As I did with Justice Is Mind and First Signal, Dan Groom accomplished with Stonegate—an independent theatrical tour. Only in the case of Stonegate, I’m an actor, not the director. But regardless of being either behind or in front of the camera, the experience was the same—thrilling. There is nothing like gathering together at a theatre to celebrate the years of hard work that culminate on the silver screen.

Since my last post, Stonegate has had two additional screenings—West Newton and Greenfield. Like the world premiere in Foxborough, both were hugely successful. What it proves to me, once again, is that audiences will turn out and support an independent film that is devoid of A-list talent. What they are looking for are talented actors bringing to life a solid story in a quality motion picture. Isn’t that what the filmmaking process is all about?

Putting these types of theatrical tours together is not an easy process, as there are numerous steps that must be taken. First, you need to identify theatres that may be interested in screening the film. Then, you need to pitch them the film and explain what you’ll do to make it a success. At the end of the day, a theatre only cares about ticket and concession sales.

When undertaking this process, you must think like a traditional studio by creating press releases, pitching the media, developing a marketing plan, supplying posters (both print and digital), a trailer, and perhaps most importantly, rallying the actors and crew to promote as much as they can to their respective audiences—family, friends, and social media. When screening day arrives, it’s critical to have a step and repeat (red carpet) or at least enlarged posters so attendees can be pictured with the film.

What was great to hear last Thursday in Greenfield was that Stonegate outsold 28 Years Later in ticket sales for Thursday night. Achievements like this should always be celebrated when a David overcomes a Goliath. Even more rewarding was the audience’s applause at the end, with the majority staying for a Q&A.

As Stonegate proceeds through the festival market, hopefully with some additional screenings, plans continue for my next feature film. Will it be SOS United States, First Launch, or In Mind We Trust? I don’t have the answer to that, but what I do know is that each of these projects is ready to be rolled out to the production launch pad.

I am particularly enthusiastic about In Mind We Trust, the sequel to Justice Is Mind. While I didn’t forget about the sequel after I wrote it, it did take a bit of a back seat to my work on SOS United States and First Launch. Over the last several months, the screenplay has won six film festivals, three finalist positions, and one quarter finalist position, along with six official selections. What I believe this project has going for it is the numerous stories about mind-reading technology we have seen over the last year. Simply put, I think In Mind We Trust has captured the imagination of what the future could look like if this technology is ever available for consumer use.

Next screening.