Down For Life - Texas theatrical opening

Now, there is a ton more to say about this film. Anybody who knew me during the time I was running the theatrical division of the company that produced the film knows that that time changed my life, my view of Hollywood, and is what made me the producer I am today…committed to dealing with the industry with integrity, compassion, and honesty. At the end of the day…I’m proud of the story that came through in the film. The writer, the fabulous Trina Calderon, has a beautiful, true, real voice and I can honestly say it is a career highlight of mine to have found her, worked countless drafts with her, and forced her first film into existence.

So, I hope if you’re around where it is playing, you’ll go see it, and comment to let me know what you think.

This year I did not have a film showing. I debated whether or not I should go. We looked at the calendar, pushed things around, and decided yes. I should.

Now, I have parts of Sundance I love. I’ve been coming to Park City since, I guess, 2004. Of course, in 2004, I only came here mistakenly. I was in Salt Lake City shooting a film (Go Figure), and on a weekend, we decided to head up to Park City to ski. Now, at the time, I was bound and beholden to the House of Mouse, so things like Sundance weren’t on my everyday radar. But, low and behold, I drove to Park City on Saturday morning, got stuck in the traffic, and stayed and played with friends all weekend.

Now 2008 and 2009 I didn’t go. My business partner and I have been so all consumed with the day to day running of the business that taking a week in another city…even when it was work…seemed unfathomable.

So this year, I was back. In the couple days leading up to leaving, my asst and I spend time everyday making sure I’m on all the party lists I need to be on, and planning out my schedule. Now to those of you who don’t do this, what you have to know is that doing the party scene at these festivals is 1. necessary and 2. exhausting Especially if you are like me, and want to go to films in the morning too.

So, a typical Sundance day goes something like this: Up, showered ready and primped for the whole day by a 9am screening, noon screening, lunch meeting, afternoon cocktail party, second afternoon cocktail party, often a third afternoon cocktail party, late afternoon movie, dinner meeting, drinks meeting, sometimes an evening movie, premier party, event party, house party.

did I mention it’s exhausting?

but my favorite part is the films. The fact that I get to spend a week seeing 3-4 films a day is a film geeks dream come true. Were they all good? No. Were there enough that were good to make it satisfying? Absolutely.

So, as I came home, drained….but having reconnected with colleagues and friends from around the world, I can say that the lost sleep and exhaustion was worth it. Being surrounded by a group of people passionately pursuing their dreams is enough to recharge me.

Oh, and it’s super pretty, too.

Yesterday, we were trying to finish up our plan for the sales posters for A Little Help. I have had someone in mind for quite some time to shoot them. However, today was the day we were finally locking down what we want to do. So, I called the photographer I wanted to shoot the poster and started talking to him.

We started out with the basics, me telling him what I wanted, and him giving me his availability, but I could hear a bit of strangeness in his voice. Now, keep in mind, he is someone that I am friends with socially , so I could talk to him in a way that you can’t with just simply business contacts. So I asked him why there was a hitch in his voice.

It turns out that just that day, while on the treadmill, he had sent out “a voice” (his words…) into the universe. He and his wife are about to have a baby, and he said “today, I need to find a way to $XXXX” Well, strangely, that was the base amount I was able to talk about for shooting.

Or, is it strange? I have repeatedly found that when I put something into concrete terms, it occurs. It’s the concept behind the highly successful “Best Year Yet” book and groups. Be specific, and put your effort behind it, and it will happen.

He had spent the day knocking down other doors trying to make that amount happen. And I happened to be the universe’s messenger that could tell him that was exactly how to operate.

Meh *shrug*

There we go. Now, with that out of the way, I want to progress into the real reason for this blog, which is that there are a TON of reasons to actually be interested in Avatar as a movie. And as a studio movie. I’m only going to touch on my top two, but there are so many…

Interesting thing #1:
Fox isn’t banking on this as an opening weekend hit. I get “the lowdown” on what is going on in the marketing department there, and they are far more concerned with what the drop-off is going to be between weekends, and what the online chatter is (92% positive after seeing the movie, FYI) They are looking at this as being a longevity hit in the theater, rather than opening and making huge numbers.
Why it’s interesting #1:
In the independent world, this is something that we constantly struggle against with our distributors. How do you build a word of mouth that translates into a return in the box office? Because of what Avatar is, Fox is willing to bank against what we always tell distributors about a film…if people like it, your box office will follow. So, if a big budget justifies that strategy, how do we convince them that on smaller budgets, the same leap of faith is a good bet on small movies.

Interesting thing #2:
Avatar is at 84% on rotten tomatoes. Out of those, most of them talk about the spectacle, and put the story at (as best) pedestrian and previously done.
Why its interesting #2:
The split between independent and studio movies is becoming wider and wider. Studios can absolutely do things that independents can’t. The technology invented to film Avatar is certainly one of them. However, independent film has to find where the holes are in the studio system, and create product to fill those holes. and that should begin with story. Independents need to raise their own bar in regard to telling stories that are new, compelling, driven, and told creatively. We need to become more vigilant in only producing movies which have a script behind them which is flawless, and demand performances that illuminate those ideas. I have heard repeatedly from independent producers “well,the script is better than XXX XXX, which made $YYY YYY” That doesn’t matter! The script has to be better than good. It has to be amazing! We are plugging a hole here. You don’t do it with putty, you do it with cement.

I think with any movie that studios put out, we, as independent producers need to look at it with an eye towards what it says about the business and the audiences. Just enjoying it as a film is not enough.