Tuesday, July 24, 2007

New York press

Another big article appeared in the New York Times today with the title of "At Fermilab, the Race Is on for the 'God Particle', outlining the race to find the Higgs boson, as well as exploring in good detail all the rumors about the possible Higgs sighting. Interviewed are three of our subjects, Robin Erbacher, John Conway, and Rob Roser!

So far, on schedule to have a "fine cut" for the first 2/3 by Friday...

Monday, July 23, 2007

"If we can (bump bump) make it there..."

New York, here we come! We just got the official announcement from the IFP (Independent Feature Project) Market in New York that we've been accepted to attend!

What is the IFP Market, you ask? It's a little like what the music festival South by Southwest in Austin is like for bands (or, more accurately, what it used to be like before being overrun by major labels): a place where unsigned bands can go and showcase their stuff for buyers, promoters, labels, publishers, agents, booking reps, etc. It's the same for an "unsigned" film. We are considered a "work in progress," which we are, because we are still finishing up our film and because we still need money to do the unglamorous stuff like rights clearances, color correction, high-definition up-rezzing, sound designing, legal stuff, and a publicity campaign.

And, most importantly, we need distribution.

That's where the IFP Market comes in. It's a week-long event --- well, I'll just let them say it:

The IFP Market is a week-long showcase, held each autumn in New York, for new features, works-in-progress, shorts, and scripts. For independent filmmakers, it is the only market in the U.S. where one can present new film and television work-in-development directly to the film industry in a selective and professional atmosphere. For the film industry, it is a vital exhibition and discovery forum for new talent and a place to discover new films before they hit the festival circuit.

What does the IFP Market Do?
The IFP Market is the only US film market where independent screenwriters, filmmakers, and producers with projects present their work directly to industry executives and accomplish in 5 days what would otherwise take months and miles of travel. From the many submissions received each spring, we invite 200 select projects. Once done, we turn our attention to the industry. We invite distributors, TV and home video acquisitions execs, domestic and international buyers, agents, development execs, and festival programmers from the U.S. and abroad for 5-days of screenings, 1,800 targeted meetings, dozens of special networking events, and 5-days of seminars. Since we limit the number of participants, business is always relaxed and personal. And because we facilitate the introductions, you'll be free to explore partnerships and innovative solutions just like thousands of filmmakers who have already done so in our 29-year history.


Needless to say, we're pretty excited. In the middle of September, we'll be headed to the Big Apple, with our movie in our back pocket. "...it's up to you (bump) New York, New Yoooorrrk!"

Friday, July 13, 2007

Preview screening

Last Friday we had the distinct honor of previewing the first 2/3 of our film at the HQ of Kartemquin Films, documentary legends of such films as Hoop Dreams, Stevie, The New Americans, and countless others. They've been Chicago mainstays for 40 years, in their humble but spacious neighborhood house-turned-offices. This was a little like being an aspring author and going in to read one of your stories for John Cheever. We got a lot of great feedback and came away very excited. Working now to implement their suggestions and rethink some things as we craft the final 1/3. We're keeping an eye on those rumors...