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.