Timeline
Pre-Production 2015
Pre-production for this film began in 2015 with the filmmaker’s intent of sharing their love of comic book shops and the impact they’ve made on the world at large but more personally, on the filmmakers themselves. After reaching out to local shops in the LA area first and then spreading their focus to a national stage it became all too clear that this project would require patience as well as a well-honed budget. Attempts at raising early funds for both equipment and travel continued through the end of 2015 and gained significant traction in early 2016 when physical production began.
Production 2016 – 2021
Production began in 2016 leading to over 60 interviews with industry professionals, retail shop owners, and fans from across the country. Travel has been a vital part of making this film possible. Travel to places such as: New York, Portland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Florida, Nebraska, Denver, Indiana, California, and Atlanta. Production is ongoing through 2022.
Post-Production
The post-production process for documentaries is widely mistaken as a straightforward process of trimming footage down until it fits the narrative the filmmakers are trying to shape. If only it were that simple. Not to imply that it’s a slog but it can be daunting for a smaller team than your typical feature film. This is an unscripted project, for the most part, and building the narrative takes time and both a keen eye and ear. It’s a wide-ranging process full of more than just simple editing techniques, post-production includes MANY other areas of expertise that help craft the perfect story.
Color
Most films utilize color and tone to convey subtle messages to the audience. For a documentary, this can be an incredibly powerful but wholly subtle tool. Color correction is used to give the overall film a sense of uniformity but in many ways color shapes the tone of an image and adds to the message. At the very least it removes the distraction of incongruity. It may sound frivolous to some but in reality, it’s one of the most significant contributions to the whole process, second only to sound.
Sound
There’s nothing worse than bad sound on a picture and it can hobble any film’s message by breaking a viewer’s concentration or distracting them from the film’s narrative flow. Dialogue, sound effects, and the quality of music are all vital means of keeping a viewer’s attention but also informing them of the story. Though some work is done in the editing process to clean up exposition and or interference, when you get a project back from a sound designer who knows what they’re doing, the results are like night and day.
GFX
Graphics and animations help define a film’s voice, whether it’s meant to have a sense of gravity or one that’s more playful, graphics are instrumental in informing an audience
with minimal distraction from the story. It’s an art form in its own right and one we don’t intend to ignore. This is one of the more time-consuming aspects of the whole process and requires, like everything else, expert attention.
Distribution
Current models of distribution for a project this size are changing at a significant rate. A growing number of filmmakers have made note that it’s never too early to start shopping a film to distributors; people who already have the infrastructure to get a movie out to a market or audience that wants to see it.
For documentaries, self-distribution has a greater potential for a film to reach a wider audience these days and avoid the traditional distribution model’s problematic over-head expenses. Self-distribution, like anything in this business provides no guarantees but the likelihood of visibility is greater which makes it the most appealing. While the specifics of Shopping For Superman’s distribution model are still uncertain, digital outlets are the most likely targets, such as: Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime.
Contribute
Shopping For Superman needs your help.
Charitable contributions are how we keep this project moving.
Money is one of the most direct ways to help the film but spreading awareness is vital to helping us reach our goal and spread the word about the film.
If you want to contribute to Shopping For Superman, click below!