Those of you who have been on my Guerilla Film Makers Masterclass recently will know of a short film that I edited for a good friend of mine, director Jonathan Newman. The film, FOSTER, is a charming tale of a boy who is fostered by kind new parents and how he comes to terms with it as an adult. It was professionally produced and shot on HDCam (not HDV). The movie collected a few awards and Johnny continued to push it, even when it looked like it was running out of steam. It also got him an agent.

Yesterday I got a call from Johnny saying, ‘I got a message on my cellphone from Pete Farrelly, yes one of the brothers who made Something About Mary…! I had sent him a screener DVD about four months ago and he just watched it, liked it, and now wants to pitch it in LA to Dreamworks… and how did I feel about that!?’ I guess Johnny is now booking his flight to LA!

Of course this all may lead nowhere but at least the dream is alive and kicking again for him, and at the very least, Johnny now has Pete Farrelly as a contact in LA. A powerful contact that could open doors for him.

Lessons learned?

1. Make a short film in the genre that you want to market yourself within.

2. Make it to the highest standards possible. It must be world class in it’s production. So good even Spielberg would watch to the end.

3. Keep pushing and send DVD’s that are in proper boxes, with printed labels, to everyone. Yes everyone, including Peter Farally.

Onwards and upwards!

Chris Jones
Filmmaker, Author and Firewalk Instructor
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What am I doing now?
Directing splinter unit on Mission: Impossible 7
Exec producing The Happenings

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