Slow and Steady

When we began shooting "Ranchero" I was concerned about the many difficulties of production. There were many (an entry for another time) but all things considered we got through virtually unscathed. Due to our lack of resources, I knew that post would be a long and arduous process. It was and is. We are still doing sound tweeks. But the one aspect that ignorantly worried me least was distribution. Make a good movie and the rest will take care of itself. I don't think that could be further from the truth.

From getting into festivals to gaining the interest of producer's reps, I liken the marketing of a film to doing a Rubix cube blindfolded. Not that guidance doesn't exist. There is a great book out there by Laura Kim, once of Warner Independent, titled "Waking Up Screening." It is chalk full of strategies on what to do with your film once you've completed it. But regardless of how accurate or inciteful the information, your project will always be at the mercy of business concerns, timing, and personal taste. Conventional wisdom dictates that you must have two bankable names to sell an independent movie. But I could go on for days listing successful films that don't. I have been told several times by people of note in the independent world that "Ranchero" would have sold great five years ago. Huh? Anyone with a time machine? And finally there is the subjective element. "Ranchero" has been received positively by nearly all that have viewed it. However, we have failed to make any of the top notch festivals. Who knows? I certainly don't.

Since my last post we were rejected by the festival in North Carolina, but still awaiting word from those in Texas and New York. Also, a fine article about me and the movie appears in the October issue of 944 magazine. You can view it online, page 70 of the Orange County edition.

That's it for now. I'll be back.

Brian