In At the End of the Day, Stephen Martin plays a conservative, Christian professor that experiences a profound change when he finds himself planted in a gay support group to stop their plans to open an LGBTQ youth shelter in their small town.
We speak to writer-director Kevin O’Brien about the important but cheerfully-handled film, based on his own life, available February 26 On Demand.
You’ve a very solid, terrifically-directed and well-performed movie here. But it goes without saying, you’ve picked one with a hot button theme. Why was it important to you to tell this story?
Kevin O’Brien: Why tell a story if it’s safe? Because I have deeply entrenched in the evangelical christian world for most of my life, I feel like it’s my obligation to speak up. I honestly tried to set this idea on the back burner a couple of times. But each time I tried to look for another idea, At the End of the Day kept pulling me back in. Our theology is so important, as it directly affects those around us. We have a great responsibility to be honest about that.
The film played quite a few festivals, was it important to you that AT THE END OF THE DAY play on the big screen before it made its way to VOD?
KB: You know? I think this festival experience has really given me a better perspective of the whole process. Yes, it’s fantastic to be accepted to festivals, to play in different cities and win some awards. But I realize now that I spent too much time and money submitting to festivals hoping for some huge break. But festivals are very limited, and most of the people who have supported our film from the beginning through crowdfunding do not live in a city we played. So spending a year playing at festivals has really delayed the film’s release to those who really want to see it.
What does a festival run do for an indie film?
KB: I’m pretty sure it’s different for every film. For us, it let us meet some new fantastic people who we would not have met any other way. But it’s important to see the festival run as a marketing campaign. It’s audience building.
Did it help with distribution?
KB: For us it didn’t help with distribution, at least not most of the festivals. The splash we made at Danced With Films for our World Premiere ultimately helped us find our international sales agent, but we didn’t find a distributor. I had met other filmmakers who have found distribution, but for us the numbers just didn’t make sense. I’d rather be in control of the entire process than settle for a tiny Minimum Guarantee just to say we got picked up.
How hard is it to get distribution? I’m hearing it’s changing rapidly for filmmakers out there!
KB: I hear it’s changing rapidly as well. But this is my first film, so the only experience I have is what I learned from reading and hearing others’ experiences. I know it’s much easier to self-distribute, and we’ll see how that turns out for us. Ultimately, we felt that if we could find some key influencers with our market to watch and love the movie, that would be our marketing. It seems to be working so far, thought we won’t really know until the movie is released on February 26th.
Do you think the advancement in technology with all these streaming services has opened up doors for filmmakers though?
KB: Absolutely. It was rather pain-free to get the film on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon. However, the hustle doesn’t end. We are now pushing just as hard for this release as we did for our three crowdfunding campaigns and for our festival run. The hustle doesn’t stop.
Where do you prefer most people see your movies – VOD? DVD? Theater? Back a of a curtain hung across the wall of an apartment? An iPad?
KB: I honestly don’t care where they see it, as long as they are able to see and hear clearly. But part of that is on us as filmmakers. If people are distracted, maybe our film isn’t as captivating as it could be.
How do you prefer to watch movies?
KB: A theater is where it’s at for me. I love going to a theater, the whole thing. It’s really a community and spiritual experience. There are very few times where you can sit in a room with 100 other people and experience something so intimate and joyful.
Is it hard to get engrossed in a film or TV show knowing how it all works? I imagine it must feel like watching a “work” video sometimes?
KB: I feel like I can do both. I am always studying other films. I’m constantly paying attention to shots and lighting and writing. However, if it’s done well, I get sucked in just like everyone else. One thing that has changed is that I can appreciate even “bad” films more. Making a movie takes a ton of time and work. No one sets out to make a bad film. So much is out of our control.
Change of pace next? What’s coming up film-wise?
KB: I’m definitely still in love with telling stories that explore empathy – telling the stories of those on the margins or misunderstood. I’m currently developing two projects, one involving migrant working families and one involving the evangelical christian missions industry. Both are big, complicated topics with so much to say. That’s what I love.