When Dreams Die

So I've been getting a lot of questions asking me if I'm all right in regards to Dream in the Dark getting shut out of every award on Sunday. In my gut I am very upset but I have to look at it from a logical perspective to even rationalize what happened. I'm not bitter against any of the winners as I thoroughly enjoyed their films...well except one (we all know which one). But the others were strong films.

I am surprised that Adam Zielinski's film did not place better. It seems that Spring Flicks suffered from a case of the Sunday syndrome again. Movies that play on Sunday have a better chance on winning. Its just a fact and always will be.

Even the judging was off. One of the judges explained to me that they went back and changed their scores for the first day after seeing the second day's films...that sounds a little shady to me.

To fix any problems I had with Spring Flicks a few things need to happen:

1. DO NOT let bad films in. Two nights of films is enough. It screws over the good films.

2. DO NOT let anyone associated with UNLV judge. Having a judge such as Danette Tull seems much more logical to me. Sadly she couldn't make it this year.

3. Program the shorts better. Having two similar films that are both great play one after the other is a detriment to both films. Sometimes fatal. I learned that the hard way.

Congratulations to all the winners. We all know what should and should not have happened. It was a fun year and the films are getting better and better.

And as to how I feel? Like Chris Nolan when the Dark Knight got snubbed. But hey. I still feel like Chris Nolan.

It's been a while...new film projects coming up by Tony Clifford

So the entire month of January was basically devoted to Jeremy Cloe's Liars, Fires, and Bears.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Liars-Fires-and-Bears/103755603024292

I was 2nd Assistant Director on the shoot. Meaning lots of call sheets and phone calls. I ran out of minutes with 3 weeks til they renew.

It was a very growing experience that left a lot of us absolutely wrecked afterward. And I have a shoot coming up in 9 days. So that's what I've been doing. Finalizing casting. Rewrites. Rewrites. Scouting. Shot list and storyboards. Driving to different states. Rewrites. Trying to find time for class. Rewrites. and more rewrites. The script is finally in a place that I'm completely comfortable with. All I'm sweating on now is one actor's schedule.

Oh and I went to Sundance!

Pictures coming soon.

In the meantime check out In a Better World by the best female director (and one of the best directors in general) in the world, Susanne Bier.

But my to do list is this:

finish storyboards and get them turned into legitimate ones by the amazing Julia Tokuhama. Finalize costuming and design (oops have to make that phone call right now...) cast some of the one liner roles which seem to be already taking care of themselves, and then do a lot of other random things I'm sure I can't think of at the moment.

I've had this script in mind since my junior year of high school so its been evolving for quite some time and I'm extremely excited to direct it.

I confirmed one of my beliefs that casting a professional actor can be hopeless when you haven't had anything already win something substantial. Success breeds further success. I tried casting a youtube celebrity for a cool cameo role but their manager hasn't been the most helpful. It's sad in a way because I fully believe in this script and the people working on it and know it will go places. At the same time the person we have cast instead of that internet celeb is an actor that is absolutely outstanding. I've worked with them before and know that they can bring a lot more to it than if my internet celeb experiment had worked out.

Now I better get back to my Random thoughts outline (Thank you Will Akers!) and storyboarding.

Current read other than textbooks.

TC

Out.