A Feature Update…

Ok, I’m not supposed to say too much here, but I did want to give you guys an update on my feature (which, for the purposes of this Blog we’re still calling “Slipping Away”). Anyway, there’s been so many huge things happening that it’s hard to know where to start (and honestly, what I can tell you, and what I can’t), so I’ll see how much I can say without getting yelled at by the producer. Yes, as of last week we now have both a Producer and Distributor on-board for the film! Need I say any more? Actually, I don’t think I can say much more at the moment, except that there are a ton of exciting things in the works… so stay tuned!!

Heartland…

I just spent a wonderful weekend in Indianapolis (which is a great laid-back city) at the Heartland Film Festival. They’ve done an incredible job with the fest, and have a heck of staff on-board (which happen to be some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet). I also ran into Mark Pellington (director of films like Arlington Road and the Mothman Prophecies), and Bob Berney (president of PictureHouse) who are both great guys. Also randomly bumped into Abigail Disney who had a film showing at the fest, and Carlos Diaz (Extra guy)… I love meeting new people. Anyhow, I got to hang-out behind the scenes of their awards gala, which was just spectacular and a true rarity in film fests. That said, if you get a chance, check out Heartland, it’s definitely worth the trip!

The SCRIPT is BORN!

Ladies and gents, I am now the proud papa of a new feature screenplay I’ve been working on for the better part of 4-years. I just completed the screenplay (literally hours ago) for a film I’ve been calling “Slipping Away”.  Now, the actual title has been changed, but for now I’ll just keep referring to the film as “Slipping Away” or SA for short just to keep things consistent. As for the process of completing this screenplay… I spent the better part of 4-days doing nothing but writing to pull off the final 60-pages of the script in time to meet a pressing deadline. This is a feat in itself since I’ve never written that many pages in such a short time as this and actually been so incredibly satisfied with the results. Now, to be fair, I’ve been mulling around the concept for this film for the last 4-years, so all the research, characters, and such we’re basically already in place, but it feels great to actually finally have it all down on paper (the first draft at least).  The next step from here will be bringing on another couple producers to help finance the film and manage the production now that there is a blueprint to work from. We’ll also be starting to contact potential lead cast and fill key crew positions, so when the financing clears, we’ll be ready to hit the ground running.  This will be a multi-million dollar production, so I’m excited to finally be kicking off the process. Ladies and gents, the fun starts here… so stay tuned for more info! I’ll be posting updates here as things get finalized.

More Festival Screenings…

Ok then, so 3 of my films “The End of All Things”, “Freedomland”, and an oldie “Hopes & Dreams” have all been accepted to the 2008 20/20 Film Festival this coming October (a part of the 20/20 Arts Festival).  The films will be screening on 10/7/08 at the MainStreet Cinema in Cincinnati, Ohio beginning at 7:00pm, and tickets for the screening block are only $4 at the door. Also, “Freedomland” will be screening as a part of the Underneath Cincinnati Film Festival shorts block on 9/26/08 at the Carnegie Theater in Covington, Kentucky, also beginning at 7:00pm. So come check out the films and say Hi!

Web & Script Fun…

For those of you who may not have noticed, my blog now has a new look (which is dark and mysterious… pretty exciting, eh?), and I also now have a MySpace page, which you can find at www.myspace.com/jcschroder, if you’re a MySpace geek (as it seems about half the world is now) feel free to add me as a friend, and don’t worry, I won’t bite.

In other news, I just attended my first Cincinnati Screenwriter’s circle, which is basically a once-a-month meeting of a bunch of area screenwriters. I got to meet a bunch of great new people, basically, we share industry news, read each-other’s new scenes and give constructive feedback on each-other’s material. It’s a great group, and it’s open to anyone regardless of your level of experience (even if you just want to learn about how to write), which creates a great dynamic and a wide array of feedback from both new and established writers. For any of those who may be interested in attending future meetings, they take place the first Sunday of each month from 4pm to 7pm at the Border’s Bookstore near the Southgate Mall in Colerain, Ohio. All are welcome, its free, and it’s not only a great resource for new writers, but it’s also a great chance to hear about new projects in early development and pick the brains of other writers, as they are the backbone & start of the entire creative process. I had a great time and plan to attend as often as I can, so if you want to hear the latest about what I’m working on in person, drop in and chat!

New Programs!

After a few months (if not year) in development, you can now see the newly improved and updated website www.miamifilmassociation.com which also has about a half-dozen new programs listed! Just a few new offerings include… “Cinema Weekly” a weekly indie-film screening program starting in September, “Production Log” a new online database of films in production regionally, “Film Camp” a new summer film program for High-School students, as well as new “Workshops”, new “Projection System” rentals and much, much more… so check it out!

Relevance…

I find myself sitting at home, with more to do than I can fathom, yet not really wanting to do much of anything at the moment. I guess that’s what happens when you’ve got way too much on your mind. While I haven’t got much new information to mention (yet), I’m working towards the announcement of several large new projects and the launch of 3 new programs by 2009. While this is a less than simple state to be in, I am also still working through that little thing called a “Script” which seems to be taunting me every night, but do not fear! I taunt it right back! Either that, or I’m just losing my mind… but hey, there’s no prize without at least 5 years of hard work, right? That being said, I’ll be more than excited in the next few months when I am indeed able to begin announcing all of these projects, films, programs and dare I say festivals. Stay tuned, there will either be some VERY exciting news, or you’ll catch a really interesting glimpse of me going completely mad, either way it’s bound to be whole lot of fun!

The Next Step

I realize I haven’t posted in a few weeks, and no, it has little to do with me being terribly busy elsewhere, although that does often tend to be a problem. I’ve worked very hard to clear much of my schedule over the past (and coming) few weeks in order to allow me to complete one of two specific scripts that have been mulling around in my brain for the better part of the past 4 years. I’ve been asked by a surprisingly large amount of people (mainly people I’ve worked with in the past) when I’d be doing my next project and what it would be. There is a very simple answer to that question, I’m currently deep into the writing stage of a film I’ve tentatively titled “Slipping Away”, a feature film which I intend to be my feature directorial debut and (hopefully) a large-scale international release. “Slipping Away” is a complex cross-genre film integrating strong elements of Drama with that of a Supernatural Thriller, and that’s all I’ll be saying about it at this time. As I said earlier, though I’ve had this film in my head for the past 4-years, I’m still in the process of putting it all down on paper (which I likely still have a good month to go script-wise), and at this VERY early stage, there are a good deal more steps to consider in the production process before anything more about the film itself can be officially announced.  One more thing I can say is that this will likely be a very large production and I have already begun to approach a few potential producers about the project. I do not have a potential release date, or any information about producers, cast or crew at this time, so stay tuned, as things come together and we’re ready to make things public, I’ll be sure to post official updates here. For now, it’s back to the writing room. Note: I will still be checking my e-mail and posting a few more Q&A posts over the next few weeks, and I’ll be sure to post any new happenings with my other projects as they come up. 

Ok, and sense I know someone is bound to read this post 10 times and come up with this question, I’ll try to answer it here first… yes, it does say above that I’m working on one of “two” scripts, and no, I won’t tell you what the other one is and why I’m actively working on two of them, but wouldn’t you like to know?

EOAT on IMDb.com

My film “The End of All Things” is now (finally) listed on the Internet Movie DataBase, or IMDb.com. Here is a direct link to the listing: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1230533/ While many of my projects are not listed with IMDb, it would be great if all of you who have had a chance to see the film would take a quick minute and rate it. While the IMDb “weighted” rating system is notorious for being wildly inaccurate, it still helps to have as many votes as possible as eventually the true rating will become a bit difficult to ignore, so whatever your opinion of the film, please rate it! Thanks!

When Should I Move to L.A.?

Reader Question:

Q: I keep hearing that if I want to get anywhere in the film business I need to move to LA or NY, what is your take on this? –Greg

Film for most people begins as a hobby, and rarely ever becomes a paying gig, so if you plan to move out there out of the blue and get a big-time job (or a job at all) think again. I’ve said this countless times before, but I don’t think I’ve ever actually posted it, so here it is… a career in film is not for the faint of heart (this applies to music as well), if you’re going to go into film (as a filmmaker, actor, whatever), you had better KNOW that it’s the ONLY thing you can ever see yourself doing, you have to be 100% passionate, love it, and be completely dedicated to it, or you’ll spend months, years or even a lifetime of getting nowhere. You have to be able to get trampled on time and time again and keep going, and you have to poor your heart, mind and soul into it or no-one will care that you even exist. Also keep in mind that just like with everything else in life, you also have to be smart about the choices you make, plan years in advance and know exactly what your goals are BEFORE you take the big leap, or you’ll end up back home living with your parents after 6-months soul-searching living in Los Angeles or New York. If you don’t have a plan, or a full-time job BEFORE you go, then don’t bother. There’s nothing wrong with following your dream, but if you’re stupid about it, following your dream will land you working at the local McDonald’s along-side all the other “would-be” dreamers. I’ve seen and known so many people that have failed in this industry because all they wanted to do was be famous and get rich, it wasn’t really their passion, and they didn’t bother to look at things realistically before they took the leap. From my own perspective as an independent filmmaker, I don’t live in LA, nor do I need to, I fly out to the west-coast several times a year, but I personally have no reason to move there – I produce films right where I’m at for cheaper, easier, and (in my opinion) often better than I could in Los Angeles (as an indie filmmaker) and work with people who I know and love – that’s not so say that I wouldn’t work on a big studio picture if asked but, as an indie filmmaker & event producer that deals with it on a daily basis, I’ll be straight-foreward in saying that I’m not the biggest fan of the Hollywood system. Now, keep in mind, I am by no means saying that you shouldn’t move to LA or NY, as that’s where most of the opportunities are for new people (especially if you need to build connections), or that there aren’t a ton of great people out west (there definately are), just be smart about it, do your research, know what you’re getting yourself into and be prepared before you take that leap.

(As with all my Q&A posts – please keep in mind that I am by no means an “authority” on the subjects, these posts are just my own opinions based on my own experiences, I just hope you can get something useful out of it)