L.A. Shorts Festival - In Person!

Editor Lee Gardner and me just after the screening.

We made the trek down to L.A. for the Dry Rain screening at the L.A. Shorts Fest. It was a perfect opportunity to see some good friends, take in L.A. and see what the festival was all about. We flew in the same day as the screening. We used our mileage plan miles to get cheap tickets, but less than perfect schedule. We flew out of Seattle at 7am. The early wake up and run to the airport hurt, but it was good to be in town early so we weren't rushed.

from R - L: Brittany, Elisa & Jordan with me on the end.

It seems to always take a little time to get accustom to the L.A. scene. I always notice it first when I get behind the wheel. The traffic moves fast, there is always congestion and then there's the hunt to find the fastest route to your destination. Arterial or Highway? Christine and I had fun with that and it was even more California with our free upgraded car: A convertible! Now we were ready to roll in style.
Elise with the thumbs up!

I think for us, the best thing about the screening in L.A. was to see old friends. We stayed with former Seattlites Jordan & Elisa Parhad. Jordan and I use to work together in Seattle. Last year, he and Elisa bolted for L.A. to take advantage of the booming film production market and nearly infinite opportunity for Elise. They were great hosts, showing us the sights, hosting a BBQ in their backyard and just all around good company. We also got to see Lee Gardner, editor of Dry Rain. It is always good to see Lee. My old friend from film school days, Hilly Hicks was in attendance. He and I haven't seen each other since we were roommates in NYC back in '92. So it was god to see him! Other good friends we hadn't seen in awhile were Doug and Jessica Cheney. Doug and Jessica got to know each other when Doug and I worked together. Doug is an inspiring Director/DP. Brittany Klaus was there as well. She joined us in Montana earlier this year for a fun bike trip.
Brittany & Me after the show.

Good thing we brought as many of our friends as we did. Between the late screening time (9:30pm) and the mid week position in the schedule (Wednesday) we didn't have best turn out. On top of that, the festival didn't really seem to be that supportive either. I'm not sure what was up, but we felt a little detached from the whole experience. The post screening Q & A was pretty weak. Thank goodness we found a good spot to have a beer afterward. Our little group had a good conversation about the group of films we saw and I was able to get some good feedback from everyone. The whole night was made just with the good company.
Hilly HIcks gives Dry Rain two, count 'em two thumbs up!

The remainder of our time in L.A. was spent kicking around at museums and hanging out with Jordan, Elisa, Brittany and Hilly. It was great just hanging out and having a relaxing time.
Jordan after the show with the thumbs up!

Saturday, we rolled out for Palm Springs for the next stop on the Dry Rain Tour.

Palm Springs International Short Fest - Screening Times

Producer Brian Homman on location in Montana.

Just got word today that Dry Rain will screen in Palm Springs at 4pm on Monday August 25th. All the screenings will happen at Camelot Theaters. Dry Rain will run in a program, much like in Seattle, with several other films. Expect to see an eclectic mix of films with a similar theme. The theme in our collection is "Single Parenthood."

There's a good chance that I'll heading down as will Brian Homman, Dry Rain's producer. Any of you guys gonna make it? It'd be good to see some friendly faces there.

Speaking of friendly faces, we'll also be showing in L.A. the week before. I know there are several of you guys down there that will come, hopefully. The L.A. Shorts Festival screening is August 20th at 9:45pm at the Laemmle Sunset 5 Theaters. Here's a map to the theaters and here is a link to the theaters' website.

Palm Springs International Short Fest!!

The Crew the day before shooting begins in the parking lot of the Super 8 in Conrad, Montana. From Left to Right: Ted Barnes (Gaffer), Mike Prevette (1st AC), Jason Puccinelli (Production Designer), Oscar Lofgren (Prop Master), Dave Hayes (Best Boy Grip) and Eddie Adams (Production Manager).

We got another under our hats ladies and gentlemen. Dry Rain is now an official selection to the Palm Springs International Short Fest! This is a great honor that we're really excited about. We just got word late last night that we're in! The festival runs August 21 - 27, 2008 down in of all places, Palm Springs.

Now comes the challenging aspect to entering festivals: which one to go to and how to make it there! I'm really hoping to go to L.A. for the L.A. Shorts Fest. I might be able to combine two fests at once since L.A. and Palm Springs pretty much run back to back. Brian Homman, the Dry Rain producer, may go to Palm Springs...we'll see. Either way, we'll represent.

The next challenge is getting the print shipped to both places and dealing with logistics. Since we only have one print and it needs to be in nearly two places at once, we're in a bit of a bind. We do have HD versions of the show to screen, but we'd really prefer to show the 35mm print. It'll look so much better.

When we know more about Palm Springs, we'll let ya'll know the screening times and the goods on when and where. Rumor has it Brian will be hosting a party in his room. Should be really sweet.

Screening Time for LA Shorts Fest

Christine McBride keeping the rain off Nathan and James. Luckily the storm didn't last long.


Just got the word today from the LA Shorts Fest. Dry Rain will be screening with a group of films, much like in Seattle, on August 20th at 9:45pm. Typically in these short film festivals, they group a number of films together to get to about an hour and a half or so. It is always interesting to see the other films and who you are up against. Hopefully the 9:45pm time slot will allow lots of people to see it and especially the jury.

So who's going to L.A.? We gotta meet up before hand. I know there are lots of people we know in L.A. We hope to see you all out there.

L.A. Shorts Fest!

I just got the email today. Dry Rain is an official selection to the 2008 L.A. Shorts Fest. The festival runs August 15th through the 21st in Hollywood. L.A. Shorts Fest is one of the premier short film festivals in the world. In past years 30 participating films have earned Academy Award nominations, with 9 filmmakers actually taking home the Oscar.

We don't have exact screening times and location just yet, but we should know within the next couple of weeks. We'll keep you posted on this festival and the many others we've submitted to!

Recording Session Photos

I just came across these. I took some photos during our recording session at The House of Sound back in March. Chris White assembled a great group of musicians to put the score together. Here's the photos: Chris White and Jamie Maker work on a sketch of one of the tracks for Dry Rain. Maggie, my black lab, recovers from a long day on the floor.

Jamie working the pedal steal.

Aaron Saye is the percussionist behind the tracks in Dry Rain. He put an amazing spin on it and really added some great energy to the mix. Aaron's skills as a drummer/percussionist are amazing.

Chris White, the man himself, at the keyboard working his magic.

Jared Dunn jumped into the booth for an improptu stint with us on the acoustic guitar. Jared just came by to talk with Chris about recording an album. We put him in the booth and he rocked. Nice job Jared.

One Reel Festival

Dry Rain was just recently invited to screen at the One Reel Festival here in Seattle during Bumbershoot 2008. The music and arts festival runs from August 30th through September 1st at the Seattle Center.

The One Reel Festival will be the second chance to see Dry Rain in Seattle. Dry Rain first premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival back on May 31st. You'll get a chance to see Dry Rain in HD rather than our preferred 35mm format print, but the HD version looks stellar.

Exact times and dates of the screenings at the One Reel Festival will be posted soon. Keep an eye out here on the Dry Rain Blog or check out the Bumbershoot website.