Caught Between a ROCK and a HEART PLACE

I Think It's Been a Long, Long Time . . .

For those of you keeping score . . . it's been a while since our last posting. Months in fact. Let me bring you up to date: sales were very good during the past Christmas season. We got our feet wet in self-distribution and it's everything that it's cracked up to be - - in other words, its a lot of work! Making the film, believe me is the easy part. When you make a film, you're using the skill set that you're the most comfortable with and you pretty much go with the flow of pre-production, production, and post production. You know how to tell a story, and make it interesting. THEN comes the distribution where you're LEARNING how to market, how to promote. And it's quite a learning experience.

Thanks to all our supporters during the first Christmas season of ROCK and a HEART PLACE.

January and February came 'round, and besides taking a short, well deserved break from marketing, we turned our attention to the business of earning a living. We were on the road planning and implementing events and marketing videos for our corporate clients. (gotta eat!). That took pretty much all of our time and energy until we volunteered to work on the Garden State Film Festival in Asbury Park.

We employed our event-planning experience to help out the film festival that awarded ROCK and a HEART PLACE the best feature documentary prize in 2006. Working with Diane Raver and the core committee, we were able to make the 6th annual GSFF a rousing success.

We also produced a short documentary that opened the festival entitled "Sense of Place". The DVD will now have a life promoting the festival as the premier arts event in the state and Asbury Park as a center of the arts in NJ. More to follow on Sense of Place in subsequent posts, and we hope to have it up on our website soon.

The festival utilized 9 different venues spread throughout Asbury Park, screening 150 films over a three day weekend. It was fantastic, and we look to be on board again next year. We met a lot of new friends and while a lot of work, we had a lot of laughs as well.

Put it on your calendars to attend next years GSFF - the first weekend in April, 2009.

We've cleared the decks now, and we're powering up the marketing machine to get ROCK and a HEART PLACE in front of audiences.

A Christmas movie in the spring and summer you say? ROCK and a HEART PLACE is first and foremost a documentary about volunteerism - it just so happens that Holiday Express concentrates its efforts during the holiday season. We've had a lot of interest in the film being shown as a primer for volunteer efforts in all sectors, so that's where we're heading.

I promise to keep this updated throughout the process.

-Michael

Merry Christmas

Hello everyone. Haven't posted in a while - we've been busy with the sales ROCK and a HEART PLACE before Christmas. People began to discover the dvd and have been purchasing copies as Christmas presents. Also, we were at the last two public Holiday Express concerts at Count Basie selling the dvd's after the concerts.

Thanks to ALL our supporters over these past months of distribution. The only thing more difficult than making the film is MARKETING the film! And we've been hustling. But we're not finished by a long shot just because the holiday season is coming to a rapid close!

While we may have made one of the best holiday documentaries to come along in a while, ROCK and a HEAT PLACE is also a great resource for inspiring volunteerism, service learning and community service. Those are the areas we'll be concentrating on promoting the documentary in the new year.

We're also looking for corporate sponsors to sign on and help distribute the documentary to their employees, local schools and other civic organizations. So if you know any corporation or business who would like to have their name attached to one of the most inspirational documentaries of 2007, send them our way.

In the meantime, have a great, safe, happy and healthy holiday. We'll keep you posted on our progress right here.

Merry Christmas

-Michael

On Line Interviews

Our press kit continues to fill with more places to read about ROCK and a HEART PLACE. We're featured in the Independent - an online magazine for and about independent filmmakers. The December issue features a cover story by Fernanda Rossi, the Documentary Doctor. Pictures,  the trailer and  an "Anatomy  of a Film" all highlight ROCK and a HEART PLACE. Thank you Fernanda!

-Michael

Why Buzz?

The marketing is working, we are getting press, see both www.buyindies.com and www.independent-magazine.org and publicity should help sales of ROCK and a HEART PLACE for the holidays.  Finding ways to create, discussion about your film, i.e. “buzz”, is a bit like following a treasure map.  Each step is like following murky clues, go in this direction and you will find new opportunities, but the key is to capitalize on each step along the way. 

Case in point, many sites now have a review area where buyers can relate their experience with the product, by means of writing a review.  This is an area where any supporters who have purchased the film, can broadcast their comments to a larger audience now, as opposed to just relating their congratulations to only the filmmakers.  It can be as little as one line or as long as a feature review, the target is to get everyone to help.  If everyone has a hand in your success, there is a groundswell of popularity for the film, a people’s choice award for the film.

While none of this guarantees sales, it is vital that you keep encouraging people to watch and comment about the film. The more who watch, the more who could, by word of mouth, talk it up, remember it and therefore be interested in you as the producer, buy it for friends, or share it with others.  Someone along this path may be willing to invest in your next venture, based on their positive impressions of your last project.  It is an effort that regardless of outcome, keeps the name of your film alive in the minds of others -- viewers, distributors, other filmmakers --- and that’s good for your film and for your future as a filmmaker. And that's Tip #3 of the Top 10 Distribution Tips to Market your Independent Documentary on DVD.
- Nancy

Hot Dogs, Peanuts, DVD's . . . .

Hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend. Last night, Nancy and I participated in the Holiday Express performance at the Red Bank Tree Lighting in a "vendor" capacity. We were able to sell the ROCK and a HEART PLACE dvd up close and in person to the hundreds of people attending the event. Quite an experience since the temperature was in the 20's. Standing in the middle of Broad Street in downtown Red Bank offering the dvd directly to our audience gave us the opportunity to meet the buyers and discuss the film with them. Conversations were kept short though, due to the cold. Taking your product "to the streets" is just one more way to get your independent film distributed!

Cold, tired and hungry . . . . we ended the evening with friends at the recently retrofitted McLoone's Rum Runner, listening to Tim McLoone, Bobby Bandiera, Jim Celestino, Bruce Foster and guests play some great music in the piano bar.

And for all of you stranded without tickets because of the Broadway stage hands strike, great theater is still alive in New York. Spend your time at the 37 Arts Theater enjoying  Frankenstein - the Musical. I highly recommend it! - Michael

Getting the Word Out

Once your film hits the streets, it is so important to generate word of mouth interest in it to spur sales, obtain quotes for publicity and create a ground swell of public opinion for it’s unique features.  One way to do that is with radio. 

We recently had the good fortune of having a publicist friend and sister of the director, offer to send out a story idea to radio stations nationwide.  Our film, ROCK and a HEART PLACE, by itself might not have generated interest on its own but tied into National Family Volunteer Day and the organization that was profiled in the film, Holiday Express, the documentary had an organic appeal as a visual tool to advocate volunteering. 

The list she ultimately sent us was for 20 interviews over the course of a day and a half. Tim McLoone, founder of Holiday Express, Mike Sodano and I were able to speak from 3 remote locations with radio hosts from across the country.  These were both live interviews and live-to-tape where we were able to elaborate on the film’s appeal, how and why an organization like Holiday Express is so successful and how others can start a local organization in their own communities. Having the interviews scheduled, at times, consecutively meant that we were able to improve with each interview, speaking in fewer and more powerful words to convey the same concepts.  The reach for these interviews was extraordinary.  At one point, we heard the commercial spot airing before our interview announcing a cattle auction in Omaha! 

In addition to the interview, the stations also put both our websites’ information on their sites.  Adding this link means that anyone who heard the interview and wants to reference it at a later date, will have a chance to find it. 

Radio can be a very favorable and familiar technology that can take advantage of the benefits of the web, including archiving and podcasting of segments. We’re waiting for someone to call and say, “Hey, I heard you on the radio!”

-Nancy

Not Just a Christmas movie . . . .

We keep receiving comments and validation from viewers that ROCK and a HEART PLACE is more than a great family Christmas movie - the documentary is a great resource for volunteer inspiration . . all year long. Every day we're presented with a new audience/market for the film.

This testimonial came in from a Scout Leader in West Virginia:
"I volunteer at a Boy Scout Troop in my community. I help the kids earn the 'Citizenship in the Community' Merit Badge. One of the requirements for this Merit Badge is:-
'With the approval of your counselor and a parent, watch a movie that shows how the actions of one individual or a group of individuals can have a positive effect on a community. Discuss with your counselor what you learned from the movie about what it means to be a valuable and concerned member of the community.'

"We used the education version of 'Rock and a Heart Place' for this requirement. Many of the other movies I saw recommended on Scouting web pages didn't seem suitable. Some were PG-13 rated (eg Remember the Titans), some used violence to improve their communities (The Magnificent Seven, Shane), and many involved someone who came in from outside the community and used their different experiences and skills to initiate community improvement (Shane, Flashdance, Magnificent Seven). Also it was great that the educational version is 35 minutes long and could easily be seen and discussed in a single meeting. I recommend this documentary to other Scouters."

Since this scout leader ordered the film BEFORE it was released, I asked him how he found us:
"I became a little obsessed about finding a movie I thought suitable for this requirement. I searched movie data bases etc. Searched documentaries. It took a couple weeks, off and on, Its shocking how hard it is to find a G rated movie about somebody helping their own community, non-violently. In the end I stumbled across your movie. I liked the idea of a 35 minute version and I took a chance and paid my $20. I think I actually pre-ordered because when I found your web page the DVD wasn't available yet."

Finally, he ended his comments to me with:
"I wanted a short movie (to match their short attention span), and the constant emphasis on the needs and rewards of voluntarism meant that the 35 minutes was packed with relevant content."

Thanks for being persistent and finding us - we're pleased that ROCK and a HEART PLACE is becoming a great resource for all types of groups. If you know of another Scouting group that could use a film packed with "relevant content", have them get in touch with us. We'd love to hear from them.

-Michael

It is the BEST of Times, and the WORST of Times

At least that's what Allan at Passion River Films told me when we started the distribution phase of ROCK and a HEART PLACE. What exactly did he mean? There are two seasons when the big studios put out most of their product - beginning of the summer, and beginning of the holiday season. Unfortunately, there's no getting around the fact that ROCK and a HEART PLACE is a holiday movie - santa claus, elves, christmas trees, oh yeah - Christmas Music!

What's a filmmaker to do? We really had no choice but to release it during the holiday season - even though in our hearts we knew that ROCK and a HEART PLACE is an "evergreen" film (it has a lasting shelf life that can be played year after year - kinda like "It's A Wonderful Life"). The documentary also has an educational component - inspiring students to volunteer. Administrators and educators have watched the film and some of them have even commented that the message was so powerful, they didn't even realize there was a holiday theme in it! Chalk up one for the producers!

Stumbling around the web, I found another film called 10 MPH and the filmmaker Hunter Weeks branded his production and distribution efforts as DIY (do it yourself). And that's about the best way I can describe the journey of ROCK and a HEART PLACE. Even though we have a distributor to get the film in to marketplaces that, as filmmakers, we'd have little or no access . . . most of the heavy lifting is being done by yours truly.

So in an act of allegiance to my fellow DIY'ers, I've added another category on the side panel for DIY films that are also pushing the rock of distribution up the mountain to reach audiences and eyeballs. And in retrospect, with so many opportunities to directly reach out to potential audiences via the internet, email  etc, these ARE the Best of Times! - Michael

PS - if you'd like to suggest other films that could be categorized as DIY, let me know.

This You Have to See

Holiday Express, the volunteer organization in our film, usually performs private holiday parties for groups who would not have a Christmas if Holiday Express didn't visit. However this year, they are also performing three - count 'em three - public concerts. One show is at the

NJ Performing Arts Center in Newark on December 6th, and two at the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank - December 18th and 20th. This is your chance to see these 60+ Jersey Shore musicians and singers in a 90 minute concert that is fun for the whole family. These shows are interactive, rock 'n roll spectaculars that are not to be missed.

So, pile the family in the car, go over the mountain and through the woods to grandmother's house . . . pile grandma in the car too . . . .  and get to one of these shows. They don't make family entertainment like this anymore. You can thank me later. - Michael

With a Little Help from Our Friends . . . .

In trying to get the word out about the film, we've been sending copies to friends, relatives, etc. so they can network with their circle of friends and expand the awareness of our volunteer Christmas movie musical! The other day I heard from my good, long time friend and supporter Jeff Jackson - an accomplished media maven himself who has a new off Broadway play that recently opened. We've always been good "sounding boards" for our individual projects, so when he called to give me his critique, it was pretty short and powerful - "I laughed, I cried. What are you doing to me with this movie? I have to find the time to volunteer now" (a paraphrase, but that's the gist of it). Laughing and crying are good emotions for ROCK and a HEART PLACE.

A call from long-time financial confidante John Votta began with the words "I hate you". Clarification revealed his wife wanted him to order five copies for Christmas gifts - AND make a generous donation to the volunteering movie's star: Holiday Express.

Your friends and family are your staunchest supporters - - and your harshest critics. We're grateful for all the support and comments. - Michael