This Weekend

This weekend is going to be amazing. We are sharing the latest cut of Abandoned Allies with the cast on Saturday afternoon / evening, and then with another private group on Sunday afternoon. I am thrilled!

The film isn't finished yet, but we're getting closer and closer all the time. We will continue tweaking the end of the film, finalize music, mix sound, color correct, and complete the end credits in the next two months. I hope to have the film finished by this fall, if all goes according to plan.

If I've learned one thing: setting hard deadlines like screening events is incredibly motivating to get the film finished. It forces me to stop tweaking and be done with it, and helps motivate my team to get it totally finished. I think we are all ready to be finished with it so that we can share it.

Therefore, I hope to immediately set a date for a more public screening this fall. Stay tuned on that, folks.

The events for this weekend have helped me, once again, appreciate the many people who have helped with Abandoned Allies over the years. It's incredible to take stock of so many folks, each so willing to help out. (Perhaps they take pity on me for working on such a huge project with no prior experience?) I've been so lucky to meet and work with such interesting, passionate people. I just love North Carolina, and all of my fellow filmmakers. The collaboration is wonderful.

So, I've gotta buckle up because this weekend is going to be a wild ride. Thankfully, though, the film has been exported and the DVDs have been burned. We share the film at two private screenings this weekend. Wish us luck!

Volcano Girl Screening at IMAX

Volcano Girl, a film about a super hero who gets fired, screened at the Wells Fargo IMAX Theatre at Marbles in downtown Raleigh, N.C., last Sunday afternoon. It is a short film directed by the talented and funny Ashley Maria. She's a grad student at the University of Southern California studying Film & Television at the School of Cinematic Arts.

Watching a film in the IMAX theatre with the filmmaker and screenwriter is an incredible feeling. In fact, just watching an independent film in such a fabulous theater is amazing. I'm so glad the folks at IMAX at Marbles were willing to work with a "local" filmmaker (she's still in school in LA but is from the area). Part of making a film is sharing it with people, and doing so in that location is just drool-worthy.

After her two films played, Ashley Maria did a Q&A session. She talked about what happened behind the scenes while making Friday Night Fright and Volcano Girl. The latter is her thesis film since she's graduating this December.

Ashley Maria has a blog titled Life as a Film Student. She's quite talented, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what she does next. Check out the Volcano Girl website for more info on the film.
Here are some photos I took at the event. Enjoy!



Ashley Maria, director of Volcano Girl, with Jan Delory



Josh Eiserike, Volcano Girl screenwriter, and Ashley Maria talk about their film.

Lea-Ann Berst (proud mom, talented marketer) and Ashley Maria wait for the film to start.

The poster on display in the lobby of the IMAX Theatre at Marbles in downtown Raleigh, N.C.