A Sagacious Conscript

Today I was the guest speaker at the Upper Arlington High School’s film class. The teacher invited me to speak to the kids and do a demo. I made up a DVD of things to show and went on in.

Last week I had issued a press release about getting ACCIDENTAL ART into the Beverly Hills Shorts Film Festival and one of the newspapers sent out a reporter to follow me to the class and do the interview right after. Then a photographer came up to our studio to do some pictures for the article.

I showed the trailer for HORRORS OF WAR, and then claimed “This is a movie that will never win an Oscar ™”. Next I showed one of the webdocs on ADR. I passed around the DVD covers from around the world.

I was asked about my opinion of the future of cinema and I said that 3D will make a huge dent in things because AVATAR made so much money. Studio execs that are no inherently creative people see AVATAR in 3D = $$$, so expect a lot more movies to go spectacle and 3D in the hopes of generating more money and less soul. I also think YouTube, Cable TV channels, Internet, Video on Demand, and multimedia are merging into one single entity at some point. How to make money at it is a largely undiscovered realm so far.

I like teaching. I enjoy sharing what I know. So many of my peers view it as creating competition or something they would never do for free without being paid, but I do it because I love it.

Why do I get invited to do these things? What makes me the focal point of such requests? Why would someone want me to talk about filmmaking to kids?

I have no idea. If you are reading this and you feel I do not warrant such requests, then let the schools know and let them know why you would be more qualified or at the least why you feel I am NOT qualified. I didn’t solicit these kinds of speaking events. They fall into my lap and I do think I have something to offer, but it’s neither better or worse than anyone else.

Gooey Karmic Goodness

Sometimes I do things that some might consider generous. I put together film festivals, or I offer a place to edit, or I loan out some gear that might help someone else. Most of the time, these kinds of favors are not directly repaid, but I am not expecting them to be. I throw it out to Karma to see if the universe will pay it back in some way. Sometimes it does…

I cast a net into the world. I needed a dub to HDCAM, the rare and expensive Sony High Definition tape format. Very few places in Columbus have this $60,000 deck. The ones that do want to charge a very high rate to dub to it (about $250 for a 6 minute short… kind pricey).

When I screen ACCIDENTAL ART in Beverly Hills at the Film Festival, I want it to look it’s best, but cost to return analysis says $250 is too much, but I really feel it is important to put a best foot forward on this. So I checked with Bryan Michael Block, actor extraordinaire, but also connected to the higher end of commercial production around town. He pointed me to Ben Bays who did the Horsemen short, and he was able to help me out. I showed his AIDAN 5 project at Cowtown and he was more than willing to give back a little by helping a brother out on price.



I am so grateful for the return of support and help. Doing things for other people often turns to regret when those people aren’t there for you, but then on occasion with something as important as this, it comes back when you need it the most. These guys are classy and cool and I appreciate this more than I can ever type.

Then there are those who feel they can take advantage of your generosity. This is a misunderstanding, mostly on their part. There are people who walk all over me and I continue to offer them help. They feel that I am either stupid, ignorant, or that they have successfully pulled the wool over my eyes. This isn’t true. What they don’t grasp is that I am a good person, regardless of how many times they take advantage of me. I know what they really are like, I’m not stupid. I am generous regardless of what kind of selfish bastards they are. It’s not about them; it’s about doing good things no matter what.

Although I do have my limits…

Big congrats to ACCIDENTAL ART D.P. GREG SABO of SABOSTUDIOS for his camera work making it on national television with this week’s episode of UNDERCOVER BOSS on CBS. That rocks so much. A local guy getting his work on network television is a score. Rock on Greg!

Here is a trailer for ACCIDENTAL ART. I’m not at all a fan of trailers for a short. Seems kinda silly to me, but they wanted it for this film festival, so I made this.

Accidental Art TEASER TRAILER from Peter John Ross on Vimeo.

A Postponement of Scintillation

Time glides by a little too fast these days. It’s already March. I’m barely over 2 weeks away from the big show in Beverly Hills. I’m behind on my preparations. I have much to do. I have plans within plans, all whittling away at the future. We’ll see what can be done.

One of the cool things about a Film Festival Strategy is the FREE INVITE. I had not dared hope to think I’d be in that boat, but already, 2 new invites for submission to other film festivals have come (and have subsequently been mailed out). Once you’re in at a few choice festivals, if a programmer from another festival sees it, they will invite your movie to play at their festival, and usually waive the entry fees. That’s how a lot of movies rack up the big time laurel leaves on their DVD boxes and websites.



I’m hoping now for more invitations because Film Festival Entry Fees have increased from about $25 for shorts 10 years ago to $50 each. That’s kinda pricy, if you ask me. I’ve been curbing my paid film festivals in the last few weeks, gearing up for the trip and other financial concerns. I might even sell my beloved Canon HV20. I don’t use it the way I intended. My standards are too high for what it does and even for BEHIND THE SCENES, I’m wanting a different quality. I love the 24P and 1080, but realistically, I’m shooting things with a higher standard, not this, so away the HV20 must go, my most beloved little camcorder.



I have several reformat, reinstalls of software going on for both work and personal. At least once a year I recommend cleaning off the hard drives with a fresh install of the Operating System and a re-install of the software that you use the most. Having a lot of junk on the machine slows down the processing and with video editing, processing is EVERYTHING. I like a smooth, easy to use Video Editing Computer, not a sluggish, unhappy, crashing-with-the-blue-screen-of-death type machine, even if that means pre-emptive format-reinstalls.

Have a good one everyone, Happy March

- PJR

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

Kevin Smith's Big Business

I am a fan of Kevin Smith, the filmmaker not the dead actor from Xena Warrior Princess. His story of making CLERKS was inspirational for an entire generation of filmmakers, me included. The legend of making a film for $26,976 on credit cards lives on, but of course I have never used credit cards to make a film.

Kevin Smith’s rise to fame (at least with fan boys) happened in an era of the 1990’s where those circumstances do not exist today. There are so few movies with no name stars and the ability to look past surface to find substance is practically nonexistent, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY notwithstanding, as in those odds are so astronomically against repeating versus the annual sales and eventual theatrical release of no name star movies from Sundance every year during the 1990’s.

Now, Kevin Smith is about to release his first feature film from a major studio outside of one owned by the Weinstein’s since the 1995 release of MALLRATS, which was released by GRAMMERCY PICTURES, and indie division of UNIVERSAL, and sadly, as great as that movie was, it bombed at the box office.

I have a hypothesis as to why Kevin Smith is directing a movie called COP OUTwith Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan without his consistent producer Scott Mosier and without having written the script himself. He has to, if he wants longevity. The percentage of people who know who Jay & Silent Bob is pretty low compared to Bruce Willis and John McClane. A Hollywood movie reaches more people than a typical Kevin Smith movie, as much as the circle of friends I know are well versed in Askew language arts.

First off, given Kevin Smith’s penchant for being open and honest, especially on the college lecture circuit, this is apparently considered a crime in Hollywood. No one tells secrets, and even fewer tell the truth. The way he told stories of Prince, Jon Peters, Die Hard 4, Ben Affleck, and Tim Burton have probably made him a high risk to work with on bigger budgeted movies. Hollywood movies have sunk on bad press or any kind of negativity, and heads have rolled. Given the podcasts (or smodcasts if you prefer), Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace updates, not even taking into account his own site(s), Kevin Smith has very few secrets. This is the bane of a Hollywood Studio’s marketing department. They want total control over the films they produce and pay for. Kevin Smith has been unbelievably quiet about anything to do with his current feature, as in no dirt of any kind. Someone wants to play nice with the big studios, and that’s NOT a bad thing or a slam.



Secondly, after the financial loss of MALLRATS at the box office (even though it has more than made up for that via home video/DVD sales in every form), no other studio by Miramax (under the Weinstein’s) and the Weinstein Company (also under the Weinstein’s) would touch him. Bob and Harvey saw the potential in a long term relationship with Kevin Smith. They also saw a cult following which equated to a high profit, low investment opportunity in most of his films.

The downside is that given the circumstances, Kevin was locked into a near permanent situation with the Weinstein’s. Other companies are too afraid to take a chance on him both because of his honesty and volume, and the box office take on his last several movies. Even Clerks II made a profit, but the big studios want more than a profit ratio; they want to make tens of millions in profit. So that left Kevin Smith in a situation where if Bob and/or Harvey Weinstein didn’t like a movie he wanted to make, it probably wouldn’t get made.



After acting in LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD, and earning favor with Bruce Willis, combined with The Weinstein Company’s major decline in cash and production, these circumstances opened the door for COP OUT (formerly titled A COUPLE OF DICKS). Working with a more typical Hollywood budget, a lot less creative control, and yet with all the responsibility if it doesn't do well, Kevin Smith is now working for WARNER BROTHERS, and depending on the box office, may or may not get to continue making movies.

It’s my guess that this is Kevin Smith’s chance to get out from under the thumb of the Weinstein’s and insure he has a filmmaking future beyond View Askew, and might never have to be Silent Bob ever again…

But it is use a hypothesis. I will keep any opinion I have over the trailer to myself. I’m not a film critic.

Eli’s Book of RED

Aside from wanting to see the movie because of the bad ass trailer, I watched BOOK OF ELI from the Hughes Brothers because it was shot on the RED ONE camera, the same as ACCIDENTAL ART, but this was transferred to a 35mm film print and projected on a big screen. I wanted to see what it looked like… plus it looked bad ass.



I liked the movie as a movie, first and foremost. I liked the story and the action, although there was more story than action, which is a plus. Albert and Allen Hughes have a diverse and rich body of work. Starting out as 2nd or 3rd clones of the “Boyz in Da Hood” gangsta ripoff, they have long since departed into a dizzying array of genre and style. I particularly like the Jack the Ripper yarn FROM HELL with Johnny Depp based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore. BOOK OF ELI has several head nods to Kubrick, with an A CLOCKWORK ORANGE movie poster on the wall, then casting that movie’s star Malcolm McDowell in a small role later in the film.

Now as for the RED footage, I thought it was entirely indistinguishable from film. The depth of field, the detail, sharpness of image, movement, and even contrast were no different than film. I can’t speak as to the color palette as this movie had a nearly monochromatic look except for the final 2-3 shots. According to the D.P., an Oscar winner who worked on Forrest Gump and other movies of various genre, since they went for the sepia tones and little else, they didn’t need to color range of film negative. Now he was not sold on the RED ONE as a replacement for film, but the director’s are. They seem to think it is the new wave.

I do too. I have never said “film is dead” before, but I can now. I love 35mm and even super 16 and super 8, but film is dead. In a few scant years, we can kiss this good bye as a viable format if you don’t have many millions to shoot with…

Post Birthday Blog 2010

Ah how the wheel keeps turning. Your faithful narrator continues to plod on. Another year gone by and another birthday poker bash at the studio. I don’t really feel any older. My continual immaturity and inability to grow up refuses to let age dictate anything other than a number on a calendar.

In the past 60 days (less than actually), I have sent out 63 film festival submissions. Countries like New Zealand, Australia, France, United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, England, Ireland, Japan, India, Yemen, and more that I can’t recall without bringing up the shipping lists. In the U.S., I’m hoping to premiere at one of the big festivals, but think my chances are so-so at best. I’ve never screened at any of the top 30 film festivals. If I can get into South by Southwest (aka SXSW), or Tribeca, or the Beverly Hills Film Festival, any one of these three would make an exceptional premiere, and exceed my wildest hopes.

ACCIDENTAL ART is currently a 6 minute short film, but it is the first 6 minutes of a future feature film as well. It’s the movie I wanted to follow up HORRORS OF WAR with, so for 5 years this has been lingering. I think HORRORS OF WAR shattered my confidence in some ways. I learned a lot, but I had set bars for myself that were not met. 2009 was spent applying what I learned as a filmmaker artistically, using more shallow focus, more ambitious ideas being tried on smaller scales, etc. But they were also scrimmages for the real game. I’m ready for the real game now.



I think I want to shoot this feature in August/September come hell or high water. If I have to do it on the shoe string budget and minimal crew on HDV with a 35mm adapter, so be it. If I have enough money to book the name talent and shoot on RED again, I’ll do it. I’m committing to this feature film. I’m committing to doing what my heart tells me is the right thing to do.

I am holding off on fund raising until I find out about some film festival acceptances. Whether I get into the big ones or not, I think mathematically, the odds are in my favor to get into SOME film festivals (63 entries, some of them smaller festivals). Armed with some laurel leaves and the words “Official Selection to the ______ film festival”, I can make effective pitches to some money people I already know and have been waiting to approach. I will use it as evidence that people want to see this movie, which it is. Unbiased 3rd parties validating the film by playing it at their festival goes a long way with showing investors there is an interest in this idea for a movie.

With the 6 minute short as is, I have screened it as a “work in progress” a few times now, and feedback is an interesting thing. In most cases, it’s shown to filmmakers. I liken this to being a magician trying to show magic tricks to other magicians. They aren’t the audience I’m trying to reach or tell stories to. The comments are always “that was predictable” or “I would have done it THIS way!” and when you show it to general audiences, it gets a very different, and real response. Even filmmakers, in a GROUP setting, react differently.

I make movies for the intended THEATRICAL experience. Sitting in a dark room with a group of strangers connecting to a story gets a completely different reaction than sitting by yourself in a well lit room staring at a tiny window on your computer. It’s a lot harder to connect to people like that. Most movies will suck if they are seen that way, at least if they do not have the memory of seeing the movie theatrically first. It’s amazing how subconsciously people are relating the love of a movie they see on the portable device (IE Ipod or Zune) because they saw it and liked it on the big screen before that. People don’t realize how much their own mind does to the perception of a movie.

Things are coming together this year. Next up, a short in February, then a webseries shoot in March, then Brandy’s documentary in April-June, then hopefully my next feature film in August or September, with post production going on until December. My year is spoken for, my dance card full, and a really good outlook.

Official Rejection

This week’s shipment of submissions will put me past the 50 mark. That’s 50 film festival submissions. Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever submitted that much before. We’ll see if it pans out. Over the next month or so, I’ll see if I made something that gets into the big festivals. As I said before, I never really tried that hard. I finally have a movie that looks and feels like a “film festival” movie. Then again, I have received my first official rejection…which is a natural segue into:


OFFICIAL REJECTION is a DVD I got for Xmas and I’ve watched it 3 times. As I gear up for a real festival run in 2010, the gift was apropos. For anyone intending to do film festivals, I cannot recommend this enough. This documentary has a ton of good information and examples of good and bad festival experiences.



Bryan Singer (X-Men), Jenna Fisher (The Office), Lloyd Kaufman (Troma), Kevin Smith (Clerks), Chris Gore (Film Threat), and Andy Dick (Newsradio) are all interviewed, and in the 2 disc version they have extended interviews with several of them too.

It looks very possible they got the laurel leaves from the Sonnyboo downloads!

Plebeian Punditry

I’ve kept busy since Cowtown. The total film festival submissions has now surpassed 37, a magic number. In days long gone, I used to submit like this all the time, all year round. As a got involved in post production full time, the time to seek out and focus on self promotion and marketing waned. I need to get back to it, not quite as much as the past, but definitely more than of late.

Accidental Art will make some rounds on the minor festival circuit, but will it crack any of the major festivals? I can only afford to send it to so many, plus I want to maximize its effectiveness. I want to plot a bigger roll out and a more significant and directed plan for what it is and what it will do.

This is the beginning of a new feature film, one that I hope to make in 2010. It’s the perfect low to no budget feature. Strangely, my entire year is filling up fast for projects. First I have a short I want to shoot in the very near future, one of the few short subjects I still have a passion for. It’s ambitious in its own way, but the stars need to align.



The spring is spoken for with Brandy’s documentary project. We want to shoot additional interviews, getting historical context, then we want to shoot some re-enactments. I guess the connexions made during HORRORS OF WAR will pay off again. I’ll direct the re-enactments and handle casting, but I’m producing for the whole thing. This project is enormous and the subject is crucially important. As much as I like the 10 minute demo we did for COWTOWN, it is far from perfect and needs a lot of work even as a demonstration of the whole. We need to raise money, but given the subject matter (Holocaust), and having a female director (Brandy), this opens up options that we otherwise might never have. I predict this project will be in post production for at least 6 months after any shoots we do. I want to find a dedicated editor to work on this instead of relying solely on Brandy or myself. It needs another point of view and someone with a fresh idea on how to approach the material.

The goal is to create a 58 minute version for PBS, then a longer 90-120 minute version for film festivals/DVD. If we can get it on local WOSU’s PBS affiliate, then I’ll pay to submit it to the regional Emmy’s to see if it can do anything. Anything we do with the documentary will help Brandy in selling her screenplay of the book/story.

In the late summer/early Fall I want to shoot another feature. Hopefully it will be Accidental Art, but if not, there are back up plans. In the mean time, it looks likely I’ll be doing 2 Cowtown Film Series in 2010. The responses were positive and some headway was made with local media and sponsorship. Combine that with full time work as an editor and 2010 looks to be a busy damn year for Sonnyboo and me.



I’ve got a shoot tomorrow for some video podcasts and a few other new items, but none of it is particularly narrative. One set of podcasts will be more instructional/informative style videos, taking advantage of all the B-Roll I have from behind the scenes of the 2009 shoots that haven’t really been utilized. The other will be a Short Film and Making Of podcast series about the short films. This is part of the new marketing stratagem of 2010.

There are a few other surprises and mini-projects for 2010, but all in good time. We’ll see what does and doesn’t pan out.

Stay Tuned,
Peter John Ross

Erudite Edict from Edith

Whew. Another Cowtown Film Series done. These things are a lot of work, but I do most of it myself. After that Look At My Shorts iV screening, it will be a really long time before I start delegating again. I am very pleased with many things, but I have my own criticisms of my own screening as well.

For one thing, the show was too long. I asked for too many movies, and then played them all. It was a little over 2 and half hours, which is hard to sit through no matter how good the movies can be. Between the Thursday show and the Sunday show, I re-arranged the play order. I moved the longer running pieces to be the last thing shown, plus bumped some of the faster paced movies to the head of the whole show. Programming is an art in itself as you never know exactly how an audience is going to react, and sometimes it takes sitting there with them to figure it out. Sunday’s show was better paced.



Some of the movies were dark. Now, I can’t be held responsible for the gaffing and lighting of other people’s movies, but digital projection is very different than film projection. Film has light being pushed through it, so the darks are still much greater in illumination. Video projection, even HD is pushing a dark light and that does not facilitate contrast or detail in the blacks. For Sunday’s show, I was able to lower the lights in the theater all the way and bump the brightness some on the projector. It wasn’t enough for some of the movies, but therein is the art of lighting a movie too. Looking good on a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) TV is not the same as thinking theatrically or other venues.



Attendance was decent. The final head counts were approximately 240 on Thursday and 160 on Sunday. Not bad, but ultimately I am disappointed. A free screening with all the press we got should have equated to more people in seats. We competed with another indie film screening on Thursday night at Studio 35 (they sold out), and Sunday went toe to toe with several key NFL games and a 48 Film competition. Combine that with some of the filmmakers themselves not promoting the screening and that’s why we didn’t have the full 403 seats filled. The simple math says 20 short films with their cast and crew, as well as a friend or family member for each should have easily filled 403 seats each show. I get the exact same feeling of disappointment for every single screening I have ever done, so why this is surprising is just my own ignorance.

I received complaints that most of the movies used the same actors too many times. Jon Osbeck was in 6 movies (plus 2 trailers), Bryan Michael Block was in 4, and Amanda Howell was in 3. Several other actors were in 2 movies. What can I say? Good actors get a lot of work.

Now on to the more positive aspects…



The program was exemplary. I couldn’t be happier with the movies. We had such a diverse range of movies, genres, styles, and moods. I split the program (even re-arranged) from Dramas into Sci Fi into Experimental into Comedy. Within each of those was versatility.

Having Johnny DiLoretto from Channel 6/28 host Thursday and Melissa Starker from the Columbus Alive host Sunday was a major coup. Their support was a surprise because I didn’t know how well they knew of our level of filmmaking in the city, except for some occasional support in their respective purview. I had little direct contact with either and they did a great job supporting us, mentioning it on their own Facebooks, etc.



In the past 10 years, I have programmed mostly on potential and less on the actual movies. This was the first time where I screened movies that were good and needed no explanation or asking the audience to look past some aspect, production value, acting, or camera work to see past that and see the potential at the heart. No, these movies actually had everything working well. I can’t single out anything because I could just type the names of the movies.

Audience reaction was fantastic. I make movies to sit in a dark room full of strangers and see how they feel about the things I wrote, shot, edited, and predicted they would. The satisfaction of getting the laughs, feeling the audience gasp, or going so quiet that you could hear a pin drop… this is why I make movies. When you think the audience will react, then they do, that is the definition of success in my eyes.

As for my latest movie ACCIDENTAL ART, this is where I feel the best personally. The movie went over exactly as I hoped it would. What I learned from these two screenings is that I made a movie for a theatrical experience, which I realize now is something I have always done. Especially with HORRORS OF WAR, I knew sitting with live audiences it was made to be a communal experience, and something definitely lost in a solitary viewing on a TV. ACCIDENTAL ART will be the same way. It plays so well with people who feed off each other’s laughter and reactions. I got the laughs in all the right places. The jokes played. The jolts worked. More importantly the emotion worked, which is the biggest gamble of the little movie. I am relieved. It “works”.

Brandy’s Holocaust documentary HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT was more or less the surprise hit. It’s a 10 minute sample from the 20 something hours of interview we already shot with the woman who wrote her autobiography. We’ll be doing a lot more work on this, since this project is set to dominate the spring of 2010 on our production schedule. What was learned was that we need a strong Voice Over as narrator, re-enactments of some of the key story elements, and other additional B-Roll to make the piece more visually interesting. Even with all this, the piece as it is played very well. Our subject, Betty Lauer compels the audience into her experience. The intensity of what she speaks about overwhelms people. I’m proud to be a part of the project, as this is one of the most serious subject matters I’ve ever dealt with and I want to treat it with the respect it deserves.

Overall, I consider this Cowtown Film Series 2009 a success. The pros outweigh the cons, and the venue was happy too, so we’re set to do something else in 2010 and most likely earlier in the Spring. I want to see what feature films get completed by that time and make some choices. I might do 3 weeks of features and 1 night of shorts, or something like that. Depends on what people get done.

The State of the Union of Columbus Film

I pay attention to the constantly evolving, ever changing Columbus film scene. I have read recently several people’s points of view of what they think is going on, and most of them seemed uninformed as to what is actually happening and what people are making TODAY, as opposed to 2-3 years ago. In my opinion, you need to see more than just a trailer from 2007 to make any real judgment of where we are at as a community. I make this state of the union as an observer, not a president or leader. I am not a leader and do not seek to be one.

I respect all forms of filmmaking, whether it’s commercial production, art films, drama, comedy, sci fi, action, horror, whatever. Everyone has the right to create whatever they want and do it however they want. I may not like it, but I respect their right to do what they feel like doing. I’m not in a position to dictate what anyone else should make, as I’m not that arrogant to think I know what is best for anyone other than me.

With the 2nd annual 48 HOUR FILM PROJECT, we saw a very high increase in quality films. Last year’s 2008 had about 4-5 exceptional films, and this year there were 9-10, and not everyone who participated last year did a movie this time. Between the initial screening and the BEST OF COLUMBUS, awards show, more of the movies showed that Columbus is getting better quality and seeing these movies on the big screen simply showed that off. Even the least polished movies of 2009 were better than the same level of 2008.

Several new players have entered the field in the last two years. With RAVE, VITAL FILMWORKS, and a few others moving to town and creating commercial and film work, a pretty high bar has been set. People working in broadcast and production like John Jackson, Tim Baldwin, and Bryan Michael Block all entering the fray of indie filmmaking, we’re seeing even more high quality work like AIDAN 5 hit the web and festivals.

We’re seeing a lot more crossover from the professional film & video realm into indie filmmaking with Greg Sabo/Sabostudios and Scott Handel/Ohio HD Video getting more involved in the guerilla filmmakers, offering discounts or special indie packages. DP’s like Al Laus and Alex Esber doing indie films when they work on such high end projects demonstrates the lines blurring from professional to indie.

From the nearly 10 year old guard we are seeing dramatically increased quality too. John Whitney’s MEASURED SACRIFICE helped define what is possible with the 35mm film adaptors (D.P. Gil Whitney) and a somewhat unique storytelling. Anyone claiming John makes typical Hollywood fare simply isn’t watching the movies, but making assumptions. You actually have to see the movies to judge without being ignorant. Louie Cowan has made TWO DOORS DOWN, a web series sitcom.

With cinematographers like Gil Whitney, TJ Hellmuth, Mike McNeese, and Howard Newstate demonstrating the shallow Depth of Field in their work, using either higher end cameras or the 35mm adaptors, we are seeing a much more cinematic style permeate Ohio filmmaking.

In terms of HORROR, a genre with legs still, Bo Buckley & Fearmaker Studios have returned to Columbus. Their latest movies look to be of a very high quality and shot with significant budgets and done professionally. Cut Throat Entertainment had a very successful premiere this week at Studio 35 for their HORROR short film. Not necessarily HORROR, but William Lee, by far and away the longest running Columbus filmmaker, continues to make William Lee features, and has been getting distribution and TV deals cut for his movies. No one can deny the perseverance and never ending dedication William Lee has for his craft.

Matt Meindl, Sean McHenry, Jennifer Deafenbaugh, and Sam Javor have spun off a pop-art scene almost of their own. Mixing experimental filmmaking with sometimes pop aesthetics, these guys are working their own magic in their own way.

Ohio State’s REEL BUCKEYE group seems to have gone somewhat dormant without the strong leadership of someone like Amira Soloman, but several students in the Film Studies program continue to make movies. Some of the former Reel Buckeye students, now graduates, continue to work in film and video making movies of their own, like Ruth Lang.

Columbus State and other schools have multimedia programs and are getting into film & video production classes. More and more people are finding their outlet for creation in the moving picture and sound via basic classes at their school.

The Columbus International Film Festival has taken an interesting turn. They are one of the oldest film festivals in the country, but only this past year have they started to really reach out to the local filmmaking community. With lower submission fees and more unique programming, they are evolving.

If this year’s Cowtown Film Series, I am bias here, indicates the direction of Columbus Film, then I couldn’t be happier. Over 2 and a half hours of new short films, none of which were from the local 48 Hour Film Projects, and demonstrated a variety of styles and genres. From subject matter including a Holocaust documentary to science fiction to relationships to intense dramas, we had some of the best films I’ve ever seen Ohio produce. For the few that cast stones that Columbus filmmakers don’t make movies about anything important, I can only think they are sadly misinformed or just not going to see the movies being made. Not a single generic horror movie in the line up this year. Columbus has already begun to branch out into new areas and tackle more important subjects, and they are doing it well. Anyone watching would see this.

There are pockets of the Do-It-Yourself filmmakers still out there, unconnected to others, that get seen or bump into each other on the web. YouTube often directs me to the work of other filmmakers who happen to be in our area. As is always the case, there is a lot of untapped potential or undirected, growing talent. Whether by choice or a lack of knowledge of the groups that exists to unite filmmakers, they are still out there, doing what they do, at various levels of skills and talent.

INDIECLUB COLUMBUS has changed management. From the well intentioned J. Michael Lewis, INDIECLUB is now in the hands of Max Groah and Bryan Arnold. Still meeting once a month at the Landmark Gateway theater where they screen movies, finished or not, and discussions and occasional guest speakers, INDIECLUB continues to offer an outlet and meeting place. In 2010, I’d like to see the group cater to a more educational, yet informal, format. Things like test screenings of shorts and features, demos of high end cameras and software are what INDIECLUB can excel at. It can still draw in the professionals, but cater to the beginners and hobbyists.

MOFA, the Mid Ohio Filmmakers Association has been a breath of fresh air. Its function has been mostly to provide a social outlet for people interested in filmmaking in Central Ohio. As with any organization, it cannot go without its controversies and opinions. From whatever bar they choose to meet at to how the group doesn’t do enough to create opportunities for actors, I don’t think any of that matters. MOFA’s primary function is to facilitate a social gathering for the purposes of networking for film professionals. I don’t care if we meet in a gay strip club, as long as there are film people present, I’ll most likely go and it makes no significant difference as to location.

As with MOFA, and the film community as a whole, there are criticisms as to the state of the union of filmmaking in our city. I can only give the same opinion every time. The film community is what you make out of it. If you don’t like it, work to make a change, either within the systems there or on your own. Don’t like MOFA or the way it’s run? Make your own group. Don’t like the movies being made here? Then make your own better movies.

Jeremy Henthorn has taken over as the Director of the Ohio Film Office after graduating from USC for screenwriting. Gail Mezey has still valiantly ran the Columbus Film Commission, securing work for local craftspeople with little or no financial help from the city or state. A film commission’s purpose is NOT to assist local filmmakers, but to bring in outside productions to the city or state. Anyone expecting something else is uneducated as to the purpose of these offices.

If the film commissions bring in more paid work, we can train and have more full time craftspeople for our homegrown shoots. We can have actors who work on larger scale productions and learn set etiquette, raising the overall bar of professionalism brought to more sets. That’s one of the misconceptions of the newbies and the ignorant. The work done at MILLS JAMES as compared to LUCASFILM is 98% the same. One has a name, the other is local. Other than George Lucas, they do almost identical work with the same hardware and software. Similarly, a local commercial shoot is virtually identical to feature film and sitcom work in LA. For the craftspeople like gaffers, grips, hair and makeup, etc. there is no difference in their job except geography. To disrespect local professionals is nothing short of ignorance because these people have never set foot on any real set here or in LA to know the subtle differences.

If we are to make the film community “better”, whatever that really means, what I think we need is to keep improving on our own movies. I personally don’t thrive or improve with a sense of competition, but others do. I can’t say that competition is bad in general, only it’s not productive to myself. For other people, competition makes them excel to much greater heights, so more power to them. Whatever makes you do better, do it.

I like strength in numbers. As an example, I think you get more people to a screening if several filmmakers share their audiences and movies. The cast and crew of 3 movies sharing a venue, and their friends and families create potentially new fans for movies they otherwise might not have seen. By drawing in the general public, we can legitimize our movement to have Columbus filmmaking taken seriously, as a real industry, not a bunch of hobbyists with camcorders.

There is the attitude of some that their way of helping the community as a whole is to be the first one to truly succeed and pave the way. There is NOTHING wrong with that attitude. I may not agree with it, but it is not morally or ethically bad either. This doesn’t hurt anyone. Everyone has their own path to success, and if they want to go at it alone, then I wish them Godspeed, my friends. We are brothers and sisters on a similar journey and I cannot behoove them finding their own way.

The reality is that we are all still somewhat competitors. We are vying for the same market share of precious few investor prospects, screen time, and to be the first break out filmmakers to find the success of the Hollywood industry. Even with the most civil of friendships, every director wants to be the first one to get to the goal line and we are not always thinking the best thoughts for someone else’s success because somehow that will take away from our own, which is rubbish. If my worst enemy gets a 3 picture deal or gets into Sundance before I do, I will be elated because I can use that as examples to how a Columbus Filmmaker CAN succeed, and I will parlay their successes into my own. I have no ill will at anyone else because a win for one, is a win for all to me.

Overall, most filmmakers put the rivalries and pettiness aside and work together to make the community as a whole better. As anything in life, a film community is what YOU make of it. You can bitch and moan or you can actively work to make it better.

I see where we are now and where we were 10 years ago, and I can say that the future of Columbus film looks brighter than it ever has. If you actually look at what’s going on, what people are making now, and how we’re now being viewed by the press and public, you can clearly see a much better stasis than ever before.

I’ve never been this proud or happy with Columbus Film. I salute one and all for their efforts. May we all find the success and artistic satisfaction we all deserve.

People have the right to oppose my optimistic point of view on the state of Columbus filmmaking, but some out there have not been to screenings and are speaking about the state of affairs without actually knowing what they are. Similarly, people criticize the groups without actually attending them, and these people should simply be ignored because they are ignorant, speaking out of turn without any facts.

Also, there are many individuals not mentioned specifically in this, but are not any less worthy of mention. This was more of a stream of consciousness. Producers like Phil Garrett, Dino Tripodis, Mike McGraner, Gil Whitney, Victor Matkovitch, Mike McNeese, Michael Evanichko, Scott Spears, and so many others (apparently most of them named Mike) I’d be writing a phone book. My apologies to anyone who feels left out, but we are all in this together.

Peace my brothers and sisters.

Peter John Ross

Sojourn into the Domicile

Just a few days before the new Cowtown Film Series left. I’m furiously putting the final touches on the show, with some animations, plus other accoutrements. The main show is ready, although I am still tinkering with the playlist order. We have a similar theme of people dying in several of the movies, so I’m trying to break those up some so they aren’t all in a row.

I’m jazzed because we’re getting some great press and good word of mouth. There’s 20 short films total, which is a lot. Most of the movies are of an exceptional quality compared to screenings I’ve done in the past. Everyone is upping their game this past year or two.

I can’t believe we got Time Warner cable to be a sponsor, nonetheless the Columbus Alive. They are finally starting to take local filmmaking seriously and that’s a good sign of things to come. Johnny DiLoretto is hosting the Thursday night screening from Channel 6/28 and Melissa Starker is going to host the Sunday show. It takes time and perseverance to build something and let it grow.



Unlike previous screening series and festivals I’ve done in the past, this has gotten significantly better over time. I’m a stickler for presentation, and the content is always the most important part. For the first time I’m not programming for “potential” but for what he really have. Filmmaking worldwide is at a critical stage where anyone can create something that rivals the big multimillion dollar productions. DISTRICT 9 was a short film with very little budget. Thanks to sites like VIDEOCOPILOT.NET, your imagination is your only limitation to creating amazing looking effects or style to your production.

I’m most excited because last night I tested the digital projector with my High Definition hard drive player. This will be my first screening in high def, 1080i. It will also be one continuous play from the hard drive and this machine works flawlessly. It goes from one clip to the next and there’s no hiccups or funky frames. I was terrified because it has HDMI output and the projector only takes HD from Component analog or DVI-I. I once had a 30” LCD monitor and I tried to go HDMI from the HD-DVD player to the DVI-I input of that screen. It never worked so I got paranoid that DVI only works the other direction, like from my Computer to the HDMI input of the new 42” monitor.




I got the device to work with a 23” DVI-I monitor at home, but I needed to test it with the projector and last night I did. It worked great and the picture was very sharp and clear.

I’m glad to be presenting everyone’s work in the best possible way. I always bring this up, but I can’t help but feel how incredibly disrespectful it is to not thoroughly test your presentation. Last night I watched 1 minute of every single movie, found a few hiccups that got fixed today, so that EVERYONE’s movie will play well, not just my own. This screening isn’t about making my movies look good and everyone else is along for the ride; this is about everyone helping each other out and making the community stronger as a whole. It’s my personal philosophy that we do better working together than to each try to do things entirely on our own.

Thursday looks to be the busier of the two screenings by far. In theory, we should have all 403 seats full. If just the casts and crew of the 20 films attended along with a friend or family member, that alone should fill the entire theater. How many will be there? Will we run out of seats? Will it be kinda full, but still a bunch of empty seats? I don’t know. I never know exactly what to realistically expect. I do my best to get the word out there, but I am not a professional marketing guru.

Sure, we’ve got a mention in the Columbus Alive, the Weekender in the Columbus Dispatch, and I’m going to be on Channel 4 news (again, for my 4th appearance in 7 years), but how many people does that tangibly equate to in terms of attendance for people that otherwise never heard of the show? I don’t know. We’ll see. I’m hoping for a killer crowd. It’s a free screening. That’s hard to turn down in this economy.

Talk to you all soon methinks.
Peter John Ross

Leaving the Bastian of Festivities

I got a side freelance gig this week, which was nice because our work has slowed some. Of course, inside of 12 hours, I have spent a great deal of this money already. I have been submitting the new short Accidental Art to several film festivals, even some big ones.

Here’s a big secret admission. I have never submitted one of my movies to the big festivals ever before. I think I submitted Bitter Old Man to Sundance in 2001, but that was it. As much as I like many of the movies I’ve made, I never thought they were good enough to be accepted to the top ten festivals (or even top twenty fests for that matter). Even the most recent material like Uncle Pete’s Playtime and Relationship Card, I didn’t think would warrant attention on the big film festival circuit. Now with Accidental Art, I have a little more faith. It looks like a real movie, not just because of the RED ONE camera, but Greg Sabo’s skill as a DP.

First, I made 30 DVD’s of Accidental Art Wednesday. Then I compiled a list of free film festivals, most of which have deadlines within the next 2 weeks. I weighed out the odds and decided to submit to several of the top ten film fests with this movie. It’s about time I at least tried. It cost money at a time where I have other things and future projects would be better spent, but there is a method to this thought process. I had to burn another 2 discs to meet all the submissions.



Getting accepted and even playing at the big festivals is an award in and of itself. I’m not into the competitions or winning awards, but I never dislike it when it does happen, but it is NOT a motivating factor. I drive myself with my own needs to improve and be a more effective filmmaker. Being allegedly “better” than someone else doesn’t do anything for me, nor does less experienced or subjectively more talented than me cause me to want to kick your ass metaphorically with a movie. These things seem so petty, small, and uninteresting to me. I can’t get motivated by that. Some people do and there’s nothing wrong in that… FOR THEM. If a driving force for making a movie is to cause envy in others, then I feel greatly sad for you. It’s somewhat pathetic and belies emotional and mental issues that need addressing.



I am motivated by telling stories. Most people who speak with me get that dull look in their eyes as I start to spin a story that goes on endlessly, BUT they know I love to tell stories. I make a trip to the grocery store seem like Lawrence of Arabia, even though no one else agrees with my belief in its epic nature. I enter film festivals and try to get press not to feed the ego, but because it’s business. In order to tell bigger, more ambitious movies, that takes $ Money. In order to warrant getting money, you have to play in the bureaucratic sandbox to work and play well with others (that have money).
I want to make movies, but I am anchored by a sense of honor in that I don’t want to lose someone else’s money to do so. So many filmmakers are selfish and want to make their movie so bad that they cut corners or solely want to make an artistic expression, which is fine if they are paying for it themselves. When you work with other people’s money, there is a moral and ethical obligation to do whatever you can to help get return on the investment.

That means a business state of mind. Making a movie is art. The creation is birth to a unique artistic expression. Once it’s done though, you have a product to sell. In this age of digital filmmaking, EVERYONE’s a filmmaker and there are millions, soon to be billions of movies out there. How do you make your movies stand out?



Film Festivals are a great way to show that unbiased 3rd parties selected your film and decided to put it in front of a paying audience. That means it is indicative of how some people believed enough in your vision to add a monetary value. The more festivals that accept and play it demonstrate a potential that you have a movie that crosses market places, and is potentially more suitable to audiences preferences. That’s not rocket science to figure out.

Massive Machiavellian Marketing

Finished Accidental Art’s 6 minute scene and it feels good to be done, although “done” can still be construed as subjective since I keep making these little adjustments. One of the last things done was a license plate replacement done digitally by TJ Cooley, but tweaking it takes hours and hours, then because of the proxies and HD editing setup, every file has to be re-rendered down the line. Each time I make a 1 frame tweak, it’s 30 minutes to render the 4K files, 30 minutes to render the 1080P, and 30 minutes to render the MPEG2 for DVD, and 30 minutes for the MP4 for the web, and so on. And yet, I cannot let this go without it being closer to perfection, at least my own definition therein.



I’m already set to send the 6 minute piece to over 16 festivals this week alone, not including my own Cowtown Film Series, which will mark its premiere screening. If I never get to make the rest of this feature film, I could be content with this as a singular piece. There is an ending to it, and you cannot really guess where it goes from there, but it does have a compelling story. In the mean time, I intend to get this seen. If it wins awards, so be it, as that is not my goal per se, but they certainly won’t hurt the fund raising efforts.

A fascinating technical tidbit, even though this is shot 4K and I’m creating 1080P masters, I’m particularly impressed with how this piece looks on the CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), older TV’s. When playing off DVD or via component video from the timeline, Jesus Marimba! This footage looks drop dead amazing. Part of it is obviously the down-sampling of picture information, but regardless, the look is staggeringly impressive.

I have made a markedly clear change in my methodology; quality over quantity. My own personal bar has been raised. I can’t look back much now. What was in my head isn’t as good as the movie I made, thanks to the entire crew, not the least of which was Greg Sabo’s camera and lighting work.





Johnny DiLoretto from Channel 6/Fox 28 and formerly from the Other Paper has agreed to host the Cowtown Film Series for the Thursday night show. Every time I do one of these shows, they get bigger and better. Getting the Alive to sponsor the event was a big score for me. I’ve never had that big of a sponsor before. Hopefully Time Warner will follow suit soon, if not then maybe next time.

So I just had several movies play at the MADLAB FILM FEST downtown. I wasn’t able to make it, but I was told it was a decent crowd, but that the DVD’s played kind of skippy. Apparently they didn’t read my MOVIEMAKER MAGAZINE article. It’s the whole reason I wrote it; to avoid presentations snafu’s like that. Oh well.

Peace to all the brothers and sisters suffering,
Peter John Ross