Saturday, March 2, 2013

Underground Films to Screen In Austin at RXSM


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MOTHER/SON UNDERGROUND FILM TEAM TO SCREEN IN TEXAS

Award-Winning Short Film Collection Heads South to Austin


Burbank, California – Nothing is closer than family. A boy's best friend is his Mother. What happens when a 25 year film and stage veteran teams with his 60-something creative writing Mother who was a burlesque dancer for over 20 years?

They make an award-winning hit cult collection of films that explode and screen around the world.

6 SHORT FILMS BY JACK TRUMAN AND OPAL DOCKERY, a collection of award-winning short films, is heading to Austin for it's Texas premiere at the RXSM Film Festival.

A collection of shocking, experimental, alternative underground independent films, short films from this collection have screened at over 300 film festivals around the world, winning rave reviews, and earning top awards honors at film festivals globally. Ranging from comedy, mockumentary and documentaries, from adult humor, to global warming, reality, women's rights and much more, these 6 short films are shocking, jaw-dropping and eye-opening. Over a 6 year period, Truman and Dockery filmed many short films that have had a huge following on the film festival circuit. This screening is a collection of their most successful films over the years.

You have to make films that are important to you”, Truman stated in press materials. “My Mother is my best friend. When I went back home to Missouri years ago to shoot my first film as a filmmaker, she gave me a short film script she had written to read. Once reading it, I knew I had to make that movie. That first film exploded, and here we are years later, a successful filmmaking team, with a following around the world. It doesn't get much better than that”.

Dockery was a burlesque dancer for over 20 years in the 1970's and 1980's. Author of many books, she has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's degree in Criminal Justice. Truman is a 25 year veteran of stage and film. An award-winning actor, writer and director, he is also a former college professor at Texas A&M University. Truman has a Master's degree in Communications and a Bachelor's degree in business.

Truman states, “You just have to make your movie. Don't listen to what anyone else says. There is an audience for your film. Everyone has a story to tell. If you have the courage to make your film your own way, and it's an original, creative idea that only you can tell, people will want to see your movie”.

The RXSM Film Festival is scheduled for March 8-14 in Austin, Texas.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Use Your Experience




You never can get too much experience.

You won't find me knocking education. But I will say this. It amazes me all these young educated people with their advanced degrees who think they know everything about life. But have had no experience in life.

What makes a great artist is using their experiences to tell their story.

A great actor uses his or her experiences to create a great character for performance. That's what method acting is known for. The greats like Brando, DeNiro and Pacino use method acting to bring their experiences to their character's performance to an extreme.

A writer uses his experiences to tell a story that only he can tell.

A good teacher shares his experiences in life to teach his students and have the subject relate to the times.

If you look throughout history, all of the great historical figures have used their experiences to help change the world. Ghandi. Thoreau. Aristotle. Plato. Sophocles. Abraham Lincoln. Martin Luther King. Shakespeare. Nelson Mandela. Malcolm X. The list goes on. If you search the most famous figures in history, the great ones have taken their experiences in life and used them for the better good.

Use your experiences to make your movie.



Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Underground Filmmaking



Anyone can make a movie.

If you're a truly independent filmmaker, you'll find a way to shoot your film and get your movie made.

Underground filmmaking is the way to go. If you use this alternative way to make a film, you'll make your movie and share it with the world.

What's underground filmmaking? How do you do it? Where do I start? There's a world of information out there to help you with this. It's right at your fingertips.

You don't have to go to film school and spend thousands of bucks to make an independent film. Just start by going to Google. Go to Google and type the words 'underground filmmaking'. There's a world of resources and tools waiting for you on the internet. Want to know what's going on in the world with underground filmmaking? Just go to Google News and type in the words 'underground filmmaking'. Shit, I just typed a Google search with the words Underground Filmmaking and over 2 million search results came up. The first one was the encyclopedia definition for Underground Film:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_film

Hell, I just went to Google News and typed in the words Underground Filmmaking, and hundreds of news stories just came up for today.

There's a world of information out there for the taking. You just have to take it, go with it, grab your balls, and jump right in.







Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Using Blogs & V-Logs to Make a No Budget Film

Jack Truman & Opal Dockery
2012 Cine Vegas Film Festival
WOODY THE REDNECK


You have to get an audience for your movie.

It's easy to make a movie with no money. But it takes time and work. A lot of your moviemaking will be getting an audience for your film. As an independent filmmaker, you have to wear many hats. And you have to be create, while always thinking and finding ways to build an audience for your no budget movie that's outside of the box.

A couple of creative ways are by using blogs and video blogs for your movie.


Create a film blog for your No Budget movie. Film some short 2 to 3 minute episodes of you talking interview style to the camera discussing your film. Make about 5-8 short interviews and create a short video blog interview web series online promoting your film. There's websites like Youtube and Blip TV that are free to join and create a free web series. With each episode, you can have a link attached to the site where people can go and buy your film. You never know. Your web series could generate thousands, even millions of views. Think about all those people that you're reaching who are finding out about your film.

Make a Podcast. Along with Film V-Logs, podcasts are another great way to share your film. A podcast is like a radio audio broadcast; like a radio show. People make podcasts about all kinds of subjects. You can too. Go to the internet and create a Podcast for your film. Have one day a week that you do a radio show promoting your film. It's a free and easy way to build an audience for your project. And a lot of fun. You can get really creative with this.

These are just a couple of creative ways to help you with your filmmaking journey to build an audience for your movie. 

Make your movie.




THE ACCEPTABLE SIN
Directed by Jack Truman
A Dixie Film

 










Monday, February 4, 2013

Anyone Can Make a Movie

Filmmaker Jack Truman & Writer/Star Opal Dockery
With the Crew of THE ANDY MEYERS STORY
River's Edge Film Festival


Anyone can make a movie.

Yes, you heard that right. Anyone can make a movie.

Are you just as smart as anyone? Take the dumbest person you ever met in your life. Out of all the people you've come across in your life. Try to think of the least intelligent person you've ever come across. Are you thinking about them right now? Do you picture them in your mind?

That idiot you're thinking about can make a movie.

Take it from someone who's been in this business for over 25 years. You don't need money. You don't even need to know how this business works. If you have an idea, or a story to tell, you can make that idea or story into a movie and share it with the world.

With no money.


Title: NO BUDGET FILMMAKING or How to be a Well-Known Filmmaker & Be Broke at the Same Time
Written by Jack Truman
Copyright 2013 @ Dixie Publishing
ISBN: 978 – 1 – 300 – 61518 – 7

 


Thursday, January 31, 2013

No Budget Filmmaking: Making a Movie With No Money






FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HOW TO MAKE A MOVIE WITH NO MONEY

Burbank, California - Anyone can make a movie. With no money. And be a well-known filmmaker.

Moviemaking is entering a new era with digital film. With technology rapidly changing, it's getting easier than ever for aspiring filmmakers to make movies on their own.

Learn how to make a movie with No Budget and become known around the world as a successful filmmaker. Jack Truman shares valuable tips, tools, secrets and valuable information on how to get your movie made by yourself outside the Hollywood circles – from starting with an idea for a movie to selling your award-winning hit film around the world after a successful film festival run.

NO BUDGET FILMMAKING OR HOW TO BE A WELL-KNOWN FILMMAKER AND BE BROKE AT THE SAME TIME includes:


How to make your movie from concept, through production and distribution with just a camera and a computer
Ways to make your movie with no money
The best way to make your movie outside of Hollywood
How to get cameras, equipment, cast and crew at no cost
How to avoid paying entry fees at film festivals
How to create a buzz for your film when it starts playing festivals
The best ways to share your film around the world
Ways to make money with your movie

And more!

An informative, alternative, out-of-the-box reference book for the film industry, NO BUDGET FILMMAKING covers a wide range of tips and tools: from proven filmmaking techniques, valuable industry resources, and more, this book guides the aspiring filmmaker from concept to distribution on the film festival circuit, and beyond. A must-have resource for anyone who needs help with making a low budget film on their own, NO BUDGET FILMMAKING is a breakthrough book for the next generation of filmmakers.

Author Jack Truman is an award-winning filmmaker and 25 year veteran of stage and film. A former professor at Texas A&M University, Truman has also appeared in several television series and major motion pictures. His film directorial debut, the award-winning hit cult short film PHONE SEX GRANDMA premiered at the 2006 Slamdance Film Festival. Combined, Truman's films have screened at over 300 film festivals worldwide to date. Jack was on the Short Film Jury at the 2012 Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.


Title: NO BUDGET FILMMAKING or How to be a Well-Known Filmmaker & Be Broke at the Same Time
Written by Jack Truman
Copyright 2013 @ Dixie Publishing
ISBN: 978 – 1 – 300 – 61518 – 7

Email Filmmaker Jack Truman at: dixiefilms@gmail.com


Monday, January 28, 2013

NO BUDGET FILMMAKING - Making a Feature Film

Jack Truman, Peter Baxter & Opal Dockery
2013 Slamdance Film Festival

By Jack Truman, Filmmaker - Dixie Films


Well, after a busy month of January, a lot's got done. Wrote my NO BUDGET FILMMAKING book. Went to Park City for Sundance and Slamdance. Promoted & launched the new No Budget Film book in Park City. Editing Opal's directorial debut this week. Lining up next month's film festival screenings of our hit short films PEANUT MAN, WOODY THE REDNECK and PHONE SEX GRANDMA coast to coast.

It's been one hell of a January. I've done more as an underground filmmaker in one month than most people do their entire life.

Being in Park City with Sundance and Slamdance this year once again got the creative juices flowing good and strong. Being there again this year really opened my eyes to some things I really need to get done this year. I've got my work cut out for me as a No Budget underground independent filmmaker. It was great and eye opening to see how easy it's going to be to get some of these things done. Maybe easy's not the right word. Realistic is more like it. I can really see how things are going to get done. Making Mother's directorial debut film and getting it out on the festival circuit, along with women's rights, feminists and gay/lesbian groups. Releasing my new No Budget Filmmaking book strong on the festival circuit, to schools, filmmakers, actors and anyone who wants to make a movie. And shooting my first narrative feature film.

The feature film version of PHONE SEX GRANDMA will get shot this year.

I think it took returning to Park City with Opal to make me realize how we can really get this feature film made. Seven years after the hit short film version of PHONE SEX GRANDMA premiered in Park City at Slamdance, the buzz still rocks in that town, and at that festival. Everyone recognizes Opal. PSG still plays the festival circuit. People still talk about it all these years later in Park City. The buzz that happened in town during Sundance and Slamdance this year, the things I learned from the feature films that were at Slamdance and Sundance this year....made me realize. It's not going to be that difficult to make this feature film this year. It'll take a little time and work. But I'll be able to make it. And with little to no money.

One thing I learned from the films I saw in Park City this year was that I need to take my most successful short film from over the years and make it into a feature film. Out of all the shorts I've made that's been playing around the world on the film festival circuit, one film stands out alone from the pack. The short film PHONE SEX GRANDMA. That little 9 minute film still plays. Since it premiered at Slamdance in 2006, it's played over 100 film festivals. In 2 weeks, it plays a festival in Phoenix. In a month, a festival in the UK. I mean, hell....this short film keeps on kickin'. The proof is in the pudding. It just won't stop. If I make the feature film, if nothing else, I already have a global audience waiting to see it.

Shopping the feature film version of PHONE SEX GRANDMA at Sundance this year generated a lot of interest and buzz. I found people interested in helping me make the feature film. Over this next month, I have to find a good handful of people I've met over the years that I really like, to work with me on this film. I think over the next 6 months, we can shoot all of the footage in California, Nevada and the Midwest. It'll be hard. But I think it can be done.

These next few weeks, I've got my work cut out for me. First things first. I've got to finish editing Opal's new film that she's directed. Then start submitting it to the film festival circuit. That little documentary film is going to explode. Then I've got a little work to do on my new No Budget Film book. After those 2 projects, it looks like I can focus hard on getting this feature film version of PHONE SEX GRANDMA shot this year.

A lot to do.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

NO BUDGET FILMMAKING or How to Be a Well-Known Filmmaker & Be Broke at the Same Time
By Jack Truman
Copyright 2013 Dixie Publishing