Friday, October 14, 2011

Never enough

I was recently asked what kind of story I was trying to tell with Victims of Circumstance. It was brought to my attention that, after reading the script and reviewing footage, there wasn't enough of a love story to call the film a Love story; not enough drama to call it a Drama; same thing with action and comedy. Basically, I was told that the story lacked a clear narrative and the pacing was inconsistent.

I've never been happier to hear words of critique.

When I set out to write VOC I knew that I wanted to tell a story that was as close to real life as I could get. In my experience, Real Life never has enough of the right kind of drama, love, action or comedy. Sometimes Life is painfully slow and suddenly, without notice, the pace quickens and multiple Big events occur in rapid succession, and then it slows back down.

That's Life. That's Real.

I think that as a result you have two choices: You can either resent the fact that there is not enough of the "good stuff" or you can take a breath and savor the snippets you are given, making the most of them at every turn.

That is the story of VOC.

If you are looking for a film that has a cookie-cutter Hollywood narrative, you're going to be quite disappointed. There are enough movies like that cluttering shelves and hard drives the world over. I was going for something unique, something that stays closer to true, something Real.

We are just a few months away from the day VOC premiers to the world and on that day I challenge you to open your mind and be ready for an experience that is far removed from the slick narratives you are used to. I challenge you to be ready to ponder a snapshot of Life in all it's painful, inconsistently paced, refreshingly inspirational glory.

Stay tuned, True Believers. This ride has barely just begun.

-paul

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

For immediate release: VOC Movie Poster.


In this day and age, we are bombarded by visual images. We make snap decisions on whether to buy, date, pursue, or ignore based on first impressions. We are proud to present our first serious representation of Victims of Circumstance. This poster was photographed and laid out by Aaron Brown, logo designed by Matt Winecke, and features Buddy Wayne Goettsch as Devin Reeves. Paul and Mike have discussed at length the tone and message we wanted the poster to convey. 

Now it is your turn...

What do you think of the poster? What do you think Devin is feeling?
What emotions does the poster convey?

Add your comments below.

Thanks for stopping by.

#vocfilm

Monday, October 10, 2011

The Art of The Kill...Aaron Brown shoots Devin






This is what happens before I had an Art Department!

Assuming there is truth in the statement “every picture tells a story” one can only surmise that photographer Aaron Brown is a man of very many words. I’ve had the luxury of knowing Aaron for more than a decade and his work behind the camera is nothing short of phenomenal. He’s travelled the world and has captured real Life, real Stories every step of the way. To call Aaron a shutterbug is almost an insult. He is a director, an artist, a dreamer, a cynic and a poet.





When it came time to find a photographer to shoot the VOC movie poster, Aaron was my first and only choice. Yes, I entertained offers from other folks (all fine photographers, too) but Aaron brought a sense of understanding to the table that no one else could mimic.




During our initial meeting, I walked Aaron through my thoughts on what I wanted the poster to look like. Admittedly, I am not a photographer. I tell my stories with hundreds of words or with hours of film. However, trying to be as helpful as I could, I designed a movie-poster concept and did my best to sketch it out, hoping that Aaron could use it as a frame work. My artistic endeavor left very little to the imagination. I believe Aaron still has a copy of this on his refrigerator.

After a good laugh, Aaron let me know that he understood what I was going for. He also recommended that we capture the feel through a minimalist approach.

Devin Reeves, our movie’s lead, is a complicated man. He exists 100% in that grey area between Right and Wrong, Good and Evil, Life and Death. The day of the shoot, I challenged Aaron to capture all of that; the duality of character, the dichotomy that is Devin, and I was not disappointed.




Over the course of a few hours, in one of the most appropriately mind-blowing settings I could have imagined, Aaron set his lights and conveyed in a single shot the story it will take me more than 60 minutes of film to tell. But that’s Aaron’s gift.



Scattered throughout this post are outtakes from the movie poster shoot. It was a very dark and intimate affair with only myself, Aaron and Buddy Wayne Goettsch on set. The session was….inspiring. That really is the best word I can use. The only real difficulty came days after the session when I had to select one single photo to become the centerpiece of our poster. If I could have, I would have used them all.



The official VOC movie poster will drop here this coming Wednesday, kids. In the meantime, head on over to http://www.aaronbrownphotos.com/ to see some more of the man’s work.

-paul








Buddy Wayne Goettsch as Devin Reeves








"Something wicked, this way comes..."


#vocfilm