In the Audience

This past week was a particularly exiting one for Justice Is Mind. Although we have been screening Justice at various venues since our world premiere in August, this is the first time we had two screenings in one week. One was our state premiere in New Hampshire at a theatre chain (Cinemagic) and another was our second screening in Maine but our first matinee (Railroad Square Cinema). For the first time since our premiere, I felt the enthusiasm the audience had for the film.

Admittedly the audiences at our previous screenings have been enthusiastic and very supportive, but for me it was simply a shift in what I was paying attention to. In New Hampshire it started when I saw Justice Is Mind on the digital marquee with a time slot under Hunger Games.  And then while pictures were being taken with actors, crew and guests suddenly there it was – ticket holders were lined up to see Justice Is Mind. Believe me, seeing customers come in to buy a ticket to watch your film is very rewarding.

The same thing happened in Maine yesterday. I arrived early and was just chatting up the theatre staff when I picked up a mailer they had at the ticket counter. And there was Justice Is Mind’s write up right next to Philomena. No sooner did I finish reading the mailer then people started to arrive to see Justice Is Mind.

I can only speak from my own personal experience with this process, but this was the point in time when I felt we had arrived so to speak. Are we in a wide national release? No. But we are in a traditional limited release and gathering press along the way. Another great article appeared in the Union Leader this past week.

NH Premiere: Lynda Aramento, Mary Wexler, Paul Lussier, Mark Lund, Vernon Aldershoff and Michele Mortensen.

What I know all of us associated with Justice who were present at these screenings did enjoy were the numerous questions not only about the story but about the process of how a film is produced, marketed, etc. These were very enthusiastic audiences that not only want to watch an interesting story unfold on the big screen they want to know how it was all put together. Of course you can’t please everyone. I did hear someone say they didn’t like the ending. Oh well. In each of these two screenings I was sitting in the back of theatre just listening to the audience. When do they laugh, comment and gasp. I know from yesterday most didn’t see the ending coming…good!

With our next two screenings in Massachusetts on January 11 and 24 (with Connecticut on the horizon), the long range plan for Justice is a simple one – developing an audience so when we go to VOD/DVD and foreign markets we have a base of enthusiasts and a digital footprint.

NH Premiere: With Jeremy Blaiklock the Director of Photography.

That next step in the distribution chain isn’t one to be taken lightly and needs to be taken seriously. This past week I had to tell one distributor (and one pretending to be one) I wasn’t interested in doing business with them. The reasons are various but the point needs to be made – these are people you are going to be in business with for a long time just owing to the contracts involved so mutual respect is important. I can emphatically state, we are not desperate to do a deal simply to have a deal.

When I was at both of these screenings this week I was also reflecting on the number of people involved in making this project happen. It was probably because I was being asked by so many how a film comes together. In all honesty, and as I’ve mentioned this before, creating a film does take an army. This is why filmmakers are so passionate about their work because we know the legions of people that are involved in the process.  This process isn’t restricted to those of us that created the film – it’s the theatres and their staffs, our event photographers, the media outlets and the audiences that breathe life into our work.

Onward.

After the screening at Railroad Square Cinema. Mark Lund center with Kim Gordon and Richard Sewell.