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MARK REPLIES:

This is a good example of why you shouldn't believe everything that you read. Of course I'm grateful for the attention and the writer, Patti Hartigan, certainly seemed nice on the phone when she interviewed me, but I really wasn't pleased with the way it came out. It's somewhat negative; at times a little insulting. I come across as a bit of a huckster. Well, I must clear up some things.

First of all, dig that awful blurb about "fat cats" and "young guns." You find that when you are interviewed by the press, you immediately spout off sound bites that you would never say in ordinary conversation. In fact, after I said that, I laughed and told Ms. Hartigan "I can't believe I uttered three stupid cliches in one sentence." And guess what, she used them. Always be aware of this when speaking to the press.

That last little bit where I come off as pleading for attention for the photos for sale on the site: Ms. Hartigan specifically asked me if there was anything else I should mention about the site, and so I brought them up. These photos are not a major source of revenue so I don't want it to seem like I'm desperate to sell them.

My final line about "exploiting everything I possibly could" is misquoted. Ms. Hartigan told me somewhat abruptly that I sounded like a salesman, and I said "Well, I've had to sell my movie every day for the past two years." I then went on to talk about how George Lucas said that, in order to support his "independent" film (i.e. The Phantom Menace), he had to exploit everything he possibly could - like putting Jar Jar faces all over Taco Bell cups.

FACTUAL ERRORS IN THIS ARTICLE:

  • I didn't court any cast members with email - some have email accounts but I did no casting using that method.
  • I didn't design the site right after I had written the screenplay - the site didn't go up until after we'd already shot the film! (This also means that I didn't post my "quiet little plea" for funds right after casting.)
  • I didn't exactly contact Melanie Lynskey's agent - I sent a query letter to her in care of her agent and it was simply forwarded to her in New Zealand.
  • The "Canadian family" did not send in $10,000. It was $25,000.
  • Several people did not "kick in six-figure sums," unless you count the two figures to the right of the decimal point. Nobody has invested a six-figure sum in the film other than yours truly.

 

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© Mark Tapio Kines 2008
Melanie Lynskey, Wil Wheaton, Corin Nemec, Corky Nemec, Yelena Danova, Steve Valentine, Blaire Baron, Douglas Coler, Lisa Lo Cicero, James Michael Tyler, Richard Moll, Mark Tapio Kines, Mark Kines