Written by: Katherine “Ringleader” Imp
When you take on a project that takes over three years to complete, you have to continually remind yourself why you’re doing it. This is especially important when self-financing a film because money is constantly moving out of the bank account rather than in. And statistics show that most films never actually move out of the red–even ones that you see in mainstream theaters!
If you want to make money, you write a book or create a website or provide a skill. You don’t make movies. So why not cut my losses, burn Beauty Beneath the Dirt into a DVD, and shelf it?
Here’s a summary of the last three weeks of my life:
Sunday, May 13: Wake up. Cut flyers. Call mom. Hang flyers in my neighborhood. Drive to Portage Theater, hang flyers there. Give 24×36 posters to manager to hang on wall. Find hipster, outdoorsy, and artsy neighbors and continue to hang flyers. Talk to people along the way about the film, hiking the Appalachian Trail, adventure, life generally. Watch Survivor Season Finale with friends while eating deep dish Giordano’s pizza.
Monday, May 14: My assistant reminds me that I should hang a flyer at REI. After work I go to REI to give them the flyer in person. The manager says he’ll hang a flyer in the community room after the Chicago Backpackers Meetup is done. I immediately dash over to the Meetup just in time for the transition from community room to bar. I drink beer, mingle, pass out flyers, and work with the organizers to create a Meetup event for the screening on June 5. I also shoot around ideas with the organizer for Chicago Thru-Hike Backpackers Meetup group who happens to be there. Next thing you know I’m an organizer too.
Wednesday, May 16: Bran flies in from San Francisco; I pick up Giordano’s on the way home. We drink beer, eat pizza, and organize the 30 boxes of sponsor food/gear in my living room.
Friday, May 17: Made it to Trail Days after sleeping in the parking lot of a Hampton Inn and bathing in the sink of a McDonalds in middle-of-nowhere Virginia. We find Topher (our music composer from Philly), Josh (a thru-hiking friend from Delaware), and Sean (a high school friend now living in VA). We take off our shoes and eat pulled pork and funnel cake in the grass while listening to live music on the stage nearby. We exchange stories.
Saturday, May 18: I spend the entire day talking to people that saw the film on Friday. We talk about hiking and relationships and dreams. I listen to the older folks that want to give me guidance, and I spend time with the younger crowd that is looking for guidance from me. We screen the film again, and people laugh where we hoped they would laugh.
May 21 – May 25: I spend my mornings talking with people in Fredericksburg, Chambersburg, Boiling Springs, Monson, Wytheville, Unionville, and Williamstown. I negotiate contracts, find locals that want to help advertise, and talk about the trail or town politics or moviemaking or being young. I stay late every night at the office to get my legal work done; I find the quietness of the office extremely peaceful.
May 28 – June 1: I work over the holiday to make up for the time I know I’ll lose this week doing press for the Chicago screening. I attend a Chicago Filmmakers networking event and a CouchSurfing Meetup. I drink, laugh, make new friends, and pass out flyers. I show up at three radio interviews with Vocalo, Nick D, and Frank Fontana. I have fun thinking on my feet and talking about my favorite things. I pass off national & South Jersey media to my co-producer, ask Topher if he’d like to open some of the screenings with a live performance, thank Heather for keeping the website up-to-date, and provide emotional support for my brother as he drives to Hiawassee, GA for the start of the tour. I Google Beauty Beneath the Dirt and find press from over 40 different towns in the country. I think about the number of people whose lives I’ve touched, and we’ve only just begun to show the film. I smile.
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If you’re new to the entertainment business, it’s realllly hard to break in. You can’t just call Oprah and ask her to show your film on OWN. You can’t just ask a radio station to “play my jam.” But that doesn’t mean you have to shelf your dream. You just have to think outside the box, find people that believe in your message, and never give up.
G2M Tour. University Tour. Kickstarter Campaign. This is going to be a good year.
Never give up indeed! Keep it up – the radio will play your jam eventually. Mine too