So the inevitable has happened! Yesterday October 13th I get a FB message from a friend who informs me that my film has been placed online for streaming and download! At first I didn’t believe him but then I saw with my own eyes. I followed his link, clicked play and my film played in clean no watermark quality! I started to look into it right away and called my Sales agent and told him about it and within minutes we had tracked the source down to Switzerland. It seems that my first German distribution which included Switzerland may have been where the leak came from. I knew that this day would come sooner or later and I know that the internet is an untamable beast that cannot be controlled. The net is far too powerful and convenient for all of us. I use it everyday promoting my film and now that same device which has given my film life has also taken away from me my only hope of making a dime off all my hard work blood sweat and tears. I only wish that who ever uploaded my film for whatever reason would’ve at least waited until it came out on DVD first. Perhaps they thought they were ripping off just another rich studio exec who flies private jets and has parties on the beach with bikini models every weekend. Instead they took from a dude who shovels dirt on the side and sledges concrete just to make ends meet. I work shitty jobs from day to day and am not ashamed of it either. Ive scrubbed toilets while I was in post making my dream and I continue to do odd jobs just to survive and pursue my dream to one day make movies for all of you to enjoy.
I suppose it was a matter of time before this would happen. I cant say Im surprised because its obvious that the future of entertainment has changed significantly. I know right now there more mega theaters then there are people to fill them. I think we all know that the future of entertainment is in your home, from your computer to your TV! No one goes to a video store anymore and no one buys DVD’s anymore unless they are like myself a collector. The business of art has changed! Download and streaming is where its at and I understand that. I just wish my film had not been exposed until the DVD’s came out so that I could’ve had a hope of making a buck if that!
All I ask of anyone who is about to go watch Bong Of The Dead for FREE to please make sure you at least leave a comment about it that will let the world know its worth watching. Also when it comes out on DVD I would really appreciate it if you could still buy a copy of it just to support the nobody little guy who has put so much of his life into this one film. At the end of the day you will do as you wish and I cant stop you. I hope you enjoy my film for free just don’t forget to help support me so I can go on and make more films for you. Who knows. I may make my film and upload it myself before someone else rips it off! Until then I’m going back to my shit jobs just to earn a living!
October has finally arrived and I for one am super happy about it for multiple reasons. First of all fall is my favorite time of the year in Canada because its beautiful and creepy at the same time with the fog and dead leaves everywhere! I love that crisp air and sunshine combo. Also its like a month long celebration of everything horror! This October more than any other I am a bit more excited because my film finally releases all over the world from Germany to Australia and recently USA! I might as well point out at this time that my own country Canada has not yet signed any distribution deals with me. So sad that I cant get the attention of my own country yet I’m sure at the first sign of success Canada will expect to be credited because I shot my movie here.
Anyways enough of the whining bull shit…it’s just annoying is all. I’m happy that the rest of the world has not ignored my efforts. The film is also playing at world famous SITGES film festival from October 6th to 16th. I sure do hope that the rest of the world loves the film like so many critics from all over the world already have. I am still amazed at the amount of kindness Ive received from so many people whom Ive never even met. Thank goodness for the internet and its ability to allow us to reach so many people. Without it I would not exist. Im hoping that after my film makes its impact in October I will get some kind of opportunity to direct another film! One with a budget this time where I dont have to play a hundred roles and almost kill myself just to get it made! Im saying I want a studio deal with a budget and crew! Who doesn’t??
On one hand I’m so excited because the film can finally reach its fans who have been asking me for a copy for 3 years now. On the other hand Im so scared that my film will come and go and no one will give a shit. Although that is a scary negative thought I try not to think of it. The proof so far has been that everyone who has seen it and criticized it has loved it! I wish for that to continue and fall on the ears of some studio exec who has the means to grant budgets. then in a perfect world they pick up the phone or ask their people to call my people except I have no people so Ill answer the phone and they say “Kid we gotta a budget for ya”! Hopefully its that simple.
If that does not happen for me then I guess Ill have to continue doing crappy non creative survival jobs such as sledge hammering cement or hauling expensive furniture for rich people until it does happen. In the mean time I am writing my western horror script titled “DEADSVILLE”. This is the one I want to really bring to life because there are so many great opportunities for film making and visuals that I must make this film before I die! Please keep an eye out for BOTD as it hits the shelves this October!
Hello to everyone and anyone who gives a shit about a struggling filmmaker and his never ending quest for success. I guess I can start by saying THANK YOU! I can’t believe its been almost 4 years now since I have set out on this journey with my film Bong OF The dead. It seems that time has passed me by and I am somehow still stuck in the same place I was almost 4 years ago when I only had 7 pages of a script with no title. Of course that is not entirely true because my film has become a life force of its own and has shown momentum. After all It has become a cult hit and landed 3 magazine issues! Fans and critics from all over the world have seen it either on DVD or at my local theater and they have approved! I guess my fears of being torn apart by film goers and film critics can be laid to rest because that is not the case. In fact the amount of love and support and praise Ive received is quite incredible! My film has been accepted into a couple major festivals from Cannes Independent film festival to SITGES and now I have received word from Toronto After Dark that it is in consideration for their festival as well! I guess I have to keep going and keep doing what Ive been doing in order to keep the flame alive. Promoting a movie by yourself is no easy task let me tell you.
Most people who read all the press that the film is picking up probably think that I’m off to Hollywood already and that Im a millionaire because the film is doing so well etc. Although Ive been on 3 major TV shows from Urban Rush to Reviews on the run and Electric playground with major air time, it has not equated to my phone ringing off the hook. Robert Rodriguez nor Quentin Tarantino have not called as of yet…wait my phone is ringing as I type this…….nope! neither of them again! My film has become a global sensation and has had over 50 reviews all %100 positive but still I find myself working vigorously to get picked up as a director. This film is my resume and being as such you would think I would be getting directing gigs left right and center! Who else can boast about making an entire film by themselves aside from the 15 days on set where I had a cast and crew?? Not to mention for only $5000!! I know if I was a major Hollywood producer and caught wind of this little film by some jo shmo who did it with nothing but passion and pure love for his craft, I would be all over him like a zombie on flesh! Yet with all the great reviews and all the publicity I somehow manage to exist without true recognition. I appreciate all the awesome reviews and all the hype from fans etc. but when will my phone ring with that golden opportunity to direct the next Friday the 13th or the next Saw or the next cool feature film needing a new visionary young director?? At the end of the day that is all I want out of this. I use my talents and my passion to display what I can do in hopes of being picked up and given the opportunity to do more. That has not happened yet.
Im sure no one aside from myself, not even my wife knows what I truly do when I lock myself away in my basement. Ill break it down for you briefly. I have a regular job as a guy who hauls really expensive furniture from a warehouse or delivers it to a show room or to the homes of the more fortunate people in society. I deliver dressers that cost more than my whole film and then some! A couch which could be another budget for me 3 times over! It kills me to drop this stuff to peoples homes who are throwing money away on such items just because they can. All I keep thinking is man I can make 3 movies with the amount of money this person spent on this one coffee table! I dropped off a piece of furniture to the home of a pretty big actor yesterday and the whole time I’m thinking I should be making movies but instead I’m delivering furniture to this cool actors house. The worse part of it was I knew in advance that I would be going to this persons home, who will remain anonymous out of respect, so I decided to pack a Bong shirt and a DVD for him. I felt like a total asshole standing in this guys nice multimillion dollar condo over looking the ocean thinking in my head how am I going to give him the shirt and DVD without looking like a douche bag “Furniture mover guy” with a pipe dream! How is he supposed to take me seriously when im in grubby clothes holding his iron dresses in my hands as he points to where he would like me to put it. Since I have no shame and imn proud of being a dreamer I put his piece of expensive furniture down then opened my nap sack and pulled out the shirt to which he replied “Fucking cool!” I knew he was a cool guy right away and felt more at ease. I then pulled out the Bong OF The Dead DVD an put it in his hand and told him I was a director who had made his own film named Bong Of The dead to which he replied….”Ive totally heard of it!” To be quite honest I kind of expected that reaction because my best friend/Co Producer of Bong of the dead and his girlfriend happen to work on this actors show which is pretty major right now. they’ve been plugging him for days since the film was released. It was still weird to be in his living room having this conversation. However I am a big believer that everything happens for a reason. I dont think that I would have ever had the opportunity to approach this actor on set and have this conversation or hand him the items. That would be considered unprofessional and looked down upon by production. Im glad I got the opportunity to introduce myself in person and do what I did. What will it do for me or my career…….absolutely nothing! Unless this young actor sees the film and passes it along to someone he knows who is looking for a director. Maybe it’ll happen, who knows. I guess being a crappy furniture mover guy is not such a bad gig. Still its not nearly as cool as filmmaker guy!
Dont get me wrong I’m not vein at all and a job is a job so I couldn’t give a shit if I had to scrub toilets for a living just as long as it kept me afloat so that I could continue to promote my movie. Wait….I did scrub toilets for a living year 2 of being in post production making my movie just so I could pay bills as I edited my film. To me it means nothing whatever job title i hold just as long as it keeps the greedy fucking government and the credit card companies off my ass while I work on my true job and calling. Trust me I have had a few jobs through out this journey always looking for the perfect job which would allow me maximum time for working on Bong Of The Dead. Ive run junkie infested roach hotels, managed seedy bars like Dalton from Roadhouse, worked in the worlds shittiest electronic retailer rip off store to managing warehouses and scrubbing toilets as a late night janitor at a local martial arts gym. I love the stink of sweat from other peoples workouts at 3 AM, then scrubbing their urine off the toilet seats! Yup….love it…..sigh. Currently Im working 2 jobs back to back in order to keep paying bills which I have to accumulate for life and for Bong. A lot of people have no idea that after you make a movie it costs money to keep the movie alive! I have to pay for DVD.s, screeners, postal fees for each screener, posters and print materials, festivals which cost hundreds of dollars.
I love festivals! This stage of the film game is so fun and uplifting. They take your money first and then tell you DENIED! Nice fucking gig, I should get into that festival thing at some point. They seem to make a lot of money! I mean they must because they attract people like Brad Pitt and other A-listers who show up to promote a film they are in which is supposedly indie which is why the festival chose it. Has nothing to do with the 2-3 million dollar budgets and the fact they are directed by directors like James Cameron…nope NOT AT ALL….its indie all the way! Im sure they lived in cardboard boxes and had to brown bag their lunches each day in order to stay within their tiny 2-3 million dollar budgets just to qualify as an Indie film for some prestigious festival. Here I am a guy who made a film which is actually good for the equivalent of what one of these other “indie” films would spend on coffee alone on their films! Breath……sorry festivals are a touchy subject with me right now. Where were we? Oh yes, Im currently also working 2 jobs which occupy about 14-15 hours of my life!
I come home from job number one being rich peoples furniture bitch, shower then drive off to some far away location being an EPK bitch on some other directors film set. Dont get me wrong I know Im lucky to have not only one job but 2 in an economy that’s ever collapsing. Im grateful for that because it allows me to keep paying for Bongs promotions and keeps the wolves at bay! I just wish I was making movies is all. That is why I do crap jobs in hopes that one day I will be making movies and I can look back to all this shit and say to myself…imagine if I gave up? Anyways after my long days of working, I get home to my 3rd job. The one which does not pay me anything but rather costs me my mind, health, relationships and money and every last second of my life even during my first 2 jobs! I try to answer and send emails when i can while on set or in the warehouse. Bong Of The dead is my life and has been for almost 4 years now since its birth. Its like a child or rather more like a growth which feeds of of you and drains you and breaks you down to your moral fibers with little to no satisfaction as of yet. Making the film is satisfying but keeping it alive is draining.
Trying to keep the film on everyone’s mind and in the spot light is far more draining then when I was editing or creating the music or doing complex composites. Ive contacted every major distribution company from Hong Kong to Germany! Ive contacted every major Podcaster and film reviewer and horror magazine from here to Nantucket! I send an average, no word of a lie, an average of 3-500 emails a week! That is non stop contacting and sending emails to tell anyone I can about the film and ask them for their help in reviewing my film. A small fraction of all the people I contact will get back to me asking for a screener which I then have to ship out at cost to myself.
At the end of the day I have done and am doing everything I can to make this film blow up but it would be nice to see some kind of financial gain and career boost from it. Im not upset about my slow success Im just growing impatient and wish I could just be making movies for a living by now. I know my film will be released all over Europe and Australia come October. Although that is awesome Im just not sure what that would mean really for me. Will I get “The call” from some big Hollywood Producer who begs me to make his next film? Will the movie blow up even further and I end up on some late night talk show talking about how I almost went crazy 100 times and contemplated the question of life another 100 times or wanted to just say fuck it all and quit? Or will I become the worlds most famous broke filmmaker? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. I did hear that the world is supposed to end sometime in October of 2012. Maybe Ill just ride it out until the true zombie apocalypse happens then build myself a kick ass truck with lawnmowers welded to the front of it.
For now, thanks for listening to my rants going from positive to negative every other blog. I dont mean to be that way its just the train im on right now. I’m up and I’m down all at the same time. Thank you to all the fans and critics of BOTD and all my friends who send me positive reviews which help me stay on track knowing that Im doing it for a good reason. Until next time…
Hello to anyone and everyone who has been following my crazy journey from the beginning and thank you for giving a crap! I must admit I am a lot more happier these days and filled with a lot more positivity then negativity. I think Ive finally figured out the true meaning of life, love and success. Take it one day at a time! I know that Ive been on an ongoing roller coaster ride ever since the first thought of making my own film popped into my head. I also know that the road has been rough at times and that perhaps quitting would’ve been the easier way out. The problem is I cant just give up my dreams in order to live a normal life. I know that some are happy and contempt in their existence and I applaud them, however I am not one to settle for less than a dream. Being a 24/7 dreamer is a hard job and one which comes with many disappointments and sometimes harsh criticism from others! Living the normal go to work, pay your bills and don’t get into trouble type of life is simply too mundane for me and I cant be happy living that life. Despite all the crap I’ve had to endure I must admit I have become a much stronger and better person because of it. Ive finally learned how to let go of things that are anchors in my success and grasp those things that help me inch closer to my dreams. Life is all about choices which can shape your path to success positively or negatively so chose wisely!
I’m now at the stage of the game where my film is picking up some serious momentum as it makes its way from region to region and more distribution offers come down the pipe as it finds its audience all over the world. I cant express how happy I am to finally show my movie to the world and feel accepted by fans and critics abroad! I admit I almost had a few heart attacks prior to releasing the movie because I was afraid of rejection or harsh criticism from peers, fans and critics. I happy to say that I have yet to find a bad review on Bong Of The dead ever since its premiere in May. As a matter of fact the film is picking up even more buzz as more and more people are beginning to hear about it through the social mediums and word of mouth. A huge sincere thank you to anyone who has ever uttered the words Bong Of The dead to a friend or family. I am so pleased that people genuinely love the film and have nothing but positive feed back after viewing it.
It seems Im getting more and more emails each day from complete strangers who have some how stumbled across my blogs, tweets or Bong Of the dead website and love what they have seen. I have people from all over the world writing me emails thanking me for taking the steps Ive take in completing my movie and thanking me for inspiring them to do the same! That is a great feeling of accomplishment not only making a movie and going through the madness but to be recognized for it then thanked for inspiring others to follow the same path. A huge “You are welcome” to all of you who have felt inspired by my journey and I wish you all the best in your endeavors as well. Remember the simplest rule of all….NEVER GIVE UP!
My film is now working its way through more festival circuits as I am receiving invites from reputable festivals from all over the world who want to show my film at their venues. The film will be getting a wide European release come October which means I can finally buy one of those shirts that say “I’m famous In Europe!” LOL The next few months will be even more exciting as I hopefully will get to travel and promote the film at those festivals.
Another bit of cool news is the fact that I have just had a face lift done to the Bong Of The Dead web site! You can now request the film to be shown at a theater in your region by simply visiting the website ( http://www.bongofthedead.com ) and clicking on the banner. You can then send me an email request telling me where you would like to have BOTD shown. Once I collect the data of the number of requests for the film I will be able to book dates for the film to be shown at a theater near you in those regions. Please visit the website and tell me where you would like to see BOTD. Also dont forget to share that information with others whom you know would also be interested in seeing BOTD so that they too can send in their requests. If you happen to live in Vancouver British Columbia then you are in luck because the film will be doing a second showing on August 19th at the Rio Theatre in Vancouver. For more details on ticket sales please visit the website!
THANK YOU!
It feels great to make it out of the darkness finally!
Well since my Sales Agent has returned from Cannes he has told me that my film has sold to Australia! That is great news and I am so happy that its getting the attention it deserves all over the world! I had a great reaction here in Vancouver with a full house at the Rio Theater. I’m basically spending every day now working with my agent in order to pin point the best film festivals for the movie. So far it has been submitted to over 8 of the worlds biggest festivals and I await for news as their dates draw closer. I’m excited to travel around the world to promote my movie and meet other filmmakers and hopefully bridge that connection from here to LA!
I’m still trying to get as much press out there as I get it in. Reviews are still pouring in from all over the world and I’m happy to announce that they are ALL positive! I’m so happy that the world has accepted my film with open arms and that people genuinely are loving what they are seeing on screen! As a filmmaker we put so much into our babies and when you step out into the world and present it for the first time, its a nerve wrecking situation. Not to mention it could be crushing if people don’t like your work! With today’s technology word can spread like wild fire and so you want that word to be positive.
Ive released a video from the Vancouver premiere showing the number of faces that showed up in support! It was truly a great feeling to say the least. Now that the film is making its way around of course I have to kick things up even more! I’m currently filling out more and more Q&A sessions for popular zombie websites,horror magazines and anything zombie or gore related for movies. I’m happy to say that all my days are spent marketing, advertising, writing, and promoting bong of the dead! Ill keep the news fresh as I get it but its tough sometimes because there is so much work to be done at every turn. I hope to have some cool news from Germany soon!!
Here is another great article that’s most recent about the premiere! Shit now I have a full time job Googeling articles! I’m a sucker for work aint I!!
Wire Service Canada
Canadian Free Press Release Service
May 17, 2011 – 09:08 PM
Entertainment
The $5000 epic zombie film by writer, producer and director Thomas Newman had its Canadian premiere at the Rio Theatre on May 15 and the sellout crowd was treated to not only the cult classic film Bong of the Dead, but also received giveaways, and prizes.
Members of the cast and crew including makeup special effects and co-producer Mike Fields, and actor Mark Wynn were on hand for the movie premiere.
May 17, 2011 Vancouver, BC Canada – Since the feature length movie Bong of the Dead received notice that it made the Cannes Independent Film Festival lineup, the press, fans and members of the film industry have been lining up to get a piece of the film and the visionary director Thomas Newman. Newman has been very busy since the premiere with TV and radio interviews on top of a flood of fan interest for his zombie movie.
It’s been some time coming, but Thomas Newman finally premiered his epic $5000 one man, one camera film on May 15th at the Rio Theatre in Vancouver. Even prior to the screening in Vancouver it had actually played at the prestigious Cannes Independent Film Festival in France for two separate showings as part of the official selection for the 2011 ceremonies. It has also been receiving rave reviews from critics abroad and fans alike who have accepted the film with open arms and are already screaming “Cult” favorite after only one screening! These reviews are from credible resources such as the Rue Morgue Magazine who go as far as quoting in their full page article about the film – “Bong Of The Dead has Cult hit smeared all over it!” The filmmaker went even as far as tracking down the iconic king of pot humor Tommy Chong who said after a private screening, “This is a sure winner!”
The hugely positive reaction to his movie has finally put the filmmaker in the spotlight after spending two years in his basement in post-production compositing hundreds of shots. This is work normally done by entire companies – but it was done by one man and his pimped-out Mac computer.
When asked if he was surprised at the sudden interest in and success of his hard work, Thomas Newman stated, “Actually no not at all to be quite honest with you. I’ve been planning and plotting this film and its success from day one before I even had a script. Everything I do for this film is planned to the finest detail. I always said to people that I needed to go for a home run first time around and I believe I did that.”
As a result May 15th has been a date on a lot of Vancouverite’s minds. People who have been following the filmmakers work and progress via Facebook, Twitter and other such social mediums showed their support by lining up outside the movie theatre on a rainy Sunday evening during one of the hometown Vancouver Canucks most important playoff games! Fans showed up as zombies and victims and then there was Thomas Newman in his flashy Bong of the Dead t-shirt.
And the rumors are true, the premiere was such a success and the demand for another filming has been so great that a second screening date has been booked! Bong Of The Dead will be playing at the Rio Theatre again on August 18th 6:30 PM! More ticket information is available on the main web page.
Fans interviewed after the premiere were stating that they were genuinely impressed with the great stylistic directing by Thomas Newman who definitely pushed the limits of digital technology and created the best with what he had.
About Bong of the Dead
Learn more about the film by visiting the official website at www.Bongofthedead.com
Since the web is so complex sometimes people who read my Blog may not be reading my Tweets or visa verse or you may not even know the articles exist. Ive decided to post any cool article I find on my movie on the world wide web by posting it here for those who missed it or never thought it existed to begin with! Enjoy!
WIRE SERVICE CANADA
It has arrived. The feature-length zombie movie by Thomas Newman has been completed, and on a budget of only $5000.
Rave reviews are starting to roll in.
“The Citizen Kane of zombie films.” – Alex Browne – The Peace Arch News
Writer, producer and director of Bong of the Dead, Thomas Newman took a chance of a lifetime to complete his first feature film. Being a veteran of the special effects industry, Thomas was able to turn his love and passion for film into a movie which is now being sought after by multiple distribution companies from across the globe. The process of creating an entire film and compositing over 350 shots himself by hand – frame by frame is typically usually the work of dozens of people. Driven by passion and fueled by his hunger for success he was able to overcome many personal and technical hurdles throughout the last two years. Along the way turning the movie into what it is today.
Zombie movie fans will love the new website and can find all the information on the movie including the cast and crew.
Official website for Bong of the Dead
Obviously I’m having a crazy week now that my movie is finally completed and its doing its thing via festivals and press etc! I feel like a mother whose just released her baby into the wild. I’m anxious, excited and nervous and scared all at the same time that people are going to tear it up! BUT… so far its been incredible reviews left right and center! I cannot believe my eyes at the way the world has responded to BOTD but I kind of knew they would! Im not trying to sound arrogant Im just stating the fact about being a dreamer. Heck that’s what dreamers do…we dream the best possible scenarios and work towards making them come true. Whats the point in having a small dream? Dream big or wake up and get a regular job and be ordinary! I tried that but I was dreaming so much that I ended up sleep walking and actually becoming a zombie myself! Not for me sorry.
Ok so on May 3rd Tommy Chong gives a wicked quote to use for my movie….
“This is a sure winner!” Tommy Chong.
Then on May 5th my agent sends me an email from Cannes committee which says this:
“We’d love to include Bong of the Dead in our programme (which should
be ready by the end of this week). Feel free to use our Official
Selection logo (attached).”
http://www.cannesfest.org/OS2011.htm
Before that I had Alex Browne of the Peace Arch news say in his article “The citizen Kane of Zombie movies!”
2 days ago I found out that Michael Moore on of my favorite documentary filmmakers will be watching BOTD himself in consideration for his festival the Traverse City Film Festival! Not a committee but actually himself! I’m honored! Maybe a future project there…”Bowling for Bud!”.
Today May 9th Mike Fields drops off a copy of Rue Morgue magazine which is one of the biggest and most wildly spread Horror genre entertainment magazines known to man! They wrote the article that I’m going to go public with in the next few hours hopefully. In the article they said,
“Bong Of The Dead has cult hit smeared all over it!”
The Rue Morgue
Yup…that’s gonna be on the new poster as soon as I get clearance! LOL Soon I’m going to need a bigger poster! It feels so good that all the long days which blend into nights which blend into infinity are finally paying off! People are genuinely loving my first film and that to me means I have an audience to make movies for! That means the world!
I love the amount of momentum the film is picking up as I get closer to my directorial Debut and movie premiere! Speaking of premiere it looks like my good friend and sound Producer Andres has hooked me up with an official red carpet ceremony for the premiere! We’re talking big lights, red carpet and velvet ropes! Its all been put together as a generous donation by Javier Badillo who is one of the Rain dance film festival affiliates! Thank you Andres and Javier for the awesome gift! I hope you can all make it to the premiere for Bong Of The dead on May 15th at the Rio downtown! More info at www.bongofthedead.com
I guess I’m totally behind in delivering the good news as it rolls in but I honestly did not have the time. If you noticed from any of my previous blogs they are usually written in the late hours of the night or late early mornings when all normal people are sleeping. This is my first day light blog I think. Anyways, I have to break it up into parts because so much has developed for Bong of the dead that to fit it into one blog would make it ridiculously long.
Anyone whose read my other blogs has seen the emotional roller coaster ride Ive been on since day one of taking the step towards making my own movie with barley anything but passion. I’m happy to say that by holding true to myself and my views I have been able to accomplish what most filmmakers are still discussing in stuffy cafes with their peers. I wrote a script, filmed it and secured global distribution! What more can I ask for? Well I want to make more movies which is what its all about for me. As they say in Hollywood, “You’re only as good as your last picture”, or I think that’s what they say. In any case I am trying hard to not be stuck in the moment and to always be ahead of the game so that I may be able to jump right in should the opportunity present itself.
May is a crucial time of the year not only for Bong Of The dead, but also for zombies and zombie enthusiasts alike. May is the official Zombie Awareness Month! This is according to the Zombie research society who ask that we show our support by sporting a crossed gray ribbon. I shall do my bit! Since we are in May now I am officially less than 2 weeks away from my directorial debut and film premiere for Bong of the dead! I never thought I would be writing those last words but I guess we have finally arrived at our destination. Since Ive hired Rob Straight from Horizon Motion pictures great things have begun to happen for BOTD. I received news the other day that my movie will be presented not once but twice at the prestigious Cannes Festival on May 14th! WOW! That makes me very happy. I will then be premiering BOTD in Vancouver the very next day on May 15th at 6:30 PM at the Rio Theatre for a local audience. Then further down the festival line in September Bong OF The dead will be screed at TIFF! As if that were not enough good news I was also approached by the Traverse City film festival which was founded by the legendary Michael Moore. They actually came to me instead of the other way around. That’s a sign of good news meaning that the world is finally paying attention. To top it off the Province News paper which is our local paper finally came through and asked me for information about the movie so that they can write an article about it.
It looks like so far BOTD has been featured in Rue Morgue Magazine, Girls and Corpses and two other local magazines that have a pretty nice size audience. I’m hoping all this new press will bring even more people to the URL and launch my Google numbers from 1 million clicks to 1 Billion!! Dare to Dream right?
Of course with all this new founded publicity comes more hard work! It seems that the work never gets any easier it just becomes more as Q&A’s start coming in from random horror websites and other such interested parties. Dont get me wrong I am NOT complaining! I have never been a slacker and hard work has never scared me! Unless its a useless dead end job at a manufacturing factory, or lumber mill, or any of the other horrible jobs I’ve ever had to do in the past just to keep my “normal” life on track so that I can continue with my “creative” life! It could be way worse! I could be sitting around and not having an agent who wants a sequel script, not being hounded by websites who all want to do an article on this $5000 epic film made by some gut in his basement. All that adds up to the fact that what I am working towards is finally happening. That is what I truly live for, that’s making movies!
I am so grateful that I have been able to walk this road and without studio support or a massive budget or hundreds of people helping me in order to make it easier. If the road was easy then I would not learn anything from my experiences because my hardships would be shared by hundreds of others who would worry for me in order to make my life simpler and lesson the blows. That to me would not be the right way to conquer something new that you’ve taken on. I believe you have to face the dragon yourself and slay it yourself in order to become a true dragon slayer. Now that I have walked it and learned what I have learned it has only made me stronger and somehow wiser. Ive literally played every major role in making a movie from pre to actual to post to business post or marketing as it truly is. Al these skills will help make me a better Producer and Director because I will know the risks I took and learn from them for all my future projects. The only difference is this time I will have the studio support but they cant ever say that I wasn’t on the front lines! Its kind of like the army general who everyone respects because hes actually been to battle and crawled through the trenches. His men will follow him anywhere because they know he’s proven himself as a soldier. Yes I know right a war analogy? Where the hell did that come from? Well lets not forget film making is much like war at times if you think about it. There are external battles when you’re making your film from weather conditions to people deliberately trying to screw you over down to Murphy’s Law where anything and everything that could go wrong does. Then of course there the toughest parts of the battle the ones with oneself! The self loathing, self pity and insecurities and self doubt. Those are the ugly ones. At every angle something is ready to blow up in your face and you have to think fast in order to lessen the casualties.
Still don’t think film making is war? Try making a movie!
That is it for my part one of the Blog for the 2nd of MAY! I have to go and do more towards the premiere of the film because I am less than 2 weeks away! If you are local and would like to come out and see this film finally then please follow the link below and join us on MAY 15th at 6:30 PM at the Rio Theatre ( http://bongofthedeadmovie.ticketbud.com/bong-of-the-dead-movie? ). If you are expecting to be at Cannes this year then you can see it there the night before on MAY 14th at 4 PM at the Riviera.
Ok so I know that my last blog was on the negative side so I want to formally apologize for getting negative at a time when I should be positive. I seem to have trouble with not being able to express myself without sometimes coming across as harsh or pessimistic. For the record I want to say that although I don’t approve of “The System” in my industry I realize that I have to follow it in order to succeed…..for now anyways.
I understand that distribution companies and agents all have their purpose in the whole scheme of things. I guess if you were to refer to it as the machine that “It” or “the system” is, then all the parts of the engine have their place in order to move the whole vehicle forward. I just hate starting out as the whole engine and body myself then after its said and done being reduced to a nut;). At the end of the day I’m still in a far better position than most first time filmmakers out there. I have distribution offers coming in! I mean that is a lot more than some others can say about their films. I should be happy and grateful that people are paying attention and that my work is getting noticed. I’m actually getting a lot of emails from random people who want to either congratulate me on my achievements and talk about how they really enjoyed the trailers and posters etc. The film has been featured on over 200 websites to date and climbing. I just landed a large spread in Rue Morgue magazine, Girls and Corpses and Fango is coming around finally after 2 years of me pestering them! All these things are more than any lone filmmaker can wish for. I suppose I should be grateful and jumping up and down with joy and not stuck in this funk!
I am also grateful for my Agents efforts and I actually genuinely like him. He answers my calls and my e-mails even though I’m not the only filmmaker he has on his watch list. Hes a tough old dog with a lot of experience under his belt and hes got a lot of fight left in him still and doesn’t bullshit me which is the most important part of doing business to me. I’m also happy to have friends in the distribution circle who are keeping an eye on me and give me advice when I need it. You space cowboys know who you are. Thank you for your words of encouragement during my darkest hours and thank you for always being there when I need your advice regardless if I ask or not. Especially thank you for catching my bad tweets with missing links and missing pictures now and then;)
I think its time I stop wasting precious time and good blogging space with whining and flip the script! I need to do what every other creative does when they enter the darkness….self destruct with booze and drugs until I’m in a self induced coma! Just kidding…I’m not much of a drinker. Nope, I think I will do what the next best thing is and that is keep going and doing whatever I can to move forward. Ive been working on my new Bong posters and now I’m about to cut a new demo reel for myself since I need to start looking for work while Bong does its thing. Its time I update my old demo reel and include my biggest achievement to date! I know that I will get out of this funk and the positive energy will come pouring back into me before I know it. Its just tough being in my position and trying to remain positive. I think I need to read “The Secret” again starting tomorrow!
