Finally finished my feature, now seeking distribution

W

Win Edson

Member
Hi Everyone,

After a 7 day shoot followed by a post production phase that felt like it would never end, I've finished my london based rom com entitled, The Dinner Date. Trailer can be seen at

http://vimeo.com/34779531

The budget was £750 ($950) which was achieved by the actors working on deferred salary, and myself being a one man crew (writer/director/cameraman/editor/etc)

More info can be found at the official website

www.thedinnerdatemovie.com

I'm currently seeking distribution and also entering festivals. I know how hard it is currently to crack the independent film world, but you've got to follow your passion!

Any and all feedback welcomed

Thanks

Win
 
Looks pretty good to me, and a nice website too -- I'm amazed that you shot an entire feature in 7 days... What's the running time?
 
I love to see stuff like this. For you to be the writer/director/cinematographer/editor/etc. shows loads of talent. Everything, including the website, looks great!
 
I loved how your opening credits helped to build the personality of the film. Was it hard to do that animation (not sure if that is the right word for it)?
 
Hi Win,

Best of luck with the festivals!

A word of advice, your running time falls under what the majority of distributors would consider a feature film, so if DVD distribution is your endgame you may want to rework it somehow, or come up with a creative distribution solution such as selling it as an original TV movie, etc.

That being said, you have done a great job with the film! It looks great!
 
I just checked the official site and it was made for about $1000 USD. 7 actors and 7 days. Really impressive. I think we would all love some BTS info.

And how did you do those fun credits with animated artwork? Please I am dying to know!

Thanks.
 
Hi everyone, sorry for the late reply, been busy with a new baby! As for more info on how I shot my film on a $1000 budget, I wrote a little article here

http://flaneur.me.uk/04/how-i-made-...-‘the-dinner-date’-for-just-700-by-win-edson/

The animated title sequence came about from the fact I'm a graphic designer, and my partner is an illustrator. I took Aimee (Stevens) drawings and painted them in photoshop. Using extensive use of the puppet tool in after effects, I brought them to life. To see the full title sequence, you can go here

https://vimeo.com/36768556

By the way, thanks for all the positive messages. I'm currently waiting to hear back from 3 film festivals, and 2 website distribution sites.

The 66 minute run time hasn't been a problem for me. When I set out to make it, I was planning on it being at least 70 minutes. But all the festivals and distribution outlets I've come across now classify a feature as 60 minutes or longer (some even 50 minutes). So I think as attention spans shorten, so has the criteria for feature length.
 
Have you been approached about DVD distribution? If not, I maybe interested... I have to see what kind of investor backing (if any) I'll be getting towards the end of this month for my distribution company.
 
A feature film for less than a grand in 7 days and you did everything apart from the acting yourself? You bit off more than you could chew, and then chewed it! A huge congratulations from me! Where did you find the actors who were willing to work for free?
 
Thanks for that! I will say that it took me a LONG time in post production!!!! I was lucky with my actors. One of my partner's best friends went to theatre school, so I approach her to see if she was up for a feature film. Her husband, also an actor, played opposite her. And they had some friends they knew from theatre school who jumped at the chance. So it all fell into place. I still hope to pay my actors from the potential profits from my film. But, yeah, they were great, all taking a week of their own vacation time to act in my film!!
 
Win, any chance you'll write something about the process and what you learned? Also, I love how you animated parts of the film, was that hard?
 
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