May 22nd, 2006
I have some catching up to do, so this will be another MULTI-BLOG entry
I am writing this whilst sitting in the airport with my Spooner-Weasel at my side. Of course, I’ve been informed there will be no Spoons at 10,000 feet, or 2 feet, or ever again if I don’t stop screaming the war-cry of “SPPPPPOOOOOOOONNNSSS” in public.
Here’s the back issues…
May 9th, 2006
Fear & Desire
We’re several screenings in on the tour of Horrors of War. Tonight I leave for Indianapolis, and on Thursday I leave for Austin Texas for this week’s round of Sneak Previews. Now I have made several high profile invites to each screening. No guarantees, as a matter fact it’s against all better odds that the icons will appear, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. In Austin, I sent personal invitations to Rick Linklater & Robert Rodriguez to attend, but it’s incredibly unlikely. Then again, the same could be said for the Kevin Smith invite & he says he’ll be there at the LA screening, so you never know.
Rant time. It’s been a while since I’ve gone off on anything, so I’ll vent my frustrations here again. Last week we had the fourth and absolutely FINAL Look at My Shorts Film Festival. Now the cause of even having this festival was over flow from III, but there was some great material. To say I’m disappointed redefines understatement.
Unfortunately, I was unable to do any sort of promotions for the event because I’m knee deep in the all-important national tour of Horrors of War sneak previews. I had suggested, as I always do, that the filmmakers themselves do the promotions and get word out there about the screening. As per usual, if I don’t do it, it doesn’t get done. Tempered Zealot got in the paper & issued a press release, but it was more about them and less to do with the screening. At least they did get it mentioned in a Suburban newspaper. Jay Brooks, who didn’t even have a film playing, get the calendar listing in. No one else seemed to lift a finger.
I guess that’s why so few people showed up. What a shock. I get nothing but crap, but as I explain often to TJ Cooley – there’s a reason you self promote. It gets asses in seats. How the hell else are they gonna know you’re even doing something? Christ, we had a 20+ minute short play and not one person from the cast or crew showed up. Speaking of cast & crews, Jon Osbeck wasn’t even aware that he appeared in two short films that played. What kind of filmmaker doesn’t tell their own cast or crew about
Now this isn’t even the rant.
The rant comes in with this. I handed off the reigns so that maybe, just maybe the festival can continue without me. Obviously on the promotional end of things, not a chance. I also handed off the presentation and that has now cost me a refund to the other sponsor. Now understand this – the theatre charges us to rent the space. It had to be paid. For LaMS III, we had some corporate sponsorship that paid for it so the filmmakers didn’t ay a dime. Since the 4th one was overflow, I could not charge anyone rental because they were a part of the one that was free. Guess who paid for 2/3rds of the show? Me. Please note, that all I had was a 2 minute short film, and people with 10-24 minute movies never offered up a penny. Now with the refund, guess who paid for 100% of the freakin’ festival? ME.
What did I pay for? I paid for the squandered opportunity of several friends & wannabe filmmakers to get their movies shown on the big screen. I wasn’t aware that was my job, but most (not all) of these pretenders certainly felt entitled. When things go awry, it’s not the person that did it they are looking for, it’s the person ultimately responsible. Now after all this time & all the sharing of credit on the film fest, who’s ass do they chew out for not getting the best presentation possible? ME.
Now I used to be considered the “leader” of indie film in Columbus. It’s not a title or job I ever sought or desired. I never wanted it and I don’t miss it, if in fact it did exist. As I have said on this here blog in the distant past, I as crowned prom queen of Columbus film by other people & then the same people who bestowed this just wanted to knock me off the pedestal they put me on.
After years away from the scene and not being directly involved with most of the players in this town, I see other people taking the ball & running with it. Sadly, I see these people being attacked for not being experienced enough filmmakers, as if that has anything to do with running a monthly meeting. But there’s only one thing missing there. Wanna know what real leadership is? Taking responsibility. When things went bad with the festival, and when there was no money, I took it on myself. It doesn’t matter about the blame game or pointing fingers. Real leadership comes from the actions & reactions to a situation. When confronted with things I didn’t do that went bad at the festival, I took responsibility because ultimately, I am the one that has to own up to it. Want to be a leader? Freakin’ take ownership of your responsibilities, whether it be telling your cast & crew about a screening of their film or spending the extra time to make the event special in some way.
I still don’t view myself as a leader. I’m not a leader to anyone other than myself. Without a doubt, I’m done trying to work with amateurs. There’s no helping those who can’t or won’t help themselves. At best, I’ll help solely by writing articles, answering questions on a few forums, and the occasional Indie Film Tip video.
This is a little confessional for me & a few thousand onlookers.
I went from the worst film review in human history to a powerful endorsement... inside of a few hours.
I was AIN'T IT COOL NEWS' but boy as they tore HORRORS OF WAR a new one, and it was the single most brutal review I've ever even head about nonetheless read, and sure as hell hadn't been the subject of...
Then after a polite "Thank you" email to the reviewer, it became the subject of great controversy as the reviewer changed his mind & gave the film a much more positive review... albeit not perfect, but after the reaming of a lifetime, it was a relief.
review #1 (bad)
http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=23241
review #2 (better)
http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=23252
Jesus, this was a roller coaster. Bad reviews are a fact of life, get used to them. I sure am. I've had plenty of bad reviews of short films & many other things. It was the fallout & ripple effect a bad review on Ain't It Cool News could have on Cannes and other distribution that worried me. Now both reviews are there... not sure how I'm supposed to feel.
Anyone want to make me feel better? or worse?
Later on my Acoloytes,
The Boo His Self
Oh, and we all missthe web docs for HORRORS OF WAR
May 10th
Indianapolis went well. The theatre was amazing and the projection was staggering. I mean, we had the highest possible quality projection, state of the art, High Definition beautiful images, crisp as can be… and there was a digital glitch on the tape in one spot that lasted 10 seconds. I was livid.
Funnily enough, John Whitney up and took a break from the film and went out for a beer. He came back as the credits rolled. I can relate, I am already starting to get such a burn out on Horrors of War. Chip Kocel was with us and he helped work the audience a little. He laughed out loud at a lot of jokes and tried to let the people know it was okay to emote a little.
There were two guys behind us who enjoyed the movie on levels I may not ever know. They got into the “midnight movie” mode and kicked the proceedings up a notch. By the end fight scene, they had the whole entire theatre relishing the “B” movie aspects and hooted and hollered at the film. I both enjoyed it and got concerned.
By the time the end of the end credits rolled, and the magic words “Six Months Later” appear on screen for our 3 minute Coda to the film, people said “HELL YEAH!” and proceeded to take the film out on a high note.
The Q&A was fun. There was a gentleman and his wife who had sat next to me that asked the most questions and said one quote that was most notable, “You know, we haven’t seen a movie like this in a long long time. Thank you. I really really liked it. It was like the old movies we loved and we weren’t expecting that. “
Big shout out to my friend Chris O’Brien who brought in some of the Indianapolis crowd. He’s a good friend who went out of his way to support us. I only wish I could have hung out more.
May 13th
Return to Texas
Brandy and I both flew to Austin for the screening last night. Brandy paid for her own ticket & we were on separate airlines too. I had window seats and slept a lot since we were on 5:50AM flights. The night before I was at the airport’s 24 hour post office mailing EPK’s and press kits for the San Francisco and Los Angeles screenings.
I wanted to wear myself down so I’d sleep on the flights. For the first time in my life, I slept through takeoff. I charged up my portable DVD player and never used it once. I had a cue of unwatched movies and they remain in their holding pattern. I really really want to see Capote. Brandy’s flight arrives less than 10 minutes after mine, and we have a mini-reunion at the gate itself – a rarity in these days living in a state of fear.
Upon arrival we go to a mysterious restaurant that Brandy loves even though she’s only been there once or twice. I fail to comprehend what the deal is, so when we get there I she tells me. Threadgill’s bar & grill is owned by Renee O Connor’s (Gabrielle from Xena Warrior Princess) parents. It all comes together & the food was Texan through and through.
The screening itself goes okay. Attendance is low, but it’s the longest Q&A session I’ve done yet. For so few people, it was the same thing as Indianapolis – everyone feels like they just got let in on a really cool secret and don’t understand why more people aren’t aware and grooving.
This audience seemed to dislike the movie at times. When the final scene kicked in, it made the end credits seem to crawl too slow. People wanted out. Some friends of Joe Lorenzo were there and said hello and ran for the door like we killed their cat on screen. Everyone else seemed to want to know how we did this. One kid said that I inspire him without a hint of irony. He proceeded to tell me how my site (meaning Sonnyboo.com) changed his life and started him making movies. Then I spoke quite a bit with POKE, a moderator from IndieTalk.com where I frequent often online with tidbits of advice for beginners.
No stars in attendance, but that’s okay. I didn’t think they would really show up. What’s most intriguing about Austin is its size, or lack thereof. Austin is pretty small actually, but full of personality.
May 19th, 2006
Uphill Battles
Seattle is a blast. Yesterday we did the Seattle screening. Best attendance yet of the non-Ohio screenings. Thanks be to INDIECLUB for it’s generous support. I got to meet Eric Colley, founder of the illustrious IndieClub. MC helped do the promotions which was incredibly generous and took off some of the load.
I got in at about 3:00PM and got into my rental car. I haven’t been to Seattle in 8 years. My best friend Maurice lives there and the last time I was in town it was to visit him (and write a screenplay called DESCENT INTO INFERNO, which I subsequently did complete). Luckily, I was able to meet up with Moe and pick him up from work and we had a nice dinner and a very long chat. I miss my friend a lot. He’s been gone a long time and married now with a son, who I finally got to meet, little Joseph.
The projection at the Varsity theatre was not the greatest, but it wasn’t the worst either. Screening our movie shot on film digitally is an adventure. Sometimes we get amazing results, like the DLP projection in Indianapolis which looked like a 35mm film print. Then there is the low end projection like we got in Seattle which has terrible contrast, not much color palette and the details are not as sharp, plus it doesn’t fill the big screen as much as it should. Of course, we’ve learned our lesson and we only screen on DVCAM from a nice deck with component (RGB) outputs. Thanks be to Greg Sabo for the loaner for these shows. The deck travels securely in a wrapping of soft cotton underoos and T-shirts in my suitcase.
After making the intro, I tried to prep everyone for the “B” movie stylings, but this crowd seemed to take it more dramatically, that is until the end fight. By that time, the drama seemed to fade away.
May 22nd, 2006
Now I’m on the plane headed west to Los Angeles. Brandy is beside me and we’re each wondering how Jack Bauer wraps up season 5 of “24” and somehow saves our country. When booking these shows I had no idea it was during the end of May sweeps and that we’d miss not only “24”, but the 2 hour finale of “LOST” as well. Thank god for TiVo.
I have a laptop for this little journey as I discovered that without a decent connection to the online world, I keep missing important messages and news bits. At Chicago O’Hare I was disappointed that the wireless Internet failed to connect and I could have sworn that Columbus Airport had wireless, but that ain’t so.
Tomorrow night is the San Francisco screening, then Thursday is the LA show. By this point, I’m so fried, Colonel Sanders can put me in a bucket and sell me to the next family having a crappy picnic and serve me to the fat aunt that nobody talks to because of the unique odor she permeates.
I want so badly to move on and start really delving into the next project. I’m poised to start hard core pre-production work, but I won’t allow myself until after all the screenings, which finally wrap up on June 5th in New York. After that, I’m free and clear (meaning broke and bored) to start the major revisions and start casting on some of the roles intended for day players and potential name stars.
I learned a lot on Horrors of War. Everyone’s first feature is a learning process. I was asked the other day in Seattle what the one thing I learned above all others. After deep contemplation, I can say that in the end I want to be even more assertive about what I want, while never compromising the creative collaboration. I felt I was a little too vague in my freedoms I granted and I need to be a bit more demanding when I don’t like something being done.
This next feature will be done differently on many levels. I’m flying solo and I won’t make the same mistakes twice.
Well, this should satiate the Acolytes of Boo. Muchest muchest words and many perspectives for the many moods of The Rossman.
Peace out, Ya’ll,
MixMaster Rossifer
April 9th, 2006
It’s official… I have a problem.
Now a big ass cat is out of the bag now Acolytes. We’re expanding the Sneak Previews of HORRORS OF WAR to out of state venues like Los Angeles, Austin, Seattle, San Francisco, Indianapolis, and eventually Chicago & New York. That’s right, kids. Theatrical release. I was not expecting this, but with the help of LANDMARK THEATRES, this will happen. Not bad for a first feature, eh?
The great Frasier Crane once said on Cheers in 1993, “I left this bar not six hours ago and here I am again. It’s official. I have a problem.”
Well so do I. After one public screening, and one cast & crew screening, I’m a-tinkering again. Nothing too major, but some audio tweaks and one more moving of a scene. I am moving the original scene one more time, but now it’s going to be a surprise as to where it’s at.
Yesterday I had some car trouble and whilst I waited, C. Alec Rossel brought me home & hung out for a brief time. Alec was unable to be at the first sneak preview in Columbus and has yet to see the “Directors’ Cut”. I told him verbally some of the things I did, one of which was a color correction pass using the now over-used “Saving Private Ryan/Band of Brothers” color scheme of near black & white sepia tones to give it a period look. Now for myself, during the last re-edit I tried this but hated seeing the lush & rich colors we had on film lost to a trendy look. But, as I told Alec, I didn’t tweak any settings, I just did some quick tests & said, “Nahhhh”. Alec really really wanted to see it, so I tweaked a little. Now I did a 36+ hour render to see what the entire feature looked like processed with a new scene-to-scene color correction with this look.
Let’s just say that me likes it. Me likes it lots. Hopefully this will fly with Phil & John Whitney too. Funnily enough John Whitney had wanted to do exactly this during the online edit because we talked about it over a year before. I’m making DVD’s of this version for the others and we’ll see.
I added some left out ADR tidbits of dialogue that make some more comprehensible minor points, but worth the time & effort to me. There are a few knick-knacks of audio that needed some more work to me.
So, why do this? Why tweak more? What purpose does it serve?
Well, I’m not going to do this forever. I have become a perfectionist these days. No longer will I ever say “that’s good enough”, because I want to strive for something better. I demand more of myself than anyone else. When I was a musician, the first impulse, no matter how flawed was the master. The feeling of the first take was never surpassed, and I was convinced that was the way to work. No longer do I feel that.
This pass is the absolute last time I’ll attempt to tweak or change anything with Horrors of War until someone pays me a lot of money to try this again. I learned a few things from sitting in the audience, especially this last one where it was mostly people I did not know. As a filmmaker, you want to sense and ride the wave that the audience gives you. It’s an intangible collective vibe that floats and moves with the movie.
Now, the trick is to try to sway the audience more than they sway you. Meaning, as you get better at telling stories cinematically, you want to rely solely on your instincts and get better at estimating the audience response BEFORE a public screening. There’s also the danger of becoming a slave to appeasing an audience, which is never 100% possible, only by majority consensus. For myself, I only want to get the reactions I intended as best I can. I won’t appease everybody & accept that. My tastes are slightly askew, so I can live with getting what I intend.
All this baby-changes I’m making this week for all future screenings are based on the gut vibe and emotional response the audience gave me when they all paid $ to see the film. I won’t tweak after every show based on varying results, just had this one last bit in me while the Muse was here to allow it to happen. I’ve been so burned out on Horrors of War in every except to screen it to the public as that’s the big payoff.
Sitting in a dark room with a bunch of strangers and having them watch these images flicker before their collective eyes, and the gratification of knowing that it’s being understood gives me a high that no drug can ever touch. Feeling the ebb and flow overcome an audience in the way you planned it in your imagination during writing, shooting, and editing – there’s nothing like it.
To get poetical about it, I’d say that it’s the core human instinct to create, and for me creating entertaining stories is what I’m here to do. Ever since I switched over from being a musician to filmmaker, I’ve felt a better connection to humanity. There’s this hole in my soul that finally feels full. I always felt disgruntled (does anyone ever feel “gruntled”? – Joss Whedon). I never really communicated the expressions of thought, idea, or emotion I intended. People didn’t “get it”. From my first short, the Job Interview, as bad as it was, connected with people. They really got the idea. I conveyed my thoughts and ideas in a more succinct way and that made me feel more…human.
Again, the promotional end of things is under way. We have screenings in major markets and getting Asses in seats will rely on every ounce of promotional skill I’ve ever acquired. This topic has been a sore one for me as I’ve been under attack more than an Iraqi suburb for my never-ending barrage of self-promotion. Well, kids, as I always say, if you aren’t your own #1 fan, no one else will get in line to be the first. That’s not necessarily arrogance, because it’s not about being better than anyone else, but if you aren’t proud of what you are doing, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it.
No success story has ever started with "I was afraid of how everyone would think of me, so I changed what I was doing then it all worked out great" or "I just did what everyone would have wanted me to do, and then I made it big" - find me one and I'll eat the pages. Every success story I've ever read went something like "I risked everything.." or "Everyone told me not to try" or "I knew I was breaking the mold...", at least in every success story in human history I've ever read.
Be bold. Shed the f*ck ing fear, and be yourself no matter what they say. Whatever you say or do will piss someone off. Get used to it & just do what YOU want to do. No one ever gets ahead by fearing what everyone else will think. NO ONE.
I can only speak for myself, but I don't give a sh*t what anyone thinks about me, my professionalism, or how I'm presented. That's probably why the press does fixate on me when we do this stuff. I'm not pretending to be someone I'm not. I don't pretend we made a bigger movie than what we made, and I'm not trying to win a popularity contest or impress a potential whatever’s in the future. I won't have to. The work & its successes will speak for itself, as it already has.
Shed the fear, and then you'll really start to get ahead. Nothing will worry you or hinder you. All the invisible walls that stop most people from succeed won't keep you from achieving what you desire. This isn't arrogance; it's a sense of Zen I get from jumping off the edge and not worrying about it.
Damn, I'm waxing poetic here.
The new script is underway. I’m working on revisions and notes on the screenplay. I have made a determination that I am not a writer anymore. I don’t have the passion or the patience for that craft anymore. I like shaping the story outline & coming up with ideas for story, but screenwriting itself no longer interests me. I want to be a director. I want to visualize the best way to cinematically tell a story, not type the words. I also think it will make for a better film if I have ideas coming in from other people. Defending my choices and debating why other ideas are valid can only strengthen the core screenplay that will root the entire film as a blueprint.
Surely that’s enough, Simon.
Peter DeLane and myself will be at the DGA hoping for the ruination of Terry Dixon.
Live long and perspire, my droogies.
-Piotr Johann Rosputin
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DRINK IT UP! www.Sonnyboo.com
March 26th, 2006
And now a scene eerily reminiscent of my first wedding night…
So Acolytes of Boo, when your faithful narrator last wrote here, we had just made an all new cut of the film Horrors of War. A presentation was made to our executive producer, who was neither impressed nor moved by this new cut in the slightest. It was not better according to him, so we will not have the opportunity to present the new cut, contrary to my previous post, IS being referred to as the “Director’s Cut” with approval of co-director John Whitney (so would it be more proper to say “Directors’ Cut”?).
I wrote a mini-version of the infamous Orsen Welles letter to Universal for TOUCH OF EVIL to our Executive Producer, detailing in the various ways why I feel this cut is superior. It was rejected, but that’s okay. It’s business and I understand his perspective. It would be incredible awkward to send or re-send a new cut of the film to prospective buyers that already have a cut. To be honest, the foreign markets really don’t care about character or story, they do just want guns, explosions, and monsters. It’s the domestic North American & other English speaking territories that I think this will hurt us to not present this new Director’s Cut.
Just so everyone knows all is not lost, I think we’re within a few short weeks from announcing our North American DVD release. What people need to realize is that there isn’t instant money, it takes time for delivery & contracts to finalize, and even then checks aren’t immediately cut to us. Patience peeps. As much as Brandy rags me, I have had the patience of a saint because this is zooming into my 3-year anniversary of brining Horrors of War to life. You can’t be a feature filmmaker with ADD, kids. It won’t and can’t work. Unless you’re already established, no one will stick with your project longer than you. Never.
Now, without rancor or malice, I intend to get the Director’s Cut seen as much as possible. My main option left is to start doing public screenings, also called “four walling”. This is where we rent a theatre and screen it our damn selves. I’ve already started with booking in Columbus (last night), Cincinnati, and Youngstown to cover our home state.
This past Friday, seven from the cast & crew from Horrors of War went to Cincinnati to tape a show called “VIEWFINDER”. This is a 30 minute show on PBS there and they focus on “tri-state filmmakers”. I was on the show with Bret & Linda in 2004 for the 48 Hour Film Project and Always Late. The host Alphonzo kicks ass. He should be national because he’s relaxed, enthused, and charismatic.
I road down with Greg Sabo, and we all had a great time doing the show. What I love best is that it was well represented by everyone. John & I did our bit first, then Phil & Greg showing another side of production, then Jason, Joe, and Jason represented the acting side. It showed that our movie was not “a film by” with the usual director(s) taking all the credit. We demonstrated a unity and group mentality, which is my core faith in filmmaking as a collaborative process.
We were treated with great respect and applauded for the accomplishment that is Horrors of War. These people all seemed to grasp how hard it was to make the movie we made. The mountains we had to climb and the realities that what we did was recognized these people in the media.
Of course that’s in Cincinnati, not Columbus… I seem to have a lot less problems getting national & international press than I do local press. I sent out DVD press kits along with printed press kits to all the local media, especially the arts papers. We made a movie where virtually everyone in the central Ohio film scene participated to make it a higher quality film, and we used exclusively Ohio talent, and yet it’s not really worthy of print.
Now, the main paper, the Columbus Dispatch gave us a solid mention (no pictures, but I won’t complain), the “Other Paper” also gave us a small mention. The Columbus Alive, the entertainment/arts paper completely snubbed us. Nada, nothing. Of the TV news, Johnny DiLoretto gave us an amazing mention on the news. After snubbing Spike Lee’s INSIDE MAN, he recommended people see our movie instead. Now THAT was freakin’ classy and sweet. I am a little disappointed we didn’t get more press support, but I think we did very well with getting public awareness going. It’s nothing to feel bad about.
Last night was the first ever public screening of HORRORS OF WAR. I had no idea what to expect. I knew we’d have at least 100 people, thus doubling the money for the theatre rental, but beyond that, there is no guarantees. I knew we’d have some support from cast & crew, but they had their free screening. There’s no accurate way to predict attendance. It’s been my experience that at least 50-60% of the people who tell you they will attend never do. Robert Towne once wrote something in a script that I’ve found to be a universal truth – “People are unreliable, but at least that makes them predictable”. ((A free Best of Sonnyboo DVD to first person name this film))
We sold out last night. Much to my surprise, there was a line out the door, we had to start 15 minutes late because people were still buying tickets. At 7:20 the box office declared the film sold out and starting turning people away. The theatre was packed, even more so than Look At My Shorts or the cast & crew screening. ((FYI, as a former theatre manager “sold out” means when you get within 10% of the maximum, its declared sold out.)) It was a 400+ seat theatre.
It was elating to have a good crowd. Screening the “Director’s Cut” to a paying audience had a satisfaction in that it played much better to an audience. It is a grimmer story with more drama than the apparently more comedic original cut. My proudest moment? During the scene with Sgt. Gary (Dan Kiely) and Claire (Megan Pillar), you could hear a pin drop. No one twitched, no one moved, no one whispered. It was a meaningful, deep moment and I had the audience. No special effects, no gun, no monsters, no explosions, not even music to sell the scene. Just actors, and all natural light, and I was able to have an audience feel exactly what I set out to do.
We’re doing screenings of Horrors of War in Cincinnati and Youngstown. Even after last night, I am skeptical about attendance since I am not as known around the film communities in those areas, but I can rely on that fueling my marketing pushes to try to get similar attendance. The aforementioned episode of VIEWFINDER will help us immensely in raising awareness in Cincinnati.
I have decided to push my next feature. I was originally going to shoot in JUNE, but I’ve decided to dedicate myself to proper & full promotional efforts for HORRORS OF WAR. To me, the biggest mistake in the independent film world is thinking that finishing the film is the end. It’s not. It’s not even the halfway mark. This is a marathon, and we’re just getting started. I feel a moral obligation to the investors, the cast & crew, and myself to take Horrors of War all the way. Beyond a DVD deal, I need to see this movie sell some copies too.
I don’t just want to cash a check, and go “Whew! SUCKERS! Moving on…” and it’s surprisingly tempting to be lulled into that. I’m sick of this movie. I’ve worked on it for nearly 3 years. I want to move on desperately, but I gave my word. I said I would see it through and I will. I made a promise and I intend to deliver. I’m not like a lot of yahoos who make a million promises and deliver on 1 out of 7 & then expect credit for it. Never make a promise you can’t keep.
I have a dark comedy with only one location and a limited cast as my next project. I think I’m doing things a little backwards. I was supposed to do that first, then try the ambitious period war film with locations, tanks, extras and explosions…
That’s all I got in my now. I’m off to see a showcase with the lovely Brandy as she acts. I know it’s acting because she’s wearing a dress. She doesn’t own one, so I know it’s “acting” and a “character”….I love this chick.
Later Dayz Acoloytes,
Piotr Johann Rosputin
Oh, and watch this is raw B-Roll footage shot by Zac Sabo whilst shooting in Logan Ohio on Horrors of War
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DRINK IT UP! www.Sonnyboo.com
March 10th, 2006
Love is Stronger than Justice
Yet another film festival/screening for the local film community has come & gone. This time, the size was enormous. Even bigger than last time, we had a 4 hour program & much to my dismay, we turned down several movies. A “Look at My Shorts III part 2” is already planning for April. My hope to have this be the last one I was involved with has turned into another commitment to administrate one more. Seems I can’t cut my ties as easily as I’d hoped from the short film world.
There were several standout movies. Of particular note was C. Alec Rossel’s THE BAG, and Louie Cowan’s A COLD BLOOD, written and starring Dan Kiely. There was all kinds of brouhaha over being 4 hours and the play order. I don’t care, I’m so sick of everyone’s ego I could vomit. When we first ran over, I gave up my single 2 minute short without hesitation. I make movies for the sole reason of seeing them with a bunch of strangers in a dark room. Losing that opportunity took no time for me to decide. Not everyone is willing to do that.
Soon we’ll have announcements about the next one, and how we can show some of the films that didn’t make it or have been made since. I hope I have even less to do with this one.
Last weekend Brandy & I went to Cleveland for Johnny K. Wu’s premiere of a music video for Sweden’s Bimbo Boy. Brandy was in the music video, along with several Horrors of War alums (like Christine & Chandler Chapman, and Joe Shaw, etc.). Before hand, we ate at C&Y, a Chinese Restaurant Johnny introduced us to after Indieclub one week. I love that place. I spent the evening in a gay bar where I was not hit upon and that was strangely disappointing.
Johnny Wu is the coolest. There are no two ways about it. He and I have a lot in common. Spending a day up at Casa De Wu not too long ago trying to work out a technical issue with an unforgiving quicktime file, I witnessed just how similar his place and lifestyle is to my own. The way filmmakers congregate to our place and work with out equipment, the support structure, and even the drama in the film communities. Johnny has far more tolerance and more generosity than I do. I wish I were more like Johnny K. Wu. Especially in his ability to kick ass, both literally and figuratively.
I don’t know why. I have no real answer. I got a whim, and I did it, okay? I wasn’t even bored. I just got a weird urge & I followed it.
I re-edited Horrors of War.
I’m burnt out on the topic, I’m sick of talking about it, thinking about it, marketing it, and what do I do instead of watch Jon Stewart host the Oscars? I re-edited the thing I’m most sick of. Granted, it didn’t take long, approximately 5 minutes.
I had some weird thought in the back of my mind that said that a re-structuring of the entire timeline of the film into a linear story, as opposed to the “final” edit being a non-linear story. After the cast & crew screening I had this nagging feeling that we lost people with the jumping around.
So I originally was going to just re-structure where the original scene (the one that was never intended to be in the film & where Osbeck & Micah play different characters entirely), goes in the film. I told Phil my idea & he said, why not go all the way & try going back to the original scripted version? I said sure, and proceeded to do it within minutes. There is one exception to this. I left scene 30 in the post opening credits section. There was too much entailed in moving that scene with score, sound mix, and even picture edit cross dissolves that can’t be “undone” at this stage. Everything else was a simple cut & cross dissolve of sound & it was perfect.
This is NOT a “director’s cut” because I edited it alone on a whim without my co-director. It’s what I’m calling the “linear edit”. What I did was go back to the way the script went. We start off with a flashback of D-Day, into scenes 2 & 3, then the opening credits (exactly as intended), then we go out into scene 30, but it then goes into scene 4-29, and 31 to the end. There were intentional character arcs and storylines that got muddled when we went non-linear, telling the story in a flashback here, showing the end first. No matter how many dates & places and “six months earlier” title cards we used, it was NOT making sense. Now it does, and much to my surprise the film is much stronger now.
We went non-linear story after the horrid aftermath of screening the rough cut to our executive producer (see prior Blog entry). Scenes 2-3 were very weak at that point (I take my full responsibility as a director). After pickup shooting, and re-editing the scenes enhanced, we never tried to re-insert the scenes as they were intended. Tony, our executive producer also insisted we use the original scene, which was hard to justify. That scene is still in the new cut, but it takes place later, and makes more sense as a “tease” to a potential sequel (although I have no interest in seeing or making or even allowing a sequel to be made).
To be honest, the more I’ve scene the original scene in the film, the more disappointed I am in the lackluster sound mix on that one scene. It’s too thin. We had managed to make it seem bigger in my own sound mix (although borrowed elements from other films, so it was NOT an option to use that mix properly in the final film). I really feel like it seems smaller & thinner than even the number of guys we had. There was a theory that “if you can’t see it, you shouldn’t hear it” which is ludicrous. Sound makes the picture bigger, not just what you see. Now I’ve added music & some minor sound FX enhancements.
Horrors of War is the BANE OF MY EXISTENCE. It’s not a bane because I don’t like it, it’s a pain in the ass because I’ve spent two solid years (almost 3 total) with this and I’d like to be free of it, but I can’t until it’s out there, until a formal release. I dig the movie. I like it a lot, including the flaws and all. I especially like it better now. This new cut, which has been looked at by Greg Sabo, Jon Osbeck, John Whitney, and Phil Garrett, is vastly superior. I’m hoping we can convince our executive producer to accept it as the new & final (for now) cut of the film.
Here’s a secret just for the acolytes of Boo… I think we’re going to have a sneak preview or two of the finished film soon. I’m hoping to convince my cohorts to do this so we can gauge an audience reaction, and give people a chance to see it on the big screen (again), but the public, outside of just cast & crew.
We recorded the Horrors of War commentary tracks this week too. It went from 6:00PM to 4:30AM. I got only one pass, but then again I had my notes & did my homework. Whether we get multiple commentaries or not, my vote is to have one track with intermixed commentary so that it always stays interesting and lively. Each of our tracks by themselves aren’t all that exciting, but taking a “best of” pass will make a really great track, at least in my not so humble opinion.
We were asked why we went into the studio and recorded our own track (and similarly why I’m tackling all the behind the scenes docs myself), well I’m trying to create value for our DVD sale. If we have pre-made, professional grade extras and a studio quality commentary track ready, that’s less work (and thus expense) a distributor can charge us for on the back end. They could & would pay for it, but then we’d pay for that 3X over in the payouts. Since I have access to a studio and a nice professional recording facility, why not use it now?
That’s all I’ve got now. I still don’t feel a 100% and I feel much older than what I am right now. It’s a horrid feeling that I’m hoping to shed as I prepare my next feature that I intend to shoot this summer.
The stars are aligning and I have something special in mind. My first solo feature film effort. This will be interesting. More on that as it develops. Stay tuned my faithful listeners.
Adios Muchachos!
Senor Pedro Juan Rosalez
You amigo on the web
Oh, and watch this not public yet video of the visual FX work from Horrors of War
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DRINK IT UP! www.Sonnyboo.com
Sunday February 12th, 2006
Health & Consequence
I have gout. It’s been fun. On some days I hurt so bad a bed sheet on my big toe hurts like it’s been smashed by a semi. Once the ER visit was over and I got medicated, my left foot had already swelled to 4 sizes too big for a shoe. Then after two weeks, I had another attack of the gout this past week in my right foot and used my last pill from the prescription that miraculously helped out to where I can walk again now, but with a limp.
The birthday of 2006 was fairly uneventful, but nice. Brandy took me to a nice lunch at CapCity Diner and Phil got on ABC/FOX Channel 6/28 News and pumped Horrors of War. Freakin’ sweet.
Spent Friday all day at Johnny Wu’s house in Cleveland working on encoding an uncompressed Quicktime MOV to DVD without hassles. He had managed to make the file look good where I could not in a test, so I needed to go to one of the only peers who knows more than me about MPEG2 encoding that won’t charge me phone sex line rates to get answers.
Johnny Wu’s house is not unlike my own. During the day, Christine Chapman was editing her latest short RUBBLE, Donald Gregory stopped in, and multiple journalists blew through to ask questions about the LOOK AT MY SHORTS III FILM FESTIVAL, since Johnny has started to hype it on the Northcoast. Now I think truly Johnny Wu and his house being a hub of filmmakers mirrors he way people congregate & edit projects here at my house week in, week out.
What’s next? I keep getting asked a lot what am I going to do next now that Horrors of War has finished. Well, the truth is Horrors of War is finished as a movie, but the work is only half done. The crowning mistake most filmmaker make, if they ever get to have a completed feature, is not following through. There’s more to successful filmmaking than just making the film. If you’re not your film’s #1 fan, who else is going to be?
Promoting a film is a full time job. I’m still editing and shooting web docs for the movie’s eventual DVD and currently releasing them online. These are very effective promotional tools. There, I’ve said it. Yes, of course they are promotional tools and not just informative and educational pieces. The educational ones bring people to the site that otherwise would not come to a WWII Sci Fi Horror movie’s site. Proof of concept? On the Internet, an ASC Cinematographer I’ve never met or even emailed, linked some people to our web docs on editing because he said they were the best explanation on the basics he’d ever seen. Sometimes you get a twofer, promoting and helping at the same time.
Continuing to promote with the new EPK’s, a real nice DVD affair with web docs, TV appearances, clips, trailers, and 18 minutes of raw B-Roll (so TV news crews have something raw to work with in their edits), these will go to printed press worldwide, and regionally to TV news. We’re still finalizing the printed press kits that will accompany the DVD EPK. Good material opens doors, great presentation blows them off the hinges.
Julie Washington from the Cleveland Plain dealer asked me at Johnny Wu’s who taught me how to do all this, EPK’s, write press releases, and promotion. She was sure I had a background with a PR firm or at least several Journalism classes in college. The truth is I failed one quarter of Journalism 101 when I was a sophomore at Coronado High School in El Paso TX. I have no idea, other than using some deductive reasoning on how to find a story angle within the production or release of a movie.
It was a huge compliment from Julie and thus far my marketing efforts have been largely successful. I have heard recently from TJ Cooley that he and many others don’t like my self-promotion techniques. While I respect the opinion (and respect the forthright nature of TJ to say it to my face in person), it works for me and I’m not really going to change how I do things since it’s been effective.
I strongly believe that if you’re not your own cheerleader, no one else is going to get in line to do it. It’s like the films & filmmakers involved every year with Look At My Shorts – when they feel like not promoting the festival, it projects an image of “Well, if the people making the movie aren’t enthused about people seeing the movie, maybe it’s not that good…” and then they don’t get all that jazzed about seeing the movies. What a shock! OF course the flip side is always from your peers making assumptions “Well if they like they’re own movies enough to promote it, then they obviously think they are better than me! Screw those arrogant dickheads…”. Assumptions. When you make assumptions you make an ASS out of U and MPTION. ((crediting my sources – Shane Black from his $4 million screen play for The Long Kiss Goodnight))
You don’t have to be arrogant to like and promote your own movies, and if you’re more concerned about what other filmmakers think than getting a lot of people to see your movies, then you probably will have a hard time dealing with the realities of the business of filmmaking. You’re more likely a hobbyist that worries more about the sewing circle perception of you than making an audience base for your film projects.
Be forward thinking as well kids. If you have printed press and TV news appearances, this legitimizes you as a filmmaker. Your self-proclamations of being a filmmaker are great, but with newspaper writers and reporters calling you a filmmaker can at least make potential investors take you more seriously. Someone other than yourself views you as a filmmaker, and that is worth gold. You may think that it’s arrogant, but I don’t care as it helps me immensely with a meeting where I am trying to convince someone I will promote the movie they are investing in, I can show proof that I do promote and have done so effectively.
The reason no one takes the film scene seriously in Columbus lies mostly in it’s own self reflection. If you don’t like what you’re doing or are afraid to promote it, then no one else will jump up to do so.
To answer the original question (What’s Next?) The answer is another feature film to be shot in 2006. Stars are aligning pretty well to make that a reality.
The New Look at My Shorts Film Festival is 2 weeks away from today. We’ve definitely found a home with THE SCREENS. After the Horrors of War screening, and the capacity audience, it wasn’t hard to negotiate a good price. The Continent theatre has plenty of free parking, it’s right off the highway, there are shops, bars & restaurants nearby, and the theatre itself is really nice. In the current multiplex saturation and downed box office trends, theatre managers should be welcoming alternate programming and ideas.
My experience thus far has been that Jeff Frank of the Drexel theatre group was very supportive of several of my earlier endeavors with screenings. His main theatre, the ARENA GRAND was home to the screenings of NEW WORLD and the first LOOK AT MY SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL. We had to turn away 65-70 people at the door because we were over capacity in the small 110 seat theatre, and that included near violating codes with people sneaking in and sitting on the floor or in aisles or in handicap spots with folding chairs. We paid the rental cost of the theatre and they made all the $$ from the concessions from a sold out show. How do the managers repay us when we want to do LOOK AT MY SHORTS II? How about more than double the theatre rental costs. They’ll never ever get my money again. Jeff Frank is supportive, but no one else on his staff seems to be.
For LOOK AT MY SHORTS II, we went to STUDIO 35 and their one screen, old school independent run theatre. They didn’t seem to take us seriously because they didn’t show up until 10 minutes to start time and 50 people were waiting to get in. We paid extra for the marquee, which didn’t say LOOK AT MY SHORTS until 20 minutes after the movies started. This festival played to a 350+ people crowd and their bar & concession sold tons of food. When I went to them for a follow up, they wanted to charge us double for half the time, claiming that it cost that just to turn on the lights. I was a manager at movie theatres for more than 5 years, so I have some idea what the costs are, and that ain’t it. They’ll never get my money ever again either.
So now, we’ve found a good fit. A nicer theatre than all the previous ones with by a large margin the best projection from digital sources, and with management that understands that there is a market for independent, home grown entertainment. Everybody wins.
Well, that’s all I got in me right now. No news from the SciFi Channel. This might shock people, but I think you’ll probably read about it from me in more than a few places when we hear something, even a rejection. We didn’t make it into the Fangoria Weekend of Horrors in Chicago. Anchor Bay controls the screening room and we’re not with Anchor Bay. That’s okay.
-Ross
2006 THE YEAR OF THE BOOTASTICAL JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
The Sonnyboo Reader
Jan 2006 edition
I haven't done one of these in a long while. Post production on the feature have superceded any short film work or promotion, and yet things still happen in the world of Sonnyboo & the short films. It's great when marketing of films become self perpetuating. I'm happy to see that people are interested in the old works as well as the new.
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IFILM.COM is playing the trailer for HORRORS OF WAR.
http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2354099
On Monday, January 23rd, they will be adding it to the home page of Ifilm.com where they average several million hits per day. This is another major coup for Horrors of War and we are proud that we got approached to have the trailer on their site in every format there is on the web.
Post production compelted in December 2005 for the first feature film Horrors of War, see http://www.horrorsofwarmovie.com for more.
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NEW SCREEN TV is showing several Sonnyboo shorts on their channel in Orlando Florida, starting with THE LINE OF MASCULINITY on January 25th @ 7:PM
http://www.newscreen.tv/Pages/Schedule/a_week/3_wednesday.html
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GOOGLE VIDEO
Google Video has selected & are now playing several Sonnyboo.com shorts
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-210262691513088825&q=sonnyboo
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CNET.COM's DOWNLOADS VIDEO
CNET's Video Downloads has selected & are now playing several Sonnyboo.com shorts
http://video.download.com/3800-11164_53-8410.html?tag=vdl_cntnt_col1_rslt_name
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POPCAST.COM
Now broadcasting 4 channels of Sonnyboo entertainment.
http://www.popcast.com/channels/Sonnyboo_Classics
http://www.popcast.com/channels/Horrors_of_War__movie_info
http://www.popcast.com/channels/Sketchcetera
http://www.popcast.com/channels/The_Sonnyboo_Dramas
Popcast is a Peer to Peer torrent based exchange of shows & "channels" of videos on the web. Joe Johnston, creator of OHIOFILMVIDEO.COM is behind this ambitious project called Popcast.com
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More WEB DOCS & INDIE FILM TIPS
http://www.horrorsofwarmovie.com/webdocs.php
Tips on editing, ADR, and more, plus some honst looks at the process of making a feature film with DVD style content.
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UNDERNEATH CINCINNATI
Sonnyboo's THE LINE OF MASCULINITY has been selected as one of the "2005 Best of Underneath Cincinnati" and will screen in competition
2005 Best of Underneath
Friday, February 24th, 2006 @ the Contemporary Arts Center
Doors open at 6pm, show starts at 7pm
Tickets are available through the CAC box office or call (513)345-8405
$10 in advance, $12 at the door
http://www.underneathcincinnati.com
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INDEPENDENT FILM CHANNEL's MEDIA LAB
http://medialab.ifc.com/index.jsp
Several Sonnyboo shorts will be in competition with the IFC MEDIA LAB, and congrats to John Whitney for having his short PASSION selected as one of the shorts to be used as promo on the network and also on the site for IFC. Kudos for a kick ass short.
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DRINK IT UP! www.Sonnyboo.com
Monday January 16th, 2006
The Day or Two After
Saturday night we did the cast & crew, non-public screening of Horrors of War in it’s final state from the digibeta master tape no less at the Screens movie theatre. It was a rocking good time. My mother said she was proud of me… of course to several other people, but not me. Hey, it’s progress.
John Whitney and Jon Osbeck did the intro for the show. I was in the projection booth starting the movie & turning down the house lights. I had two distinctive flashbacks. The first was back to my movie theatre projectionist days that don’t seem like it, but were over 15 years ago. The second was to a rather unpleasant memory in May 2002 when I screened NEW WORLD and had to sit in the projection booth the entire time and miss the experience of watching a movie with an audience. At this level, even now, this does NOT happen every day. Getting the opportunity to see your movie on the big screen with an audience needs to be relished and savored. I ran down & got into the theatre, but the memory is now a little marred because I wasn’t in the room when my own goddamn movie started.
I sat in the front row alone and watched Horrors of War for the first time in a long while. I don’t think I will ever be able to divorce myself 100% from the making of it, but this was pretty close. I was far more aware of what people were feeling and reacting to. From making some characters empathetic and others detestable, I feel we really did the story justice. There was a lot more laughs than I remember, but maybe you get a little numb to jokes because they aren’t funny to you after 1,193 viewings in a little window inside Avid. Brandy’s scene was excruciating to watch for the first time since we shot it, since there was the emotional context of the audience seeing my Brandy get attacked unexpectantly.
At the end, I was supposed to make remarks as well, but I was in the projection booth. I grabbed Dave Lee, a friend of John Whitney’s and showed him how to raise the lights when the end credits finished. To him I will not forget this small favor that seems nothing, but means the world to me. I was able to be there when the lights came up and walk down to the front of the theatre.
First Phil spoke and got some thanks out. We had a room of 300+ people. Then I tried to make with the funny & say I was shy and don’t like public speaking. I actually don’t but no one will believe me. All I said, and I had planned this for weeks was, “We did this.” I said it over and over again, each time louder. “WE did this.” Of all the arrogance I am accused of, I spoke from my heart and wanted everyone to know that I didn’t make this film, even though it says “a Whitney/Ross film” that it was OUR film. WE all did this. I don’t care if someone was a PA for one day, they contributed. It doesn’t matter if they showed up once and never came back, they were a part of the making of the movie. Scott Spears drove home to me that film is a collaborative art, and I believe that this is very true. A feature film results from the collective contributions of many and that is what shapes it into the final mold. We would not have had the movie we have if not for the generous contributions of everyone involved.
I have a paranoia (thanks to The Derek) about any public speaking I do now. The Derek overslept & didn’t even make it to the screening, but I was still overly sensitive about saying anything. I wanted to convey my gratitude, but I also wanted everyone to feel pride in what we did. I put all my feeling and heart into saying over and over – WE DID THIS. I got louder as I got no reaction until people started to applaud. I am proud of the movie and everyone involved.
For the most part, I truly believe we exceeded most people’s expectations for the film. I don’t know what they were expecting, but it was definitely better than they thought it would be. I have been happy with the movie for a while. I’m not delusional, it’s still flawed. I’m not blind either, as this movie will be a hit on DVD and maybe the Sci Fi channel, but not going to be some huge indie theatrical cult-hit like Clerks or anything. It’s a good, fun B-movie, and that’s what we set out to make, and that’s what we have. I couldn’t ask for more.
Many people said some weighty things to me.
Quote: from ______ on 1:22 am on Jan. 15, 2006
“Do you see all the people in this room? You made all their dreams come true.”
[/quote]
Quote: from ______ on 12:20 am on Jan. 15, 2006
“When you first approached me about investing in a movie, I won’t lie to you, I thought you were nuts. I never thought you could pull it off.”
Quote: from ______ on 2:22 am on Jan. 15, 2006
“There were a lot more explosions and pyro than I thought a low budget movie could have.”
Quote: from ______ on 12:59 am on Jan. 15, 2006
“You really did it. Everyone else talks about making movies and you actually do it.”
Quote: from ______ on 1:15 am on Jan. 15, 2006
“I think these people would have followed you anywhere. You are the reason they worked so hard. They made this movie for you.”
Quote: from ______ on 11:39 pm on Jan. 14, 2006
“I thought you said what needed to be said. There’s always the fear that when you thank people, you’ll leave someone out or someone will inevitably feel left out, but you made everyone feel like they were important.”
[quote] Quote: from ______ on 4:14 am on Jan. 15, 2006
“You were like a basketball coach getting everyone psyched after the state championship game and we all won.”
That’s a WHOA for me on all counts.
We went on over to Rush Creek Sports Bar to hang out after and have some appetizers and drinks. Well over a 100 people came over and continued the buzz and celebration. I made my way around the room a bit and talked to most people as best I could. I hope no one feels snubbed or left out.
My mind is still a bit blown, as is my voice. I knew I had some level of closure because I was able to sleep in past 12:Noon, and I haven’t slept past 9:AM in months. I went over to my family afterwards, only to find both my parents raving about the screening to disinterested siblings of mine. It was surprising, even though it was my own birthday party (an early one).
Summing up, cast & crew screenings are always skewed. It also doesn’t matter. Sitting in a dark room with a bunch of strangers watching a story unfold 24 frames per second is it’s own reward. I feel sorry for the people who don’t get it or don’t have THAT as their primary motivation, since they will never connect with an audience well.
-Ross
2006 THE YEAR THAT THE BOO GOES BIG
Friday December 23rd, 2005
Holiday Hilarity & Hubris, as well as alliteration
Today we dropped of a digibeta tape, the final sound mix, and the final FX shot to Lyon Video to get a Horrors of War master tape made for the JAPAN distributor. We’re all so fried at this point, that we aren’t even going to be there when the final bits are done. We just want to see the movie with a little distance. Phil & John & I are at the end of our wits with Horrors of War and all the technical and glitches that have caused so many delays. But who cares? On Wednesday we’ll pickup the tapes and make good on our contract.
On January 14th, 2006 we will show the movie on the big screen to the cast & crew. The cast & Crew screening is a private, non-public showing of the film. It’s an Invitation only showing because it will affect our film festival and premiere status. I can’t wait. I’ve gotten so many emails over the last 6 months asking when this screening will take place. Now it’s a reality.
After that, we’re hoping to do the WORLD PREMIERE. We’re aiming for the FANGORIA CONVENTION in Chicago in March. It’s a genre film that will play well with genre fans. We’ve also got an “in” with CINEQUEST FILM FESTIVAL in San Jose, and that’s a prestigious film festival, but have a history of non-arty screenings too. Either would be good, but both would kick ass.
As the trailer for Horrors of War has been making the rounds online, I’ve been hearing a lot of great compliments and even some good criticisms. One of the more common themes that gets perceived as a criticism, but is a compliment to me is that it looks like a “B” Movie. Well… DUH. It IS a B-Movie. My intention was to make a movie like the Saturday matinee’s on Channel 43 WUAB with SuperHost . The action/adventure pictures that opened my mind to imagination and fun. It’s NOT a serious dramatic piece, it’s a World War II action-Horror-Sci Fi movie, so how intense do you think it should be?
I’ve started work on the Electronic Press Kit, a DVD with tons of material, including the trailer, some scenes, the documentaries, TV appearances, and even B-Roll (raw “behind the scenes” footage because TV news like to have raw footage to cut as they like in their stories.
I haven’t even sent one of these out into the world or issued a press release since June, and we have already started getting a ton of mentions. The mentions on Fangoria and JoBlo.com have spawned over 15 more press stories, including The Horror Channel
I’m blown away by the support & interest the movie gets from people I don’t know. It’s pretty amazing. The concept gets people excited. I had this feeling, an instinct that the story I came up with would connect with the public, but I had no idea just how well. I am very happy, and also still surprised.
2006 Will yield many many screening opportunities and the promotional wheels have barely begun to turn. I’ve set in motion an avalanche. I will do everything in my power to see it come down the mountain.
Speaking of promotions, here are some interesting quotes from emails sent to me recently in regards to Sonnyboo.com and my own reputation online.
Quote: from ______ on 1:22 am on Dec. 21, 2005
“You are getting some kind of name around this business. I am out here in California and have heard your name around a lot now.”
Quote: from ______ on 11:18 pm on Dec. 13, 2005
“Several people including some interested film makers as well as a film commision employee here in California know about you. I’m guessing it is the name SonnyBoo. People pass that name around.”
Holy COW! That’s heavy duty. As I struggle to finish my first feature, and figure out how to keep afloat, this kind of feedback both excites & scares me. Never in my wildest imagination did I think that my efforts were this successful.
I’ve removed the Sonnyboo Free Downloadss of word templates. I need to allocate the bandwidth to newer endeavors like the WEB DOCS for Horrors of War. These new and informative videos are indeed promotional, but also educational, so I’m going with these instead. I already got a complaint from someone via email. I found it funny that this guy got really, really mad at me for not providing the templates for free anymore. As king of metaphors, it was like going to the house of a former librarian and telling him he’s a prick because he won’t get him a book for free anymore.
Brandy & I saw Peter Jackson’s King Kong last week. It was good, and possibly too long. I remember distinctly on the DVD’s for LORD OF THE RINGS Peter Jackson saying that if he had released the long versions first, no one would like them. I thought he was nuts. Now I agree with him. I did also get the PRODUCTION DIARIES on DVD and those kick ass. I already have them from the web, but they look great & are very inspirational.
Many things are happening…
I have 4 channels on “ POPCAST.COM ”, run by Joe Johnston, owner of OHIOFILMVIDEO.COM, which will hopefully die forever.
CNET
shows a few Sonnyboo shorts and continue to get a lot of views.
IFC film challenge has approved several Sonnyboo shorts. From reading about it on this here site, John Whitney has already been invited to have his short “Passion” play as a promo for the contest in commercials and on the channel.
Here in Rossdonia, I have entered into the public records of our region a new scientific theory of mine. I snore. This is a new development in my life in the last few years. It causes many a sleepless night for Brandy. Using deductive reasoning and empirical data, I believe that Brandy is the cause of my snoring.
I submit to you that Brandy’s ex did not used to snore. After being with her, he began to snore. I did not used to snore. After sleeping with Brandy, I began to snore. There are men who have never slept with Brandy & they do not snore. Therefore, my hypothesis is that sleeping with Brandy causes snoring.
That’s all I got in me right now. I want to get these freakin’ Holidays over with. Family & food, two things I need less of in my life.
-Ross
-2005 - THE YEAR OF ROSS 2: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY
