The Rules

Independent filmmaker Rule #1 - Make films! Don't just dream about it, do it.

Independent Filmmaker Rule #2 - Study films! See how others do it, what works, what doesn't.

Independent Filmmaker Rule #3 - There are no rules! So ignore the naysayers who claim you have to do it this way or that.

More on Saki

As we continue to research the possibilities for a narrative film project, we're still looking closely at the work of Hector Hugh Munro. Born in 1870 in Burma (Myanmar) when it was still part of the British Empire, his mother died when he was only two. Sent to live with his grandmother and aunts in England, much of Munro's work seems to be influenced by the strict, straitlaced upbringing he endured when living with these Victorian age martinets.

From Wikipedia:

...better known by the pen name Saki, [he] was a British writer, whose witty and sometimes macabre stories satirized Edwardian society and culture. He is considered a master of the short story and is often compared to O. Henry and Dorothy Parker. His tales feature delicately drawn characters and finely judged narratives. "The Open Window" may be his most famous, with a closing line ("Romance at short notice was her specialty") that has entered the lexicon.

Saki died in the French battlefield trenches of the first World War – November 13, 1916.

"Chickens" Returns to Canada this Week!

Thunder Bay, Ontario on the northern shores of Lake Superior! Mad City Chickens returns to Canada this Wednesday February 24th to screen at Confederation College, Shuniah Building Lecture Theatre, 1450 Nakina Drive in Thunder Bay. Sponsored by the Environmental Film Network, the screening starts at 7:30 pm.

"Chickens" Returns to Texas Today!

Mad City Chickens returns to Dallas to screen today at the North Havens Gardens. And get a chance to meet Youtube's Garden Girl, Patti Moreno 10am-1pm as she shares info about urban sustainable gardening.

Garden Girl: 10:00 am
Screen time:  2:00 pm
Location: 
North Haven Gardens
7700 Northaven Road
Dallas, TX 75230

Mad City Chickens Screens Tomorrow in Fayetteville

~February 13th, Fayetteville, Arkansas - Public Screening presented by Ozark Natural Foods Co-op - 2:00pm Whitaker Animal Science Arena, University of Arkansas, 1335 W. Knapp.

Saki: Master of the Short Story

We've been wanting to get more into fiction narratives for a while now. One potential story source that we're looking at is the Hector Hugh Munro, better know as Saki. He was a British writer...

...whose witty and sometimes macabre stories satirized Edwardian society and culture. Saki's world contrasts the effete conventions and hypocrisies of Edwardian England with the ruthless but straightforward life-and-death struggles of nature. Nature generally wins in the end. Source: Wikipedia

Looking at Saki's large body of work, two or three of his short stories have great appeal as potential film projects. The draw has not only been Saki's witty dialogue and his pointed climaxes, but also, and maybe especially--his underlying theme of  Untamable Nature.

"Chickens" Screens Tonight in British Columbia

~February 10th, 2010 Langley, British Columbia Canada - Green Wednesdays Public Screening presented by Kwantlen Polytechnic University - 7:00pm School of Horticulture, 20901 Langley By-Pass.

Mad City Chickens Screens Tomorrow Near Cumberland, MD

~February 4th, Cumberland, Maryland - Public Screening presented by Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education - 7:00pm Rocky Gap Resort, 16701 Lakeview Rd. NE, Flintstone.