The most common song sung throughout cineland the past few years is how"excessively difficult it is to get an Indie resourced and released in this climate." Ask anyone, two decades thick into Indie and you'll hear, long-ago-era-of-abundance stories.
Putting us, up and coming filmmakers at an anemic crossroads of [what once was] and [what isn't, just yet].
People often react to members of our production team as if we're aiming to build the Taj Mahal upon three melting icicles and a strand of retrofitted dental floss. Since hearing countless experiences on forty layers of nonconventional choices from our IFP fore-filmmakers and peers all last week, I now feel a buoyant sense of one [single] buck solid absolute.
I am absolutely, to the core certain that the old rules forever drummed into celluloid's "how to" lexicon, no longer dictate a film's platform or shelf life. The paradigm of yester-decade is not today's rule. More excitingly, this very second in time, there-are-no-rules! How rejuvenating, to be walking within the precise moment where a shifting industry, has yet to take shape. The worldwide web has miraculously leveled the playing field, decimated the platinum curtain and reinstated the long lost nectar of an almost deceased term; I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T.
YELLING TO THE SKY is jumping off in a time where there's no playbook. There's no sole structure, fold out, process, formality or convention to define film or to exhibit media.
For every one of grandcinema's decaying "must", there are twenty-two thousand present day, counter success hymns.
It is the wild wild East, and as such the only viable requirement for flight, is a willingness to play.
Not play along, not play by ideas, not play accordingly or fitfully. Just schoolyard-proper, sleeves up, love of the game "play".
That ripe smashing of old law, is taking shape as my entire team and I, continue walking thru post. As Billy and I, proceed to pick sales agents, navigate our launch, seek support and more crucially as we demand visibility.
(I'm sitting on a plane next to BIlly Mulligan, my producing partner; Billy, what's the strongest component you are leaving the lab with?
BM: At my fingertips, I feel empowered by the knowledge that was bestowed upon us. In the more micro sense, I can't stop thinking through what we learned about the ever growing and expanding opportunities for distribution and how the distribution landscape is changing at such a fast pace. I am surprised at how much, theoretically, I am embracing it.)
During such a crucial stage of our film's maturation, it's impossible for he and I, to sum up all the moving parts of this lab experience. To have the IFP team roll out point by point discussions on every single tiered aspect of post production is the filmmaking equivalent of Wonka's golden ticket. Entry in this case, seems based upon a healthy ratio of talent, discipline, sacrifice and isolation.
It's not possible to cohesively sling consonants, vowels and syllables into quantifiable expression; mirroring the density per battle, per month, per week, per day.
How do we t h a n k y o u; Amy Dotson, Scott Macauley, Rose Vincelli, Susan Stover, Tricia Cooke, the hourly speakers, the year long staff, the fellows, past and present...
How do we "self starters" thank you insightful few, for generously offering a post-pro home with which we may f i n i s h.
-Victoria Mahoney
