Er ... don't know about giddy. I was actually very tired when I texted and coming down of the adrenaline of it all.
After our last screening yesterday I felt a release of not having to worry about pimping our film / keeping our poster from getting covered up by other films etc. But also a downward energy swing compounded by lack of sleep/fighting off a cold/Dayquil.
So going back a few days. Received an email from a boutique production and distribution company based in NY that they wanted to meet with me to discuss bundling my short films for overseas sale and my plans for a feature. I've been asked not to disclose the name of the company at this point. They're a start up, MBAs form NYU waiting to expand the 80 shorts in their stable to 150 before they go totally public. But no one, myself included, should get to excited about this. We've seen on this website a few times where someone supposedly has money or a deal for someone only to see that person disappointed. There are folks out there that may not even know they are doing it, but who get a thrill from the attention they get from an eager filmmaker in need of a deal. Having said that though, I do get a good vibe off these guys and the rep I met with in Park City wants me to meet again with him and his partner in NYC before I move back to Austin.
So that was Tuesday.
Wed. began with a 7:45 AM interview on Park City TV. Not a huge deal, but even the big Sundance films do this interview. It was a live morning show format. It's supposed to be online at the Park City TV website eventually and / or the Park City TV Channel on Youtube, but I can't find it yet. If any of you find it let me know please.
Wed afternoon @ 1 I was double booked to be at our second screening/talkback and do the Panasonic Fireside Chat at Slamdance with Barry and Jan. So I did the screening / talkback and then walked down the hall to do the Panny chat.
After that I hung out with the I Sell the Dead guys (the feature we screened before). They were great and so was their film. The director Glenn McQuaid was super cool and mentioned how great he thought our short was before the screening of his film both at the premiere and at the second screening as well. When I Sell the Dead comes around in whatever form it gets distribution you should definately check it out. There are some undead sequences that rival or even, in a few instances, exceed early Sam Ramie camera choreography and staging in their efficacy and inventiveness.
It was great to hang out with Glenn and discuss his journey as a first time feature filmmaker. I was also excited to get to discuss horror films with Larry Fesseneden, a personal indie filmmaking hero of mine and critically acclaimed horror iconoclast. HE was one of the producers of this film and also did a stellar job playing the grave robber that's not Dominic Monaghan. Check his films out if you don't know his work. His biggest release was probably Wendigo. His films challenge himself and his audience and are about something - in other words they're smart films that explore a rich thematic tapestry. Larry and I discussed M. Night Shamalamadingdong, The Sixth Sense, Psycho, Halloween, The Shining, his work , and more. It was pretty grand.
So the cast and crew of I Sell the Dead and I put away some Jameson's and wine during the afternoon and evening.
Thursday. I Slept late, took in a few films and the music video block at Slamdance and then hooked up with an old friend from undergrad who was acting in a feature at Slamndance and some of his friends for drinks and dinner.
Today, I'm heading out in a few minutes to try to see a feature film at Sundance Grace a film about a baby with an insatiable thirst for blood. Sound familiar? Anyway, we are trying to develop the short into a feature, so I need to see if the existence of this film has any impact on those plans or not. What I know about Grace is that it's about a woman who is 8 months pregnant when she has an accident which kills the baby she's carrying. Against personal and medical advice she carries the baby to term and delivers it. But synopses say that it "doesn't stay dead for long" and that she soon learns she'll have to make all sorts of extreme sacrifices in order to provide for her child.
Grace is sold out so I need to go two hours early and get a number then check back about a 1/2 hour before the screening.
After that, the final night reception/party for Slamdance.
*EDIT: Too foggy / potentially icey to make the trek to park city & back. Had burger king in my hotel instead of going to the final Slamdance party
Saturday - on a plane back to Brooklyn to rest briefly, then start packing for the move to Austin.
