Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes!
The view from April 16, 2007, introducing Bailey (our 3rd film!), introducing a Sea Shanty Blog, apologies to David Bowie, greetings from Team Zissou, New Bern, and a glance through the spyglass.
Why April is not the cruelest month: April 17, 2007
> Our 3rd film, Bailey - originally created for the DramaFest on DVXUser.com (see link above) - is now available for you to see. I guess today is a particularly appropriate day to make this available. Wish it was not. See a compressed, QuickTime version HERE. [NOTE: it's a 40MB file, so right-clicking on the link, opening in a new window, and then checking back after giving it time to download is prob. your best option.] But keep in mind that it does not do justice to the look and feel of the real thing. Still a tweak or two before it's done, but we're very proud of this one and feel that we were firing on all cylinders when we did it. I suggest at least 2 viewings...and then, please, let us know what you think. I will start a discussion section on the new blog for people to comment. Brigham's amazing poster is above - here's a still that has people talking, too:
>Check out my new blog "The Ambassador's Report"(www.wilmingtonblog.seashantyfilms.com) I plan to enter all blog-ish entries there, and to try to move everything on this page from 2006 over there. Please comment when you visit - I hope that this revision makes it easier for the extended Sea Shanty family to stay in touch.
> The New Bern Independent Filmmakers' Conference was a blast, as usual. Lots of fun hanging out with Brigham, Derek, Sergio, Evan, a 12-foot tall John Travolta, the Chosen One, Whimp-Lo, Jim Haverkamp (whose new film "Willow Garden" is a homerun...see "The Ambassador's Report" for more), Jay and Chason, and many others.
The highlight, of course, was getting to meet Steve Zissou and members of his team. Klaus was warm and amiable, as expected, and Kingsley/Ned - though strangely quiet and a bit pale - was very supportive. They agreed to take a photo with us that I just had to post here (L-R: Brigham, Wilmington, Junior Associate Sergio, Stevesie, Ned, and a slightly pregnant Galadriel):
> The rough, work-in-progress version of The Spectre has tested well with various audiences. We look forward to getting the remaining post-production work done to show everyone the fruits of so much labor.
Looking forward to hearing feedback after you watch Bailey - whether sent by e-mail or as a comment on the blog.
Please visit "The Ambassador's Report" for future updates as this site undergoes a chameleon-like transformation into a more succinct, "professionally detached" character.
[Ed.Note - If this isn't the first time that T.S. Eliot, David Bowie, Monty Python, Kung-Pow, Tolkien, and Battlefield Earth have been mentioned in the same few breaths, let's all dedicate ourselves to making sure that it's the last...]
New frontiers for Sea Shanty Films: Jan. 28, 2007
> Chalk up another festival entry for Sea Shanty! Perennial audience favorite "The Wingnut and You!" is an official selection of the ALL AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL (The Durham Arts Council, Durham, NC - Feb. 23 & 24).
The Spectre Update
Come see a work-in-progress version of our colonial-suspense-action-mystery The Spectre at the Fifth Annual New Bern Independent Filmmakers Conference!! Coming very, very soon (at least for those of us who will be getting it ready) on March 30-31, 2007. We guarantee that it will look nothing like anything you've seen (can I say "nothing like anything"?...am I setting a bad writing example for those impressionable minds - like fresh-faced young intern Sergio - who read these cosmically important updates?...oy! the responsibility!) at any independent film festival/conference.
Not that I really need to come right out and say it, but: if you were involved in the filming in any capacity OR are a just an interested fan, we would love to see you at New Bern on March 30-31. If you've never been to a festival or conference at which a receptive and interested audience views something you've worked on, the New Bern Conference offers a perfect atmosphere for you to experience the fun. We've been involved for 3 years now, and this thing keeps growing and growing.
Plus, as I've said before: think of how much fun we had while we were working our butts off filming in Bath and Bushy Fork and in front of green screens...now imagine how much fun it will be to hang out - especially with Brigham! - when we're NOT working! (Based on the clever font change, I'm guaranteeing 25% larger fun in a slightly darker shade of blue). Now...I'm not saying that Brigham is a wild man, but his motto is: "If the cops ain't bustin' it up, it ain't really a party, yo." Brigham says "Yo" a lot...but that's how he rolls......yo.
> Ok. So remember the last thing I wrote in the the Dec. 10 post about doing a film for an online festival organized by www.DVXuser.com ? Seems like years ago, because we did write it, plan it, film it, score it, edit it, and do our best to perfect it. Huge thanks from Sea Shanty to all who helped with the film. Festival rules do not permit me to say more...but stay tuned.
> We will have a PRE-order form up here soon to gauge interest in our DVD packaging of X-GEN and "Wingnut." Once that order form shows up, do a little hunting around the web to find some X-GEN artifacts appearing in strange places.
Psst! Looking for us?. . .
Ya' wanna HERE it ?!?
> Sea Shanty is opening a West Coast office - in Hollywood! No, I'm not kidding. No, I'm not going to explain. -D.W.
Field Report (no time for full log entry): December 10, 2006
1) Thanks to David Idol for setting up our official X-GEN poster as our new splash screen. The poster has that special kind of Brigham Magic that, as Sergio might say, makes other movie posters curl up in a ball and whimper for mama. And, as I've said, don't argue with our intern.
2) We've also added the trailer that Ajit made for us. It hits you with quite a lot of what's actually in the movie (no silly "In a worrld..." voice-overs, no attempt to use clips from the film with different music to try to manipulate you into believing that this movie will, (amazingly!) tell exactly the kind of story that marketing people and their focus groups say your demographic really wants to see! How about that?!
Ajit captured the tone and spirit of X-GEN, and he throws it at you in images and sounds that don't give away the story... or...even really tell you what the movie is about. So... sorry about that. That's what we wanted. We'd love to hear responses about it! Don't forget to Go immediately to IMDB (click here) and rate and write comments for Wingnut and X-GEN.
3) Finally - Weekend #1 of "official" (Brigham had already done a lot on his own) editing on The Spectre was a huge success. Look for a teaser clip to appear here in the next week or so. All you folks who worked on this (or anyone just interested, dare I say "excited," to see what Sea Shanty comes up with next): this is very, very good stuff if we do say so our humble selves. It's completely different from both previous films in about every way possible (story, tone, look, genre) and it looks and sounds awesome.
4) OK, ok..so #3 wasn't final. Feel free to call our complaints department with this or any other problems at 1-800-DEREK-SMITH.
We're plunging ahead to write, film, and edit a 5 minute dramatic short for a competition organized by DVX User (the online community for filmmakers who use a specific kind of Panasonic camera and video technology). Matt and I are writing, Brigham will D.P., I will act alongside Dellany Peace, and Matt will direct. Planning to film the weekend of Dec. 29, so chime in if you want to be part of it. Very heavy subject matter...the final product should be pretty powerful.
Sea Shanty Log Book: November 30, 2006
X-GEN shows tonight (and again in January! Stay tuned) at the "Somewhere Else Tavern" in Greensboro as part of the inaugural event of the Tavern Underground Film Festival ("For The Advancement Of Independent Filmmaking In The Piedmont Triad Area") Program runs from 7-11pm.
- - - See their MySpace page here for directions - - -
Before we get into what I should have been doing (finishing the Cackalacky blog, posting pictures, overhauling the site) let's just this once take a good close look at what YOU need to do, my friend. Because, frankly, you're not exactly exhibiting the crazy-Tom Cruise-eyed zeal that we expect. I don't want to use the term "dead weight," but let's just say that meetings have been held...and it was proposed by someone (in a very passive way, mind you) that you might be taken off of the Henderson account. I'm just sayin'...
Sea Shanty Friend TO-DO List
1) Go immediately to IMDB (click here) and rate and write comments for Wingnut and X-GEN. Be honest, be specific, tell a story if you have one. You might even choose to start up a thread on the message boards. REGISTRATION IS FREE!
2) Stay tuned for interesting YouTube and MySpace X-GEN-related goodies. You can start searching those sites now if you believe you have the online kung-fu capable of rooting out our plot. Mass Distribution - we're believers. You will be, too.
*The In-Between Times*
We are living in a strange limbo or neutral zone from which we are able to move at will and hang out in three or four separate project-worlds. Nothing wrong with neutral zones, of course (I mean, we are, hypothetically, at least, safe from both Klingons and rogue Romulans..so we got that goin' for us). It's a good place to be, this strange middle ground, because it suggests that we have enough good things going on that we must choose where to focus our efforts. Let me 'splain...no, there is too much...let me sum up [yes I know I've done that bit before, but some things, like Shakespeare, Beowulf, and the Bee Gees bear repeat visits]:
1) "Wing Nut" lives on as we continue to submit Version 2.0 to festivals. The Carrboro Film Festival was great fun, and, though we came away without one of the cool awards statues (see the website to share in my greedy disappointment), we left with yet another memory of an audience - probably ~200 strong - that really, really got it. They even laughed at my favorite lines about the wing nut being "responsible for much that we take for granted here in Western civil-i-zation" and the "dames" line. A very eclectic mix of films and people. So...future festival fun with "Wing Nut"?
2) We are moving into a new phase of mass distribution for X-GEN: being more selective in our choice of festivals and trying to decide how to fund our DVD package. Good news is that we have already recorded the commentaries and are ready to go from our end. The actual recording process was a strange and satisfying process.
3) We begin official editing on The Spectre this very weekend - that's right, another session at the Sea Shanty editing suites in historic, scenic Pirate's Cove. We've called the masseuses in from their shore leave and have sent orders ahead to crank up the hydrotherapy tanks. Brigham has already done serious work on two of the biggest CG compositing shots, and we are following leads for scoring possibilities. Lots of good stuff.
4) Coming soon - X-GEN splash screen, X-GEN trailer, Teen Spirit video (heh..heh..heh). Coming whenever I can carve time out to focus for 3 or 4 hours: a re-vamped and, oh, so much more professionally maintained web site.
Official Tip to make your life more exciting, beautiful, and richer: start reading the Patrick O'Brian "Aubrey/Maturin" books. Right now. Initially difficult, but eventually hilarious, profound, exciting, and joyous. I read the first, "Master and Commander," wasn't sure if I would keep reading the series, then saw the movie. Four months later, the characters and events were still forcing themselves into my thoughts, so I was hooked. The 3rd book in the series, "H.M.S. Surprise," is one of the most affecting and insightful novels I have read - any era, any author. Make some lifelong friends. See here and here for excellent links on Patrick O'Brian.
Good to hear from you as always at wilmington@seashantyfilms.com
Hi guys! Little Billy here to announce..
WINGNUT 2.0 : The Army of Science Returns!
SEA SHANTY LOG BOOK ENTRY: November 9, 2006
That's right, gentle readers: "The Wingnut and You!" has a bright and shiny new coat of paint with a more efficient and powerful engine! Most importantly, it will be on display to any and all desiring Scientific Enlightenment on Sunday, November 19 as part of the CARRBORO FILM FESTIVAL!!
As Wingnut heads into its 4th public screening (following its run on "Second Cinema", its win at the DADA W.A.R.P. Festival, and its year of showings on UNC-TV's "NC Visions" program), we are very excited to show people the revised version of our first film...one of the 20 or so selected out of the 80+ submitted to Carrboro. This is an inexpensive, filmmaker-focused and friendly festival in our own backyard. We hope you will come spend a few hours watching what is sure to be a great set of films (and participating in the Q&A sessions). There are judges awards (with cool, custom-made trophies!...see their site) and audience awards.
Meanwhile... X-GEN has a new, awesome trailer - created by Ajit Anthony Prem , a great friend of Sea Shanty Films. See him in action at TickleBooth and SquiggleBooth (including a trailer for his own film "Dear Stranger"). We plan to show this very cool trailer at Todd Tinkham's (of Tinkham Town Productions) ongoing Fishmonger's Film Forum (Wednesday night screenings at Fishmonger's in Brightleaf Square, Durham) in December.
I also plan to post a much fuller account of our experience at the Cackalacky Film Festival (complete with audience blurbs!) along with photos and a short film detailing my adventure with Sergio when we ran out of gas in the rural area north of Charlotte near the original site of Trinity College (which eventually became Duke Univ.). Want a teaser? There was spiritual angst, physical danger, commando-style running while under the threat of animal and human attack, and a climactic, theologically sound salvation involving bulldogs. All that will eventually be HERE on our "Cackalacky Blog."
And...X-GEN is now listed on IMDB (along with "The Wingnut and You!"). We would love to see some action in the REVIEWS and MESSAGEBOARDS sections. Registration is free, so sign up and let us (and everyone else in the international film community) know what you think about any aspect of our work. On the distribution front, we will record commentaries for both films and gather our "Special Features" items over the next few weeks..aiming at a January release of our first packaged DVD.
"Spectre"is currently in post-production. Everything looks and sounds good as we dive into the grueling AND enjoyable process of editing and visual effects and score and the other 10,000 things that go into the "locked-in-a-dark-room stage" of filmmaking. Luckily, Brigham has the full resources of the Pirate's Cove Production Compound at his disposal (including the now-fabled Hydro-therapy/Massage facilities). We promise that he will begin giving detailed accounts of his progress as soon as he emerges from his sea kelp and mango mud bath.
As always - - stay in touch: wilmington@seashantyfilms.com
By the way...expect to see our very own "Teen Spirit" popping up in unexpected venues in the near future. [George Costanza "excited voice"]: We're goin' global bayyybeee! Global!
Sea Shanty Log Book: October 18, 2006
WHY ARE THESE MEN SMILING?
A) It's 1:00am and they are at a Waffle House in Salisbury, North Carolina...what's not to smile about?
B) They have recently witnessed a Groucho Marx impersonator proposition a complete stranger from stage. Repeatedly...
C) Probably just hiding the fact that they're really crying on the inside
D) Spunky and sassy Texas native Kelly Clarkson is playing on the jukebox!
E) They've just attended the Opening Night party for the Cackalacky Film Festival...are about to compose their first (and if there's justice in this world, last) festival blog...and their film X-GEN will show Saturday night at 6:00pm!
F) All of the above.
I'll bet you're guessing (F) right now, aren't you? Well, answer (F) is correct, but the full answer involves a more complicated combination of answer (C), the Waffle House Employee in the background, and a choice (G) which I am not at liberty to disclose. Oh yeah, and they're also taking enormous doses of...
~X-GEN~
* See Festival Blog #2 HERE for the CACKALACKY FILM FESTIVAL *
Sea Shanty Log Book: October 18, 2006
Please see Cackalacky Blog #1
On the "Spectre" front...we finished shooting! Even the Green Screen stuff!
For proof, I offer the following photos. #1 is proof that we put everything away including the GreenScreen and sent Brigham into the vast underground vaults of Pirate's Cove Studios (complete with Hydro-therapy/Massage facilities) for all the post-production. #2 shows his happy face...#3 shows how he prefers to deal with people who displease him. We'll have to replace that intern...
Hoping to run into some of you in Charlotte! This Cackalacky Festival has a cool vibe, a bunch of interesting films, and a lot of fun people. Check our blog for our personal, highly subjective, and very skewed reporting on the whole experience.
Sea Shanty Log Book: Entry 09.28.06
A quick update for now...major site revision coming soon...
As you can see above - we're in at another big festival!
Heading to Charlotte for the Cackalacky Film Festival from Oct. 18 - 22. X-GEN shows at 6pm on Saturday, Oct. 21.Yet again, we are screening right alongside several much, much, much bigger (and more expen$ive) films. Obviously, we are extremely proud that our little film - with its $5,000 budget - has been selected and will compete down in Charlotte with the big boys.
We would love to get a huge group of Sea Shanty folks (actors, crew, friends, fans, hangers-on, groupies, creditors, stalkers, future investors) to turn out in Charlotte. We will definitely set up some kind of gathering (or two) during the weekend, but getting a big group going into screenings together Friday and Saturday (as well as for the X-GEN screening) is most important. Getting in to the festival is just the beginning. You must build buzz. You must promote yourself. Supporting the work you've already done and getting it in front of audiences who will connect is largely what independent film is all about!
Let us know if you can attend or need more information! Also - - we are pushing forward with our previously mentioned plans for distribution of an "X-GEN + WingNut" DVD package with all the trimmings and goodies. More to come on all that.
Check out this very rough draft of a title screen for our new project The Spectre. With only one or two small shots to film, this one is almost in post...and looking very, very cool...
Also, here's the long awaited photo and "Festival Travelogue" entry from Matt Long. If you review the August 18 update below, you'll refresh your memory as to why Brigham looks so ornery in this shot...he's plotting the campaign of bovine harrassment ("Oh, George! Not the livestock...") which he executed immediately following the taking of this photo. A timely plea bargain is the only explanation for his current status as a free man - pasture restraining order notwithstanding...
Matt writes: "Brigham and I arrived in Kings Mountain around 6:30 PM on Friday night, checked into our motel, cranked on the AC, threw on clean shirts, and rushed over to the Joy Performance Theatre to catch the first flick of the night, "The Girls of Elizabeth Street".
"It was a good, little film. By a filmmaker from Iowa. Drenched in '70s nostalgia and kodachrome colors, it followed a young boy on his bike on a lazy summer day...You could almost hear the bicycle spokes spinning in the thick summer afternoon, girls giggling down the hallway just out of reach, a swimming pool beckoning, maybe a kiss? The boy hesitates...
"Then, the screen went black and a heart-wrenching drama by a filmmaker from southern California came on, taking us to another place entirely. Next was "The Nothing Man", and Brigham and I were transported to an existential city in Ohio with mind-numbing corporations and angels dressed in black. Then, an animation short set in a Dali-esque landscape full of El Greco cowboys and flies and blood...Then, "Woodrow Wilson", a teen comedy from the NC School of the Arts full of jocks and nerds and drugs and cheerleaders. I looked over at Brigham and smiled. We were in the right place. And this was just the first 55 minutes! Indie film rocks.
"We filed out to the lobby with the other film goers for a short intermission. There was a good crowd and we tried to mingle a bit, but Brigham and I were thinking about our film, which was the second movie screening after the break. Violet, the vivacious Real to Reel marketing director, graciously took us up to the screening booth so we could adjust the brightness on the projector, and then we were back down in the lobby. I bought some popcorn and Brigham got a glass of wine. We met a filmmaker from L.A. He had just flown in from New York. His short, "Duel", had screened the night before at a festival in Manhattan and it was showing later tonight. Cool dude.
"The lights flashed for us to go back in and Brigham and I parked ourselves at the back of the theatre. We were nervous, but having fun, it's a good feeling, actually. 90 minutes later, the last credit on "X-Gen" had rolled and we all filed out into the lobby once again. Everyone was talking and schmoozing, yapping on cell phones, buying snacks and drinks-- and just then, outside the glass doors of that old, renovated theatre-- it started to rain. Not hard. Not loud. But perfect somehow. Like out of a movie. The art deco marquee sent a beam of light through the droplets and as if on cue, a train whistle sounded in the distance.
"In unison, we all moved to the front of the lobby and walked outside into the humid, southern evening. Hovering under the marquee and standing in the illuminated mist, filmmakers and audience members alike took a moment to appreciate the night we were having. The train tracks not 20 yards away glistened under the weight of the oncoming train, and then suddenly, it was right on top of us, this old, wonderful train, barreling through the night. Bodies turned, cell phones moved away from ears, the train flew by and we all stopped to watch. One last whistle and it was gone.
"We filed back in to the theatre and sat down in the cool, old movie house once again. The lights went down and another film began...Man, I love movies."
Hmmm...I could've sworn that I said this would be a quick update.
D.W.
Sea Shanty Log Book: Entry 09.08.06
The Waiting is the Hardest Part
The Making of Sea Shanty's Soon-to-be-award-winning 3rd Project while still fighting anxiety about notification from 7 film festivals re: X-GEN,
OR,
How I stopped worrying and learned to love minute, parasitic, coastal-dwelling insects
Frankly, I don't know if I have anything left after those titles...
First: X-GEN update. We finally did it. A final session down at Pirate's Cove with all three grizzled Sea Shanty codgers. A few final tweaks, snips, volume adjustments, music/sfx enhancements...and we all said, "That'll do." Now trying to get copies out to the primary actors/crew for use in their reels. Next compiling all the content - X-GEN and Wing Nut, commentaries, outtakes, production stills - for our Final Package (to sell...for real $-money-$).
And yes, we really are waiting to hear from 7 (or 8 or 10) different festivals from Hollywood to Norway (where we will eventually be very big). The next 21 days will bring massive swings of disappointment and happiness (hopefully) as we find out the festival fate of our baby. [NOTE: correction below re: the Real to Reel Festival....X-GEN was chosen for the Best Feature Film award out 212 films...not 70 as I had previously written. What can I say? - -like all movie people, humility is my first instinct.]
Second: The Spectre production powers through. The weekend of shooting I mentioned in the last update was very successful. We have back-to-back night shoots this weekend - swords, fight choreography, a stunning revelation, big generators, several thousand watts of light, around 20 different people working. Let's go stream of consciousness here to give a quick idea of our last shoot out on the coast...I'm calling it "The Sea Shanty Weekend Bath"...
Arriving at the water's edge, late dusk just as a replica long boat is loaded up in a truck bed and several men dressed as colonial sailors walk by holding cell phones; our morning drive past approximately 37 nearly-identical powder blue water towers on the way to Bath; 7 hours on a horse with (sorry, he did have a name) the impressive moniker of "Wimpy;" participation in the now traditional physical abuse of Emmet (aka Gilman); special attention from an extra-special someone to the naughty stirrup straps on my ultra-manly colonial breeches; my cool argyle knee socks; Sergio and his hopelessly passive-aggressive relationship with the blonde steed "Andy;" shooting with two 24P cameras at the same time!! That's like shooting in 48P..or 12P..or, whatever it is it's gonna look cool; lingering fear of a hooded Matt Long rising up from the forest to abduct me (he was a little too proficient at his role); Brigham entering "the mid-shoot zombie zone" and only emerging with the help of BBQ chicken hours later; a big 'ol house party near Scranton with something like 200 crabs; 12 people weaving the complicated threads of 3 separate conversations simultaneously and laughing ourselves stupid; Evan's fervent belief in the Steve/Burt Reynolds nexus; the bright majesty of the whole Milky Way above the driveway portion of our party; Sergio's brilliant candidates for "A Moment of Silence" (R.I.P. Keiko and Pat Morita); the realization that we seem to have several intriguing points of similarity with "Team Zissou" and their Life Aquatic (we have interns!); yet another long drive back from the coast after yet another experience with the accelerated, concentrated, and fleeting instant community that appears (and then dissipates) every time we do a long shoot; and, of course, the week-long post-shoot joy of chiggers/wood ticks/hell-spawned demon bugs. Here are some pictures...sorry they don't show more of the 17 or so people who made this shoot happen...
Third: a short follow-up to my pre-insanity comments about Zinedine Zidane. One of the first things I thought about after the World Cup Final ended was: "Lovely. I've got 2 updates on the website gushing about how classy and honorable Zidane is...and now he's committed one of the most infamous acts in World Cup history. Brilliant."
Several commentators said things like: "If you look at his career, you shouldn't be surprised" and then cited some other examples of Zidane earning a card or fine or dismissal, etc., as if he should rightly be known as a dishonorable thug. I can only point out that the ratio between the number of intensely competitive games he's played in (over a long career) to the number of times he's done something violent or dishonorable must certainly contradict those commentators. Still, I felt sick seeing it happen, feared that people would use the incident as an excuse to kill (if Materazzi's comments turned out to be anti-Muslim), miserable during the weeks of replays and commentary, and depressed that a great player shamed himself and hurt his team on the largest stage in world sport. I still admire Zidane as one of the best, but I know that the next time my 2 year-old son wants to play soccer with me and says, "I'll be Zidane!" my amused pride will now have some sadness mixed with it...one day, Luke will see that video.
Say howdy if you stopped by to see what we were up to...
- D.W.
SUMMER'S END ( or, "Time flies while you're baking like a cod in the oven") UPDATE - - August 18, 2006
Take pride, Sea Shanty family: we've won out first award! X-GEN received the judges' award at the 2006 Real to Reel Festival for
BEST FULL-LENGTH FEATURE FILM!
We were in the "Amateur Feature" category. This apparently identifies films below a certain budget (or perhaps that we are not full-time filmmakers who earn our living by doing this insane kind of work). Based on what we've seen of how many festivals work, it still means that we go up against movies with budgets anywhere from 2 to 500 times our budget. Yes , that does mean that many, many films with budgets over $100,000 or even at or above the $1 million mark are still classified as "small" independent films. But I digress...
Sea Shanty's own David Brigham and Matthew Long headed west for the Real to Reel Festival, forgot to take a camera, had a great time, soaked up the atmosphere, took no photos of any kind, saw several excellent and intriguing films, maintained their shameless non-photographing policy throughout the festival, got great feedback from the folks who saw X-GEN, continued taking 0 photographs, and were thoroughly and blisteringly excoriated by their indignant (and jealous) Web "Master." After debasing themselves in unprintable ways, they convinced one of the festival organizers to mail us a photo that she took (no doubt taken when she realized the very likely possibility that she would need to identify them to the police later). I'll post that soon...It clearly shows my partners shortly before Brigham began a gin-inspired 18-hour rampage of arson and livestock harrassment. Just look at the man's eyes. Clearly, he is in the final stages of brain fermentation...very unstable. This photo and some comments from Matt (before things got ugly with Brigham) coming soon.
We are honored that the festival chose X-GEN out of the 212 [CORRECTION!] or so films that were submitted. We're proud to have their award as our first and hope that it suggests more good things to come.
This weekend finds Sea Shanty in full production mode. We are shooting several scenes for our new project, a historical action/adventure set in colonial coastal NC, wayyy over in Scranton, NC (go ahead, try to find it without using MapQuest). We and 15-20 of our newest friends will be staying in a big, 100 year-old house while filming scenes with boats (some real, some CG), crusty sailors, hapless sea-faring lads, horses (again, some real, some CG), giant men with big metal hooks and hatchets, and some characters known only as "Shadow Figures" in the screenplay. It's called "The Spectre" and it will MELT YOUR FACE, MAN! JUST MELT IT DOWN!
OK...sorry for that Jack Black moment...but this really will be something special. It's as different from X-GEN as "Wing Nut" was. I will try to put some stills up here to further entice you. And just because we still haven't learned our lesson (Moviemaking/Producing is not for sane people), Matt and I are both hard at work on new stories which may or may not eventually become the same story. That's just how it works.
High on the my list of things I should've done a long time ago is recognizing our good friends at NC FLIX. Their blog is a very frequently updated guide (unlike SOME sites I know) to what's going on in North Carolina film communities. They've blogged about us - you should really check them out..you know..if you want to stay in touch.
Tip to brighten your life (because that's how I roll, yo): go out and find some of the Rhino releases of "Mystery Science Theatre 3000." Maybe you've never seen the show, maybe you have but it's been a long time...but if you get it, I mean really get it, and have read/watched/listened to/absorbed enough literature/history/TV/music/pop culture, you cannot help but stimulate your frontal lobe with glee. A true workout for the brain that manages to be enjoyably silly at all times.
As always, stay in touch! I've looked over our web hosting data to see the great traffic we get here...but nothing says "Howdy!" like a few characters typed on your computer and then shot through server hubs and routers all over the world. It's a very post-modern warm fuzzy that makes us all feel special.
D.W.
New, Candid, AND SCANDALOUS PHOTOS (despite the absence of any swimming costumes) + Summer of X-GEN (cont.) + World Cup almost-Hangover Update
July 4, 2006 - - HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!
The big news with this update is the additional photo page! I've created a new sub-page (which shamefully displays my inadequacies as a web designer despite my earlier flirtation with self-congratulation) in order to feature some of the many photos from our "Cast/Crew/Supporters Premiere and Party" back in June. Go here in order to get a few glimpses of the whole amazing event.
Equally big news on TV for the next month or so: see clips from X-GEN and an interview with 2 of its Sea Shanty creators on TV during July and into August!
The fine folks at "Second Cinema" (2006 Telly Award Winners) were good enough to ask Sea Shanty back for an interview and some shameless promotion of X-GEN. Matthew Long and I sat down with Hilary Russo for a conversation that went by unbelievably quickly. Matt Hayhurst and Josh Johnson undertook the Herculean task of filming and editing to make us look and sound good, and an early report of the first airing on Monday night (one of what will eventually be dozens of "Hey! I just saw you on TV!" phone-calls) suggests that they have worked their magic again. See our interview and clips from X-GEN during the next 5 or 6 weeks! Full schedule, kind words about "our little film," and all kinds of cool NC Film information now available at the Second Cinema Blog. Note that the TV broadcast can be seen on Time Warner Cable channel 24 from Wilmington to Charlotte to Newport to the Triangle. (We're on every Monday and Friday night at 9pm in the Triangle...)
Eagerly looking forward to the Real to Reel Film Festival coming up in just over 2 weeks. We'd be glad to see any and all of you over in Shelby, NC. We show on Friday night, July 21 and hope to have something to celebrate (even more than being selected for a screening) at Saturday's awards ceremony.
Five new festival submissions sent out within the last 10 days. From Hollywood to Austin to Charlotte to Wilmington. You'll know the results as soon as we do...
World Cup Comment #2 (see June 30 update below for #1)
Saw Italy beat Germany today in the 1st Semi. Very unhappy due to my intense dislike for the Italian team - its (often) dishonorable play (see "diving" below), the cloud of corruption that hovers over Italian soccer every decade or so, and, above all, its diving. However, they played fairly well today. Not nearly as much diving as usual and a bit more attacking play rather than the usual "defend like demons and then counter-attack." The 1st goal was a classic - defenders and GK in the right places, leaving Grosso the narrowest of angles...and he hit it, by God, with a perfectly bent strike into the far side net. Pure artistry. And I hate it. 2nd goal was bound to happen the moment the German defense got caught spread and Del Piero found some spring left in his step.
Now in the position of rooting for France, God help me, because they have Zidane, Henry, Vieira, and Makelele...but also because they do NOT have Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo's presence on the Portugal team should mean that any decent human being roots against Portugal, if not for France. That kid is an arrogant (highly skilled), melodramatic (highly competitive), and extremely unpleasant little jerk (who also had the testicular fortitude to slam home a scorching PK..unlike Gerrard, Lampard, and the entire Swiss team). Regardless of outcome, though I hope it involves C.Ronaldo's bitter tears dropping onto the German grass..perhaps mixed with some of his abundant hair gel. The contrast between that little prima donna and class acts like Zidane must be obvious to anyone who follows soccer. Ok..I swear I will save this kind of thing for a spot under my own page - if only to spare Brigham from being associated with obsessive attention to a sport. Go Zidane! Go Sea Shanty! -D.W.
*P.S. July 7, 2006* Unable to update site until now due to uncooperative ISP, the temporal whirlpool that is summer "vacation," and the fact that I am battling a vicious and evil virus that has stalked me from the moment I arrived in Texas. Even now, I am under the influence of powerful narco-antibiotics/decongestants that would have staggered Hunter S. Thompson. However, I refuse to waste the brilliant artistry (and by that I mean the use of different colors!) of my original July 4 Update titles by changing them to the more accurate, but boring, "July 7 Update." So they remain.
Despite only 48 hours or so having passed since I completed the July 4 update (at 1:05 a.m. on July 5...stay with me here), there is already news to report. #1) Mr. Long reports that Hayhurst and Johnson have, in fact, achieved the editing magic which will lead "Second Cinema" viewers into believing that we are coherent, thoughtful beings. #2) I will review the recording, but I don't believe that it was just wishful thinking and irrationally strong hatred that made me think I saw Cristiano Ronaldo crying openly after Portugal were given the boot (once again) by a Zidane P.K. The 4 blatant, undeniably disgraceful dives that he and Pauleto took during the game should stop anyone from feeling bad for Boy Ronaldo. The kid could be a genuinely amazing player - too bad nobody ever insisted that he develop honor along with his touch skills and speed. France vs. Italy now: Totti, Del Piero, Gattuso, and Toni vs. Zidane, Vieira, Makelele, and Henry. This could be one for the ages...
And I swear, Brigham, any future soccer-related updates will go on a sub-page of my "Who We Are" page. As soon as I make one. -D.W.
Summer of X-GEN - JUNE 30, 2006
Well, gentle readers, it's been a while.
June flew by in a whirl of soccer, post-premiere bliss, summer travel plans, festival entries, and pre-pre-production plans for the next Sea Shanty project: a "colonial thriller" with the working title of "The Carolina Spectre." We're casting, planning, searching for horses, ordering big, scary metal hooks from blacksmiths, and asking people to wear silly hats. You know, the usual.
The next big Sea Shanty event is our showing at the Real to Reel Film Festival in Shelby, North Carolina (between Charlotte and Asheville in western NC). The festival runs from Wednesday, July 19 to Saturday, July 22. X-GEN has a great screening slot: FRIDAY night around 8:30pm. Check out the Real to Reel site for the complete schedule and selection list, directions, and more info.
Our plans for mass distribution are shaping up. We're exploring options for packaging and DVD duplication even as we try to create some honest-to-goodness "Special Features" (production notes, commentaries, etc.). Plans are also moving along to create a soundtrack CD. Share "Coupland," "Teen Spirit," and score elements with your friends! I will create a DVD and Soundtrack ordering list on this site..but feel free to contact me now to express your insatiable need for X-GEN..after all, it's right for you.
I (Wilmington) have spent enough time following World Cup action and drama - watching games, reading press, evangelizing the not-yet-converted, and talking/complaining/ celebrating/opining - to earn the official title of "Irresponsible Adult." As Nick Hornby would probably counsel: best just to admit it and try to function as a normal human being as often as possible. I highly recommend Michael Davies' column on ESPN.com's "Page 2" (also linked at the "USA Home Page" at Soccernet.com). He's the only writer I know of who gives a reasonable account of what it must be like to be at the World Cup: pubs, fans, press, local color, and - this year - quite a bit about German sausage. I may record my own biased and emotionally-charged thoughts on my "Who We Are" page. I know...the anticipation is unbearable.
Stay in touch - we really appreciate hearing from anyone and everyone. -D.W.
Post-Premiere Mini Update - June 9, 2006
5:00pm, Friday, June 2 - The call comes through during the tech run-through for the Premiere: We're in.
X-GEN: Official Selection of the Real to Reel Film Festival!
Little time to update until next week (and feeling bad that I haven't checked in sooner). Much, much more coming soon - - but here's a quick summary and a photo from the cast/crew/whoever party after the premiere:
> Somewhere between 250-300 people attended the premiere at the Griffith Theatre. It was an amazing audience - lots of laughs, a few jolts, and, at least it seemed to me, a bit of a delayed "Wow" effect after the credits ended. Enormously positive feedback afterward...many people surprised to see the scope and, dare I say it, ambition of this thing. A few technical (mostly sound, of course) glitches crawled out of whatever hole they've been hiding in to reveal themselves, but they were mostly inconsequential for the showing. Those are now being hunted down and eliminated like the running pig-dogs that they are, and the version that goes out to the Hollywood, Austin, Charlotte, and Wilmington (Cucalorus) Festivals next week should be deserving of the title "Final Cut."
> Roughly 60 people at the party. Catering by Don Mazzia (of Park Diner in RTP at 55 and Sedgwick) was unbelievable. See picture below. We're collecting stories and comments - I'll post them here after developing a separate sub-page just for the dozens of photos from the premiere and party.
> CONTACT US to join the list for DVD and/or CD sales!
Update May 31, 2006
1) PREMIERE COUNTDOWN = 72 hours...
Hopefully, everyone who provided an address has received a comp ticket. If not, contact Matt and we'll arrange for a hand-off. See everyone a little before 5:00pm on Saturday!
The Big After Party is shaping up nicely. Almost every principle actor and much of the crew has confirmed attendance at the premiere and the party - this will be incredible: the first and, likely, only time that so many people who contributed to this film will be together in the same place at the same time. Can't think of a better time for it to happen than during the same week that we get 2 media write-ups and premiere the film.
2) Check out our first real review from Durham's own "The Independent Weekly" by local film guru David Fellerath. See link or pick up a print copy starting this afternoon! The word from the Durham Herald Sun is that we'll be featured in the Movie area of their Arts and Features section on Friday.
3) Directions to the Bryan Center for most of you will look something like this:
Tothe Bryan Center FROM I-40 West (from Raleigh, Cary, the airport, etc.)
- From I-40 W merge onto 147 N via EXIT 279B toward DURHAM/DOWNTOWN.
- From 147 N take the FULTON STREET/HILLANDALE ROAD EXIT 15B. Off the exit, bear LEFT under the freeway.
- Turn RIGHT onto ERWIN ROAD (the light directly in front of Duke Hospital North).
- At the third light turn LEFT onto TOWERVIEW DRIVE (MORREENE ROAD will be on your right)
- Turn LEFT at the first light onto SCIENCE DRIVE. The Bryan Center parking lot and garage will be your second RIGHT.
Anyone can see what's best from any location by checking out the info at www.duke.edu/web/dukeperfs/directions.html - - We may have extra information about parking options soon - check back here or contact us later to find out.
4) The Mendocino Film Festival showing went very well. Matt got a lot of good feedback from fellow directors. He was pleased to see how we measrued up compared to films that cost 50 to 80 times what ours cost (no exaggeration!). Here's a glimpse of the scene out in Mendo (more pix later from this and the premiere/party):
Feel free to contact me (wilmington@seashantyfilms.com) or Matt (matthewlong@seashantyfilms.com) with any questions or updates! Feeling the momentum...very exciting.
Update May 15, 2006
PREMIERE PLANNING: We've just decided on a design for a rather unique invitation/comp.ticket. We plan to create and print them in the next week - hope to put them in the mail sometime during the next 10 days. Many ideas for advertising and promoting our big show..so many calls to make, fliers to print out, ads to place, etc.
PARTY PLANNING: Planning for the cast/crew party is a fun exercise in guesswork and imagination: 75 people? 100 people? Will this be a "Busch Lite" or a "Pinot Noir, please - Merlot is SO last year" kind of party? Do we allow Brigham to follow through on his plans to "make an entrance" on a Bradley Fighting Vehicle in full camo? Medium or hot salsa? Will tequila play any role in this party? Do we hide Matt's "Backstreet Boys" CD collection and photo shrine...or display it all proudly?
So many things to consider.
FINAL CUT: After a meeting and conference call with the entire Sea Shanty brain trust (note: said with straight face), we're within yards of the finish line of this 26-month marathon. Final meetings with Sloe + Brigham spending several more nights locked in the spaciously extravagant Pirate's Cove Editing Suite and Massage Emporium = Game over, man..game over.
Check out a couple of new images - the one above, obviously, and two on the "X-GEN" page. Get/stay in touch!
Update May 9, 2006
The massive campaign known to international observers as the "Sea Shanty Initiative" (soon to take its place in history alongside such famous campaigns as Operation Overlord, the Manhattan Project, and the RISK-aficionado favorite Kamchatkan Surprise), forges boldly onward. The SSI schedule for this week includes: Brigham continuing tweaks and touch-ups to color saturation issues and the inevitable, tiny glitches that come with digital editing; Matt heading back for the final, comprehensive sound reviews with our man Sloe, and I continue setting up details for the big premiere (5:00PM -JUNE 3 - GRIFFITH THEATRE @ DUKE UNIV.).
We flood the festival market with X-GEN during the next few weeks. We open at the Mendocino Film Festival in a matter of days! The final cut is remarkably different from the version shown even as recently as April 17. Kirk and his friends(?) have really let us know how they want this thing to go, and we've done our best to honor their wishes.
Also, we've added another original recording to our growing library of soundtrack elements. I just recorded a performance of a young local band who wrote and performed their song, "Slacker's Lament," just for our movie. True, it means more work (digitizing, mastering, layering in, etc.), but it adds even more truth to the world we explore (from several different angles) in X-GEN. Huge thanks to new rock stars Cardoze, Kraus, Pugh, Roberson, and their respective families.
Remember, please RSVP to Matt and let us know if you can attend the premiere. Also, let us know how many people will be coming with you. We'd love to get even more feedback on the site itself. CONTACT ME (Wilmington) with any comments, questions, or six-figure endorsement deals.
By the way - check out the Prayers and Tears site for information on the African AIDS Relief Benefit that Perry and several others are doing this weekend.
Update 04/23/06 - - It's time...
The long wait comes to an end on Saturday, June 3. Sea Shanty Films will present the premiere of X-GEN at the Griffith Film Theatre in the Bryan Center on Duke University's West Campus. We'll begin the screening at 5:00pm and have an informal reception in the lobby afterward. The epic cast/crew party will kick-off afterward at Matt's house - 8:00pm to whenever.
The Griffith Theatre is an excellent, honest-to-goodness movie theatre in the Duke student center. Seriously great projection, screen, and sound. You'll be able to hear Coupland and Teen Spirit as they've never been heard before. $3 general admission and comp tickets for cast and crew mean that things could get crowded.
In order to get an idea of how many comp tickets we need to print and deliver, please RSVP to Matt and let us know if you can attend the premiere. Also, let us know how many people will be coming with you.
As the buzz for the premiere starts, we're meeting with our man Sloe for final sound design touches and mastering. We'll complete a late musical addition to X-GEN this week at a recording session that should result in two new songs. All the stuff everyone leaves until the last minute is now demanding attention: credit design, titles, posters, production of DVD and soundtrack CD copies, "festival packets" with production stills, summary blurbs, resumes/bios, headshot photos, fliers, etc.
We'll all be happy when the time comes when we can just sit back and enjoy hearing responses from viewers and festival judges. All three of us are looking forward to seeing all of you on June 3 - get in touch!
Update 04/17/06
Sea Shanty is hard at work on all of the following: last few visual edits and clean-up work, last few sound cue and score inserts, setting up final sound mastering sessions, CG clean-up, and making arrangements for the *premiere* and cast/crew party.
We're all very happy to testify to the validity of the adjectives "few" and "final" in that sentence...
It's strange to help compile and check the credit list for our movie. It's wonderful to imagine the even stranger discussions that will take place when so many of the people on that list meet each other after seeing X-GEN for the first time about 6 weeks from now. Details about the premiere and the party will show up here as well as via e-mail in the next 10 days or so.
Update 04/04/06
We've got the official word: X-GEN will show as part of the "Local Filmmakers" category at the 2006 Mendocino Film Festival ! This is a very gratifying start to our festival season. Matthew Long, who grew up in Ft. Bragg, CA (just down the road from Mendocino), will be attending to represent Sea Shanty Films at the May 21 screening.
Our March 27 screening went very well. All of our participants - Mike Cosner, Roger Edwards, Justin Hahn, Susan Hahn, and Jim Haverkamp - provided very useful feedback, and we're keeping their comments and suggestions in mind as we make the final adjustments. Our list of scenes to address is smaller than ever after a very productive April 1 weekend at Pirate's Cove North..
Lots of updates on the site - check out M.L.'s comments on his page, a few links to friends of Sea Shanty, plus all the updates and information mentioned below from March 26. We'd love to hear from you and what you think of the site (see contact info on Who We Are page).
-D.W.
Update 03/26/06
Second and final post-production "test preview" is set for Monday night, March 27. We'll use the feedback from this to guide us as we make many of the final (!!) changes over the next 2 weekends. It's all about tone, pacing, and smoothing things out now.
This is my first shot at updating the site on my own (add "Dreamweaver Novice" to my list of dubious accomplishments for this film). You should see a real Link on the X-GEN page as well as a new image at the bottom of that page.
The most common comment about this site has been: "Nice layout - Cool images - But I can't figure out what X-GEN is about!" Well, that's because it's a bit tricky to describe the story without giving things away. Let me explain.
No, there is too much...let me sum up: It's a dark sometimes-comedy about the destruction of Generation X. You follow Kirk into his world as he becomes aware of, investigates, and eventually confronts the increasingly sinister changes to his world. Beyond that, I'll just point out the teaser poster and mention that the layout of the photos on the X-GEN page hint at some of the story progression. Don't miss the links available in the text on the X-GEN page which enable you to hear two examples of the great music in X-GEN.
-D.W.
Update 03/08/06
Sea Shanty assessment of our screening at the New Bern Independent
Filmmaker Conference this past weekend: somewhere between a double and
a triple. Certainly positive..but still more work to do in order to get this thing
as good as it can (and wants to) be.
I'll let my personal statistics tell most of the story:
Miles driven this past weekend: 475
Consecutive hours spent awake: 41 hours
Driving Time: 8 hours
Pirate's Cove work: 16 (Matt and Brigham: ~29 hours)
Attending New Bern Conference: 4.5 hours (Matt: ~8 hours)
Watching "A Pig's a Pig": 10 minutes
Laughing at cod/Fresca/looping VO ("Bands..generations") jokes: 40 minutes
Staring angrily at monitor as night becomes morning becomes day: ~6 hours
Seeing X-GEN on a big(ger) screen and sound system with all our latest sound and edits and new logo, etc. : 83 minutes
Time spent laughing at George Clooney on "Movies 101": 30 minutes
Gnashing of teeth while watching Duke/UNC: 1.5 hours
Strange dream about rabbits, dogs, and billboards: ~5 minutes
Stuffing face with pancakes, bacon, eggs, coffee Sunday morning: 1 hour
Laying on back on Emerald Isle beach Sunday morning: 15 minutes
Final festival edit is coming soon. We'll lock this thing down, send it off into the
world, and hope to hear some buzz while we setup the premiere and parties...
-D.W.
Update 02/23/06
Whirlwind time...
The New Bern Independent Filmmaker's Conference is a mere 9 days away. We are layering in the mastered sound, polishing the CG, and making last minute edits.
This weekend, we three Sea Shanty codgers will spend our time at Pirate's Cove North putting finishing touches on a few scenes and locking in some of the crazier moments of score/effects mixing. So many ideas and images - some close to 2 years old - are now being realized...and they look and sound very, very good.
The word from the New Bern folks is that we're on at 3:00pm - main theatre.
Based on what we've got to show them, I think many people are in for a surprising ride...
More to come about festivals, the Carolina Theatre showing, and the Cast/Crew Party. Looking forward to showing all of those (100+) people involved in this film what their work has created.
-D.W.
Update 02/13/06
We've addressed almost all of the issues discussed at our test screening back in January and are now about to "lock in" the visual edit. Our new approaches to the opening and ending of the film have given us a clearer focus on almost every aspect of this "3rd Major Draft."
Sound design continues on three separate fronts. The three of us at Sea Shanty continue to play mad scientist by creating and mixing new score and sound effect elements for several key sequences. Our Alabama connection, A.J., continues to provide new score elements, and Sloe at MultiMedia Monster is plugging away at foley elements, sound effects, additional scoring, and the all-important mastering. Of course, this is all in addition to the near-miraculous stuff we got from Anthony ("Teen Spirit") and Perry ("Coupland").
The web site you're currently enjoying is another major development. David Idol from SynoDev has developed this thing and is about ready to turn the day-to-day maintenance and updating over to us.
NEXT STEPS:
Though we plan to hold another test screening session within the next 2 weeks, the public showing at the March 4 director's conference in New Bern is by far the biggest thing on the horizon. We plan to make all final decisions after the New Bern showing, and then begin submitting X-GEN to festivals around the country. Around the same time, we'll make final arrangements for our premier in Durham or Chapel Hill...and the accompanying *Cast/Crew Party*!
Send us a message to let us know you stopped by...
-D.W.