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MINI-BLOG!(you may want to go to the bottom and read from the beginning...) Nov 1, 2003 - TPM has been mentioned in AIVF's "The Independent" magazine. In an article about the Rhode Island IFF, TPM was one of 3 films called a "crowd favorite" in the KidsEye program. I wasn't able to attend this fest, but Sinan and Luis said the kids really did get into the film. Here's the link to the article: http://www.aivf.org/independent/archives/0311/0311_guerrasio2.html . Oct
28, 2003
- I am still finishing up IFC paperwork! You would never think such
a short film would have so much paperwork attached to it. But it looks
like a definite go for broadcast once the tape clears quality control.
How exciting! Oct 9, 2003 - Well, I am going public with the most exciting news!!! IFC is licensing the North American broadcast rights to TPM. This means TPM will be on TV! I've been sitting on this for a while because I wanted to wait until all the due diligence paperwork and contracts had been completed. Basically, the acquisitions person contacted me directly after Stony Brook FF inquiring about the film. At the same time I had just started talking with two different distributors, one in Europe and one in LA, but they have a hefty commission (30 to 35%) and also require some upfront costs like PAL Digibetas, which can be very expensive. I kinda like dealing directly with the buyer as I get to keep that huge commission myself. Anyway, it looks like TPM will soon be playing in your TV set if you subscribe to IFC on cable. Sep 9, 2003 - I get a message from the festival coordinator that she did have my updated address on file (I moved from Texas to Florida last month). So where is it??? She said she will check with print trafficking......Then I get a voice mail later that nigth from someone basically implying it was my fault that trafficking did not have my updated address and they had FedExed it to Texas 2 weeks ago. YIKES! MY PRINT IS SITTING IN THE HOT TEXAS SUN...IT IS RUINED!!! That is exactly what goes through my mind. I immediately call FotoKem and check on getting a new print made. Then I start the Texas hunt. I have no idea who lives in my old house and I don't have my old neighbors' phone numbers on my new Florida cell phone. Finally I call Nancy and she goes over and knocks on doors in my old neighborhood. Success! She finds it at a neighbor's place and sends it on its way. Word of advice to anyone working at film festivals: please double check print addresses and pass new ones along asap. Sep 8, 2003 - I am getting worried. My print which screened at Rhode Island IFF has not arrived and I really need to forward it to Wilmington FF like now. My other print is on its way to AKA Shriekfest in LA. These things are not cheap and it has been several weeks since RIIFF. I called the office but only got a machine yesterday. I left a message but no one has returned it. I'm trying email now.... Aug 16, 2003 - What is great about festivals is really meeting new people who share your love of films. Well, I am not able to attend Dragon*Con due to my schedule, but I got the best email from another short filmmaker, Patrick Boyton, whose film is also playing there. He writes:
Well, Patrick, it damn near traumatized me and my sister years ago too. This is one scary monkey!!! Aug 2, 2003 - Flew out to attend Dances With Films in LA for one day. I am packing up my house for a move to Florida and I couldn't spare more time. It was the last day of the festival and things were winding down. A couple of Friedns came out to the screening, but it was at the odd time of 5pm on a Thursday afternoon. Unfortunately, TPM was up first in the shorts program and, I swear, HALF the audience came in late AFTER my movie had played. I kept meeting people in the lobby afterwards with the opening line of "I didn't see your film.....". I'm sure the fest is a blast if you live in LA, but it felt like a but of a letdown after the expense involved in attending. Michael and Leslee are great though. July 17, 2003 - Well, I knew that premiere requirements would some day catch up to me. LA Shorts Fest emailed me that TPM had been selected. Yes! But they want the LA county premiere and I have already committed to Dances. I email them that I am already slated to screen at DWF and they subtly try to get me to pull out and choose their festival. I write back that I think this would be unfair to Michael and Leslie (at DWF) and I am withdrawing my film from LA Shorts Fest. July
22, 2003 - Back from Stony Brook Film Festival.....it
was absolutely fabulous! Alan and Pat and everyone else there put on
a truly outstanding festival, both for the savvy audiences and the appreciative
filmmakers. TPM was screened to a sell-out audience on a HUGE 40' screen...that's
larger than most movie theaters folks. Before the screening, we had
a champagne toast and then I was wisked off with the filmmakers of "Shelter
Island" to wait at the bottom of the theater for our introductions.
However......as Stephen Baldwin was supposed to be there to promote
"Shelter Island" we ended up holding to see if he would arrive
on time. Nope. So, they decided to show my short, then have me do the
Q&A right afterwards, before the feature. Alan introduced me, I
said a few words (please, I hope no one was recording me....I tend to
ramble!) July 5, 2003 - The last few weeks have been busy. The Filmmakers Showcase in LA was quite exciting. I had to leave at 7:30am on a flight to Houston, then catch another plane to LA. Of course, me being the non-morning person I am, I almost didn't make the first flight. I thought I had plenty of time, but an impossible check-in line that wasn't moving led to me somehow managing to get my a-little-bit-larger-than-a-carry-on-bag through security. Anyway, all was well the rest of the trip until our impromptu filmmaker group who met in the hotel lobby went to lunch. We're standing there in line, and Alfred (of the Houston film commission) tells me he has some bad news. I totally freak: "My print's scratched......it got mangled ...broke....lost....." What happended is that Airborne lost it and it was going to arrive the day AFTER the screening. Lovely. But, as luck would have it, I had ordered that other print from FotoKem, which I was to pick up on Monday. Anyway, I called the lab and actually got someone on the phone, explained the situation, and it looked like we would be able to get it on a Sunday. Of course, massive complications arouse, but in the end it all worked out. And, with TPM, being the first 35mm project after an hour and a half of video, it looked and sounded stunning. Got a great round of applause. And I actually see now how the film can be taken as being funny...until it becomes dead serious. I stayed out in LA a few days and caught up with people. More good news is that TPM will be screening at Rhode Island International Film festival in August, which is an Academy Award qualifying short film festival. June
10, 2003
- It's a go with Dances With Films! June 5, 2003 - Both Stony Brook and the Texas Filmmakers Showcase are looking really promising. Stony Brook is doing a lot of press and there should be a full house (1,000+) at the screening. I think my time slot before the feature film "Shelter Island" at 9:30pm on Friday night is just about the best available. I hope to get some press (even a tiny mention would be great). And being selected for the Texas Filmmakers Showcase has already been a rewarding experience. Alfred at the Houston Film Commission is wonderful even though I've been peppering him with questions every day. I am planning on extending my stay in LA for a few days to meet up with festival friends and be available for any meetings that might come up. The Showcase films will also be traveling the state of Texas and can be caught at the Corpus Christi, Spindletop (Beaumont) and Deep Ellum fests, as well as in Houston this winter. June
4, 2003
- I get a call from the Dances With Films festival in LA. TPM is a finalist
in their selection process and they are checking on its screening history.
I am worried that my participation in the Texas Filmmakers Showcase
might knock me out, but I hope not. Cross your fingers! May 25, 2003 - Ok, I know I haven't updated my blog in a wee bit. I've just been so busy trying to pay the darn rent! Had to take a job at a local nursery (that's plants, not kids) that is wearing me out....I'm actually a bit of a gardener so I am fairly qualified to work with plants. But, as you may have seen, there has been some great TPM news: Stony Brook film fest in July and a screening at the Directors Guild as part of the Texas Filmmakers Showcase next month. Thrilled about both! And TPM won a Silver Remi at WorldFest in horror/fantasy shorts. I've entered a ton of film fests the past two months so I hope I'll get a couple of more screenings around the country and possible the world. Wish me luck. Apr 2 '03 - Good news! TPM has been nominated for an award at Houston WorldFest.....which means it has actually won an award, I just don't know what yet. I'll probably being going down for the awards dinner, but I'm mystified as to why they aren't screening my now "award winning" film. Oh well, at least I now have something to hang on my wall. You know, Spielberg evidently won his first award at WorldFest (for "Amblin")..... Mar
3 '03 - Back from Sedona. It was a lot of fun
and I enjoyed meeting everyone. TPM's shorts program was a good one
and there was a nice turn out both nights. It is pretty cool to watch
your short film in a full size theater...I was a bit nervous since I
hadn't seen the print. Ok, really, my heart was pounding as the film
started! Feb 26 '03 - Well I am supposed to be on my way by now (I was planning to drive - it is nice 2 day drive through scenic areas) but the North Texas Ice Storm of 2003 prevents me from even backing out of my driveway with much luck. (Those of you from other climates may scoff at our reaction, but we hardly ever get snow here, just layers of ice. When the semi-trucks pull off the road and give up, you know you're in trouble!) So I make emergency plane reservations on Southwest ($$$) and will be leaving tomorrow. Hopefully the ice will have melted and the roads cleared. Feb
24 '03 -
I call Sedona and magically get a hold of CJ, who is in charge of accommodations.
Everyone at the festival has been very nice and he is no exception.
The good news is that I am staying at a resort in a big, family-style
house. The bad news is I am sharing with another filmmaker - but I really
don't think that's too big a price to pay for free lodging. Feb 20 '03 - Walt calls from FotoKem and says my film looks beautiful! Everything is in sync and they did an extra pass on the timing to make it perfect. I really appreciate Bill and him taking my little baby film so seriously and working within my time constraints. They are shipping it directly to the festival so I must wait to see what the final product looks like. Feb
17 '03
- As I haven't heard anything from Sedona regarding a shipping address
and accommodations, I Feb
13-14 '03
- Off to New York for the re-recording mix at DuArt Sound. Luis did
a great job on the pre-mix and very little had to be done at this final
session. I adjusted a couple of effects and we pulled up sync a frame
here and there. I got back to Fort Worth after 1a.m. but am glad I went.
Costly experience though! Feb 11 '03 - Luis sends me the final version of the soundtrack. He has separated it into 5 stems: dialogue, sound effects, stereo sound effects, background & music. Everything sounds good. Feb 10 '03 - Paxton's father helps arrange for me to screen the first silent answer print at the AMC theaters in downtown Fort Worth. I am directed to theater #2 and wait with my pocket recorder in hand, excited to see the film projected for the first time. However, there are some delays, and by the time it flickers on, I have been joined by an audience of 10 who are waiting for "Chicago" to start! Plus the academy leader was cut in reversed, so I watch the film backwards - quite disorientating! Overall, the first print is too dark and I call FotoKem and talk to my timer. Feb 5 '03 - My cell rings. It is the Sedona IFF and they are inviting TPM! I am excited but I go into production shock as I haven't finished the print. After months of waiting due to various problems and schedule conflicts, I have to finish the film in 2 1/2 weeks! I immediately call Luis to tell him we've gotta finish the sound mix and re-recording by the end of next week. I think I spent 5 hours on the phone making sure I can have everything rushed through lab processes in time. Jan '03 - Well, I'm spending this month working on MFA applications. It turns out TPM makes a great portfolio piece! I also get a flock of festival rejection letters/emails that I file away. Slamdance has the best letter by far. Someday I'm going to put all these in a binder. Great way to remain humble. Dec
24 '02 - FedEx makes two stops today: my OCN is
returned from the negative cutter and I get what I've been waiting on
for months, the first silent answer print. early Dec '02 - Yeah! The film is finally cut and delivered to the lab. To save money, I decided against flying to LA and have already sent our color-corrected video copy, as well as patches of the kids' clothes for reference. Evidently, Bill has never seen such a fabric-centric approach and I am soon known as "the girl from Texas" at the lab. mid Nov '02 - Richard is having machine problems, but promises the film will be finished soon. He needs to cut in Bob's work and will be done. Oct '02 - A total blur of feature work. Sep 30 '02 - Still no assembled negative. Turns out there was some miscommunication and Richard didn't get Bob's work. I am cringing at the process, but don't have time to deal with it as I am about to start work as an AD on a feature here in town. Aug 31 '02 - I have no idea what is going on or why everything is taking so long. mid Aug '02 - I nearly faint when Bob tells me how much the titles and opticals will be. I ask what can I do to reduce the cost. We decide against my planned credit roll and go with static end titles, and I decide to layout the titles myself in Quark and get the positives made locally. He goes ahead and orders IP's made of the two title-over-picture shots. Oh, I also talk to Richard about A-B rolling the negative and decide in favor of this after pricing it at the lab. Aug 1 '02 - I send my negative cut list, tapes and titles to LA. Hoping I'll have something by September. Jul 30 '02 - I have been editing on an Avid Xpres 30fps system and need to make a cut list so the camera negative can be assembled into a film. Damon calls the local Avid people, who tell us they don't have many requests for film help in Texas! (figures...) Anyway, he then calls Alan Stewart, an Avid film specialist who also happens to have a Baylor connection, and we get the help we need. Using Film Scribe, a negative cut list is created from the project. I ship everything off to Richard, who doing the cutting, in LA. On his recommendation, I call Bob about the film's titles. Jul 25 '02 - I set up an account at FotoKem, a big film lab in LA. Glad I'm getting airline miles for all these charges! Jul 1 '02 - I have several test screenings for neighbors and friends this week. I am worried about comprehension of the ending (I don't want to give it away to you readers). It seems to be 50-50 on people "getting" it. Everyone does indicate they get scared so I am excited about this. Jun 28 '02 - Sinan and Luis send me their first pass at a complete mix. Sounds awesome with the music, but I feel we need even more foley sounds. When I take their work and load it back into the Avid I notice a sync issue that begins about half way through. By stepping through the picture frame by frame I add/remove frames of sound and fix it in 4 places. I am worried that this will complicate matters later in the final mix as we will be using the version of Luis' computer and not my corrected one. Jun
19 '02
- Damon discovers the abbreviation "TPM" can also be use for
"The Phantom Menace." Good to know, Damon. (You are such a
movie nut!). Jun 17 '02 - Very scary situation as a hard drive crashes on the Avid, but not the one TPM is living on. I do have a back-up EDL, so am ok if it ever happened, though it would require a lot of re-digitizing. Jun 15, '02 - Luis and Sinan are hard at work composing and recording foley. We are emailing back and forth with Q&A's. Luis is borrowing some high-quality mics to record more sounds. Jun
12 '02
- I am working on a grant application for the Texas Filmmaker's Production
Fund. Lots of work, but it forces me to make a budget including in-kind
costs (donations, people working for free, etc.) as well as all post
and distribution expenses. What I've learned: don't enter into making
a 35mm film lightly!! Jun 7-11 '02 - I fly to Boston to work with Sinan and Luis (both of whom I've never met in person). We sit down and walk through the film discussing sfx and music, and what I want to emphasize or create via the soundtrack. For example: at the end of the film I mentally map out what the monkey would have been doing in the closet, and we discuss adding the jiggling of his bells as he moves. Plus we make the coolest "monkey scurry" sound with a pair of highlighters scratching on the carpet! A very productive trip. May '02 - A good part of the month I travel to LA to explore moving out there. But with the high rents and shaky job market, I return discouraged. Apr 20 '02 - I buzz down to Waco this Saturday morning to meet with Alan Stewart briefly about my project. We go over the concept of 3:2 pull-downs and I learn how to make sure my negative information is correct by watching the burn-in. I spend a couple of hours updating the film info on the Avid. Apr 8-10 '02 - Another marathon editing session in Waco. Mar - Mar '02 - I go down to Waco most weekends to edit. It is a bit of a drag to edit 1.5 hours away, but I am growing used to my new commute. Mar 20 '02 - X-fer at VideoPost of the pick-up footage. At least this time we don't have to get up so early! Mar 18 '02 - Finally, after many delays, Ercan and I meander back to location for a day of MOS pick-ups. We begin with Rae in the sewing room, shooting CU's of sewing. Kacie and Paxton arrive after lunch, and we set about shooting the cocoa-making, the bathroom, a pick-up of the monkey's paw, and the neighborhood kids outside. A good, less-stressful shoot. (And all the extra kids had a ball in their one shot!) Mar
9 '02
- The first day of post-production! We go to Waco and I begin to digitize
and sync the shots. There is a scary incident with the DAT machine trying
to eat one of my production tapes, but I rescue it and treat it very
gently. Ercan finds editing very boring and sleep-inducing. Mar
4 '02
- Ohmigod. Why do we have to start our x-fer at 6:00am? Don't these
people know that I am not a morning person?? Ercan and I leave Fort
Worth at 5:00am and pull up to a totally dark Video Post building in
Dallas. Ercan thinks I am off my rocker and got the time wrong, but,
nope, there is someone there to greet us and offer warm drinks. Feb 28 '02 - Sleep all day. Feb
27 '02
- The day begins badly. Nancy gets locked out of the location house
and breakfast is late. Kacie is running late as well and the crew is
forced to wait as we spent too much time lighting for her close up and
don't want to re-light. Then, the dreaded discussion of "the line"
begins. (Avoid these discussions at all cost!) Our issue was that Ercan
and I had originally planned on having shots of Kacie from both sides,
motivated by Lynn's actions in the background and anchored by Paxton's
static locations at the kitchen table. But Damon thinks we may be crossing
the line (in effect, confusing the viewer by changing screen directions).
This takes 30 minutes of discussion while everybody else stands around
frustrated. In the end, I think our original plan worked, but lack of
sleep made me question my thinking. We fall further behind and I am
forced to ax half of my planned kitchen scene in order to make sure
we get critical scenes done later today. The role of Mother thus gets
drastically cut back and I lose some of my brother-sister tension. We
move on to a nighttime living room scene which is made possible during
the day by the house having sliding partitions between rooms. Works
pretty good. Breaking for a warm lasagna lunch, we continue downstairs
with the power outage. To make the flashlight show up, Ponch adds some
diffusion and it looks great. We are forced to move faster and faster,
and I am getting a bit worried about our narrow range of focus in the
dark. Moving on to the upstairs, Ercan and Ponch light the beautiful
stairway scene. However, by now, I have become the female James Cameron
since I am having to be my own AD! (Apologies to all crew reading this. Feb 26 '02 - Into the thick of it... Most everyone's spirits seem good today and we start on the front door scenes. Rae, for a non-actor, does surprisingly well, and we shoot Kacie's POV's first. Previously, we took down the glass storm door, but we still have horrible reflections in the glass. A huge piece of foam core and everyone staying perfectly still does the trick, but it also makes the audio a bit hollow-sounding. Someone's cell phone rings right before we were about to do a take and I toss it out into the yard. We decide to try another dolly shot that I wanted yesterday, then we move back indoors. We do the bedroom scenes, which take a lot of time due to the multiple camera and lighting setups. I banish all but essential crew downstairs when Paxton has to do his crying scene as it is a bit emotional for him. We encounter some strange audio interference that eats up time and takes. We do a couple of the "power on" Kacie scenes to finish up the night. But we still haven't got to the pushed back living room. And I am afraid I will have to cut several small transition scenes in order to complete the "meat and potato" ones. Feb 25 '02 - Up bright and early, going over my shot lists. Damon calls and asks if I've heard the news. What news? Oh, the grip/lighting truck broke down on the other side of Waco!! (That's 2 hours away folks.) I tell (well, command might be a better word!) him to load every light he owns into his SUV and why hasn't he left yet? Once at locations, I am so happy that Nancy has got craft services running smoothly until Katie and Amanda get out of class. (They also dog sit the Ware's pooch so she won't get stepped on or cause a ruckus.) The Baylor PA's (Ian, Mandy, Jay and Colleen) all show up early and the rest of the crew trickles in before our call time of noon. We are doing splits every day due to the heavy amount of night work and the fact that my leads are still in school. We begin with the last scene in the film, Rae sewing patches on the monkey. As Ponch and Nathan are still not here, Ercan and Damon have to light. A slow start, and we take too long to finish here. The truck arrives and we move out doors for the sidewalk dolly shot. Kacie and Paxton have their lines down pat, so it is just the time-consuming dolly track set-up that delays us. We get several dolly shots off, then move on to their CU's. We are racing the sun and have to pull out the HMI's when it dips behind the trees. A hilarious incident occurs when Nancy - off to get food- thinks the camera is pointing the other way and walks through the background and I am jumping up and down (quietly) trying to get her attention. We break for lunch, then we're off to the living room. These scenes involve cheating the room to make the stairs visible from the couch, thus demanding many different lighting positions. Then the flicker box we wanted to use for lightning isn't going to work, and we spend way too long deciding on a lightning method. I can see the crew is getting very weary, so we decide to push off a few shots til later so everyone can get some rest. I totally crash when I get home. Feb 24 '02 - I have to go pick up the dolly from MPS. This is not my idea of fun and I get lectured by a couple of their grip people about the danger of a dolly in the back of my Jeep. Ercan meets Ean, the AC, there as well. Once home, I go into frantic mode trying to help Sarah pull together all the set dressing materials from what we both own. The Ware's leave town on their trip and we immediately descend, rearranging rooms. We turn a spare bedroom into an office, the teenager's room into a little boys', and set up the basement as our craft services/holding pen. Nancy works on arranging/cooking crew catering as well. Ercan and I use a director's viewfinder and the camera lens we brought with us from MPS, to finalize shots. For the rest of the day, I drive around town with the dolly still in the back, because we don't have enough manpower to get it out. Feb 17-23 '02 - Lots of prep work. We loose our sound recordist due to a prior commitment and I call everyone I know, then plow through the production manual until I find Lance. Kacie, Paxton and I continue our rehearsals at the location as Ercan makes notes on camera placement. At night, Ercan and I go through the script and storyboard each scene (he draws well! much better than my little stick figures). He also does some scale location drawings to plan camera setups Feb 16 '02 - Ercan arrives after midnight after major delays and hang-ups on his way from Istanbul. I was worried for a while that I wasn't going to have a cinematographer on hand! We start work tomorrow with a rehearsal with Kacie and Paxton at the primary location. (I am continuing to transfer my past experiences here as I have time. At some point I'll have an entire narrative of making TPM.)
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I also found the following review on TPM from AKA Shriekfest in LA last
month:
and the lights dimmed. I was pleased to learn that the film isn't nearly
as funny if there are no comedic shorts before it...hardly any laughs
as everyone seemed to be taking it seriously. Can I say once again how
large this screen is? We're talking gargantuan. Anyway, I was introduced
again for my Q&A, onstage in front of almost 1,100 people. Since
we were still stalling for time (time=Stephen), I took way too many
questions, ranging on all topics. The "Twilight Zone" episode
with the baby doll came up again, as well as the normal technical and
budget questions. But there were actually two girls in the audience
who had come to see TPM because they too had read the short story as
kids and been freaked out like me! Halfway through the Q&A, someone
from the "Shelter Island" group actually through Mr. Monkey
on stage....that's a first experience. After the feature presentation,
we were wisked off to dinner and drinks......a very nice experience
that short filmmakers rarely get to participate in. 
All
in all, I had a wonderful time and will definitely keep Stony Brook
in mind for future projects. (If
you're a Stony Brook festival goer....thanks so much for coming out
and I really enjoyed talking with everyone after the screening and at
the reception.) 
I
got my acceptance email today and I'm wading through all the things
I need to send. If you've been looking for the trailer, I'm re-doing
it this weekend. Sinan is going to help fix the music as I'm totally
musically inept. I also now have to order another print as the DWF schedule
will overlap with StonyBrook FF....but I needed another anyway in case
on gets mangled/scratched/lost. Yippee! BTW, DWF is the last week of
July at the Santa Monica Laemmle's 4-plex. I don't know my screening
time as of yet, but I'm sure it will be posted closer to the festival.
(You
know, I don't know why I put a cat there. I just thought a cat was appropriate.)
I send off another flock of festival entries and I think the total count
is around 75 by now. Entering festivals is a very time consuming and
expensive process, and you must look at the glass as half full or the
rejections will really get you down.
I was scared to death that something would go wrong. There were a lot
of giggles throughout. I'm interpreting this to be both nervous laughter
and an effect of following a comedic short. And why is the monkey so
funny? Is it his eyes? Tell me people!!! Anyway, I carted Mr. Monkey
around everywhere, which was a great publicity device. Several people
even shook his paw. I had several audience members tell me that they
had to hide their eyes at the end because they were so afraid of what
was going to happen. Very cool! It was also gratifying to be attending
other screenings and having people stop me in the halls to tell me that
they liked my film. 
and
speak with Sarah (who is great by the way). She is knows I am rushing
to finish the print and says Monday delivery is fine. They'll call by
the end of the week with info re: my 4 nights stay in lovely Sedona.
But
I don't have time to deal with it right now and Luis is leaving for
a month-long trip, so not much can be done until Feb. But I am really
curious to see what it looks like on the big screen. 
It
is nice to hear the film for the first time. 
I
let Ercan handle the color corrections and I just watch what we got
on film. (We didn't have a video tap, so, except for previewing the
shot, I haven't seen any celluloid until now.)