At about 7pm this evening a bright flash caused me to pull back the curtains and look out my hotel room window. The 9pm Drive-In Movie screening of SHERMAN'S WAY seemed to have hit a pothole: it was POURING down rain. I knew event head Jim Schulte had everything under control, but I couldn't help but wonder what was happening downstairs with those hundreds of convertibles, let alone the projection and sound equipment. When I got down to the lobby, I heard people asking in what room the movie was going to be playing, and followed them into a large banquet room where there was already a large screen and about 350 seats set up. It seems that a contingency plan had long been in the works and and everything went off without a hitch.
The packed room couldn't have been a better audience. Even though some of the, let's say "less than accurate" restoration techniques portrayed in the film got some of the biggest laughs, the response to the story, characters, jokes and even the more tender moments seemed very authentic and appreciative. I don't think I've ever been more concerned about how an audience would respond. The MG community has been so great and so supportive of the project, I just really wanted them to like the film. And judging from the applause and the fact that 95% of them stayed after for the Q&A, I think they did. There were great questions, funny comments and very kind compliments. Afterwards I met many kind folks who were very generous in their compliments, including Kathleen Mangan of Classic Motorsports and British Motoring Magazines and Richard Lunney, editor of Classic MG Magazine. Both expressed interest in doing features and/or reviews on the film! That sort of PR is so important to indie films like ours. I'll keep you posted.
Tomorrow is the big Car Show, so I've got to get some sleep. Oh, by the way, Josh and I spent a few hours at Longwood Gardens today, something any lover of outdoor beauty should certainly see when they are in Pennsylvania.
2 comments:
Thanks again for bring SHERMAN'S WAY to MG2008, and sharing it with us! I heard nothing but great things about the film from MG owners I talked to afterward. Everyone thought it was a terrific addition to the event, and we can't wait to see it again in a theater, hopefully sometime this year.
And . . . There will be a whole new audience for it next year, at MG2009 in Breckenridge, Colo.
(I was involved in getting SHERMAN'S WAY to MG2008, and was so enthused about it . . . It wasn't until the movie was over, and I realized how much I enjoyed the film, that it occurred to me that it had NEVER occurred to me to wonder what would happen if it was a total bomb. After all, none of us involved in MG2008 got a chance to see it before it was screened at the convention . . . )
Guess we know a quality film when we see a quality trailer!
Congratulations again, Craig, on a great little film, and thanks again for sharing it with hundreds of MG owners last week!
Thank YOU Kim, and everyone else who were instrumental in convincing me that sharing SHERMAN'S WAY with the MG community at this terrific event was a good idea. I had so much fun meeting so many cool people... new friends that I look forward to seeing again in Colorado next year.
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