BLAIR WITCH co-director’s next film going straight-to-DVD! PART IV
The test screening was held in a suburb of NEW YORK CITY at a Mall movie theater with bad sound and projection. This was actually in the same area where we did our BLAIR WITCH test screening. This is one of the places where studios go to test their films. You’ve heard all the stories of test screenings before, so I won’t bore you with details. It was one of the worse nights of my life.
I mean other than the birth of my two children, where my wife ended up having an emergency C-Section each time, this was number three. Probably. Well, maybe the time I got beat-up in middle school by Tony Leebrick was worse. Or the day my lung collapsed. Yeah, those were probably worse. But you catch my drift.
The audience was the “basic horror crowd,†whatever that is. They had recruited people who had seen HOSTEL and the SAW movies. We had a feeling we were going to be in trouble. Once the film started, things were great. They were laughing in places, seemed into the film. Cheered a bit during the climax. We thought we had them. Seriously. We thought we had them.
The test scores were terrible. People hated the film. “Not scary enough.†“Too hard to follow.†“Stupid.†Fucking brutal feedback. Man, does writing this bring on the PAIN!!!
We were crushed. I felt worse than before. I slid into a depression and I didn’t want to do anything. We met the next day at FOCUS and talked to Andrew Rona, who was heading up ROGUE now. Good guy. You may remember him from PROJECT GREENLIGHT. He was as disappointed as us. They had a lot of hope for this movie and it just wasn’t going to be what they wanted it to be. He didn’t discuss distribution too much but we knew we were in trouble in that department. Films with these kinds of scores don’t go wide.
So we all headed back to our respective homes up and down the east coast. We held our heads low for a while but then we started talking strategy. We still believed in the film and weren’t going to give up on it that quickly.
We thought that the audience they recruited for the test was wrong. It’s like they packed horny teenagers into a MERCHANT IVORY film. Or the POOTIE TANG fan club into a Woody Allen flick. Okay, bad examples, but you get the point. We thought that a sci-fi crowd would be into it more. Or horror fans that didn’t dig SAW or HOSTEL so much,
which I’ve met a lot of in my days. We knew someone was going to dig the film.
And it’s not like EVERYONE hated the film. There was that minority of people at the screening that really enjoyed it and thought it was a fun ride. I mean, we got a great review from someone named MILKBONE on AIN’T-IT-COOL-NEWS. The MILKBONE-type audience was out there, we just had to find them. Another test screening was needed.
We also went through the test results and tried to address some of the concerns that the audience had. They found it too hard to follow, too much of a mystery, so we figured we’d tack on something to the opening that gave some of the back story, at least the basics. We were going to get Michael Williams to play OTIS again and do a TV news story on the 15 year anniversary of the abduction of the main characters. I called Mike and asked him to get that beard growing again. We were going to have some fun with it for sure.
We were also going to tighten up a few places in the film some more and change one of the music cues that we thought could be bigger. Then we were going to do another test screening. And we were going to pay for all of it. Yeah! “Let’s all meet in Orlando and really get this ball rolling! We’ll give FOCUS a proposal that they won’t be able to turn down! Yeah, that’s right, we’re bad-ass motherfuc…â€
And that takes us back to the beginning of my story, PART I of this twisted and sordid tale, that sunny day in Orlando where the hammer dropped on our delusional heads.
ALTERED was going STRAIGHT-TO-DVD!!!
All that was left now was to pick up all the pieces of my broken heart that were all over Rob’s beautiful patio floor…
-ed
Posted by Ed on December 14th, 2006 under Altered, Haxan News, Straight to DVD -- the story.
Comments: 7
Comments
Comment from Rob Anderson
Time: December 15, 2006, 5:05 pm
This is sad. I’m sorry you went through this. As an aspiring independent filmmaker I understand that making a movie - even with a serious budget - is incredibly hard work and takes tremendous dedication. You put your heart into it, and then to have others perceive it as a “failure” has to be sickening.
I loved “The Blair Witch Project”, and I believe you will bounce back. You’ve got the knack, dude, and talent will always out. Don’t give up!
Comment from Solomon Rothman
Time: December 16, 2006, 8:11 pm
I didn’t like the Blair Witch Project and I thought it was overrated, but so what. If you like it and believe in your story enough to make your vision a reality, that’s what’s important. You have opportunities most filmmakers would kill for. I’m sure you receive e-mails daily from screenwriters and filmmakers all over the world asking for advice and giving you feedback. I receive almost daily e-mails and I released a full length movie I shot for $200 for free online and even my story, which commercially is a complete failure, has generated an amazing amount of response and support from creative individuals from around the world. Use the rejection as fuel for your next project. Astound the world and everything you’ve produced will be “re-rated” in retrospection. I would love to have a “direct to dvd” release, be happy you’re in the game and doing what you love. If you don’t really love filmmaking, then quit now, because the world can be cruel and you better be ready to handle it.
If you want something bad enough, you have to take it. So move on or give the opportunity to someone else who wants it more then you – PS. I’m going to mention “Altered” in my blog and I will rent your movie and financial support it, although I hope it’s better then Blair Witch and that the critics did miss the real creative inspiration lying beneath.
Comment from Kage
Time: December 18, 2006, 8:15 pm
I saw the title in the Best Buy ad this past Sunday and believe I said “Ooooooooh, a horror film I haven’t heard about yet!” That usually gets me in trouble because I’ll buy without thinking. Some of the titles I’ve picked up would make even you shudder. Honestly, I’m torn about “Altered”. Do I take the chance? I can identify with your blogs in terms of pouring yourself into your work and believing in it (I publish), so I’m feeling more on the seesaw than usual. I…just…don’t…know. Help! lol
Comment from Kage
Time: December 19, 2006, 7:07 pm
Just a quick follow-up. I bought the disc today. Honestly, after reading some of the write-ups on IMDB, I went into it with very low expectations and expecting to have to hide the disc from my partner so I wouldn’t be berated.
Honestly, I thought it was better than “Signs”, which was shit. This was everything “Signs” should have been. In one respect, I can perhaps understand why this didn’t get a large theatrical release (mainly due to the size/scope of the film and the lack of a Hollywood much beloved Big name star). On the other hand, I would have definitely gone to see this at our art theatre and believe it would have been perfect for that. This could still have made enough money to make the release worthwhile.
This didn’t go the direction I thought it would and I appreciated that. Good going, gang. You did get screwed out of a theatrical release.
Best,
Kage
Comment from Tony Leebrick
Time: February 9, 2007, 12:53 am
When did I beat you up in middle school? Where did you grow up? Was it me???? I don’t remember beating anyone up named Ed. There can’t possibly be another Tony Leebrick roaming the planet. It is such a rare last name. Please respond.
Comment from Ed Sanchez
Time: February 9, 2007, 11:27 am
Tony,
If you grew up around Rockville and went to BELT JUNIOR HIGH, then it was you, you bastard!
Seriously, I deserved to get my ass kicked for the bully that I was. As I remember, I started the fight and then gave it up when you were obviously fucking me up. It messed me up for a while but at least I stopped being such an asshole to smaller kids.
But man, just reading your name this morning in my email sent shivers up my spine!
Hope you’re doing well.
-ed
Comment from Lukasz
Time: July 28, 2007, 4:14 am
Whether instead of it is time to us to drink coffee and to discuss blue book nada
?
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