Friendship vs. Filmmaker

Check out the first in a series of talks with the filmmakers from ONE MORE SHOT. We call it ONE MORE Talk. Get it?! Learn more about what it took to put this film together and the challenges of making a film on a micro budget in difficult personal circumstances. So check these out and if you haven't already, please join the mailing list as we'll have exclusive clips just for subscribers.

In episode 1, producer/DP/friend Gabriel Peters-Lazaro talks about the challenges and benefits of being behind the camera during some of the most intense moments of Maya and Noah's life and how their friendship played a role.

#One #More #Shot #almostdone with the #indiefilm

Everything I read about promoting your indie film says you need to be good at social media and apparently social media means hash tags. So #hashtag everything?  #infertility #indiefilm #loudnoises!

The part of me that made my first films using actual film and physically cutting the film to edit it way back in the late 90s wants to scream, "Can't I just make a film and not worry about Twitter and Facebook?" And then the more understanding part of me screams, "I get it. And I swear I'm not that old." As somebody who doesn't normally spend a ton of time involved in social media, this part of the filmmaking process has been an education. If you're making a film or pushing your cause, what is your process for connecting and (even more importantly) building your audience while still making sure your project stays your focal point? Would love to hear your thoughts and/or tips.

In other news, we are getting very close to finishing One More Shot. We just got the latest cut of our animations in this morning (they look awesome) and we are doing final edits on the body of the film. Barring any hiccups, we should be able to lock picture in the next week or so.  #stoked

I say it in every newsletter and nearly every post but it can't be said loud enough: thank you. Thank you for supporting us. This film has been four years in the making and I can't wait for you to see it. As we get closer to completing it, I'm going to ask you Twitter and Facebook savvy friends to help spread the word. It's a bit ironic that this film centers on a topic - infertility - that many people refuse to talk about and now it's time to shout from the rooftops that we've got a film on the subject that needs to be seen and needs to be discussed. 

Talk soon, 

#noah

How to relax on Dec 31

While you're picking out what to wear tonight we are getting our edit on down in the One More Shot lab. Working on one of the more emotional scenes right now. You know it's a tough one when you have to take breaks to keep you from going back to one of the lowest points in your life. Hey, have a good day!

Happy Holidays from the One More Shot team!

Hope you and your crew have a happy holiday and an awesome new year. We have a feeling 2015 will bring some excitement with a movie and another project.

Don't scroll down if you don't like spoilers...

Spoiler alert!

Art and #Infertility

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photo by Elizabeth Walker c.2014

Last week we met with Elizabeth Walker. Elizabeth is doing a really interesting project out of Michigan called "The ART of Infertility." Making art out of the world of infertility: we're obviously big fans of this idea. Elizabeth interviewed Maya and I for a future exhibit. Elizabeth has been sharing the different ways people going through infertility process their experiences through different art forms. Using art and creativity to make sense of traumatic experiences is not new, though it is often at the heart of a lot of beautiful and powerful work. For us, it's the film. One More Shot has been our way to cope and process this long journey through infertility. Take a look at the project website for more info.

Update #18

A laptop and some footage and I'm good to go. Believe it or not there's two years worth of a movie here.

Greetings from the Pacific Northwest. Trying to get some editing done this week when I'm not stuffing my face with food or seeing my favorite people.

A big hello and welcome to our new visitors. Please join us on this ride. If you haven't already, please sign-up for updates so we can let you know about the next big move.  

-n

Update #15

Jeez, is it really the middle of November already? It's always hard to tell with Los Angeles weather. Well, sunshine and 75 degrees or not, time is moving on and so is the project.  Here are a couple updates on all things One More Shot.

This week we're welcoming another story editor on to the team.  Think of a story editor as part writer, part editor. A good story editor works with the footage to get to the heart of a scene and makes sure the overall stories are tracking.  This way, when the editor gets their hands on the footage, they'll know exactly how to cut the material. Story editors help streamline the post process. It makes my job as the director/producer and the editor's job much easier. We'll introduce her in the coming days but trust me, she's awesome.

The last couple weeks we have been focusing on the many interview sessions we have shot over the last two years. It is really unbelievable to see the difference in how Maya and I felt, say in 2012, versus now. One of the heartbreaking parts of going through infertility is that until you are pregnant, it feels like every moment is your personal low point. Time is moving on and you still aren't pregnant. So reliving footage from two years ago and watching us describe how hopeless everything seems is really emotional for me. I want to tell 2012 us to keep holding on and believing but I also want to remind them, "if you thought 2012 was bad, just wait until 2013!" 

Thanks for keeping up with us here, on Twitter, and now on the Facebook page. This project is always changing and we are glad you are along for the ride with us. We aren't a big production company that can keep this project moving at all times. We don't have a big budget, just whatever costs I can fit on my AMEX. We are a handful of passionate people that want to tell a great story. There are awesome things to come, so stay with us.

- n

Update #6

Greetings from Seattle. Maya had her frozen embryo transfer yesterday. Fingers majorly crossed that this is the end of out movie. The clinic didn't allow me to shoot video but you can imagine how glorious and beautiful the moment was! Actually, it's just a few seconds and looks rather similar to the last transfer we did. Once the patient is off bed rest, I'm going to do a quick interview with her. She's in good spirits and so am I. 

In post-production news, our awesome editors are cutting away. It's going to be tough for me to step away and let them do their thing but in a project like this it's not always best to be this close to the material. A good editor will find an interesting moment or scene that didn't seem important when we lived it and can make it a strong piece of the overall film. I'm excited to see the bits of gold the mine from two years of footage. 

That's the latest. Website should be up in full this week. Indiegogo campaign is on its way, too. 

N

Update #5

We are getting closer to the official launch of the website, which explains why it has been working intermittently if you've stopped by to check things out. Goal is to be up for real this coming week. The indiegogo campaign will launch in mid-July. 

In other news, Marqus, our ASsociate Editor, is putting the final touches on organizing all of the footage (more than two years' worth). We'll be cutting the doc from four different locations so Marqus's workflow will allow us to work independently while still being able to collaborate with each other. Yay, technology.  

Update #4

We had our first full team meeting earlier this week and everybody came away ready to jump on this project full force. We're going to tweak our Indiegogo welcome video slightly but are still looking to launch our fundraising campaign on July 7,  assuming all goes well. It's been really cool to see a group of people with very different backgrounds and experiences come together and rally behind this project. We've got an awesome team and I'm excited to show you what we come up with.