State of the Movie 2: Another 7YR Manifesto

 When I look back on all of the time spent with “Seven Year Rental” - more than eleven years - I can see two very clear phases in the life of the project. 

 In the beginning, our momentum was strong as we moved steadily through filming, editing and our post-production efforts.  But the year we spent submitting to film festivals was largely a year of waiting.  We worked on trailers, our website, the poster art – there were still plenty of things to do – but we felt “done” with the film itself.  We enjoyed a few public screens at festivals and our feedback was encouraging, but those providing critical assessments were telling us, “it doesn’t feel quite finished.”  

 It was a difficult thing to hear even though part of me knew it was true.  On the surface it was all there, but in my gut it still felt like something was missing… something needed to be worked out.  But I couldn’t see past what was already there.  I tinkered with it here and there, but nothing felt like forward progress,

 And between 2011 and 2012 our momentum completely stalled, and the film was almost stranded in an incomplete state.

 Not knowing what to do with this thing we’d invested years in, I looked away from it and turned my attention elsewhere.  And when “Seven Year Rental” wasn’t my primary focus, it started to become clearer.

 I was thinking about it intently again.  Things that had seemed immovable were removed, and some things that had long ago been cut found their way back in.  A lot of focus was on how we could make our opening stronger.  The film in its original concept always started from a stopped position - slowly gaining momentum - but I was starting to see ways we could give it a little jolt of life at the beginning.  A few years back the film's edit felt largely locked, but now I wasn’t afraid to mess it up, try things, and see how these changes made me feel about our film.  And I started to feel differently – parts that had felt incomplete started to feel whole and some of the uneasy feelings in my gut would disappear.  We were moving forward again and we even received an unsolicited invitation to screen in Philadelphia.  For the second time, things felt alive and we gained momentum in this new phase but progress came at a much slower pace.  It still wasn’t quite there, but we were further ahead than we had been.

 In 2012, when our momentum was restarted, I thought we were close to completion but it was still further than I realized.  At the risk of crying wolf, I think we’re close once again.  Maybe not as close time-wise as I’d like, but where the finish line was once out of sight, I think I can now see all of the steps that need to be taken to get there.

 The other major change that’s occurred in this second “7YR” renaissance since 2012 is the accessibility by filmmakers to self-distribute digitally and be accessible to the public beyond just the tech savvy.  We have more opportunities to bring the film to you now than we might have just a few years ago.  That will play a big part in how we bring “7YR” to the world, but our film – a video store film – has to have a physical media release.  We have a few more edits on the to-do list, we need to upgrade our editing software, and we need to get our special features assembled on a disc.  But its all within reach.

 As I said in 2012, If you have any suggestions or contacts that could help bring this project to you - either on DVD, VHS, or through an independent screening, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at SevenYearRental@gmail.com, or through our Facebook page.  Hearing from you is always a motivating force and incredibly encouraging. 

 The second phase in this project's life is yielding a stronger film, worth the extra time and effort, and I'm so thankful to have the opportunity to stay with it until it's truly complete.  

 My most sincere thanks for your continued interest and patience.

David Neureuther

7YR producer and director

facebook.com/SevenYearRental

www.SevenYearRental.squarespace.com

October '17

Forward Progress

Just finished watching 7YR straight through.

If you'd asked in 2009, I would have confidently told you that the movie was done, and that there wasn't a second that could be changed.  Of course since that time, I've found innumerable changes and tweaks to make, but they haven't just been shuffling around the same pieces.  I truly believe this film has grown into itself, and has even had a slight-yet-significant shift in its identity.  We tried so hard early on not to be something, that we pushed too far that way.  But I'm trying to bring it back a little bit more to the center, and I think that's where our truest voice is.

There's still one final piece needed to conclude this new identity, and that is today's challenge.

This is a stronger film, and I know you'll enjoy it.

State of the Movie: A 7YR Manifesto

In 2006, when the video store documentary "Seven Year Rental" was conceived, we gave it everything we had to tell our story well.  

At that time there seemed to be no other projects tackling the current state of the video store, despite being subject matter close to the hearts of many aspiring, independent filmmakers.  I watched and waited, completely expecting to find someone who had brought this concept to maturation already, but I couldn't find anything with a significant presence.  Maybe the lack of attention to the topic should have been a red flag, but for me it provided all the more reason to do it.  This was the only project I wanted to tackle.  

I was beyond invested in this, and throughout our beginning there were two things I feared the most:  that the project would never reach completion, and that someone would complete it sooner, and better.  

We followed the events at our store for a year, carefully constructing what we thought we could achieve with what we wanted it to be.  It was occurring in real time and there were no do-overs.  

Three years into it we not only had a movie that surpassed our initial expectations, but also one that showed a clear identity.  We were a small, personal film with a small, singular store at its focus.  The larger themes of the state of the industry were there, but they were told from our level and our perspective.

In the time that's passed since the film's initial completion, our goals have always been aimed at making it available for viewing.  We pursued the film festival circuit with a few encouraging successes.  But we struggled to find the appetite for this subject in the format we'd chosen.  And I began to wonder if maybe there wasn't a significant audience devoted to video store culture after all.  

But we've been found online on more than one occasion by passionate video store enthusiasts, craving a subject that seemed elusive to film.  So along the way I've asked for patience from everyone who's expressed interest in seeing our movie who hasn't had an opportunity yet.  But it's reached a tipping point, and we have no place left to go with this but to the finish line, only now we are doing so on the heels of others sharing a similar vision.

There are four films in particular that have recently arrived on the scene, with an energy and a presence our film has yet to achieve.  

These films are:

• Rewind This!  (http://www.rewindthismovie.com/)
• Adjust Your Tracking: The Untold Story of the VHS Collector (http://www.facebook.com/AdjustYourTracking)
• The Great American Video Store Documentary (http://www.indiegogo.com/videostores4ever?c=home)
• Videosyncracy (http://www.documentarychannel.com/movie.php?currID=10202&t=Videosyncracy)

We're all "video" documentaries, but each film really seems to be coming from a different perspective.  "Rewind This!" is the definitive look at home video.  "Adjust Your Tracking" is the collector's film; by the fanatics, for the fanatics.  "The Great American Video Store Documentary" is a macro view of the video store industry.  "Videosyncracy" profiles in short form three Los Angeles area video stores.  And alongside them, "Seven Year Rental" presents an intimate telling of one store's experience over the course of a year.  

To be clear, I by no means want to typecast any of the above mentioned films.  I only mean to point out that while all of our films are looking at the video subculture, and likely share some themes, at the heart of each seems to be a very unique vision.  

I love video stores.  And while I don't know any of these filmmakers personally, they are kindred spirits.  I have supported their fundraising campaigns when possible, and have enjoyed, or anxiously await, my chance to see their films.  I have no doubt that one - if not all of these - will find an audience that extends beyond the immediate circle of video enthusiasts.  

So at this point, the enthusiast side of me is excited by each and every one of these new takes on the subject.  But the overly invested filmmaker side still can't help but retain those two initial fears.  These look to be very strong and ambitious films that are exploring similar ground, but I'm confident "Seven Year Rental" has a place among them, with a very different presence.  

It has been over six years since we began "Seven Year Rental", but my commitment to completing this project and putting it out into the world persists.  If you've kept an eye on us over the years, I can't tell you how much your loyalty and patience makes a difference.  While a defined time-frame still does not exist, progress updates will be more forthcoming.  I hope you'll join us for our final approach.  

If you have any suggestions or contacts that could help bring this project to you - either on DVD, VHS, or through an independent screening, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at SevenYearRental@gmail.com, or through our Facebook page.  Hearing from you is always appreciated.  

And please spread the word.  Connect with us - all of us - on Facebook.  There is much to look forward to from all of these projects in the near future.  I hope you'll find "Seven Year Rental" to be worthy company among those celebrating "the original way of renting movies".  

David Neureuther

7YR producer & director

former video store clerk

www.Facebook.com/SevenYearRental

www.SevenYearRental.com

September '12

"Seven Year Rental" on IMDB.com

The next time you're surfing through The Internet Movie Database,

check out the profile page for "Seven Year Rental"... or click here.

Three Years In The Making...

It was about this time in 2006 that the four of us came together as a group and seriously considered making (what has become) SEVEN YEAR RENTAL.

Today, the final FINAL cut is almost finished, and the website is just beginning - so stop back often to check out our progress, view the trailer, and read more about a movie that's long overdue.

Coming Soon!