Birthday Wishes

Tomorrow is my birthday and I've been thinking about some birthday wishes for the local film making community.

At last Tuesday's screening of "The Wayshower" there were several things that stood out in my mind: One, although to my knowledge, they weren't a part of the cast or crew, Sue Rowe, Kami Coleman and Brenda Upright all attended the screening. These three women along with a handful of other local actors can always be counted on to show up and support everyone's projects. And I want to publicly thank them for their support. Two, the Film Commission chose to hold the screening at the Tower Theatre. I've been to a lot of screenings since I got back into this business three years ago and I can't think of a more appropriate venue than the Tower. As local film makers I believe we should use the Tower or The Broadway whenever possible. Admittedly parking for the Tower stinks and the restrooms are, well, they're unique but the more we use the Tower and The Broadway, the stronger our community becomes.

So, my first two birthday wishes are, support each other by attending as many screenings and promotions as possible and using the Tower and The Broadway as much as possible for our screenings. (Just remember, when the Utah Theatre is renovated in the near future we're going to have another truly great venue that will be the envy of even our LA friends.)

Last Summer I approached the Salt Lake Film Society about an idea I have to help local film makers make some money from their work. I would love to see a display case in the lobby of The Broadway selling DVDs of the best work our local filmmakers have to offer. It could be run similar to a system I have with a local consignment bookseller. An equitable split could be worked out to pay the film society for their increased bookkeeping as well as the space needed for another display case. Requiring a donation of one copy to the Tower's rental inventory would further increase the number of potential viewers. More people seeing our work builds a stronger film making community. And, who knows, maybe you'll find an investor for your next project.

Last Summer Gretchen and I attended a screening of Billy Wilder's classic, "Some Like it Hot". When the show was over we ran into Oriana Reyes and her husband. Besides the obvious fun of seeing classics on the big screen, there is so much we can all learn from these films. We also love "Open Mic Night" at the Tower and again, we almost always run into at least one friend at an "Open Mic Night" event. Even if we're not a part of an "Open Mic Night" film, attending this event at the Tower builds a stronger film making community.

But, we can't influence the Film Society if we're not members, so my next birthday wish is that all of my actor and crew friends would become members of The Salt Lake Film Society and attend "Open Mic Night" and the special screenings of classic films.

A few other birthday wishes; I wish that the Film Commission would use the Tower and/or The Broadway for their "Made in Utah" series.

I wish that all my actor and crew friends would join the MPAU.

We all have so much to offer and I truly believe that the things I've suggested will build a stronger film making community. Why wait until the next time we meet on set, I'm looking forward to seeing all of you at the next special screening or at the next "Open Mic Night" at The Tower…