There comes a time when you've just have to have a new trailer. The old ones have served you well and have successfully helped you raise some much needed money to keep your film project going. But, in my case, my trailers -- the one on my website for raising awareness, the youtube trailer for promotions, and my kickstarter video/trailer that helped me raise $51,552 -- were all too long in length for my next step --  which is to give potential funders something short and something that WOWs them!

When the editor who was going to cut my film THOMAS CHAPIN, NIGHT BIRD SONG and its next trailer dropped out of the project, I knew it would probably fall on me to cut the new trailer myself.

Cutting it myself was not a problem; I had cut many trailers. The problem was I had never succeeded in creating a trailer for this film under 13 minutes. There seemed to me to be so much story to tell. But I was going to have to try!

I remember pondering for weeks how I was going to accomplish this seemingly impossible task. One night, I decided to Google "how to make a great film trailer."
Up popped a blog by a marketing woman who was writing about exactly that! Inside her blog was the name of a "trailer specialist" who taught workshops on this very thing to documentary filmmakers. CLICK and I was at his website www.billwoolery.com.

I felt excitement as I read through his website, because here was someone who had been doing this for years in Hollywood for feature film trailers. Only now, he focused on helping documentary filmmaker with their trailers. As Bill's website explained, he gotten tired of the Hollywood personalities and found himself drawn to the passions of poor and nearly penniless dreamers who make documentaries because they have a story to tell that pulls their heartstrings and touches their souls. People like me :-).

As I read through his website, not only was I impressed by his credenitials -- trailer creator for some of my favorite Hollywood films, such as E.T., Usual Suspects and Unbearable Lightness of Beings -- but his prices were documentary-friendly. I could actually afford his help!

So I sent off to Bill my existing materials --  my sample of archival footage, a sample of my newly shot Hi-Def footage, my three existing trailers, and some notes about the film and its themes and ideas.

When I heard back from him, he had looked it all over and decided he wanted to help me. He loved my idea, he liked Thomas Chapin a lot, he thought my HD footage was GORGEOUS, and though he was not a jazz fan, he wanted to cut a trailer with music at its center. So we agreed on a price and were off and running.

ABOUT THE PROCESS
I sent Bill an external hard drive with the following:
    -- the three trailers, minus their music beds and on-screen titles. He only wanted the visuals and audio so he could use them to craft the new trailer.
    -- the photo stills, the video materials, and the music used in these three trailers.
    -- a list of key Ideas for my film
    -- new HD footage of interviewees that were important to the film, but also important to show what our new footage looked like.  I had selected for Bill  the new "bites" that I felt were critical to include in this new trailer.

PARAMETERS
It would have to be 6 mins in length. It was to have energy and excitement. It had to WOW. He would delivery up to four versions, tweaking and finessing as we went along.

TIMELINE
We started on September 12. He in Los Angeles, me in New York City, working together via Vimeo.com, an online site for video producers where he could post versions for me to view. The deadline was Oct. 25.

BACK AND FORTH
For Version 1, I let Bill absorb all that I sent him. I wanted to see his take on my story. We talked a lot in this phase, making sure he got my thoughts and I heard his. We both knew the first version would be almost like a shot in the dark, trying to guess what I would like and what might work. I felt I wanted to see what he would do with my material, not tell him what to do as if he were only a pair of hands. No, this was a man who had done this for a very long time and was coming to this with skill and excellence. I had to let him show his stuff. Result? He nailed it on some things and fell short on other things. But I was confident after seeing that cut that we were off to a great start!

And so we kept tweaking and finessing. I was sure that with each version we were getting close to a WOW trailer. And as he continued, there were many exchanges of this visual for that, many additions of this instead of that bite, and making sure the music was working right.

By Version 3, I was feeling we were close to getting it right. For him what was missing was an emotional high point; for me what was missing was a powerfully convincing ending clearly stating the reason to fund me.  These two fixes would set the trailer on solid ground.

To create an emotional high point, I suggested we insert footage of Thomas's last performance where he gets up and plays just days before he passed away. Exchanging B & W photos of the event for video footage was the right call. The power of moving images! It's interesting how the emotional energy of the footage just zaps you and moves you to feelings those still photos just couldn't do as well.

The fix for the ending took a couple of tries. I provided him with more interview quotes to use as summary statements strung together about why Thomas was should be remembered and why the film was important. Latching on to the idea that this was an unfinished story, according to writer Larry Blumenthal whose statement ends the trailer, we felt we had hit the nail on the head. We finally had a strong ending.

FINAL VERSION
By Version 7, we had everything fixed, adjusted, and as Bill said, the trailer now  contained all the needed content for a funder to grasp what I wanted to do in my documentary. The trailer came in just under 6 mins. And we were both very happy with our collaboration. Bill paid me the nicest compliment: "You are my most organized client." And I said, "For your more than fair price, I wanted to make sure you didn't have to work at getting everything ready for you to do your part."

We finished before our deadline, and  had a very pleasing collaboration, and created a WOW!

The new trailer will be posted on this website's home page in the very near future. Come back to view it.

        It's July, almost the 4th, a time of celebration.
Ok, that's not a bad opening line.
        I haven't blogged in a while, ever since Kickstarter ended and the prep for filming my film began shortly after a mental break and after transplanting myself again to NYC from the island of Kauai where I had sequestered myself for the 45-day online fundraising campaign. I love that word sequestered, it has many uses these days.

Can you tell I am making this up as I go?  Why? Time is precious now as I begin to shoot my film this month with a to-do list is endless. So I'm writing off the top of my head, it's an improv, something I am learning about working on this film of mine.

In journalism, back in the days of my J-School years, we called it "free writing." Wikipedia defines it as: Free writing is a prewriting technique in which a person writes continuously for a set period of time without regard to spelling, grammar, or topic. It produces raw, often unusable material, but helps writers overcome blocks of apathy and self-criticism. It is used mainly by prose writers and writing teachers. Some writers use the technique to collect initial thoughts and ideas on a topic, often as a preliminary to formal writing.

In jazz, a band free writes with instruments, notes and chords. It's called improvisation. Some improv in jazz is so free, i.e. they go wayyyyyy out with their feelings, thoughts and emotions as they composeon the spot to express something new and fresh. That's what I am learning as I research the Thomas Chapin story. He was a free man, and he loved taking the journey to wherever it led him and his band, and he loved drawing the audience into that journey to give them one helluva ride! 

Well, I hope my improv here is going to draw you in, but I promise it won't be so wild.

The last few months, though, have been a wild ride for me. Packed up again and left Kauai for Jackson Hts, NYC where I am living and working on my film. I'm in the space where Thomas used to live with his wife, my sister Terri. She's a gracious host and good company, especially when I need to take a break and we go out for dinner or to a movie. She understands that I have to be glued to my computer and chair to get all this shoot planning done, so we're even skipping going out on the July 4th so I can keep working. My back hurts, my neck too, not to mention my body aches caused from sitting too long. This, my friends, is the life of a filmmaker on deadline. Nose to the grind, hands on the wheel.  Focus, focus, focus.

Yikes, I have 25 on-camera interviews to do this month, plus attend a big, grand wedding at the Plaza, a black-tie affair that will be a wonderful diversion in between my two shoot periods. The first shoot will be in Hartford, CT where Thomas grew up and later went to jazz school and played the clubs with friends, and where his long-time fans followed his every recording, radio interview, concerts, club gigs, and news articles from the time of his public launch into the Lionel Hampton Band and through the seven years of his own Thomas Chapin Trio. These fans are die-hards, and I loved meeting so many of them when we launched my film's fundraising trailer. 60 of them came out! And they glowed when I asked about their connection to Thomas.

I'll be seeing some of them again on July 8th on our first day of filmming, at the Monday Night Jazz Series at Bushnell Park in downtown Hartford featuring musicians/longtime friends who played with Thomas. They'll be a septet for this concert under band leader Mario Pavone, who was Thomas's bassist and fellow composer for the Trio and for all of those seven years. The band will be playing Thomas' SKY PIECE, on his last recorded CD before he passed. Thomas did it with a flute and his Trio; this will be a Septet version with horns instead. Can't wait to film this and capture it for my documentary.

The days to follow will be on-camera interviews with the Connecticut musicians who played with Thomas, including Mario. These were Thomas' homeboys. I'm sure the stories will be intimate and funny and sad. It was here Thomas played his last concert, a 10-minute flute solo at Cheney Hall when some 60 musicians played for him and a turn-away audience of some 500 fans and curious folks. Thomas died 12 days later; what's not to cry about. He was so beloved in Hartford.

One of the interviews will be with someone who only played with Thomas once, and that was in Hartford. But while Jaimoe of the Allman Brothers' fame, lives in this area, he is a world stage player who began as a drummer with blues man Otis Redding. Jaimoe remembers seeing Thomas for the first time and being wowed by his alto sax playing. He ended up having his gig with Thomas recorded on video, footage that we are now trying to locate. I just love gathering stories like this!

The other shoot will begin in mid-July and go for six days in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Interviewees will be NYC musicians who played with Thomas and jazz writers/critics who followed him. My sister Terri, Thomas brother Ted, educator Larry Ridley, and long-time friend Arthur Kell will share their stories too. 

Yes, it's a vigorous schedule, but I want to keep the momentum up and do as much as I can with the money I raised at Kickstarter back in March. I'm working fast, I'm working hard, to keep my promise to backers to film this summer!! 

One last word. If you ever make a film, don't film in July, the middle of summer in NYC! My big concerns are the heat, air conditioners that work, and city traffic that could tie up my film crew. Other than that, I'm just so happy to get this going. I'll get that massage later when I am done, because I'm going to need it, and I will deserve it!!!

Stephanie, without regard to spelling, grammar,...

The hand over her heart say a lot. The  Connecticut fans of Thomas Chapin -- long-timers and die-hards -- came out to a reception to celebrate Thomas' new CD and the showing of my film's new 15 min. trailer. This is the area where Thomas grew up and kept his connections strong until he passed.

It was a love fest, someone said.  And it was. Most of the 60-70 people who came to the Real Art Ways center in Hartford knew Thomas, watched him play many times during his visits back home, and acknowledged, when asked if they wanted to see a film on him, YES!  I was singing to the choir!  And it felt good, as I watched them watch my trailer. It grabbed, it spoke it, it stoked their heart fires for Thomas and their memories of him.  Good job Stephanie!

Yes, when you do a trailer for a film project, you want more than anything to communicate your idea that a film is worth making. My film will be an homage to a jazz great who left us too soon. And making this film about Thomas Chapin presents a way to preserve his memory and to keep his musical legacy alive and a good thing to remember.

December was indeed a hot bed of building the film project's momentum. I mentioned before in an earlier blog that there would be a convergence, there would be synergy, there would be a moment when the new CD, NEVER LET ME GO, and the Thomas Chapin Film Project would together generate PR and good exposure for the film. Well, it happened. The CD got good press in reviews in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Hartford Courant, with a CT radio interview, and in many blogs. It even made the Best of Jazz in 2012 in a few online columns and blogs.  And a few mentioned my film project, for which I was grateful. Riding the coat tails of the new CD release is an honor!

We also kicked off our fundraising campaign to aid the film project in these early days of development and research by selling the CD's at the Hartford reception and at a party in Manhattan, with all the proceeds and donations going toward the film.

Thank you's are in order for allowing me to use the CD as a fundraising tool to CD producers Ted Chapin (Thomas brother) and my sister, Terri Castillo Chapin (widow and the keeper of Thomas' legacy).  With the funds that were raised, we were able to pay some outstanding project bills, including my grant writer, our research transcriber, and our travel expenses for the Hartford trip while setting aside some funds for an upcoming trip to North Carolina where I will visit Thomas' archives at Duke University.  These small steps to keep the film project's momentum going are no small thing.

While in Hartford, Terri and I did an interview with jazz show host Chuck Obuchowsk at public access radio WWUH. The week before I spoke to Jim Siegel about the film project on his podcast Straight, No Chaser (listened to worldwide by some 15,000). 

Yes, December blew hot for the publicity and PR momentum. As we approach January and February, I'll be gearing up for a major push to build more awareness for the film project, and for our buildup to a major fundraising effort on kickstarter.com, a place where artists can raise money for their creative project.

I hope you're running with me. It will be your chance to be part of something very important and very worthy!  If you haven't already, please watch my trailer at https://vimeo.com/55292082.

On June 14 in Scottsdale, Arizona, in a sacred space called The Boulder House, an event hosted by Diamond Visions Events allowed me for the first time to expose an audience to Thomas Chapin's music.

There were some jazz lovers among the 50-plus who attended, but my guess is that most were among the "uninitiated". That is they were far from being jazz fans or afficiandos. 

They had been sitting for a while as I shared stories and clips of my 25 years of filmmaking; some got restless, I must confess, as I was going on a bit too long.

But when it was finally time to share about my new film project, the room stopped moving, and all ears and eyes were on the clip I played for them as an introduction to Thomas Chapin.

I had a feeling they would enjoy this clip, a 6-minute video of the Thomas Chapin Trio playing on the big stage before 10,000 people at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1995. 

What I didn't anticipate was the silence and stillness in the room as the music romped and the Chapin riffs and chops filled the space.  This powerful performance seemed to drench the air with energy and excitement.  It's that "Thomas Chapin thing" I thought. Folks who had seen him play live would talk about this phenomena. Captivating energy, mesmerizing, stimulating jazz.

That night, I became very sure that the film I was making would prove to be one that could hold any audience. Because Thomas could, his music could, did and still does. 

Can't wait to mesmerize and Thomasize everyone with this film!!

In filmmaking, funding the film is the greatest conundrum.

A great idea, but will they fund it?

For all filmmakers, funding is both a matter of faith--they will come, the funders-- and art-- the art of strategy, business acumen, and effective marketing and promotions.

Funding the film is a high-risk venture for any filmmaker who commits to "putting it all in".  That's why it sometimes feels like insanity to venture in.

But having raised several million dollars to make my nine documentaries--four that made it to PBS and one that won an EMMY, I know that it still takes unreasonableness to say, "I am going to make another film, because this is my gift and calling, this is what I do and do well."

Art is never a rational process when it comes to creation; funding, on the other hand, is a rational process and can be successful with smart thinking, out of the box strategies, and luck of your own making. 

Yes there is luck in business. And good timing. And fistfuls of stories of dreamers who found a way. I am up to it all and am asking you to take the journey with me, and to be a partner in making this film a reality. 

Early Birds are needed to assist in the film's launch and survival during its R&D (development and research) phase -- when there is nothing to see.  Who are the Early Birds? They fans or friends.  They are connected, like a supportive family or circle.  Or they just love the idea of the film, or just BELIEVE.  Belief is a strong expression of confidence in the film idea and in the filmmaker. 

When I had creative doubts early on if I could make this film and I was unsure of myself, the fear was strong.  My sister Terri sent me this quote to encourage and embolden me. It's from William Hutchinson Murray (1913-1996), from his 1951 book entitled The Scottish Himalayan Expedition.

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.

                   Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it.                   
               Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.

And so I say:  I have begun. And so has Providence.

Early Bird Friends can donate now.