We Did It -- Distribution

Well, I can finally say that WE DID IT. The Proper Care & Feeding of an American Messiah, a feature film that I directed in summer of 2005 and which had its premiere on the festival circuit in April 2006, will be released on DVD in North America this fall by Reel Indies, an indie film division of Mill Creek Entertainment. The deal was signed this summer.

This represents a huge achievement (in my eyes, anyway). The film was made for almost nothing, with no big stars, and the crew was comprised mostly of students in the film and digital media program at Baylor University, where I teach.

And now, that little film about a crazy guy who thinks he is a messiah will be in major retail stores like Wal Mart, Barnes & Noble, and Best Buy and available for rental on Netflix.
I was about to say that this is a nice end result to this process, but in fact it's not the end. It's the first step in distribution.

The deal is only for North American DVD distribution and worldwide digital/internet distribution, so foreign rights are still available, as well as television, cable, and theatrical. My hope is that, in addition to selling lots of copies and making some money, this will open up other distribution doors, as well as legitimizing my efforts to make another film.

And I want to just say publicly, to those who worked on the film and to those who have been supporters in some way (festival programmers, fans, readers, etc.): thank you for your support. The process of making and distributing a film is often a disheartening one. But each victory along the way keeps you going as you reach out for the proverbial golden ring.

Austin Screening at Salvage Vanguard

Anyone in or near Austin, please come and check out The Proper Care & Feeding of an American Messiah, screening Wednesday, June 20th, at the Salvage Vanguard Theatre.

Apologizing for the delay

Well, I've been away from blogging simply because I've been so busy at home. We're expecting baby #4 soon, so when the spring semester ended, the entire household entered "work mode." Shifting rooms for the current three kids, setting up the baby's room, etc.

We're almost done, with the exception of the baby's room. It's all cleared out, but not at all set up. That would never have happened with the first two kids, but it seems like no big deal with this one. The baby's pretty much going to live in a bassinet for the first few weeks, so I'm confident we'll have it all done when we need to.

In other news:

Latest Toy: video iPod (early birthday gift from my parents (thanks mom and dad!). In return, I shipped off my 4 GB mini iPod to my dad, so he could join the 21st century. I mean no offense, dad. He has a long commute to the office, and I thought he could use it for listening to podcasts and audiobooks.

Missed Opportunity: As many people know by now, CBS renewed the apocalyptic series Jericho after first canceling it. My problem: I'd been so far behind on the show that I had been saving all the episodes on my DVR for summer viewing. I had about 8 or 10 episodes on there, basically everything after the show returned from its winter hiatus, and it was starting to feel daunting (especially because my wife wasn't interested in watching it). When the cancellation news was announced, I deleted all the episodes, assuming that there was no point in catching up on a cancelled series. And then CBS actually went and listened to the public and renewed it. Boy, do I feel silly. Well, in truth, I didn't love the show, so I'm not terribly disappointed. I need to watch less TV anyway.

What Happened to the Braves?: The Atlanta Braves, my hometown team, started off the season really hot, but they've won only 5 of their last 14 games, failing to overtake the similarly slumpiong NY Mets in the NL East. Come on, guys -- take advantage of an opportunity! The worst part is that this is the last season I'll get to watch the Bravos semi-regularly on TV, as TBS -- the superstation network that made the Braves a national sensation -- is ceasing regular broadcasting of Braves games next season. Booo, TBS. Big boooo.

Compliment

I am still traveling, and I went out tonight to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean flick (mini-review: "Eh."). When I bought my ticket, I noticed the price was lower than I was expecting.

I looked down at said ticket after I went into the theatre, and I noticed the word "Student" emblazoned across it.

I had been mistaken for a student.

(Context: the in-laws live in a university town, and in fact work for the university in the town. Side note: how is it so many people in my family work in higher ed?)

So, here I am in a strange town, dressed the way I always am in the summer (shorts, t-shirt, flip flops), and me and my growing bald spot and full beard get mistaken for a student.

Gotta tell ya, it was nice.

I think it must have been the flip flops.