When Doubts Set In - Self Distribution is Sales.

(Day T-5 Count Down to Worldwide Theatrical Premiere on April 23!)

More people have told me they plan to come to the screening than have purchased tickets. We still have over 100 tickets to sell. I'm a creator, not a sales person, and this movie needs some favor.

Judi and I have plastered the town, within our budget. We've displayed the movie in about 60 establishments, some broad appeal, some more targeted to the movie. If each leads to 3 sales, we're golden, but they haven't yet. 

The mainstream news hasn't caught the buzz yet. Where else can I promote? I stopped at an art show and talked to the PBS news station that had a tent, so I'll pitch them tomorrow. There's so much to do, with an army of two, and gum on my shoe. Can I boost my confidence with Dr Seuss rhymes? Where's my copy of "Oh the Places You'll go?"

So, what do you all do when doubts set in? When you've poured hundreds of hours into a speculation and you have no idea if it will pay off, but you stubbornly believe in it. And it's next Tuesday!

People are starting to believe in it.

Yesterday, I got our first official Rotten Tomatoes review. Martin Carr believes in Vengeance Trail.

Tonight, I was interviewed by Karla Lewis for half an hour on her "Couch Convo with Coach Karla" on SPV TV Show. I've never done that. Thirty minutes is a long time to not scratch my nose, not clear my dry throat rudely, not get too tangled up in um's and uh's. Karla believes in Vengeance Trail.

It's easy to let a herculean effort like this become my source of significance. Don't let anything become an idol. I believe I'm doing the right thing, even if it's only to try make the investors some more return. I believe I am called to make movies, and movies are expensive to make, so this artist must learn how to feed himself and many others.

And I'm not doing this alone. But it is a walk of faith.

Ian Max

Loyal Friends Are Essential!

(Day T-10 Count Down to Worldwide Theatrical Premiere on April 23!)

Recently, I've enjoyed getting to know an actress, writer, and singer, Judi Stiner Gray, and she has offered to help me with the Vengeance Trail theatrical premiere -- twice. The second time, she made herself clear; "I'm volunteering. How can I help?" Wow, it's great to not be alone in marketing this screening. Thank you, Judi, for reaching out. The screening theater is near her house, so today she started displaying Vengeance Trail posters in her area:

• 2 Starbucks.
• 2 Paneras.
• Wings 901.
• Cordova Farmer's Market International.

Meanwhile, I got permission to post at the Agricenter Farmer's Market, then I went to the Bill Pickett Rodeo. Well, I stood outside the walkway with my posters, greeted everyone with a warm "Howdy," and asked who likes Western movies. I was surprised: only about a third of the carloads expressed interest, about 1 in 10. individuals Some people even expressed dislike for Westerns, so I wished them a happy rodeo. Two people said they used to watch them with their grandpa. But quite a few would stop and chat and take a picture of the poster. One guy, in fact, has always wanted to be an actor but was taking care of his father, and he was so excited and encouraged to meet someone in the movie business. I've connected him to the local acting school and all the Memphis networking groups on Facebook.

I've been in Memphis almost two years and made huge efforts to network in the film industry here and be a good citizen by giving back and creating opportunities. In fact, last night and tonight, a local student film shot in my house. I love this town and the creative hustlers all around. It's great to be making loyal friends here.

Ian Max

Excitement Brews as Memphis Gets Plastered with Vengeance Trail Posters!

(Day 11 Counting Down to Memphis Premiere on April 23!)

The last few days, I have been busy asking establishments if they have a classifieds section for displaying local events. I've had a mostly positive reception and some very enthusiastic; "I love Westerns" and "I'm absolutely coming to this [screening]." Very encouraging!

I've been plastering the poster at various venues. Some have obvious cork boards for local events. Others surprised me by taping a double sided poster to their front glass.  You can't assume, you just have to ask.

No one mentioned the guns on the poster, but I learned that if the guns aren't pointing at anyone it's more okay. And this is Memphis where everyone seems to have a gun. I was told today that the difference in gun laws between Tennessee and California are "night and day." In Los Angeles, we worried that other parents or teachers wouldn't approve of our kids playing with Nerf guns, and Getty Images wouldn't approve footage from my "Nerf for Noobs" short film, when my DP tried to sell the footage.

Yesterday's successes:

• 1 out of 4 mom-and-pop coffee shops. The chains don't have a classified section.
• 2 out of 2 public libraries. Admin had to approve.
• 2 out of 3 bars or breweries. One owner doesn't like fliers and posters.
• 2 out of 2 pizza joints.
• 1 running shoe company.
• 1 video rental store with 30K movie archive. They didn't have the DVD so I gave them one.
• 1 out of 2 guns and ammo stores displayed the poster, but much interest from employees.
• 1 playhouse and 1 ballet company.

Today, I spread out south, including just across the border into Mississippi.

• 4 Western clothing stores.
• 1 film gear rental company.
• 1 Army surplus store.
• 2 Gun stores.

The last store I found by accident, actually a gun repair shop. We got to chatting for a long time because these guys were Navy vets and SASS (single action shooting society) shooters, and they knew all about chain guns, gatling guns and howitzers. My experience was from working as a special effects assistant on The Last Samurai and We Were Soldiers. Then I learned that one of the men worked as an extra on Andersonville. I earned my SAG card on that movie in 1993 after 51 days as an extra. Man, did we have memories to share. Set life!

And, I learned about the Bill Pickett Rodeo tomorrow at the Memphis Agricenter, 10 miles from me!

Ian Max

How to Officially Get on Rotten Tomatoes! 

(Day 12 Counting Down to Memphis Premiere on April 23!)

It's a scary thing, going public. One thing I've learned about self-distribution is to make sure your movie is discoverable online. It's been on IMDb for a minute, lol. Where else do you expect to see movies?

Rotten Tomatoes requires 5 approved critics to review your movie!

Outside of cast and crew, family and a few neighbors, no one that I know has seen the movie. People have been impressed by the trailer, but that's putting the best foot forward. Now that I'm going all-in on a public screening, I don't want to disappoint. That day is fast approaching, on April 23.

Maybe that's why it's so important to do table reads with a screenplay, to start interacting with an audience. 

So, I went through the movie one last time, to fix some audio and color issues I've noticed. And I've just paid two critics to review Vengeance Trail, the best version I am able to release. Can't wait to share their reviews, and find 3 more critics.

To do:

• Continue plastering the town with posters. I'll be driving 100+ miles today.
• Figure out a Press Release on a budget.
• Iron out last minute details for the big event.

Ian Max

20 Days of Vengeance Trail - Countdown to Memphis Premiere on April 23!

Today, I created a 300dpi 11"x17" poster for the event, and sent it to 901 Print Shop, which was recommended by Rex Oatis of OTS Films who's been advising me generously. Rates were 50 for $100 and 100 for $160. I decided to print 100 and if I don't use them all, I can cut out the middle image and have a smaller poster to giveaway, or maybe sell, at the screening. 

I had hoped to accomplish more today, but I had several meetings that ran long. It is enough for one day.

Ian Max

P.S. Part of the reason I'm posting names and places is, to give others a starting point but also to create an FAQ so that on my next movie I can pay someone to go through this blog and do it better. If it's helpful to you, I'd love to hear.

21 Days of Vengeance Trail - Countdown to Memphis Premiere on April 23!

Today, I reached out to all the Memphis news sources I could find with the search "submit story to Memphis news":

• ABC-24 
• ActionNews-5
• WREG
• We Are Memphis
• Fox-13 News - responded
• Memphis Metro News
• Happening Next: Memphis - paid $5 for story placement

Now, I'm working on some movie notes for one more pass on my edit, mostly lip sync issues that I missed, so I can submit Vengeance Trail for review to Film Threat. They have rates from Zero to $500. I'm going with the $100 option.

The nice thing about Film Threat is they are approved by Rotten Tomatoes, which requires 5 approved reviews before they post your movie. Here's the list of critics approved by Rotten Tomatoes.

Anyone have any suggestions on movie critics that love scrappy indies?

Tomorrow: I've got to get posters printed and into a few select stores around town. I'm thinking of giving a free ticket or pair of tickets for each storefront that lets me place a poster for a couple weeks. Thoughts? I'll be posting my results so we can all learn.

Then, I'd like to start posting bios of the cast and crew. Stay tuned!

Ian Max

Are Billboards Still Valid? - Indie Film Advertising

First time for everything. I noticed a digital billboard near my house that said BLIP, so I looked it up. Blip Billboards sells freeway billboard space by the moment with a self-service model. And since I'm sharing the space with many other advertisers, the costs are super reasonable compared to committing to a billboard 24/7 for a month. 

I created an ad for Vengeance Trail, to start building awareness in my hometown for a theatrical screening at the end of Summer. I signed up to spend $20 per day and yesterday was my first day.

Each impression lasts 8 seconds and I got 117 blips. The billboard I chose is at the corner of two interstates. The goal is to get people to remember VengeanceTrail.com

Here are some more analytics:

The proof will be when I get a sale from someone who's not on my friends and family network.

I'm experimenting with Twitter and Facebook (Meta) ads as well, but the learning curve is steeper. Anyone have any experience? For the first while, I will be spending all my pre sales on grassroots advertising until sales take off.

Ian Max