I hope you are having a great summer. It’s suppose to reach 102 in Portland, OR today. My cousins are driving down from Seattle, so we plan to get out on the water… it’s looking like it will be a fun-filled weekend.
August is typically a slower month in the entertainment industry, so I’ve finally found a week to relax, catch my breath, enjoy the weather, do some thinking, and reflect on the last year. Overall, I’m very grateful to have all that I have and the opportunity to work on our film during this time. It’s such a blessing, and gives me something positive and constructive to focus on. During this trying time in America and the world at large, here’s some positive things going for The Astrid Experience that I’m grateful for that I’d like to share with all of you, and perhaps you’ll find gratitude for them as well…
1. WE HAVE A FILM ‘IN THE CAN’ — It’s such a blessing to have a feature film shot and ‘in the can’ during this time. Many productions are struggling to get up and running or have been shut down all together, so to have a film shot the year before the pandemic hit is a major blessing.
2. OUR TRAILER IS GETTING A GREAT RESPONSE — Our trailer is getting a great response. It has over 217,000 views and is growing by a view rate of about 1,000 — 2,000 views per day. This is very encouraging for an independent film at this stage, and definitely something to be grateful for.
3. WE’RE OVER 50% RAISED — This is just huge. I can’t thank everyone enough who’s believed in our project so far, especially our early investors. Just wow. I value you all so much. I know this is the start to a beautiful business relationship that I hope spans for many more films and ventures to come.
4. HIGH INVESTOR INTEREST — We are a small film project, but we currently have 19 investors and over 50 project trackers. I’ve spoken to many of you and I know a handful of you are waiting until we get further to our goal to invest. It’s great that so many of you are interested in helping our project close. We’ve crossed the more difficult first 50%… I know without a doubt that the second is only a matter of time.
5. HOPE DURING COVID — It’s just amazing to me that our project raise was born literally right at the birth of Covid and we still raised our first 50% against all odds, and in less than 3 months! This just blows my mind. We knew what we were up against when we started, but we had faith in the world and the good people out there that still wanted to support and invest in independent film voices, and that faith is paying off. It has undoubtedly been extremely challenging, but creation must and will prevail — we know that to be true, and it has been.
6. THE JOY OF CREATION — Nothing helps me tap into the beauty that is inherently all around me then creating and working on something I’m passionate about. While the fear and destruction rages on the news and in the media, I find a nice place in the shade to sit back, work on The Astrid Experience, and I feel nothing but complete calm and peace. There’s too much beauty in the world to fear… I know that whatever created all things it is more powerful than anything the world or I may face.
7. THE TALENT OF OUR CAST AND CREW — As I work on the film with John and our editor, I’m just blow away by all the talent — both in front of the camera, and behind it — that worked on this film. It’s such a beautiful project, and I’ve got nothing but great memories from when we shot it in 2019. I love directing. It’s a ton of work, but I truly feel spoiled that I’ve been able to work on this film everyday while many people on the cast and crew have to wait eagerly while John and I finish it for it to come out. As an actor and writer as well, I’ve been in the reverse position playing the waiting game many times before as I wait for projects to get through post-production. I don’t envy it. I know the pain. All I can say is everyone did a spectacular job. I’m blessed to have such a great cast and crew that helped me create this film. We can’t wait for the world to see it.
That’s just a few items on my summer gratitude list. I hope it brightens your day as we all push forward in hope and expectation of brighter tomorrow. Judging by how beautiful this summer has been I think it’s looking good…
Have a great weekend. Sincerely,
-Cal R. Barnes