Conquering McAllen

Well, maybe "conquering" is a little dramatic, but the screening went very well. 95% of those in attendance rated the film "great" or "good." The other 5% called it "average." Now I wish I could say we had an audience of 500, but unfortunately we only had 60. I guess it's better than 20.

I think a lot was learned by our trip to McAllen. Most importantly is my increased faith in how well the film plays. Rich and I have always felt that "Ranchero" would be an audience favorite. As more people view the movie, that opinion is validated. The positive feedback has inspired me to create more opportunities for people to see the film.

It's always difficult to attract an audience for independent film. This is especially true in South Texas. Dave Silva did a tremendous job arranging the theater and bringing in the people we had. For future screenings I'll want to hit the ground earlier. Dave, Roger (lead actor Roger Gutierrez) and I got to town the day before. Next time I'd like at least three days to pass out fliers, do interviews, etc. We received excellent coverage by NBC affiliate KVEO out of Brownsville. Unfortunately, the story didn't air until 5:00pm the night of the screening; hardly enough time to put butts in the seats.

In addition to attendance, screening format was a challenge. In my limited research of screening venues, I've found it difficult to find locations that are HD compatible. For those who are non-technical (like myself) it's hard to find places that have professional broadcast equipment capable of showing high-definition video. We were relegated to showing a standard DVD of the movie. Does this effect the viewers enjoyment of the film? Who knows. However, it does lower the perceived "production value" and takes away from the vision the director Rich and cinematographer Mike Bratowski had intended. For me, a lot of work and cost was put in to attaining the high visual elements the film has. We shot on 35mm film and had state-of-the-art color correction. It's disappointing to see the image degraded because of techinical limitations. Our choice is to either rent high-end equipment, or just live with it.

After returning from the trip and getting past the stress of the screening, I realized how enjoyable it was to be out on the road with the movie. Sharing your work with an audience is what it is truly all about. To impact people mentally and emotionally is why filmmakers do what they do. I wish Rich had been there to hear the comments, see the smiles, and experienc the full result of his work. I can't wait to do it again.

More soon,

Brian