Make a Donation

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Sundance / Slamdance 2014 No Budget Filmmaking Event




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NO-BUDGET FILMMAKING EVENT AT SUNDANCE 2014

Award-Winning Filmmaker to Have Book Signing at Dolly's Bookstore

Burbank, California – Anyone can make a movie. With no money. And be a well known filmmaker.

That's the premise of the new filmmaking book NO BUDGET FILMMAKING: Or How to be a Well Known Filmmaker and Be Broke at the Same Time, written by Jack Truman. Truman, an award-winning independent filmmaker, shares valuable tools, tips, and secrets of the industry trade in a book designed to help any aspiring moviemaker make their movie.

Dolly's Bookstore in Park City will be hosting a special book signing event of Truman's new book on January 19th, 2014. The event will be on Main Street in conjunction with the 2014 Sundance and Slamdance Film Festivals.

“It's not hard to make a movie. You just have to make your movie”, Truman stated in press materials. “Everyone has a story to tell. And there is an audience out there for your film. You just have to make it and get it out there. I wrote this book with the objective to help anyone make a movie with no money and become successful in the independent film world. I'm living proof it can be done. If I can do it, anyone can”.

An informative, alternative, out-of-the-box reference book for the film industry, NO BUDGET FILMMAKING covers a wide range of tips and tools: from proven filmmaking techniques, valuable industry resources, and more, this book guides the aspiring filmmaker from concept to distribution on the film festival circuit, and beyond. A must-have resource for anyone who needs help with making a low budget film on their own, NO BUDGET FILMMAKING is a breakthrough book for the next generation of filmmakers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author Jack Truman is an award-winning filmmaker and 25 year veteran of stage and film. A former professor at Texas A&M University, Truman has also appeared in several television series and major motion pictures. His film directorial debut, the award-winning hit cult short film PHONE SEX GRANDMA premiered at the 2006 Slamdance Film Festival. Combined, Truman's films have screened at over 300 film festivals worldwide to date. Jack was recently on the Short Film Jury at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

NO BUDGET FILMMAKING or How to be a Well-Known Filmmaker
& Be Broke at the Same Time
Jack Truman
Category: Filmmaking / Entertainment / Movies / Film / Educational
ISBN: 978-1-300-61518-7
6 x 9 inches / 200 Pages




Tuesday, December 31, 2013

A Filmmaker's New Year's Resolution



Well, here it is.

The last day of 2013.

Tomorrow starts a new year.

This is always my favorite time of the year. And my favorite holiday. New Year's Day always symbolizes to me an end to what you've done, and a fresh start of things to get done.

This holiday is no exception.

I'm kind of sad to see 2013 end. This year has been one for the books. It started last January with me finally writing my filmmaking book. A book I've been wanting to write for over 5 years. Then returning to Park City. Then going to Vegas and making Opal's directorial debut film, the documentary short film TITS. The film premiered in April in London, and in 6 months this year, played over 20 film festivals worldwide, won Opal best Director honors in Australia, and won Best Film in Hollywood. In April, I also returned back to Missouri for 6 months. And over a 6 month period, shot 4 new films, read 4 books I've been wanting to read for over 10 years, and wrote 2 more books that have been waiting to be written for over 15 years.

Last month, I returned back out West. And in a month's time, have 13 book signings set up in Nevada, Utah and California over the next 2 months. And the new year is getting ready to start out with a bang:

I'll be returning to Park City next month. This time, with a book event at Dolly's Bookstore in Park City for the new No Budget filmmaking book. Plus a couple of other projects there as well.

PHONE SEX GRANDMA, our most successful short film, is still kicking. It screens festivals in Canada and London next month. And Opal's film TITS screens the UK next month, along with screening in Texas in March. And this is just the start of the 2014 film festival circuit screenings.

4 new web series are shot and ready to be released in 2014.

A new short film has been shot and will be released to the festival circuit next month.

And that's just a taste of how the New Year will start for this underground filmmaking in 2014.

My new year's resolution each year anymore is about getting things done. I make a list of things to get done in the year. And at the end of the year, I look at the list to see what I've got done.

This year, in 2013, I look at my new year's resolution filmmaking list, and everything is marked off. That's a damn good feeling.

My 2014 New Year's resolution as a filmmaker?

There's a lot on the list:

Book signings
Shoot a new movie
Distributing web series
Making money with the films and books already made
The Sundance and Slamdance project in Park City next month

And that's just a start.

Happy New Year. From an underground, truly independent, no budget filmmaker.

NO BUDGET FILMMAKING
By Jack Truman
Copyright 2013 by Dixie Publishing:



WOODY THE REDNECK
The Web Series
Starring Jack Truman as Woody
A Dixie Production




Saturday, December 21, 2013

No Budget Filmmaking in Las Vegas - Wrapping Up 2013




Well, there's about a week left here in 2013. And I don't know where it's gone.

This year has just whizzed by. Started out in January with releasing my No Budget filmmaking book, going to Park City as a programmer for Slamdance, and releasing a new short film. Since January, so much has happened this year:

I went from Park City, to L.A., to being in Vegas until April, then back Missouri for 6 months, then back here in Vegas to wrap up the year;

Wrote 3 books
Shot 5 new short films
Am in post production with another film
And my films have screened over 40 film festivals worldwide this year alone.

And next week, I have a major event here in Las Vegas for the No Budget filmmaking book.

This year 2013 has been one for the books.

Here I am, in Sin City, wrapping up some underground no budget filmmaking, with a lot to do these last 10 days of December. Hopefully, by the beginning of January 2014, I'll have this new film edited. It'll be another shocker. It makes me laugh my ass off when I'm watching the footage in post.

2014 will start out as another killer year for me with independent filmmaking. With no money. No budget. Underground filmmaking. Truly independent. This is how the year is lined up to begin on my end for 2014:

The new comedy will be edited and released for its film festival debut
I'll be at Sundance and Slamdance in January for a major event with my new filmmaking book
A new web series will be released
Shooting a new film in Nevada and California
Screenings of PHONE SEX GRANDMA at film festivals in London and Canada
Festival screenings of our films lining up already worldwide through April
Starting a national book tour with the No Budget filmmaking book in Utah, Nevada and California

It never ends.

Wow. 2014 is going to start right out with a bang. I can't wait.

The other day, I looked at a list I made in January of everything I wanted to get done this year. And everything is checked off.

That's a damn good feeling.

To spend a year of my life writing books, making movies and getting everything done that I want to get done. Living life my own way. Being independent. Life doesn't get much better than that.

It's amazing. No matter where I go, whether it's around the artificial fakes in Hollywood, the hustlers in Las Vegas, or the rednecks and deadbeats back home in Missouri, I can make a movie anywhere. With no money. And screen it around the world.

It's been a year for the books.

NO BUDGET FILMMAKING
By Jack Truman:




NO BUDGET FILMMAKING - BOOK TRAILER!!!





Friday, December 6, 2013

NO BUDGET FILMMAKING BOOK AT SUNDANCE 2014



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NO-BUDGET FILMMAKING BOOK EVENT AT SUNDANCE

Award-Winning Filmmaker to Have Book Signing at Dolly's Bookstore

Burbank, California – Anyone can make a movie. With no money. And be a well known filmmaker.

That's the premise of the new filmmaking book NO BUDGET FILMMAKING: Or How to be a Well Known Filmmaker and Be Broke at the Same Time, written by Jack Truman. Truman, an award-winning independent filmmaker, shares valuable tools, tips, and secrets of the industry trade in a book designed to help any aspiring moviemaker make their movie.

Dolly's Bookstore in Park City will be hosting a special book signing event of Truman's new book on January 19th, 2014. The event will be on Main Street in conjunction with the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.

“It's not hard to make a movie. You just have to make your movie”, Truman stated in press materials. “Everyone has a story to tell. And there is an audience out there for your film. You just have to make it and get it out there. I wrote this book with the objective to help anyone make a movie with no money and become successful in the independent film world. I'm living proof it can be done. If I can do it, anyone can”.

An informative, alternative, out-of-the-box reference book for the film industry, NO BUDGET FILMMAKING covers a wide range of tips and tools: from proven filmmaking techniques, valuable industry resources, and more, this book guides the aspiring filmmaker from concept to distribution on the film festival circuit, and beyond. A must-have resource for anyone who needs help with making a low budget film on their own, NO BUDGET FILMMAKING is a breakthrough book for the next generation of filmmakers.

Author Jack Truman is an award-winning filmmaker and 25 year veteran of stage and film. A former professor at Texas A&M University, Truman has also appeared in several television series and major motion pictures. His film directorial debut, the award-winning hit cult short film PHONE SEX GRANDMA premiered at the 2006 Slamdance Film Festival. Combined, Truman's films have screened at over 300 film festivals worldwide to date. Jack was recently on the Short Film Jury at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

Title: NO BUDGET FILMMAKING or How to be a Well-Known Filmmaker & Be Broke at the Same Time
By Jack Truman

ISBN: 978 – 1 – 300 – 61518 – 7 :


 

BOOK TRAILER: NO BUDGET FILMMAKING!!!!

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Thanksgiving Weekend in Vegas




Well, it's Thanksgiving weekend.

And I'm back in Vegas.

Just got back here from farm country in the boonies about a week ago. And it feels great.

I was out in the middle of nowhere in farm country at my shack for about 7 months. And it felt great. Couldn't believe everything I got done in 7 months. It's great to go from a ghost town of rednecks with less than 30 people to the entertainment capital of the world. Talk about a culture shock.

I wouldn't want it any other way.

Being truly independent. Living a free life. You can't beat that with a stick.

Back in April, I took the Greyhound bus from Las Vegas to be back home in my shack in Southwest Missouri for the summer. Sometimes, you just have to get away from everything to get things done. I can't tell you how grateful I am to own that shack back home. To be able to live on nothing, and be cooped up in the country. It's amazing what all I got done in 7 months:

- Shot and made 4 short films
- Wrote 2 books
- Read the Bible, the Upanishads, Aristotle, Plato and Ayurveda books
- Shot material for 4 different web series to edit and distribute over the next year
- And had our films screen over 20 film festivals over those 7 months

Truly underground, independent, no budget filmmaking and living. In the middle of nowhere.

Now that I'm back out west, I've got a lot to do over this next year before returning back to my shack in the middle of nowhere:

- Need to wrap up, edit and release my new book The Vegan Cookbook
- Edit this brand new shocking short film
- Start back to releasing weekly web series episodes
- Release the new No Budget Filmmaking book trailer online

Plus, there's some major things coming up this next week:

- Will find out if our award winning short film TITS makes Sundance or Slamdance in January
- REDNECK ROADTRIP premieres in Vegas at the Nevada Film Festival
- Opal's new film TITS screens in Santa Domingo at the Pride Film Festival
- The news release comes out about our book event at Sundance for the No Budget Filmmaking book

Tomorrow starts December. Tomorrow is the last month of 2013. Wow. I looked at my New Year's resolution list from the beginning of the year, and everything I had written down, I got done this year. This year has been one for the books. And there's still another month to go.

What am I thankful for on this holiday weekend here in Sin City? Being free, independent, healthy, liberal, vegan, living my life my own way, making movies with no money, and opening people's eyes.

I love my life.



Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Underground Filmmaking: Wrapping Up 2013




What a year.

That's the simplest way to wrap up 2013.

I love being an underground independent filmmaker. And I'm living proof that any one can make a movie. Anywhere. With no money.

This year is no exception:

In 2013, 4 films have been made. And by the end of the year, at least 5 will be done. The films:

TITS
THE DEADBEATS
REDNECK ROADTRIP
LIVING GRAVES
THE HERMIT

In 2013, 2 books have been written. By the end of the year, I'll have 3 written:

NO BUDGET FILMMAKING
POEMS FROM A LIFE LESS TRAVELED
THE VEGAN COOKBOOK

Over the last 6 months, I've read 5 major books: The Bible, The Upanishads, Ayurvedic Medicine, Aristotle's Complete Writings and the Great Dialogues of Plato.

Our films have screened at over 50 film festivals worldwide this year alone: over 15 festivals in just the last 10 weeks.

November will also be a month for the books.

Can't wait to see what December holds.

Then it all starts over with returning to Park City again in January 2014 for Sundance and Slamdance with some major stuff.

Life is good.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Should I Run Again for Congress?



The question is looming again to myself:

Should I run again for Congress next year?

I ran for U.S. Congress in 2006 back home here in SW Missouri on the Democratic ticket. With no money. Just a little known filmmaker with a liberal background. And that year, with no money and unknown, I won the Democratic nomination with over 70 percent of the vote. Unknown. With no money. A liberal vegan filmmaker in Bible thumpin' conservative cattle country. After winning the nomination, what help did I get from the Democratic party? None. Zero. Nothing. They told me they couldn't even work with me if I didn't have at least a quarter million dollars in my campaign. Roy Blunt was the incoming Republican Congressman I ran up against. With no money, no contributions, no help at all with my party, you know what happened? I lost the election in November. But I got over 30 percent of the vote in the General Election: a record for a Democratic candidate for Congress in this District.

I swore after that experience, after finding out so many things about our government and election process I never would have believed, that I would never run again for office.

Here it is, 8 years later.

Our country is doing worse than ever. We're going to hell in a handbasket. Government's getting worse and more corrupt. We're getting more and more idiots running Washington that don't give a shit about the people. The times are getting worse. People and kids are getting fatter and unhealthier. We're killing our environment. People are getting fed up with America. We're becoming the laughing stock of the world.

Maybe it's time for another shock. Maybe it's time again for an underdog to run.

Maybe I should run again for Congress.

It's been 8 years. Things have done nothing but got worse in this country since I ran last time. I've got a bunch of independent films made that have screened all over the world, written many books, and have continued to live a truly independent, alternative, liberal and underground life. Maybe a shock again might work this time. Who knows?

I wonder if I should run again for Congress....