Sunday, October 24, 2004
The Red Sox are leading in game 2 of the World Series 4-1 in the 6th inning.
It looks like yet another week is going to pass without the final editing being completed.
I’ve been working solo on the editing for the past few days until my editor, Jason, can take a break from his other documentary project. One more session this week should finish this edit.
On Friday I helped out Jason with a screening of his other documentary at the Human Rights Film Festival in Los Angeles. I was interviewed for a web radio station about Missing, Presumed Dead. The interview should be webcast on KillRadio.org’s “Talk Is Still Cheap” program within the next few weeks.
As I was saying in the last blog entry, this film is considered a “hard sell” by the Hollywood community who I have to rely on to bring this film to the public via major media outlets such as Discovery Channel, A&E, etc.
I’m reluctant to say the History Channel because I don’t want to pigeonhole this film as an historic film. This story is not only current but there is an urgency in it being told. If there are POWs still being held in N. Korea time is of the essence as these men are now in their 70s.
I asked Steve Nemeth at Rhino Films just what makes this film “a hard sell.” He said that the film doesn’t pit one group against another, like how Michael Moore rallies liberal against conservatives – it doesn’t make one group angry with another.
Maybe that’s the level political documentaries have succumbed to. Yet, I don’t consider this a political film. At least it doesn’t pit conservatives against liberals. There’s blame to go around to both political camps for the POW situation.
It’s clear to me from several work-in-progress screenings I’ve held of the film over the past year that the audience experiences feelings of anger over our government’s actions and non-action in the POW issue.
Hollywood always underestimates its audience. Since they can’t put a face on the antagonist of this story (preferably President Bush) they don’t think the audience can “root” for this film.
I think another problem Hollywood has in backing the film is that it lacks “entertainment value” for Hollywood to stake an interest in it. There isn’t the visual stimulation of action sequences or an interviewer who relentlessly stalks his interviewees hoping to catch them off-guard
Missing, Presumed Dead, is essentially a “talking head” documentary. The story is compelling but the visuals may not be. Hollywood doesn’t believe an audience can be captivated by merely a captivating story. It also needs captivating screen images. Of course, the audience doesn’t know that. They’re captivated by the story with the visual stimulation that Hollywood is convinced they need. The irony is, that with all its research and observation, Hollywood still doesn’t know its audience.
In coming blog entries I’ll recap some of the highlights since June including the annual meeting of the National Alliance of Families in Washington, DC where I was flying to while writing the last entry before this current series of blog entries.
In my next entry I’ll talk about my correspondence with Village Voice writer, Sydney Schanberg who wrote a cover story on Sen. John Kerry’s mishandling of the 1992 Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs.
Boston is now up 6-1 in the 7th.
Update: The BoSox have won game 2.
It looks like yet another week is going to pass without the final editing being completed.
I’ve been working solo on the editing for the past few days until my editor, Jason, can take a break from his other documentary project. One more session this week should finish this edit.
On Friday I helped out Jason with a screening of his other documentary at the Human Rights Film Festival in Los Angeles. I was interviewed for a web radio station about Missing, Presumed Dead. The interview should be webcast on KillRadio.org’s “Talk Is Still Cheap” program within the next few weeks.
As I was saying in the last blog entry, this film is considered a “hard sell” by the Hollywood community who I have to rely on to bring this film to the public via major media outlets such as Discovery Channel, A&E, etc.
I’m reluctant to say the History Channel because I don’t want to pigeonhole this film as an historic film. This story is not only current but there is an urgency in it being told. If there are POWs still being held in N. Korea time is of the essence as these men are now in their 70s.
I asked Steve Nemeth at Rhino Films just what makes this film “a hard sell.” He said that the film doesn’t pit one group against another, like how Michael Moore rallies liberal against conservatives – it doesn’t make one group angry with another.
Maybe that’s the level political documentaries have succumbed to. Yet, I don’t consider this a political film. At least it doesn’t pit conservatives against liberals. There’s blame to go around to both political camps for the POW situation.
It’s clear to me from several work-in-progress screenings I’ve held of the film over the past year that the audience experiences feelings of anger over our government’s actions and non-action in the POW issue.
Hollywood always underestimates its audience. Since they can’t put a face on the antagonist of this story (preferably President Bush) they don’t think the audience can “root” for this film.
I think another problem Hollywood has in backing the film is that it lacks “entertainment value” for Hollywood to stake an interest in it. There isn’t the visual stimulation of action sequences or an interviewer who relentlessly stalks his interviewees hoping to catch them off-guard
Missing, Presumed Dead, is essentially a “talking head” documentary. The story is compelling but the visuals may not be. Hollywood doesn’t believe an audience can be captivated by merely a captivating story. It also needs captivating screen images. Of course, the audience doesn’t know that. They’re captivated by the story with the visual stimulation that Hollywood is convinced they need. The irony is, that with all its research and observation, Hollywood still doesn’t know its audience.
In coming blog entries I’ll recap some of the highlights since June including the annual meeting of the National Alliance of Families in Washington, DC where I was flying to while writing the last entry before this current series of blog entries.
In my next entry I’ll talk about my correspondence with Village Voice writer, Sydney Schanberg who wrote a cover story on Sen. John Kerry’s mishandling of the 1992 Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs.
Boston is now up 6-1 in the 7th.
Update: The BoSox have won game 2.
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
There's a monsoon rain in LA tonight and it's a good night to edit into the small hours.
As I get to the end of this editing process I scramble to put back more footage into the film that was taken out to reducer the running time of the film for a one-hour TV slot. Udy Epstein, our Executive Producer at Seventh Art Releasing was very helpful in getting the film down to around 50 minutes (a one-hour TV program requires the run time to be around 48 minutes.)
This version which will be on the DVD is essentially my "director's cut" since it will not be distributed by Seventh Art but rather by Hygienic Filmwerks (and Bill Dumas Productions.) Later, I will also edit a theatrical version with a run time of about 80 minutes. This will be used for any festivals that require a longer version.
As I said in the last posting, I've had great responses at small group screenings recently and a couple of large screenings earlier in the year. This makes if difficult to accept the non-interest in the film with film festivals and media outlets that Seventh Art has been showing the film to. Word is, "It's a hard sell."
I understand that comment but have difficulty articulating it. So I asked Steve Nemeth, who runs Rhino Films, just what that means and why he thinks this film will have a difficult time finding a traditional market.
I'll talk about that in my next entry and also talk about the fabulous reception the film received in Washington, DC at the National Alliance of Families annual meeting.
For now, it's back to editing.
As I get to the end of this editing process I scramble to put back more footage into the film that was taken out to reducer the running time of the film for a one-hour TV slot. Udy Epstein, our Executive Producer at Seventh Art Releasing was very helpful in getting the film down to around 50 minutes (a one-hour TV program requires the run time to be around 48 minutes.)
This version which will be on the DVD is essentially my "director's cut" since it will not be distributed by Seventh Art but rather by Hygienic Filmwerks (and Bill Dumas Productions.) Later, I will also edit a theatrical version with a run time of about 80 minutes. This will be used for any festivals that require a longer version.
As I said in the last posting, I've had great responses at small group screenings recently and a couple of large screenings earlier in the year. This makes if difficult to accept the non-interest in the film with film festivals and media outlets that Seventh Art has been showing the film to. Word is, "It's a hard sell."
I understand that comment but have difficulty articulating it. So I asked Steve Nemeth, who runs Rhino Films, just what that means and why he thinks this film will have a difficult time finding a traditional market.
I'll talk about that in my next entry and also talk about the fabulous reception the film received in Washington, DC at the National Alliance of Families annual meeting.
For now, it's back to editing.
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
I've not been a good blogger as I haven't been here to post since last June. Since it's now after 2 a.m. in Pasadena after a long day of editing with my editor, Jason Stelzel, I can only spend a moment here today but I'm hoping this will be the beginning of regular postings.
We are on the verge of finally finishing the POW documentary. Hopefully one or two more editing sessions and then we'll begin the process of mastering the DVD, creating the cover artwork and sending it all off to be duplicated.
I've had a few private screenings of the film with groups of friends over the past month and the response has been very good. Also received good comments which we are incorporating into the final version.
In subsequent blogs I'll try to recap the highlights of the past few months.
We are on the verge of finally finishing the POW documentary. Hopefully one or two more editing sessions and then we'll begin the process of mastering the DVD, creating the cover artwork and sending it all off to be duplicated.
I've had a few private screenings of the film with groups of friends over the past month and the response has been very good. Also received good comments which we are incorporating into the final version.
In subsequent blogs I'll try to recap the highlights of the past few months.
