Do you want people to see your art?
Another Free Feature Film from Bronson Creative
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Making a feature film is hard, very hard. It involves multiple people and ideas flying around at hyper speed, all well intended to help make the best film possible. A collaborative art form, complicated by ever changing schedules and technology that allow your imagination to go where it wants. “Little Hand” was exactly this type of film, changing styles multiple times to become the film that is now being given away for “free”1
“I Don’t Love You Anymore”
-Daniella “Little Hand”-
Pre-Production:
In the spring of 2015 my directorial debut premiered at Dances With Films in Hollywood. The film was selected to screen at the Chinese Theatre on Hollywood blvd as a selection of the midnight screenings. During the Q&A of our film we were asked what we were working on next, and we happily said “Little Hand”. At the time the film was cast, with a budget of around 85k. As a reference we had spent around 18k on “The Horror” (it’s original title), so this was a huge increase.
The original idea for “Little Hand” had been to rebuild our house location on a sound stage as I had planned multiple visual effects sequences to bring the films central themes to life. We had a full cast and crew ready to go, until we didn’t. A month or so after that q&a we lost our funding and were back to the starting gates. While we could have quit, we regrouped and put a new plan in motion. My business partners and myself pooled together what we could and made a plan to film over the course of 5 months a few days at a time. We would work on other peoples sets in between to keep things a float. The project was back on track, but it was different.
Production and Post:
Its very common to shoot a film out of order, and this film was no different. On day 1, we shot the last scene of the film, including the final frame that would be seen before the credits. When we decided to make this film, the ending was always something that resonated with me. Full of regret, but hopeful that the choices were worth it. The film would be shot over 15 days in the spring of 2016 in Los Angeles, CA.
When it comes to production on set, whatever you think can go wrong will. Half of the battle of making a film is just to continue. People will get sick, locations will fall through, equipment will break. It’s all about perseverance and determination. It’s hard. We would finish the film mid spring 2016 with hopes of finishing up post production in time for festivals in the fall. We would be on time to submit with our first screening being in Plymouth, UK at the Rebel film Festival. Shortly after returning from the UK I got word that Raindance had selected the film for their 2017 festival, we were off to the races.
I flew back to the UK 5 months later to screen at Raindance in London. While I am not a huge fan of festivals, I was grateful to be sharing this film in another country for the second time in one year. The reception to the film at both screenings was positive, and the reviews being written about the project were humbling. Our hard work was paying off, we were screening to audiences in another country that had no clue who we were, and then the call came…
“…makes its audience feel levels of emotional investment that most modern films of its genre can’t even come close to matching.”
-Film Threat- (Little Hand Review)
Distribution:
A few weeks after returning from Raindance I received an email from _________2 requesting distribution rights to our little film. It worked! We signed up with a contract that stated our estimated first year residuals would be around 75k, but then reality set in.
In the five years since signing the contract we made around $1500. Distribution models for film are broken and this was the second time I found that out. We had a deal for the first feature as well that netted around the same amount in the same timeframe. I will be going into detail on indy distribution in the future, but for now back to this story.
While we didn’t make any money I learned a few things, and made a few friends in the process. I learned that, as an artist, you must define your success. To some success means being rich and famous, and to others it just means making the work and sharing it with those that want to see it. My success has never been determined by money, but instead from putting in the work. The process is so much more important to me than the result.
Why Free?:
Because I want people to see the film. “Little Hand” was a SAG film, where everyone got paid for their work, but the film has not been seen as much as it should have. Distribution led to a paywall and as of 7pm PST on May 5, 2023 that paywall is coming down. The film is free, but the work wasn’t.
This film went from a 85k budget to 15k budget. It had distribution that was supposed to make money, but then it didn’t. There has been a title change, for the distributor, but now it is back to its original format and style that I always wanted. What I learned in this process is that the film should stay true to its original vision. If your definition of success is for others to see the film, then put it out there. I don’t know how many people are going to watch this film, but I do know that at least now they can. Enjoy the film. Share the film, and please subscribe to my YouTube where we plan to keep giving away films with your support.
If you want people to see your art, you have to put it out there!
-Jerry-
“Little Hand” Premieres 7pm PST May 5th, 2023
Nothing is free. This film was paid for independently by Moondog Media and Bronson Creative.
Name redacted