May 25, 2012

Adventures in Self-Releasing: DVD Cover is Here!

by Jeffrey Goodman | Published July 10, 2009

Today I might go for a little less of an essay-style entry. There are many small things I want to mention:

1. We just finished the front cover of our upcoming DVD, and I wanted to give you all an early look at it. I’m totally psyched with the way it turned out.

2. Everyone thinking about self-releasing should probably take a look at Matt Tyrnauer’s approach with his documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor. To date, the doc has grossed over $1.5M in a self-release and is definitely one of the DIY stories of the year. Tyrnauer chose a very commercial topic, granted, but he has also been tireless in his promotional efforts. I receive his e-mail blasts and am incredibly impressed with the campaign he has crafted for his movie.

3. We’re still working hard trying to determine the next move with Lullaby. Right now, I really want to try to bring the movie to San Francisco. Many of my conversations at the moment are with San Francisco exhibitors, trying to see if I can find a theater that’s a good fit.

4. We’ll be showing Lullaby in New Orleans on July 18 as part of a Louisiana Indie Filmmaking Screening/Panel. I can’t wait to bring the movie back to the New Orleans area, as many people missed it last October when it screened as part of the New Orleans Film Festival.

5. So far, I must say that I’m immensely impressed with the world of exhibitors. Every theater owner has gone out of his way to spread the word about Lullaby, and every exhibitor has been upfront and diligent about reporting our numbers and delivering payment.

6. If you haven’t already, I wanted to encourage you all to also check out Tom DiCillo’s blog here on MovieMaker (www.moviemaker.com/blog/category/notes_from_overboard). Here’s a guy with more experience than most of us (much more than I have, at least) shooting you straight and really telling the truth. It’s tough to find these sorts of accounts from the trenches, and I really applaud Tom for doing this.

7. I’ve decided to take some of the ground I cover in this blog and offer a two-day workshop. On September 12-13, I will be offering a 16-hour course in Shreveport, LA (my hometown), focused on the business of moviemaking. Before I directed Lullaby, I participated in Judith Weston’s “Acting for Directors Workshop” (www.judithweston.com/acting.shtml) and thought it was an invaluable experience. I hope that I can fortify some moviemakers in the same way that Judith did for me.

Soon, we’ll be making our next big push. I would love for you all of you to join us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=36795896621), Twitter (twitter.com/chaillotfilms) and through our monthly update list (send an e-mail to ), if you haven’t already. Thanks for all the support so far.

After living in Los Angeles for seven years, Jeffrey Goodman returned to his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana to direct The Last Lullaby. Co-written by the creator of Road to Perdition, and starring Tom Sizemore and Sasha Alexander, The Last Lullaby was filmed entirely in and around Shreveport and financed by 48 local investors.

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COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT

Comment by Tina Goldsmith on 7/10/09 at 10:07 am

Hi, Jeffrey--

I suggest that you contact Vogue Theatre in San Francisco about screening The Last Lullaby. It’s a privately owned theater that shows independent films:

http://www.peerlessentertainment.com/VT%20Web%20Home.htm

Best of luck...I look forward to seeing it!

Regards,

Tina

Comment by Jeffrey Goodman on 7/11/09 at 7:00 am

Hi Tina,

Thank you so much for the heads-up on the Vogue Theatre. I will definitely pursue.

I truly appreciate the support.

All the best,

Jeffrey

Comment by Jeffrey Goodman on 7/14/09 at 6:42 am

Hi Ed,

Thank you for continuing to follow along.

All the best,

Jeffrey

Comment by Mike on 7/31/09 at 2:07 am

This is very generic. Wouldn’t stand out on a shelf or in a theater.

It implies a crime movie or something with guns. That’s about as generic as you can get. The layout and type treatment is better than the website and what I’m assuming was the old look, but it doesn’t get the point across any better. And the type actually does get a little lost. The faces pop more than they should so that when you glance at this you don’t read the title or walk away with a movie title in your head. The eyes skim right over it. And it’s not visually striking enough to make you take the time to read it. You need to either have the images behind the text or inside the text. Play with the transparency settings in photoshop.

Also, the “cowritten” section should extend to the end of Alexander. you need to work off of a grid. Basic design.

And the drop shadows on your name and the awards make it look cheap.

Right now, it’s very movie of the week. And to a trained eye it looks like something a high schooler might do.

Comment by Mike on 7/31/09 at 2:11 am

Also, Lullaby doesn’t even extend to the end of the word “Last”. Those title should be aligned on both sides.

And from what I can tell from this small image the bullet hole or whatever it is in the top left has a very unnatural sharp line along the outer edge like it was cut out of something.

Comment by AdvantageAudio on 9/02/09 at 5:04 pm