Location Targets
Last week my first feature film, Justice Is Mind, went live on YouTube’s Stash TV through FilmHub. While I continue to do “maintenance” marketing for Justice, the big push is relatively over as the film was released in 2013. But then in August numerous articles were published about advances in mind-reading technology. When I was reviewing the film to promote the recent media and then the YouTube placement, I realized that the story itself takes place in 2024 a year after “Congressional approval” of the FVMRI process in 2023. One asks, where does the time go!
As I approach 2023, another film is now top of mind – SOS United States. Like Justice Is Mind, SOS United States requires multiple locations. These locations are specific in terms of look and function. Of course, at the time I thought securing the dozen or so locations for Justice Is Mind was going to be impossible. But one by one they started to come together. Flash forward to 2018 and I was experiencing some challenges to secure the primary filming location for First Signal. In the end, our location came through with The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center.
When “Hollywood” produces a film they can easily secure any location they want. If they can’t find it, they build it. In both cases there are substantial fees paid. But as an independent filmmaker, I rely on securing trade marketing partnerships. By trade I simply mean this, a location provides us the opportunity to film and then I promote the location in our marketing. No monies change hands. This is a practice I’ve been employing in all my films since I produced First World in 2006. It’s a practice that has served my films and marketing partners well.
Having completed the cost analysis, next week starts the location search in earnest. If the locations can be secured, I’ll announce pre-production status for SOS United States. The production plan would be to start principal photography by summer 2023 in the same production fashion as we did with First Signal (weekend and select weekday filming).
I remember like it was yesterday when I secured the Hotel Commonwealth in Boston for First World. It was that moment when I realized that a trade partnership was possible for a premium location. The hotel granted us a one-day use of their Presidential Suite which served as the residence of the Secretary of State. While First World may have been an independent short film, it didn’t have to look like one.
Another element of First World that will be recreated in SOS United States, is a motorcade for the President of the United States. While it obviously won’t be the forty plus vehicles in a traditional motorcade, I am determined for it to have the necessary gravitas. Of course, what’s available now that wasn’t in 2006 is the ability to add vehicles via VFX.
Thankfully, this technology is available to independent filmmakers. In SOS United States the second-generation Concorde appears as Commonwealth One the official state plane of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. When I first watched The Man in the High Castle and saw the Concorde styled jet, I researched who the VFX house was and how they created this iconic craft. Needless to say, the results were pretty impressive.
This all being said, I have confidence in one thing that’s completed and ready to go…
…the script.
First Review
As filmmakers we tend to operate in a vacuum. We generally write our screenplays in a bit of isolation and only expand our audience when our projects go into production. It’s easy to take refuge in people that will like our work, but we all know that’s not realistic. As creatives we look for our work to be seen by audiences outside of our own. Of course, there’s always that worry of what others will think. But that’s the very nature of what we do—we create to exhibit.
“For all those avid fans and not-so fans of sci-fi theme, this is a movie that edges all others this season and will go a long way in the mainstream if launched globally.”
This past week a notification popped up on First Signal’s Facebook page. When I clicked on it, I couldn’t believe what I was reading. It was a posted review. As I haven’t been promoting First Signal to the media for reviews, I was wondering how it came about. I then saw where the post originated. The Utah Film Festival & Awards posted, what could only be described, as a glowing review. Every word was a positive one. What I particularly enjoyed was the following passage, “For all those avid fans and not-so fans of sci-fi theme, this is a movie that edges all others this season and will go a long way in the mainstream if launched globally.” You can read the entire review on the screenshot below or their Facebook page.
Being thankful for this review would be an understatement. After I read it a few times I started to reflect on the origins of this project and how it came so close to never happening on more than one occasion. One thing I learned is that perseverance is key. If you believe in your project, you have to keep pushing despite all obstacles. Those that have worked with me know that I’m someone that doesn’t give up. As a literary agent friend told me last year, “You are truly a dog with a bone.” The First World Universe, that First Signal is part of, has been in development for over a decade.
I’m also pleased to announce that First Signal is an official selection of Beyond the Curve International Film Festival. When I was looking at their selections page and saw First Signal’s poster among a sea of films, I was struck by the sheer quality of the other projects. Some of these posters are truly works of art. My congratulations to all.
As for art, I saw Tenet last week and could easily attribute it to the surrealism of a Salvador Dali. The one thing about a Christopher Nolan film is he demands that his audience think. Not just in one dimension, but at least three. When I first see a Nolan film, I take in the stunning cinematography that’s always complimented with a rapturous score. The first viewing must be seen in a theatre as that’s where it’s designed to be experienced. The second time I focus on just the story to grasp the message. But it’s the third time, with captions on, that I do my best to understand the nuances of what Nolan wanted to achieve. What I love about his films are the subtle messages through numerous clues. I think this is why I love The Man in the High Castle so much – with every viewing I learn something more. I’ve always believed a film (or TV series) should be multi-layered.
New audiences.
The Ashton Times 