Sol Tryon on “The Living Wake”: Doing it differently (Pt. 1 of 3)

This entry was originally published at Hope For Film

Today’s guest post is the first of three coming from the filmmaker Sol Tryon.

The Living Wake has been a truly original project from the get go.  With a creative team of first time filmmakers we knew every phase of getting this film made and distributed was going to be an immense challenge. Peter Kline, Mike O’Connell and myself developed the project from its origins as a 20-page one-man show into a full-length feature film.

Once we had the script ready to go, we knew it was going to be something that we were going to have to make on our own to prove ourselves to the film community.  We shot a short film based on the characters from the feature to help us show investors that we had a distinct voice and vision.  From there we were able to raise our seed money to get us going.

The three of us moved to Maine intent on making this film however we could.  Living in tents on my parents’ land, we began location scouting and casting while continuing to try to find financing.  Things began to fall into place for us as more people joined our team.  We quickly developed a group of passionate people who were inspired by the originality of the script and the setting we were creating.

Through this collaboration, our dream of bringing our quirky comedy to life became a reality.  Shooting the film was the most exhausting and enjoyable experience I have ever had. We became a big creative family where everyone was doing anything and everything necessary to make sure our schedule was met and the vision was fulfilled.  By the time we had completed the shoot, every single person involved with the project felt a true sense of ownership and believed we had created something special.

Tomorrow: The Path To Self-Distribution

Don’t miss The Living Wake in Los Angeles May 21st-27th at Laemmle’s Sunset 5