The Resumption Of Kings and Cowboys

Yes, we've been on a bit of a hiatus, but rest assured, OF KINGS & COWBOYS is a go-film.  We will be in production in 2010, I assure you... so long as we continue on our current course.

Our reasoning at BlueRun Productions ( www.BlueRunProductions.com ) for the focus shift of late has been the need to get RIDING HOME, or perhaps RUSSIAN WARMBLOOD, into production first.  Both are significantly less expensive films than OF KINGS & COWBOYS.   But the nature of the film biz is a bit counterintuitive.  Smaller doesn't mean they are easier, necessarily.  Now, mind you, we are moving rapidly toward production on RIDING HOME.  But it is time to re-energize OF KINGS & COWBOYS for a late 2010 start date.

A lot has happened over the last few months, and I will share that with our investors and friends.  It is mostly all good.... two steps forward for each one back.... and that is significant considering the economic situation.

WE NEED YOU.  As we move forward with this great polo film, we need YOU to get involved.  Yes, that means financially.  We are a professional production company with significant ties throughout the industry, and growing.  I welcome you to join the many other shareholders from around the world, and participate in ALL of BlueRun's many films and TV programs, not just OF KINGS & COWBOYS.

Also available is an opportunity to join the Executive Producer ranks of OF KINGS & COWBOYS itself, for larger financial committments.  For example a major Argentinean group has pledged $5,000,000 of the $20,000,000 budget already.

For more information, just drop me a note at dmbluerun@gmail.com  I'll get you all the info you want.

Also, if you haven't already, watch our four minute promo for OF KINGS & COWBOYS at www.BlueRunProductions.com/OKC_Promo.htm

Let's go!  Ride on.

Time For an Update - Beating the Odds

It's been a while since I got back on here, and for good reason:  we've been moving forward rapidly in a variety of directions, and promoting the promo on YouTube, and basically just keeping the plates spinning.

The average movie takes 4.5 years from 'script to screen'.  Four and a half years!  That's average.  So when you consider that studio flicks get on a faster track than most (usually), the average independent film is pushed out into the 5 to 6 year range.  We've been working hard on OF KINGS & COWBOYS for a little over a year now.  And started in the worst economic crisis in a generation.  So, all in all, we're doing pretty damn good!  In fact, if we don't shoot the movie for another two years, we will be performing at an average rate for an indie film.  But I think we'll get it underway much sooner than that.

So don't even think of  betting against us in this race.  This film will get made.  Sooner or later.  If it needs to be later, then so be it.   I will go make one or two much less expensive films like RIDING HOME or RUSSIAN WARMBLOOD.  Then capitalize on them to come back to my baby: OF KINGS & COWBOYS.

That said, we may....and I mean MAY....have made a huge step forward in the financing of the film this week.  A group is looking to facilitate the financing, and we've been talking a bunch.  Who knows.  Maybe.  Just maybe.

In prep for these 'possibles', I got our budget reworked/edited.  The one we had was done a year ago, by someone from the TV side of things (mainly).  It wasn't right for our purposes.  So,  many hours later, I have a new one in hand.  The  first one called for a budget of $35M.  This one has it down to right around $24M.  Primary changes?  Greatly reduced my salary, streamlined shooting weeks, went digital (not film), and cut  elsewhere where possible.  This will be an enormous film for such a small budget, but I am extremely confident we will have the best people on board, while keeping our spending at bare rates....without sacrificing the film or the story at all.  Ride on.

Our Promo is Now on YouTube!

I hope you'll all go there and take a look, rate it, post comments, and definitely spread the word!

Please use this URL to send it around: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBGaPv1gnpk

To see it in a larger format, go to: www.BlueRunProductions.com/OKC_Promo.htm

By the way, one of our locations (Pat Nesbit's polo estate in Santa Barbara) was also recently used in the Britney Spears music video for her song Radar.  Click here to see it on YouTube.

Ride on!

Driving the Rolling Kentucky Hills.... figuratively speaking....

I apologize to the many followers of this site (I see the visitation stats daily) for my apparent absence.  Can an absence be 'apparent'?  The reality is I'm very much present and accounted for, each and every day....working my proverbial butt off.  And in truth I don't want to bore you with the details...or worse yet to make you sick to your stomach by all the twists and turns and ups and downs.

When I was young, my wonderful grandfather (Chester Kennady) in Kentucky used to love to take his grandkids for a drive in his old beat-up red farm truck, driving quickly over those rolling Kentucky hills.  We would laugh at the sudden tickle in our stomach as we crested the top and started down the other side. 

My love of horse country and roller coasters was born.  Thank goodness, as film finance (even for horse themed films) is veritably the most extreme roller-coaster I've ever ridden.  Fun at times, terrifying at others, and in the end you are quite happy for the flat ride into the station.

And thus I have felt obliged to not carry you dear readers along for the ride.  In short, we are working on financing BlueRun Productions, and of course it's a difficult 'season' for doing so.  A good bit of effort is now being expended toward the publicly trading markets for capital -- a 'brier patch' I am comfortable navigating.

So, we press on.  We could sure use your help (direct financial involvement, or via introductions to financial involvement), but you already know that if you've been reading this for long.  We have several exciting equine-themed films in the line-up, with our flagship being Of Kings & Cowboys.  Keep checking back, and if you are curious about how you can participate financially, just send me an email to dmbluerun@gmail.com

Meanwhile, ride on...up and down and up....

Beautiful Day of Polo in Santa Ynez

A week ago I drove up to Tom Barrack's Piocho Ranch north of Santa Ynez, to watch the Piocho team vs. La Karina team.  The landscape of that area never fails to leave me shaking my head, muttering "Jiminey... this is beautiful."  Here are some pics.  There are more on my FB page.  Ride on.

Paige Beard TJ Barrack

Big Score for OKC Promo!

Ok.... it's up!  Click on this image to go to the page where you can download it.   What a difference the right score makes!  Ride on.

Cinematic Soundscapes come to the OKC Promo

I am pleased to have cyber-met George Kallis, a very talented film composer, working under his UK company: Cinematic Soundscapes.  George has re-scored the promo / pre-trailer, and the difference is... well you be the judge.  He worked on my 'vision' for the sound, and made it look easy.  To say I am pleased with the result it quite the understatement.  The newly scored version will be posted in a few days.  Check back, and I'll let you know when it is up.  Thank you George!

Here's his website: www.cinematic-soundscapes.com/ (turn your speakers up!)

Ride on!

A hunter, an attorney and a writer/producer go in a bar...

OKC CASTING    We've been chasing leading-actors for awhile... several months now.  It's a bit like stalking deer.  Well, that sounds bad.  Not 'stalking' exactly.  But if you've ever tried to sneak up on a group of wild white tail, you know what I mean.  Tricky bastards.  I am not a hunter, but on several occasions I've helped capture red deer and axis deer from a preserve.  It takes enormous patience, planning, teamwork, and a good dose of cunning.  As for getting material read by leading-actors, it shouldn't be so hard.  But alas.  One thing is for sure: we're working our collective butts off.

FINANCING  What can I say?  It continues.  Focused currently on the casting angle, and on bringing down the Of Kings & Cowboys production budget.  Of course we're simultaneously seeking financing for the prod co, BlueRun....see other entries below.

OTHER PROJECTS  A lot happening.  We're certainly not letting the grass grow under our feet while we're in this "time of long patience" with Of Kings & Cowboys. 

• I'm busy writing Russian Warmblood and pushing for budget breaks in the Baltic countries.
• We're putting together a team to lead the Camp Lexington project...a huge endeavor for TV/Web....great potential;
• I'm also writing a extremely low-cost film, Riding Home, that I'd like to shoot in the fall;
• We're in conversations with some Stanford alums regarding our ensemble film in development, Fast Women Beautiful Horses (story of first motion picture, takes place in Palo Alto, 1876);
• We're talking to several equine-related 501(c)3 organizations to partner with, to pledge a percentage of our project's earnings; and
• We're moving forward on a patent application for the HD SteadiMount, a new gimbal/gyro mount system for the next generation of cinema-quality digital cameras coming out later this year.  Whew!

BACK IN LA  I'll be back there again on the 31st for a week or so. Tons of meetings.  But if you're in the area, drop me a note, buy me a drink and say hi.

Ride on.

War Horse and Sleepy Hollow Horse

I was thrilled to be given this following YouTube link to a story on the play War Horse, based on the book, and its amazing puppetry-horses.  I can't wait for it to come to New York.  Anyone want to help produce it there?

This reflects the power and grace and beauty of our film Russian Warmblood, which is also set near the first World War.  Click here to read the Russian Warmblood treatment.

On a peculiar and oddly related side note, I forgot to ever mention the over-sized animatronic horse carrying the headless horseman (left) that I built a few years ago for Halloween.   (This picture is from the local news coverage.)

He is complete with red glowing eyes and nostrils that spewed steam and a head that pivoted toward the little kids...inducing them to pee their princess and batman costume.  I built the horse all from wood, so it was very heavy... and covered in wire mesh, burlap and felt.  The horseman is PVC, dressed, on a motorized pivot in the horse's belly.  And he was wielding one of my authentic antique swords...I didn't leave it in his hand much!  It was quite the project.  Not nearly as cool as the puppets for War Horse above, but...thought I'd share.

At Christmas he was still in the front yard, so I made him some 'nice' eyes, and then I built a full sleigh for him to 'pull'....thank goodness the song has the line, 'in a one horse open sleigh'...I  sure didn't want to build another one.

After a couple of years, I donated him, and the horseman and the sleigh to a private housing development for their Halloween and Christmas events.  I hope he's doing well.  Ride on!

Looking Down the Road -- Change Coming

Making a film is a journey, to be sure.  And all journeys have their changes, their events, their switching of strategies and means.  This one is no different.  For the past year I've maintained this site as a blog of the 'making of' the our (BlueRun's) big film, Of Kings & Cowboys.   And tens of thousands have visited, with over 1500 subscribing, and I am very grateful.  But we're entering a new phase soon, and the nature of this site will need to adjust accordingly.

In the coming weeks I expect us to begin attaching some major talent, and secure the next $8M pledge toward production financing (negotiations underway).  At that time I'm thinking we'll go pretty much 'radio silent', as we move into many months of pre-production.   (Meanwhile, I'll also be gearing up Russian Warmblood, which has its own twists and turns...but not right to blog about here.)

Another reason for the change is that there is less to discuss during this period, and no one wants to hear me go on about financing.  No doubt you've noticed that for the most part (the below entry being the last exception), our financing, etc. has moved to the BlueRun Productions site: www.BlueRunProductions.com  And open discussions of casting are, well, not going to happen...a lot of casting work is currently underway, but it is not done in public.

And meanwhile my blogging of the process of putting a big film on its feet has moved to my column/blog for MovieMaker Magazine: www.moviemaker.com/blog/category/marlett_me

Starting to see my point?

And there are more reasons.  A big purpose of this site was to bring awareness of the film to the polo community.  Trust me, the polo community is now well aware, and is supportive.  In addition, this site was to provide 'behind the scenes' info as we prepared for and filmed the promo/pre-trailer, and the editing and presentation of it.  Well, that has been done now, and once the leading actors are attached, the promo will be pulled from viewing.

So, where does that leave us?  Most likely we'll build a new website for www.OfKingsandCowboys.com, with general info, including who's involved, press, etc. and that's about it.  But honestly, I'm not sure.  I do know the times are a-changin', which is a good thing!  For now, keep checking in here, and we'll all see what's ahead down the road.

Ride on.