I imagine the wrap party is one of those institutions, like a funeral, where bygones become bygones and you put the problems of the past into some sort of perspective in order to move on. Where everybody jokes about screwups and the director can say, OK, a milestone has been achieved, now I can go into the editing room with a whole new burst of energy.
We were going to have a wrap party, a simpler one with cheaper food and drinks than the wrap party I'm cutting and pasting together for this blog. It was a good thing I never invited anybody, because it was going to take place on the evening of the last day of shooting, which we fully expected to finish in time to start the party around 7:30 pm. 7:30 the next morning would have been more like it. There was another problem with the lavalier mics, and the afternoon shoot turned into a night shoot, and Patience was kind enough to call somebody to feed her dogs.
I'm really glad to see Dr. Valeri and the others relax and enjoy themselves so much at the blog version of the party. It kind of takes my mind off the little fact that four years later the final version of the movie is just short of being finished.
Coming across this picture of Jen and Chad brought back memories of the wrap party, when they showed up in almost matching finery, cooing like Angelina and Brad at their wrap party, or Tom and Katie most everywhere, even when they show up apart.
I like the days when the studios decided who was dating who and Loretta Young's own daughter didn't know her father was Clark Gable because the box office would have suffered. And today we have blogs and Photoshop [also Paint Shop Pro, PhotoImpact and Photoshop Elements], so independent filmmakers don't need a whole press department to get across whatever image they want to (literally) paint of their stars.
OK, so we didn't have a wrap party and Jen and Chad weren't an item. The publicity machine has to spew out something to get other blogs to quote from an unfinished movie's official website, or it might as well stay unfinished forever.
I'll run more snapshots from the mythical wrap party as they turn up.
It's best to start getting reviews before your movie is finished, preferably while you're still shooting. That is what we did here at WebcamMurder.com, and I feel certain this extra effort will pay off. Many of the biggest Hollywood studios find it to their advantage, and we smaller moviemakers can learn from their example.
Some studios use non-existent critics who will not balk at any words producers put in their mouths. And you don't have to work in all those ellipses (...) to end up with a positive spin on their opinions. But the studios have years of built-in credibility that keeps much of the media (damn those bloggers) from examining their ads too closely. For first time filmmakers, it is better to stick with the bought and paid for critics, like our Rory Knox Johnston.
Wait till you see the terrific things he said about WebcamMurder.com! I was humbled and overwhelmed by his thoughtful analysis, even if I did write it myself.
One of the best parts of having a crew, other than getting your movie shot, is that you can use them for parts in your movie. If your leading man doesn't show up, no problem...as long as the gaffer looks the part and can act...and as long as you haven't already shot 3/4 of the scenes the original guy was in. I think you can see the authority William brings to the role of the videographer in WebcamMurder.com, which just may have some relation to the fact that he was the videographer. Militza was in charge of sound, but luckily the scene she's in is pretty quiet, so she could do double duty.
The movie is still not done, and I still don't know why my computer is so wacky. But that doesn't mean we haven't been busy here at WebcamMurder.com. We've put up a new So You'd Like to Get Famous at Amazon.com guide that will help you and your movie get just as famous and us and ours! There's a new Tap Dancing Podcast, too, that'll fill you in on what's going on in the world, And you know how up-on-the-news famous people have to be. What if you won an Oscar and you didn't know what to protest in your acceptance speech?
