Originally I was going to back off a bit after releasing AWAKENING. But I started to get excited about one of the projects I had pushed aside. I saw some of the actors in AWAKENING and thought, “what better talent pool of actors to work with than the ones right here.”
As I was set to release AWAKENING on Feb. 28th, I made sure to try to dodge as many important events as possible. I didn’t want to release in January because of Sundance. Everything seemed perfect. Then Gov. Rick Snyder (Michigan ) made his big proposal. In it he was basically is killing the Michigan Film Tax Incentive and many, many other serious cuts to other programs. Even though I didn't benefit from the Film Tax Incentive, a thought came to me, “If you’re going to make something happen, make it happen NOW!”
So… Here it goes:
UTOPILAND: It was the first micro-pilot I was planning on making It has a AVATAR-sized feel to it (not blue people, I mean the scale of the story). Utopiland is the story of a world that lives in skyscrappers. The rich living on top, the poor on the bottom. It starts with a body that falls from the top of Utopiland. Who this person is and what happens to him will change his world forever.
Because of the scale of UTOPILAND, after many discussions with some CG artists, it just seemed like something way too big to tackle without a sizeable amount of money. If it was made it would probably redefine what Indie filmmakers could do, but it was just so big. Finally, after seeing MODERN TIMES, I was inspired. I figured out how to pull off this micro-pilot and make it look epic without making the work itself epic. To pull this off I am going to take another shot at the crowd funding world, but do everything different. I’m not going to just have a crowd funding campaign, but make it into something that is a real social experience where the supporters become part of the movie. Sound different? If you like this idea, let me know.
The House: This is the feature film I had struggled to make since Fall 2008. First I tried the traditional investor route, then I met a great actress/friend named Christy. We were going to have Christy play the leading lady part of Anne Peterson. But the investor money just wasn’t coming. Then I came to simple conclusion. There are tons of talented actors right here in Michigan. I had some incredible talent on AWAKENING, and that was just a small amount of the talent that is here. So, even though it would have been great to work with Christy, I finally came to a conclusion, for the sake of economics, I wouldn’t be able to work with her on this project. I would use all local actors. I am going to shoot the vast majority of the film in Michigan and make it look like Maine. Then I will shoot select scenes that have to be shot in Maine, in Greenville, Maine. I'm not well connected or rich but, like many other Indie filmmakers I know, I get really creative in what it takes to make a film look great.
If there is anything I have learned growing up it’s simply:“When things get tough, push harder”.
Below is AWAKENING for everyone who wanted to see it:
