The McPassion:
The countdown has begun [news]
Well, here we go.The DVDs have been sent out, we've emailed many of our friends and associates, and the web site is ready. In just a few hours the film will make its Internet debut.
Tomorrow, the Christianity Today web site will run an interview with writer-producer Rik Swartzwelder. They responded to our advance DVD mailing. So, that should really help to spread the word (no pun intended). And we did an interview this afternoon with The Washington Post which may decide to run a story . . . we'll see.
The web site is already going crazy. The number of visitors is increasing exponentially by the hour. I wonder what will happen when the film goes online?
This project, even though just 4 minutes in its finished length, was a good deal of work. First because I was dividing my time between work and the film . . . and finding time for laundry, grocery shopping, and Xbox. Second, Rik was out of town on various jobs for the majority of preproduction but we were continually honing the script and discussing the props and casting when we could. I've been making graphics for weeks: creating props for the film and graphics for the film, DVD and web site. Thank goodness I had the help of some talented artists too, to create the artwork for the meals and games, as well as the 3D toy. And the original music is perfect. Composer John Carta nailed it. What a great group of people we were lucky to work with to make this little film. I got to work once again with my grad school friend Brian Hoodenpyle, who is always a pleasure to work with. And some years ago, Brian introduced me to Nick Kitinski, a sound man, who I've enjoyed working with on several projects, and I'm glad he could help this one come to life. Many good friends chipped-in their valuable time and energy. Thanks to all of you!
The editing went well on my Avid Xpress Pro system. Amazingly, we didn't cut anything from the script. Instead, we ended-up adding several things. Rik's brain was constantly churning and he came up with some great additions during post production, which we refined together.
Then it was an effort to get the film into its DVD form, juggling my work with getting the DVD menu created and the bonus materials put together. Luckily, Jade Productions was willing to do the DVD authoring for us, and DiscMakers.com did a great job putting it all together.
It was all worth it. The film is truly as funny as it is shocking. And the fact that it also makes a comment on commercialism makes the film more than just a funny premise.
I'm looking forward to getting another project going. A producer friend of mine and I have been developing an entertaining and funny documentary and I'm pitching a few cool unscripted tv show ideas.
Don't forget to stop by the McPassion web site before the film goes offline on April 15th. Let us know what you think!
More later gang.
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