Hello to Goodbye by Brian Durkin

It is guest blog week here on this Film Courage blog. I am really proud to introduce you to a close friend and colleague. He started his own blog on March 10th, entitled "Taking The Last Shot." His talent level is through the roof. If you are a fan of this blog, I highly recommend you also follow his blog. It is possible that you may have already come across the following blog in other places as I posted it on Facebook and Twitter. In case you have not, hoping you will enjoy this guest blog by Brian Durkin.

Hello to Goodbye

Guest Blog by Brian Durkin

This past fall I was asked by a close friend, director David Branin, to take a part in an indie feature he was planning to shoot around the Los Angeles area. The concept surrounds a man, played by Gregor Collins, who has reached the end of his seven year promise to "make it" and travels around LA to say good bye to those he has known and loved over the course of his efforts.

It was an idea close to my heart because I had experienced it. Not only from the perspective of the person thinking of hanging em up, but from the view point of the man who had had to say goodbye and let so many friends and loved ones go as they took that drive out of town.

I've thought of that drive "back east." I think of it vividly as the inverse of the drive "Out West." It's hard for us as we get older to remember the energy we had at that waking age of the early twenties. All promise and spark and fire. The world was going to be glittering sapphires on the bottoms of our conquering feet. Things were easier, decisions a bit quicker...the consequences seemed small...and anything bad, surmountable and laughable. What could happen? Like young marines told to take that hill, we were going to take it. No matter what career we decided to pursue, we felt this conquering, bright eyed belief.

And so it was on my drive out West. The sun was out there setting on the land that held a future I saw so clearly. Everything was set. I even had my inspirational mix tape planned out...a tape...cough...pencil at the ready in case any re-spooling was needed. Zepplin's "Going to California" was cued up first. Then Petty's "Running Down a Dream." If you give your self five minutes and a chug of cliche, you can probably conjure up ten more of those songs. They were obvious, I was obvious...but man did they work and wow did I believe.

The first shot of the Mississippi, the impossible horrifying claustrophobic flat of the Mid West, the relief of the Rockies, the Roadrunner cartoon Buttes and rock formations of Utah. All leading to the bursting green video game freeways of LA. I wasn't even sure where I would live and it didn't matter. I had hope.



This film "Goodbye Promise" is about the other end of that necessary hope, a hope we all had that is the engine that turns a better world. The other end fills the eyes with a haunted quality, something Gregor Collins brings in spades. The other end tests belief. The other end makes a person question every decision, beginning with the first one...the decision to believe in the big dream.

I believe this film will act as medicine. To anyone, anywhere, who is in the midst of their career, their lives, their dream...to those maybe wondering if that dream has faded, this film demands you question if you should give up or find a new. This film lays out in stark terms the consequence of walking away and urges you to take another look at the costs of one more shot.
Are you committed? Committed to living your best life? In every respect? Committed to your loved ones? Committed to your health? Committed to bringing your best everyday?
If you are reading this I think you are or are finding your way back to that place, back to a grounded and directed rebirth of your first "waking" energies.

I'd like to ask you to visit "Goodbye Promise" on Facebook or follow the link to their Kickstarter campaign.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1231856438/goodbye-promise-an-exploratory-feature-film

Take a look, take a listen. This film represents the effort of many folks giving it their all and the filmmakers David Branin and Gregor Collins could use some encouragement, maybe just by you becoming a fan, leaving a note or donating a few dollars to help them finish the project through KickStarter.

Project Launch: Goodbye Promise on Kickstarter

I know some of you have been anticipating my foray into the world of Crowd Funding. Well, that time is now here! I can't help but think of the analogy that Lance Weiler used on this past week's Film Courage radio show about being on the end of a diving board and diving into risk. He wasn't referring to a Kickstarter campaign but I believe the reference is appropriate in this case.

I have officially jumped off the diving board. Though as of right now, I cannot say whether I am going to hit pavement or be welcomed by a pool of bliss.

In my days leading up to our launch I found myself over analyzing every detail. This campaign means so much to me for where I am right now with my career. I have more eyeballs watching me than ever before. Though it is welcome and necessary, it also adds a new layer of pressure.

My original plan was to launch a 45 day Kickstarter campaign, which would land us right around an end date of April 15th. My thinking was that we could use the tax deadline for additional promotion. In the end, I agreed with Karen and a few others that folks will be too engrossed with their state of affairs and taxes. So we added 7 extra days to the campaign. For those of you getting a refund this year....

We are now a few days into our campaign and the early support has been thrilling. In our first two days online we attracted 12 backers. We are now up to 15 backers and we are almost 5% funded. Our end goal is to raise at least $15,000 by April 22nd, 2010.

For those of you not aware, reaching 25% in a Kickstarter campaign is a critical benchmark. Of all of the projects that Kickstarter has had in it's brief history, those projects which can reach the 25% mark have a 90% chance of success. So the sooner we can reach $3750, the more confident I will be. There is no contribution that is too small. That is why the lowest contribution amount is $1. If that is all you have to contribute, we do not take that lightly. You would be just as important to us as every other backer. Most indie filmmakers could make a living if everyone contributed just $1 for their work.

As promised amongst the incentives we have listed for the campaign... I would like to take this opportunity to thank these individuals for their pioneering support of Goodbye Promise and our vision. I cannot tell you how much it means that each of you would be so generous with your contributions and that you have shown your support in these early stages. I thank Gary King, Paul Borgonia, Sheri Candler, Roger Richards, Kiowa & Jamin Winans, Greg Goldman, Andrea Shreeman, Len Cordova, Brian Durkin, Phillip Calderone, Bill Houskeeper, Janet Caliri, Nicholas James Murphy, ai loon, & Susan Williamson.

I am hoping that many of you will help us with this campaign by helping to spread the word any way you can. Person to person, on the phone, email, facebook, twitter, etc. Help us meet our end goal so that true independent film can have another hero. We need more examples, we need more heroes. And for those who support me, I want you to know that a successful campaign here puts me in a position to begin laying the groundwork for my next feature film which I would love to shoot this year. It is a pure comedy that is going to be bananas.

For those of you who have yet to stop by our Kickstarter Campaign page for Goodbye Pomise, here is the link. Please click on the video so that you can witness the 'Inspirational Teaser Trailer' to the film.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1231856438/goodbye-promise-an-exploratory-feature-film

I look forward to sharing updates on our progress in the upcoming weeks. We are going to begin rolling out video interviews with members of the cast and crew involved in the project very soon. If you have any ideas or suggestions on outlets or ways we can get the word out on our project, please send them my way.

Sickness

I have been battling sickness for the past week. Though it is not the swine flu, it certainly has me operating way under 100 percent.

Cast and Crew of Knuckle Draggers attending the Newport Beach Film Festival

I had been anticipating going to Paul J. Alessi's World Premiere of Knuckle Draggers down at the Newport Beach Film Festival. And when the time came, I could barely move. It really angers me that I was not able to attend the screening.

Somehow Karen and I were able to do our Film Courage Radio Show the day before. Turned out to be a compelling interview with Filmmaker Jose Zambrano Cassella who called in from his home-base near Orlando, Florida. Our show is now available on iTunes where it is easy to subscribe. You can also listen to it here, http://filmcourage.podbean.com/2009/04/27/film-courage-interview-with-filmmaker-jose-zambrano-cassella/

(We have some great guests booked in the upcoming weeks. Filmmaker Dale Stelly, Filmmaker Joseph F. Alexandre, Filmmaker Gary King, and Filmmakers Jamin and Kiowa Winans)

Things have quieted down some, though that does not mean my work has stopped. In the next two weeks or so, we will receive notification from the Los Angeles Film Festival and Dances With Films (two LA based film festivals) on whether Night Before the Wedding was accepted.

In the meantime, I helped my close friend Brian Durkin on a short film of his entitled, Mind Over Matter Man. I am also helping him on his second short film which we will be filming in the next couple of days.

I am also contemplating an Exploratory, Experimental, Improv Feature Film.