Effulgent Git

Accidental Art is now also an Official Selection to the GULF FILM FESTIVAL in Dubai, as in United Arab Emirates. In April, this little movie will have its first international screening. There’s even a chance they might pay yours truly to once again visit the Middle East. I miss the desert, the sun, and the sand. I suspect I might get even more international selections to festivals as the months come, but you never really know.



I saw another local feature film on the big screen yesterday. BEST SUPPORTING DADDY from Mark Cummings, a Columbus filmmaker’s first feature he produced, wrote and starred in. Aside from William Lee, the Hightowers, and now Mark, the African American community is largely under represented in our film community in Central Ohio. It warms my heart to see more people doing things. The crowd was almost sold out at Studio 35 and this was the ENCORE screening for Mark. Congrats, man.

I helped him out a little by recommending the WDTV media player so he could screen in High Def, instead of regular DVD. Now it looks like this might help several future screenings for other filmmakers doing screenings too, as I highly recommend this as the media player for screenings. It’s far more reliable than an optical disc, especially Blu Ray burnable discs. Ruth Lang and her OSU Reel Buckeye alums are doing a screening in a week or two also.

I have mixed feelings towards the Columbus film community as a whole right now. I am a “glass is half full” kind of guy. Even when I see technical problems in people’s filmmaking, I’m a big believer in being encouraging and not a film critic, unless asked or forced into it. The other school of thought, as I have oft mentioned, is the school of hard knocks and harsh criticisms so that people get better. There is a 3rd way, and probably the most prevalent in Central Ohio, is to say nice things to their face, then trash them behind their backs as if everyone but themselves are scum or unworthy. I don’t say anything behind someone’s back I wouldn’t say to their face, much to my reputations detriment.

I am becoming more jaded and cynical about organizations for film and the interpersonal politics therein. I am less and less interested in doing things “for” the community. I have not decided on the future of the Cowtown Film Series, or if organizing such events are worth my time. I see other people having levels of success entirely on their own and that is encouraging for everyone. I think they are more successful on the short term because they are people reaching out to their entire circle of influence and caring. Perhaps short films, even a collective of such, don’t evoke that kind of passion.

Or maybe I associate with the less-impassioned types. I am just very encouraged by the successes of people doing film in Columbus and the attendance at their screenings, nonetheless the volume therein. Even when these people are on the fringes or uninvolved in the various communities and groups, we are all still here for each other. I found it odd that I was entirely alone in the screening today from any single person from any of the film groups in attendance. I show my support by attending screenings, but that might be the extent of my support for a while.

Time will tell. I have to dedicate myself to a few projects for a bit. Speaking of which….

Refractory from Peter John Ross on Vimeo.

Preparation, Perspiration, and Peppermint

It’s go time. I’ve got a lot of preparations for my trip to the Greater Los Angeles Area. I want to do many things while I am there, but none more so than getting together with some old friends.


ACCIDENTAL ART is screening at the very last on Sunday March 21st, 2010 in the “Dark Comedy” block of short films, which is perfect, right before an awards ceremony. I’m not in this for awards. Getting in and getting played is its own reward. I like playing last though, as it’s got everyone revved up and settled in.

To me, I want to make the screening more affective in another way. The screening is across the street from the Paramount lot, so I wonder if that might have any advantages? Can I create an advantage in that?

Maybe. Maybe not. Only time will tell. I know this, not trying and assuming you will fail guarantees failure. I’d rather try and lose than not try and bitch and moan about how the system is screwed or how nothing ever goes my way. I can’t imagine how that feels anymore. I will try and keep trying until I feel like I tried every avenue available to me.

Chins up soldiers. We’re on the march…

Dig this, I just put up a BEHIND THE SCENES look at ACCIDENTAL ART!

Behind the Scenes - Accidental Art from Peter John Ross on Vimeo.

Enjoy,
peter john ross

Happiness, Sadness, and other assorted emotions

I got my first Official Rejection yesterday for ACCIDENTAL ART. SXSW, my most coveted festival in this run turned the short down. Realistically, it was a long shot. I’m not surprised, nor depressed, but I am disappointed. I had 2-3 hours of a bummer, but then the Beverly Hills Shorts Film Festival accepted the movie, so that eased the blow entirely. There are a few dozen more festivals I’m awaiting the answer to. I’m not worried at all. I feel great, actually.



I’m going to go out to LA for this screening. I will try to work this to make this significant in more than one way. It’s the technical “World Premiere”. Cast & Crew and Work-In-Progress screenings don’t count. They say that the Word Premiere is very important, so I don’t mind my losing the cherry to Daniel’s fest, as it’s got a great reputation and the location couldn’t be better.

The goal is to parlay this into something beyond just screening. I have plans and goals to be met and I have barely a month to pull it off. We’ll see if I can, as I am an optimist, but there are no guarantees. The point is to keep your chin up, take the blows, and keep on trucking through.

I hold in my hands today, 3 copies of ZOMBIES OF WAR, the UK version of HORRORS OF WAR. I like the collection of DVD’s for this movie as it’s still something to be proud of. No, the movie is far from perfect, but if all you do is wallow in the negative, you will have done all that work for nothing. Be proud of your movies because they are as children; be proud of them no matter what. No one can really insult the movie or point out something wrong with it that I haven’t already seen, so there’s no insult in opinions.



Now the odd thing is the DVD box art clearly says there is the Commentary Track, Visual FX Demo, Behind the Scenes Documentary, and 5.1 Surround. None of these things are on the DVD. Sadly, I provided all these things for distribution, but they did not add them to the disc. What bums me is that buyers in England are blaming us, the filmmakers for the deception. We very obviously have nothing to do with that.

I did get an email from someone in London who said that at the HMV shop in Piccadilly Circus, ZOMBIES OF WAR was ranked 19th Best Seller for the week. That’s a great ranking considering we’re going toe to toe with big named DVD releases. Looking today, they are sold out of ZOMBIES OF WAR at HMV.COM and AMAZON.CO.UK, so that’s a good sign.

My past and future have merged in a single day.

Toodle,
PJR

Red Che

We just watched CHE parts I and II on Blu Ray from Criterion. I’ve wanted to see this movie so bad because it was the first ever feature film shot with the RED ONE camera that we used on ACCIDENTAL ART. I originally wanted to see CHE in the theater on a 35mm film print to see how it transferred from a video source to celluloid and then projected, but it came and went so fast, I never heard that it played more than one showing in Columbus.



In most cases of video originated features that go to film print, when it comes back to video, they will telecine the film negative created thus solidifying the “film look”. In the case of the RED ONE footage and the movie CHE, they put the RED footage straight to Blu Ray instead, because the resolution of the RED footage is so high and clean, it made sense to use it.

The visual aesthetic was different. In CHE PART I, the contrast this with a nonlinear story going to black and white 16mm footage they shot, so the grain and detail were directly comparable. They also used anamorphic lenses on PART I, not the more standard film lenses. Since PART I took place in Cuba, the bright pastel colors and the greens were very bright, but pleasing. It didn’t look 10% like film per se, but it is still the closest approximation I’ve seen in a video camera.



For the grittier BOLIVIA story in PART II, the color palette changes, but the aesthetic of the RED remained and it looked great. I liked both movies, especially for how different they were. Steven Soderberg’s style very much represents the current dramatic filmmaking style that defines the last 10 years.



On the Blu Ray there is a 45 minute documentary on the development of the RED ONE camera and how it was used on the movie, and that this is the official first feature film to be shot with them. They even started with the prototype cameras that had no coverings over the sensor, so some of the dust speckles are from the fact that they had nothing to keep dirt out.

The handheld, available light, yet shallow focus, and slower paced style that permeate other movies like SEVEN POUNDS and CHILDREN OF MEN are all of a similar ilk. This is the modern dramatic aesthetic of today. I like it and want to move more towards this in my own work. In the end, the RED ONE does a great job with this look and feel. It’s the most filmic video camera I’ve ever seen. The VIPER and the GENESIS do good work, but they aren’t the same.

Be good,
Ross

Oligarchy in the UK

And the past comes back to haunt me again. HORRORS OF WAR, my first feature film to the uninitiated, has just been released in the UK on DVD as ZOMBIES OF WAR. I sure wish someone had told me. I’m only the co-director, producer, co-editor, and co-writer of the movie. It's always a surreal experience when your movie comes out in the UK and no one thought to tell the producers, directors, or anyone involved...

Also, yet again I cannot stress to them that the blue cover with armies of zombies looks cool, but is horribly wrong for our movie. The old way of getting their money for the rental and laughing to the bank doesn't work in the information age of the Internet. Every new UK review says they feel ripped off by the cover, thus letting people know, not endearing the public towards the movie, and creating bad buzz. That’s not good business by my definition. It’s a low budget B-Movie with the Grindhouse feel. If they marketed as such, we’d be targeting the right audience AND not alienating buyers.

Changing the name to "ZOMBIES OF WAR" makes sense. They are cashing in on ZOMBIELAND, etc. and the zombie film movement, even though it is more of what Quentin Tarantino referred to as the Italian filmmaking "Infected People" syndrome, not zombies as he so eloquently describes in the Japanese DVD extras for GRINDHOUSE (thanks McGraner!).

I am not thrilled, but at least it's out in another country! Getting the movie out there is always a good thing. Oh well, yet another DVD version of my movie for my collection. I have 3 copies coming from England already. I keep one sealed, one to open, and one to give away.

Abhorrent Submission

I just mailed out 4 more submissions to film festivals. That puts my total at 71 since December. Not all of these are ACCIDENTAL ART, some are RELATIONSHIP CARD going to the same festival, or sometimes even REFRACTORY, and in this rare care, it’s also UNCLE PETE’S PLAY TIME and HOW TO DEAL WITH TELEMARKETERS since this is for a comedy festival, but sending more than one movie increases the odds of getting something in the festivals.

I figured since I’m doing so many festival submissions, I thought I would share some basic tips, as I’m not an expert, so I can only give rudimentary advice, which I’m sure will piss off someone else in the local film community, but since when will it further my career to care about a high school mentality? My mindset is on a bigger playing field and I’m only interested in furthering my own career without having to step on anyone else to get there.

Why submit to film festivals? Most people have the dream of getting distribution for their feature film when a scout for a company that can release your film on DVD or even more rare in theaters sees it and cuts a deal, or even better you get a 3 picture deal at Columbia. This is the fantasy that CLERKS, SLACKER, RESERVIOR DOGS, ROGER & ME, EL MARIACHI, and BLAIR WITCH did to inspire the entire indie film movement. We all desire this, but the odds are stacked against us. It doesn’t look good. For me, I have a short film, so I’m merely hoping to get enough interest to help fund a low budget feature film continuing the story. The more laurel leaves I rack up, the more proof I have to investors that I am making something people want to see.

Most film festivals in Europe, Africa, and Asia are free to submit to. No entry fees to rack up, and knowing your movie has appeal in other cultures is a good thing. If I get into any of these foreign film festivals, I will use that as evidence to investors that the movies I write and direct have a universal appeal. Any OFFICIAL SELECTIONS I get from other countries just validate the cause. And they are free. A major secret tip, make sure on the CUSTOMS forms, you state that the value is $0 and that it is an “Artistic Sample of No Commercial Value” because in most countries, they charge a tax based on the value you wrote, so the film festival gets hit with charges if they accept the package. They tend NOT to, so your movie and submission will linger in postal hell in a foreign country.

Filmmakers on a different playing field use film festivals to network and market. It has replaced in some ways the limited theatrical runs at art house theaters that were booming in the 1990’s. Virtually every city has a few film festivals going at various times of year and the opportunities to get your movie seen on the big screen are increasing.

I include a nice mini-press kit. Color and Black & White stills from the movie, a 1 page filmmaker bio, and sometimes even press clippings; anything to set you apart from the herd. Of course it comes down to content, meaning a good movie, but even now there are a lot of good movies out there to compete with. The frills do add a special touch.



I’m not necessarily out to “win” anything, as in I am anti-competition. It’s more than enough to be an OFFICIAL SELECTION and get my movie played. The politics in winning awards and prizes bore me. I feel I can sell the idea of the movie without the wins and just the prestige of getting in. Someone else needs or wants the prizes, so they can have at it without ever worrying about me.

I submitted ACCIDENTAL ART to 3 of the top ten film festivals. I will walk on egg shells until mid-February to see if it got in to any of those. I have a festival strategy, but again my end goal is just in getting fuller financing for the feature length film, nothing more nothing less. If I don’t get in, that’s okay, as I have submitted to enough festivals I can expect more than a few to say yes.

I do feel this is a notable short film. If it does do well on the festival circuit, I wonder if some of these people who criticize me will finally let go of their prejudices or perhaps it will cause more jealousy. It is never my motivation, but it will be fascinating to see how it unfolds. Sadly, I believe more of my enemies read this blog than my friend

To my acolytes and enemies alike, I bid you adieu,
Peter John Ross