you can!

I also wanted to take a moment to give a quick shout-out to Tohubohu alumnus David Seitzinger, who just finished a program of grueling work at The DAVE School (as in Digital Animation and Visual Effects) in Orlando, Florida. His class’s final project, “Creepers,” is up for viewing on their website. Give it a look — some pretty remarkable stuff! Congratulations, David!

Bicoastal Machinations

We’ve got not one but two screenings to highlight today.

First, “Machinations” has just been accepted into the Science Fiction Short Film Festival, taking place February 3 in Seattle, Washington. We’re pretty damned proud of this little accomplishment, and are really excited about the opportunity to showcase all of our hard work to an appreciative audience. If anyone wants to fly out — or if any of our West Coast contingent wants to give it a look-see (not to mention giving us the chance to catch up) — let us know and we can get tickets and coordinate schedules!

Congratulations — and my personal thanks — to everyone involved in our achieving this honor.

And more locally (well, for our DC-based contingent anyway), the film will be screening at 4:00 p.m. on January 13 at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse. This screening will be a showcase of locally-produced films for the National Film Challenge, and we’re really happy to have this venue in which to host it (sure beats the hell out of my office’s common room). Tickets are only $5 apiece — and since it’s a restaurant to boot, there’ll be plenty of food and drink available as well. We really want a big turnout for this one — especially since theater revenue (well, once we recover the amount we paid to get the theater in the first place) will be divvied up by which film attendees are there to support (you’ll have a chance to express your preference upon entry). Frankly, it’d be nice to make back some of our expenses for a change… So while we’ll understand if you can’t make it all the way out to Seattle, this one there’s no excuse for missing…

Well, unless you’re a left-coaster, of course.

Save the Date!

“Machinations” will be showing as part of a special screening of locally-produced entries in the National Film Challenge on January 13 at the Arlington Cinema ’n’ Drafthouse. And frankly, I don’t think we could have asked for a better venue. Dinner, drinks, and movies. Tickets will be only $5 — and remember, you’ll be supporting us in the process: Revenue will be split according to which movie you’re there to support. So it’s vital not only that you come out and enjoy yourself, but that you tell all your friends and neighbors about it.

We’ll have more details as the date draws closer, but for now, be sure to write it in on your calendars. In ink — none of this “pencil” crap.

New Viewing Options

After seeing the sheer number of NFC films that are available via third-party distribution sites, we’ve gone ahead and joined the pack. We have finished uploading our entire film catalog to both YouTube and MySpace; not only does this expand our potential audience, but it also provides viewers with a chance to rate our films and provide feedback (something we really haven’t had time to build into this site).

So head over to those sites (via the preceding links), watch the films, and let us know what you think! And while you’re at it, go ahead and subscribe to our films at YouTube (and make us your friend), and add us as a friend and make us one of your favorites at MySpace!

It’s all about promotion...

NFC Finalists Announced

I have to confess that I didn't expect to be writing this, but “Machinations” did not make the cut of the top 15 films in this year’s National Film Challenge. What this means is that — while we are still eligible for individual awards (cinematography, best in genre, editing, acting, etc.) — we are out of the running for the Best Film and Audience Favorite awards. In other disappointing news, it also appears that voting for the Audience Awards (i.e., the posting of the eligible films on the NFC site) will now not occur until December 22, and the full slate of awards will not be announced until the Filmapalooza event, March 8-11 of next year. (Talk about dragging out the timeline...)

I do have to say that I’m still extremely proud of what we all accomplished, and am continuing to submit this and other films in our catalog to appropriate festivals, as well as exploring other distribution and promotion avenues. We are still planning to have a screening of locally produced films in the contest, and will let everyone know when we have the details locked up. And we are also planning to produce at least one non-competition film in the immediate future.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us to date, and I look forward to our next opportunity to work together!

For the record, here's the list of the top 15 films (and, where possible, a link to where they can be viewed online):

“Yukai” — Austin Militia, Austin, TX (Horror)
“The Silence” — Brain Child, Nashville, TN (Silent Film)
“Foxxy Madonna vs. The Black Death” — Cinephreak Pictures, Indianapolis, IN (Spy)
“The Make-Up of a Man” — Drop Deuce, Philadelphia, PA (Comedy)
“Ashes to Ashes” — The Hi-Def Chefs, Minneapolis, MN (Holiday Film)
“Rub Out” — The Isotopes, Los Angeles, CA (Drama)
“The Exorsister” — Minefield Entertainment, Chicago, IL (Mockumentary)
“Aw, Crap! It’s a Musical?” — Precision Post, Los Angeles, CA (Musical or Western)
“All I Wanted Was A Beer” — PunchBelly, Valley Village, CA (Musical or Western)
“All Sales Final” — Team CPR, Eugene, OR (Comedy)
“Decision 2006” — Team Midas, Albany, NY (Mockumentary)
“Everyday” — We Don’t Know Yet Productions, Philadelphia, PA (Holiday Film)
“It Happened In Your Neighborhood” — Weary Films, Little Rock, AR (Silent Film)
“Showdown at Root Canal” — What’s In A Name Studios, St. Louis, MO (Musical or Western)
“Dante’s Massage” — Year of the Rooster, Sherman Oaks, CA (Horror)

Photos from DC Shorts

This is a little late, but I thought a few people might be interested in some photos from this summer’s DC Shorts festival, from the opening night party at Drinx, to the screening Q&A sessions, to the closing brunch at Clyde’s.

Photos by Tom Kochel: http://www.gannagency.com/dcshorts/gallery/kochel.shtml
(Featuring Tohubohu contributors Bill Coughlan, Nello DeBlasio, Arvi Gowda, Brian Grundstrom, Karen Hutchinson, Bjorn Munson, and Emily Skelton. Not to mention a whole bunch of other filmmakers, as well as DC Shorts organizer Jon Gann and “Close Quarters” character inspiration Tim Tate, gay glass sculptor extraordinaire.)

Photos by Moshe Zusman: http://www.gannagency.com/dcshorts/gallery/zusman.shtml
(Featuring Tohubohu contributors Bill Coughlan, Nello DeBlasio, Bjorn Munson, and Emily Skelton. Again, among others.)

Photos by Mia Faith: http://www.gannagency.com/dcshorts/gallery/faith.shtml
(Featuring Tohubohu contributors Nello DeBlasio, Arvi Gowda, Brian Grundstrom, Bjorn Munson and Emily Skelton. Et al.)

Now We’re Official

Well, one of our films is anyway. All of the production details (cast, crew, company info, etc.) are still pending, but “Quite Contrary” now has an official entry at the Internet Movie Database. So while you’re thinking about it, everyone head over and cast your vote for it (rating it highly, of course). And add your comments, if you like. Let’s start the buzz on this one!

With any luck, all of the supplemental info will be addded soon, and we’ll have a chance to add things like an official one-sheet poster. Speaking of which, anyone want to take a stab at designing a decent one? All we’ve got right now is a pretty basic black with the title and a still shot from the film...

(In fact, that request goes for any of the films in our catalog.)

Edit: Looks like Tohubohu has its own entry as well, though it’s not much more than a placeholder at the moment.

Georgetown/Adams Morgan Screening and NFC News

Well, as much as we were looking forward to the Georgetown/Adams Morgan festival, I do have to say I was a little disappointed. The audience for our screenings was... somewhat smaller than I’d expected. As in absolutely nonexistent. Well, not including me, Brian, the people running the show, and a couple of people who meandered in. I did get a chance to meet and chat with organizer Eric Sommer, and saw a really interesting ukelele-rapper, and a couple of interesting films, so it wasn’t a total loss. But really not what I’d hoped for.

In other news, the current schedule has the first round of judging for the National Film Challenge wrapping up on November 30th, with the announcement of the first-round selections shortly thereafter. Just thought people would want to know.

Georgetown/Adams Morgan Film & Music Festival 2006

Just wanted to pass along the news that both “Quite Contrary” and “Machinations” will be screening with the Georgetown/Adams Morgan Film & Music Festival on Friday, November 17th. “Quite Contrary” will be screening as part of the 1:30 block, and “Machinations” will be with the 3:30 block.

All screenings are at the DC Arts Center Theater in Adams Morgan (2438 18th Street, NW), and tickets and passes are exclusively available at the Idle Time Bookstore (located right across the street). Tickets for a film block are $5 apiece, day passes are $50, and all-access passes are $100.

Congratulations to everyone involved, and I hope to see some of you there!

Becoming a Bit More Official

Just wanted to let everyone know that we have finally gotten around to submitting “Quite Contrary” to the Internet Movie Database, in light of its official selection as part of the DC Shorts Film Festival.

The approval process usually takes a few weeks, so we’ll hopefully have some more information as to whether or not it’s been accepted then. Once it’s in (hey, I’m optimistic), we can go about making sure everyone’s name is correct and so on. But for right now, it’s just another waiting game. Kind of par for the course for us.

A Little Facelift

Well, we’re trying out a new website design — probably just a stopgap measure until we get our ideal site up, but since we’ve been tweaking that “ideal” for more than a year now, I think it’s way past time we put up something that seemed at least reasonably respectable. So check it out, run it around the block, and let us know if anything else needs fixing.

In other news, I just received the official word that “Machinations” was received and is considered eligible for awards. Now it’s all a matter of waiting.

“Machinations” Is Now Online!

Just wanted to drop everyone a quick note to let you know that our latest short film, “Machinations,” is now available for online viewing (at least in its “Large” and “Medium” incarnations — still working on the version for those with slower ’net connections).

We (that is, I) also did some minor tweaking of the site — mostly behind-the-scenes stuff, but I did try to more prominently feature our shorts toward the top. If anyone wants to take a moment to check it out — kick the tires, so to speak — I’d appreciate it. (In fact, if anyone wants to redo the site a bit, make it look less like something that was slapped together by a rank neophyte, I wouldn’t turn that down either.)

In other news, after its successful run at the DC Shorts festival, we are submitting “Quite Contrary” to the Cleveland International Film Festival, as well as the Georgetown/Adams Morgan Festival. And given the positive reception of “Machinations” so far, I think it’ll be hitting the festival circuit as well.

That’s all for now — hope everyone’s having a nice weekend (don’t forget to set your clocks back).

The Tapes Are On Their Way

Oh, I forgot to mention the final, definitive title of our little film: “Machinations.”

And by the way, thanks to some technical glitches, I did not make the 6:30 dropoff at the nearby FedEx place. Still (after an interminable stream of profanity far more explicit than anything in “Quite Contrary”), I was able to work those out, and had plenty of time to dump a couple of copies out to tape and get them to the central FedEx facility by its 8:00 closing time. Or so I thought. I’ll spare you all the details, but after seemingly innumerable delays, I ended up in the door just before 8:00 (and, in fact, someone coming up a couple of minutes later was denied entry).

As a little capper, the attendant’s receipt printer wasn’t working, so she said she’d just have to give me the handwritten receipt. Hey, I’m sympathetic, but as this is a competition entry, I’m going to need an officially printed and dated receipt. They had to run the thing three times before it’d work (and change paper rolls twice), but work it did.

Time-stamped 8:02 p.m., but the time’s not the critical thing — it’s the date: October 23, 2006.

Our work is officially done.

Thanks again, everyone. Now I’m going to grab something to eat, have a drink and go to bed.

And despite all that, I can’t wait to do it again. But next time I’ll try not to cut it so close.

Good night, all.

The Home Stretch...

Well, we’re not exactly done yet, but we’re getting closer.

Yesterday’s editing session went really well, and it was great to know that (even though we had today to make adjustments) we had a good, solid piece to work with. Which is a good thing, ’cause even though I thought today was going to be just an exercise in perfectionism, I’ve been working just as hard as yesterday to get this picture in shape to ship it out this evening. And believe me, this picture is worth the effort; I’m really not exaggerating when I say this may be one of the best pieces we’ve ever done. Great performances, amazing technical quality, tight editing, and some graphics that are absolutely astonishing. I do want to give a special shout-out to those who weren’t as visible on the shoot — Larry Contratti, our writer and editor, Mike Gower, graphics genius extraordinaire, and Brian Wilbur Grundstrom, who has been working with me all through yesterday and today to polish up the music (which will be the most tightly-integrated bit of scoring we’ve had to date).

I’ll spare you the gory details — the postproduction process isn’t the most dramatic of undertakings (which is why it always got such short shrift on Project Greenlight). But suffice it to say that with every little addition or alteration, we could see the quality of this thing substantially improving. Right now, I’m doing a final rendering of the picture to disk so we can start the output process; at that point, we’ll run it out to tape and double-check the tape (lesson learned after the “Quite Contrary” experience). And at this rate, we should have plenty of time to make the 6:30 FedEx dropoff (and if not, we can travel a bit further to hit an 8:00 deadline elsewhere).

Beyond that, we’ll work on getting the film ready for posting online, but we’re hoping to put together a real-world cast and crew screening first. We’re thinking Friday evening — which would give us the opportunity to go out for a celebratory drink (or two) afterward. I’m checking into using my office’s common room (which has a widescreen TV and DVD player), but if anyone has any other suggestions, please pass them along (and soon). If all goes well, we’ll have the online version up and viewable soon after.

I’ve got to get back to work, but if anyone has any additional suggestions or comments, please pass ’em along. In the meantime, I just want to offer my sincerest thanks to everyone for an outstanding effort, and I look forward to being able to show off the fruits of that labor soon!

They’ll Love It At Sundance

The first time you produce a short film, you’re so stoked. Afterwards, it’s all old hat.

Okay, not really.

This weekend, Tohubohu Productions participated in the National Film Challenge. Actually, I should say is participating, since we (we meaning my husband) will be tweaking the movie all day tomorrow. While the 48 Hour Film Project gives you, well, 48 hours, the National Film Challenge gives you one extra day. Imagine the luxury of writing, filming, editing, and scoring a movie in three days. I don’t know why we didn’t get two films done.

We got our genre and the group’s character/prop/line on Friday at 7:00. In the National Film Challenge, the required character/prop/line is divided by area (at least I assume that is still the case). Our genre was Science Fiction. The required elements for the East Coast were Bobbie Soxer (Candidate)/oil/“If it doesn’t work, give it a shake.”

Bill and I worked with the other producer and our writer to brainstorm the plot. When we felt like we had a good start with Act 1, our writer worked it up while we took care of other movie-making business. Then we talked about the changes we wanted, and he wrote out the next parts. More changes, finishing up at 3:30 in the morning. Bill added the scene headings and some other notes to the script at home and went to bed after 4:00.

Alarm goes off at 7:00. That was a lovely three hours of sleep we had. Or didn’t have, since we were both too worked up to sleep well. We gathered our supplies, loaded the car with equipment, and headed for the creative team’s call at 8:00. Or 8:00ish, since we, along with our camera guy, represented 3 out of 5 of the creative team — and one was at the Metro. We went over the script in general and then met the crew at 9:00 at the location.

A good friend of ours had volunteered the use of his shop for the filming. Since they design upscale kitchens, we had some great places to film to keep the background interesting. There was the showroom, with several different mock kitchens, and a warehouse with high ceilings. We also used the front, side, and back of the building. We would probably have gone under the building if we could have figured out how to do it.

The filming went great. A little rocky in the beginning, with the combination of a tough camera setup and some missing cast members. Next time we will stagger the call times and start with a simpler shot, so lesson learned in any case. But other than getting a slow start, everything went extremely well. The actors were all fantastic in the characters we had assigned them. They had a lot to contribute to the dialogue and to the charaterization. Excellent cast. Our crew was totally on the ball, getting things done quickly and accurately. I worked mostly with the Assistant Director, preparing actors for the next scene while Bill was filming the current scene. Our prep work saved a lot of time, since Bill didn’t have to rehearse the actors, but still could change things that didn’t work for him. We finished filming about 8:30 and were packed up and out by 9:00.

Today I’ve been home while Bill edits the film and adds the music and graphics (we had people working on both as we were filming). I’ve seen the rough cut, and it looks pretty good. There are some shots we could have done better if we had more time, but that’s the “challenge” part of the National Film Challenge.

I’ll let you know when it’s up on our site, in case anyone is interested. I think we did a good job with it, but most importantly — clichéd as it is — we had a great time.

By the way, if any of you writers are interested in putting together a short film script, we’d be happy to give it a look. We’ve wanted to do a non-competition film (i.e., a film not thrown together in one weekend), but don’t have any script ideas. We won’t, y’know, pay you for it, but it could hit it big in the indie market. You never know.