nyc

late last week, i found out that PRAXIS was not selected for this year's IFP Rough Cuts Lab. i was a little disappointed about the news. but there are a lot of factors that could have determined the outcome, most of which i don't know about. for example, one of the major criteria on submission was specific questions on what i was hoping to get out of the lab. the two major things that i wanted to learn the most about were a festival and marketing strategy and also information on digital intermediate post-production. because the lab is run by different people each year, it's possible that the mentors that were selected may be unfamiliar with either of these two things, particularly the DI post-production. in either case, i'll probably never get a chance to find out exactly why PRAXIS was 'passed' on. but to be an independent filmmaker, you have to have a pretty thick skin when it comes to these things. in a lot of ways, it's given bit of breathing room for the project, similar to the decision to postpone the submission to sundance til next year. as a result, i decided that i wasn't going to attend the IFP Market this year as well, mainly because without the lab, i don't think i would get that much out of attending. the market also does not have a category for independent narrative features, which is a little ironic, since the IFP stands for the Independent Feature Project.

instead, myself and paul are planning to head up to nyc the following weekend to shoot some promotional interviews for the film. these are going to be rather candid, and can be used for behind-the-scenes / making-of stuff as well as short sound bites for promotion and publicity. there's a good chance that we'll shoot more of these things later, but for now, these things are good to have. and it will also give tom and andrew an opportunity to talk about the project on camera.

i also plan to have a private cast and crew screening both here in DC and in NY, hopefully by january. this is meant to celebrate the completion of the film, screen it on the big screen, and also invite certain members of the press to help publicise the film. the important thing here is that it is not a public screening, and we're not charging for tickets. if we did, we would automatically disqualify the project for potential festivals. it is a small invitation only screening, and it's important to make that explicit.

for now, i'm concentrating on the sound and music for the film, and the post-production. yeah, i'm a little disappointed by the news about the IFP. but at the same time, i do realize that PRAXIS is an art-film, and that not everyone will get it. i do hope, at the least, people are able to see the beauty in the film, and i do think that's definitely there. there are a lot of really beautiful images in the film, and getting to see that on the big screen is really what it's all about.