“January” Production Diary #4

19 days. 

$350, or more.

Is this all going to come together?

That’s like, $20 a day.

Doubt. Fear. Anxiety…Excitement.

This can happen.

This film can happen.

19 days.

Today, I received an email letting me know that Kickstarter.com had approved our project, “January.” 

The fundraiser is officially up and running. You can visit this link to make a donation.

You can read about the project more, how the money is going to be used, etc. by clicking on the above link, so I’m not going to reiterate most of the stuff that’s in that. Instead I’m going to say two things, one of them in relation to the fundraiser and the other in relation to the film itself.

Kickstarter operates in a pass/fail sort of way. Meaning, if we reach our goal of $350, we get the money, except for the fees that Amazon Payments takes for processing all of the donations (see, it uses trusty old Amazon.com as the payment site! Told you Kickstarter was reputable!); however, if we don’t reach our goal, even if we’re only $1 short, we don’t get any of it. That would be bad. Because of this, I made our goal relatively low. I don’t know if we’d actually be able to pay for the equipment, props, costumes, and particularly the food/water to feed a cast/crew of 10-15 college students on a budget of $350, but if we make more money than our goal, all that means is that we just get more money. So, please, even if you are reading this and we are above $350 in donations, don’t feel shy. ;-) $350 is probably the bare minimum this film needs to be made, and believe me, I’ll be happy for every penny, but I also know that the more money we get, the less we will be limited creatively, and the more flexibility we will have. 19 days to reach, or exceed, our goal

The second thing I have to share with you, which I thought would be interesting, is why I chose to name the film, “January.” This, too, was in an email to some of the crew, and I find it encompasses my goals for this film quite well.

“January” is broad, just as this film’s portrayal of real life, of honesty, is broad. There’s a lot going on in this short, it’s very slice-of-life in its focus. The month that the film will be filmed, the setting of the film.

Something that can be poignant. Personal. Playful. Powerful.

Evocative of a season, a month, when all of these feelings occur. Winter is the deeply reflective months when we all search for something to warm us up, amidst the chilling air.

So, please, donate to make this film a reality! Tell your friends, tell your family, tell anyone you know who loves film and wants to make a difference in a group of students’ lives. Just $5 will get your name in the Special Thanks of the credits, and who doesn’t want to see their name in the credits of a film?

LOVE,

BRENT

“January” Production Diary #3

My meeting with Jack (AKA Kaptain Kewl, now known as “Drivel Kid”) went phenomenally. When I arrived, he greeted me, asked how I’d been, and then lead me to the back of his house. We climbed into a closet—his recording studio—and he opened up his MacBook. The small “room” was fitted with headphones, his laptop, an expensive-looking microphone, and some speakers. His guitar sat in its stand in a corner on the left, and the white walls were scrawled with various notes—bits of lyrics, phrases, ideas. It was certainly a Do-It-Yourself sort of studio, but it had the character one would expect, knowing Jack. He began by telling me that he loved the script—which, considering my nightmare last night where he told me he hated 2/3s of the script, was quite nice to hear—and told me he thought the ending was perfect, and that he loved the final line. Jack’s certainly the kind of guy who means what he says, so it meant a lot to hear that from him. He told me that the hardest part about composing the soundtrack was coming up with a tone that would translate from piece to piece to create a cohesive soundtrack. There were six songs displayed in his iTunes window, but he quickly explained that the final “album” will have around twelve songs. He’s hoping to have it entirely finished by this Friday. He prefaced each song by telling me that none of them were set in stone, and that if there was anything that I needed changed, to just let him know. The six songs that I heard were great. Each one was grounded in a similar melancholy, while still having nuances of the warmth of friendship. Jack said that while he definitely wanted the soundtrack to have a solemness, but tried to keep in mind that “even though it’s melancholy, there are friendships here. David really appreciates everything Jack [the character] is doing, and Sam really does love David and want what’s best for him.” The fact that Jack was implementing such themes from the screenplay into the creation of the music for the film speaks volumes of his talent, especially considering that this is the first time he’s done something like this. After listening to every song, Jack stressed that if I hated all of it, or only liked one song, to let him know so that he knew what exactly I was looking for. He said that if in two weeks we decide we need something longer, or want more of a specific sound, or need something recorded at better quality, that he’ll record something new. In his words: “The soundtrack won’t be completely finished until the film is, too.” What an excellent guy to work with, specifically considering how great all of the music already is. The moods are cohesive, but there’s a definite versatility in each of the tracks, so that I can imagine it getting put to use in multiple areas of the film. Overall, I’m totally impressed with the music, and can’t wait to hear the next six tracks.

LOVE,

BRENT

P.S. In a couple days, I might post my favorite song from the soundtrack. Right now it’s just hard to decide which one is my favorite; they’re all so good for so many different reasons!

“January” Production Diary #2

This is real. I—we—are making a film.

I’m not sure when it hit me the most, but today has been a triple-whammy as far as reminders go.

Before I become too far entrenched in my story-of-the-triple-whammy, let me first offer you with a short summary of “January,” because I realize I haven’t yet provided one. “January” is a short film about David, a college student, who finds himself on a quest to find purpose in his life after he interprets the writing in a bathroom stall as a sign from some higher being.

Now, on to the whammies!

Earlier today, I submitted an application to Kickstarter to hopefully gain a way to accept donations/get funding for the short. There are other websites which provide a way to get notoriety/money, but the fact that Kickstarter has an application process (which is reviewed by staff members, to make sure users don’t abuse their Terms of Service) makes me feel as if it’s a little more reputable. I have yet to hear back from them as to whether or not my proposal has been accepted, but I’m hoping that it is, as it’ll certainly be a confidence boost for the rest of the team and me. 

Speaking of the rest of the team, I got a text message from Jack Atterholt (AKA “Kaptain Kewl”), a friend of mine who’s composing the score for the film. We have a meeting tomorrow at noon, and he asked me to bring blank CDs and a USB drive to the meeting tomorrow. This thoroughly excited me—I may or may not have jumped up and down—and I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to take some samples (or all!!!) of the soundtrack to share with the cast and crew. Having worked with Jack before on several films (he was the lead in my award-winning short film “Amalgam” 3 years ago) I know his commitment to excellence in everything he does, and he and I seem to be kindred spirits when it comes to artistic matters in film. I have seen him perform live multiple times, and can say that he is an incredibly talented, incredibly passionate musician, and it is for these reasons that I cannot wait to hear what he’s come up with tomorrow. I know that the rest of the crew—Dan, Chris, and Natalie—are also on the edge of their collective seat for this music, too, because we all want to storyboard with some of the music in mind. I think that’s one of the (many) cool things about the four of us: we all get some of our inspiration from music, in that we all (although I’m only speaking for myself, technically, I guess) project images in our imagination to match the moods and emotions that we’re hearing. 

The third “whammy” came when I was sitting with a friend watching an episode of Celebrity Wife Swap. I looked to her, after sharing my Jack-story, and said, “I’m going to be a filmmaker.” It was almost a whisper, and I’m not sure why I was so surprised when I said it, but this—this whole production—is a dream come true. Yes, I suppose I’ve been a filmmaker since I picked up my mother’s JVC camcorder back in second grade and began making a movie with friends about wizards, but “January” is such an undertaking, and with such high goals, high sights, high aspirations, that I feel like I’m for real. I know that the cast and crew have already heard this, because I told it to them in an email a while back with the second draft, but for the rest of you (whoever “you” are) this will be new:

When I got to high school I became more involved in theatre, which I still do love, but it always felt like I had to choose between theatre or film in high school, because of time commitments. Now that I’m in college, I feel like I can finally get back to film, and it feels fucking* fantastic.

I feel like one of the characters in A Tale of Two Cities right now, with that phrase: “recalled to life.” This experience is about to be totally crazy, and entirely unforgettable. I can’t wait to get started.

LOVE,

BRENT

*I swear [pun intended] that the profanity was purely for alliterative and superlative effect. :-P 

“January” Production Diary #1