Well folks, 2003 is now over, and after re-reading the various updates I'd composed this year, I must revisit a few of my earlier pronouncements:
- Thanks to empty promises from would-be distributors, Foreign Correspondents didn't wind up getting sold to video stores after all.
- The status of the Norwegian DVD deal for that - and for Claustrophobia - remains hopeful, but has not yet closed.
- My sound editor - who I was once very excited to work with - turned out to be... well, let's just say he didn't stick around for the end of the sound mix, and I won't be working with him again.
- My much-ballyhooed "Vote for the Claustrophobia Poster" poll turned out to be a moot process, as my distributors came up with their own design (see image at left).
But aside from all that, 2003 was a great year for Cassava Films: I finished a feature, got it in a festival, sold it, and actually saw money from the sale. And though I am as clueless as anyone as to when Claustrophobia will ever make it out to video stores, I'm sure it will happen eventually. Distributors don't spend all that money acquiring a film, obtaining Errors & Omissions insurance and an MPAA rating, recording a director's commentary, then designing artwork for the DVD, only to walk away from it all. (At least I don't think they do.)
Anyway, I just wanted to take a moment to thank everybody who helped out with the film this year - and in 2002 - and also to thank all the friends and strangers who routinely check in with this site just to see what's going on. I'm grateful for your time and your interest in what I'm doing. Happy New Year to you all.