From Famine to Feast!

I’m sure every filmmaker out there knows what its like when you struggle and try so hard for so long just to get your work noticed. Its not easy getting peoples attention these days unless you do something completely crazy that most people would say is not worth the effort for the slight possibility that it may still not get noticed. I say to hell with that “Its easier to not try the try at all” mentality! If you are as serious about your dreams as I am then there are no limits and there are no boundaries unless of course you harm another human or animal or do something so sick in the process that its simply morally wrong. I guess common sense which isn’t so common would come to play there. I know that I have sacrificed my home, wife and my health on many occasions just to get my movie done and in the process Ive been documenting it all on video accumulating footage for a documentary which I plan on releasing tilted “Dare To Dream”. Its about my struggles right from day one, actualy 5 years of footage of trying to make it even before I started Bong.

I really don’t know why I’m so obsessive with making movies or why watching them and collecting them makes me feel the way it does. Its almost like oxygen to me as in I need them to breathe and to live. Its also a great means of escape which we all need now and then in today’s fast paced world of credit debt, global tension and economical hardships. Im sure some of you know exactly what I mean when I say movies are like my life line.

Now that Bong is officially finished and I actually am in the marketing phase of things it seems that important people around the world are finally beginning to take notice. By important people I mean dream makers who have the authority and the connections to put my film in the light where others can finally see what I’ve accomplished for the past 2.5 years all alone in my dark basement studio. All the thousands of hours of neck cramps, leg cramps and carpel tunnel is finally becoming worth it!

Dealing with distribution offers is a whole other ball park when you’re used to trying to get a hold of them and instead ending up with the same generic answer of “Just send us a screener copy and we’ll let you know”. It seems that distribution companies are a tight nit circle of friends who pass information to one another and somehow they are all interconnected from all corners of the world. Of course most are in competition with one another but others have partners in corners of the world which help extend their reach. I am now getting emails, and phone calls from them instead of the other way around and its a great feeling that someone is noticing my hard work! However not all distribution companies are interested in the struggling filmmaker trying to make it scenario which is a major back story to my movie. Some simply want to buy the product, ie The movie and turn around and sell it for a profit and dont care whether or not Ive almost died several times trying to make the film. Others on the other hand love the idea that there is more to the film and that there is passion sweat blood and tears which have made the final product and they want to explore that aspect as well. I’m leaning more towards the companies that care about my story as a filmmaker and my movie at the same time. At this stage most filmmakers get taken for everything because they are so excited that someone is finally paying attention to them so they sign without knowing what they are actually giving away! I’m lucky enough to have been researching distribution offers and the dos and donts for the past 2 years way before I even shot my first scene. Best thing I ever did was invest in Stacey Parks Book “The Insiders Guide to Independent Film Distribution”. This book is the bible for indie filmmakers and if you don’t own it then you are already on the wrong path! Do whatever it takes to get a copy and read it then once you’re done reading it, read it again then repeat! I always had distribution in mind which is why I did a lot of the things I did during production and post such as creating various posters for the different corners of the world and translating my press kit to 4 different languages and so on.

Filmmakers need to realize that the days of having no options but to go with a distributor are over! Finally the little guy has a voice and has a very big friend in his court and that friends name is “THE INTERNET!” In today’s world we have so many online options for self distribution which makes it a whole lot easier to get found! We have Netflix,Amazon,Createspace,IMDB,Youtube,Without a box etc. the list goes on and on. All these companies are now a huge part of self distribution which is a common root for people like me and you. We no longer have to jump to the first offer that comes down the pipe because we can do it ourselves and its been proven. Look at “Paranormal Activity” which got rejected from every major festival and distribution was not knocking. A film which cost peanuts to make grossed 240 Million! Of course using a reputable distribution company will give you a more wider reach right from the start but heck if you self distribute and it blows up then distributors come knocking anyways.

I’m of the opinion that if you want to get your film noticed then do whatever you can to make sure its done rationally be it self distribution or taking the first offer on the table. If the deal is good and its what you want then go for it! That said if you are not in any hurry to recoup your expenses which is my scenario then take your time and do the festival circle and build clout, do the platform theatrical release in your hometown and generate press etc. Remember I only spent 5 grand on my movie so im not in a desperate position to make that money back. I plan on making sure that Bong not only becomes a success but that it also launches my name and allows me to be able to do more films. I am not a one hit wonder and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. I simply want whats best for the film and myself which is why I’m actually turning down some offers and asking others to hold off until I look at all the offers carefully. You should never jump into a decision that could affect the rest of your life without scrutinizing it to bits! Having a lawyer helps a great deal especially one who specializes in entertainment law. Now being a brokeass filmmaker means you probably cant afford one and neither can I quite honestly but Im lucky to have one through a family member so it helps a great deal. I have no advice on how to get one without going further into debt. I’m pretty sure you can get a one hour free consultation perhaps with a lawyer who actually cares. Pick their brains and see if its worth retaining one.

All in all I’m happy to be where I am right now where I can say yes or no or maybe to the offers coming forward. It lets me know that I’m on the right path and that there is great potential in my film. Remember though don’t be cocky just be realistic and honest. When I say be honest I mean be honest with the distribution comapnies you are dealing with and with yourself. Does your film have the potential to become the next “Blaire Witch Project” or “Open Water” or “Paranormal Activity” ? If you think it does and others who have seen it say it does then in the famous words from Fubar….”Giver!”

New trailer and website coming up soon so please check it out!

Thomas

Reaching out…

First of all I just want to say that I’m impressed with myself that I’m blogging 2 days in a row since the New Year and I have no reason to stop now! You can rest assured its not because I’m bored or don’t have enough to do as is. I guess I just felt the need to do this particular blog because I’m very excited today.

Last night I had made a small list of people to contact as of Monday and of course first on my list was “Call Robert Rodriguez”! Now its not like I have him on speed dial or anything so I had to find a legitimate phone number for Troublemaker Studio first! Luckily I have a friend who has an IMDB Pro account and he was able to provide me with the number and address within minutes. Anyhow I woke up this morning at 9AM and made the call to Texas which was 11AM their time and to my surprise a lovely secretary on the other end actually answered! I introduced myself and asked her if they had received my letters which I had sent 2 weeks ago and she asked who I had written them to. “Robert of course” I answered then she kindly informed me that he was not in the office at that moment but I was more than welcome to leave a voice message for his assistant then transferred my call. Once the voice mail kicked in and I heard the tone I left a brief message explaining who I was and I why it was important for Robert to check out my film and give me a few minutes of his time by visiting the website for Bong Of The Dead.

I will admit I felt nervous and scared about making such a call because I did not know what to expect. However I also knew that making such a phone call and reaching out to someone who has inspired me in my pursuit as a struggling filmmaker could be the best thing I could do for myself. At the end of the day whats the worse that could happen? In my letter I reached out to Robert Rodriguez and asked him to help me with my career same way someone had helped him way back when he was where I am today. I only wish that he would look inside himself and realize that he too was a struggling filmmaker once upon a time long ago trying to be heard and also had obstacles to overcome during his pursuit.

Ill wait a bit then try to call again and see if I get lucky and maybe I can tell him myself how I’m just trying to be heard and ask from one filmmaker to another if he would be willing to help me get discovered. I know I have what it takes, I just need someone who can make things happen notice!

No time to kick up the heels yet!

Well I thought that finishing my first feature film Bong Of The Dead would finally mean that I would get to take a nice break and breathe for a moment as the reality of being done settled in. It seems now that the movie is done I am onto a whole new adventure as I try and make meetings and phone calls. During the process of promoting the film I am of course in need of more print material for posters as well as other materials which I have to create all the artwork for at the same time. I’m so glad that I have the love,passion and skill set for graphic design and using photoshop! At least creating new posters and artwork to promote the film further is the fun part in all the legal business part of the journey.

I will admit that I wrote a letter to Robert Rodriguez at Troublemaker Studio in Texas with hopes that he gets it and pays attention to me. In order to ensure that he gets the letter I sent it to 3 different addresses which I had just in case any of them were fake. I’m just trying to reach out to someone I admire and want to be like and see if he answers….after all “You never know” and I am a firm believer that neither will you if you never ask! I’m just some guy in his basement trying to make it! I just need a bit of help in getting there. Its not like I cant carry my own.. I strongly know that I do have what it takes and have proved it with my first NO budget feature. Now if someone would please give a shit and allow me the opportunities that would be greatly appreciated. So Robert if you get those letters please give me a jingle and lets talk! Im sure I can find the time to chit chat:)

I will be updating the old web page and placing a whole new splash page and portal to the film. Im in the middle of creating all the art work and pages for the website coming soon! Once I get all that done I will hand it over to my Web PR Guru and he will take care of the rest. Keep an eye out for the new site updates!

Ill write down as soon as I have some new news.

Thomas

New year for new adventures!

Well what can I say, 2010 was by far one of the most difficult years of my entire life as a human being as well as a struggling filmmaker. The amount of horrific ups and downs I had gone through although tough, were not tough enough to stop or kill me! 2011 is a brand new year for success and it is definitely one that I will remember forever as I push forward in bringing Bong Of The Dead to the light.

Now that the film is officially complete I am in the tail end of some final technical stages in which I will be creating DVD menus, art work and more art work for promoting Bong. I have already began my festival submission phase and have been sending Bong off to some of the worlds top notch film festivals in hopes of getting accepted to one. While the festivals look over what I have accomplished in the last 2 years I will take the waiting time and get educated on distribution negotiation tactics.

With the new year it looks like Germany is still interested in Bong of the dead and my potential partners there are willing to work with me to get Bong to their markets. I will also be touching base with a Hong Kong distributor as well as China in hopes of getting Bong to Asia in the new year. The following week after that I will be at a couple local meetings with other production houses who may help with Canadian and US distribution offers. All of this mumbo jumbo about distribution is exciting and scary as hell at the same time! This is the moment where a filmmaker can either be made or be slayed!

For those that dont know, a distributor can be your best friend or your worst nightmare depending on who and which contract you sign. I am trying my best to make all the right choices to ensure a successful end for Bong after the last two years of painstakingly creating it in post. I will be hiring an Entertainment lawyer in the next week as well as shopping around for a foreign sales agent who will help me get the most out of my almost 3 years of hard work. I will also be looking at hiring a publicist who will also help with my PR and campaign for promoting Bong even further. These are very exciting times and I am thrilled to finally be at this moment in time. 2011 will be my year and I will make my mark on this earth and finally achieve the goals I have set forth to achieve. By reaching one goal I will be setting out to achieve a hundred more for that to me is the purpose of life, love and passion for what I do.

All the best to everyone in the New Year and I hope you too achieve all the goals and dreams you have set out top achieve!

Peace out!

4,3,2,1….Count down starts!

Well it seems as if I have been stuck in a world of constant stress ever since I wrapped on my film 2 years ago. Some of my stress has been due to not having the man power to do a whole film in post. Other parts of the stress have had to do with learning new software and doing things Ive never done before and acquiring new skills I never thought I would need. The biggest part of the stress has been attributed to the constant paranoia and fear of losing the entire film that Ive devoted my entire 2 years to. I guess that little nightmare came true on the 11th but I’m not gonna go there so read the previous 2 blogs if you already haven’t. The wounds are still too fresh. BUT…since that incident I have become more confident and have had to pick myself back up and go at it again for the sake of the movie!

I am now scoring the entire film and am doing it in only 2 days! This is all the time I have for now before my Cuban side kick kicks my ass because I have not met his deadline and expectations. I am pretty sure I can meet his request and have the entire film scored by using everything I have in my “loops” library as well as any music I get submitted and acquisitioned or purchased. Wow just writing all the things I need to do for music it seems like yet another insane undertaking which once again I have no choice but to bare. However I do know a thing or two about music so I think I may impress even myself! Fingers crossed. The bonus of me doing all my own music on the film is that the music credit will read, Music by: THOMAS NEWMAN. Of course everyone will assume its the famous Thomas Newman that does all the major films in Hollywood.

Once I meet Andres’s deadline and get him the music for the entire film, he and I will be setting up camp for another 4 days from the 26th-29th! This time will be used for us to mix and master the entire film! Andres has already performed miracles when he set up “ADR camp” at my studio and we banged out an entire film recording all actors dialogue again. He then did the amazing job of mixing all the tracks with the sound FX as well as folly. Once we complete “Sound Camp” the film should be complete 2 weeks into December!

The count down to the finale begins on the 26th!

Return of the Living Bong!!! Back from the DEAD!

Yesterday I felt as if I had woken up with in a bad dream and life had suddenly become not worth living! I guess all my fears of losing all the hard work I have put into my film for that past two years had suddenly become a reality! The last time I had a gut instinct I lost 15 years worth of my hard work due to faulty digital drives mass produced over seas. To be so close to the finish line then lose it all is not something I can even put in words. There is no way to express how I felt the moment I lost the film in its entirety. The countless hours I have spent in the dark in my basement learning software just to allow me to do a whole film in post is immeasurable! Not to mention the other countless hours I have spent putting to use my newly learned skills. All that time I spend on the film is time away from life! My friends can attest to my absence for the past few years as I have completely isolated myself from everyone just to get this movie completed. I have also sacrificed tremendous amounts of hours away from my wife and family. All of this just to pursue a dream that I have been chasing for the past 16 years.

The era of digital film making has its benefits but its down falls are also equally as deadly. When you turn your dream into a string of infinite 010101′s you are leaving your fate in the hands of technology. Although we have come a long ways in developing these truly magnificent and useful tools such as hard drives, RAM, video cards and computers in general, we still have a long way to go in making them full proof. I have built the best MAC I can afford to take on my first feature film and have put all my eggs in one basket. The MAC has served me well and I have treated it with equal respect as it does hold my future within its beautifully engineered shiny aluminum gut. Its scary how much trust one has to put on a machine that holds all the cards! Back ups have become a standard operating procedure for me ever since I lost my previous works ton a Western Digital drive which also held my life for a duration. Once it died as did all my hard work with in it! Luckily I did not have Bong on that drive at the time. Once Bong is finished I will take my MAC and bind it in thick chain and locks and place it in a glass chamber for eternity. I have used it to its full potential and it has delivered everything I have ever needed it to do but not with out a price. Yeas things cost money to upgrade and fix but its the emotional stress that I find more taxing than any dollar I have ever spent on upgrading or tech tuning. Once the MAC is put to sleep forever I will then start again with the newest MAC on the market and start another relationship with yet a newer monster which will end up owning me as all my other MACs have in the past. By all I mean only 2 of course since MAC’s are the best computers on the planet! ( That was a plug for Apple in hopes that Steve Jobs will support me as a filmmaker in the future…wink). Ok enough bullshit and to the news about Bongs future!

I received a call from my data recovery specialist late last night with great news! He was able to fix my drive and save Bong!! He assured me that the files were unharmed and that the drive would be good for more years to come. As much as I believe him because he proved he can bring something back from the dead even though several others had tried! I have lost my trust in yet another drive manufacturer which I’m sorry but I have to name. this time I almost lost more than just a movie due to a Seagate drive. The drive was 2 years old but the fact that it died 2 years almost to the date on Bongs anniversary is too creepy even for me! I have managed to replace the drive with a new Hitachi drive so now all internal drives are Hitachi and my MAC family is complete. Thank you to Andy Scott the data recovery specialist who jumped on the task and saved the day! I highly recommend his services to anyone who has to go through what I went through and I hope you dont! But if you do feel free to call Andy!

RecovaDat
“Raising your data from the dead”

( Six/Zero/Four – Eight/Eight/Two – Three/Nine/Nine/Seven

Long story short I have now got the Media 2 drive back in the MAC and everything is as it was before the 11th and the film is smoother and faster than ever. I guess the weird glitches I had experienced in the past had to do with a poor drive and not Final cut pro or the MAC acting up. How ironic is it that Bong, a Zombie movie has died then returned from the dead! Zombies rule!!!

Back to worQ!!

NOV 11TH, A DAY TO REMEMBER!!!

What I am about to write in the next few seconds has nothing to do about fallen soldiers or anything remotely close to Remembrance day. Last night Nov. 10th I managed to finalize the film poster for Bong Of The Dead and managed to upload it for the world to see on Facebook and here. I was so happy to finally be three weeks away from releasing my film which I have spent 2 solid years of my life on! I have sacrificed friendships, time and love from family just to stay in the dark and plug away at my dreams one single frame at a time. I have always feared that something was going to happen to the film before I got a chance to show it to the world but never thought it would actually happen.

This morning November 11tht Remembrance day I woke up and turned on my MAC just to stare at a desk top which is only showing me 3 out of 4 of my internal drives! To my surprise I was faced with my worse nightmare and what I am about to say is 100 % true and not fabricated as hype. I have 4 drives named Macintosh HD, Media2, Media3 and Media4. Macintosh HD is my main drive that runs the whole machine but Media 2,3 and 4 are the ones dedicated to Bong. Media 2 is the most important drive because it has everything that Bong is made of from posters, to behind the scenes pictures to all the data files understood by Final Cut, After Effects etc! 2 years of my hard work and life exist on Media 2 but the drive itself no longer exists! Yes that’s right…3 weeks away from distributing the movie and I have lost the movie! I repeat “I HAVE LOST THE MOVIE” , or my fucking MAC has lost it I should say! Or the drive being 2 years old has decided to fucking die right before I release the movie! After having a heart attack on the spot I phoned Apple and was lead into a dead end after 2 hours then I managed to take the drive to work and have my Computer techs mess with it and they were not successful. Finally I was referred to someone who does data recovery for a way less price than the usual 2-3000 dollars! I of course being a broke film maker as is, cant even afford 30 bucks let alone 3000 dollars! Having been left with no choice I managed to drop off the drive to the specialist and left him to his work. Not even 5 minutes after dropping off the drive, I get pulled over by some arrogant asshole cop with a small penis and balding hair who decides he wants to give me a ticket for no seat belt even though I told him I just pulled out of the drive way which was one and a half blocks away and was looking for a gas station in a panic because I was also in Tim buck 2 with no fuel! Of course I am already panicked given the fact that 2 years of my life has just been wiped off the face of the earth! The cop smiles with an “I dont give a shit look” on his ugly mug and hands me a fucking ticket for 165$ and tells me its not the end of the world! Well actually you balding fucking prick! It is the end of the world as I know it because I not only cant afford the recovery of my drive but I have no money for your stupid fucking ticket either!

However the ticket is the least of my worries a this moment as I am still waiting for the specialist to call me with a status update. Words cant express the place I am in mentally at this moment! I do have back ups but they are not like the original and will require even further work to fix and reassemble. I cant keep doing this shit because its killing me just trying! I have no update as of now but I will keep you posted!

This is a day I definitely will not forget.

The count down begins!

Well, I cant believe I’m about to write an actual date which Bong will be done by! It has been an incredibly exhausting trip from day one of pre production to filming and then especially post. I must say I have had more near death experiences while in post than I did during pre and actual filming of the film itself. I guess the majority of my stress has come from bizarre software related issues in post which caused my film to not be accessible at some point or another. The amount of technical glitches and mishaps were honestly enough to make me want to quit many times and find the nearest bridge! However having been through many sleepless nights which blurred into days then weeks, I can say that it has been worth it. I never expected to take a film which I shot for only 5 thousand dollars and then turn around and make it look like a couple million all in post. The truth is I have done my best with what I have had available and I believe Ive succeeded in proving that I can do it. Along the way I have made a few new close friends and lost a few but some how through it all I managed to end up exactly where Im supposed to. Im glad to have had the help and support of all my friends and family who contributed their efforts to help me pursue my passion and dream. The film will be finished at the end of this month and ready to hit the circuits. November 30 th is the official completion date of Bong Of The Dead. Since I am at the end almost I decided to celebrate by designing a final film release poster which I will post here. Its almost the same as the last one but has a lot more grit. Ill keep you posted!

Bong Of The Dead Film Release poster

Barry Nerling ADR was great!

Today I had the pleasure of working with one of my favorite characters as well as actor from my film! Barry Nerling is one of those actors who pushes himself so hard in order to achieve greatness that its not only a pleasure to work with him but he also makes it easy! We started our ADR session today with a flawless effort both from Andres the sound engineer Wiz on the MIX as well as Barry himself. We wrapped up ahead of schedule so we decided to ADR some other odd zombie moans and groans for background voices. The whole process is time consuming but extremely fun!

Thanks Barry!
Thanks Andres!

Barry Nerling doing a voice over for his character Alex

Barry Nerling preparing to deliver a line as Andres Santana prepares the mix in the background.

Barry delivering as Alex the velin in Bong Of The Dead.

Simone Bailly ADR awesome!

Well its been almost two solid years since I finished my movie and I’ve had more than my share of digital disasters while in post! Of course the issues re usually between computers, graphics cards, ram, third party filters, missing codec’s, hard drive crashes, missing footage, people jamming on you….well you get the point. In any case I am not going t0 give up that easy! I am now confident that what I have is definitely worth the fight to keep alive! After all there asre film makers who have remained in post for over 10 years just to finish their first film! I AM NOT one of those guys trust me. Ive been putting in solid hours in order to get the film out in time so that I can jump into the next.
Finally now that all the picture edits are done the ball is finally in someone else court! I’m talking about the second and possibly most important part of the film…Sound! Thank goodness for Andres Santana who is my genius sound designer that is in charge of ADR and final 5.1 mix output. His talents and abilities are untouchable by anyone in this industry! I can honestly say he is the best we have and I’m privileged to work along side him in making Bong sound great! Having a great sound designer teamed up with true talent such as Simone Bailly made ADR an incredibly smooth process to the point that it felt like we had already done it before! Andres was set up in less than 30 minutes with all his gear and when Simone stepped into my studio it was like clock work. She nailed every line even better than she had on the day. It only took 2-3 tries each time and we were bang on every time! Im now actually looking forward to every ADR session I have booked with my talent and cant wait to get them mixed in and get this film out into the world! It has been a long road but the light is closer now then ever! I ll have lots of pics and video about the behind the scenes coming up!

Simone Bailly records her lines 2 years later!

Simone watching herself as she rerecords her lines

Andres Santana mixing ADR sessions for Bong Of The Dead 2 years later!