Broken Leg

Fandependent Film Festival

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 17:19:04 -0700

We’re delighted to announce Broken Leg is an official selection of the Fandependent Spring 2016 Film Festival!

Fandependent is an innovative online film festival competition. For the next three weeks, anyone in the world can watch Broken Leg for free on fandependentfilms.com. We want Broken Leg to be seen by as many people as possible and this festival will help spread Karla and Theo’s story around the world.

Here’s Fandependent’s rundown of how their festival works:

A NEW FEATURE FILM EVERY DAY
Every day at 8pm EST we will premier one new film.
FREE TO WATCH
Yup. Every film on our site is free to watch. No logins or accounts needed. What’s cooler than that?!
BECOME A FAN
Each film gets a 3-week run. Support the films and filmmakers you love by Becoming a Fan before their run is over.
THE TOP 3 FILMS WIN
The three films with the most fans win our Audience Award and become enshrined in The Collection. All other films are deleted.

Please share fandependentfilms.com with anyone you think would enjoy our film. It’s free and accessible on multiple devices, so there’s no excuse not to watch now!

Our team is hard at work developing new projects and none of them would be possible without your ongoing support throughout the years! Thank you.

Broken Leg Comes To Los Angeles!!!

Thu, 05 Feb 2015 10:25:00 -0700

Today’s Update comes from Case Barden the Producer of Broken Leg

Kieran and I are proud to bring our little film back to our alma mater, The Los Angeles Film School. Broken Leg will screen in the heart of Hollywood on March 5th at 7:30pm. A Q&A with myself, Kieran, and some of our LA crew members will follow the screening.

Thanks to The Los Angeles Film School, this screening is FREE! To reserve a spot please RSVP: http://brokenlegmovie.com/losangeles

The Los Angeles Film School even did a little write up on Kieran and it’s worth a read!

We hope you’ll join us in LA to see our little film on the big screen! And bring friends too! The more the merrier. Thank you all!

SEATTLE PREMIERE!!! ONE WEEK AWAY!

Fri, 26 Dec 2014 16:10:12 -0700

Today’s update is by Case Barden the producer of BROKEN LEG

We are proud to start out 2015 with our Seattle Premiere! We’ll be screening at the famous Northwest Film Forum on January 2^nd and 3^rd at 7pm. A Q&A with Kieran and I will follow each screening.

Tickets are only $8 and you can buy yours here: brokenlegmovie.com/seattle/

As a special note, it’s also Kieran’s birthday on the 2nd! So please come out with us after the screening to celebrate his birthday. It’ll be a rad time for sure. You can wish him…

Please tell all your Seattle friends to come out and see this movie you helped make. And you too should come check it out on the big screen! Thanks for all your help and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Give Them a Gift They Deserve, a Broken Leg!

Tue, 02 Dec 2014 10:59:21 -0700

For a limited time all Broken Leg DVD’s, Blu-rays, and Photobooks can be ordered as a gift in our online store! We’ll ship the item to you wrapped in pink and white gift wrap, along with a Broken Leg greeting card. All you have to do is add a personalized note in the card and you’ll have a unique gift for someone you love!

Best of all, there’s no additional charge for the gift wrap or greeting card. Consider it our way of thanking you for your help in growing our film’s audience.

Finding unique, one of a kind gifts can be difficult. Broken Leg is the perfect present for a comedy lover, aspiring filmmaker or any independent film fan. Odds are even the biggest cinefile doesn’t have our little film in their collection… yet.

Our cast and crew devoted years to the making of Broken Leg and it’s been seen by audiences all around the world. There’s no better feeling than sharing our film with someone new. Please consider giving all your loved ones a Broken Leg this holiday season, it will be a gift to us too!

Visit the Broken Leg online store to purchase.

The Official Soundtrack of BROKEN LEG

Tue, 26 Aug 2014 10:27:00 -0700

Today’s update comes from Kieran Thompson the Director of Broken Leg:

Arizona has a passionate and eclectic music scene. I knew early on I wanted Broken Leg to have a soundtrack of all local bands. Our music supervisor Samantha Irwin (also my fiancé) and I created a playlist of local music that grew to about 600 songs. I listened to that playlist throughout pre-production, production, and post-production. That playlist became the soundtrack to the making of Broken Leg.

It’s hard to select the perfect song for a scene. Each song brings its own flavor and emotion to the table. The right song can accentuate an emotion without distracting the audience. Some songs were selected before we shot, like “Oh, My” by Alvin Band. This allowed me to play the songs on set while filming, which allowed the actors to connect personally with the music in character. A few were chosen early in the editing process while others weren’t picked until the final mix. Our final soundtrack includes 10 songs of various styles which augment their scenes and ultimately make Broken Leg a better film.

I’m humbled that the bands below allowed us to include their music in Broken Leg. Please check out their websites, purchase their music, and support these amazing Arizona musicians!

Alvin Band - “Oh, My”
Website: alvinband.com
Buy Song: alvinband.com/store

Miniature Tigers - “Rock N’ Roll Mountain Troll”
Website: miniaturetigers.com
Buy Song: itunes.apple.com/us/album/f-o-r-t-r-e-s-s/id382078412

Alvin Band - “Ovum”
Website: alvinband.com
Buy Song: alvinband.com/store

Sam Means - “Will You Hang Around?”
Website: music.means.am
Buy Song: music.means.am/track/will-you-hang-around-2

Black Carl - “Become My Hallucination”
Website: blackcarl.com
Buy Song: itunes.apple.com/us/album/become-my-hallucination/id632858743?i=632859016

Alvin Band - “Gazette Pitch”
Website: alvinband.com
Buy Song: alvinband.com/store

So Loud - “lol Robot Dance Party”
Website: soundcloud.com/soloudband

Black Carl - “The Wolf”
Website: blackcarl.com
Buy Song: blackcarl.bandcamp.com/track/the-wolf

Reel Spitt feat Mugsy McCoy - “I’m In Love With Hip-Hop”
Website: reverbnation.com/reelspitt/
Listen: reverbnation.com/reelspitt/song/2127203-im-in-love-with-hip-hop-feat-mugsy

Underground Cities - “Stay Fast With The Ship”
Website: undergroundcities.bandcamp.com
Buy Song: undergroundcities.bandcamp.com/track/stay-fast-with-the-ship

Learning How to Fight: How Broken Leg Changed My Acting Career

Thu, 14 Aug 2014 09:43:00 -0700

Today’s update comes from Sarah Sawyer the Lead Actor of Broken Leg

Exactly two years ago, I had stumbled into the Broken Leg audition late with tears in my eyes because I couldn’t find the building. The blue shirt I was wearing was see-through, and my pants were too big on me and kept falling down during my audition. I’m normally a mess, but on that day, I was a bigger, unorganized mess than usual. Fortunately, my messiness worked in my favor because Kieran and Case called me back. Two years later, we all still keep in touch, and our friendship has a family-like element as I have seemed to accumulate many “older brothers.” The other day Kieran, Case, Sam (Kieran’s fiancé) and I were out at breakfast after the Phoenix premieres at FilmBar, and Kieran declared to the table, “I remember we were auditioning girls in LA and I just kept saying, ‘There’s that one girl in Phoenix. I think she might be crazy.’”

And there was the money word…Crazy. Something I’ve heard a lot in my life. And as I’ve begun to accept that generalization as something to be proud of, up until Broken Leg, my “crazy” hadn’t worked in my favor. I had auditioned for Broken Leg out of sheer disappointment from a few embarrassing auditions I had muscled my way through a few months before. My whole life I’ve been a ball of energy, and I’ve tried to conceal that energy in hopes of not coming off “crazy.” Even as a 20-year-old, I couldn’t figure out how to channel all of my energy. It was true, I was “crazy” and for the theatre auditioners who desired polished, boxed performers, I could not deliver.

But Kieran did not call me “crazy” in a derogative way at all. In fact, the way he used “crazy” was full of respect and admiration for my willingness and inhibitions. In many ways, it’s one of the best compliments I’ve ever received. The Broken Leg team respected me for who I was and what I brought to the story of Karla and Theo. That respect was the beginning of a world where I channeled what people saw as “crazy” into justifiable, sane characters. They gave me the opportunity to figure out what improvisation on camera felt like, how to handle long days on set, and how to expand a character’s arch in every moment on screen. More than that, they gave me the opportunity to find Karla on my own terms without imposing judgment on my work as an actor or as a female. I was a college student when I filmed Broken Leg, and I like to say that it was the best college internship available to the young actor in Arizona.

I look back now and I realize that Broken Leg planted the seed of desire in me to fight. By the time we finished filming Broken Leg, a fire had been ignited in me, and I was going to fight to show the world that my “crazy” was a good crazy.

The year following filming Broken Leg, I went from production to production. I didn’t take a break, and often rehearsals would overlap one another. I finally met a gem of an acting mentor whom I met with biweekly. She understood who I was as an actor and artist and pushed me everyday to get better. Through her help in workshop, we decided that the next step for me would be to audition for acting schools in the UK. England produces some of the best actors in the world. The training is hard, the days are long, but it’s worth it because in many cases, the careers last just as long as the days spent in training school. It’s a challenge to actually get accepted into one of these schools, but it was the only thing I breathed, ate, and dreamed about by Fall 2013.

I began to apply to some of the most prestigious acting schools in the UK. I applied to this one school out of the casual mentality, “It’s a good school. Not really on my radar, but let’s give it a shot.” And of course, knowing my last minute tendencies, I submitted my application 5 days before the deadline. The school then responded to my application saying they could see my in San Francisco two weeks later. A jolt of excited, nervous energy rattled through my body. The only day they could see me on the west coast was the same day I had a dress rehearsal at the Phoenix Symphony for a production of Romeo and Juliet. I was playing Juliet, and I had no understudy. I had to be in Phoenix. But to make matters a little more complicated, I had a show the next morning which meant I had to fly to SF in the afternoon, audition in the early evening and hope that my plane would make it back that night for our morning performance. And as I remember leaving my house that morning, my college roommate said to me, “You’re crazy.”

Yes, it might have been a little crazy, but I knew I had to do it. So, I left rehearsal that morning for San Francisco in a rush. I jogged to the BART and jumped on. I couldn’t find the audition building again, story of my life, but I kind stranger helped me. I walked into that audition flustered but focused. And as the audition went on, I felt the same way I had felt in the Broken Leg audition. “I might be crazy, I thought.” I think the auditioner thought that too as we laughed and shared an hour together talking about plays and women in theater. I left San Francisco in love with a school I hadn’t even known existed 5 months prior. Four days later I was offered 1 of the 12 spots at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is one of the top acting schools in England and in the world. It’s very small in size and they typically they accept 12 in each class after auditioning hundreds of applicants world-wide. The school as trained Daniel Day-Lewis, Patrick Stewart, Jeremy Irons, Gene Wilder, and Naomie Harris.

I’ve worked everyday since finding out I had been offered a spot at BOVTS. I took two jobs this summer, one as an advertising assistant and another as a server, and I’ve booked numerous commercials. My extended family has donated extensively to help toward my tuition. My mom and I have done a lot of extraneous tasks to find money. (I’m about to sell my FOX Renard 330 Oboe if anyone wants it.) I leave for England September 5th and I’m $2,000 short to be able to pay for all of it. I’m literally at the point where $1 is one less dollar I’ll have to take out as a private loan. Kieran and Case taught me that there is a community out there wanting to see me succeed. I launched an IndieGoGo two weeks ago to close my financing for Bristol.

Sarah Goes To The UK - IndieGoGo

I write this story to you because your support for Broken Leg really helped me in my struggle to find my voice. My story is one of unexpected opportunity, but it’s taken a lot of hard work to get there. It’s time for a new chapter in my life. But just as in any good book or play, a new chapter stems from the chapters before. You all played such a significant role in my life in Phoenix. I will carry your kindness me as I move to the motherland. But this is not a parting; I invite you to follow my journey to Bristol to see what it’s like to be a budding young actress at one of the most renowned schools in the world:

@sarahesawyer on Instagram
@sarahesawyer on Twitter

Thank you for the memories, laughs, and relentless support for Broken Leg.

Love,

Sarah Sawyer (Aka The Crazy Girl)

Watch Broken Leg Now!

Fri, 01 Aug 2014 11:27:40 -0700

Today’s update comes from Case Barden the Producer of Broken Leg

Broken Leg enters a new phase of its life cycle as it’s officially released online to the world today! This is the moment where we the mother bird kick our beloved baby bird out of the nest to teach it how to fly. This is the moment where everyone will finally get to see what you have been in on for the past two years.

Here’s how y'all can join in today’s celebration:

1) Watch It!

2) Share It! Post our trailer vimeo.com/99047204, throw a party, write a review, tweet a picture of your rewards, stand on a soap box on the street corner, etc. Let your friends know it’s available today and give them a personalized reason why they should watch our film and direct them to our store: brokenlegmovie.com/store. This is your film too. Be proud to share it!

Your rewards have been mailed, the film is online, and we have months of great content planned from behind-the-scenes to some of our goofy short films from film school. This is show time. This is the real moment where we really get to #breakaleg.

Thank you for being a part of this crazy ride with us. I hope you enjoy the film.

Broken Leg In the Press

Tue, 22 Jul 2014 11:02:43 -0700

Our premiere at FilmBar Phoenix is this weekend! Saturday 7/26 is SOLD OUT but tickets are still available for Sunday 7/27: http://bit.ly/brokenlegfilmbar

Phoenix New Times named Broken Leg one of “5 Must-See Movies in Metro Phoenix in July” and spoke with our director Kieran Thompson on Broken Leg, Kickstarter, and screening at the Phoenix Film Festival! Read it here: http://bit.ly/brokenlegnewtimes

Kickstarter Backers, your rewards will be shipped soon! Please log in to Kickstarter and complete your backer survey asap so we know where to send your goodies.

Want to be the first to see news like this? Follow Broken Leg on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram! #breakaleg

“Oh My” & the Score of Broken Leg

Tue, 01 Jul 2014 10:44:09 -0700

Today’s update comes from Rick Schaier the Composer of Broken Leg

I first heard about Broken Leg through my friend Josh Gonzales. He called while I was in California and told me the director Kieran was interested in using my Alvin Band song “Oh My” in the film. I make music personally. Alvin Band is my solo project. “Oh My” I recorded in high school. I was going through my Beatle’s Yellow obsession. It’s primitive, lyrically and sonically. That was 2004 or 2005. That song has had more momentum than my newer stuff. I agreed to let Kieran use the song in the film.

Six months later Kieran showed me the first cut of Broken Leg with Josh and Connie. It was real casual. We had a few beers while watching it. It was a lot funnier than I thought it would be. I just remember us laughing. I was surprised that Kieran added some of my more experimental music like Lady Portrait in the film and a Miniature Tigers song as well. It was surreal to hear my music in the film. It was very personal to have the director show you the movie. Later on we discussed the film on the porch and Kieran asked if I wanted to score certain parts. I agreed.

I watched Broken Leg again in the van in Europe while Miniature Tigers were on tour. I had a real nice experience. It was at night and I was on the lower deck as we passed through the Swiss Alps. The movie had been on my mind but I hadn’t done much writing for it. Europe gave me a lot of inspiration. I think some parts of the score are romantic or have a sweet element to them. To say the least, Europe left me googley-eyed.

Kieran wanted some specific music for specific scenes in the movie. I’ve done a few spots for a TV show. I dabbled a tiny bit in scoring. But I’ve never scored a film before where I made music for existing scenes. It was a learning curve. To add to a scene, it’s a completely different approach. You don’t want people to zone in on the music. Especially when there’s dialogue. It has to have a presence but a subconscious presence. It’s not as obvious. We want the music to fit the vibe of it. Kieran was really good at directing me and mellowing me out to accent a scene to feel right.

My mindset was this is Kieran’s film and he asked me to do because he loves my work. It was a challenge to write for someone else and be open to change and to not be too attached to my own ideas. We’d make minor edits and some majors edits. It still felt original. I was always trying to fulfill Kieran’s vision. I’d show him something I’d worked on, he’d give me direction, and I’d throw the headphones on and jam.

The most in depth scoring that we did was on the park bench scene towards the end of the film. Kieran had a pre-existing temp song and liked the vibe but knew he couldn’t use it. For me, it was a vague thing. Where he wanted this feeling but didn’t need that specific chord, instrumentation, or this rhythm… just that feeling. We tried a lot of different approaches. It probably wasn’t what either of us expected but we walked away really happy with it.

One thing I enjoy about Kieran is that he has an extreme persistence. But always in a causal calm approach. He was never in my face. It never felt like he was babysitting me. He understood how long the process was. I’m honored to have such a fingerprint on the film. There’s a little bit of spice of everything I’m involved in from Alvin Band to Miniature Tigers to the score. It’s a trip. It’s an honor really. I’m eager to do another.

Miniature Tigers “Cruel Runnings” is out now. Tell Rick to #breakaleg when their tour comes to your town!

Watch The Trailer! Official Release Announcement!

Tue, 24 Jun 2014 10:17:00 -0700

Today’s update comes from the entire Broken Leg Team

For months you’ve asked “When can we see the trailer?” And the answer to that question is “Now!”

Please share the trailer with friends, family, co-workers, lovers, strangers on a bus, your local politicians, the family dog or cat, and anyone else who’d enjoy a heartfelt comedy like ours using this link:

http://vimeo.com/ondemand/brokenleg/99047204

And with more exciting news, we’re thrilled to announce that Broken Leg will be released on August 1st in the US! Pre-orders for downloads, DVDs, and Blu-rays of Broken Leg are available right now on our ONLINE STORE. This is a chance to share the film with more people, whether that’s friends, family, or again cool strangers.

We hope you enjoyed the trailer! August 1st can’t come soon enough!

#breakaleg

The Poster

Fri, 13 Jun 2014 12:44:00 -0700

Today’s update comes from Case Barden the Producer of Broken Leg

Hi Y’all! If you’ve already bought your tickets for Broken Leg at FilmBar you got a sneak peak at the poster, but here it officially makes its debut:

Before I go any further… THANKS to Brian Tran for hooking me up with Photoshop, THANKS to Julia, Jeffrey, and Matt for all the guidance in Photoshop, and THANKS to Alex for her sweet handwriting.

The road by which we arrived at this image took a few months of effort and tweaking. For months Kieran and I debated about what the poster image would be. It’s the first thing people would see. It’s the first thing that would sell the movie. We decided on these criteria:

A) Define the core relationship between Karla & Theo.
B) Be easy to read from afar or crowded by other images.
C) Fun!

The adage in my head was that the poster had to look like cake.

During color correction I became transfixed by what might be the most defining scene in Broken Leg. It’s a dance-off between Karla and Theo while they’re painting (this scene was improvised and is not in the script… at all #propstotheactors). This moment was so visual and so what we are trying to do with the movie.

I began to collage with screen shots from the scene. I would shoot Kieran an email with images arranged in different positions and he’d then give notes. We jostled, rotated, twisted, flipped, flopped, and inverted the images until we settled on a final size and position. I then opened up the 4K RED files and began color correcting them to be in balance with one another. It’s hard… like really hard. After that I brought it all into Photoshop where more, and more, and more tweaking began. This is where most of the work took place. There were a lot of aesthetic marks to hit. Many of those were subtle and important. It had to be right.

The litmus test for the process would Kieran placing the rough poster into an image of Netflix. If it seems like a movie people would click then we did our job right. Or the shorter way… if it looked like cake.

Not on Netflix just yet… this is a sample

I invite you to download these versions of our poster and share it with your friends:

And of course join us on July 26 & 27 at FilmBar Phoenix!

#breakaleg

Our Premiere In Phoenix!

Mon, 09 Jun 2014 12:39:00 -0700

Today’s update comes from Kieran Thompson the Director of Broken Leg

I arrived at the Phoenix Film Festival screening of Broken Leg. The theater was full of friends, family, cast, crew, backers, and many people I didn’t recognize. The excitement was palpable and I hoped the film would live up to it.

The theater went dark and the film began to play. I sunk into my chair and squeezed my fiancé’s hand. The first joke was coming up quick… and laughter followed! The laughs continued to flow. My nerves melted away. I gazed at the big screen beaming with pride at movie our team worked so hard to create.

Afterwards people shared the various ways they connected with the story and the characters. We set out to make a heartfelt comedy and accomplished that goal. This left us with an even stronger desire to share the film with as many people as possible…

I’m delighted to announce that Broken Leg will have its official premiere at FilmBar in Phoenix this July!

FilmBar is mecca for the Phoenix indie film scene. It’s been named “Best Independent Theater” for the past three years by the Phoenix New Times. The intimate 70 seat theater will be the perfect setting for our Q&A with the cast and crew. Their bar has a selection of beer and wine that you can bring into the theater! Our afterparty will be held in their bar and I can’t think of a more fitting and fun place to celebrate the premiere!

Tickets are on sale now:

Saturday July 26 at 6pm (21+ only)
Sunday July 27 at 2pm (all ages)

For those outside of Arizona, big news is coming soon about how and when everyone will get to watch Broken Leg. Making this film has been a long journey, but this is only the beginning of sharing it with the world.

I hope those who can will celebrate with us at FilmBar. Please invite your friends, share this post, and #breakaleg!

Thank you to the incredible audience that made Broken...

Wed, 09 Apr 2014 10:32:21 -0700

Thank you to the incredible audience that made Broken Leg’s premiere at the Phoenix Film Festival so exceptional and fun!

Today Is Our Day!

Tue, 08 Apr 2014 12:45:00 -0700

Today’s update comes from Case Barden the Producer of Broken Leg

“I think the situation should be relatable.

I think one broken leg is problem enough. If it’s too cartoonish of an injury people won’t connect with it. Example: people wince at paper cuts on screen but not bullet wounds.

The drama and comedy lies in the fact that these two people would never be friends but now they are forced to be family. They have to connect over the weekend over some quest. Maybe there is a guilt factor in that the other guy accidentally caused the accident. Who ever is Luke’s care taker for the weekend needs to be broken inside. Guilty or broke in some humanizing/confounding way.

Maybe their mission is to do something nice for his wife who has given up some of the things she likes to take care of Luke. Maybe she stopped working in her garden or Luke builds the tree house he promised too. Some physical task Luke can’t do and something he won’t tell until half way through. It has to be a lot of work.

-C

Sent via BlackBerry”

That email is from 11/20/11 and it is the first time the phrase ‘Broken Leg’ graced my email. It was only a few days earlier when the idea happened while I was driving on I-5. That day I had long chat with Kieran about what this story could potentially be. This was the start.

The shear scope of this project boggles my mind. This email was 870 days ago, or 124 weeks, or 31 months, or 2.6 years. To get this little movie there it took 223 Kickstarter backers, some 116 collaborators, and more favors than I can count. It’s a culmination of blood, sweat, tears, and a few ulcers, but it’s more than that. It’s made of laughs, fun, and maybe a few moments of redemption too. Maybe it’s mostly made of all our passion. It truly is a little-film-that-could and it’s all for this one singular moment in time…

But let me interject real quick: we sold out our screening, got bumped to a bigger theater, and SOLD OUT AGAIN! Also, we’re listed by the Phoenix New Times as one of the 10-Must See Movies.

Today is our World Premiere at the Phoenix Film Festival 2014! There’s something awesome about holding these in my hand.

Our Phoenix Film Festival Tickets

Don’t fret; there will be more screenings to come in the next couple months and soon we’ll have it online so all will be able to enjoy. Until then wish us luck on Twitter,Instagram, & Facebook by telling us to #BreakALeg.

Spotted on the schedule wall at Phoenix Film Festival. Is it...

Sat, 05 Apr 2014 21:31:28 -0700

Spotted on the schedule wall at Phoenix Film Festival. Is it Tuesday yet?!? (at Phoenix Film Festival)

10 Must-See Movies at the Phoenix Film Festival

Sat, 05 Apr 2014 16:42:25 -0700

10 Must-See Movies at the Phoenix Film Festival:

It’s an honor to be included on this must-see list. Thank you Phoenix New Times!

Only 7 days until Broken Leg premieres at the Phoenix Film...

Tue, 01 Apr 2014 08:52:33 -0700

Only 7 days until Broken Leg premieres at the Phoenix Film Festival! #BreakALeg #PFF2014

Broken Leg’s screening at the Phoenix Film Festival is...

Mon, 10 Mar 2014 12:06:31 -0700

Broken Leg’s screening at the Phoenix Film Festival is officially SOLD OUT!

It's Showtime

Thu, 06 Mar 2014 08:59:37 -0700

Today’s update comes from Kieran Thompson the Director of Broken Leg

A film is worthless without an audience. We don’t make films to sit on a shelf. They must be watched, absorbed, and discussed. It’s a fantastic high to watch your film in a theatre with a packed house. Hearing the audience laugh and cry at the right moments is the stuff filmmakers dream of. For two years our team has toiled to make Broken Leg; it’s time for us to share it with you.

I’m overjoyed to announce that Broken Leg is an Official Selection of the Phoenix Film Festival! Screening one night only, on April 8th, this is your chance to get a sneak peek at the film before it’s released this summer.

As Arizona filmmakers it means a great deal to premiere at our hometown festival. Phoenix Film Festival is a fantastic place to see a film, meet people in the industry, and learn about the filmmaking process. Two years ago at a festival afterparty we celebrated having met our Kickstarter goal with an epic karaoke rendition of “I Love ~~Rock N’ Roll~~ Broken Leg“.

For those outside of Arizona, don’t you fret. There’s plenty of Broken Leg to go around and you better believe we’ll bring it to you. But if you’re anywhere within a 600 mile radius of the Harkins Scottsdale 101, I hope to see you there. Members of the cast and crew will be in attendance for a Q&A. Some of them will be watching the film for the first time along with you!

Tickets are on sale now. Please share this update on Facebook and Twitter and invite your friends to a see a movie you helped make! Get excited, spread the word, and #BreakALeg.

Broken Leg at the Phoenix Film Festival
Tuesday, April 8th at 7:10pm
Harkins Scottsdale 101 - 7000 E Mayo Blvd Phoenix, AZ 85054
Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/e/590475

Misty On Post

Tue, 04 Mar 2014 08:01:50 -0700

Today’s update comes from Misty Walter the Editor of Broken Leg

Kieran kept telling me about this feature that he was about to shoot at the end of summer. It was so inspiring to hear about a collaborative project like that. Without just wanting just invite myself to join the team, I would always drop hints like “If you ever needed any help with anything…” When Kieran officially asked me to be a part of the Broken Leg team, I was beyond grateful, and I jumped on board without hesitation.

It’s often hard to explain to people what I do, mostly because I don’t consider it an active job like construction worker or office manager. It’s not a point A to point B kind of job. It’s a job of feeling. To watch all the footage and understand how it could feel together. Even the order of shots can completely change how people view a scene. For me, I may not have a technical reason for cutting to certain shot at a certain time. It may just be the tone in her voice, and that’s enough. I do my best to get the scene to feel right more than anything. I like to think I edit with my heart.

Each night during editing, I’d come home to my couch, sync audio, read the script, and then go through the takes to watch performances. Reading a script is one thing, it’s point A to point B, but watching a series of performances and determining what the audience gets to see is another. There’s only the footage that was shot and it can be arranged an infinite number of ways. It brings a whole slew of questions: what will the audience connect with? What will make them laugh? Or cry? Or even stop watching the movie? Deciding these feelings is the job of the editor. Sometimes it’s a quick process to choose and other times it’s hours, or even days.

When Kieran first saw the film the runtime was at 2:43:00 and my stomach was in knots. Everyone had put so much passion into pre-production and production, and now it was my interpretation of all that work. It was far from perfect. I know I cringed a few times but we both laughed. We both saw what was good in the cut.

After that we delved into the collaboration. We took apart the film scene by scene. We got rid of the unneeded scenes and finessed with the others. Sometimes Kieran would ask for me to take my own approach, I’d go off to edit, and come back to talk about the choices I made. Other times we’d be in the same room trying different takes and swapping them out for another. We always talked about what we want the audience to take away. I feel like Kieran dived into the question of “Can we make this better?” This would lead us reevaluating every shot and scene in the film. It’s a process of trial and error.

Looking back now, I’m not so sure how I worked my full time job and edited Broken Leg, but when you’re passionate about something, I guess those details don’t always have to make sense. You’ll find a way. I mean it was a solid six months of nights and weekends but I’m really pleased with how much time we spent crafting it. It was a great ride.