MOTW: On the Back-Burner... for now

I begin this post with something I wrote back a while ago, in one of my earlier posts for this blog:

"If things don't fall through, if the suit isn't ready, if the effects don't work out, or if anything causes me to feel that this isn't ready, then I have no problem pushing it back or delaying it indefinitely. I rather have it ready to go or not ready at all."

After what went down with my teaser trailer plan being delayed indefinitely because my friend couldn't get any footage shot, I've come to a decision about my pet project.

I'm pushing it back. Again.

A lot of factors went to this decision. Mainly, was the fact that I have no teaser trailer for this film. With the weather getting colder and my friend(who's playing the lead) not being able to get footage done, this was a key factor in not getting this off the ground. My plan was to use this trailer to promote the film and possibly to drum up funds for the big film. Since it was looking highly doubtful to get a teaser trailer ready until at least next spring or when the weather warms up, that was one cause for the delay.

I did look at other angles, like not using my friend in the footage or using his voice or something like that. I even looked at using another script idea for a trailer, but I rather use him and I rather use this idea.

Another factor was time involved for doing this film. I talked with a lot of people, some friends I know, when it came to shooting this film. The way the script is now, even though I'm still crafting it, will be about 90 minutes and even if I were to get everyone's schedules together, since a lot of people will be from out of town, I doubt we can get everything done in about a week's time. I'll see what we can do, but considering that I need to get some work in as to putting such a project together, I'd rather have a safe plan than just one that may fall apart when everyone gets together.

So like I said, after giving this some thought, I've decided to delay MOTW until late next year or possibly summer 2007. I think by that time, a solid game plan will be in place to put my pet project together.

But in the meantime, I'm not completely given up on my baby. Remember my teaser trailer idea? I think it's good. So good in fact that next summer I'm going to turn that small script into a short film. Shooting this short film. I think this will be great practice for me as to what I can and can't do when it comes to filming this. Plus, my friend will be heading up here to film his part for this. Which works great time wise and budget wise as well. So we'll see what happens. I'm going to expand upon this short film idea, turning my two-to-three minute teaser until a thirty minute or so movie. I may even still call it "Mark of the Wolf", but maybe use that as an introduction or a launching pad for what the main feature will be about.

So, as I stated earlier in my previous post and at the start of this one, I rather have it ready to go than not ready at all. What I plan to do the rest of this year and part of 2006 will help me to make sure that this film will be ready to go, whenever it happens.

Teaser Trailer -- Delayed Until Further Notice

Hey there.

Trust me when I say that the above headline is NOT I wanted to type out today. If anything I wanted to announce that my friend had completed filming the live action part of the teaser trailer, or even better, that I had both the live action and effects footage and was hard at work editing it together.

Instead, I have to type out these words.

Delayed Until Further Notice.

Which sucks, big time.

Well, let me first explain how we got to this point. On Friday, my friend had informed me that on Saturday, he and his friend would be heading out to their location in Minnesota to shoot the live action segment of the teaser trailer. Very exciting news. Then earlier on Saturday, I went over with my friend - who's playing the lead role in the movie, by the way- what I wanted to see in each shot. What range or angle I was looking for and even coming up with some last minute changes to help the project along. If things went well, my friend would tell me either later that evening or today how the shoot went and possibly, when I would get the footage together to help craft the two-to-three minute trailer.

Instead, when I talked with him late last night, he basically told me that he got nothing from the shoot.

Damn.

He explained that his friend, who would be doing the camera work for the shoot didn't get in until late. And by the time he arrived, it was getting late for them to get any footage in at all for the trailer.

Damn again.

So, here I am, back where I was at the beginning. With nothing. And, again typing the following words: Delayed Until Further Notice.

So what happens now? Well I hope to see if it's at all possible for my friend to get together with his friend to try again another time. From what he tells me, they get together about once a month, but maybe I can convince him to meet up at an earlier time. We'll see.

Meanwhile, my other friend, who's doing the effects part for the trailer, is still at a holding pattern because of his current situation with school and moving to a new place. But, he is able to salvage some of the old footage together (from the original disc he'd sent me that had gotten lost in the mail) and could have something done soon.

So, until both of those elements come together, it looks like I won't have anything to show you guys in October or early November. At this rate, it's looking unlikely that I won't have anything until the new year if I'm lucky. I really hope that 's not the case, because the more I think of it, the more I want to use this teaser trailer as a tool to possibly drum up funds to help with the actual movie. I'm also tossing around the idea of doing a more simple teaser just to get the word out, but I want to talk it over with my friend first.

So, until I say different, the teaser trailer for MOTW is delayed until further notice. To say I'm disappointed in this bit of news is an understatement. Words can't even describe how I'm feeling. This was a perfect opportunity to present an early look of what my film will be about. But instead, I'm at a holding pattern. The only thing that's keeping me sane right now is the fact that I'm not the first, nor the last, to have a movie project get temporarily derailed. Hopefully, something will develop shortly that will help put my teaser trailer -- and possibly even next year's movie shoot -- back on track.

That's it for now. I'll have another update next week, or earlier if things warrant.