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The Envelope, Please . . .

Posted August 30, 2010 - 12:01am by Death Cat

It’s kind of exciting to be announcing the winner of our contest right after watching the Emmy Awards.  Hopefully we will soon have our own opportunities at various film festivals to experience the thrill of getting all dressed up to anxiously wait for someone on stage to announce our names as winners.  In the meantime, the winner of this week’s building buzz contest is . . . PETS inc.

At first glance, this might seem like an unusual winner; however, as embarrassing as it is to admit, not a single person entered the buzz building contest this past week.  Whether it was because people were too busy with end-of-summer activities and school starting or maybe because people were already burned out from our earlier contests, we’re not sure.  Since there was no one to give the prize to, we first thought about putting the money into our film-festival-entry-fee fund.  But then we were inspired by the fact that our feline stars Marmalade and Mason were adopted from animal shelters, so we decided to donate the money to a local shelter.

PETS inc. is an animal shelter down the road from Brian’s house in West Columbia, SC, that does amazing things with very little money.  In fact, Jocelyn’s dog and another Rish family dog were lovingly adopted from PETS inc. several years ago.  PETS inc. cares for dogs and cats, and while the donation is only a small drop in the giant bucket of need all these shelters face, we know they’ll make the most of it.  Hopefully it will help keep an adorable cat alive long enough to be adopted, whether it’s by an animal trainer looking for a new star or a senior citizen looking for some companionship.

And with that, the “trailer celebration” contests are now officially over.  A huge thank you to everyone who helped spread the word about Saying Goodbye in any way, shape, or form over this past month!

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And the Award Goes To . . .

Posted August 23, 2010 - 12:01am by Death Cat

You all sure made it tough on us!  There were such fun taglines to choose from, which ran the gamut from poignant to funny.  Thank you so much to the people who participated and came up with such clever and creative taglines.  Each of you is a winner in our books, but after much debate we finally decided that the award goes to . . . Adriana for her tagline “Live like you have 9 lives!”

It really captures the movie’s theme of living life to the fullest AND it weaves in a cat reference.  That’s a lot to do in six small words – and its short length keeps it catchy and memorable.  Congratulations, Adriana, we’ll contact you via email about delivering your Amazon gift card.

So now that we’re entering the last full week of August, what contest do we have in store for our loyal fans?  This one is more of a free-for-all that’s about helping us build buzz through your favorite way of reaching people.  So Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, blogs: whatever your preferred method, tell people about Saying Goodbye and then tell us what you did.

  • For each tweet you send, you’ll get 1 entry.
  • For each post on Facebook or MySpace, you’ll get 1 entry.
  • If you write a post on your blog, you’ll get 5 entries.
  • If you utilize another creative method, you’ll get 5 entries.

Whatever method you use, make sure you mention Saying Goodbye and include this link to our trailer: http://bit.ly/CatTrailer.

Then come back to this blog post and in the comments tell us what you did and leave links so we can see all the fun ways Saying Goodbye is being buzzed about.  The contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Sunday, August 29th, when we’ll randomly select one winner from all the entries.  This lucky winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card.  Click here for all the details.

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And the Winner Is . . .

Posted August 16, 2010 - 12:01am by Death Cat

More hearty thanks to everyone who participated in this week’s Facebook contest.  One of the major challenges of independent films (especially shorts) is getting the word out about them.  So we truly appreciate everyone who helps us spread the word about Saying Goodbye. 

Now on to the winner . . . Congratulations Danielle Pritchard!!  We’ll contact you via Facebook about delivering your Blockbuster gift card.

So what exciting contest do we have planned for the third week of our trailer celebration?  This time it’s all about creativity.

First a question for you: what do the following phrases have in common?

  • In space, no one can hear you scream.
  • Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...
  • Love means never having to say you’re sorry
  • They’re here…

These four phrases are examples of famous movie taglines (Alien, Jaws 2, Love Story, Poltergeist).  A tagline is a catchy and enticing phrase to sum up the premise, tone, and/or theme of a movie.  Most movies have one, but only a few are so memorable they become a part of pop culture.

The current tagline for Saying Goodbye is “The cat foretold their deaths... yet taught them all about living.”  And while we really like it, we’re not sure it has that special something that will make people remember it for years to come.

So your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to come up with a new tagline for Saying Goodbye.  We know it’s a challenge since you haven’t seen the movie yet, but watch the trailer and read the synopsis, then create something that will wow us.  Post your new tagline in the comments section below.  We will choose our favorite tagline and award the author a $25 Amazon gift certificate.  And if you really blow us away, we’ll make it the official tagline for the movie. 

You may enter as many taglines as you want.  The contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Sunday, August 22nd.  Click here for all the details.

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Drum Roll Please

Posted August 9, 2010 - 12:01am by Death Cat

Thank you to everyone who participated in last week’s retweet contest!  We really appreciate your help spreading the word about the trailer.  We’ve been getting great feedback about it; and we’re so thrilled each time someone tells us it gave them goosebumps or made them teary, because that’s how we hoped people would react to it.

And now, without further ado, the winner of the retweet contest is… twitter user Shareewash.  Congratulations!!  We’ll contact you via Twitter about delivering your AMC gift card.

So now the big question is… what is the contest for the second week of August?  This week it’s all about spreading the word through facebook.  All you have to do is go to the Saying Goodbye facebook page and both share and like any of our posts that have the Saying Goodbye trailer attached to them. We'll be adding multiple FB posts with the trailer linked to them throughout the week, so share and like them all to increase your chances of winning. The contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Sunday, August 15th, when we’ll randomly select one winner from all the participants.  This lucky winner will receive a $25 Blockbuster gift card.  Click here for all the details. 

Good luck!

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SURPRISE, it's our trailer and a month of contests!

Posted August 2, 2010 - 12:01am by Death Cat

At long last, it’s finally here – the premiere of the Saying Goodbye trailer!

Extra special thanks to Fred Story and his team at Concentrix for the poignant musical score. It really sets the mood, and this sneak peek (uhh… listen?) makes us even more eager to start the film’s scoring process in September.

To celebrate the trailer’s debut (and to help promote it), we ran contests throughout the month of August. Each week we featured a new contest with groovy prizes. We had fun with the contests and are sad they are over - find out how they turned out on our blog.

As part of all the trailer excitement, we also entered the Saying Goodbye trailer in the International Movie Trailer Contest. If you have a spare moment, we'd be very grateful if you voted for us.  Click here, then type saying goodbye in the Title search box and hit Enter. Our trailer should appear and then you can vote for it.  Thank you!

So, what do you think of the trailer? Click on the comments and let us know.

 

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Saying Goodbye to Lou Kaplan

Posted July 7, 2010 - 5:55pm by Death Cat

On July 6th, Columbia lost beloved actor Lou Kaplan.  Lou was the star of one of our favorite scenes in the screenplay: when a man with a walker encounters Gabriel and backs up crossing himself.  Lou played the scene with the perfect amount of fear with undercurrents of comedy that we imagined when we wrote it.  Unfortunately, due to timing issues, we had to cut the scene, but our production was better off for having Lou on set.

He brought with him a joy and enthusiasm that perked all of us up after several long days of shooting.  It was hard to believe he was 95 years old since his energy put the rest of us young whippersnappers to shame.  Because he shared his scene with the contrary cat, he had to repeat his takes many times, but he met it all with good humor as can be seen in this funny behind-the-scenes interview with him.

May his wit and zeal for life be an inspiration for all of us.  Our condolences go out to Lou’s family and friends.

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We’re baaaack!

Posted June 25, 2010 - 11:04pm by Death Cat

Birthday bash at AgapeThe one consistent piece of feedback we’ve received from test viewers is that the time jumps are confusing.  So we decided to go back to Agapé and film more scenes of life around the home as transitions to give the feel of time moving forward.  And fortunately for us, Agapé welcomed us back with open arms, so we must not have traumatized them too badly last time.

Today we assembled a small, but mighty team (thanks Cliff, Lamar, Sherard, John, and Chris!) and headed back to Agapé in the blistering heat (always a fun time to be toting heavy filming equipment).  There we met with Cynthia Scherbaty and Amy McCormack.  Last time we were there, Cynthia exhibited superpowers in helping us get extras in the scenes.  This time she and Amy blew us away with their awesomeness.  We just hope that when we reach our golden years, we are fortunate enough to have people as caring and enthusiastic as Cynthia and Amy in our lives.

It was a lucky day to be at Agapé, since the men were having their annual summer cookout.  We got to join the party and film some of it as one of the transition shots.  Today also happened to be the day of the June birthday bash (including a lady who was turning 101!!), which was a perfect activity to shoot.  The bright balloons and decorations will look great on screen, and a birthday celebration is a terrific way to show the passage of time. 

The third scene was one Cynthia and Amy set up especially for us – BINGO!  Since seniors love their bingo, we just had to have a bingo scene in a movie set at a retirement home.  We picked an adorable lady to get bingo, and as we filmed the scene several times with her winning again and again, one joker in the crowd shouted out that he wanted her bingo card.  Once we finished, we got out of their way and let them play for real – they take their bingo very seriously.

It was a fun day of filming.  We got some excellent shots (including a nighttime shot of the exterior of the facility), and it was great to see the residents and staff members again.  They even fed us another delicious lunch and “forced” us to eat cake and ice cream.  Thank you for having us back, Agapé!

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The Peek Has Been Sneaked

Posted June 2, 2010 - 10:57pm by Death Cat

“Wonderful! Heartfelt! Well scripted and acted! My heart is touched and mind flooded with memories!!”  “Emotional but has a healing spirit.”  “I would tell everyone to see it – bring tissues.” 

These are just a few of the comments we got tonight that brought giant goofy grins to our faces. 

Tonight’s screening of the SC Production Fund films was a definite success.  The auditorium was packed, and it was gratifying to see so many people supporting local filmmakers.  And it was great for us to get the chance to see some of the previous films produced due to this amazing grant.  It's interesting that even though all three films tonight were very different, they were all inspired by true stories and ended on hopeful notes. 

Saying Goodbye was the middle film shown.  We made sure everyone knew it was a work in progress and asked for volunteers to fill out feedback forms.  After the credits rolled, we exchanged nervous glances, because no one clapped at first, and it sounded kind of ragged even after the applause finally started.  But once the lights came back on, we saw that everyone was busy sniffling and wiping their eyes.  Mission accomplished!

We then shared with the audience a little about where the story came from and some anecdotes about the ornery cats and filming at Agapé.  We also answered a few questions from the audience.  It was a nice way to ease into some of the things we’ll have to do once we hit the film festival circuit.

Saying Goodbye's poker sceneAt the end of the evening, many people came up to tell us how touching and moving they found the film.  And it’s official, the strip poker scene is the clear favorite – everyone mentioned how funny it was.  Wonder how much it would cost to have Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” playing in the background?

We then read through the feedback forms people turned in and the comments were so positive and encouraging.  The best news is that 100% of the people said they would definitely recommend the movie to a friend!  In our first focus group, only 40% said they would definitely recommend to a friend, so we now feel really confident about this version of the edit.

The feedback does show there is still some confusion about the time jumps and flashbacks, so we still need to tweak a few things, but we’re definitely getting closer to picture lock.  Thank you so much to all of the audience members who took the time to offer comments and feedback.  Every little bit helps us make the movie stronger.  And on that note, here’s our favorite comment from the evening, since it’s exactly what we set out to do and we’re thrilled that people are responding to our work:

“It was a thoughtful, sensitive, humorous, and wonderful portrayal of a difficult subject – the reality of aging and end of life issues we all face.”
 

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Sneak Peek

Posted May 25, 2010 - 5:23pm by Death Cat

Attention fans in the Charleston area!!  You can watch a “rough draft” of Saying Goodbye on June 2nd.

Charleston County Public LibraryThe South Carolina Film Commission has arranged for a free screening of the films financed by the SC Production Fund as part of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival.  Although Saying Goodbye is still a work in progress, our film will be part of the program on Wednesday, June 2nd along with Song of Pumpkin Brown and The Cannon Street Boys.  If you are a fan of local films, you can also go on June 3rd to see Appalachian Dreams and The Four Children Of Tander Welch, which was produced by our 2nd AD Matthew Sefick.  On both nights the screenings start at 6:00 (changed from 5:30) at the Charleston County Public Library.  

Keep in mind, our film is still a work in progress, so it’s a little rough.  We haven’t done audio mix or color correction or those other tweaks that go into making a movie look seamless.  Also, we don’t have our original score in yet.  We have a few places with canned music so the whole thing isn’t eerily silent, but this is not the music that will be in the final version.

We’d love to have y’all come take a look and tell us what you think.  We will most likely grab people we recognize and ask them to participate in a focus group after the screening, so be prepared to play movie critic. 

And don’t worry if you can’t make it, we still plan to have a fancy premier in Charleston once the film is officially complete.  

Click here for details about the screening.  Hope to see you there!

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Snip! Cut! Chop!

Posted May 23, 2010 - 8:35pm by Death Cat

Roberta MunroeOur movie is shrinking!  The original cut was about twenty-five minutes, but after the feedback from our focus group, we made some drastic edits to bring it in at just over twenty minutes.  However, the prevailing wisdom about film festivals says we still really needed to lose another five minutes to have the best chance at succeeding on the festival circuit.  But at this point, we are so immersed in the movie that it’s tough to be objective about what needs to stay and what would be best left on the cutting room floor.  So we decided it was time to bring in the big guns.  

 
Roberta Munroe (right) has years of experience as a filmmaker and festival programmer, including five years programming short films at The Sundance Film Festival.  To have her sage advice on our film as a story consultant pretty much makes us giddy.  Although now we’re wishing we’d read her book How NOT To Make A Short Film: Secrets from a Sundance Programmer before we filmed our movie.
 
We also brought on Ann Collins as an editing consultant.  She has more than twenty years of experience and edited several documentaries that premiered at Sundance, including Sound and Fury, which was also nominated for an Academy Award.  We knew her keen eye would help us make the edit as smooth and tight as possible.
 
The nausea returned as we waited for these experts to view our film, and we braced ourselves for the worst before our conference call with each consultant.  Fortunately, both Roberta and Ann were fantastic to talk to – they were kindly honest about the things that weren’t working and enthusiastic about the things that did work. And underneath it all, their passion for filmmaking was apparent.  Our conversations with them left us with the feeling that with some tweaking, we would have something special on our hands.  
 
So we spent this weekend trying to reconcile the advice we had received from both Roberta and Ann along with our own gut feelings about what we felt needed to be onscreen, and then we started editing.  There were some very tough moments where we had to cut scenes that looked really pretty or scenes that took forever to get the cat to cooperate or (most distressing of all) scenes with some of our favorite supporting characters.  But we knew it was all in service to the strongest story possible, so we gritted our teeth and pressed delete.
 
After the cutting frenzy was over, we had shaved another four and a half minutes from the film.  And as painful as some of those cuts were, we know our movie is now better for it.  Thank you Roberta and Ann for your guidance!