Rocky Mountain High & California Dreamin'

Now that the first leg of taking Beautiful Noise on the film festival circuit is complete, I get a chance to sit back and reflect on things a bit. The response to the film in all 3 markets that it has played - Sarasota Florida, Dayton Ohio and Park City Utah - was exactly the same. Audience reaction was uniformly positive, at times emotional, and in all cases in complete agreement that the Soundtrack is amazing. It hit me at Wednesday nights' Park City screening that the film really works on multiple levels. There's something in it for every demographic. I saw where I can tighten up 2-3 edits in the first 20 minutes of the film to help the pacing and I still wanna oversee some additional work on the color correction - but other than that, I came to the realization that the movie is extremely entertaining and marketable. Yeah, I know...I've been saying that all along...but there was just something in that Rocky Mountain environment that allowed me to really critique the film in a way that I haven't been able to do before. I was flying solo in Utah as my stars and co-producers were not available to attend with me, and there were no distractions like the sheer excitement of the Sarasota World Premiere or the rush of family and friends who attended the Dayton screening. Wednesday night it was just me, the movie and Park City film enthusiasts who had no ties whatsoever to Beautiful Noise...and in those moments sitting with that new audience I finally got the chance to see BN like any other movie goer will. And I liked it a lot. The theatre was a major venue that's used for the celebrated Sundance Film Festival. The sound was fabulous as the music rang through the theatre in the richest stereo mix I've heard at any of the screenings so far...which is vitally important for a Musical. Chatting with people after the screening, fielding their questions and explaining how we made the film, I had the overwhelming feeling that it's not going to matter where Beautiful Noise plays. It's a damn good indie film that makes people laugh, makes 'em cry, and makes you think a little bit about the message of the piece. What more can a filmmaker ask for?

I flew to SoCal from Utah to spend a coupla days to rest up, finish polishing the prequel, Serenade, and review the Game Plan to secure a distribution deal. The film festival circuit cranks back up later this summer and fall, so I have time to work all the distribution angles and raise $ for the upcoming Dublin trip. I not only want to test screen BN in Europe to gauge the foreign box office appeal (another selling point to acquisition agents) but we're also holding auditions for a key role in Serenade. I'm on the hunt for an Irish version of Kimber Cleveland. Adding a new cast member who is a singer/actress from Ireland, as yet unknown to USA audiences, holds a lot of interest to me. I want to populate the Beautiful Noise Trilogy with amazing performers and produce Soundtracks that are unique from each other...which is another reason I'm here in L.A. - as I'm catching Ana Popovic's show this weekend and working to add her to our international Cast of Serenade.

It's almost June. This time last year we had a Table Read of Beautiful Noise in Sarasota and held the fleeting hope that we could somehow find a way to shoot the movie. Now here I am, a year later, writing another blog post about the completed film, its current success at film festivals across the country, the planned European premiere of the movie and the prep of the next 2 BN installments that will start principal photography this year. It's incredible how your dreams can be realized if you're willing to draw a line in the sand and make a firm decision, work your ass off, and never ever give up.

ST

The Dayton Embrace

I can't tell you what a relief it was to see how the Dayton audience matched the enthusiastic response we enjoyed at last months' Sarasota Film Festival World Premiere of Beautiful Noise. I mean, you just never know how your film is gonna play from one region of the country to the next. In Sarasota, I'm a relative unknown - so the audience response came from a place that had no preconceived notions. The Dayton crowd, on the other hand, walked in with a hint of skepticism due primarily to the fact that the last time anyone in town saw a Steve Tatone production it either featured General Motors products or appeals to support the local food banks through a series of TV specials and documentaries I produced over 20 years ago. I was a known commodity back in the day in southwest Ohio and the notoriety had nothing to do with feature filmmaking. Fortunately, it appears our indie musical-drama instantly created a brand new picture in the hearts and minds of the sizable crowd that screened our movie at this past weekends' FilmDayton Festival. The 'Prodigal Son' came home and conquered - as the audience responded with an enthusiasm that made me incredibly proud of my Cast & Crew. They laughed, they cried and they bought the Soundtrack CD in the same ratio of audience # to CD sales as the Sarasota screenings. In short - Beautiful Noise was a big hit in Dayton, Ohio! Nice to see the old hometown embrace the movie in such a passionate way.

Now it's on to Utah this week and the next big test at the Park City Film Music Festival. I hope we hit the trifecta in this, our 3rd Film Festival experience.

And just so you don't start thinking that all I'm gonna write about are the good things that happen along this indie filmmaking trail, I'm still a bit confounded by the technical challenges I suspect all filmmakers experience from one film fest to another...as every screening of the movie so far, from the Sarasota to Dayton showcases, has looked and sounded different from the final cut product we delivered. One screening looks better from a color-correction standpoint than another...and the sound quality - which I know is fantastic in the first place thanks to the time and money we spent on the overall sound mix in post production - continues to be less than perfect. I know that each theatre has different sound and projector settings and it's driving me crazy to watch the movie and see/hear the glitches...most of which have nothing to do with anything my Team did to the film. Amazingly, when I mention my disappointment of these technical flaws, people look at me like I'm nuts. They just don't notice the things I'm wincing about and think I'm overreacting. But I'm not. We worked hard to get it right...and yes, I still have just a coupla more minor tweaks to make in the film. But at some point soon I hope I can see the movie projected in a theatre that dials in just the right settings so the audience can see and hear the movie the way we've produced it.

Is it possible I doth protest too much? Yeah...probably so. But if the film is causing such an emotional stir as-is, I can't wait to see what the full effect of seeing and hearing the movie in all its technically pristine production glory will have on an audience. Don't get me wrong, the film fest tech folks in Sarasota & Dayton did great work overall...but damn...I just feel like we haven't quite hit the sweet spot yet. Maybe Park City can dial up that perfect technical screening I crave...

ST

FilmDayton Festival update & the 'Ana' Connection

Just a quick blast to say it's been a fast & furious trip to the old stomping grounds so far. The FilmDayton Festival is in full swing and I'm having fun reconnecting with Family & Friends from days of yore and making new friends. The Dayton film fest organizers are working extremely hard in this, the 3rd year of the event, and it's been great to be a part of this growing effort to develop a full-fledged film industry in the Miami Valley. I've met with serious players here in the community whose sole interest is to create and sustain a vibrant environment for filmmakers to bring their projects to Dayton - and I'm enthused by the level of interest in the possibility of bringing one or more of my film projects to the area. I still have a soft spot in my heart for the town I grew up in, so we'll see where that road leads...

I met with an absolute killer blues-rock artist - Ana Popovic - yesterday in Columbus and am working to sign her to co-star with Danielle & Jay in the BN prequel, "Serenade". Ana nearly was cast in the role of 'Candy' for the current film, but the logistics didn't work out - which turned out just fine because I went on from there to find and cast the incredible Kimber Cleveland - and the rest is history. There's a time and a place for everything...so it looks like this year is the time and Sarasota is the place for Ana to join the cast of "Serenade". Danielle and I will be meeting with Ana soon to discuss the details, so hopefully we'll have another casting announcement in the near future. For more info on this fantastic talent who is extremely well-known on the European music festival circuit and who is blazing a trail for herself in the USA - check out http://www.anapopovic.com/. The pivotal supporting role I have in mind for Ana in "Serenade" could become a breakout event for her and a tremendous boost for the BN Franchise overall, as the foreign box office potential expands greatly having her on the Team.

The "Beautiful Noise" Dayton premiere happens this afternoon - and Kimber, who is in town with me for the screening, performs her solo concert tonight at the legendary Gilly's nightclub in downtown Dayton. I'll report back in later and let you know if the Dayton crowds' enthusiasm for our film matches the Sarasota response. It's certainly going to be a 'teachable moment' for me.

ST

The Balancing Act

It's all most indie filmmakers can do to draw attention to their movie once they survive the battle to get it made...so I'm grateful for the set of circumstances that enabled Beautiful Noise to come out of the gate strong with our incredible world premiere experience at the Sarasota Film Festival last month, followed up by screenings at the Dayton Film Festival next Saturday and the Park City Film Music Festival in Utah on May 25th. Our film festival strategy is crucial to our singular objective to acquire distribution and we're off to a good start on that score. Slowly but surely, the film is getting out there and having a positive, emotional impact on audiences. And far and away - the #1 comment from everyone who has seen the film has been about the incredible Soundtrack, so I figure a wise move at this juncture is to do everything possible to exploit that sentiment.

Several national record promotion companies have already contacted me offering their services to take select songs from the BN Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and work targeted markets and radio station chains to get us airplay...as they agree with me that we have 4-5 songs that could become breakout hits. Radio airplay = Soundtrack sales = live BN concert opportunities = interest in seeing the movie = worldwide distribution. It's an important formula to understand and put into action.

The album is finally available for purchase on ITunes, Amazon and other digital download sites as well as on the movie website's online store...so the full court press is about to be unleashed to promote the Beautiful Noise music score. It's going to be interesting to see what breaks first - the Movie or the Soundtrack album. Both have tremendous potential. One thing's for sure - the success of one will draw huge attention to the other. My job now is to balance the available resources and make certain both entertainment vehicles find their way in the competitive marketplace.

In today's indie film world I've come to understand that it takes perfect planning and time to nurture your product and navigate the sea of opportunities that exist...and I learned a long time ago that Patience is genius. In years past I had a lot of success shooting from the hip and going with my gut instincts alone when it came to marketing...but this is different. There are more variables in play, so I have to really bear down and focus on the consequences of every move to ensure a positive result.

First-time indie filmmakers take note. I've said it before, I'm saying it again. Pay as much attention to marketing your Art as you do creating it. Get help if it's not something you do as a natural reflex...but by all means necessary - learn to promote the hell out of your film. The payoff for all involved is tremendous...but there's little room for error. Think it all the way through with the end result you seek firmly in mind at all times. Don't get distracted from the Goal.

Then go for it.
 
ST

Official Selection - Park City Film Music Festival!

I was just informed that Beautiful Noise is an Official Selection of the Park City Film Music Festival taking place May 20-30 in Park City, Utah. Hope the actual screening date doesn't conflict with our Dayton Film Festival showcase on May 21st. It might be tough to be in 2 places at one time...

The cool thing about the Park City fest is that we'll be in competition with both Hollywood & Indie films from all over the world in the category of "Best Use of Music in a Feature Film". I wouldn't bet against us. I'll put our Soundtrack singers and songwriters up against anyone!

More details soon on the Park City schedule. Hope I get to meet the "Sundance Kid" at the film festival. Now that would be a huge Smile!

ST

Thumbs Up from the King

It's a well-documented fact by now that Beautiful Noise - the Movie has nothing whatsoever to do with the life & times & music of Neil Diamond and that it's a completely fictional Story filled with original songs - even though the great Title is taken from one of Neil's best albums from over 30 years ago. That said, I'll never deny the fact that I owe my inspiration for writing and creating the movie to the Muse inside that has favored the lyric and melodies of Mr. Diamond since my early teens. So during those first sold out screenings in April I really enjoyed watching fellow 'Diamondheads' in the audiences (and like Jimmy Buffetts' 'Parrotheads', we are legion in number and passionate about the Music and Vibe of our respective Troubadours) as they reacted with knowing looks and grins to all the coded Diamond references sprinkled throughout the movie. My homage to Neil was important to me, 'cause I can't begin to tell you how his music has kept me going over the years...both in times of joy and strife. That's the great thing about Music, isn't it? It has the power to make you look for rainbows during every rainy day and the power to heal when the dark clouds just won't subside. And when you hear your favorite songs performed live in concert by the person who created them, well...it just doesn't get any better than that...

So you can imagine what a real Smile it was for me this weekend when I got the biggest 'Thumbs Up' yet for the film from Neil's friend and longtime bandmember of the NDRRT - King Errisson. King's cameo in Beautiful Noise is terrific and he was missed at our Sarasota Premiere last month - but the 'King of the Conga's' was travelling with his fellow Diamond Muzoids on the opening legs of their World Tour - to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa - so we knew he had a schedule conflict. But Friday I had a chance to meet with King at Jay's house in Vegas to screen the film and discuss King's expanded role in the BN prequel & sequel. I gotta admit, I was more nervous watching King watch the movie than I've been with anyone else so far. I mean...talk about someone of King's stature who not only performed in the film and on the Soundtrack album, but you know damn well that he's not gonna pull any punches critiquing the quality of the film and especially the music. The man is a consumate pro, and after all - BN is a Musical! So even though King is the nicest guy in the world, I was braced for anything when the last of the film credits and final song ended.

My fears subsided quickly and I knew we were OK when the first words out of the legendary percussionists' mouth were: "We've got to find Distribution for this right away Steve." He loved the film, mentioned the same coupla edit points Marc and I already have targeted, praised Danielle's jaw-dropping performance and Kimber's work and incredible songs and immediately gave me the name and personal cell phone number of a close friend, the VP of Distribution of a major Studio. On the way out he gave his pal Jay a big congratulatory hug, then turned and flashed his famous smile, shook my hand and asked me to send him the BN Serenade & Heartlight scripts asap. I had already gone over the storylines of the prequel and sequel before I showed him the movie, so he's ready to reprise his role when we start shooting again later this year...knowing it's no longer a cameo, but rather an expansion of his part that is critical to the overall storytelling of the Trilogy.

I gave King several copies of the Beautiful Noise Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD and
BN T-shirts that sport the movie tagline - "Surviving the Life never sounded so good" on the back...and couldn't help wondering as he drove away if somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, when he and his bandmates are jetting to their European concert dates in June, if their Vocalist might notice King's BN shirt or inquire about the new CD he's listening to. How cool would it be if the sum total of my Cast & Crew's effort to create our Musical-Drama brings a Smile to the man's face who inspired it all?

ST

New Songs...new Scripts...and new Perspectives

Never a dull moment...

While we tweak the edit on Beautiful Noise this week as a result of the Sarasota screenings, I've been polishing the screenplays for the prequel and sequel and listening to a lot of great original songs that have been submitted for the next 2 BN films. No major changes are being made in the edit, but Marc and I did see a couple of things that made us cringe a little...but that apparently was completely missed by the 2000 + people who have seen the movie so far who were absorbed by the Story and the Characters. One new shot we're adding for sure is an establishing exterior scene of Los Angeles, as the film starts in 1974 in L.A. and then makes its way to present day southwest Florida. But other than that one additional shot, the edits we'll make to two different sequences are minor...but necessary. We're fielding some conflicting input as some people we show the film to who are in the business from a "crew" standpoint are quick to point out a few technical flaws that we're addressing...but after extensive Q&A's with audience members who have seen the film once or twice we get a completely different perspective. "Civilians" absolutely love most everything about the film as is and they seem surprised when we ask them about the so-called flaws that some tech people point out. They just don't understand what we're talking about as they are so engrossed in the emotion and message and songs in the movie. I've decided that the best thing to do now is to show the film outside Sarasota and test screen it in Ft Myers and Tampa and Orlando to make certain that the reactions and positive rave reviews we're getting are as genuine as we believe them to be. Those test screenings plus the reaction coming out of the Dayton Film Festival will guide us and put some things to rest. You can tweak your movie forever and never be completely satisfied and in fact screw it up if you're not careful...so we'll see what some new audiences think and then go with the flow. Better to deal with this stuff now before the summer/fall international film festival schedule kicks into high gear.

Meanwhile, I have a core group of primary actors and crew who are involved in the upcoming Serenade & Heartlight BN projects who are anxious to read the 2 new scripts. I've had the storylines fleshed out for some time now...but like the current film, I am writing the lyrics of the songs I'm selecting right into the screenplays because they once again are crucial in propelling the action and character development - so it's taking a little longer to polish because I keep finding cool new songs to add to the mix.

April was a spectacular month for our Beautiful Noise Team and May looks like it's going to be just as productive. The Dayton Film Festival is our next stop in a couple of weeks...then the rollercoaster ride of film festivals and special showcases in the US & Europe will dominate our schedule while pre-production commences on the 2 new BN movies.

Lots of moving parts...and lots of opportunities for all involved. We're building both a film franchise and an indie movie production company all at the same time.

Have I mentioned lately how much fun this all is?

ST