What does this year’s Sundance Film Festival mean to Middle Class Filmmakers? Let’s first compare last year’s sales with this year’s sales. In 2015, the big Hollywood distributors bought the majority of the films showcased at the festival—Fox Searchlight bought “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”; Open Road bought “Dope”; Sony Pictures Classic bought […]
#MiddleClassFilmmakers
It seems my Indiewire piece on “The 99 Percent…In Hollywood” struck a nerve [bit.ly/1XtxL9K]. I think that’s a good thing, both positive and negative responses alike. The point was to start a conversation and the conversation has begun. Most of the response out there has been positive and I can’t thank you enough for the support. […]
THE MICROBUDGET REVOLUTION
Did anyone notice that the movies nominated this year by The Independent Spirit Awards for Best Feature were the same movies nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for Best Feature, with the exception of one film, Love Is Strange? If the Academy Awards were created as a platform to showcase commercial […]
Why “Whiplash” Won an Oscar for Best Editing
whiplash (n): 1. the lash of a whip. 2. an abrupt snapping motion or change of direction resembling the lash of a whip. 3. a neck injury caused by a sudden jerking backward, forward, or both, of the head: “Whiplash resulted when their car was struck from behind.” Whiplash, written and directed by Damien Chazelle and edited […]
Behind-The-Scenes: The Release of “Don’t Look Back”
Over the past few months, I’ve experienced the incredible rollout of my latest film, “Don’t Look Back.” The movie was initially released on Video On Demand and then had its domestic television debut in October on Lifetime Movie Network. On the night of its debut, it drew over 1.1 million viewers. It was an amazing experience. […]
DON’T LOOK BACK: The Pieces of the Puzzle
I’m a big fan of mystery. Where there’s a mystery, there’s a puzzle to be solved. And with any mystery comes clues. “Don’t Look Back” is no exception. You might catch clues on the first viewing of the film, but you’ll likely catch more on the second. In the spirit of celebrating the mystery of […]
DON’T LOOK BACK: Television Premiere
My latest film, “Don’t Look Back,” will be premiering nationwide on LMN (Lifetime Movie Network), Sunday, October 5th at 8:00pm (with repeat airings to follow): http://www.mylifetime.com/movies/dont-look-back I encourage you to tune in! I will be live-tweeting during the broadcast…and I encourage you to join me (@WDFilmmaker) on Twitter using #DontLookBack: https://twitter.com/WDFilmmaker The film is also available […]
Poster Exclusive: “DON’T LOOK BACK!”
As the end of summer approaches, so does the release of my next film: DON’T LOOK BACK. Here’s an exclusive first look at the poster below: The film is a psychological thriller about Nora Clark (Lucy Griffiths), a prominent children’s book writer, whose life is at a crossroads. After moving back into the house she inherited […]
NORTH BY NORTHWEST
In my metafictional satire, THE MIRROR, a version of myself attempts to help the enigmatic lifestreamer “Taylor” realize his dream of recreating scenes from some of his favorite movies. As the two dreamers embark on a veritable journey back into cinema’s golden age, they attempt to recreate one of the most thrilling and iconic scenes ever to […]