Teaser Trailer

Good Morning all!

Late last night the teaser trailer for Great Heights was loaded on the website.  You can check it out at the link below.

http://www.greatheightsmovie.com/teasertrailer.htm

You will also be seeing a series of interviews and behind the scenes mini docs showing up over the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned.

DM

Building the set

Long time no post!

A brief update for all you readers out there!  A new short has arrived in the MEDIA section of the website.  It is a series of images and video about the set building at the Merchandise Mart!  Check it out in the media section now!

Be on the lookout for the trailer early next week!

DM

On our way

Hello Great Heights readers!

Sorry to be so quiet these last few months.  It has been busy for many at Flashpoint Academy. You will begin to see more updates over the next few months, but most importantly be on the lookout for a teaser trailer arriving soon....

DM

That's a Wrap!

Last night at 9:30, the crew successfully completed the final day of shooting for Great Heights! That's a wrap!  And a very successful one at that!  Thank you to all who participated in helping us achieve this goal!

There were 19 days of shooting, beginning on July 27th and ending on August 26th.  Here are a few photos from last Tuesday at the Merchandise Mart!

Now begins post production.  Stay tuned for more updates throughout the next few weeks as we unveil more pictures, videos, and blog postings.

DM

Final Week, here we come!

The final week of filming has begun, and production is expected to finish on the evening of Tuesday, August 26th.  First of all, you can check out our new set of photos for week 3, located here.

Post production and editing will take place in the coming weeks and into the fall.  Stay tuned for more pics and clips!

Also, be sure to check back soon for videos on the set construction at the Merchandise Mart, and video blogs from the crew.

DM

More Photos

Pictures from week 2 are now up in the photos section!  You can view them here.

The homepage also has links to the cast and crew!  

DM

"Know Your Limits, But Never Accept Them..."

"Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them."

-Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Before attending Flashpoint Academy, a film professor told me: "There is not an original idea left in the world." When an individual makes a statement like this, they completely limit themselves to taking old ideas and reusing them over and over again. I don't know about most aspiring filmmakers out there, but I am not interested in telling someone else's story all over again.

Now REINVENTION is something completely different. Take a story and re-imagine it. Some of the greatest films out there are nothing really that special except for the angle. If you approach a project with a unique angle, you can go farther with that story than you ever thought possible.

For me, Flashpoint has paved a path to original and unique ideas. The school asks you to think outside the box, but makes sure you remember the box is still there.

This past week (Aug. 8-12), I've gotten to know my cast and crew better than ever before. In the many long hours we spent together, we got through moments of extreme focus, high stress, too little sleep, major complications that could bring the whole production to a screeching halt... But at the end of the day, we walked away knowing that we figured it out and it was only possible because we worked together to get to that conclusion.

Yesterday, Dan, Dorian and I worked a nearly 15 hour day and by the end of it, we felt like that one day alone could have been three different days. Just when it seemed like we were crashing, we started communicating better than ever before and capturing some of the best performances and shots.

We pushed ourselves to the limit and walked away with far more than we thought we would. There are original ideas out there. Unique, untouched concepts exist. You may think I'm naive and if you do, you're probably right. But I'd rather live a life of naivety if my only other option is cynicism.

Of course it is important to know your limits, but don't let them stop you. What you are able to succeed in and what you are not is always changing. The only way to truly live your life to the fullest is to wake up and dare to fail. More than half the time, you'd be surprised how often you actually succeed.