Monday, October 24, 2005

I'm still on the road...

Hey Everybody, It’s Kelley.

Just wanted to let you know that after 5 weeks of touring I am still a live and well. I have three weeks to go, but so far the trip has been good. I have had some terrific screenings, made lots of new contacts and have scored a few firsts in my life…

In addition to teaching workshops for both kids and adults, I did a sound design workshop for a company that does “Adult Programming”, (these people were great, they just do the promos they don’t make the movies. They are all filmmakers in their own right, working on their own experimental stuff on their own time. I saw some great stuff.), at Charleston, WV, I got in to the wrestling ring with professional wrestlers, Professor Danger and Death Falcon 0, and I got my butt kicked! What was I thinking? And we caught it all on tape! I am currently in Montgomery, AB and after the screening tonight I am heading up to the cemetery with some friends where we’re going to have a beer with Hank Williams, Sr.

As far as the tour, Kicking Bird is playing well to audiences. After the screenings I am selling quite a few DVD’s of my other movies so I am really happy. I am spreading the Angry Filmmaking Gospel, (sorry I’m in the South so I couldn’t help that line…). I still have a few weeks to go and it just keeps getting better.

Just a reminder, I am going to be signing DVD’s at Rocket Video in Hollywood, CA on Thursday, Nov 3rd from 7 – 10 pm. So tell every one you know to come on down and we can hang out. Oh yeah, and they can buy stuff too.

Take care and we’ll talk soon. Kelley

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Tour Update

The Angry Filmmaker's Fall Tour is half over. I am currently in Charleston, WV. I had a great lecture last night at the University. I am feeling good.

I want to thank Rob Kates in Philadelphia (with PIFVA), and Danny and Robin Boyd here in Charleston for putting me up and making the arrangements for me to come to both places. Also Greg and Chris at MadLab in Columbus for making me feel right at home. Thank you all.

And boy did we have a great screening in Lewisburg, PA. Freddi and Matt at Runner's Gazzette and Bill and Colin at Mya's Cafe really put together a nice screening. I also really dug the reviews in Runner's Gazzette. I think "Kicking Bird Kicks Butt" says it all. I'm looking forward to coming back there next Fall. Bill makes a mean "shot in the dark", black coffee with a shot of espresso. It kept me going when I was feeling tired.

The DVD's are selling well and the gas prices are still pissing me off. Thanks a lot George for all of your help with the economy.

The people I am meeting on the road have been great, except for that one old guy in Chicago who yelled at me for adding a gratuitous scene in Kicking Bird. If I thought it was gratuitous I wouldn't have included it! But thanks for yelling at me anyway. It's nice to hear the occaisional old dude getting pissed off. It makes me feel like I'm doing something.

I am cooling out here in Charleston for a couple of days and then it's back at it.

We'll talk later...

Saturday, October 01, 2005

Northampton Screening canceled...

Just a quick note. The screening at the Roxy Theatre in Northampton, PA on Oct 4th has been canceled, because of a scheduling problem. All of the other screenings in PA are still happening. I am going to reschedule the Roxy screening for next Spring. I hope this doesn't cause any one problems. Shit happens...

I am currently in Philadelphia where I'll be doing a work shop tomorrow and a screening on Monday. The trip is going okay. I am beat! I am not sleeping all that well, I think it is stress. This is a monster undertaking and those damn gas prices aren't helping my stress level either! I wish the oil companies would stop taking advantage of the recent weather to gouge us. Because you can't tell me with all of the profit they're making that they couldn't cut prices some to give us a little relief. That would be too much to ask!

I still have some openings in my schedule, (it looks like I'll be in Tulsa in late October, I love that town! I've got good friends there). So email me if you want me to come speak, screen Kicking Bird, buy me a beer (or a tank of gas), or cook me a meal! I've been away from home for 3 weeks so please be nice to me. Naa, don't be nice.

I do want to say thanks to all of the people who have put up with me so far. And my hat is off to Bob Bowman in Chicago. He is a guy who likes my work so he got me in touch with the faculty at Columbia College where I did a lecture for the film students, and he put together a screening at the Lake Theater in Oak Park as well. We even made some money! Bob, thank you so much, and if you ever quit your day job (architect) you could make quite a producer.

I also need to say that I have no idea who set the 8th floor theater on fire at Columbia but I hope it had nothing to do with my lecture! The down side is that the fire and the sprinklers destroyed some of the sound rooms and the editing rooms on other floors. I hope they catch the bastard who set the fire! That's not right. For all of you Columbia students, get creative and finish your movies in spite of what happened. My thoughts go out to the sound dept. As if sound doesn't get dumped on enough...now they have to rebuild their facilities. Good luck guys. I'd volunteer to help but the prospect of me with a soldering iron is just not a good idea.

I gotta run. Talk later. Kelley