Normally I write quite frequent blogs about the journey's of my short films, but the last few months have been spent working on pushing the films further, so not a lot has been said on this site, however I am now able to talk about there developments and very exciting they are.
Since 'FLY a Legacy' screened with the F3t, the Cannes Film Festival and ScreenHi, things have moved to a higher plane. I signed with Shorts International in July, to distribute the film, having built a good relationship with them, as they also distribute 'Shooter'.
On Friday 7th of September 2012, I received an email from Linda Olszewski, she is vice president of global acquisitions at Shorts International. She asked me if I could have a DCP (Digital Cinema Packet) of the film made, as she had a slot for the film to screen. So I had to very quickly find someone with the knowledge to make the film into a DCP. Firstly I thought, OK, maybe I could study the process and do it myself, then as I started the research, I find that it is a very complicated and time consuming process, and I didn't have any time to do the study, and especially, make the mistakes that come with this kind of undertaking. That's where I found Darren Eggenschwiler of Production Attic, (a real top bloke, he and his team), he had published a blog on his site about creating DCP's, and first thing on Monday morning he had the file on his machine, and by Wednesday afternoon, we had a DCP on a hard drive and in a Fedex plane to LAX.
This morning I received this
Dear Ronnie—
Congratulations on this unique opportunity to be part of ShortsHD At The Movies Academy qualifying screenings - launching this Tuesday at the Manns Chinese 6 Theaters at 6801 Hollywood Blvd in Hollywood, CA for three consecutive days – September 18, 19, 20. Tickets can be bought at the door or at the link below:
There has been a lot of time past, since I wrote my last blog spot. However a lot of ground work has been covered, and a couple of opportunities that have germinated from seeds planted a long time ago.
About a month ago, I got a call from my good friend Andy Isaac, we met 3 years ago at the Cannes Film Festival, when Shooter was screening. His call was strait to the point, can you be in Oban to record a short sequence for a friend of mine, his name is Colin Salmon, and he is doing some work to promote Cage Cricket at the sports centre in Oban, I said, I can be there with my kit and an umbrella:)
On arrival in Oban, I met up with Colin, he was sitting with a friend having a coffee, and as I introduced myself he stood up and towered above me, his awesome voice introduced himself, and all I could say was, Man, you are huge, and your voice is awesome:)))) he he, ice was broken and on with the film. Since then, he has kept in touch and given me great feedback on the short films that I have produced, with nothing but positive comments and praise, should you read this Colin, thanks for taking the time to feedback in such a positive way, makes everything worthwhile.
Click on Colin Salmon's picture to see his very impressive resume on IMDB, and be sure to look out for him in the new movie 'Resident Evil: Retribution'
This morning, I packaged and signed the contract for 'FLY a Legacy' sponsored by ORVIS The little film will be in the care of Short International for the next 7 years. Thanks go out to Lesya Hearst, who wrote a terrific review on FLY a Legacy, read it here Eternity of Dreams film review site
I made a little film called KING, last November, designed to fit a series of festivals dedicated to 1 minute films. It was such a pleasure to make this little film with my good friend Paul Hunter, and David Clements was there to practice his still photography, great job to both of you, and congratulations, as KING is in Official Selection at the Aarau 1 Minute Film Festival in Switzerland, August 16th-19th 2012. Good job boys:)
Link to Aarau Festival Catalogue
Basil Khalil, a great friend, who I created 'Replay Revenge' with a few years ago, was up for a visit with his young brother, we had planned to shoot another short film during his visit, but our Scottish summer soon put an end to about 1 months planning, rain, rain, and more rain. And like I said once before, 'I love summer in Scotland, It is probably the best day of the year':)
The opportunity to screen my latest short film 'FLY a Legacy', was yet another great moment in my life.
The down side to the experience:
The fact that, should you have a film screening at the most prestigious film festival on the planet, you are having to pay exorbitant prices for everything, particularly food and accommodation, makes the experience a little disappointing. However, as it is probably one of the only places on Earth that you can meet, face to face, the people who can move you forward, and if that means you have to pay through the nose just to eat, then, that is how it is.
When you pick up your accreditation, part of your gift pack is a bag, to carry the festival catalogues and other paper goods that are gifted you on arrival. This years bag, was shiny black with Cannes 65, printed in gold, a nice piece of memorabilia. However on my second night there, I heard someone shout my name as I returned to my apartment, I paid no attention, as I thought they were shouting on someone else. and as I shut the apartment door behind me, the door knocked. I opened the door and a man dressed in black security gear, smiled and greeted me, I said 'Hi, can I help you?' he replied, Mr Ronnie, I see you are a film director, you know Robert De Nero? he grinned, I replied, 'No sir, I am just here screening my film', he the asked me if I had received my black bag with Cannes 65 on it, and 'could he have it', as you are a director, you could just get another one. I was a little shocked at this, all happening on my door step, and even more at the brash way in which this guy just came up to me and asked for the bag. I told him he could not have the bag as it was special to me, he continued to ask me for the bag, still smiling and complementing me on my achievements. After about 4 mins of him continually asking for the bag, and offering me drinks, I finally decided to give him the bag, and get him out of my space, probably as I was expecting him to turn nasty at some point. He thanked me, reached out, grabbed my shoulders, and pulled me towards him, giving me two kisses, one on each cheek, again I was a little shocked, and very quickly shut the door on him. After about 10 minutes, I thought to myself, 'Shit, I have just been 'Politely Mugged', ha' :)
The up side to the experience:
Great to spend some time with my good friend Basil Khalil and brain storm some story ideas for when we return. Meeting Mode Steinkjer, a reporter from Norway, we connected through Twitter, and met for the first time at Cannes, top bloke. And spending some valuable time with Linda O, Olszewski, from Shorts International. It was a pleasure to spend some time with her, and learn a little about her life in the world of short films.
During the festival, there were a number of seminars and talks, one of which I had to attend as John Boorman, director of films such as 'Point Blank', Deliverance, 'The Emerald Forest'. To listen to his stories and answer questions on his memories of creating these films was probably one of the highlights of the trip. And to shake hands with him at the end of the seminar was an added bonus, as he smiled at me and thanked me for giving him the screener DVD of my recent works. He was there with his daughter Katrine Boorman, to attend the screening of her documentary , 'Me and my Dad'.
The other seminars I attended, were pretty much the same old, same old, however, the connections made, I hope will all bear fruits in the future, and definitely an experience that I will hope to endure again.
I f you want to see more picture of the Cannes 2012 trip, friend me on FaceBook here http://www.facebook.com/ronnie.b.goodwin and find out about Roy and his exploits at the worlds most prestigious film festival:)
I was asked by Chadd Vanzatan, author of the 'HOW SMALL A TROUT' publication, to answer a few questions about my experiences and the F3t Fly Fishing Film Tour, I was more than happy to write a few words. Read the piece here http://howsmallatrout.wordpress.com/2012/04/29/in-the-peace-and-quiet/ and don't be shy, leave a cool comment:)
The Festival de Cannes short film corner is only a month away. FLY a Legacy will be available to view at the festival, and should you be there for the festival, I can organise a private screening.
I also intent to spend some of my time pitching 2 new film projects, and if you are a producer and attending the festival, I would like to meet for a demonstration and short pitch, please get in touch.
I have organised a 7 night stay at a cheap hotel,,, well I say cheap, it is still taking advantage of exorbitant prices because of the festival, anyway, I have room with 4 beds for sale should you need a place to stay. If you private mail me or use the contact page on this blog, I will let you know the details.
The press has been amazing this last week, with a short spot on Helensburgh TV, URTV and local press, doing a great job with the story, and finally getting my story in the national press The Evening Times
I copied and pasted this directly from the Evening Times site as the picture is a little difficult to read
Fly guy Ronnie's on his way to the Cannes film festival
By LALITA AUGUSTINE
YOU know what they say about fishing films – you wait for one and then two come along at the same time.
But while Ewan McGregor and Kristin Scott Thomas star in the multi-million pound Salmon Fishing in The Yemen, Ronnie B Goodwin is hoping his £3000 home movie will lure in the crowds.
His seven-minute film, FLY a Legacy, a tale of a man passing his fishing knowledge on to his grandson, will be shown in the short-film corner – a platform for new short films from around the world.
He will head for the French Riviera next month where he will have a chance to mingle with film professionals at workshops and conferences.
Ronnie said: "To have my film selected was an amazing feeling. I'll be among people in the industry I otherwise wouldn't have the chance to meet.
"This is going to be a great opportunity for me to pitch new projects to producers."
It's not the first time the 49-year-old from Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, has been to the famous film festival.
His first visit was in 2005 with fellow film maker, English-Irish-Israeli-Palestinian Basil Khalil, with their tongue-in-cheek documentary about the Palestinian conflict, Replay Revenge.
The duo had not been invited to the event however, and spent their time in the French city networking with industry figureheads outside of the official festival.
Their hard work paid off when Ronnie, on his return to Scotland, received a phone call from the Middle East's biggest TV news network, Al Jazeera, offering to buy Replay Revenge.
His next visit, in 2009, saw his self-made film, Shooter, accepted on to Short Film Corner and picked up by global distributors, Shorts International.
Ronnie hopes his fishing film will be appreciated by European audiences after going down a storm with the fly fishing fans in the US.
He initially made FLY, a 90-second video on his favourite hobby at Carman Trout Fishery, near Loch Lomond last year and posted it on line.
It was immediately picked up by F3T, the Fly Fishing Film Tour in the US, with organisers asking him to submit a longer version, which is currently being shown at venues in America and Canada.
Ronnie said: "The popularity of FLY and FLY a Legacy has been quite a surprise.
"I originally made it only for myself."
He is also hopeful the film will help put West Dunbartonshire on the movie map.
He said: "Scottish film is usually about deprivation, alcoholism and suchlike.
"This is a beautiful, upbeat film with some of the most breathtaking scenery you can imagine."
The film buff hopes to make an impression at Cannes, which kicks off on May 12.
lalita.agustine@ eveningtimes.co.uk
The Herald
Loach's Glasgow comedy makes cut for Cannes
Published on 20 April 2012
Phil Miller
A COMEDY-drama shot in Glasgow by the veteran director Ken Loach has been chosen for the main competition at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
The glittering annual event will see the movie, about a small- time criminal who is introduced to the world of whisky distilleries, compete for the festival's main prize, the Palme d'Or.
The film sees Loach, whose work is in competition at Cannes for the 11th time, work again with script writer Paul Lavery, who previously wrote Looking for Eric, Sweet Sixteen and war-drama The Wind That Shakes the Barley for films with the director.
Elsewhere in the festival will be the new film from David Cronenberg, Cosmopolis, starring Robert Pattinson, and Walter Salles' adaptation of the Beat Generation novel, On The Road, which features Pattinson's Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart.
More films that will be shown at Cannes in the Critics' Week and Directors' Fortnight lists will be announced on April 23 and 24. Loach's The Angels' Share is set in Glasgow and stars newcomer Paul Brannigan, Thick Of It actor Roger Allam and John Henshaw from Early Doors.
Also in competition are The Paper Boy, which stars John Cusack, Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman, Lawless, a prohibition-era tale of bootleggers in the American south starring Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf and Guy Pearce, and Jeff Nichols' Mud which stars Reese Witherspoon.
The films being shown out of competition include Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci's Me and You and Philip Kaufman's Hemingway and Gellhorn, which stars Clive Owen and Kidman, in the lead roles of the novelist and his war correspondent wife.
The festival, which runs from May 16 to 27, will open with Wes Anderson's new film Moonrise Kingdom, which stars Scottish actress Tilda Swinton alongside Bruce Willis and Bill Murray and is set in New England in the summer of 1965.
Also in Cannes will be Helensburgh movie maker Ronnie B Goodwin, with his short about fly fishing. The seven-minute short Fly: A Legacy has been officially selected for the Short Film Corner.
The annual event, which attracts arthouse filmmakers alongside some of the biggest names in Hollywood, ended in controversy last year when organisers banned Danish director Lars von Trier and declared him "persona non grata" after he told a press conference, apparently in a misconceived joke, that he was a Nazi.
Event organisers say they have put together a "journey around the world" from the 1779 submissions they received.
It's Wednesday the 21st of March 2012, and the last few days have been amazing, With great results from the short film 'Happy Tears', Directed by Ro J Goodwin and me shooting the film, to the news that my short film 'FLY a Legacy' has Official Selection at the Short Film Corner Festival de Cannes, and then a few minutes ago I get an email from Corinne Orton from the Margaret Tait Awards to say I have been nominated for the award, just wonderful
Off to the Scotland Directs meeting tonight at the BBC, spent a whole year going there once a month, networking with established directors, and listening to golden nuggets they had to share, magic.
April the 4th and URTV, Helensburgh TV, aired a spot on there news programme about 'FLY a Legacy' at 2mins 30secs http://helensburgh.tv/
First thing this morning, I got up and ventured to my favourite retreat, I cast my fly and caught a lump of a rainbow trout, at that moment I knew today was going to be a bit special, you know when you get that feeling.
I got home to read the message I have been waiting for, from the Festival de Cannes, I was very apprehensive about opening it, as the result could determine which direction my future films would take, and as I opened the email, I quickly scanned down to find the word, rejected or not accepted, and all I could find was 'After viewing your film, we are glad to inform you that your film has been accepted at this years Festival de Cannes 2012, short film corner'
My heart almost jumped out of my chest.
So for the last few hours since receiving this message, things have started to move again. My sponsor, 'Orvis', are extremely happy with the news, and of course the F3t tour, where 'FLY a Legacy' on its US theatrical tour. So Good:)
The beginning of 2012 was very slow, with applications and administration of all past events taking priority, leaving me little time and rotten weather.
So the latest news to this date is very exciting, with 'Happy Tears', a short film that Ro J Goodwin directed and I shot during the Christmas period, taking 4 nominations and 1 win at the FilmG awards on the 9th March 2012. Congratulations go out to young Orla who won the best Performance accolade at the awards night.
A short clip shot on my compact camera
A brief update on the development of 'FLY a Legacy': The F3t Fly Fishing Film Tour is in full swing across the USA, and with a little hiccup to deal with at the beginning of the tour, all is now good, and Chris Keig has been updating the F3t Facebook site with wonderful posts on how well the theatrical tour is performing, you can find links and further stories on the right of this page. Also waiting patiently for word from the Cannes Short Film Corner, should hear any day, and of course this will determine whether or not a trip to the biggest film market on the planet is going to happen
'Shooter' is still broadcasting, generating interest, and debate, which in my book is good and healthy.
'King' has been entered into many 1 minute festivals around the world, and at the end of March results should start to slowly come in. Fingers and toes crossed.
I have been posting my photographs lately, and quite a number of enquiries have been received about how to obtain copies of the images, so, in the gallery above, there are a few pictures that are available for download and printing, there are also many more on my Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/ronnie.b.goodwin just friend me:) I will be adding more.
So if you would like a copy, then email me at ronniegoodwin@hotmail.com with subject 'Ronnie's Photos' then tell me which picture you would like, and I will send you a large high resolution file of the image, which you can have printed and framed.
I have added a Donate Button on this blog should you order a picture, then a donation is appreciated.
