Burnley
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Joined: 17-DEC-06
Last Online: APR 30 2008 04:47PM
- Film: Don't Talk So Dumb
- Film: Esprit De Corps
Film Description:
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Film Production Blog "donttalksodumb"
Progress
Dec 01, 2007 11:20AM
161 views on YouTube and 55 on Yahoo after just three days. Not too shabby. A review upcoming on www.eccentriccinema.com. First indications seem to be that it will be a positive review. The national horror connection is actually more of a comedy site so it will be interesting to see how DTSD is received on it. I believe that DTSD was shown on the Akimbo channel last month but darned if I know how to tell. The local indie promoter who posted DTSD to Akimbo will not get back to me. As for the film festival side of things, one last try. I submitted to Philly Fest so hope to hear something in March. I'm fed up with film festivals for now. It's going to take a very particular fest to take a liking to DTSD and I haven't found one yet. Only submitted to 7 but geez, you can spend a fortune and never get anywhere.
Update
Nov 28, 2007 04:13PM
Well, it's been a while since I blogged. Marketing an idependent film is a pain in the ass........but it also has it's rewards. I put the first scene of "Don't Talk So Dumb" on YouTube the other day as well as Yahoo videos and it has gotten a nice response. Some dude wants to put it on his "Nationwide" horror film site. I don't really get that but it's all about exposure so what the hell. The film festival crowd has not been particularly kind to my politically incorrect film but that's no surprise. If I'd made a film about global warming I would be getting rave reviews.........even if the film sucked. We'll see how we do at Philly Fest this coming March. The most rewarding thing of having made the film is the emails I get from around the country from people who tell me they pick up more of the humor every time they watch the film. I love that! It's enough for me. God bless the indie filmmakers! It is so cool that the technology is out there to let us display our creativity.
Lines from Don't Talk So Dumb
Feb 15, 2007 04:45PM
A fan suggested that I list some lines from the movie. Sounded like a good idea.
"She was a lesbian, before it required accessories."
(DAD) - "He doesn't look Jewish!"
(Future son in law?) "Uh, I take after my mother's side of the family. They're not Jewish. They're from Ohio."
"So, I guess you thought it was appropriate to answer your cell phone when you were standing over the casket."
"Daddy, are you sure all the wedding invitations were confiscated by George Bush's domestic spy program?"
"Vietnamese, huh? Well he better be on the Ho Chi Min trail back to slanty town!"
"Were you hair lipped as a child?"
"I don't drink beer, Sir. It gives me the irritable bowel."
Don't Talk So Dumb, the music
Feb 14, 2007 03:18PM
We were fortunate enough to include a soundtrack from an up and coming performer, Tim Miller. Tim is an MTV contracted singer and has two albums that are doing extremely well. Tim's music was a perfect fit for our film. He was gracious enough to fly to PA from Texas to perform during our premier and he brought down the house. I composed the theme song for the film and it was a real thrill. It is the same melody as the song entitled, "Your Daughter's Song," that plays near the end of the film but words are added and tempo is changed in the latter. I hummed the melody into a tape recorder and my neighbor, who became our Musical Director, did the arrangement and recorded me singing the song in his home sound studio. I hadn't known that he had a full sound studio. I got the feeling that things were meant to be. Using music to show a softer, sentimental side of the main character was Director, Josiah William's idea. We think it works well. The main character is gruff and obnoxious and we felt we needed to counterbalance that with what we call Dad's lament as he reflects on the fact that his Daughter is about to be married.....or is she? George Gamard
The making of Don't Talk So dumb
Feb 11, 2007 03:25PM
I was 49-years old at the time (50 now) and worked for a computer networking company. Our company hired a young Web designer named. Josiah Williams. Josiah and I became friends and he gave me his latest short film entitled, "Admit One," to watch. I thought it would be Dad making hamburgers on the grill but I ended up being blown away by the high quality and professionalism of his movie. I thought to myself, stop just writing angry letters to the local paper and write a screen play. You can do it. But weeks passed and I did nothing. Now, not to offend what I assume is a largely liberal WAB membership but one day as I listened to Rush Limbaugh (as I do daily), I heard him lament about those of us who do not make use of the gifts that God gave us. That really struck a chord in me and I wrote the first draft of, "Don't Talk So Dumb," in three days and had the time of my life doing it. My intention from the start was to write something that made me laugh and help hugely talented, Josiah do what he was meant to do. Josiah read the screenplay and loved it and so we were on our way to making a movie. Our local newspaper was gracious enough to print our call for actors and we were amazed to get 74 people show up for auditions. What was most interesting is that we developed a preference for non-experienced actors. Most of the experienced actors had stage backgrounds and seemed over the top. Now, I knew absolutely nothing about making a film but I had been in a number of plays in my time. It struck me that film acting is a lot more subtle than stage acting and I was drawn to the naturalness and freshness of those people we chose who had never acted before. Two of the cast members had a great deal of acting experience but had never acted in film but they quickly adapted to the new format. I remember instinctively telling them that they had to take their time. Real people don't speak quickly in well formed words (as in dialogue). They him and haw and speak in "real time." We rehearsed at my house where then entire film was shot and did a lot of improv which really helped the actors to become their characters. It was as if we had lived together in our characters for months. Now it was time to film and Josiah's methodology was tight, controlled and experienced which really gave the cast a sense of confidence. Having only one camera that I had borrowed from a co-worker, Josiah had to shoot each scene three of four times from different angles, focusing on each actor in every different shoot. I really gained an appreciation for film editing, something that I had no clue about. The entire 95 minute film was shot in four days on a $1,000.00 budget (actors were not paid) and we are really proud of that. At one point, Josiah led us into an improv scene towards the end of a 12-hour shoot. He loves the naturalness of improv and we think it turned out to be one of the best scenes in the movie. We previewed the film at a local (historic) theater and did the whole limo thing and it was great. We had a hugely enthusiastic crowd of about 300 people and had a great time. Unfortunately, the sound quality was below par and Josiah had to re-edit most of the movie which took three months. So here we are, just starting to market our film. My great thanks to WAB for their wonderful service and dedication to independent films. The politically incorrect nature of the film has closed some doors to us but it is what it is and we wouldn't change a thing. Our trailer will be up on WAB in the next few weeks but can be viewed for now at our web site WWWDONTTALKSODUMB.COM.
Film Maker's Blog
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Things Burnley said...
City of Baseball | posted 16-MAR-07 |
How can you not love this film. And I only watched the trailer!
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27 Comments about Burnley
Nov 03, 2007 12:44AM
Hey George,
Been a while! I'm busy shaping the script for my next film. It's gonna be a thrilla! And a far cry from Flower Fokes. I was gonna make Flower Fokes2/UnPlucKed and Scary, but as soon as I got the flowers all dried and hair-sprayed, I said nah... let's try a human cast. Hope all is well with you... and stay in touch.
Peace!
Oct 04, 2007 05:49PM
Hey there, Burnley -
I just caught up on your recent comments you left at my woab site. Thanks for writing. Glad to hear your good news, but I hear your frustration. That's the biz, I guess, eh? We just got accepted into a little film fest in Toronto so I think we'll be going since we're only a few hours away. We've been overlooked by the bigger fests I submitted to and I'd really like to see what it's like to be a part of a large fest. I just don't think I want to spend the $$ anymore. Hey, you wanna exchange films? Drop me a line at writer@mediahero.com. I'd love to see yours.
Aug 16, 2007 08:50PM
Good to hear from you.
A 22 minute section of our feature is going to be playing as a short at the L. A. shorts fest. I figured entering a small section of our film which plays as a complete short will gain attention for our feature WWII Men of the Pacific.
Jun 20, 2007 01:57PM
Hi!
I just saw your comments about the trailer for my film, Shooters. Get the Picture. Thank you for taking the time to provide such a constructive response, and such kind words, as well. We've been screened at two festivals in Michigan (our home state) so far, and won the Audience Award at one (Planet Ant). However, we were rejected by three, so we're in a hole a bit. That's the game, right? I'm not submitting to a whole lot of festivals off the bat - untill I sell the software I won for the Award (VEGAS 7.0 or Cinemascore anyone?). I'm going to read your blog and check out your fim. Hope you're doing well. Thanks, again!
Apr 06, 2007 07:23PM
Hey! Sorry it's taken me so long to respond to your post, but thanks for your kind comments and words of encouragement. They are much appreciated and I wish you the best as well!
Apr 06, 2007 10:50AM
Hey George,
Got a chance to see the trailer... funny stuff!
Mar 26, 2007 11:56PM
Thanks for the festival congrats! Man... has this thing got a hold of my life! HAH!
No worries!
beli
Mar 23, 2007 03:48AM
Hey Burnley,
I just got into my first festival today! (my automatic entry upon finishing the intensive doesn't count) Austin Women's Film and Literary. I almost didn't submit... but did - literally at the 11th hour... and made it. This is exciting news!
Be well
Mar 18, 2007 08:28PM
Hi George
Yeah - it all looks a bit suspect doesn't it? We did send our film but Savio said it arrived "broken and hurt" and could we send another two. Hmmmmm. Hey - thanks for your comments on "Wait Up Harriet" - intriguing it is indeed!! It has just been picked up by Echelon Studios so we're hoping for big things! Thanks again.
Mar 16, 2007 05:04PM
Oh... and oops! I think I posted my reply on my own dang page.
Anyhow, you are right! It all begins with an idea one good story. It sounds like you got a director who will tell your story the way you envision it. I'll peek at your work when I can and please keep in touch. I like talking storytelling!
Beli
Mar 16, 2007 04:53PM
Hey Burnley,
Beli here! Thanks for the feedback. I actually had some really pleasant exchanges with tech support - Chelsea. She said they did some system upgrades and there are bugs - which always happens.
You are right! It all begins with an idea. It sounds like you've lucked out with a great director. I also agree - this site has some very cool people involved and posting! I'll keep in touch, and take peek at your work when I can.
Peace!
beli
Mar 15, 2007 10:08PM
Sorry for the delayed response. Thanks for checking out my movie! I agree that movie palaces are truly incredible places and shrinking in number almost daily. And the Uptown is king of them all (or at least the ones left). If you're interested in learning more about the theatre, check out http://uptowntheatre.com/
There's a link to purchase the film there as well. It's $10 and all proceeds go to Friends of the Uptown and Compass Rose Cultural Crossroads, who are using the funds to promote the theatre and surrounding area for restoration.
Thanks again!
John
Mar 03, 2007 08:09AM
Back at ya' Thanks for the kind words and I look forward to checking out your flick.
www.filmmakerspod.com
Mar 03, 2007 04:21AM
Thank you.
Tina
Mar 02, 2007 06:22PM
Thanks for dropping by my page. I love Customflix. They send me nice reports, put my film up on Unbox and Amazon.com just because I checked a box and now I get a check from them once a month. I'm really glad I did this. It's non-exclusive, so I can sell my film a lot of other places, too. Another good one is Grapeflix. It's new, but they have lots of good plans.
Mar 02, 2007 04:28AM
Bonjour,
Surpris de voir un francphone sur le WAB ! Est-ce que vous connaissaez l'Afrique?
Est-ce que vous pouvez me joindre pour tenter l'organisation d'un Festival de Film en Rép. Dém. du Congo?
Je vous offre mes amitiés.
Tina
Feb 27, 2007 09:48PM
Can't wait to see your trailer! Re your comment on my page - I didn't see the comment from the film festival in India till it was too late. Oh well.
Feb 27, 2007 09:01PM
House of Yes ~ loved that film!!! Have you seen anything this past year that you liked? I am working on my “Best Of” list ~ between researching short films to screen. OK, there is hardly any time to do fun stuff like that, but off the cuff:
Pan’s Labyrinth
Letter from Iwo Jima
Volver
The Pursuit of Happyness
Children of Men
The Painted Veil
Babel
Last King of Scotland
Joyeux Noel
Tsotsi
FAVES FROM 2006 CIFF (Cleveland International Film Festival):
20 Centimeters
From Subway with Love
A Wonderful Night in Split
Homemade Hillbilly Jam
Kissed by Winter
My Nikifor
***Films that were very enjoyable:
Keeping Mum ** Driving Lessons ** Thank you for Smoking ** Guys and Balls ** Quo Vadis, Baby? ** The Queen ** Little Miss Sunshine
I will undoubtedly come up with titles that should be included in this list, but my brain is fried right now. This site sucks you in (like imdb) ~ three hours later, you still have not done what you originally came here to do. But I am having a great time of it!!!
I am looking forward to this year’s CIFF ~ there are 63 slots this year!!! ~ and I will do all of them. WHIP ME, BEAT ME, MAKE ME WATCH GREAT FILMS!!!!! I always watch all the short films that are screened. This year there are 18 shorts programs (including 2 “Best Of”).
I look forward to further ponderings from you! (I will have to make time ~ perhaps after CIFF ~ to list my fave shorts. There are so many great ones out there.)
Take care and stay warm
Feb 25, 2007 04:58PM
I am delighted to have had the opportunity to correspond with so many talented filmmakers, actors and writers on WAB. I can be reached at george.gamard@gmail.com. I always enjoy discussing indie filmmaking and screenwriting with anyone who is interested. All of us, new and experienced have so much in common.
Best to you all,
Burnley (My hated middle name. Anyone remember when Kramer revealed his first name, Cosmo, on Seinfled?)
Feb 25, 2007 03:39PM
It's always a pleasure to talk with people that really have a passion for film production. Being a period piece, the preproduction was was very time consuming. Uniforms, weapons and a lot of other items needed for the production were very hard to come by. We spent many months searching for and collecting items needed for the production. For the items we couldn't find we had to do a lot of research and then design, create or build the remaining things that we needed.
Very few things can be found at surplus stores. At least the ones that we visited. A lot of the things from WWII have rotted away with age, or been tossed away. And most of what remains is in the hands of collectors.
Good luch with your film and future projects.
Feb 25, 2007 01:51PM
George,
You mentioned private messaging you, but I don't have your email address...
You can reach me at: mike AT needlessfilms DOT com.
Feb 25, 2007 10:58AM
Burnley,
THANKS for your kind comments!
I will keep you posted, and please
KEEP me posted.
Feb 25, 2007 07:35AM
Hi,
Thanks for your kind comments on my trailer!
About Pumelo, I'll send you an email through your website.
Feb 24, 2007 03:26PM
Thanks for the comments and good well wishes with concern to my film. I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog and look at my film page. Thanks and good luck to you as well!!!
Feb 24, 2007 11:36AM
Thanks for the tip on the festival.
Best,
DJ
Feb 11, 2007 05:06PM
Thank you for your complements on 'The One Long Night'. A feature for your first film? I guess I am not so ambitious. Our life story sounds about the same: Software Engineer wanting to make movies and waiting until 40's to do so...
Your films looks very funny. Did you include any deleted or behind the scenes on the DVD?
Feb 10, 2007 10:22PM
Thank you for the comments. I'll let you know more about Pumelo as info becomes available to me. Your film sounds good. Do you have a trailer posted anywhere?
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