Comments on: More Venting about Film Synopses

By: Mitchell Eric Teplitsky

Mitchell Eric Teplitsky — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:30:10 +0000

I agree. I’m consulting a couple of doc filmmakers now who’ve got genuinely exciting films, but you read the synopses (for their grant proposals) and you’d never know it, they sound so earnest and important and….dull. We are working on that!

By: Ira

Ira — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:39:17 +0000

I wouldn’t characterize it that way. Just try and describe it in a way in which you are making people want to see it. I has to sound entertaining, provocative, compelling…SPECIAL.

By: Jacqueline Lichtenberg

Jacqueline Lichtenberg — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:47:05 +0000

So I think your point is that a pitch or blurb is not a “review.” It shouldn’t talk about the film, or evaluate whether the film maker achieved the maker’s goal. A pitch should BE the film, not be “about” the film.

Did I get that right?

By: Elizabeth Lucas

Elizabeth Lucas — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:27:51 +0000

Cool, thanks!

By: Ira

Ira — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:51:01 +0000

Ok…Elizabeth. I’ll take a stab at this, but please know that no one knows your film as well as you do…and all you other filmmakers, you are on your own.

Pulling together the talents of an ensemble of actor/singer/songwriters from the indie rock scene, comedy clubs and Broadway theatre, Elizabeth Lucas creates a movie musical like no other. CLEAR BLUE TUESDAY is the story of eleven New Yorkers who are dealing with their sense of personal loss after 9-11. The result is a deeply personal, funny and moving journey of self discovery, set to an original musical score.

I’d go see that!

By: Gerry Priesing

Gerry Priesing — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:19:12 +0000

Great and pertinent rant..When I ran a film series eons ago – the most important task was distilling each film in the series into a crisp, appealing and informative summary. Because the published schedule had limited space, these summaries couldn’t waste a word and were all I had to draw people to relatively unknown American classics or obscure foreign films. It was a daunting but essential task -each word counted.

But I was merely running a college film series, not a business. Respect your products – make them appealing to your potential audience!

By: Elizabeth Lucas

Elizabeth Lucas — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:37:45 +0000

Ok, I’ll bite. How about a master class?

Current back of my DVD…

“Eleven New Yorkers change course after catastrophic events force them to examine the dreams that drew them to the city. CLEAR BLUE TUESDAY follows their lives over seven Septembers as they relearn their city and themselves.

Combining an ecclectic mix of original songs with an unconventional narrative style, Clear Blue Tuesday was developed by director Elizabeth Lucas and an ensemble of actor/singer/songwriters from the indie rock scene, comedy clubs and Broadway theatres of New York. Using personal journeys and improvisation to create fictional characters and narrative, the cast wrote the songs they sing. The result is a deeply personal journey of self-discovery, told with humor, humanity, and music.”

Or should I use the first two paragraphs of my only review so far…

“Of the many artistic works that have attempted to make sense of September 11, 2001, none has captured the New York perspective of the quietly hellish aftermath of the destruction of the World Trade Center better than Clear Blue Tuesday. The musical film, which was conceived, directed, and partially written by Elizabeth Lucas…examines the tragedy itself only obliquely. It focuses instead on the long-lasting effects of that violation of national and personal security on 11 New Yorkers, and through them you come to understand the day’s loss—and potential gains—in ways you couldn’t even if you were surrounded by CGI explosions. That’s no small feat for any dramatic presentation, let alone a low-budget film…Yet it is accomplished, with impressive clarity, seriousness, and even humor…” – Matthew Murray

I’ve been trying to avoid 9/11 in my press description, but it’s clearly the context that the review focuses on. Thoughts?