Turns out, the version we showed at the premiere wasn’t quite done enough for me. After all the effort and time, I just couldn’t stop short of my vision. So we have pressed ahead putting in the refinements and effects that didn’t make it into the version we screened at the premiere. We aim to have the final version finished in July. I’m confident it will be worth the wait!
Meanwhile, I have begun researching film festivals. I am surprised to find hundreds of them, all with different missions, requirements, and deadlines. In addition, festivals use one or more of several available platforms for filmmakers to submit their films, so there has been much to learn.
I’m guessing the world of film festivals is hard to get a foothold in, but I’m going to give it a try anyway and see what happens. It’s probably completely naive to think a weird stop motion film like ours has a chance at a big mainstream festival, but I went ahead and submitted our film to the Toronto International Film Festival at the end of May. They accept works in progress, but also require the film to have been completed after September of the previous year. So if we finish in July 2015 we will be ineligible for the festival in 2016. I doubt we’ll get in, but why not try.
Soon I expect to be able to provide backers with a link for online viewing. Then I can get the DVDs made and sent out. To give you a taste of what’s coming, here is a short clip:
This is the beginning of Act 1, Scene 2. I am working on a pysanka when the decorated egg from the opening scene, Lizard Spiral, approaches, followed by the plain egg. The plain egg is getting a first look at what becoming a decorated egg is all about.