The Beast of Bottomless Lake July 9, 2010

I don’t usually talk about projects that I’m doing publicity for, but this one is different.

The Beast of Bottomless Lake is a feature film that I have been involved with for about four years, now. It has finally been finished, and in January, we held a cast and crew screening.

I’m very happy to report that other people (not just those of us involved) also think that the film is something special. To date, The Beast has been accepted into two film festivals: the Mississauga Independent Film Festival, and the Oakanagan International Film Festival.

MIFF opened Wednesday, and our film screens there July 10. The Beast is only one of 5 feature films to screen at MIFF.  If you’re in the GTA, check it out.

Okanagan… well, here’s the thing: it was the first film fest we were offered, and we felt like that was so fitting–the film reads like a love letter to the Okanagan, after all. OIFF, where we hold the honour of being the opening night gala film, is our true World Premiere. It’s our chance to say thanks to all the great folks up there that really helped to get this film made.

The Beast screens July 21, and I’ll be there, along with Craig and Kennedy, Janet and Keith’s parents.

If you’re near the Okanagan, come and see it.

And here’s hoping that these two festivals are the beginning of the snowball…

UPDATE, JULY 11: The film screened at MIFF last night as planned. I just recieved word that The Beast of Bottomless Lake won Best Feature Film at the 2010 Mississauga Film Festival!! Congratulations everyone!

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What I did for love January 11, 2010

Three or so years ago, I had a business meeting with two old friends. I’ve know Kennedy Goodkey so long, I don’t even remember how we met, and Craig March and I did a really terrible play together many years ago at Havana.

They told me they were making a film, a feature film, and asked if I would come on board as the publicist. They would also offer me a small role in the film. I of course said yes.

On Saturday afternoon, I attended an intimate cast and crew screening of The Beast of Bottomless Lake, the result of, for Kennedy and Craig, about eight years of their lives.

Director Craig March and I at the Cast and Crew screening of the Beast

You see, Kennedy’s best friend way back when was a guy called Keith Provost. Keith grew up in Kelowna, near Lake Okanagan, home to, it is rumored, the Ogopogo, Canada’s answer to the Loch Ness monster. Keith had an idea for a film about the Ogopogo, and pitched it to Kennedy, who brought Craig into the picture.

Then, one day in June of 2001, Keith was riding his bike home and someone opened a car door in his path. The loss of their friend made it too close to home for them, so the project, then tentatively titled The Nightmare Beast of Blood-Lake: A Scientific Overview, was shelved. A few years later, they took out the script, dusted it off, and decided to make the film in Keith’s honour.

We shot the film in May and June of 2007, in multiple locations around Lake Okanagan and in Vancouver. The editing process took nearly two years, but on Saturday, the film was screened for those who participated in and contributed to its making.

In terms of payment, I have received not a cent for this gig, which I have been involved with for three years, and for which, really, my work is just beginning. I do own a share of the film, so if it ever makes a million bucks, I’ll get something. But I’m not doing it for that.

I’m doing it because, first and foremost, I love my friends, and I support their vision. This is a little film with a big heart, that goes all the way back to Keith. And even if I never make a cent, I consider it all worthwhile. As artists, we are so lucky. We get to get up every day and do something we truly love, something we are passionate about. And not everyone gets to do that. Some folks go to work for the cheque or the mortgage or the Beemer. While I will most certainly never own a Beemer, I consider myself incredibly lucky to have a job that I love to do. And that I am able to work with friends while I do it.

I wasn’t blogging yet in 2007, but as part of our marketing plan for the film, we blogged our way through production. The two entries below are mine.

A Tale of Two Hats

A Tale of Two Hats (part deux)

For more information on The Beast of Bottomless Lake, check out the website, designed by the lovely and talented Janet Baxter, who, incidentally, was also married to Keith.

UPDATE, JANUARY 14: Photos from the cast/crew screening are now on Facebook. You have to have a Facebook account to view them. Thanks Kenton Photography.

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