Promoting a Movie: The "Real" Work

With the cast & crew back from Sundance, I was hit with the reality that getting the word out about Nominated would be a lot harder than expected. There are just so many independent films out there, and a ton of competition vying for a spot in the program at the latest film fest. The bottom line is a filmmaker has to be persistent and resilient and creative with the methods that she promotes her film (I say "she" because I saw a strong contingent of female lead films at Sundance).

We did take the film to the California Independent Film Festival in Moraga. It played to a small audience, but I have to say, it was fantastic seeing all of our hard work up on the big screen! We're still trying hard to get into more festivals, and hopefully there will be some more big screen time for the movie.

In the meantime, while we try to chase DVD distribution, and video-on-demand options like itunes & Netflix & Hulu, we're starting to work on a few new projects. The first is a very funny web series (the title of which I can't say) that will star Ken Newman and Brian Degan Scott. Once again, we will try to use the talents of cast & crews from the Bay Area. My intention is to help keep the community of film/video thriving in Nor Cal. The other two projects that have been started are in the scripting phase. One is a dark comedy set in the world of competitive pumpkin growing (no kidding), which I'm co-writing with Brian Degan Scott. The other is a thriller involving cloning, which I've started with an old friend, but brand new writer, Vince Zuanich. Both stories show great promise.

And if that weren't enough, I decided to teach a few screenwriting classes for people who'd like to write a movie, but have no idea how to get started on a script. This is script writing 101, and it will give novices all the nuts & bolts of how a screenplay is put together (all the stuff that took me years through trial & error - lots of error). They will be small classes, and I think it will be a lot of fun for people who happen to be passionate about movies, like I am. Those interested can see all the info at my Introduction to Screenwriting page.

Stay dry and warm everyone!
Dan

Nominated Goes Gorilla at Sundance

It's been three years since the script for Nominated was written, and now some of the cast & crew are enjoying a week in beautiful Park City Utah as the small ski town host the world renowned Sundance Film Festival.

Despite the fact that we didn't get into the festival, we are taking the festival by storm. We hit the streets with tee shirts, buttons, ski caps and water bottles, promoting the movie and acting like we belong. We had some great success so far, making lots of contacts and spreading the word about the best indie comedy that DIDN'T get into the festival.

Our condo "headquarters is graced by the presence of Brian Degan Scott, Ken Newman, Greg Cala, Kari Wishingrad, Mark Flores and Dave Cowan. Kari (the gal with the plan) got us all VIP All-Access passes today, which got us into the SWAGG Lounge with all the other celebs. We reveled in the free stuff as we filled our bags with goodies from sponsors and then adjourned to the Stella Artois Cafe for a free lunch. I can't speak for the rest of them, but this is the first time in the movie-making process that I actually felt like a star.

We're having a blast, and it's only the third day of the festival. Tomorrow where going to see some industry panels, and then we'll finally get to see some of the films here at Sundance. It's been a thrill so far, and I can't wait to see what unfolds in the next few days.

Rest assured that I'll post any and everything that happens here in Park City.

The Festival SWAG is Here!

As we anxiously await the announcements of the 32 film festivals we have submitted to, the process of creating promotional give-away items (or SWAG) has begun. With the help of one of the movie's visual effects guys, Mike Banks, we created a great logo for the shirts, buttons and hats we'll give away.
It's customary at festivals for filmmakers to give out stuff - mostly to get people at the fests to come see your movie. This was news to me, since I figured that if the people were already at the event, they were there to see movies, right? Not the case at all. Seems the atmosphere at film festivals is very competitive regarding the eyeballs that each film can attract.
So, we started a SWAG fund at Kickstarter.com, to help defray the costs of all these promo items. You can click the link and contribute a small amount to get one of these tee shirts, a button and a movie poster! Most of all, it would be helpful if you could pass the link along to your friends via email, Twitter, Facebook or however it is you reach your peeps these days.
This cool stuff will only be given out at festivals, so it's your chance to grab the cool SWAG while it lasts. Here's a link you can cut and paste: http://kck.st/gEe2R9
By the way, I just read that SWAG stands for "Stuff We All Get". Not sure if I'm buyin' that.

Dan

Taking Nominated on the Road

So the movie has been completed, test screenings held, final re-edits made...now what? Great question. The answer is, we take the movie on the film festival circuit (no, there's not an official circuit that you just sign up for, but rather hundreds - nay, thousands - of festivals that occur around the country throughout the calendar year. So we opened our withoutabox account, and begin to peruse the massive list of festivals for 2011.

To date, we have entered 30 festivals, starting with the Big Kahuna, The Sundance Film Festival. We have aligned perfectly with the calendar, since Sundance requires that your movie premiere in Park City. So, since Sundance announces their film lineup in December, we'll find out long before we have to commit to any other festivals. We just got lucky with that one. We're also entered in South by Southwest, Santa Barbara, Cinequest, Dallas, Seattle, Las Vegas, and Manhattan Film festivals to name a few.

Whether we get in or not, we are making the trip to Park City to market the movie to the attendees. Hopefully an indie distributor will get a DVD and like what she sees. We plan on taking a projector and screen so we can show the movie in the town square (that's of course IF we don't get in). We're also pursuing a sponsorship from The Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Hopefully they will pay for the ski caps, posters and tee shirts that will be co-branded with the Nominated "Has-Been" logo & The Academy's logo. Seems like a perfect fit.

In other news, the movie's star, Brian Degan Scott, is busy preparing for a new play, Coroline, at The SF Playhouse. Co-star, Carl Lumbly, is in the middle of another production, Sunset Limited, also at The SF Playhouse. Go see those plays, they're fantastic!

Lastly, we have updated the Nominated media page with new collateral material so that media types, and anybody else interested, can now download it directly. There is a brand new press kit with many still frames from the movie, a cool new movie poster, and a brand new movie trailer. All great stuff.

As always, I'd like to thank everyone for supporting the movie. It would be great to see you all out at a festival as the film gets unleashed on the world. So far, we've had nothing but positive feedback (except for that one jerk from Oakland), and I hope to keep the momentum rolling forward!

Final stages

Well, the movie is done! Thanks to all the input we received from all our friends and family at the "focus group" style screenings of the film, we got the movie down to it's final stage! Once Dan felt that it was ready, we submitted it to a few film festivals, including Sundance! Everyone keep your fingers crossed.

Then, in August, we had the big screening at Chanticleers Theater in Castro Valley. There were about 100 people in attendance and it was a big success! There was champagne and a nice barbequed chicken dinner served by our Chef, Mike Nepodal. Everyone loved the film and enjoyed the evening.

Unfortunately, Dan couldn't be there and Dave stepped in as the host.

We're planning to have a screening of the film in the Arnold area. But for now, there's nothing on the calendar. Hopefully there will be soon! We'll try to keep everyone posted.

Almost ready...

We have a complete version of the movie! Brian, Dave, Ben and I have watched the whole thing through and made some editing decisions and we are working on getting it edited down to a good, watchable length. But now it's time to let others watch it and give us their input. So the Movie is in the "focus group" stage right now. Hopefully, we'll have a final version before July is over. Then we'll have a major public screening for everyone we know! Hold on tight... it's almost ready!

I want to thank Ben Figueiredo for his heroic efforts, working on the color and the audio sweetening of the Movie. Ben has been amazing. He's put in a ridiculous amount of time and effort and for very little compensation. And now, sadly, Ben is moving on in his career and will be leaving California for bigger and better things. Thanks Ben... we'll miss you and your dedication.

That's a wrap!

Well... that's it! The final footage is "in the can". The last shoot, the
"community theater" stuff was shot at Chanticleers Theater in Castro Valley. We got everything we needed and the movie is now in the post production stage. If all goes well, we should have a first screening by mid-July.





The last two days of shooting went well, thanks to many wonderful people! I'd like to thank Chanticleers Theater, and especially Floyd and Gary, for their hospitality and help. And of course permission to use their great little theater. Chanticleers fit our needs perfectly. And Floyd and Gary bent over backwards to accommodate any needs that we had. And our actors did a fantastic job! Lance and Donna were amazing, as always. And what can I say about Brian... this movie wouldn't exist without the talent of my friend Brian Scott. He did a fantastic job, as usual. Thanks Brian for sacrificing your skin for the make up! And all our extras did a great job too. Thanks to the crew for all their work and time. And especially Dave Cowan... not only for his film crew work, but for catering the shoot as well!




We're feverishly working on the post production now. There will be several
screenings, hopefully in a
neighborhood near you!
We'll keep you posted.


Thanks again to everyone who has helped out in the production. Dan

The Oscars Come To Town!

Not sure why I did this, but I managed to save the four most complicated scenes for the end of the production?? Maybe it was the complicated logistics of locations, numerous extras, wardrobe and the ever-present budget constraints - or maybe I was just scared to face the challenges. Who knows?

Either way, I'm happy to report that two of the aforementioned complicated scenes are done!

We knocked off the Red Carpet scene and the Oscar Kodak Theater scene. With the help of many wonderful volunteers - both in front of the camera and behind - we got some wonderful footage. The shoots took two solid days (all of which will cover about three pages of the script), but the results are fantastic!

I'd be remiss if I did not thank the wonderful people at Ohlone College in fabulous Fremont, CA for the use of the beautiful Jackson Theater, as well as Creative Video Services for the use of their Panasonic HPX3000 camera. Without either of those fantastic supporters, we would not have been able to get the scenes to look realistic.

So, that leaves us with two remaining scenes to shoot - believe it or not! We started shooting in November of 2009, and we should wrap in a few weeks. What a crazy and fantastic ride it has been.

By the way, the two remaining scenes are set in a small community theater, and we're still looking for a location. Anybody with a lead to a great location in the SF Bay Area, please send me a note at: dan@nominatedthemovie.com

I look forward to the next post when I can tell you all that we have wrapped! Then it's on to test screenings and then festivals!!

thanks,

Dan

We're in the Home Stretch!

Brian Degan Scott & Ken Newman work the scene

We wrapped an exciting day of shooting at the Fabulous Mojo Lounge in Fremont, CA. The owner, Dennis Briggs, was an unbelievably gracious host as he watched us take over his bar. This was a tough morning, starting with the 5:30 a.m. call time, through the bucking hooker shots (what a degenerate my star is).

This is a big scene in the movie - scene 3 to be exact - as it sets up the entire story. We shot we the Panasonic HPX 3000, courtesy of Creative Video Services, and the camera was incredible in the low light environment. We were able to shoot with almost 100% available light from the bar's lighting. We only supplemented the practical lights with a 150 watt key on the actor's faces, and a 300 watt to light up the far background.

Incredible acting by Brian Degan Scott & Ken Newman, with fantastic hooker-like performances from Susi Damilano & Zehra Berkman!

Couple more scenes to go, and we can wrap the shooting!! The editing has been on-going, so we're probably 40% done with that. We'll have a few tests screening when we're done, so stay tuned for those dates.

thanks,

Dan

Shooting Completed in Arnold!!

We just wrapped the shooting in Arnold -- and just under the wire with the weather. Boy did it get ugly fast, and just as we were packing up. Now the remaining 20 scenes are in the Bay Area, and most are very short.

The movie gods aligned for us, as we not only had help with the weather, but from a kind CHP Officer and a terrific theater director. While shooting at a vista point on Hwy 4, the officer pulled up to make sure everything was okay. I thought he was going to shut us down, but he was just interested in our production and was quickly on his way. He must have called a fellow officer to tell him about it, because a half hour later another one pulled up to watch for a minute before leaving.

The theater director at the Black Bart Playhouse in Murphys was great. We were shooting a quick exterior scene as the main character passes the marquee of the theater, and the director came out and offered to change the marquee to suit our needs. That was awesome of him!

Anyway, lots of good fortune for us in Arnold, great performances by Brian Degan Scott, Ken Newman, and Lance Smith. Now we need to wrap up the Bay Area shoots and finish editing.

Here are a few photos from the shoot. I'll also be posting a few new scenes from the movie in the upcoming weeks.

Thanks to everyone involved!
Dan

Mickey Monroe, disguised as old man, leaves The Nugget, in Murphys, CA.

The marquee reads "Hamlet", which was a change made for our scene at The Black Bart in Murphys.

Lance Smith & Brian Degan Scott in a scene at White Pines Lake (no rain!).

Dave Cowan, sound tech, listens as we get a wide shot.

Our 82-year-old "intern", Ray Sutliff, of Dorrington.

Dave Cowan sets up the jib for an interior shot.

Brian relaxes between shots & Ken Newman books another gig.

Tom Greer & I set up a driveway shot as Dave removes the license plate.

Finally, a sneak peek scene from Nominated!

Many people have asked about seeing some footage from the movie, and I've been reluctant to send anything out that is a spoiler, or doesn't make any sense on it's own.

So, I've edited together a fun scene that is pretty self-contained, with both the star, Brian Degan Scott & co-star Carl Lumbly.

You can check it out here: Nominated Sneak Peek.

Also, Nominated is now listed on IMDB.com!! You can check out our movie page.

Feel free to give me feedback, as we are always tweaking and fine-tuning to make things better.

Happy Holidays!

Dan

Executive Producer Winners - You Picked 'Em!

I excited to announce that after an intense month of voting, Karen M. & Karen S. have been voted in as the Executive Producers for Nominated. That means that they will both receive an on-screen credit, as well as a listed credit on IMDB.com.

Speaking of which, we just got listed!! I'm really happy about it, because from all accounts I've read and heard, it's near impossible for an indie movie to get listed on IMDB while still in production. So, if you wanna see our listing on the premiere internet movie site, just click Nominated.

I'd like to thank the five finalists from our essay contest, and all of those who participated in the voting. It's always fun to include as many people as possible in our shenanigans. You can read all five of the essay entries on the Executive Producer page at our website. The winner is #2, with #3 coming in second place.

Oh yeah, by the way, we are now officially 2/3 completed with shooting!! Still chipping away. Feel free to also follow the movie's progress on Twitter at our Nominated page.

Dan

We've Wrapped on 8 Days in Arnold, CA

We had a VERY productive 8 days of shooting up at the cabin location in Arnold. We shot 16 pages of the script in the first two days - incredible! To put that into perspective, a major studio production will average about 4 pages a day (if they are efficient).

We started the week with Carl Lumbly and Brian Degan Scott, and then had to take a break as Carl was called away to the new NBC TV show Trauma.

During the break we took the opportunity to put some locals to work as extras, shooting them in the neighborhood as they rake their pine needles. This is a constant source of work and exercise in Arnold, as the needles NEVER stop falling. The cool thing during that time was that a local reporter, Kate Gonzales of the Calaveras Enterprise, visited the set and wrote up a nice story. You can read all about The Nominated Top Story, as they have an online version of the paper.

Toward the end of the week we had Jette Newell, Soren Oliver and Julia Smyth join us for two days of great work and hilarious times. We had a lot of fun shooting the scenes with these fine actors, despite the sub-45 degree weather. There was a lot of quick taking off and putting back on of jackets and sweaters between takes.

So, we beat the snow for the most part, as 98% of the exteriors in Arnold have been taken care of. We will visit the mountains once or twice more, but only for 2 days at a time, and mostly indoors.

Next up for us are two days of shooting in the fabulous Backdoor Lounge in Fremont, CA. It's a small bar that will play the perfect double for a small-town mountain watering hole.

As a note, we are still looking for extras for the LA bar scene and the "red carpet" scene (both will be shot in the Bay Area).

Thanks for following along and supporting the cause. It's exciting to actually be shooting this thing, and always fun to hear your feedback and comments!

Cheers,
Dan

My Hometown Paper Writes Me Up

Howdy Everyone.

I was born in fabulous Fremont, California. Home to such notables as MC Hammer, Kristi Yamaguchi, and Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley. Heck, even the Quarter Pounder from McDonald's was invented in Fremont.

So, when the local Fremont newspaper, The Argus, came calling for an interview with me regarding the movie, I was honored and excited. If you'd like to give it a read, you can click to check out The Story. I think Matt Artz did a very nice job - and most of it is true!

As a side note (like this isn't really the reason for this whole thing), we've begun shooting the movie. we've just knocked out a few scenes here and there, but so far it's been a blast and the footage is terrific.

I hope to post a few scenes soon to give everyone a sneak peak, so stay tuned.
cheers,
Dan

Nominated Auditions: Callbacks at the San Francisco Digital School of Filmmaking

Mike Banks created this video from the
audition callbacks which took place
at the San Francisco School of
Digital Filmmaking.

It looks like it was a lot of fun. I
wish I could have been there!

If you want to be a part of it, watch
for upcoming details on how to be an
extra in some of the bigger scenes.
Information will be coming soon to the
blog and website.

In the meantime.,.

Fundraising for the Movie

Back in June, Mickey Monroe helped The Movie
Fundraising Cause by helping to promote
my Peace Within Recording. Click the link for
details, and maybe even get yourself a copy.

Now I have a new way to assist Dan, and his Non-Profit
Educational Films of America which is sponsoring
the film.

I have published a children's story, and a portion of the
proceeds will be donated to his organization. To learn
more about it, visit CrushProofCar.com, and/or watch
the video below.

If you have any other ideas for cooperation and partnership,
feel free to contact Dan or myself, and let's see what we
can create! :-)

Brian Degan Scott Returns: SF Area Scenes to be shot soon!

Well, Brian Degan Scott has returned triumphantly from New York
City and the off Broadway showings of the play he was in:
Abraham Lincoln's Big Gay Dance Party.

Below are several links and mentions in the press.

One that was particularly cool was from the NY Post which suggests
a possible comparison between the play and Urine Town. What you
may know is that Urine Town also showed during the NY Fringe Festival
and was picked up for an off-Broadway and then Broadway run.

Not too shabby. :-)

I am sure Dan wishes him and the cast well with
future possibilities, but after the film gets shot
first! (More details to come, as there will be filming
this month, and next.)

In the meantime, here's the press.
Congrats Brian!

TimeOut
(http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/theater/77756/new-york-international-fringe-festival-theater-review)

New York Post
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08132009/entertainment/theater/terms_of_infringement_184246.htm

Village Voice Blog
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2009/08/news_roundup_th_2.php

NewYork.Decider.com
http://newyork.decider.com/articles/body-fluids-and-jazz-hands-5-shows-to-see-at-the-f,31493/

NY Magazine
http://nymag.com/arts/theater/features/58294/

NewYorker
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/events/theatre/2009/08/10/090810goth_GOAT_theatre

New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/arts/09weekahead.html?_r=3&scp=1&sq=abraham%20lincoln's%20big%20gay%20dance%20party&st=cse

Search and Find: Nominated the Movie

Just for the fun of it...
for those of you who
enjoy Search and Finds.

(Click on picture for larger
image to print.)

All Wine, No Cheese!

We had a terrific fundraiser the other night at Fremont's best wine bar, Vida y Vino! Owner Audrey Scott (2nd from left in photo) was as gracious as ever and the crowd was fantastic.

Many of the cast members showed up, including co-star and veteran of TV & Film, Carl Lumbly. Carl was greeted by a throng of fans, and he proceeded to "hold court" for the next two hours. The best, and most excited fan was one of the waiters at Vida, who promptly told Carl that his girlfriend had just given him all 4 seasons of Alias on DVD. He had just watched them all, and couldn't believe that Dixon (Carl's character name) was in the wine bar! He was thrilled to get an autograph, and a picture on his phone, which he immediately sent to his girlfriend.

The movie gained many new supporters who are excited to follow along as we charge headlong into shooting in three weeks. Events like this really underscore the grass-roots effort we are employing to get the movie produced, and we are so grateful to everyone who has helped out.

Other notables in attendance were Fremont City Councilman Bill Harrison, and cast members Greg Cala, Ken Newman, Gary Neil, Julia Smyth & Mark Flores (the last 2 not in photo). The movie's star, Brian Degan Scott was absent only because he is currently in New York performing in the hilarious hit play Abe Lincoln's Big Gay Dance Party.

We have great momentum, but need to continue to push to meet our budget goals. As always, you can donate to the film by going to the Nominated Sponsor Page (nominatedthemovie.com/donate.htm). We have non-profit sponsorship, so this is a charitable contribution and a write-off! Every little bit helps, so please be encouraged by the fact that even small contributions count.

Lastly, when we move the production to Arnold, CA at the end of September, we are hoping to get a generous soul to donate their RV or 5th wheel trailer as a make-up and actors resting area. It would not need to be driven the entire time, but merely parked at the location. If you're willing, just email me at dan@nominatedthemovie.com - it's also a charitable contribution.

Thanks again to everyone!! We'll be filming more soon, so check back regularly for footage and other updates.

Dan

The Executive Producer Essay Contest is off and running, with some great submissions so far.

Here are three of the top contenders:

1) Vindictive? Superficial? Seeking validation? -- A Sleazeball? What do you take me for? A Director?! I know making an independent movie is an uphill battle. But becoming an Executive Producer? Gravy. (All you need is cash.

2) Listen, Sleazeball - if anyone deserves a free ride on your gravy train to success, it's obviously me. Not to sound vindictive, but if you don't think I'm Executive Producer material, then you can take your superficial promises of IMDB credits and shove them where the glimmer of validation doesn't shine!

3) I am not vindictive. My interest is not superficial. I will give you validation. No, I am not a sleazeball. My appreciation of your work, beyond all stated above, is gravy.

The Contest:
In just 50 words, tell why you should be an Executive Producer for the film. The catch, you must include these 5 words in your pitch:
Vindictive, Superficial, Validation, Sleazeball, Gravy
This title is name only - Don't worry, there's no work required by you!

To submit your choice words & to see the rules, etc, visit:
http://www.nominatedthemovie.com/exec_prod.htm