What I Learned From a Movie Premiere Last Night.

(Day T-8 Count Down to Worldwide Theatrical Premiere on April 23!)

Last night I attended a Memphis born and raised (by On Location: Memphis) short film "5th Step." The 5th Step refers to the Confession Step in the 12 Step Alcoholics Anonymous Program. Without giving it away, Angela Green created a lot of mystery and twists with the theme of confession. And it had solid acting and production value. For a micro-budget with strategic plans of growing Memphis as a film production hub, and a sold out attendance, I continue to enjoy transplanting to Memphis and seek to help the city succeed!

Angela graciously sold me promo space before the movie, which you can see here. I was especially excited for the audience enthusiasm for Vengeance Trail.

VIP EXPERIENCE

The premiere for "5th Step" had two tiers of tickets, General Admission was $20 but included a popcorn and fountain drink and the Q&A after the screening. For $45, VIPs got photographs on the red carpet, wine and cheese with a violinist, and a private mingle with the stars and filmmakers in the theater before the doors opened for General Admission. There was certainly enthusiasm from locals to sell out this VIP experience.

However, another premiere screening I went to, for the movie CRAPS, everyone got to mingle together inside the theater. I think there was a VIP experience, but I don't know the particulars. 

For Vengeance Trail's worldwide theatrical premiere next week, I'm treating everyone the same, but they have to purchase their own food and drink from concessions. We will have the red carpet experience, a cellist creating mood music, t-shirts for sale, Q&A with two actors and two producers. And prizes for best Wild West costume!

The primary goal for the screening in 8 days is to create a full house, enthusiastic environment to capture the energy of the crowd and their responses to the movie for marketing. So much to do, and so many tickets to sell.

MEMPHIS MEMPHIS MEMPHIS 

At last night's premier, I also got to interact with Linn Sitler and Sharon Fox O-Guin of the Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission. I asked them for advice about getting the press to come to my screening. They asked me a very important question; "Was it shot in Memphis?" Ahh, I get it! Memphis is fiercely loyal and they support their own. What makes my movie premiere interesting, outside the friends I've made here and Westerns fans? Well, I live here now, so that makes me a Memphian. It's also the reason I'm hosting the first theatrical exhibition here. 

Wait a minute! I've neglected the most interesting detail for local Memphians: the premiere is a first, and I chose Memphis, so let's celebrate! Next Tuesday, April 23 will be the...

WORLDWIDE THEATRICAL PREMIERE of Vengeance Trail, in MEMPHIS!

I'm adjusting all the materials, writing a press release with this important detail, and resubmitting the new story to all the press that ignored it first round. Excited and energized, and a little frazzled!

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

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

It's Good Friday, so I'm going to take a break to spend time with the in-laws. 

Here's a segment of a videos I made for a Vengeance Trail Crowdfundr campaign last year:

Today, I did get some good feedback on some technical issues in the movie. And guess what? It's on my hard drive so I can fix it and re-upload on Vimeo, and the movie will be even better when it's projected on April 23. 

Ah, the life of an indie filmmaker.

Ian Max

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

Each day, I'm going to post a little behind the scenes on: The Making of Vengeance Trail, or The Remaking of the Movie using Artificial Intelligence. As well as an update on progress planning the theatrical premiere on April 23 and sharing connections local to Memphis, TN.

You probably didn't get a chance to see Vengeance Trail the first time around. Who remembers Blockbuster? Blockbuster and Walmart is as far as Vengeance Trail got distributed, so I'd love to meet someone who saw it on the shelf and rented or purchased it.

If you like period-accurate Westerns, you're going to love this classic tale of good vs. evil! Nominated for the 2006 Golden Boot Awards "Best of the West." Al Frisch of Hollywood Guns and Props has all the props, costumes, screenplays, and even some horses and standing sets, to make many new Westerns. 

Tomorrow, I'll tell of how a film professor persuaded a historian and collector that Western movies can't lose and that he and his students could make a $10K feature with the resources of two Western buffs and their friends. Lot's of dreams were on the line!

Today's challenges:

• Start the process of building relationships with Memphis influencers by polishing and updating the EPK (electronic press kit).
• Then, I can approach media and bloggers for guest articles.
• Create the art for the t-shirt from the poster art, and send for a test print.

Which t-shirt design do you prefer? 

Today's Successes:

• A Memphis podcaster wants to interview me, stay tuned.
• I submitted the premiere screening event to HappeningNext for $5. 
• I negotiated with The Auteur Club for them to show my promo April 14, in return for showing their promo before Vengeance Trail on April 23.
• I booked a talk show with Anfra Boyd: April 21, 7pm Central on YAMS TALK RADIO.
• I also booked Anfra to live-stream the Premiere. She will bring so much energy!!!

Time to enjoy my family and get to bed on time!

Thanks for your support!

Ian Max

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

Over 20 years in the works, Vengeance Trail is going to receive its first theatrical exhibition. I'm so excited to see and hear it on the big screen!

If you haven't followed the journey so far, Vengeance Trail started out as a student film, then grew. But, as you can imagine with a bunch of first time filmmakers, me included, plenty of mistakes were made. After several years, the movie was released in Blockbuster and Walmart, but it only made a fraction of its budget in return. I was always bummed that the investors were never made whole and the movie didn't find a large audience. When artificial intelligence tools became available, I started to wonder if the movie could be rescued and improved. And now, this epic-feeling Western, shot on a prosumer miniDV camera, receives the royal treatment at a theater in Memphis!

Now that the movie has been digitally enhanced, follow along on its self-distribution journey. For various reasons, traditional distribution isn't the best option for the movie. The first theatrical screening of Vengeance Trail happens 29 days from today. This daily blog series for 30 days will chronicle the journey to throw a memorable event.

What we have:

• A bonafide, feature-length movie! See the trailer at VengeanceTrail.com.
• Venue, a 165 seat theater at Malco Cordova Cinema Grill, on April 23, 2024 at 7pm. 
• Food and drink available at the event.
• Movie poster from which we will have t-shirts made.
• Stars of Vengeance Trail attending.
• Invites to be a guest on a podcast and a movie review website.
• Local advisors who have hosted theatrical premieres.
• Potential talent to live-broadcast the event.
• Potential musicians to entertain before and after the movie.
• Sound system for Q&A - the theater provides a house microphone.
• Camera and lights for the red carpet.

Needed:

• Update the EPK (electronic press kit).
• Printer for banners, posters, t-shirts. Lead time and quantity decisions. 
• Design completion for banners, posters, t-shirts.
• Possible DVDs, BluRays and 
• Decisions on a website for collecting ticket sales and emails for the future; Eventive vs. Kinema.
• Lock in musician and hosting talent for the event.
• Write a first draft of a guest post article for the movie review website to give notes.
• Decide how many posters to print, based on price-break and budget for inventory.

Today's successes:

• Two Memphis filmmakers, LaDell Beaman and Rex Oatis, have recommended sources for a red carpet backdrop for guest photos. Stickers & Banners drop ships within 24 business hours, and an 8'x8' vinyl banner is $98 plus S&H. I can borrow stands to hold the banner up. Another option is Central Imaging & Printing, which excites me because I really want to hire and spend locally, so I'll compare their quote when I get it. 
• I met Memphis Wrestler, K Toomer aka Fatjitsu, for the second time on Saturday. He and I were invited by LaDell to present our careers (stunts and professional wrestling) at a Heel the Hood Foundation Memphis event, and he prints the t-shirts for Memphis Wrestling at such an affordable price that there's actually still room to make a profit. So, I'm going to have him print a sample shirt with the following image as a test. 

Hope you like learning filmmaking with me!

Ian Max

Terrorist Rehab Center in Saudi Arabia?!?

I saw a documentary last night at a Libertarian film fest that came to Memphis (https://anthemfilmfestival.com). THE UNREDACTED follows a handful of Guantanamo prisoners sent to a rehab center in Saudi Arabia. It was really interesting to see jihad terrorists humanized. 

Guantanamo detainees are released into a year long program of de-radicalization in Saudi Arabia, with the eventual goal of finding jobs and starting families.

The movie got canceled by mobs at Sundance, SXSW, and everywhere else, so this was the only public screening so far, besides a screening at San Quentin Prison. Read about the journey and public outcry here: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/oct/23/jihad-rehab-documentary-making-unredacted-saudi-arabia 

The Q&A with the director Meg Smaker was fascinating. Her journey as a firefighter, to seeking to know more about the Middle East after 9-11, to moving to Yemen and learning Arabic, to working in Saudi Arabia and building relationships that led to filming interview with 150 terrorists, to narrowing it down to a handful of rehabees during the program and for a short while after, until her access was removed.

I did not think I would believe these terrorists could be rehabilitated so I didn't plan on seeing the movie. Then I learned how the movie was cancelled, predominantly because a white, non-Muslim woman made it. It seemed like a rare opportunity, and I'm against cancel culture.

These terrorists were teenagers when they were recruited to jihad training camps. They spent 15+ years in GITMO prison, with no access to the outside world. They were not charged with any crimes, nor did they go to trial. When they were released, they had no experience with the Internet or smart phones.

I don't agree with everything Meg said, but some things ring true: These men are searching for purpose and belonging. There are four motivations for these men joining jihad training groups; Cause or duty, Economic, Peer pressure or family, Adventure. I can relate to the person who seeks adventure. In fact, these four motivations are the same for American teens who join the US Military.

Some other thoughts by Meg:

The most powerful force in world is storytelling, because stories shape how we think and spend. 

Hollywood gatekeepers lack courage and principals. 

You can argue politics and facts but not a personal story.

The Diary of Anne Frank made 6 million Jewish deaths in Germany tangible. 

Vets connect with this movie because they miss the camaraderie of soldier life and feel more in common with enemy soldiers than the people who sent them to war. 

Cancel culture: The answer isn’t to cancel discussion, it’s to come up with better ideas. 

The inmates at San Quentin they saw themselves in the terrorists' stories. 

Saudi Arabia claims their rehab center is 85% effective. Meg talked to the head of the FBI in Saudi Arabia who said the US tracks all Gitmo prisoners who have been released and that 80-82% do not return to fighting. 

The reason for their success of the program is that a family member in Saudi Arabia must sign for them at the risk of getting jailed in their place if they skip country, and family shame is a huge motivator there. Also, after graduation, the Saudi government provides a house, car, job help and up to $30K dowry so they can get married because the likelihood of a former terrorist returning to terror diminishes when they have their own family. This is unaffordable in America, or for larger groups of criminals.

Torture in Guantanamo did the radicalization, at least against America. 

Empathy in America has been dropping. Every one of us has capacity for extreme good or extreme evil.

Rehab isn’t sexy, it takes time, longer than a political term. 

Thoughts?

Ian

Zack King's Greatest Stunts

Just yesterday I was planning on looking up all the Zach King Amazon Alexa spots that I stunt coordinated, as it's time to update my reel, and look what I found, Zach King's Top 10 Craziest Stunts!

Tony Snegoff and I tag teamed on coordinating most of these. Let me know if you can spot me or if you have any questions. Since Zach is giving away secrets of his magic, I guess I could too.

Ian Max

Credits:

Underwater: Tony stunt coordinator/key rigger, Ian stunt rigger.

Upside Down (Basketball): Ian stunt coordinator/key rigger, Luke Berger, Josh Fapp.

35 Foot Fall: Ian stunt coordinator, Dallas training team - John Cann, Mark DeAlessandro +2, Los Angeles airbag safety - Mike Washlake, Christian Howard, Narayan Cabral.

Flying Backwards: Tony stunt coordinator/key rigger, Jeff Constine stunt rigger.

Being Upsidedown (hanging by feet on "Stranded 2"): Tony stunt coordinator/key rigger, Ian stunt rigger. (Umbrella) Not me, I don't think. (Light bulb) Ian stunt rigger. (Rubik's Cube) not me, I don't think. (Zack in yellow hoodie) Tony stunt coordinator/key rigger, Elena Churinova stunt rigger.

Falling on a Car: Tony stunt coordinator/key rigger, Vladimir Tevlovski stunt rigger.

Dropping a Car: Tony stunt coordinator/key rigger, Ian stunt rigger.

The Value of Moms and Neighbors

I just hosted a screening of the work in progress of Vengeance Trail. The images have been digitally enhanced by ai software and the sound has been much improved. The neighbors loved the experience, as shown in this recap:

Yes, neighbors tell about as much truth as Mom, when it comes to critiquing creative work, but I did learn where some sound technical issues are and where the slow parts are. 

Bonus: a drinking game will be added for every time Doc takes a swig or Bess agrees to do thankless work. It was a tough life back in the 1800s!

Next stop, a theatrical experience in Memphis, TN. Goals for the year are to also host a theatrical experience with cast and crew in Los Angeles. Then direct sales this Fall, followed by streaming options.

Enjoy!

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

Crowdfunding is for Interacting, NOT Begging

I have lots of friends. Some of them like my movies. Some want to support me no matter what the movie. Some are just fine-feathered, patrons of the arts. But I don't have a million friends! Yet!

Crowdfunding often seems like begging friends and family for a favor. But pretty soon, those favors are used up. I don't want my social media to have daily reminders of my projects. Where's the value added?

Business success comes from creating and delivering value!

Now, if you like Westerns and want to see more Westerns, then the value-add is me helping ensure more Westerns get made. Quality Westerns, morality tales, battles between good and evil.

So, here's a crowdfunding effort to Pre-Sell my Western, Vengeance Trail - to finish creating the extra value allowed by new digital tools, and deliver it to the world.

And interact with the fans! So, leave a comment and I'll respond.

I just want fans of Westerns to learn about Vengeance Trail and tell their friends. And, if enough fans are found, my friends at HollywoodGunsAndProps.com and I will make more Westerns.

I will be sending out an EPK (Electronic Press Kit) and finding bloggers and podcasters who want to discuss the movie and the making of Vengeance Trail. If you know any, please send them my way.

Thanks, Ian Max

TBT: Bad Parenting for Good Child Performances

Babies can't act; they can only be honest and authentic with their current emotions, and they're always in the moment. 

Case in point, "Sling Baby" by Kevin Willson, which shot in my backyard. If for one split second, a mother in the audience thought that baby wasn't happy, the filmmakers would have received so much hate email (even more if it involved a dog, just ask Kevin). So, how did we get that baby to fly through the air and grab that chip with a smile? By keeping him happy, of course. Paying attention to his comfort and safety (even while being puppeteered on strings), meeting all his play and nutrition needs, and good ole Pavlov's conditioning. I'll save this for another post.

But if the child actors are a little bit older, how do you get the performances you want? Same thing (because they're still too young to want to learn the craft of acting): keep them playing, know their hunger and sleep needs, and practice bad-parenting manipulation. 

And cast your own children. Now that our children are in high school, and seem well adjusted, I feel I can share some behind the screen secrets of "Who Wants Lemonade?" The original idea was to shoot the scene of Jackson (age 5) and Kiran (age 3) right before lunch, when they'd be most hungry for Doritos' snacks. Jackson was typically a mean older brother, so we (my wife Clarice and I) hoped they'd run out of chips, then get greedy and hopefully start arguing, and then Mom would come out to break up the fight and lean on the table, which would flip into the air and throw the lemonade everywhere. 

Why? Because this was for Doritos' "Crash the Super Bowl" ad competition and all the best spots had a surprising twist at the end. So, I rigged the table to have a fulcrum so that everything would toss into the air and cause chaos. The lemonade jug and the bowl of lemons were lightweight plastic.

I knew with child actors, I would not be able to repeat anything, so I had three cameras overing the wide and an angle on each child. I coached the actors to stay in character and knew I could always turn the camera around on them to get an overlapping, continuity shot for editing. All was going swimmingly and on the 3rd take, Kiran said the most adorable thing; "Who wants lenomade?" 

Then on take four, Kiran leaned on the shaky table and spilled the ice-cold lemonade all over her!

No big deal, we rescued her quickly and got her happy again in another outfit. But we only had one of that pink dress and I loved that 3rd take. So we rinsed and dried it, which took 45 minutes. By then both kids were hungry and we had to feed them. Now their attention spans were gone. And Kiran was cranky. By the time we got Jackson and Kiran out to the set, neither were too cooperative or collaborative.

So, I skipped to the second half of the spot where they needed to be upset. You know what I did, I made _____ out of ___. The new plan was to do reshoots in a week when they would be happy again. Kiran was tired so we knew it wouldn't take much to set her off, and we gave her some cutie orange slices to persuade her to stay in her chair. With all three cameras rolling, we asked Jackson to take an orange slice from Kiran and hop on his go-cart and ride off. To his credit, Jackson knew this was wrong and didn't want to do it. We, the Bad-Parenting Filmmakers, persuaded him to do it. For the art! Amiright?

The rest is history. Kiran only lasted long enough for the Lady, Joanie Marx, to try cheer her up with the dog. A week later, we shot the missing parts with happy Jackson and happy Kiran. There's one line that I tried to ADR with Kiran, when she tells the lady "No," because I had too much road noise from the freeway near our house and she was so quiet. I got her to repeat it a few times outside her daycare, and it's better but obviously replaced audio.

Joanie asked for an extended take for her reel, so I extended Kiran's crying to make this really dramatic spot. Not for the art, for the laugh!

Bad Parenting to the rescue!

Ian

TBT: Cracking a Rib for Matthew Lillard

Short throwback today. I once stunt doubled Matthew Lillard (@MatthewLillard) getting blasted across a room by a UFO. If you'd like to know more about what went wrong and what I learned from the experience, head over here.

And while you're there, check out some other behind the scenes insights from How2Stunts. And leave a comment or a question. I love talking shop.

Ian

Cancelling CANCEL CULTURE with LOOR TV

Ever heard of Shark Tank-like pitching for Faith Driven Businesses? I just spent two days in Dallas with the winners of the Tampa Lion's Den pitch competition, LOOR.TV. The Lion's Den connects investors with faith driven entrepreneurs. LOOR.TV is creating a game-ified, equity-crowdfunding, streaming platform aimed at funding and sharing movie, TV and documentary content that young people actually want to watch.

The business model for independent filmmakers is broken. It's a winning-the-lottery mentality where they beg, borrow and steal to make a movie that's hopefully not too compromised in apparent production value (making $100K look like $1M) and then sells for a profit at film festivals or to streaming channels. The chances of making money this way is super low, and I keep meeting exhausted filmmakers that are sad when they can't find a distributor that will spend the same kind of sweat equity selling their movie as they spent to make it. So, they give their precious baby away, but at least the movie they slaved on for years is out there for people to see. Repeat after me: It's a movie BUSINESS.

The smart (and Biblical) way to finance a movie is to count the cost in advance and pre-sell the movie before making it. Kinda like a high-rise apartment complex will determine a need and start pre-renting apartments first. Ideally, filmmakers copy the model of Angel Studios and raise the fans in advance who pre-purchase tickets to the movie. LOOR TV is pursuing this model. This is hard work. I helped produce two features that are upside down for the investors. I intend to remedy this.

The problem with most Christian movie distributors is they don't know how to reach young people, nor do they even try. So we have generations of film goers who are being spoon fed junk food by a Hollywood world view that is in conflict with Biblical values. There's some good content out there, some neutral, but tons of woke content that clearly contradicts God's truth, goodness and beauty.

And young people get all the content they want on social media for free, so why should they pay for my movie? What's my value-add to them?

Eyre Films and LOOR TV have a lot in common. How to cancel Cancel Culture with slightly irreverent movies that appeal to young people (likely mostly to young men, but niche down to find those super fans). As I reactivate the fans who have watched "Run Cholo Run" 2.2M times, but with music I didn't license :(, and promote the digitally enhanced re-release of Vengeance Trail, I will be learning to find superfan audiences for Prey For Mason, Smash and Run, and Puberty From Heck! all in various stages of development. Stay tuned. 

Meanwhile, here's Jason Farley and Marcus Pittman enjoying a pitch I made for a Romans 6:23 monster comedy that might have to be hosted in Finland, lol! It will definitely cause Cancel Culture to get triggered!

Ian

Prey for Mason NEW LAUNCH SOON

Brandon and I excitedly prepare to announce a major advancement for Prey For Mason. Stay tuned for the launch of a new opportunity, hopefully in the next few weeks. A contract has been signed!

Another amazing poster by James Burns:

The script is finished with rave reviews from the actors of a table read:

I just listened to this Filmmaking Stuff podcast and Tom Malloy said there are four genres that are most marketable, that he remembers with WASH - Westerns, Action, Sci-Fi and Horror. This is exciting to me, because Prey for Mason is Action and Horror - AHhhhhhh. (And Vengeance Trail is Action and Western, and Run Cholo Run is Action and Thriller, and all my movies have action scenes for trailer moments). If you're an indie filmmaker, I highly recommend Filmmaking Stuff.

Exciting times!

Ian

TBT: "Run Cholo Run" Already Has Super Fans!

Every so often, I get a note from FaceBook; “Run Cholo Run has 141 new views," or. “21 others liked your page 5 days ago. I don’t pay that short film very much attention because I haven’t had much to talk about. I've been working on the feature screenplay for years and only post a vague update every few months as proof of life. I can't/shouldn't keep teasing that audience forever.

As I learn about building a niche audience for my Western and my teen thriller, I realize I already have an amazing built-in audience for "Run Cholo Run." I knew the short film had 2.2 million views with 10K subscribers, but I didn't notice the Facebook Group has grown to 6,600 followers! There's a few super fans in there, probably mostly fans of the lead actor Alex Arredondo aka Sleepy Brown of Cholo Adventures, but isn't that why you cast stars!

Every few months, I post a vague update about Tanya ChaCha Sandoval-McMahon adding authenticity from her Mexican-American sensibility. She finished her rewrite last year before I moved across country, but relocating and then the blessing of a full-time job for 5 months and juggling other projects, blah blah blah. Life is full!

How can I serve my audience? It's time to brainstorm some value I can give to the RCR fans to renew their enthusiasm. Here are some ideas:

-post bios of the 3 writers. I will see Korstiaan Vandiver in person this weekend, so we will video some BTS narrative about where the story came from.

-create a live, in-person event in Los Angeles, along with some other gang-topical short films from filmmaker friends.

-create swag and sell the posters I had printed.

-post pages of the screenplay and get feedback from those most interested. Perhaps a subscriber option.

Thoughts?

Ian

Movie Poster Design for Vengeance Trail

I've recently learned that one of my top strengths or giftings is Craftsmanship. When it comes to metal or wood fabrication, or filmmaking, I have a commitment to excellence that can border on perfectionism. The trick is to know when to stop majoring on the minor details.

I once asked for a job at a Special Effects company. The shop foreman said they had a scene where a keyboard was to get shot and they were carving keyboards out of foam. He asked how I would do it. My initial thought was that keyboards are cheap so why not find some junk keyboards to squib, but I fumbled through an answer about materials and tooling. Later, I thought, my first questions should have been to ask how close would the camera get to it. 

My opinion on the difference between low budget and big budget movies is attention to detail. Attending to the details takes time, resources and manpower. You know the Fast, Good or Cheap Project Management Triangle. You have to pick your battles. 

But sometimes you find an artist who loves what they do, and they keep making suggestions - good suggestions. And that keeps presenting me with choices. James Burns is a movie poster artist who just loves Westerns, and he can't stop pitching ideas for Vengeance Trail unless I stop him. 

So, what do y'all think about all these options? BTW, James actually started with the better versions, but over time started presenting sketches for options to present ideas more quickly with less effort. Disclaimer: we don't have many high res photos to choose from, so some of the images had to be taken from the video tapes, uprezzed as much as possible using AI software.

The original poster and DVD art:

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly influence:

Options A vs. C:

Barbed wire border, light vs dark options:

Ultimately, story must dictate the design. Who's the hero, who's the villain? Who wants vengeance? Is it unified to have all the guns point one direction? Does the story demand unity? Is the fact that they're all holding guns enough? What's the best use of negative space and color or contrast? Watch the trailer, read the synopsis, and leave your comments below.

Thanks, Ian

Slate of Films - Plan of Action

When I moved to Los Angeles in 1999, my goal was to be an action director. There are two routes: 1) stunt performing > stunt coordinating > 2nd unit directing > directing, and 2) screenwriting > producing > directing. I pursued both concurrently.

I started my screenplay journey in 1997 with my teen abstinence comedy. That writing sample got me accepted into ActOneProgram.com in 2001, but the standard of excellence they taught was so high that I felt handicapped. So I focused on my bread and butter, which at the time was special effects and stunts. 

The advice I received regarding screenwriting was to have three screenplays ready to go before shopping any around. This took me two decades.

I was invited to help produce two features, Vengeance Trail in 2002 and Acts of Violence in 2006. I wasn't a part of developing or selling, and I didn't really want to learn then because producing was hard work. There are so many learning curves in this business and I picked my battles; stunt performing was fun, paid the bills (eventually), got me health insurance, and even had backend participation that was like manna from Heaven. Three cheers for passive income.

I tried to quit three times. As I aged, I realized some of my injuries from stunts were chronic, and I started planning for my career after 50. By this mid-life marker, I had had half a dozen feature screenplays to shop, half with business plans. And I'd tried my hand unsuccessfully at crowdfunding and equity crowdfunding.

I made lots of short films (my film school), and they made me some side money through Ad Sales on YouTube. But the no budget feature became the calling card, and the prevailing indie film advice is to make a slate of films to spread the risk. 

Vengeance Trail started as a $10K student film, then grew many times over with reshoots. It landed in Blockbuster and Walmart in 2006, but many mistakes were made such as not having stars and shooting on MiniDV, and it didn't find much of an audience. Fast forward to today, I now have a 1080p streaming version with an updated trailer, titles, music, etc. (I'll explain in another post about how, using AI software). It's time to exploit the movie.

Eyre Films' goals are to make a slate of genre movies. Vengeance Trail will be my trial to build momentum and prove I can make money at it. Above are a few posters to get you excited.

I've been studying indie film marketing. The old way of selling a movie at film festivals and to the streaming giants is gone. The new way is changing every year, but includes branding, targeting a niche audience of super fans, four-walling, direct sales funnel, targeted international sales, blogging, building an email list, etc. And also festivals and streaming in their proper place.

If you're a filmmaker, ask me questions and challenge my reasoning.

If you like horses, I'll dig up behind the scenes horse footage from Vengeance Trail. 

If you like guns and Western movie history, we already made a documentary about the vintage movie guns used in Vengeance Trail.

Best, Ian

VengeanceTrail.com

PreyForMason.movie

SmashAndRun.com

RunCholo.com

FoolCircleMovie.com

Filmmaking Addiction

What does someone do when they spend every extra cent on self-funded short films, as I used to when I was single? Might as well tax-write-off the expenses. Eventually, I formed EyreFilms, LLC in 2014 as a tax haven. 

YouTube.com/EyreFilms channel grew as a fluke. I threw a few videos up, starting in 2009. One day, in 2019, I got a notification about a comment on “Be Brave, Daddy!” and went to look. Unbelievably, there were 3 million views. The video had been online for seven years getting a few hundred hits per year - then it became hockey stick.

Who knows why? Maybe someone blogged about it. I quickly monetized it and connected it to my other videos, and in the next two years, that spot grew to 24 million views and the channel to 33 million views overall. 

Then the Covid shutdown hit and I started putting up short mockumentaries starring my kids, to get them out of the house. But the quality wasn’t as good as my other shorts. That and being more focused on feature films which is taking years, so I didn’t have regular content to add. I lost my audience, and I lost a small amount of ads funding.

I’m starting this blog to share my journey as a storyteller. A feature length movie is way bigger than the sum of a bunch of short films. This blog will share behind-the-scenes of my short films and the exploits of my pursuit of feature films. As well as adventures that may only partly connect to my career, or true stories and influenced part of a movie.

I just migrated Eyre Films, LLC to my new hometown Memphis, TN, this time more specifically as a holding company for my IP and the Eyre Films Channel on YouTube. I am working on a slate of feature films that will one day require an umbrella production company, some of which are the Eyre Films Website.

To start, I want to share this awesome logo designed by my friend Audra Esch. I’ll tell some stories behind the elements in each quadrant, but the lower right symbol should be self-evident.

And I’ll explain if and how my filmmaking urge is an addiction or a calling.

Ian “Max” Eyre