Comrades, My name is Todd and I made a film last year called Box Elder. I actually made it twice technically (we re-shot the entire thing after getting 80% of it in the can), but that’s a story for another blog. We’re here today to talk about this distribution tour we’re about to embark on, and first, a little bit more on the film that started it last spring.

 

Box Elder is a collegiate love letter that was largely based on me and my friends in college, although over the past few months, I’ve been told by most of the people who watch it that it reminds them of their friends in college, and that is without a doubt the greatest compliment one can receive with a film like this.

 

We made the film in Columbia, Missouri for about 60K using the Panasonic HVX (equipped with the Brevis 35 adapter), homeade lights, stolen sets, and a whole lot of blood, sweat and beers. We had a skeleton crew of 7-8 people, and most of the cast was either friends of mine from college, or friends that I had met working at the Sundance Labs during that summer, and we all went into the fire as beginners together. Only our DP had any prior film experience, and he served not just as our cinematographer, but also as the wise sage of the team, much like when a ball club picks up a veteran pitcher to guide the youngsters in a pennant race.