Who is watching who?

#vocfilm

NWI Film: Jump on board

Take one pound of your favorite flavor of pudding. Now hold it in both hands. Now take it to the nearest forest and try to staple it to a tree using one of those tiny, throw-away staplers. Frustrated yet? Welcome to the world of the Indie Filmmaker.

Making films is not relaxing, at least, not if you're making them correctly. It is a painful, dangerous, exhausting, mind-numbing, excruciating, head-pounding ordeal and those of us who choose to follow this path are most likely certifiable...because we enjoy every second of the chaos.

At times filmmaking is a very lonely process. Though you are surrounded by cohorts and talent and crew, you, The Creator, are alone responsible for the eventual outcome. The weight of the multi-verse weighs heavy on your shoulders and it is during those times that you would easily sell your spleen for an empathetic ear. If you happen to live in North West Indiana, you can put the scalpel down and instead be thankful for the parents of Rainier Alcantara and John Metzler.

Awhile back, Rainier was beginning production on his first independent feature, Bar Room Hero. He knew all to well the isolation of the indie film creator and decided to actively remedy said situation. Through hard work, dedication and just the right amount of maniacal intution he helped birth the Northwest Indiana Film Forum. NWI Film, as it is known, started off as an online meeting ground where Northwest Indiana filmmakers could rant, rave, vent and network. Over time the group grew to become the go-to destination for anyone remotely tied to the indie scene; if you want to act, need a director, have questions regarding SAG or are looking for a producer, NWI Film is the place you head to first.

As time went on Rainier met and drafted the uber-talented John Metzler to help head up the Facebook version of the site. Through their unrelenting stubborness the page has grown considerably and NWI filmmakers flock to it daily to compare notes, gain insight and trade opportunities.

Admittedly, the group is exclusive and open only to film folk, though Rainier and John have recently launched a brand new endeavor. Realizing that the various NWI projects in play need a place to call home, the boys have recently launched the NWI Film Fan Page on Facebook. This page is open to the public and gives filmmakers an opportunity to promo their work to a target audience: People who dig indie films.

The fan page can be found at www.facebook.com/nwifilm

I say again: This is an open forum for FANS of indie film, specifically fans of projects that are in production in Northwest IN. If you fit this description, log-in to Facebook, click LIKE and stay in the Know.

Rest assured that Victims of Circumstance will have a noticeable presence on the page, co-existing with countless other just-as-awesome projects. It truly is an amazing chance to catch some First Look info.

I believe I speak for all indie filmmakers, NWI and beyond, when I say that your endorsement of this Fan Page will do wonders to calm our typically frazzled nerves.

Kudos to Rainier and John for putting the ball in motion. Now it's up to you, the True Believers, to keep pushing it along.

-paul

#vocfilm, #chicagofilm, #indiefilm, #nwifilm

Behind every great man...

I find myself in an odd state this morning. Not like Iowa or Rhode Island, no, even more bizarre. For the first time since I started working on Victims of Circumstance I actually have a second to breathe and reflect.

There are wheels in motion regarding the VOC marketing scheme that are mind-blowing to say the least. Very, very soon some pretty phenomenal news will be released to you but until then I am stuck in a kind of “hurry up and wait” mode. Not quite cruise control but not quite the hustle and bustle I’ve been used to for the last few months.

That being said, I’m reminded of how often I’ve needed to be anchored and reeled back in during these pre-production, production, post-production, marketing phases. Undoubtedly I’ve had the luxury of working with some truly gifted and talented individuals but if VOC has one unsung hero her name is clearly Andi Celestin.

Andi and I have been married for almost 6 years and this movie would never have come to fruition without her patience, understanding and smile. Almost a year ago I let her know that I was thinking about moving forward with production on the VOC script. Admittedly, at that time the scope of the project was worlds away from what it has currently become, but throughout every single step Andi has been standing by my side: sometimes holding me up, sometimes pushing me forward, sometimes smacking me in the back of the head while asking: “Really?!??!”

As you can well imagine, as you’ve already seen, VOC monopolizes most of my time and higher brain function. That wouldn’t be much of an issue if I didn’t have a day job and 3 awesomely-exhausting energetic children at home. There have been countless days/nights that I’ve had to be away from my family to work on this project; it’s a sacrifice any struggling artist makes. I’ve been fortunate, however, to have the kind of Partner who has never questioned my investment of time. Andi, in many ways, was the first True Believer, potentially even before I was. She knows that VOC is going to take over the world. She lives it, breathes it, teaches it and admires it. This film would never have been made without the blood, sweat and tears of countless individuals and I may never get the opportunity to thank each and every one of them properly, but I have to start sometime. 

And today I would like to thank my wife.

So honey, here’s to you in all of your quirky, intelligent, insightful, know-when-to-guide-me and know-when-to-let-me-find-my-own-way glory. I couldn’t have done this without you.

-paul

#vocfilm, #indiefilm, #chicagomovie, #indiesmovie