I DEVOURED ANOTHER KEVIN SMITH BOOK…
BUT THE STORIES WERE BETTER LIVE.

I loved  Silent Bob Speaks and My Boring-Ass Life.   I own all of the ‘Evening With’ DVDs he has released, read the books and finally had my chance to see him live last year.  I’ve never been a huge fan of Kevin Smith’s films but I’m a massive fan of the man himself. So I picked up Kevin Smith’s new book, Tough Sh*t, with high hopes…

RED STATE ARRIVES IN TORONTO

I couldn’t wait to catch one of his legendary Q&A sessions live with his latest (and enjoyable) film as an opening act.  Red State did not disappoint and neither did Kevin Smith.  While he didn’t really answer many questions, he still spoke for more than two hours in a boiling hot room with no air conditioning.  He went through his adventures creating Zack & Miri, his clash with Bruce Willis making Cop Out and the enlightening journey he took producing and distributing Red State.

XTRA | Kevin Smith, Red State & THIS Independent Filmmaker

However, he pretty much covered most of the content in Tough Sh*t.  It was unfortunate as I turned the pages hoping for something I hadn’t heard or read before.  To Kevin’s credit, he does elaborate a great deal with tons of behind the scenes tales from the film world.  The evolution of his relationship with Harvey Weinstein was a personal favorite of mine.  But sadly, there just wasn’t enough new material especially with my copy of Too Fat For 40 on the shelf.

Having said that, Tough Sh*t is a fantastic and quick read that’s full of insight and laughs.  If you haven’t seen him live recently or watched Too Fat For 40, then Tough Sh*t is full of surprises and hilarious tales.

I still enjoyed the book for the longer and more elaborate versions of his stories. The Bruce Willis Saga is particularly memorable not to mention his passionate views on hockey and the Gretzky Family.  (I am Canadian after all.)

Tough Sh*t made me realize how much fun it was hearing the stories live.  It’s better live.

RED STATE SCREENING AT
THE TORONTO UNDERGROUND CINEMA INSPIRES!

An evening with Kevin Smith in Toronto complete with a screening of his new film Red State couldn’t have come at a better time.  I had just decided to put my blog on hold for a month in order to concentrate fully on writing my new screenplay and editing my new short film.  What better way to kick start the next few weeks then an evening with Kevin Smith at The Underground Cinema in Toronto.

RED STATE

I had a blast with Red State.  The experience was made even better by the enthusiastic audience I was a part of.  Indeed, something truly incredible happens when you match a movie with the perfect audience.  Red State moves a mile a minute and never lets up.

The film begins with a simple setup, a group of kids are looking for sex but their search unfortunately lands them in the middle of a fundamentalist church full of people with bad intentions.  It really doesn’t take long before those bad intentions come to fruition in a truly horrific way.  That’s when the film really surprised me.  Red State immediately makes a quick but smooth transition into an all out war between government agents and this machine gun loving family.    What followed was one hell of an entertaining shoot out where absolutely no one is safe.  I’m going to leave it at that because part of the fun of Red State is reacting to the twists and turns that basically smack you in the face every 5 or six minutes.  I was smiling the entire time and so was everyone else.

John Goodman dominates Red State.  The second he appeared on screen the crowed went nuts and he didn’t disappoint.  He is absolutely fantastic in the movie and he’s backed up by an equally fantastic supporting cast that includes a very creepy Melissa Leo.

People who have followed Kevin Smith’s career know that he’s never considered himself a visual director but he has definitely elevated his game with Red State.  The film’s visual style is every bit as gritty and interesting as it’s chilling premise.  While I still think Chasing Amy is Smith’s best work, Red State is definitely a strong contender.  It was fun to be able to see the film in that environment and the experience was made even better when he took the stage afterwards to answer questions about the film.

THE Q&A

As a die hard fan of the ‘Evening With’ DVDs, I couldn’t wait to hear him speak especially following a screening of his brand new film.  The story that fascinated me the most was his explanation of the film’s connection to the Phelps family and the Westboro Baptist Church.  They are a group based in Kansas led by Fred Phelps who inspired the villain in the film played by Michael Parks. To see a movie and then hear the filmmaker discuss the inspiration behind was amazing.  Kevin spoke with such passion about what he wanted the film to be and the emotions he wanted the audience to feel.  Even his decision not to include a score came with a detailed explanation that made me think about my own filmmaking choices in new ways.  That doesn’t mean my next movie won’t have a score but hearing someone talk about ‘why’ in such detail was inspiring.

At one point, he fully admitted to breaking the rules of traditional filmmaking in order to achieve the style he wanted.

“I’m 41, I’m Kevin Smith, I’ll do whatever the F#%@ I want.”

Some people may disagree with his editorial choices but that’s the point.  He encouraged the filmmakers in the audience to take risks and make the films they wanted to see.  That’s the very essence of creativity after all isn’t it?  It was a point that hit home especially with my new screenplay underway.  It’s strange how the event in Toronto came along right when I needed a boost going into the next few months of my creative life.  I have a lot of work to do and it can be daunting at times but hearing someone as passionate as Kevin Smith simply reaffirmed that dedicating yourself to projects you care about will always lead to satisfying results.  If anything it’s that wonderful sense of accomplishment I feel when I finish a project that fuels my imagination moving forward.  My evening with Kevin Smith served as a reminder of that.  I’m ready to get to work.

In the end, he spoke for about 2 hours or so highlighted by countless hilarious tales about his filmmaking adventures and how he envisions the future of independent film.  I sincerely hope the Red State DVD features a ton of this material or better still, a separate release that includes the entire Red State Tour Q&As.

Until that day, I’ve got a lot to do and it’s time to get started.

XTRA | Kevin Smith & Independent Film

Over the last few weeks, I’ve spent a lot of time working on my new feature length screenplay that’s not about superheroes.  I think I put a lot of pressure on myself to come up with something different.  I’m really obsessed with the story right now and I’m having a ton of fun writing it.  But that doesn’t mean I’m not looking ahead at what I’d like to write next once this screenplay is finished later this year.

I want to write a horror movie…  I really want to make a horror movie too.  Over the last few months, I’ve written two horror shorts with a third on the way sometime this fall.  For now, they are just collecting dust but I got really excited while considering writing a full length horror next.

I started thinking about all the possibilities of writing something brand new, something terrifying and something fun.  This train of thought was inspired by the recent release of some pretty sweet upcoming horror trailers.

Paranormal Activity 3

There are many horror fans who never really jumped on board the Paranormal Activity bandwagon.  I am not one of those people.  I adore this franchise.  Hopefully they come up with something just as creepy for the third installment.

Apollo 18

Found footage horror movie in space…  I’m in.  Apollo 18 looks like a fantastic addition to the found footage family.

Intruders

This looks pretty sweet and really doesn’t give that much away which is rare these days.

Red State

Kevin Smith’s newest film is vastly different than anything he’s ever done and that’s a good thing.  Red State looks like it tows the line between thriller and action movie and that’s what intrigues me.

Can Mr. Smith pull off his grand scheme to change the way movies are distributed?

Grave Encounters

I have to admit, when I first saw this trailer, all I could think about was The Blair Witch Project & Paranormal Activity.  Unfortunately, Grave Encounters will have to deal with the harsh reality that people probably won’t buy the ‘never before seen footage’ hoax again.

However, that doesn’t mean the movie won’t bring some original ideas to the table.  It could very well be packed with spooky encounters.

Contagion

This movie isn’t a straight horror movie but it still has all the elements of greatness including an amazing cast.

The Thing

An unneeded  remake that could very well surprise us all.  On a side note, I love the fonts in this trailer.  Just saying…

Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark

Slap Guillermo Del Toro’s name on any horror movie and I’ll lineup to see it.  Hopefully his streak of being attached to amazing films continues.

Fright Night

I’m not sure where I stand on a horror movie starring Colin Farrell as a vampire with an appearance from McLovin…

11-11-11

Darren Lynn Bousman has proven himself to be a very capable horror director.

The Woman In Black

Harry Potter himself tries to break free from the wizarding world to take on a vengeful ghost.

Even More Horror

Click here for more upcoming horror movies.

Writing A Horror Screenplay

Why not me?  Why not try to come up with something new with a focus on story that requires a low budget? Typing that made me laugh because let’s face it, if it were that easy everyone would do it.  It sounds discouraging but I see it as a source of motivation.  The trick is to find a story I can believe in.  A story worth telling.  A story that will hopefully scare the crap out of movie audiences someday.

Bottom line, I think it’s safe to say that horror will be the next genre I tackle when I’m finished with my non-superhero movie.  Until that time comes, there are plenty of great horror flicks to occupy my time.

XTRA | Interview:  Write A Slasher Movie & Get It Made

WILL KEVIN SMITH CHANGE INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING
FOREVER?

Kevin Smith is right.  He definitely generated a ton of hype for the world premiere of Red State at Sundance this year with basically no cost at all.  Movie sites, bloggers, fans and critics were all talking about his plan to auction off the distribution rights after the screening.

It was a ballsy move for sure.  What if the movie didn’t connect to the audience?  Would it blow up in his face?

Little did we know, selling the rights to distribute and market his film was never his intention at all.

Here is his speech after the screening:

His intention was to prove that you could make and distribute a film for far less than the studios spend on films these days.  So he bid $20 bucks on his own movie in a symbolic gesture to prove that times are changing in the independent film world.

THE LINK: Slashfilm

INDIE 2.0

His plan is simple.  Instead of selling a 4 million dollar film to a studio who would then spend 20 million to market the flick, he would distribute the film as part of a cross country tour leading to a theatrical release he would orchestrate himself.

“It’s too much ****ing horse **it, I just want to tell ****ing stories.”

So he will take his film on the road armed with 1.7 twitter followers, his ever expanding podcasting network and the word of mouth of his loyal fans.  There have even been protests both for and against the film and it’s religious themes. It’s all free publicity for Red State in the end.  Is he on to something?

This plan has been met with mixed results.

“Why would anyone outside of Hollywood be upset if he found a way to beat the studios at their own game? But the idea that what Smith is trying to do is somehow applicable to small, independent filmmakers is complete nonsense.” Screen Junkies

“Amidst your overlong monologue of self-gratification, you mentioned that instead of having the studios pay to release your film, you were going to have us, the audience, pay you out of our pockets to fund it. Then, in passing, you quickly alluded to a crucial financial figure; for this ‘privilege’ of seeing your flick, we’d each have to pay “six, seven, ten times the price of a normal movie ticket”. (Pre-sale pricing released today confirms ticketing starts at $68.25 for nosebleeds, up to $142.70) You then defended this by adding that you’d follow the screening with a Q&A. What fanboy should (or could) drop that kind of coin to see a film? And now the question that must be asked…would Dante or Randal be able to afford that?” Joblo

Personally, I think HE can pull it off but I’m not entirely sure how that will translate to filmmakers like me who don’t have 1.7 million followers to draw attention to our films.

In all honesty, I think it’s a great idea.  I think if it works it will open a lot of doors for him.  What he is doing is creating an alternative to the studio system.  Can you make a movie without spending ridiculous amounts of money on marketing?

I think it depends on who you ask.  Take Christopher Nolan’s Inception.  That movie received a ton of marketing cash in addition to the $160 million dollar production budget.  The film went on to make more than $800 million world wide. (Boxofficemojo)

Will he ever see those kinds of numbers with his new strategy?  Does it even matter?  Again, it depends on who you ask.  Honestly, I’m looking forward to seeing how well Red State does.  He is putting a lot on the line for his first Horror film.

If people do pay large amounts of money, is it because of the film or the Q&A that will follow? What if the film fails?  Will his tour have a positive or negative effect once the film reaches theaters?

On the other hand, what if the plan works and he opens a few doors by creating  a new distribution model.  He could position himself to help and inspire a lot of filmmakers out there.  Perhaps other people will follow his lead and start championing lower budget films as well.  Perhaps indie filmmakers will be more willing to release their own films as well.

A lot of people complain about the lack of originality in Hollywood these days.  Everything depends on the bottom line.  Kevin Smith’s new adventure could lead to more and more originality on the big screen thanks to the visions of countless indie filmmakers out there that don’t have access to the studio distribution system.  He’s potentially giving aspiring filmmakers another avenue to reach an audience.

I’m pretty pumped to see where this road leads.  I hope the tour stops in Toronto eventually because I would definitely pay to see Red State before it’s proposed theatrical run in the fall.

“True independence isn’t making a film and selling it to some jack ass.”

XTRA: Kevin Smith’s Red State Inspires Indie Filmmakers

I have gigantic amounts of respect for Kevin Smith’s work.

Before I go further, let me say that I’m not necessarily a die hard fan of his films but I still find them to be entertaining.

I’m a huge fan of Kevin Smith the person.  I first became a fan after a friend of mine showed me the first Evening With Kevin Smith DVD.  I now own all three in addition to his hilarious books.  What I find fascinating is how easy it is to relate to him as he rants about his adventures in Hollywood.

He’s just up there talking about how much he loves making movies.  His movies.

It’s admirable because he does things his way and is successful because he answers directly to his fans.  Naturally, he wants to attract new fans as well but he’s always mindful of the people who have followed him along the way.

Kevin Smith is easily one of the most accessible filmmakers in the world.  Whether it’s through his DVD’s, books, blogs, smodcasts or tweets, he always seems to be reachable.

That is why I’m a fan.

Following Kevin Smith is a glimpse into the world of filmmaking by someone who did it by himself.  He took a huge risk and found an audience with Clerks and hasn’t looked back since.

Yet there are still people out there who criticize his films.  Most notable, the recent ‘Hollywood-ish’ buddy cop comedy Cop Out.

I think he returned to his ‘do it yourself and see what happens’ roots as a result.

That’s why I’m hoping Red State is his best film to date.

The film was made for a reasonably low cost and he is handling most of the work himself.  Case in point, he edited the film each night and had a rough cut ready for the wrap party.

That’s unheard of yet not surprising given Smith is so passionate about his films.

When he launched the first poster Red State shot up my most anticipated films list.

Here is what Mr. Smith had to say about the poster on his blog:

“Moody, weird, and pitch-perfect for the tone of the film. If I went out to an ad agency here in town, I’d be billed close to 20 grand for a campaign that’d maybe… maybe… include this poster. But this piece of artwork (I call it “The Holy Ghost”) didn’t come from a top-tier ad agency: Jon Gordon is my RED STATE producer, and this poster was created by his assistant, Melissa Bloom. So we’ve got a marketing image that was put together by someone who was on set every day, integral to the process that produced the film which inspired this image. This isn’t the work of some gun for hire who’s doing six other campaigns; we’re not just one of many. The marketer is actually family, RED from pre-production all the way through wrap, so she’s got an insight into the flick that no ad agency could ever boast (not even one-time Glo-Coat golden boy Don Draper over at SCDP). I’ll take passion over pedigree any day.”

I think that statement alone is inspiring to independent filmmakers out there.

Come up with a film believe in and make it happen.

Recently, he debuted the teaser trailer before a small group of fans in a feature he calls Red State of the Union.

You can actually listen to the event and subsequent Q&A here.

“Your audience is coming so lets reach for the audience that’s not coming…  I hate that.”

He’s doing all the right things.  Promoting the movie himself through a community he’s built around the fans that love his work.

He’s planning on doing more Q&A’s leading up to the film’s release and I for one will be tuning in for all of them.

I’m looking forward to seeing some footage from this film. It’s completely different than anything he’s ever done.  I think it’s a perfect film for him to make.  Why not change things up and step away from comedy and do something completely different?

My favorite Kevin Smith film is Jersey Girl.  That’s probably an unpopular opinion but I think Mr. Smith would agree that’s it’s not about popular opinion.  It’s about the movies you connect with.

It’s too soon to tell if Red State will be a hit with fans or critics alike.

However, how can you not be curious about a film he cares so deeply about?

PS: I’m curious as to how people will take the religious tone of the film especially after the amount of protesters against Dogma.