ROSS PARTRIDGE'S SUNDANCE BLOG

Ross Partridge rocking the red
carpet at Sundance 2011.

Ross Partidge, the amazing leading man from THE LAKE EFFECT, was kind enough to guest blog this week from the Sundance Film Festival, where his latest film, THE OFF HOURS is premiering...  Enjoy!

Ross:

We screened my film, THE OFF HOURS, twice thus far.  I play a truck driver named Oliver, who is not sure of the direction of his life after his marriage is ailing and his quest for higher meaning lands him the job, which is much different then what he use to know of his life, as a banker. People really like the film. I love it. I think it is is amazing and really special. It is dark, moody and like a Tom Waits song… very still.

So we had the premiere and now that it is on the table we have much anxiety about whether or not the film will sell. This is the unfortunate part(often fortunate) of all the great honor and thrills of being at Sundance. “Will the film sell?!” becomes the Elephant in the room. In everyone's room. THE OFF HOURS screened really well. People were moved and really taken about how cinematic it looks and feels. They are calling it a throwback to some of the older films at Sundance, those shot on film with higher budgets. We will know more by mid-week and hopefully we can all breathe a sigh of relief.




Kay (Panabaker, who plays opposite Ross in THE LAKE EFFECT) and I have exchanged messages a few times and are trying to get together for brunch. I will take a photo when the family is back together again.  In the meantime, I am standing in line for Kay's film, LITTLE BIRDS. It is completely sold out and the buzz here seems to be that the film is one the attracts a really broad audience.  Apparently so, because getting tickets looks nearly impossible.  Great for Kay, not great for us. 

Kay P and Juno Temple
in LITTLE BIRDS

Tickets at Sundance are so nearly impossible, at first, unless you get them early or buy a very expensive badge.  The actors themselves usually don’t even have tickets to give because the producers are hoping to get as many buyers, distributers, agents, and press people as possible in to see the film.  Since we don't have a ticket to Kay’s film, we are standing in line with 100 other people in the wait list line. The frenzy for tickets is out of control and although films are most always sold out, somehow you manage to get in. Earlier, we actually tried to sneak in to the theater because I really want to support Kay(my only daughter).  We were hovering in the fire escape stairwell, trying to scalp a few tickets, when we got busted by festival volunteer who was escorting out James Franco. They were really great about it and laughed as well. It is an amazing adventure and for the most part people who come just love it. It’s like Mardis Gras in snow…   

The partying here is out of control. The streets are packed with on- lookers and paparazzing hoping to get a glimpse of a star or two. There are thousands of young woman and men all carry bags from gifting suites- shoes and jackets and hats.  More shit then most need or want but it seems the frenzy to have free shit infects everyone here.  I think there are many people who come here just to party and have no interest in film.  I admit...I have gotten a few things here and there. as we do press lines and photos shoots, sometimes they say come here and take you into a room supplied with sponsorship swag. it is wild. In fact, if they really wanted to give things away here to the "artisits" here they should hand out bags of groceries because it is very expensive and most artist are struggling to eat at the fest.

Oh Sundance.. No other place like it. Two feet of snow, too much alcohol, great friends and fun and great film… and no sleep. It is an amazing experience and so very lucky to be part of it.

#3 THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

I should be on pins and needles, counting down the days until our premiere at Moondance (plug: Sunday the 26^th at 9:30 pm – click here for details).  Maybe it hasn’t hit me yet.  Or maybe I’m just too busy!   Yesterday, I was chasing after a very mobile one-year old who was running around the house wielding our newly printed postcards cooing, “Ross! Ross!”

Luna is a big fan of

actor Ross Partridge.

I am actually scribbling all this furiously before naptime ends - the MacGruber-like pressure is on… the seconds ticking down… Luna will wake in 4-3-2… hand me the chewing gum!!!

The week before a fest is like mini-pre-production.  We’re hustling to fill a 250 seat planetarium and to get some reviewers to show up (C’mon reviewers, if you’re reading this: SHOW UP!).  We’ve launched TLE’s website and posted our trailer (hopefully if you’re reading this, you’ve seen it, liked it, and shared it!). We’ve teamed up with Real Baby, a store in Denver and Boulder to do a ticket giveaway.  We’ve emailed newspapers, radio stations, and bloggers and we’re starting to line up interviews… Yesterday, Jennifer unveiled our suh-weet posters – I’m planning on wallpapering my house with all 500 of them (yes, that’s right.  We printed 500 posters– we’re nothing if not ambitious.  PS: anyone wanna buy a poster?).

Truth be told, this is the easy part – festivals are (at their best) celebrations of cinema.  I’m excited to meet the other filmmakers and see their films (especially the controversial POPE JOAN with John Goodman).   We have lots of cast and crew flying out for the screening and the post-awards-ceremony-pre-screening par-te at the Boulder Draft House!  The film’s very talented composer Paul Larson of THE MINOR CANON, will be playing a set of songs from the film and our trailer will be screening on 8 flat screen TVs around the bar.  We’ll have Lake Effect drink specials, CDs of the score and copies of our poster for sale… like I said, festivals are celebrations!  And of course, there’s the screening and the Q & A…

I’m not always a fan of watching my work with an audience – it’s like hearing your own voice recorded – you’re never sure it quite sounds like you.   And then you have to get up and talk about your work – which is a bit redundant, like an addendum to the film.  I’d rather sit behind a two-way mirror and eavesdrop as the audience talks amongst themselves…  that’s assuming that there is, in fact, an audience and that they like it. 

Ah, there they are… the pins and needles... and uhp - there's the baby calling.