If you can post the content of a book to a blog as you develop the book, why not a film? That’s precisely what Scottish film director David MacKenzie is doing with the script for Hallam Foe, a film based on the novel by Peter Jinks.
[…] So here’s what we decided. Like I said, filming begins in January. Between now and then David has to do one more major re-write. The script in its current form is on a Word Document here. Feel free to download it and tell us what you think. David doesn’t have a blog himself, but he’ll be happy to answer questions in the comments.
From my perspective, it’s no-brainer. The idea is to get the script "out there" to the world at large as early on as possible, so if there’s anything wrong with it, at least it can be fixed. The earlier you get your audience involved with the marketing process, the easier and cheaper it is. Most film marketing is, to quote David, "Too little, too late".
The interesting thing for me is we’re not just trying to use blogs to pimp a movie. We’re trying to use blogs to actually help the making of a movie. Not only that, this isn’t a low-budget indie art-school project. This is a commercial, mainstream movie from an established director doing the Cluetrain thing.
One interesting additional possibility here is that the film could have multiple plots and/or endings. "Bloggers’ Cut" as well as the director’s cut, so to speak.
The film could even be released over the net as well as via the film studio’s usual channels. No Hollywood studios involved – Film Four and Scottish Screen, according to IMBD. Nimble companies, should be easy to consider and decide.
Now that would be really Cluetrain.