One way to get the attention of a film critic - or rustle up some curiosity at a prestigious Film Festival - is to prepare a slick promotional package to get you in the door.
In the case of feature film - "Yesterday was a Lie" - the effort paid off.
The expertly-crafted teaser - lovingly pieced together by the director James Kerwin - was a sure winner that was replete with still photos, production notes, bios, and a handful of bang-on reviews.
The comprehensive, eye-catching promo not only broke down the doors for Kerwin - but later - was obviously key in landing coveted Jury prizes at Film Festivals around the country.
"Yesterday is a Lie" is a curious celluloid hybrid; a cerebral Sci-fi thriller, starring a female in the role as a detective.
As Kerwin excitedly describes it, "Yesterday was a Lie is a film noir shot in classic black-and-white which uses the genre as a metaphor for the human psyche and the nature of reality."
The innovative writer - who has been hailed as a director on the edge of digital revolution - imagined Bacall playing Bogie (a female Noir detective) lonely and wandering the streets.
In a nutshell, the tale focuses on a world where the characters appear to be stuck in their pasts, unable to get over their feelings of pain and guilt.
"Everything turns out to be a manifestation, a projection of that," notes Kerwin.
At times, the plot gets a bit cerebral.
And, the storyline gets a little bogged down when it gets too talky, as a result.
One filmgoer complained she had difficulty fathoming the subject matter.
"Maybe, if they spoke a little slower," she giggled, when we struck up a conversation later in the lobby after the screening.
I consoled her - noting that the concepts about time and fathoming reality and the dream state - were not always easy to get a handle on even for those versed in philosophy and psychology.
Fortunately, I am a big fan of Carl Jung and studied his ideas about the collective unconscious.
In addition, my own fascination with "lucid dreams' led me on a journey which greatly impacted my own sense of perception in recent years.
For the most part, Kerwin got it right.
However, in respect to his notion about one of the themes of the film - symbols and their importance - I confess that his take on the subject matter was a bit off.
The mind is not overwhelmed by dreams; but rather, couches their messages in symbols for the upper levels of consciousness to decipher so that the dreamer is capable of fathoming their meaning without anxiety or shock to the mental or emotional states.
Although it wasn't mentioned in - "Yesterday was a Lie" - I note for the record that a person's "dream dictionary" (the symbols a sleeper facilitates in the dream phenomenon) is never foreign to the individual.
Dream symbols always speak in a language the subject understands.
For example, if a snake means evil to an individual, that is what the symbol will mean in the dream state.
Just like the mist-filled streets in this classy low-budget psychological thriller - the message is a little foggy, at times - with a bit of hocus-pocus and a large dollop of smoke-and-mirrors thrown in for good measure.
"Yesterday" proved to be elusive, mesmerizing, thought-provoking - and all-the-while - a visually-stunning filmic experience.
To achieve the unique look, Kerwin turned to Apple's color application software.
First, he collaborated with costumer designer Sara Catherine Curran and makeup designer Breanna Khalaf, who both paid particular attention to the use of color throughout principle photography (often using unconventional tones which would ultimately appear stronger in white and black).
Then - red, green, and blue color channels were manipulated for each shot - before the footage was de-saturated.
Later, subtle vignette and blur effects were overlaid to evoke the feeling of 1930's and 40's lenses and film stock.
At times, I found the effect a bit heavy-handed, and fake.
But, the adventure - for the most part - appeared to hold the audience within its thrall.
When I was introduced to one of the pretty actresses - Chase Masterson - my instinctive response was to note how pretty she was.
Ah, a classic case of "foot in mouth".
When I read her bio, I discovered that she was on Femme Fatale's list of 50 sexiest women!
Career-wise, she's no slouch either.
TV Guide online readers voted her the "Number One" Science Fiction Actress on TV.
In "Yesterday", Ms. Masterson (pictured above) exudes a sultry charismatic presence just right for the sensual role of a torch singer cum High Priestess with a "mystical" soul.
On occasion, camera angles and lighting did not flatter her, however.
Maybe my discerning eye as a former theatrical agent got in the way, nudging my perceptions as I peered into the glass darkly, in this instant case.
The financing for this independent film was downright intriguing.
The producers were a recipient of a Panavision New Filmmaker Grant.
In view of this, the production team landed the free use of a Panavision Sony Cine-Alta F-900 Camera for the project.
The financing was raised through Helicon Arts Cooperative, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit arts organization.
Helicon - according to their mission statement - is dedicated to the creation of cinema with inherent literary merit.
In addition to offering employment opportunities to underprivileged youths, they conduct seminars in schools to encourage students in development of film and theatre arts.
Clearly, the "Yesterday" script was a good choice right out-of-the-gate.
The idea was original, there were a number of technical challenges to overcome, and the mixed-genre was not the standard bill-of-fare by any Hollywood standards.
I expect that in this instant case, the students learned valuable lessons about film technique, as well as worthwhile ones in the areas of marketing in respect to the promoting and selling of Indie projects.
The prizes garnered later - Bronze Telly Award, Park City Film Festival Award, and Backlot Film Festival Award - were icing on the cake.
Director James Kerwin...
