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From the desk of

Tim

Published 5 months ago

THIS IS LOVE COMING CHRISTMAS DAY

Desk tags #love #film #christmas #marriage

Comments

Greetings, one and all. Some of you know I'm an independent filmmaker in addition to being an indie podcaster. This summer I made my first feature, This Is Love. It's all about marriage in 2025. I submitted it to the Toronto International Film Festival, Sundance, Slamdance, and Dances With Films. It got rejected by all, but got a very nice note from Dances With Films:

"A very true to life relatable portrayal of a couple. The drone shot reflected in Tim's glasses then traveling up into the universe, intercut with the mundanity of everyday married life, was a really nice touch. This was an honest insight into married life with moments of poignancy, touching on the positives and negatives of reaching middle age."

Following these rejections I decided to give the film another look, and I cut it down to 28 minutes from 1 hour 20 minutes. I think it's much stronger as a short film. I want to share it with an audience so on Christmas Day next week I'll be publishing it on YouTube and sharing it here for you to see.

Thank you for your support as I pursue making film my career. We're a long way away from that being a reality, but I'm still going to make films as often as I can. My main goal with film is to articulate those hard to articulate aspects of real life, and share them with an audience no matter how small.

Here's the trailer for This is Love:

?si=AiKVFE5VZwN4uxXR

Byline

About the Creator

Tim

I'm an independent writer, filmmaker, and podcaster.

In the margins

Comments (1)

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Jeff Richardson

5 months ago 4 replies

            Tim!!!! This looks amazing!! I've enjoyed the two films you've posted here very much, and I sincerely can't wait to watch this one.  I already love so many of the choices you've made in the other films. The choice to keep things in black and white... how the camera feels almost like a quiet observer... it's not judging... its just there allowing your characters to exist as they are. Beautiful beautiful work. So long story short... i'm excited. 
          

Tim

5 months ago 3 replies

            Thanks, Jeff. It's been fun to share my films here. I feel like you all "get it", which is a nice feeling. 
          

Jeff Richardson

5 months ago 2 replies

            I'd love to pick your brain about making a feature length film that's something i've still never done. 
          

Tim

5 months ago

            First step is to write it or get a writer. If you're going the indie/DIY/guerrilla filmmaking route then I suggest making it doable as possible as you write it - i.e. work with people you know and don't have to pay and make your locations places you'll have regular access to without the need for permits and insurance. Next step is to get a camera and a decent shotgun mic - I highly recommend the site www.mpb.com. They sell used equipment (no need to buy new). That's where I got my camera (Canon C100 Mark 2). The original feature length This Is Love all took place in my apartment with each room serving as a distinct "location". Really using what you have at your disposal is necessary. When it's finished and you're ready to submit to film festivals, sign up with www.filmfreeway.com and submit to a few really niche festivals that suit your piece. The big ones like Sundance are flooded with submissions and it feels like they don't really give true indie films much of a shot. Lastly, YouTube is your friend - there's a lot of resources on filmmaking whether technical or artistic that can really get the creative gears turning.
          

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