Independent Film Needs A Budget

Taylor Olson, a friend of mine and I, Livingston Oden, are developing a film called Solitude.  Solitude is a tribute to horror films of the last 75 years.  Most of the story takes place in present day but we follow the story of a family across a 75 year period, all taking place on a piece of property outside the town of Solitude.  On this property, an evil presence terrorizes the family and the people of the town.  The main character, James, soon finds out about the property after his mother passes.  He reads diaries, journals, police reports, rummages through drawings and photos.  Everything he learns from these items tell a story.  Each story is a short film based on an event that took place on the property and will look as if it were filmed in the time frame.  All of these stories will flow together to make a feature film.

We're currently in pre production, but we need help in order to get a budget.  We launched an Indiegogo campaign a day ago, which is in need of some attention.  The Indiegogo campaign link is at the bottom of this article.  We, the filmmakers, are far from popular when it comes to the mainstream.  Lately we've seen campaigns from popular actors and directors launch a kickstarter in order to gain funding for their pet project.  Most recently was the Kickstarter campaign for the feature film Veronica Mars, a popular television series that went off the air a few years ago.  Within a day the campaign reached its goal of two million dollars, and still had 29 days to go to gain much more funding.  This is all possible due to the fact that they have fans and an audience to give them this opportunity.  We don't have millions of fans.  What we do have is the dream to create something that we think many would love, something thats different than what most see in the theater today. 

Taylor Olson and I both graduated from film school a year and a half ago and both of us have had a hard road to travel to get work.  Like most people in this country, we have struggled to climb the latter of the industry we're most passionate about.  The issue we have in reaching the top are the obstacles that have been placed in front of us, but that's not stopping us in reaching the goals we'd like to achieve.  What we're asking is a little help.  I believe that we can reach the budget and beyond if we can get the word out on our project.  If we can get the chance, we know we won't let you guys down in making a project that would make us and everyone involved proud to be a part of.  You can see more information on our project at either our website for the film here, or you can visit our facebook page here.

Here's our Indiegogo campaign:  http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/solitude-feature-film/x/3132990

Lynne Ramsey: A Director Walks Away

Director Lynne Ramsey was a no show for the first day of shooting on Jane Got A Gun, an independent drama produced by its star, Natalie Portman.  I'm sure the majority of everyone in the mainstream audience has no idea who Lynne Ramsey is, nor would I expect you too.  She's a 1995 film graduate from UK's National Film and Television School.  She's made several short films but gained critical acclaim from an independent film starring Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly called We Need To Talk About Kevin.

 Now typically I wouldn't write about someone like Lynne Ramsey.  Word around the street is, she's a egotistical director whose very difficult to work with.  I don't normally write things like that because it sounds a lot like gossip, but when it comes from several different sources it tends to be true.  Why I am writing this you ask?  Well for a couple reasons.  One!  I'm someone who graduated from film school a year and a half ago whose aspiring to be a director.  Someone who leaves their crew high and dry on the first day of filming after everyone spent months planning on making a film, is just plain wrong.  No matter how stressed, angry, mad, bitter, or even stubborn you are, you just don't walk away.  Its like if Christopher Columbus decided to jump ship in the middle of searching for the new world, leaving the first mate in charge with no charts, compass, or any kind of navigation to find their way as he paddles back home.  You just don't do that.  Two!  As someone wanting to be in the business, it angers me when someone is given an opportunity and they flush it down the toilet.  I would love someone to call me and tell me, Hey, you wanna shot?  I would give it my all.  Lynne Ramsey took that and basically walked away.  I know there are two sides to every story and her side hasn't been told yet.  But whatever her side of it is, I seriously don't think it will be a valid reason to bail on everyone working on the film. 

After she didn't show, Jude Law left the role he took over after Michael Fassbender left due to a conflicting schedule from another film. 

Scott Steindorff, a producer on the film, had this to say about Lynne to Deadline:

“I have millions of dollars invested, we’re ready to shoot, we have a great script, crew and cast.  I’m shocked and so disappointed someone would do this to 150 crew members who devoted so much time, energy, commitment and loyalty to a project, and then have the director not show up. It is insane somebody would do this to other people. I feel more for the crew and their families, but we are keeping the show going on, directors are flying in, and a replacement is imminent.”

Gavin O'Conner, director of Warrior and Miracle, has stepped in to fill Ramsey's position and will begin as early as tomorrow.

In all honesty I hope that Lynne Ramsey gets no shot at doing another film in Hollywood.  At the moment, I'm in the process of doing my first feature.  It's not an easy task to create a film, it does take a lot of planning and dedication.  It also takes a crew of people to help you and a cast to bring it all to life.  I wish I did get a hand out to help in my project, but life isn't always so giving.  Hopefully I'll make it, but until then I'll just have to watch as others kill the opportunities given to them.

If anyone is interested in my project, please go to www.facebook.com/solitudefeaturefilm.

The Bible: Trending in Film.

Lately, news has struck on the coming of biblical films that are set to be filmed in the next couple years.  The first in the line of bible themed stories is Noah, a Russell Crowe starring vehicle based on the Ark building savior of all life on earth.  Of course the first real beginning to this spiritual road starts with the television docudrama airing on the History channel, simply named The Bible.  Produced by Mark Burnett and his wife, Roma Downey, The Bible is a collection of the most popular stories ranging from Moses to the life of Jesus.  News broke yesterday of Ridley Scott's plans on a retelling of Moses and his journey to free his people and bring Gods law to the land, and the possibility of Christian Bale in the lead role has brought much more attention to the project.  Warner Bros. is also planning a film on the life of Moses with the working title Gods and Kings.

So what brought on the sudden trend of stories told from the Bible to be made into feature films?  Its been decades since we've seen a film in theaters based on any story in the Bible.  There have been made for television mini-series that did little to peak the interest of the masses, and the Bible seems to be least popular today than it was twenty years or so ago.  If you look at the best selling book of all time though, you'll see great tales of action, suspense, drama, and love.  Every story has a great lesson to learn and a beautiful message to be told.  Anyone would be a fool not to dive back into those stories and put a modern touch to a beloved chronicle of the makings of a religion.

The History Channel has been doing well with telling stories of our history, all beginning with there first miniseries Hatfields & McCoys.  Now, The Bible, a docudrama that premiered a couple weeks ago, is setting ratings records and showing everyone that there is still a massive audience for these kinds of stories.  Every ten years or so we walk into new territory or dust off what we once loved.  The dawn of the comic book movie broke records at the turn of the century and is still going strong, maybe the Bible is next in line, but its still to soon to tell.

New Art.

I've recently picked up the welder and torch again, slowly building things and making a small inventory so I can sell the things I create.  My first creation, a rose made from left over scrap metal from a 55 gallon drum and a wire shelf.  What do you guys think?

 

 Check out my website at LivingstonOden.com and also go to www.facebook.com/solacefeaturefilm to check out updates on my first feature film.

The Future Of Star Wars

After Disney bought Lucasfilm for four billion dollars, rumors began to arise about the potential future of the thirty-six year old franchise.  Just a day after the news broke of Lucas releasing his rights to his empire; it was said that Star Wars 7, 8, and 9 were on there way, the first coming to theater in the summer of 2015.  That turned from rumor to reality when J.J. Abrams signed on to direct the first film in the new trilogy.

Now news has hit that Disney plans on creating origin films based on popular characters that we all have come to love over the decades.  The first possible story told will be based on the 900 year old Yoda, a decision that seems to have the fanboys going crazy with enthusiasm or anger.  Of course not everyone will be happy with what Disney is doing, but I say why not?  Disney rarely makes a mistake when it comes to business decisions.  I'm sure a few of you have thought of a few mistakes they've made throughout the last ninety years their doors have been open, but in full view of the company and where its come from, not many mistakes were made.  Disney is, pretty much, the most powerful studio in the world.  In six years, Disney has acquired ownership of Marvel, Lucasfilm and all of its sub companies like ILM and Skywalker Sound, along with Pixar Animation.

I went off track there for a second, but what I'm getting at is Disney has this in the bag.  They know what their doing when it comes to making a decent film and diving into a universe full of characters who deserve a back story told.  Take a look at The Avengers, a universe had to be built and characters had to be introduced in their own films before it could even be made.  Star Wars is working backwards when it comes to origins, being that the main story has already been told, but why not see how the characters came to be?  I find it interesting that die hard Star Wars fans have a problem with this.  Even the release of three more films attached directly to the main storyline is bothersome to fans of the series.  Why not see what happened after the empire was destroyed?  Its a big universe, with so many possibilities.

I'm basically saying, just give Disney and the people behind the creation of these films a chance.  If its not a film you enjoy then don't watch it, much like I do with the Highlander films.  The first film is the best, with a decent ending for the main character.  There was no need to make sequels, so I decided to not count those films into what the real story is. The story I grew up with is the story I follow, which is an example some of you should follow.  If the new Star Wars films fail in your eyes, just don't count them to the stories you grew to love.

By the way readers.  check out my Facebook website for the film a friend of mine and I are doing called Solace.  You can find the link here.

Superbowl Sunday

The Superbowl, an unsanctioned holiday for every American.  Lovers and haters of football tune in for either the game, the commercials, or for the halftime show each year.  This four hour time frame is the most watched of any television event in the world.  We call baseball America's favorite pastime, a saying that has slowly faded away with every passing year as football grows more popular.  Where did this event come from?  Who came up with the name?  Why do we have a Superbowl?

In 1960 the AFL (American Football League) was formed; creating the possibility of a merger with the NFL, a merger that didn't happen until the 1970 season.  As agreed with the merger, a championship would be held with the two league champions facing off in a game to see who has the better team.  Lamar Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, used the phrase 'Superbowl' during the merger meetings.  Hunt blames the name on his children.  During these meetings, his children were infatuated with a toy called the 'Super ball,' so Hunt would playfully refer to the championship game as the Superbowl.  Eventually the league went with AFL-NFL Championship, but the press caught wind of Hunts playful phrase, making it popular among the general public.  During the third season, the league made it official to call the championship game the Superbowl.


The most coveted trophy in sports, the Vince Lombardi Trophy, was actually designed on a cocktail napkin by the vice president of Tiffany and Co, Oscar Riedner, while having lunch with NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle in 1967.  Since its design, its been hand crafted exclusively by Tiffany and Co.  Inscribed on the bottom of the trophy read "World Professional Football Championship," this being the name of the trophy in the first four championship games.  The name of the trophy was later renamed after the sudden death of the Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi of cancer in 1970, and was first presented as the Vince Lombardi trophy in Superbowl V to the Baltimore Colts in 1971.  Unlike the Stanley Cup and Grey Cup, the Lombardi Trophy is made every year while the winning team maintains permanent possession of it.

Last year broke the record for the most watched program ever at an estimated 167 million viewers during the Patriots vs. Giants game.  The high amount of viewers creates prime real estate for commercial slots during breaks from the game.  These time slots for thirty seconds of air time go for 3.8 million dollars.  Most popular companies like Budweiser, Coca-Cola, and dot com business's use these time slots to get the word out about new products.  The Superbowl is the only program where everyone actually looks forward to the commercials.

During the first few Superbowl's, the University of Michigan and Arizona were the big ticket players who entertained during the halftime show.  Later on, Up with People, a young group of performers performed the first over the top performance during the halftime show.  They performed four times between 1976 and 1986, the same show about hope and peace for people around the world.  Eventually the halftime show became a platform for megastars like Michael Jackson, Madonna, and this years performer Beyonce.  None of the performers have ever been paid for their performances, and none have ever complained for the lack of compensation.  The halftime show is the one and only time where their audience will reach its peak at over 100 million people, the most of any other performance they'll ever perform.

My choice for this year's winner, and who I'll be rooting for is the 49ers, the underdog of this years big game.  We'll see what happens.

Solace: Facebook Page

A friend of mine and I are still in the midst of pre-production on our independent film Solace.  Solace is a set of six short films put together in order to create one free flowing story, all taking place around the town of Solace.  The first short film takes place in 1938, which began principle photography several days ago.  The main focuse is on a creature leaving a trail of bodies within an ancient Indian burial ground, located just outside of town.  Each short film takes place during different decades, leading up to present day.  Here's the cool part of how we're going to create these films.  Each story will be shot as if it were filmed in the decade it takes place in.  For example, the 1960's film will be shot in the style of Hitchcock, the 1980's film will be shot as if it were a Freddy or Jason movie. 

Now this is the part where you, the audience, can help us in creating this viewing experience.  Eventually we're going to create a Kickstarter in order to generate funds.  If your not sure what Kickstarter is, its a website created for independent filmmakers, artists, writers, and game developers.  Its creation is solely based on developing a budget for their project with the help of fans, friends, family, or kind and generous people who would like to donate a buck or two for the cause.  Now in order for our Kickstarter to be successful, we need to build an audience who will help us in getting this budget we so desire.

Now the reasons as to why we're wanting to do this project is fairly simple.  We're wanting to create a story told in a manner that hasn't been done before.  Most horror films seem to follow the same formula, maybe getting something special once every ten years or so.  We're actually taking that formula and twisting it a bit, using what was popular in the past, and whats popular now to create something we believe to be special.  What I like you, the audience member, to do is follow us on our Facebook page.  Which you can find by clicking here. At this moment in time I'm not asking for much, but just to simply click "like" on our film page so we can get the word out.  If your stoked as we are about this, then help us get the word out so we can make something that everyone can enjoy.  Fellow horror and film fans, we need your help.  Can you help us?