Well, gosh leave it to Robogeek to just go off and report about the entire current state of the local Austin film scene and a local indie film. One of the things I wish I had more time to do is to take a stronger part in a lot of these activities, but the site tends to absorb most of my time, soooo I leave it up to an insane gathering of gears and wires like Robo here, to tell ya about it. So without further discussion... here's Robogeek....
ROBOGEEK EXAMINES "OPERATION HEADSHOTS" -- A CASE STUDY IN HOMEGROWN INDEPENDENT FILM MARKETING ON THE WEB AND A SPRINGBOARD FOR DISCUSSION.
Greetings, citizens! Today I'm going to treat you to something kinda different, something kinda cool, something that gives me an excuse to do some stuff lots of people have asked for for quite some time.
Since I became an agent for AICN, I've noticed a pattern in the Robo-mailbag, and have seen the same three basic questions -- or rather requests -- pop up with uncanny regularity. First, to cover smaller projects and those scrappy indie filmmakers fighting in the trenches to get their films made and then seen. Second, to talk more about what's going on in the burgeoning movie mecca that is Austin (or, more simply, to continually answer the query "Why is Austin so damn cool, anyway?") And third, to take a step back and examine the evolving relationship between the internet and film on the myriad of levels they intersect.
If you're one of those readers who has asked any or all of those questions, well, today you just might be in for a treat. But if you're looking for Prequel scoops or any other such nonsense, well, I ain't gonna be the one who tells you who builds 3PO. Then again, I ain't gonna beg for pwesents, either. ;-)
As longtime readers and local residents well know, Our Fair City is a succulent slice of cinematic sunshine. First of all, we have a rich assortment of fine, strapping young film festivals -- SXSW, the Austin Film Festival, the Austin Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival, and CinemaTexas -- all of which continue to mature remarkably. We have great organizations like the 1,200-member-strong Austin Film Society (with its wonderful new managing director, Rebecca Campbell -- a belated welcome to you!), as well as smaller groups like the Austin Cinemaker Co-op and Reel Women. Plus, there's Bill Daniels' ever-so-freaky-cool Funhouse Cinema series and the in*situ experimental arts collective (which I'm still trying to figure out). Then there's the extraordinary and uber-cool Texas Film Commission, whose tireless and noble efforts are not only second-to-none, but happen to be the product of just about the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. (Note to any members of the Texas Legislature who may be reading: vote these guys a budget increase and across-the-board pay raises, pronto!) We also have truly magical theaters like the Paramount (our very own movie palace), the Alamo Drafthouse (be sure to get there early to catch the pre-feature goodies, and tell Tim to schedule "Buckaroo Banzai" (HARRY NOTE: How About WARGAMES instead!!!)) and the Dobie (note to Scott: just say "The Cruise" the other day and loved it) -- plus state-of-the-art goliaths like the Gateway. And there's the weekly treasure trove that is the Austin Chronicle, which has had simply an incalculable (and invaluable) impact in shaping the film community here. (I'd also plug our local daily paper, but their current chief critic is on crack. I mean, he called "Armageddon" the best American film of the year, and slammed "Saving Private Ryan." Whatever.)
[NOTE: Copy all those bookmarks down, and take the time to browse through them when you get a chance. It's worthwhile. And if I've left anyone out, please accept my humble and profuse apologies, then e-mail me so I can add you to this list, which Harry will soon add to the Links page now that I've looked up all the url's.]
Of course, there are also the ever-growing ranks of filmmakers -- many whose names you know, but far more you don't. For now, anyway.
And then there's little ol' AICN. To be honest, we're spoiled. Sure, you'll sometimes hear us bitch and groan and whine from time to time (me in particular, I admit), but it comes out of the simple fact that we're just not content to stand still because we can see just how far we all have yet to go. Imagining where this city's film community could be in the next five to ten years is little short of awesome. Yet sometimes the whole "hurry up and wait" attitude gets a little frustrating, and we get cranky -- not because things aren't already great, but because they can be far greater still. And to get there sometimes takes a little tough love. But it's love, make no mistake, genuine and true.
When it comes right down to it, there's no place on God's green earth I'd rather live. Because the excitement that permeates the film community is mirrored through virtually every other dimension of the arts in Austin -- theater, dance, music, opera, you name it! There's a creative explosion in this city, too much to even hope to keep track of. Turn a corner, check your mail, and behold, yet another discovery.
For instance...
Last weekend, on Sunday, November 22, a locally produced independent documentary entitled "Operation Headshots" was unveiled at the Dobie Theater. This premiere, in fact, was publicized as taking place "35 years to the minute" after the assassination of JFK. While at first glance such scheduling might seem to be in questionable taste, it is one of many details which makes the story about this little-docu-that-could perhaps even more interesting than the film itself. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
On Wednesday, November 4, I got a press release, videotape and poster promoting this film. I'd already heard about it, but seeing it on my doorstep raised my intrigue quotient. First off, there was the pretty slick cassette sleeve. Granted, there's the old adage not to judge a book by its cover, but then, whoever said that never got deluged by the kind of mail we get here at AICN. This "book cover" sure got my attention, as I was taken aback by its fairly startling imagery (that of a victim of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound slumped over a bloodied desk strewn with paperwork). Upon closer examination, however, a smile crept upon my face. There was something deliciously twisted and charmingly toungue-in-cheek about the self-aware absurdity of the package. "New evidence in the assassination of JFK?" was emblazoned across the front of the sleeve, while the back proclaimed "Digitally remastered never before seen footage!" This was tailor-made for Agent Mulder and the Lone Gunmen.
The back cover copy read with a delightful tinge of sarcasm, stating the film was "allegedly recovered from a dumpster in Langley, Virginia" and "purports to show two CIA agents... posing as film students making a documentary on the JFK research community." (Uh-huh.) "If true," it continues, it "offers clear evidence of illegal domestic surveillance" by the CIA, and therefore "complicity in the assassination." Then, the caveat "If a hoax, then someone has gone through a lot of trouble to bring this frighteningly real documentary to the public eye." And then, in larger letters, the questions "Hoax? CIA plant? Or bona fide CIA sponsored documentary?" appear, followed by "You decide!" Okay, this is sorta funny -- expecially since below that, as if to futher impress upon the reader that one's tongue should be placed firmly in cheek (as if there was any doubt at this point), are the film's credits which identify clear as day Chip Mosher and Otis Maclay as the project's creators.
Mosher's name piqued my interest. The last project I saw his name attached to was the trippy-bordering-on-aneurysm-inducing "Strange Attractor," which was more a work of digital video art than a watchable narrative movie, with flashes of wonder adrift in a maze of staggering incoherence. While the experience of viewing that film had been akin to getting a lobotomy or seeing Sankai Juku perform, I was very curious to see what he would do next. This was certainly a step in a different direction.
Anyway, over the following weeks leading up to the premiere, I started
getting some interesting mail. First, a press release from KRADL (Kennedy
Researchers Anti-Defamation League) strenuously denouncing the
authenticity of the film as CIA-produced, and criticizing the film's
marketing for inferring that it might be. Hmmm... Then I got a response
in the mail from the producers of the film. Then a counter-response from
KRADL. Then a counter-counter-response by the filmmakers. Each
successive one was more amusing and tongue-in-cheek than the last. This
carried over into the alt.conspiracy.jfk newsgroup as a "flame war," as
well. All of these are online, by the way, at the "official"
Speaking of which, as far as movie web sites go (especially low-budget indie documentaries) this one is really quite a nice piece of work, designed with a cool file folder motif. In the "Press" section there's a rundown of the whole aforementioned exchange, along with a link to a QuickTime VR of the video box. Under "Excerpt" there's an excerpt from the film (of an interview with JFK assassination expert and author Robert Grodin) in QuickTime and RealVideo formats. There are other goodies, too, and of course a secure order form so you can order a copy of the film online.
So what about the film? In a nutshell, it's a half-hour documentary chronicling the four-day Assassination Symposium on John F. Kennedy, which was held in Dallas five years ago, as seen through the eyes of an earnest teenaged researcher from Prodigy Online (remember that?) named Jonathan Cohen. The film opens with a stark introductory title sequence, quoting the aforementioned copy verbatim. Then, after the film's logo appears, we are met with a film countdown, all grainy and scratched, setting up the archival-esque "look" of the film. We then have a short CG sequence of a CIA computer readout purporting to "brief us" on the film we're about to see. (I actually found this bit to be pretty slick, and unexpected.) Then the film starts, and although you can tell it was shot on video, it's been digitally processed to look like an old film. At first it's so startling I worried it might be too intrusive, but it's so well executed that it really adds texture to the footage and enhances its watchability. Immediately, we are introduced to a few attendees of the conference, intercut with excerpts from the keynote speech by none other than Norman Mailer.
Is it a great film? Well, no. Good? Yes. There is some pretty sharp film and sound editing -- particularly at the film's opening, and later during a couple of montages of interview excerpts -- and overall it does a very capable job of transporting the viewer to this conference, and providing a snapshot of what it was like to have attended. It is particularly interesting to look back at the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the assassination from the vantage point of the 35th -- though herein lies one of my slight frustrations with the film; after viewing it, I would have really liked to have seen a brief "epilogue" bringing us up-to-date on the people we were introduced to, and the overall state of the JFK assassination research movement. Perhaps that's something that can yet be appended to this film, in some form or another and some point or another, maybe even online somehow. I dunno, I'm just thinking out loud.
As for the marketing of the film, some might call it borderline exploitive and perhaps even in questionable taste -- even I might on a particularly cranky day -- but it's done tongue-in-cheek. The filmmakers themselves have poked fun at their own campaign. But the film itself doesn't make fun of its subjects or subject matter, nor does it take itself too seriously. It does offers some genuine insight into the whole sub-culture of the JFK assassination research community. And while the film is by no means the most accomplished documentary I've seen recently, I actually find it rather fascinating, and am impressed by the amount of work that's been put into its search for an audience.
In a few months, I'll be curious to check in with the producers on how their experiment in guerilla independent filmmaking and online marketing turns out, and hope I can talk them into sharing all their secrets in a sort of "How To" format, which I think could be of great interest and real value to a lot of aspiring filmmakers who read this site. Meanwhile, I encourage you to check out their web site at www.operationheadshots.com, which I expect will continue to offer an ongoing chronicle of the enterprise. (And, if you happen to be a student of JFK assassination lore, or just want to support this media experiment, there are worse things you could do with your dough than buy a copy.)
So what's the point of all this excessive Robo-rant, you might be asking? Simply this: We've heard a lot about the promise held by the internet as a marketing tool and distribution channel for independent film, and here's a project right now that's testing the viability of this new economic model. If it, and others like it, happen to succeed, then we could be witnessing the birth of a whole new paradigm that might open the floodgates for a host of low-budget indie films to find an audience. For instance, imagine if "virtual indie studios" started popping up online, self-distributing projects that might otherwise never get seen. In my book, that's fairly significant -- and pretty darn cool. And you, dear reader, hold at your fingertips the power to start this very sort of media (r)evolution.
Kinda makes you think, huh?
Send well-written e-mails of holiday cheer to...
-- Robogeek!
P.S.: Want another tip for a cool local film function? Well, the Austin chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, in conjunction with the Austin Film Society, is presenting a tribute to Saul Bass -- and if you don't know who he is, you damn well should, because you've admired more of his work than you can shake a stick at, even if you've never realized it. Once you discover all the utter brilliance produced by this Oscar-winning filmmaker and acclaimed designer, well, you'll simply worship him. I'd tell you more, but it's far easier to just send you to http://www.aigaaustin.org/bass.htm and tell you to buy your tickets before they're gone! Trust me, this is an event you don't want to miss -- next Wednesday, December 9 at 7:30 pm at the Dobie Theater. (You can thank me later.)
