Premiere Screening

The Family Tie
New York Premiere Screening
7:30 PM Weds, Dec 12
Hope Lounge
10 Hope St., Williamsburg BK

SO yeah, been running on all cylinders pushing out the word about the "premiere" screening for FT next Weds. It's hard to tell if any of it will be effective at getting people out - the overall response to my marketing thus far has been pretty disappointing. Maybe it was the timing - I felt having the movie launch on Thanksgiving had a nice ring of irony to it, but perhaps people have enough family ties to deal already on that family-heavy holiday. This is not to say that NO ONE has seen the film or watched it online, but I was hoping for just a little more reaction, response, interest, whatever. Again, perhaps it's just a matter of time for FT to find it's audience, but I think it's more like a matter of when the audience will find IT!

But yeah - that's part of it - FT hasn't really played to an audience at all yet save for an informal screening here and there over the years. And when it does play, it seems to play well, though I'd have to be pretty delusional to think that everyone's going to get it or even like it at all - it's a niche sort of taste, and one that is most likely acquired.

Ultimately, my fear is that if the audience never does find my movie, am i going to look back on this exhaustive project as a complete waste of time, a colossal failure? My guess is no, but it will still be hard not to feel slightly dispirited if the years of effort and passion I put into this end up ultimately only playing to an audience of one.

So on that positive note, please come to the screening and make let's make it an audience of two! Major kudos to Reza Kahn for pulling some strings and making it happen at Hope Lounge - Thanks dude!

Ta-dah! And that's that...

It feels a little silly to officially "release" FAMILY TIE three years after I "finished" it and a staggering ten years after I started it, but life has a funny way of throwing those curve balls every so often. Plus, and more importantly, when you're managing every aspect of the film's post-production existence, it tends to take a bit more time.

But having said that, i do feel "the weight has lifted" somewhat. I've done what i can to make the film tight and effective and, finally, have put it out there for anyone and everyone to have a serving. Something about that final stage when you have your premiere (which we have not officially had) and no longer feel that need to "finesse" it anymore finally allows me to disconnect from the process. Of course, the film's life on the festival circuit and any other screenings is a whole other thing, but the actual creative process of making the film can be called complete. I am liberated to pursue other projects, date other ideas, etc.. I can finally be the creative whore I've always wanted to be, and be polygamous with my whims...

Really what I guess that means is that I won't be nagging myself when i start on something else with the whole, "but what about FAMILY TIE? Are you ever going to finish anything or just start lots of things?" And sure, some projects you start and they get abandoned with good reason, and maybe I would have been wise to cut my losses and move on earlier, but I really don't regret a minute spent on it. Hell, half the reason it took so long to edit it was that I loved creating the world that is THE FAMILY TIE. I loved watching and studying the actors (in moments good and bad) and deciding the best choice to "create that moment." Definitely the editing of a project is something I relish, and this was a particular treat.

I have learned lots of lessons in making FAMILY TIE, namely that doing everything yourself is NOT always the best way - certainly not the fastest! But that sounds pat and kind of simple. I could rattle on about what I learned as an artist but it's a bit early to share that type of observation (not to mention a tad pretentious). All I wanted to do was make a fun and offbeat movie that would entertain people in a challenging sort of way. And I THINK it works like that...

now if only people would watch the damned thing

Three more days!

We are mere days from the online launch of the film Rick Brown hailed "a disturbingly visceral thrill ride," THE FAMILY TIE.

While there are plans to have a screening in the near future as well as a DVD release in early '08, the film will be available to view online using the technology of Vividas. For those uninitiated, Vividas (editors note: I am employed by said company) is a full-screen streaming technology, giving viewers an opportunity to watch high quality video with a standard broadband connection. Watch the teaser and the trailer to see this unique player in action.

Look for the big announcement this Wednesday and get ready to get your freak on…

Cheers

matthew

Closing in... the final countdown

Well it's exactly one week away from the debut of FAMILY TIE. I'm busy wearing about 10 different hats right now trying to get everything ready in time including a postcard mailing. Speaking of which, if you or anyone you think might appreciate FT, would like one for yourself, shoot me an email at matt@familytiemovie.com with your address and I'll include you in the batch. Yay! A souvenir!

I briefly considered going back and tweaking some of the edits since the last output in Dec 2004, but with all the stems already mastered (stems are basically the complete mixes of dialogue, music, FX as separate stereo mixes) I'm not changing a frame. Color, however, was another matter altogether, so I've gone through and changed "the look" (if you want to call it that) of the film in terms of color intensity and saturation; now it's more desaturated and muted, giving it a slightly grittier, '70s feel, which I'm quite OK with. It just feels like the right thing to do, given that the film's photography isn't exactly its strong point (a role I regrettably undertook alone, but whatever, it's a glorified home movie with some fantastic gore).

Now I just need to tie (no pun intended) the closing credits into the final sequence and start outputting it for web. When I say "start outputting" it means that, that too, is a process and will take some trial and error as I try to make it hold up as well as possible in its transition to the world wide web. I've been doing this encoding gig at Vividas for over two years now and I'm still figuring out what looks best (short answer: it varies).

Then there's all the marketing fun, like organizing the postcard mailing and, then, more importantly the mass email which will go out next Wednesday to finally announce that the film has gone live. It all feels somewhat pointless sometimes, as if anyone is really going to care about this thing, but then I also feel like it's something I have to finish out. To finally say, "you may or may not care, but it's done" and not second-guess the status of the project ever again.

The Family Tie Postcard - Final Version (Part 1)

After a few revisions, this is the first official run of the poster image for FAMILY TIE. It's "official" because I've placed an order for 250 color postcards with this image on the front (the back has a brief description of the film and space for postage, etc). It may yet change because I don't want it to forever say "THANKSGIVING 2007" and i'd like to make it a goal to get rid of these by the time the launch happens next month.

Thanks to Alan Greene and Bill Watson for chiming in with some helpful suggestions along the way, and of course Zonalpony Lopez who helped stage and shoot the poster image. I used overnightprints.com, which looked a little shoddy at first but I found some people singing its praises online so I thought I'd give it a shot. Certainly the price is right at $50 for the whole lot.

But this is kind of exciting because somehow with the poster image in place, it feels more and more like it's really a done deal. It will feel good to have this weight lifted when i can move on to something else. At the very least, i'll have made one of my new year's resolutions.

Second stab at poster

Made improvements with the font styling (note the pattern overlay within the typeset on the title) and changed the tagline to "Some ties that bind us can be deadly..." I need to print up some postcards ASAP so any feedback would be appreciated!

Myspace etiquette

So in discussing the marketing and promotion of FT with Scott, I expressed that we should post comments to the friends we make with embedded versions of the teaser and/or trailer. He felt that it was an intrusive move - that it was "rude" and he wouldn't want someone else posting clips on his page. My argument, however, was that since the profile is set up for THE FAMILY TIE, the clips really do represent us to our friends. Also, I feel like in order for us to make as much noise as possible about the project, it's worth a shot to "seed the content" as it were. Besides, if someone doesn't want the video in their comments section they can delete it or deny it if they're moderating the comments section. Ultimately, I went ahead and have been doing just that - posting a comment on our friends pages and embedding the teaser for playback. I don't know, sometimes I think it might be taken as a slightly obnoxious or cheesy move, but what the hell? In the end, I can't see it really working against us.

What do you guys think?

Oh, and... THANKS FOR THE ADD!

The Family Tie: Teaser

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First "stab" at the poster

My buddy Anthony "zonalpony" Lopez helped shoot a series of these picts: some with tie, some without, some with knife, without, etc. I know the typeface needs work and the tag could use a kick in the pants, but what do you guys think of the image itself?

Frist!

Bill Frist. Oops, excuse me, I meant "first". As in, this is my first entry on the official FT blog. Exciting! New! The partially-completed featurette has been screened a few times at short showcases a couple of years ago, but I am well and truely psyched to see it reach a potential mass audience. All hail the wide-world interweb thingie!

I sincerely hope that when every one of you takes the opportunity to see the result of all the hard work Mugs (and, to a lesser extent, myself) has shoveled into this movie, it will leave your mind scorched and tickled. The product of his obsessions and peculiar tastes, "The Family Tie" is his masterpiece, and the very thing I have been looking forward to seeing ever since I read his first screenplay, "Frog Mutiny"--which I hated. Mugs is a gifted writer and audio-visualwork-maker, so pay attention to him! And watch his YouTube vids.

And now then I'm done stumping for us, allow me to recommend everybody go rent "Sky High", a delightful movie about superpowered kids and their very own school. Bruce Campbell is in it, and he rules.

Later,
Scott "John" Greene

The Family Tie website is live

Go to www.familytiemovie.com to see our new website all about the film. We will be updating it as the launch date nears, but keep checking the blog for the latest news on the film.

The Family Tie is Coming Soon!

While this teaser was shot 10 years ago and features a younger version of myself playing the director, the message still remains the same: "SOON!" As in, Thanksgiving soon. So, in the words of Ben Warren, brace yourself...