Nov 2009
Making STRING THEORY Part 9: The Poster
November 20, 2009 Filed in: Adventures in Filmmaking | Making STRING THEORY
The poster is complete and it looks great. The picture was taken on the set by my gaffer Alex Avila, and the poster itself was designed by Jon Reynolds.
I sent off DVD screeners to the LA Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, and LA Comedy Shorts Fest today. That’s eight festivals total now. It’s out of my hands now, though I do have a promising lead. I called Bob Arentz, founder and director of LA Shorts Fest, and asked him whether he would take a look at my film. He remembered how hard I worked for him at the last festival and gladly agreed. I’m confident the film is good enough to get into his festival based on its own merits but I want him to personally watch it. I don’t want to take any chances by sending it in as a regular submission and having some gatekeeper dismiss it.
Don't Be a Parasite's Bitch
I quit my two production company internships -- the one on the Sony lot and the one in West Hollywood. After putting in three months of quality time and labor into both jobs without receiving any pay, it became apparent that the company owners weren’t going to reward me in any way.
When I asked Andy (in West Hollywood) to read one of my scripts, he said, “Sure, just email it to me.” I was surprised at his openness and sent him my script. Five weeks later he still hadn’t read it, and it became clear that he was never going to, despite my gentle reminders. I spent over 120 hours reading their scripts, writing in-depth coverage for them, and answering their phones. And yet he wasn’t willing to spend 90 minutes looking at my script. Maybe I was asking for too much.
When I asked Patrick (on the Sony lot) to finally take me on as a paid employee, being that he was clearly pleased with my performance, he said, “I can’t afford to pay you for a job that can be done in one hour.”
“If this job can be done in one hour, then why don’t I just come in for one hour?” I asked. “Why am I coming in eight hours a day, three days a week?” Of course, he didn’t have a response for that. I told him I had to leave and find a paying job and he had the nerve to ask me to stay a couple more weeks until he found somebody else! Of course, I refused. If he really wanted me for those two extra weeks he could have paid for it. Simple as that.
Once my modest requests for help or payment were denied, I had to leave. Staying any further would only decrease my value in their eyes. I would become their bitch. So I politely walked away from both jobs.
I was naive to think that people will help me if I help them first. I keep forgetting that human decency is not a universal trait. Although my three month investment at both companies didn’t lead to any lasting industry connections or a career boost, I gained experience and learned a precious lesson: There are people out there who will try to get as much as possible from you without giving anything in return. They’re called “parasites”.
When I asked Andy (in West Hollywood) to read one of my scripts, he said, “Sure, just email it to me.” I was surprised at his openness and sent him my script. Five weeks later he still hadn’t read it, and it became clear that he was never going to, despite my gentle reminders. I spent over 120 hours reading their scripts, writing in-depth coverage for them, and answering their phones. And yet he wasn’t willing to spend 90 minutes looking at my script. Maybe I was asking for too much.
When I asked Patrick (on the Sony lot) to finally take me on as a paid employee, being that he was clearly pleased with my performance, he said, “I can’t afford to pay you for a job that can be done in one hour.”
“If this job can be done in one hour, then why don’t I just come in for one hour?” I asked. “Why am I coming in eight hours a day, three days a week?” Of course, he didn’t have a response for that. I told him I had to leave and find a paying job and he had the nerve to ask me to stay a couple more weeks until he found somebody else! Of course, I refused. If he really wanted me for those two extra weeks he could have paid for it. Simple as that.
Once my modest requests for help or payment were denied, I had to leave. Staying any further would only decrease my value in their eyes. I would become their bitch. So I politely walked away from both jobs.
I was naive to think that people will help me if I help them first. I keep forgetting that human decency is not a universal trait. Although my three month investment at both companies didn’t lead to any lasting industry connections or a career boost, I gained experience and learned a precious lesson: There are people out there who will try to get as much as possible from you without giving anything in return. They’re called “parasites”.
Making STRING THEORY Part 8
November 08, 2009 Filed in: Adventures in Filmmaking | Making STRING THEORY
I've “locked” the picture. It comes in at 4 minutes and 35 seconds. It took three months to get STRING THEORY made, from writing, to casting, to shooting, to edit and music. Bear in mind I had to share that time with two non-paying day jobs.
I wasn't able to get the license for "New Gold Dream" from the publishers, but I did receive an email from Derek Forbes, who watched the screener I sent him. He wrote "Matt, I laughed out loud. I like it. Well done." It's gratifying to get kudos from a guy who had a hand in writing and performing one of my favorite songs, "Don't You Forget About Me", for one of my favorite movies, THE BREAKFAST CLUB.
I made sure to pursue the song license until I got an absolute no, but in the end, I'm glad I didn't get it. Not only did I save money (the song would've cost at least as much as I spent on the whole film), but I also rose to the challenge of writing my most extensive musical score yet. I was worried that my usual style of dark, funky techno wouldn't fit the film and that I needed a song with pop vocals, but now that I'm done with the film I can't imagine any other piece of music taking its place. The track I recorded is called “Negative Space Bounce”.
I've already submitted the film to the following film festivals: Slamdance, San Francisco, Seattle, SXSW, and Tribeca.
The STRING THEORY poster is almost complete and it kicks ass. I’ll post it here in a few days.
I wasn't able to get the license for "New Gold Dream" from the publishers, but I did receive an email from Derek Forbes, who watched the screener I sent him. He wrote "Matt, I laughed out loud. I like it. Well done." It's gratifying to get kudos from a guy who had a hand in writing and performing one of my favorite songs, "Don't You Forget About Me", for one of my favorite movies, THE BREAKFAST CLUB.
I made sure to pursue the song license until I got an absolute no, but in the end, I'm glad I didn't get it. Not only did I save money (the song would've cost at least as much as I spent on the whole film), but I also rose to the challenge of writing my most extensive musical score yet. I was worried that my usual style of dark, funky techno wouldn't fit the film and that I needed a song with pop vocals, but now that I'm done with the film I can't imagine any other piece of music taking its place. The track I recorded is called “Negative Space Bounce”.
I've already submitted the film to the following film festivals: Slamdance, San Francisco, Seattle, SXSW, and Tribeca.
The STRING THEORY poster is almost complete and it kicks ass. I’ll post it here in a few days.