One day while preparing food with my roommate Brett I noticed that the canned ravioli he was making only had instructions for the microwave. We both thought this was strange considering oven instructions are the norm and if you are lucky they throw in microwave as a bonus. But judging by the packaging of the ravioli and discounted price he bought it at, it was no surprise that only microwave instructions were provided. No single man buying this ravioli was ever going to cook it on a stove - this ravioli was designed just for his life. But what about the products designed for a different life? One that exists only in his fantasies.
Director - Nick Martinolich
Producer - James Edwin Myers Jr.
Writers - Nick Martinolich & James Edwin Myers Jr.
Additional Story - Brett English
DP/Editor/Colorist - James Edwin Myers Jr.
Cast:
Lonely Man - Tom Maher
Dream Wife - Bethany Myers
Dream Son One - Mark Isaac Hartman
Dream Son Two - Chris Michael Hartman
Location Sound - Phillip Shuck
Production Assistant - Travis Inghram
Songs:
Deja Vu - The Price Is Right
~ (Untitled) - Andrew Bird
Special Thanks:
Sunseed Food Co-op
Kristen Hancock
Juleanne Myers
Megan Hartman
Craig Weinstein
The 2010 Florida Film Festival ended yesterday and my year long wait begins again. Orlando is blessed annually with an amazing week of film, filmmakers, journalists, and creative types that converge on Enzian Theater for ten days of festivities. This was my fourth year involved with the FFF in organizing students to promote their 20 narrative and documentary competition films (as well as a few sidebar films) through UCF’s Film Producer course and the Film Festival Marketing Project.
The concept is simple, take inexperienced volunteers and turn them into expert guerrilla marketers for independent films at a film festival. The students begin doing legwork before the filmmakers even arrive in town and then continue their work through the festival.
Each year the students do an amazing job, and this year was no exception. One documentary I was personally fond of was Cleanflix. The film focuses around the movement in the Mormon community to edit down Hollywood films to remove R-rated content and create new “clean” versions. The team assigned to promote this film came up with a great way to catch attendees’ attention and tie in directly with the absurdity of the film’s premise. They distributed doctored DVD boxes with the front covers containing eye catching “PG Version” announcements and the backs with a promotion for the film.
The next promotional item that caught my eye was the “lost keys” left around by the team for Homewrecker, a film about a man on work release from prison as a locksmith. Attached to the keys was a flyer for the film. Honestly, who doesn’t find a pair of keys left behind and then pick them up?
Last was the team for Obselidia, a film about a librarian and encyclopedia salesman who is writing a book cataloging the once-beloved things that end up obsolete. The Obselidia team attached their flyers to 8-tracks and handed them out to get a little extra attention. But the idea that was a huge success with filmmakers, festival staff, and attendees alike was an actual book of obselidia. Using a large blank book the team asked anybody they could to add something obsolete to the pages. It is promotion like this that gets people engaged and creates a personal attachment to the film. There were even times people were approaching them to add content.
I caught this quick video with Obselidia’s Writer/Director Diane Bell, Producer Chris Byrne, and UCF student Jeph Alexander discussing the promotion of the film at this year’s Festival.
I am already looking forward to next year’s Festival. Next month we will be launching the Film Festival Marketing Project site that will provide detailed instructions for other universities and festivals to recreate the success we have had in Orlando. If you would like an announcement of when the site launches please feel free to reach me at nmartinolich@gmail.com.
Saturday, March 27, 2010 - Media Potluck is proud to present, “Aliens vs Rambo: James Cameron’s Action Sequels”!
We will be screening two action sequels that have permeated the American cultural psyche and exist thanks in part to the vision of James Cameron. Aliens (1986) and Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) have spawned countless rip-offs, references, and parodies providing more evidence that Cameron has the ability to create films (and sequels) that have an impact and lasting power far beyond their contemporaries.
Saturday, February 20, 2010 - Media Potluck is proud to present, “Fantasy February”!
We’re going to be screening two outstanding and artful forays into the fantasy genre, Ridley Scott’s Director’s Cut of Legend (1985) and Richard Donner’s Ladyhawke (1985). Both these films are ripe with action, comedy, drama, romance, and incredible casts.
Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Media Potluck is proud to present, “True Geniuses, Real Stories”!
Two alternative 80s comedies with amazing soundtracks, Real Genius (1985) and True Stories (1986)! These movies aren’t cheesy nostalgia trips, they’re works of art.
Here are my top 10 albums of the 2010s in no particular order:
The B-Ball Kicks - Starting The Fire (2011)
Depeche Mode - Bleak (2013)
Glary Glitter - Hey, Everybody… It’s Gary Glitter! (2017)
Blood Party - This Is a Blood Party (2016)
Kidbot Daryl - No Brain, No Death (2018)
Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 1 (2010)
Rick and The Deckards - Memories of Green (2019)
ABC - Look of Love 2018 (2018)
Emerson Lake and Dahmer - Brain Salad Surgery (2012)
Tupac Shakur - I’m Back (2015)
