2007 November 10.11.07 | The Attic Door

Ed Burns’ iTunes Debut

Erica Harrell
Producer

Director of the hit NBC Show “Five Towns“, Ed Burns, has released his eighth feature film “Purple Violets” , starring Selma Blair, Ed Burns, Patrick Wilson, and Deborah Messing. What is unusual about this release is that it is being exclusively distributed by iTunes. A small screen debut was not Burns’ intention when it debuted at Tribecca Film Festival this year. Burns’ went on to say in an interview with Josh Horowitz:

“This is the year that art house cinema died,” he says. Referring to the box office disappointments that have been Rendition and Lions for Lambs, Burns continued “If they’re not going to see Reese Witherspoon and Tom Cruise they’re not coming out to see me and Patrick Wilson. The audience isn’t there anymore.”

Read the full article here. It poses the questions: Is Purple Violets the next step in film distribution or the death knell for independent film?

New Kit Kittredge An American Girl Trailer

Today the first full trailer for Kit Kittredge: An American Girl was release on the American Girl Website. Our lead actress, Madison Davenport, makes a few appearances in the trailer and co-stars as Kit’s best friend, Ruthie Smithens.

Madision Davenport as Ruthie Smithens from the trailer of
Kit Kittridge: An American Girl

Zach Mills, Abigail Breslin, and Madison Davenport in
Kit Kittridge: An American Girl

Kit Kittridge: An American Girl opens July 2nd, 2008.

Technorati Tags: Full Kit Kittridge Trailer, Kit Kittridge Trailer 2, Abigail Breslin, Madison Davenport

There Will Be Blood

Erica Harrell
Producer

This weekend I had the pleasure of seeing the new Paul Thomas Anderson film, There Will Be Blood at a screening at the Producers Guild. For a brief time I had interned on this film during pre-production when the film was based on the Paramount lot in Hollywood. I had read the script, met Paul and knew this was going to be an amazing film.

It definitely lived up to my expectations. Daniel Day Lewis delivers a performance that is truly outstanding. After the screening, producers Daniel Lupi and Joanne Sellar did a brief Q&A about the film.
Compared to American Gangster’s budget of over $100 million, Paramount’s indie division, Paramount Vantage only doled out $30 million dollars for the film. Within that $30 million, a little over $500,000 was spent on getting a train (the same train from 3:10 to Yuma) out to Marfa,Texas where the film was shot for some brief sequences. The creative producer and the money producer must agree on tough choices like spending that much money on just a train.
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Other Blogs About “Monster”

Danny Daneau
Director

Sean Heyboer has wrote several entries in his blog (Cold Water Films) concering his experiences in Utah while working on the Monster in the Attic team…

At this point, October 1, I have been in Orlando for just over a month. I spent 5 weeks in Utah filming “A Monster in the Attic.” I am still trying to unwind. I figured at this point I would be ready to start writing again, or diving into filmmaking as much as I could, but I am still burned out. I am trying to find that passion.

Read More…
Sean Heyboer
Sean was the 2nd Assistant Director on the film which meant he was in charge of syncing all the production material with the cast and crew at all times. This is a tiresome job with little reward as you spend just as much time behind a computer screen as you do on the film set. Sean and I have been best friends since high school. We were roommates in college and just this past May, I was the Best Man at his wedding. He came to Utah to support me in realizing my dream and has been there for almost every milestone in my life.

It’s the support of lifelong friend’s like Sean that allowed me to get this film off the ground. Thanks buddy for everything.

Pictured Right: Sean Heyboer on the set of A MONSTER IN THE ATTIC.

Technorati Tags: Sean Heyboer, Cold Water Films, 2nd AD, Assistant Director

WGA Strike Explained by The Daily Show Writers

WGA Strike and A Monster in the Attic

Technorati Tags: WGA Strike, The Daily Show

Hard Drives Arrive - No More Resting

Danny Daneau
Director

It has been almost three months since we wrapped principle photography on our film. I had such an amazing / exhausting experience, I’ve had to lay low for a while. So while I was resting and refocusing, my editor Sean Lagrange has been assembling the footage and creating the first cuts. Now that enough time has passed and Sean has made some tough decisions, the 2 terabyte torch has been passed to me.