This is about finishing a film. No, it’s not done when you think it is.
I am not a blogger. I think I tried a bit as an angsty teenager to write about things that I thought were poetic, but in retrospect it was mostly whiny bullshit.
I digress.
DEAD GIVEAWAY, my first feature film, has been “done” for roughly three months now. I started writing the short film version of it in October 2014 so, all in, production of this movie took me nearly four years. That said, it’s still not done-done, as we’re still working on audio and color and blah blah blah…
Why the timeline? I’m glad you asked. Because I realized that I’m not done. I’m not even close to done. See, you always assume that once the movie is in the can people will watch it and enjoy it and tell their friends and then you’ll be swept up by Netflix and all of your wildest dreams will come true.
Here’s what they don’t tell you: submitting to festivals is expensive, and hearing back from film festivals takes a long time. A really long time. Like, four to six months.
That’s four to six months of waiting for an absolution or a rejection and question whether or not your movie is worth anyone’s time. That’s four to six months of trying to figure out the world premiere because that’s the most important screening your movie will ever have and it would be crazy to waste it on something that isn’t extraordinary. That’s four to six months of waves of joy mixed with self-doubt. It’s all you think about every single day.
You know that meme with the guy lying in bed and his girlfriend is worried because she thinks he’s thinking of someone else? He’s a filmmaker, and he’s thinking about how the fuck he’s going to get people to watch his movie.
So that’s what this is. This is going to be a blog on the journey of Dead Giveaway in the post-post production phase. Here’s what I’ve got so far:
It’s been entered into the following film festivals: Slamdance (the dream premiere, in Utah), Hollywood Reel Independent, First Glance LA, IFF Boston, and Horrible Imaginings (San Diego). It hasn’t been accepted to or rejected from any yet.
As far as press goes, there’s been one write up so far. I was also interviewed for a podcast, but at the time of this publication it’s not yet been aired. Check out the press page to stay up to date on these. I'm not a very good interviewee, but I'm trying.
I’m going to keep writing these, and we’ll see where it goes. If you are interested in DG, then thanks! I promise you’ll know when and where to watch it as soon as we do. If you’ve seen it, cool! Tell your friends. Keep your fingers crossed for us. If you’re making a feature and you don’t know what to expect, buckle up. You’re nowhere near done when you think you’re done. Hopefully this helps.