Showbiz Filming

At the Sunrise 45 Film Festival in Alpena, MI. I had the pleasure of meeting Erik Ros, an independent filmmaker from the Netherlands. He was very impressed with the work Warren Jackson and I did on UFO: The Otis Files as well as the amazing work Krissi Kinney and Stephen Florentine did on their film, Replicator, so he invited us to become part of a multi-national film project he was working on called Showbiz. 

The film is based on a poem by Charles Bukowski. It follows the trials and tribulations of starving actors from several nations. Our team was tasked with depicting an American actor (played by Warren Jackson) as he preps for an audition with a casting agent (played by Krissi Kinney). We filmed our scenes on September 22 and 23rd in and around Rochester Hills, Michigan. 

Filming was an amazing experience. I'm so proud to have been a part of this project with other teams from around the world and to work with an innovative filmmaker like Erik. I've seen a couple rough cuts of the film and it looks amazing! I can't wait to see the audience's response at film festivals next summer.

Sunrise 45 Film Festival

The film I wrote, UFO: The Otis Files, was shown at the Sunrise 45 Film Festival in Alpena, MI. This was my first film festival and it was a blast! I got to see some amazing independent films and got to do some great networking. Also, it was great hanging out with the film's lead actress, Krissi Kinney and director Warren Jackson. 

One of the best things about attending the film festival was getting to talk with other filmmakers. Warren, Krissi, our associate Steve, and I were offered to take part in an international indie film project that we'll be filming at the end of September. The Sunrise 45 Film Festival was an amazing experience and I can't wait to be there next year as well.

UFO: The Otis Files World Premiere

Now that I've recovered from the premiere of UFO: The Otis Files I figured I would post my thoughts on that amazing night.

First off, WOW! A lot of people showed up for the premiere. The theater was almost full which was awesome because I thought we wouldn't even have come close to filling all those seats. It was amazing to feel all the support from our family, friends, fans and Kickstarter backers. We even had to start the movie a half hour later than scheduled because there was a line to buy tickets and everyone wanted pictures with the actors. Also, I loved seeing how excited the cast and crew were to have a premiere for their movie. They are the greatest group of people I've ever had the pleasure to work with and I'm glad that we got to have such an incredible night.

The movie itself was very well received. The audience really got the humor of the film and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Later on, we had an after party at a nearby Bar & Grille. From what I remember, everyone had a lot of fun.

Here are some photos from the premiere: