Decision - Unanimous

Am I surprised by the responses we recieved from the cast and crew screening?  Well - yes.  I did expect that the balance of opinion would be positive.  I didn't expect the response to be as positive as it was.

When Jodie and I arrived at the theatre to start setting up she asked me if I was nervous.

"No.  This is the crowd that is destined to like this film.  They're going to like it."
"What if they don't?"
"Then there isn't much reason to get out of bed tomorrow morning."

As people arrived I was asked the same question numerous times, most significantly by Mike Jackson, our editor.  Mike was nervous.

It was at the party that the depth of people`s appreciation really became aparent.  Time after time I heard variations on the same sentiment - something to the tune of "I've worked on so many independent films.  They never turn out feeling like a real movie.  But I can't say that about this one."  It was a room full of proud people, and they deserved to be.  They all served us well each in their way.

Many of them have sent their sentiments to me to be added to the blog.  I've compiled them below. (With some editing for brevity, spoilers and irrelevant & personal comments.) I'm also taking the opportunity to draw your attention to a related blog post by Rebecca, our publicist.

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Hi Kennedy:

I just can't get over what an amazing accomplishment Beast of Bottomless Lake is. Congratulations. Janet had made plans to take me out for my "birthday" dinner so we did that instead of the pub. We had a great time quoting lines and talking about the movie. I said to her, "boy, don't you think Keith would be pleased with that?" and she smiled a big smile and said, "yes, I do think so, absolutely."

I guess it was a film that appealed to my sense of humour, particularly as the story got rolling. There are so many gems: moments, great funny lines, wonderful scenes. I loved the beach party scene, the wedding scene on the boat, the cheesy "dramatic re-enactments", and David Nykl's reflective scene at the dock questioning what you do once you've achieved your dream. I got a huge kick out of the aboriginal character. I also have to say you were a standout in your performance. Not one false note, natural, at ease and fun to watch - especially cool that you managed this while wearing so many other hats.

Anyway, I'm gushing but I am seriously in awe. I hope you guys are all mighty proud. Thanks for a great afternoon at the movies!

All the best,

- Grace
 

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Congratulations! It went really well and I am so proud of you for managing to finish something this monumental. There is a reason people just don't go out and make full length independent films.

You can be proud of just everything that folks have learned along the way. We have a saying in the project management world.... by the time you finish a project you are qualified to have started it in the first place.

-Scott

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CONGRATS

LOVED it and had a blast this past weekend.

- Kenton
 

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Thank you for inviting me to the crew and cast screening. I was happy to attend and really enjoyed seeing everyone again.

I really enjoyed the day and the movie. You guys did a terrific job putting it together.

Gordon May reminded me that he and I, after Craig was stumped about the missing leg of the Peg Leg Princess, asked if we could; that we had come up with something and could we help?

We came up with...

[NOTE: I've snipped out a significant spoiler here. Anyone who has seen the film should be able to identify what is being talked about from the details I've left.]

...not that Gordon and I are fishing for additional credits or anything.

I had fun and many adventures during my short stay in Vancouver. I think I even got a little buzz from second hand smoke walking down Robson Street.

Movie stars, Roger, the Skipper, the Professor and Leanne, all on Okanagan Lake. Awesome!

Thanks to Pat and Kevin and gang for getting me down to the pub, Red Truck Beer, and steering me in the opposite direction of the safe injection site on East Hastings. Instead I was directed towards the light in Gastown and back to my hotel room.

Let me know of any screening in the Okanagan.

Regards and thanks again.

Again cool and awesome. All good.

Enjoy the Olympics..

- Ted

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Hi Craig and Kennedy,

Once again I have to say how impressed I am with The Beast! I had so much fun watching it and I look forward to seeing it again.

I hope you had a great time at the pub on Saturday and are able to get some rest and relaxation this week or sometime really soon. You deserve it.

Thanks,

- Janet

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Good Morning Rebecca &Provost,

Congratulations on a fantastic film! The cast and crew "screening" was a lot of fun and I am very happy with the final result!!!

As the Production Designer and Props builder (and my husband supplied the picture vehicle - the Juanabees Van) it was great to see the items in play!

Thanks so much!

Kindest regards,

- Trish

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Thanks again for the invite to Beast of Bottomless Lake. Love to talk to you guys when your time permits - to pick your brains, find out about the hurdles you had to overcome, etc.

- Tariq

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Hey guys,


Great show today!!  I had to take off quickly afterward but I wanted to let you know I had a great time and was super proud of you both. The show looks and sounds awesome. Super glad to be there.

- Tallulah

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Hi Kennedy and Craig,


I deliberately waited awhile before writing about seeing The Beast on the big screen to eliminate from my comments the euphoria of the moment – seeing everyone again, the swoop of the event itself. I hadn't intended to take quite this long to let the excitement settle.

Funny thing is, I think I’m going to say pretty much what I would have said then.

I was very, very pleased with the film! Right from the opening credits. I love interesting credits that fit the film you are about to see, and these credits settled me into the experience right from dimming of the lights. I was amazed at the cinematography and coverage. You’d think we had given the editor all the takes he could possibly wish for. What a fine job he did of weaving in and out of what he had. Wonderful!

The sound was excellent. I think sound is one of the main weaknesses of many low budget films. Not a problem here! And the music! Just wonderful.

As I read the script, both initially and as the filming progressed, I developed a sense of how I saw the story play out – how I would direct it, I suppose. To be honest, I would have down played the humour much more. In fact, I had moments during the filming when I was afraid we were going over the top to the point of de-grounding the story. Well, I needn’t have worried. The film has humour. It has pathos. Neither over-rides the other. Credit for that must be spread around; the writing, the directing, the performances, and once again the editing.

As I’m sure I’ve told you more than once, from the moment I first read Clive’s sides for the audition, I wanted to be part of this project. And that connection just grew and grew. How fortunate I was to be able to be involved in the physical processes of filming as well as acting in the film. How thrilling the result!

One of the amusing things about seeing the film was my reaction when a scene would come on that I hadn’t helped film. Hey – where did that come from? I never saw that before.

I’m so proud of those of you who have continued the post-photography work. As so many independent films do, it could have died in the can. But it didn’t and I have every faith that this film is going to find distribution and get seen.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

With admiration and gratitude,

- Gordon

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And now my words back to all of you...

Thank you all.  The effect of your words and appreciation cannot be measured.  We could not have done it without all of you.

- Kennedy

A Day of Vindication

For the past five years a small photo of Keith – his headshot – was pinned to my computer monitor. It served as a reminder of how this all began and who I was working for. Keith has been gone for almost twice as long now as the time we were friends. It was inevitable that a day would come when it was time to take the picture down. That day has come.


A confluence of circumstances make this a perfect time. Any opportunity to take it down was going to be wrought with emotion. Somehow picking a time that is practical and symbolic makes it easier.

I am moving. My monitor is not making the move with me. Indeed I’ve already switched monitors – just a few days ago. I’ve kept the old monitor with Keith’s photo on it on my desk waiting for this day.

Yesterday was the cast and crew screening of the film. Nearly 200 of us gathered together at Pacific Cinematheque.

Craig and I made a quick pair of announcements, welcoming everyone and thanking them for the gifts of time, talent, resources and effort that they provided, and then we retreated to the eighth row. (The eighth row is - possibly apochryphally - the place that cinemas are optimized for, and in theory that films are ‘tuned’ for... but that’s probably bullshit.)

No doubt, this was the crowd that was destined to love the movie. And by all measures they did.

It was the first time I really got to watch the movie on the big screen – the mix at Sharpe last month was cool, but disjointed. I was amazed at how much I missed on the small screen – little details. Micro reactions mostly. But almost as much as I watched the film (I know how it ends, so paying close attention wasn't a big deal) – I enjoyed watching the crowd. David Nykl was sitting down the row from me. He was chowing on his fingernails for the first ten minutes until he satisfied himself that he was actually doing a good job on screen.

The couple in front of Craig and I (and our lovely ladies, Elaine and Jodie, respectively) were fantastically emotive. It turned out that it was Bronwen Smith’s (who plays eco-scientist Leslie Morgenstern) Mother and step-father. They were a delightful barometer whose reactions matched nearly everything that any other sub-set of the audience responded to.

When I used to tour with The Juanabees - the real Juanabees, not the faux-group referenced in the film – we regularly found that by the time we were doing our first performance we would have forgotten that many jokes were ever funny to us. Well, same thing happened with “Beast...” and that is delightful. Jokes that I had forgotten or decided simply weren’t funny got laughs – sometimes BIG laughs. My favourite line in the film got a huge laugh – and I think that with wide enough distribution for the film, Roger Haskett (the actor who delivers it) and I may be responsible for adding a new epithet to the lexicon.

The audience moaned sympathetically as one at a poignant moment from Gordon May, whose performance is heart breaking. I could not be happier.

There are a few secrets in the film too. One is an outright twist that elicited delighted gasps (Win!) and another that is an easter-egg in the plot that rewards those who are paying really close attention. The latter occurred to Bronwen’s mother three or four seconds into the scene that follows the last piece of the puzzle. It may seem odd, but I love the fact that not everyone is going to “get” the connection – and that they don’t absolutely need to in order to appreciate the film. Indeed, one of the key actors involved in that plot thread revealed to me yesterday that he didn’t get it until he was watching the movie.

Once the film was done Craig and I took an opportunity to make some special “thank- you”s – specifically to the post-production teams and a few MVPs from pre-production and production, as well as the investors. I’m told that we made a few of them cry.

And then we headed out to On the Edge Pub. It’s a new pub on the far east-side of Gastown who offered to host our after-screening party. They treated us fantastically. A BIG thanks to Terry and his staff! We had an excellent time there, they had great finger food for us and we stayed well past midnight before heading home to our hangovers.

All in all it was nice to be able to show people that their efforts were not for naught.
This morning the next stage begins. I took down Keith’s photo just before writing this. A fitting way to move on.

Bring on the Love...

We are days away from the cast and crew screening.  I am swamped.
But it's exciting.
People are coming from the Okanagan to Vancouver to see the film... more people than we thought were going to travel.
And for some strange reason today we've had an inexplicable spike in website hits.
I checked the stats to see why... thinking that it'd be people on the 'in' checking out the blog as we send out important emails to them about the film, but it isn't.
It's realy just a confluence of fortunate hits from all around the globe. 
The most amusing of which came from a Google hit on "is there any such thing as a bottomless lake?"
The answer to which is: "Yes.  There is.  But probably not in the sense you want to be told so."
Okanagan lake - a "bottomless" lake.   Has no definable bottom in places because there is no firm (pun unintentional) bottom.  There is a continuum from water to dirty water to mud to clay to terra firma.  So, where exactly is the "bottom"?
To add to the confusion, the lake has an undeterminable bottom by right of the fact that the bottom is so deep that there are portions that never fully thaw over the winter.  The ice bottom shifts from year to year.  It isn't the proper bottom, but it is the farthest one can descend in any given season.

Anyhow... I'll take whatever connections we can to promote this film.  Perhaps soon I won't have to.  But this weekend, who am I kidding, we're playing for a crowd destined to love it, no matter what.