I posted Introduce Yourself the other day and lots of people did – including several folks who had been involved in the writing, producing, acting, and/or directing of an independent short or full-length feature film. Here’s a good example:
I’m Chris Hansen, a writer in Texas. I’m not actually FROM Texas, but I have been here for five years and currently run the film and digital media program at Baylor University.I’ve written one indie feature and written-and-directed a couple as well. As far as genres – I like writing a variety of things, but I definitely have a very indie mindset in general. My first feature, The Proper Care & Feeding of American Messiah, was a mock doc comedy about a guy who thinks he’s a “local, regional messiah,” and my second feature, Endings, is a drama about three people who meet on the day that they’re all dealing with their impending deaths…
Sounded interesting. So I asked Chris for some more background:
American Messiah is online in several places (iTunes, etc.), and while I do think we’re on the cusp of something in terms of online distribution, I also think it’s all about the marketing. If no one has heard of your film, the fact that it’s available online means nothing…
Here is the trailer for The Proper Care & Feeding of an American Messiah:
And its IMDB page.
Chris also sent a link for his next movie Endings:
Post your questions and comments for Chris.
And if you’ve written, produced, directed, and/or acted in an independent movie or short film, please post background info with links to any trailers / video you may have on VIMEO, YouTube, or other video-hosting sites.
Let’s get you people some exposure!
I co-wrote Invocation, a 6-minute horror short about a haunted ouija board.
I also have a couple of posts on my blog, linked in my sig, on putting together the screenplay, one from my perspective and a guest post by my collaborator, Tommy Merry.
Patrick Sweeney
I Blame Ninjas
I don't know Chris and have never met him, but I had the chance to see "Proper Care and Feeding of An American Messiah" at a film festival (Southern Winds in Oklahoma)and it was absolutely, positively hilarious. One of the freshest indies I've seen.
As for myself, I wrote/directed/produced the indie feature Coyote Funeral (In a walk across Texas, the greatest distance is between two brothers) and am currently in LA writing and trying to get into production.
JMay – Thanks for that sincere endorsement. Southern Winds has been very supportive of my work, and they gave American Messiah the Best Comedy Feature award ("A Seriously Funny Movie").
Dear Chris,
While I don't have the time right now to watch a full-length movie I will say that just the title is immensely intriguing-original, unexpected, comic-and definitely made me want to see the movie. It hits on a social subject-self-made messiahs-that I've always thought deserved more scrutiny (read: satire) than we see in movies today. Also, the guy playing the 'messiah' looks spot on, just what those guys tend to look like.
As a religion researcher, I have to ask: did you do any research in the sociological literature on this subject, went with your own experience, some combination of the two?
Name's Matthew O'Brien. I posted information on my background in Scott's mixer he hosted a few days ago.
Also included a link to a short film I wrote. Did a little acting in it as well (the lead!).
Here's the link:
BEEP
My good friend (and boss) and I were in Vancouver editing video content for a concert tour, and we both have been working on ideas for short films. He wants to break in to directing, while I want to break in to screenwriting.
After a few philosophical debates over when the right time to make a movie is ($$$, the right equipment, the "perfect" script), I challenged us to come up with something simple but effective that we could shoot in our hotel. After some brainstorming we came up with Beep.
We had no equipment. No lighting. Nothing. Just his Canon 7D, a few lenses, and the gorgeous Hotel Vancouver to set our scene.
So the movie you watched was shot entirely on the 7D. All lighting was the actual source lighting in the space plus a few flashlights. Lamps in the room, the TV, the hallway sconces. That's it.
All sound was recorded in-camera.
Apple ProRes 4444
Final Cut Pro 7
After Effects
And this week we're editing an extended version. The current version was entered in the Nikon Festival, and the TRT had to be 2:20.
Check out the short. Let us know what you think. We hope to take the extended cut out to some festivals and get to work on our next project as soon as possible.
And thank you, Scott, for allowing us aspiring filmmakers to put ourselves out there. 'Preciate it.
JD – It was kind of a combination. I wrote definitely from gut instinct on it. Having grown up in the church, I'm familiar with the way people misuse religion for their own ends. (FYI, I'm not anti-religious; I just have issues with the way SOME people misuse it, and this film is about the way people make it all about themselves rather than about loving and helping others, and FWIW, I am a Christian and a regular church attender)…
I didn't do any specific research but have, over the years, read a lot about these kinds of people because of my background. It's a pet peeve of mine, as someone IN the church. I hate to see the way people misrepresent my faith to the wider world by being scam artists and etc.
As for the guys playing the main character, he was terrific, and a dream to work with, especially given that we had to make him look pretty ridiculous, shaving his head daily, etc. His name is Dustin Olson, and he's primarily a theatre actor based out of NY.
Sorry, that should have read, "the GUY playing the main character", not "GUYS" — this wasn't a Dr Parnassus situation with multiple actors playing the role… just a typo on my part…
Both these features look wonderful! "American Messiah" is exactly the type of comedy that I gravitate to and "Endings" has a chilling yet stirring feel about it… "Magnolia" comes to mind. Again, just my kind of thing!
Well done sir! I'll will head on over to iTunes and get that download rolling!
Jeff — thanks for the support! Also, you guys can bookmark my blog and the Endings site for updates about those films.
Blog: Making Movies in Flyover Country
Endings: Official site
Endings is on Facebook, too: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Endings/44088440818
If you want to be added to an email list for updates, email me at christopher_hansen (at) baylor (dot) edu. Once the film starts on the festival circuit, I'll send regular updates out. If you become a fan on facebook, you'll get the same info, of course…
Thanks for putting up this post. It's cool to see other people's stuff!
This is a short I directed/wrote and shot in a California state park, zero budget, one day shoot.
http://www.vimeo.com/2865943