THE SCENT OF RAIN & LIGHTNING

Special FREE screening at the Arclight Hollywood Monday, Sep. 11th

If you follow my newsletters even sporadically, you've probably heard me talk about actor (now actor/writer/director/producer) Blake Robbins. Blake has been littering your TV and movie screens for years, in everything from Chase Bank commercials to the recent Wind River. When he took my class several years ago, he was ready to make the leap to writer/director/producer. Like a lot of actors who've taken my class, he wanted a better level of role for himself, not the dependable character role he always played, but the lead role that kept alluding him.

Also, he was ready to flex other creative muscles, like directing, and instinctively knew no one was going to let him direct a movie without first demonstrating that he could do it. So, he took my class, raised some money on Kickstarter, and went to Kansas to shoot his drama The Sublime and Beautiful for a measly $30k. That film premiered in competition in Slamdance, won awards, garnered a distributor, and allowed Blake to come back to my class as a guest speaker--the student was now the master.

I tell my students right off the bat in my classes that you will not make money making micro-budget indie films, and that that's fine. The idea is to learn the craft of filmmaking, make mistakes, take risks, and hopefully, do well enough that someone comes along and gives you money to make your next film. I don't think Blake made much money on Sublime, despite the awards and positive reviews, but he did get the call to make another film. He was hired to direct The Scent of Rain & Lighting, based on the novel by popular author Nancy Pickard, and this time his budget was in the 7 figures, not 5 figures. And while Blake is in the film, he didn't have to do the heavy acting lifting. He left that up to an amazing group of actors like Maika Monroe, Will Patton, Maggie Grace, Mark Webber, Bonnie Bedelia, and Justin Chatwin.

I've seen this movie twice now and it's a beautiful, excellent film. Don't miss this opportunity to see it on the big screen FOR FREE, with cast and crew in attendance and answering questions following the screening. Blake is an open book, and he's so articulate when it comes to talking about how he makes his films. And he's ingenious, too. Bring a pad to take notes! Tickets are limited and first come, first served.

Slamdance Cinema Club Presents a Special Screening of

THE SCENT OF RAIN & LIGHTNING

Monday, September 11, 2017 • 8pm • Tickets: Free

Arclight Hollywood • 6360 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028

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© 2017 Mark Stolaroff