The Rental Experience #12 - Raw Footage

a blog-series recounting the making of "Seven Year Rental"

The most exciting part about filming the Jackson store closing was that it gave us a well defined event to capture - with a clear beginning and a clear end.  It was sort of like we were putting together a short film to include within the feature. 

We shot as much as we could to show the progression of events, which meant we did a lot of "shelf-panning" as we pushed our tripod around the store.  It felt like a pretty solid collection of footage as we filmed it, but later on the panning shots didn't really feel as powerful as we'd hoped they would.  And the camera didn't glide around the store as we imagined it had; it bumped along as if we were pushing it down a gravel road.  But there was more than enough good stock footage to use.  And the interviews - especially those that reflected on the closing from a personal perspective - gave us the narrative we were looking for to bring it all together.  

After Jackson, we used the tripod exclusively for stationary shots, and kept the panning to an absolute minimum - two lessons it was good we learned early on.

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The Rental Experience #11 - By Chance

a blog-series recounting the making of "Seven Year Rental"

The apprehension I was feeling was soon alleviated when we finally got together to discuss the outline.  Everyone agreed that it was the most solid footing we'd been on since we'd began.  And even though there was still a lot missing, what had been put together on the page gave us confidence that our efforts thus far hadn't been fruitless.

Soon after that, I found out by chance that the Jackson store would be closing within the next few weeks.  We'd planned to focus solely on the Hubertus store, but since I'd spent a few summers working at the Jackson store as well, I felt comfortable extending out project there

We weren't sure how well the Jackson footage would tie into the footage we'd already collected, but it was a significant event for the chain that warranted the attention. 

And it might be the only chance we'd get to actually capture a store closing.

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The Rental Experience #10 - The Way It Was

a blog-series recounting the making of "Seven Year Rental"

I went through all the interview footage, and all the security footage, and tried to find our film.  And I put it together, really, as it naturally fell into place – both similar to the outline we already had, and completely different.  Some parts were strong, some parts were weak.  But it was by no means a “final cut” outline.

I gave it to Jason, Bill and Richy - more than a little scared that they'd look at what we actually had, and really think it wasn't coming together.  But I needed to be confident, and at the end of the outline, I wrote, "To be straight with you, I’m going to finish this.  And I’m going to make sure it’s good.  And while it’s been tough, and there’s a long way to go yet, I hope you’ll join me for the ride."

We set up a meeting to talk about the new outline.  As confident as i wanted to be, I had this very real feeling that they were going to tell me it was time to give up.  And without them, it couldn't be done, and that would be the end of it.

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The Rental Experience #9 - Actuals

a blog-series recounting the making of "Seven Year Rental"

By January 2007 we had a small but solid collection of footage. 

The informal interviews we filmed with Kayla, James, Alex and the store's manager at Video Plus really complemented the formal interview footage, and gave us a foundation for the in-store digital and security camera footage.  Together, the project was showing some potential.  But before we went any further with this, I needed to find out if we really had anything coming together.

So I began putting together a new outline that - for the first time - was no longer filled with hypotheticals. 

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Teaser Clip from 7YR Online Now!

"Fire Safety Night" sparks a debate about the best way to generate business in a new teaser clip from "Seven Year Rental" - check it out here!

WINNER! BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE AT THE ILLINOIS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL!

The Illinois International Film Festival presented "Seven Year Rental" with the BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE award during its fifth annual event.

Awards were determined by an independent panel of film professionals.

The Illinois International Film Festival ran November 5 - 7 at the Viaduct Theater in Chicago.

Journal Sentinel TV and film critic Duane Dudek looks at SEVEN YEAR RENTAL

Read Duane Dudek's first impressions of SEVEN YEAR RENTAL in his blog entry "The Dudek Abides: Video Killed the Video Store".  Check it out here!

SAVE THE DATE! "SEVEN YEAR RENTAL" SPECIAL SCREENING TUESDAY, OCT. 19th, 8:30PM, HOT SPRINGS DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL

The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival has added a special screening of SEVEN YEAR RENTAL Tuesday, October 19, 2010 at 8:30pm in the Screening Room, 823 Central.  Admisstion is FREE and open to all.

Director David Neureuther will also be participating in the "Alternative Documentaries" panel discussion Sunday, October 17, 2010 at 11:00am.  The panel's participants will be hosting an informative discussion of alternative documentary processes and subject matter.

The 19th annual Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival runs October 15-24, 2010.  HSDFF is hosted by the Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute, which is a year-round, non-profit organization dedicated to expanding documentary film as a meaningful art form. All films are screened at the historic Malco Theater in downtown Hot Springs, within walking distance of hotels, restaurants, historic bath houses, and the trails and scenic beauty of the National Park.

To stay connected, “like” www.Facebook.com/SevenYearRental.

To find out more about the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, visit www.hsdfi.org/festival.

SAVE THE DATE! "SEVEN YEAR RENTAL" CHICAGO PREMIERE SUNDAY, NOV. 7th, 11:30AM, VIADUCT THEATER

“SEVEN YEAR RENTAL” will make its Chicago premiere at the 2010 Illinois International Film Festival Sunday, November 7, 2010, 11:30AM at the Viaduct Theater, 3111 N. Western Ave. Chicago, IL 60618.

A Q&A session with individuals involved with the film will follow the screening.

Film-enthusiasts can purchase tickets for the 2010 Illinois International Film Festival at the Viaduct Theater beginning November 5th. Festival tickets are... $10 and include admission to every film featured, all weekend long.

To stay connected, “like” www.Facebook.com/SevenYearRental.

To find out more about the Illinois International Film Festival and see their complete schedule, visit www.IllinoisInternationalFilmFestival.com.

Spread the word! Hope to see you there!

"7YR" TO SCREEN AT THE ILLINOIS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

"Seven Year Rental" has been selected to screen at the 2010 Illinois International Film Festival!

Mark your calendars for November 5th - 7th, 2010 at the Viaduct Theater in Chicago!

Showtime and ticketing information to come as available!