Festival Run Ramblings

Today, I'm applying to Sundance. The reasons why I'm applying to Sundance are vast and varied. Even though I know it's a long shot, it's the word 'shot' in general that's exciting to me. You never know what people are looking for. Maybe, just maybe, we have it.

This has been an exciting month for Frog! We're screening at Nueva Onda in Austin this Thursday (September 6th), and we just found out about two really cool screenings in October! (More info on those as soon as we're free to tell). ;-)

It's interesting to me that the above two paragraphs are different in their use of "I" and "we." In the first paragraph, I was talking about something I was actively doing: a submission that requires some amount of effort and work on my part. In the beginning, I would have said "we" are applying to Sundance, but by this point in the film's life, I am on my own with stuff.

Both of my producers have moved on down the road to work on other projects and contend with the rest of this circus that seems to be life. I understand that. I wonder if this is just the way things are with indie filmmaking? I was certainly blessed to have them while I did, and I don't mind riding the wave alone right now. It's quiet in the middle of the ocean at night.

I'm sincerely exciting about the screenings coming up! I'll probably have both producers there, as well as the majority of my cast and crew. Reuniting, if even for a night or two, will be magic. I promised people we'd play festivals. Committed to that. And now it's happening.

It feels like sweet release.

TRAILER

Let us know what you think!

WORLD PREMIERE -- NEWPORT BEACH

We premiered in Newport Beach, CA on April 22nd to a full house -- and were greeted by a very warm reception. The audience was excited, the film festival staff was kind, and some very dear friends drove down from LA to make the night even more special.



Back Row, Perfect Seats:


Me (left) and my best friend and biggest supporter (right):

The Premiere Party:
Newport at Night:

Big thanks to everyone who made the experience so rewarding! We hope to play more festivals soon; so keep your eyes out for current updates.

~Sarah Dowling,
Director

Frog's First Fest!

It's official. Frog is all set for its world premiere! Our film will screen at the Newport Beach Film Festival in Newport Beach, CA (just an hour South of LA).

We're very excited about the screening and may even be attending the event.

In other news, we're currently in pre-production on our next short: SKIN, a comedy about a woman who wakes up in bed with everyone she's ever slept with -- and her mother.

:)

Come check us out in Newport if you're close by. If not, come check out our trailer and let us know what you think. We need the feedback!

*
Sari

We won a TFPF grant!

Hello anyone and everyone that may possibly even be entertaining the thought of tracking our progress with this project! :)

After a hot summer full of technical difficulties and post-production headaches, I'm proud to say we have come out the other side unscathed!

In fact, we have come out the other side alive and thriving.

Found out about a month ago that our film was chosen by the Texas Filmmaker's Production Fund (TFPF) for a $4,000 distribution grant!

This means we'll be able to get our film out to a lot of great festivals -- and have the funds for DVD duplication, etc. I'm terribly excited about the prospect of finally getting the film out there to audiences. I'm just starting to wake up to the fact that that's what's going to happen. How very cool.

I also want to announce that Chris Roldan has come on-board as editor. We're almost finished with the final cut and plan to picture-lock by Monday (10/9/06). After that, the film will go through final sound and color correction and hopefully be ready to submit to festivals by the end of October.

We'd like to premiere at AFI Dallas or SXSW this Spring.

In the meantime, we'll be putting up a trailer on the main site and our myspace page. So keep an eye out for your first glimpse of the film! ;)

Best to everybody everywhere,

Sarah Dowling
Director

Post Update

So I am learning to take the bumps in the road as something closer to stepping stones...

A few weeks ago, due to schedules and other unpredictable elements, we had to switch editors on our project. I feel good about the switch and happy with the new editor we've found, but we're currently waiting on a software update to arrive by mail so we can get in there and finish the edit.

The time away from the project has given me some space to think... some breathing room... and I think the film will be all the stronger for it. When we get back in the editing room this week, it will be with clear heads and excitement in our veins.

I absolutely love the editing process! The tech-geek in me freaks out at the thought of such detail-intensive work. I love playing with a scene until you get it to come together perfectly -- until you literally hear the click of it locking into place.

I'm looking forward to working with the talented musicians we have involved, and moving through the last bits of post. As each person passes through the project, it becomes something greater than it was before they touched it. With all of the amazing people we involved, that's making for a pretty incredible experience.

Thanks again to everyone who helped out-- and those we've just met or have yet to meet :-)

Your support and hard work are making this possible.

* Frog Lady

Update from the editing room...

Hello froggie friends,

Just wanted to post a quick update on the progress of the film...

We are now 3 minutes and 33 seconds (exactly) into our edit, and the footage looks absolutely gorgeous! I must say I'm really glad "my boys" (talented crew) persuaded me to go HD. They tell me it'll look even more magnificent when blown up on the "big screen."

The big screen makes me giggle.

We've been really lucky musically to secure the talents of a not only rockin' composers but also a local artist who blew us away when we heard her tunes. More on that soon!

After Steve and I finish the edit and get some feedback, we'll passing it along to Robert for color correction, Adam for the sound edit, and the composers for well... I'm sure you get it :)

Soon after that, we'll be in the studio recording the score and any voice-over or ADR (shudder) we might need to capture...

Final sound edit follows... and then we're done in terms of the artistic part of post!

We're trying to make the Austin Film Festival deadline of June 15th...

Our hard deadline for completion is June 1st, so we'll see if we meet ourselves there in six weeks! ;-)

Hope everyone is doing well!!

Sarah