Faith, Trust & Pixie Dust
“You know that place between sleep and awake? That place where you still remember dreaming? That’s where I’ll always love you. That’s where I’ll be waiting.”
— Tinker Bell
With our sights set on funding our next films, developing a series for television, publishing a children’s book, and distributing our first two films, I have discovered a few things about the realities of being a dreamer with an independent spirit.
The biggest revelation is that no one in this industry is actually independent. Especially for artists, there is an ironic dependence on people who believe in the value of their art and who are further willing to invest it. The business of creativity relies on the relationship between dreamers and those willing to bet real money on magical probabilities for success.
Realizing this, part of my mission has become proving that magic is reliable. I have always known this and lived by this, but I have kept my faith close to my chest for fear of being thought crazy.
The most influential people in the entertainment industry are magical, and they are actively and singularly seeking connection with whoever and whatever is seemingly impossible. Top artists and executives alike are moved almost exclusively by originality and surround themselves with proven expanders of reality.
I have worked with exceptionally powerful people throughout my career and one thing they all have in common is an infectious capacity to invite what lives in the imagination out into the real world. Even if only in conversation, the great ones all have a knack for recognizing others who have “it”.
Everyone is full of magic, but to have “it” means to own “it”. Most of us have buried “it” in self-doubt. All it takes is a little pixie dust to be reminded. That pixie dust is encouragement to trust yourself. Our natural genius is precisely what the world needs from us. Magic is what sells. Look at Rick Rubin.
“It’s not always easy to follow the subtle energetic information the universe broadcasts, especially when your friends, family, coworkers, or those with a business interest in your creativity are offering seemingly rational advice that challenges your intuitive knowing. To the best of my ability, I’ve followed my intuition to make career turns, and been recommended against doing so every time. It helps to realize that it’s better to follow the universe than those around you. Interference may also come from the voices within. The ones in your head that murmur you’re not talented enough, your idea isn’t good enough, art isn’t a worthwhile investment of your time, the result won’t be well-received, you’re a failure if the creation isn’t successful. It’s helpful to turn those voices down so you can hear the chimes of the cosmic clock ring, reminding you it’s time. Your time to participate.” ― Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way of Being
While bringing our films to audiences around the world, I’ve noticed how important the role of the spectator is to understanding the value of the art (but not in the way you might think). Every time we screen, I have a different experience of our films. I have learned to stop qualifying my experience as good or bad, and have adopted the philosophy that the film has a destiny of its own that resonates intrinsic value. In their own perfect time our films have had a powerful impact on both the audiences and the lives of the artists involved. The more the films are seen the greater my understanding of their worth becomes.
“All in all, the creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and interpreting its inner qualifications and thus adds its contributions to the creative act.” ― Marcel Duchamp
After screenings we have been approached by emotional strangers thanking us for creating such a beautiful story, we have played in standing-room-only packed theaters and engaged in Q&As that go on and on until force quit. I’ve also seen people walk out of our films, and played to empty theaters. We’ve won festivals and been rejected by festivals, but their intrinsic value becomes ever more consistent as our journey evolves.
Official Selections and Festival Wins
Beverly Hills Film Festival
We have been officially selected by the Beverly Hills Film Festival to screen in the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. A dream come true.
CONGRATULATIONS A Pity fam! The moment has finally arrived to celebrate our film together!
A Pity is CMP’s first major production, co-written and co-directed by brothers Kevin and Alec Barth. It was shot in Arkansas at a monastery their family grew up visiting. Every person in the family played their part in the production process, and as a result a greater vision for Kevin and I as co-creative partners and parents. Since pulling the trigger on this project both our daughter Alice and our artistic visions have become central to our lives.
If not family before, every hand and heart that touched this film is like blood. We are so proud of how the story has developed from a short film to a stunningly beautiful, slow moving, full-length feature. It has been a family affair from conception to completion.
Thank you Chayse Irvin, Alex McCarthy, Kenji C. Green, David Agronov, George Mullinix, James C. Burns, Carlson Young, and Joely Fisher.
Established in 2001 in the backyard of the entertainment capital of the world, the Beverly Hills Film Festival is considered among the most exclusive and influential film festivals globally. Through linking the groundbreaking talent of emerging filmmakers and exposing the community to the latest innovations in the cinema field, the Beverly Hills Film Festival (BHFF) exists as a cinematic and cultural patron. The Beverly Hills Film Festival’s objective is to merge today’s filmmaking pioneers with the wealth of cinematic heritage of Beverly Hills by edifying and developing the cinematic community and enhancing the impact of the arts.
Montreal Independent Film Festival
In Her Name has won BEST INDEPENDENT FILM and BEST ACTRESS (Ciera Danielle) at Montreal Independent Film Festival. MIFF has turned into one of the most popular international festivals. Cannes award winners, Oscar nominees, and emerging independent film projects have competed in the festival with indie artists and projects of all genres in various sections of the competition. The festival promotes and screens about three hundred shorts and features of all genres every year through the MIFF magazine channel and live screenings of the annual festival in cinema every spring.