Ok guys, just a little update here. Looks like we have our times and venue. ROM will be showing as part of the Four-spotted Chaser Shorts programming block at Jengo’s Playhouse in Wilmington, NC on Friday November 12th starting at 4:30. You can view/download the full schedule at the Cucalorus website.

I plan on attending the screening and as much of Cucalorus as possible so I look forward to seeing you there!

Well, I don’t know THAT for sure but I can say with confidence they must have liked something about it as we have been notified that ROM has been selected to screen at this years Cucalorus Film Festival! We don’t have times for the screening yet but we do know that Cucalorus runs from November 11th – 14th in Wilmington, NC. We will let you know specific dates and times that ROM is screening the moment we know. And you can always find the latest screening dates & times on our screenings page.

Check out ROM on the film list page at Cucalorus.

Well it was tight, real tight, but we managed to make the submission deadline for Cucalorus. We won’t hear back until around October or so but I feel good about our chances. We sent a rough cut since Ben is still putting the finishing touches on the final cut but if/when we are accepted to the festival we should be able to get the final cut in to replace it. I actually live in Wilmington, NC where Cucalorus is held each year but have yet to go to one so this is my excuse to finally get involved. I’ll keep you guys updated.

Find out more about Cucalorus at their website.

Features. They are a tough cookie to crack. And when dealing with a story like ROM it is made all the tougher by the very things that make it unique. Characters, situations, stories. There must be order. But where to start and better yet where to start over? There are i’m sure endless ways to tell a story. If you were to stand 50 feet away from this story and look at with fresh eyes you might only see one. But the question would remain. Is it the right one?

Yep. Tough cookie to crack. Seems like it should be made easier by the fact that a short is in the can that uses a portion of the same idea. I’m here to tell you no, it doesn’t. It complicates things in new and maddening ways. As the storyteller your job is IMHO to find the core of the story and start a fire with it. Burn down the forest and with what’s left make notebooks. Let no words stand in your way. Strangely I thought I knew the core of ROM. But I was wrong.

This discovery was paramount to cracking the cookie that is ROM. It was stale and tasteless. Now it is moist and flavorful. Simply put I learned that I knew my story but not my character. I thought I did. THAT’s the key. I THOUGHT I did. When you think you do is exactly the point they are taken for granted. Without your characters you’re not telling a story, you’re just telling actions. And no matter how clever your actions are they still aren’t a story.

So I’m happy to say I know Daniel now. And ROM is better for it.