Nameinuse Productions » Orphaned

Summer 2011…the summer of ups and downs

nameinuse — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:23:36 +0000

If you’ve been following this blog at all, or posts of mine on Facebook and Twitter, you’ll remember a period where I was giving my films away for free because of what I considered a breach of contract on the part of IndiePix…my former distributor. Well they called my bluff and terminated our agreement. I don’t think either side really had grounds to do anything we’ve done, and seems to be a typical ending to this terrible relationship. For me it spells freedom. A new beginning with all of my films now back in my hands. It’s not what I wanted, but I’ve learned to roll with the punches. For now you can still purchase the films at IndiePix until September 15th. After that you’ll have to keep your ears and eyes peeled for an awesome announcement.:-)

On a lighter note I will be at the Art Center of The Capital Region this Friday night to close my solo show Relative Velocity. Stop by and have a beer with me.:-) I want to thank the Arts Center, Colin Boyd, Sanford Mirling, Jake Winiski, and Ben Hillis for all the help. Couldn’t have done it without you guys and gals. There will be documentation up soon.

If you didn’t get a chance to check out my thesis show at the University Art Museum in May, the film version is being aired on WMHT (PBS) as part of the TVFilm show. There are extended interviews here, and the episode here…just in case you miss it on TV.

You’ll notice on the TVFilm blog there is the trailer to Orphaned. This is my third micro-budget feature film and I JUST finished it a few days ago. Some of you have gotten screeners and preview screenings. Let me know if you want to take a sneak peak…there is a price of admission however…feedback.

Speaking of micro-budget, I’m taking my column, The Micro-Budget Conversation, at Filmmaker Magazine on the road and I need your help. I’m working on putting together a SXSW panel on a culmination of subjects discussed on the blog and I need your help voting it in. Go to THIS LINK and vote. (warning…you may need to quickly create an account…but I super appreciate it:-) Voting determines 30 percent of the results. It’s about time us micro folks were properly represented at an awesome fest like SXSW!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned!
Cheers!
John

Final Orphaned Production BTS…Happy Holidays!

nameinuse — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:59:18 +0000

It begins! Or…it’s half done! Either way…we’re slowly chipping away at the Orphaned rough cut. I’ll be disappearing until March and will re-emerge with a fine cut and music…AND plenty of behind-the-scenes for everyone. PLUS…a brand new website for the film!!! In the meantime check out all of our BTS videos and pics below…think of it as an Orphaned x-mas present.;-)

I will also return in the new year (Jan 4th) with a brand new blog that will be posting weekly at Filmmaker Magazine. The blog focuses on the experiences of other micro-budget filmmakers and the climate of our industry in general. BUT, instead of just a blog that talks about business models and all the best/latest gear, it will focus on individual filmmakers, their experiences, and how that relates to the big picture. It’s designed to be a hub of conversation with other micro-budget folks about their views on filmmaking and the state of our micro-budget world. Check it out and contribute! We’d love to hear from you!

Happy Holidays!!!

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Orphaned Behind the scenes: Day 1

nameinuse — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:51:37 +0000

I’m going all the way back to September 6th, 2010…the beginning of it all. I just finished syncing all the footage up this weekend and I needed a hit of nostalgia. I’m having serious film production withdraw. Now on to the desert known as post production. Can’t wait for “February Soundtrack Production Month”. Getting the whole gang back together.

More to come.

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Orphaned Teaser Trailer…

nameinuse — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 14:37:47 +0000

…post production begins! Now I disappear into a dark hole until March…I will come back with test screenings in March.

Orphaned Teaser Trailer from John W. Yost on Vimeo.

Orphaned Behind the scenes: Prospect Park

nameinuse — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 11:34:15 +0000

This started as a great day, and ended in terrible wind. BUT, the cast and crew did a great job and we salvaged the day. It’s amazing how out of control you can feel sometime on a micro-budget film set. Orphaned was a pucker factor of 10, and we were constantly taking advantage of good weather, luck, and happy accidents. It’s the only way to make films….a little more pay for cast and crew is always nice, but who wants to make movies like a safe paint-by-number? Not this guy.

There is a dolly shot that is repeated through out the film up there by the Troy sign and the video is us trying to nail it…which we did!

Orphaned Day 10: Prospect Park from John W. Yost on Vimeo.

Orphaned Behind the scenes: Day 11

nameinuse — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 15:37:24 +0000

Here we are with another installment of the Behind the Scenes of Orphaned. This week we have another quick 5X5 with bees, fire and severed heads. This was our day to get all of the shots done before we burned the place down. Looking back, we had more than a days worth of stuff to do, but we still got it done and over to Paul and Laura’s wedding reception before the food was gone.

Another kick ass day! Thanks to the cast and crew.

Orphaned Day 11: 5X5 from John W. Yost on Vimeo.

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We’re Back! Orphaned Behind the scenes: Day 12

nameinuse — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:46:53 +0000

So we’re all done shooting and back for the edit. Stay tuned every week for a new post of pics, video, and updates. Most of the video will be in 5X5 format. That’s five, five second clips put together for a quick glimpse at the day’s shooting. This week we start backwards with a 5X7 (seven clips) of Day 12…our last day. Day 12 was an exciting day and you’ll see why.

Thanks again to my great cast and crew. Without them we would have never pulled of what seemed like the impossible. Shooting a feature film for under 10,000 dollars in 12 days. BUT…we DID!

Cheers

John

Orphaned Day 12: 5X7 from John W. Yost on Vimeo.

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Thanks! here’s to a busy start to fall

nameinuse — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:58:08 +0000

Hi everyone, we’re going off the radar for a while. Between shooting Orphaned Sept. 7th-19th, and getting ready for school…I’m pooped.
When we come back September 20th we’ll have a new Orphaned website, AND I will be working on a micro budget filmmaker blog conversation…more on that later.
TBTK just came out on DVD. Grab your copy here…I think they still include a shorts disk…if not…let me know.;-) Thanks to Matt, Zack, and everyone at Indiepix who made it look amazing. It is well worth the 24.95.

At this point I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who has helped make Orphaned possible. Back in March it was looking like we had to scrap the project till next Summer…needless to say I was a little down in the dumps about it. I knew if I didn’t make it soon it might not get made at all. We started the Kickstarter campaign in hopes of drumming up support and we were not disappointed. Even though we didn’t reach the lofty goal of 20,000, We DID get half the budget and a ton of excited people. Which is all you need to make a good film.:-)

Your collective love and support has made me realize how truly lucky I am to have all of you as friends. It also makes me realize how lucky I am to be able to do what I love to do. That’s something most people in this world are not blessed with. It’s not lost on me and I won’t waste it.:-)

thanks again to all of you! Now let’s go make a movie!

Cheers
John

Orphaned needs your help!

nameinuse — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:41:50 +0000

In May we set out to fund the next feature film here at nameinuse productions through Kickstarter. Kickstarter is a new way to complete your DIY art projects with the help of an online community. The community contributes to your project, and in return receives rewards related to the project. Well, The response was overwhelming. Family and friends came out to pledge money to the project in return for fabulous prizes and rewards. Unfortunately, we didn’t reach our goal. To be fair, our goal was lofty and almost unattainable, BUT our new goal is well within reach. As the excitement behind the project grew, I sat back down and really crunched the numbers. Everyone wanted to make this film, so I made it accessible. Our new goal is 10,000 thousand for all of production. We are almost at the 6 thousand mark and need your help to break out to the final goal.

If you go to our new project website at:
www.orphanedfilm.com

You can contribute straight to my paypal account. Check out the description page for all the rewards. The Kickstarter awards still apply, but with the addition of free copies of Every Good Thing to Rust and The Brave and the Kind starting at the 50 and 100 dollar levels. There is a description page next to the paypal button that explains the different levels of awards and contributions.

I am also enacting an investment program starting at the $1,000+ level. Any investment over a thousand dollars will be returned to the investor on a first in, first out basis. PLUS, 1-5,000 gets you 5 percent of the profits. 5,000+ gets you 10 percent, and 10,000+ gets you 15 percent profits, all on top of your investment returned.

Every Good Thing and Brave and the Kind DVD’s will ship in September, and credits will appear on the website and imdb in September as well. All other investment money, and finished Orphaned products will be given out as they become available. This tends to take a full year for production, post-production, and distribution.

Thanks again to all of you that have pledged support so far, and those of you who have helped get the word out. Thank you in advance to all of you who are going to invest.:-)

And as always…if you can’t help monetarily…no problem. Spreading the word is its own currency and more than appreciated!:-)

Cheers and thanks
John

PS Feel free to email me with any and all questions: name5026@yahoo.com

We’re off! Orphaned and Tomorrows Masters

nameinuse — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:41:31 +0000

Last Friday I went to the Albany Institute of Art and History for the opening of their Tomorrows Masters Today show. 50 artists were chosen to represent tomorrows masters, and 10 were picked from that group to be in the master class. I’m thrilled to be included as one of those in the master class! Thanks to the Institute and Michael Weidrich for putting on the show, and congrats to every single artist in the show. We’re all masters! Check out the show at the institute and support your local masters…it will be up until June 27th.)

Orphaned entered it’s second week of fund raising and we’re already at 2 percent!! Thanks a million to our first 5 backers. You guys are going to make this film happen! If you haven’t checked it out go here to donate, or copy the link and pass it on to all your friends! Investment opportunities are also available…email me for more details.

cheers!
John