On the Road with 'Mona Lisa is Missing'

From Joe Medeiros (Writer/Director) & Justine Mestichelli Medeiros (Producer) 
of Mona Lisa is Missing.
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As filmmakers, being selected for a festival as prestigious as South Arts' Southern Circuit was an honor. We are truly grateful that the selection committee appreciated our film's appeal to its audience. We have traveled with our film to numerous festivals, and we are so impressed with the professionalism, organization and respectful treatment of filmmaker needs that Teresa Hollingsworth and her team at South Arts provided for us.     

We started our travels in Augusta, Georgia at the Morris Museum of Art. Michelle Schulte, Curator of Education and Kevin Grogan, Executive Director and Chief Curator were most accommodating and gracious hosts. And we found the Morris Museum itself to be quite a treat with an impressive collection of local Southern art.  We also learned something new -- that telegraph inventor Samuel B. Morse was a portrait painter of some admirable talent.  Our screening was very well attended. The applause was plentiful and the Q&A lively.  

Onto Clemson University where Professor Amy Monaghan treated us to dinner and introduced us to faculty and local  filmmakers. We had a very respectable turnout of students (on a school night). They really appreciated the humor and animation that infuse our film and gives lives life to our extensive research and Peruggia's life story. Their questions were thoughtful.

Over 200 students and local residents turned out for the morning presentation of Mona Lisa is Missing at Wallace State Community College's Evelyn Burrows Center for the Fine and Performing Arts in Hanceville, Alabama. Our evening screening drew another 50 enthusiastic viewers. Kristen Holmes, Communications and Marketing Director, and her team were full of Southern Hospitality.  The audience was appreciative of the Peruggia family's genuine acceptance of the truth about Vincenzo's motivation for taking the Mona  Lisa.


Our final destination was the Winder Cultural Arts Center in Winder, Georgia. Don Wildsmith,  Director of  Cultural Events and Christopher Childs, Station Manager of  Winder Television, created an audience-friendly environment where the Q&A prompted the comment,  "I came to this documentary screening with some trepidation because docs can be dense with information but yours was so entertaining while being thoroughly informative."

All in all, the Southern Circuit was one of the greatest experiences we've had showing our film. It was fitting that our tour took place during Major League baseball playoffs because with our screenings at the Morris Museum, Clemson University, Wallace State, and in Winder, we not only batted 4-for-4, but each hit was a home run.

Thank you all and best of luck in the future. Your festival, your audiences, and your people behind the scenes are truly the best.

Noah Harald & Speak Now - Hanceville, AL, Micro-budget Filmmaking Part III

Another update from Noah Harald, touring his film Speak Now on the Southern Circuit:

As I screen our film 'Speak Now' at the next four venues in the Southern Circuit I'm going to try something interesting and share my thoughts and advice about making a micro-budget improv film as well as my travels here in the South. Next up- Hanceville, AL.

'Speak Now' screened last night at Wallace State Community College. It was quite a trek from Clemson to Hanceville, AL but I've been listening to a book on tape so along with the gorgeous weather, the sequel to The Shining kept me terrified to make the time pass. I also drove a bit off the beaten path to a barbecue spot outside of Memphis that was amazing. Once I got to Wallace State, I was greeted and brought into their massive and gorgeous performing art center and I wandered their art collection in the museum til the crowd showed up. What a crowd. People really came out to support our film here, we had a packed house and a super enthusiastic crowd. The Q&A went well, and I got to speak to a couple of young aspiring filmmakers who I hope will stay in touch with me as their career grows. Super fun. I've got two days off which I will be spending with family in GA and they we have our fourth and final screening in Winder, GA on Sunday. Stay tuned!

Making a micro-budget film, Part III: Post

Some of the best advice I've ever received was from the editor of Dodgeball who spoke at Los Angeles Film School before my classes began there. He told me to graduate in a craft that could pay me when I got out of school, because nobody was lining up to hand paid gigs to directors. Since I was already well versed in post, I majored in editing. Now, I had help editing the film from my talented editor friend Matthew Hickney, but being able to see the film to the finish line is what allowed our micro budget film to stay micro.

That being said- you've come up with your idea, you've shot your film (CONGRATULATIONS) and now you have to turn it from footage to an actual movie. Because our film was improv, we had a very strange process. Erin Cardillo (writer/producer) and I watched all 6.5 hours of footage and wrote down what the major conversation beats were as we went. From there we scripted a rough outline of what we wanted the movie to be. Matthew took the outline and edited the first draft of the film. Now you may be a wunderkind, all-in-one able to do everything person, but it's so important that even when you are editing the film yourself that you bring others in on the process. For us, we were lucky enough to have a core group of 5 producers to weigh in their thoughts. If it's just you, make sure you have screenings for close friends and colleagues of the rough cut. Get their feedback and ask  the tough questions; does it work, what doesn't work, does it make sense, where were you bored, what did you love? Take all of this feedback and your own gut and finish the picture edit of the film. This is what we call a picture lock, and from here you will plan to never alter the actual edit of the film again.

The final steps are to sound mix, score and color correct the film. In my opinion, these are the 3 places where you can't skimp. Find really talented people willing to cut you a break on price and pay them to do these things. Nothing will hurt your final vision more than these three things being executed poorly. And since you have a limited budget, be flexible with people's time. If you're not paying someone enough to make working on your film their full time job, allow them the time to finish it on their own terms. Once you have these pieces together, you bring them all back into the edit bay and create your final movie. You will create HD masters, streaming masters, DVD masters and maybe even audio masters. From here, you send your baby out into the world- but I will talk about that in the next and final blog post. Thanks for following along!

Joel Fendelman - Nashville, Louisville, Augusta

The latest update from filmmaker Joel Fendelman, touring his film David:

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Scarritt Bennett Center

My first Day off was fantastic, it was spent in Nashville, Tennessee. I found this old women's missionary training center called Scarritt Bennett Center which has since been converted to a retreat center with inexpensive, peaceful rooms. I was fortunate to go to the BlueBird cafe to hear some of the best singer song writer music I have heard in a while.

Clifton Center

My next stop was Louisville, Kentucky where my film was shown at the Clifton Center, another beautiful historic building. It was a cold, snowy night but a good 20-30 people bared through the cold, all very appreciative of the film. We had a wonderful talk back afterwards.

Clifton Center

After Louisville was Augusta, Georgia where I am now. The storms have come in even stronger and there is about 2 inches of snow on the ground. This started last night near the time of the screening at the Morris Museum. We weren't even sure anyone would show because there were emergency warnings on the news. But as we neared the screening time, a handful of brave, committed souls showed up. It was a small but intimate showing. Kevin Grogan, the museum director introduced me and we had a passionate talkback after the showing.

Morris Museum of Arts

Now I'm siting in the beautiful Lookaway Inn, preparing for the drive tomorrow to screen at the Wallace Community college in Hanceville, Alabama.

Me and Kevin Grogan at the Morris Museum of Art

Augusta

Vivienne Roumani - Hanceville, Serenbe, Louisville

The latest update from Vivienne Roumani, who recently completed touring her film Out of Print:

Birmingham's one night stop on the way to Hanceville, AL

Welcome to southern hospitality. After a short stroll I found myself at Brick & Tin, a warm and casual restaurant where I had a delicious Rio Grande Panini (wilted kale, queso fresco & pickled peppers) and an autumn vegetable salad with lots of root vegetable – hungry just thinking about it.

The (not-just-a-bookstore) Jim Reed’s Bookstore attracts visitors from all over the world.

This is a place where books and memories live side by side.

Jim has done it all: arts, films, writing, and more. Books should be displayed the way you see books at home, he says, not alone but amidst “your favorite blanket” and things.

Across the street at the Museum of Art for a brief tour and the Rushton Annual Concert with Antonio Polpa-Baldi.

I love good piano music.

Just one evening of beautiful lodging, great art and architecture -- basking in all the senses before heading to Hanceville.

Hanceville, AL

Serenbe – An idyllic place, where people are “conscious” and engaged, caring about each other, the arts and the environment.

It was wonderful staying in Clare Martorana's beautiful home.

With my wonderfully hosts, Julie and John Kappas.

Serenbe’s artists and their clever rendition announcing the event at the Blue Eyed Daisy Bakeshop.

Delicious food as well as friends dropping by to join you or leave you to your work.

Ever present Serenbe audience.

Serenbe Q&A moderated by the eloquent Sam Harrison, a creativity in business expert.








Last stop: Louisville, KY

Hopping Carmichael’s Bookstore on a Sunday.

Q&A at the Clifton Center.

The magical grand finale, the Brown Hotel.

Mint Julep in Bourbon City.

Cheers and thank you for an informative, inspirational trip. Thank you Southern Circuit and all my wonderful hosts, for the opportunity to be reminded that individuals transcend all preconceived notions.

Photos from the Road: 'Mommy, I'm a Bastard' on the Southern Circuit

Bennett Barbakow sent us some photos from his adventures on the Southern Circuit screening his film Mommy, I'm a Bastard! Here are a few to enjoy.

Screening poster from Miramar, FL

Delicious hospitality from the Palace Theatre in Gallatin, TN.

Screening poster in Hanceville, AL

Screening poster from Winder, GA

A beautiful shot from between screenings

Thank you to Bennett, our screening partners, and everyone who came out to experience his film on the Circuit!