Download The Big Something here

The reviews are starting to stream in for our movie The Big Something, premiering this Thursday the 27th in Arizona and available online for download in November. Read more below:

Bill Pierce (Phoenix Examiner) says the movie “offers a tantalizing taste of the swelling wave of local, indie feature filmmaking.”

Click here to read the rest of his review.

Christopher Coffel (Trashwire) says, “[Director] Mills shows you can make a big something, with a little nothing.

Click here to read the rest of his review.

Check back for more information about the movie.

http://www.vimeo.com/29731888

Can’t wait till October 27th? Well, get a little taste of The Big Something by purchasing The Big Soundtrack, also available for download on our website with an option to donate money for our efforts.

The Big Something is the first feature length movie from Running Wild Films. We are dedicated to building a better cinema in Arizona. Support us. We are your filmmakers.

It took us eleven days to edit a rough cut and as Todd said, here is the proof:

Piecing a movie together is a whole different kind of challenge than shooting one. It’s a game of compromise, a sort of puzzle and every day provides a new opportunity for problem solving.

I can say that we have a good movie on our hands. It’s fast, funny and ridiculous. It’s Arizona.

This is only the first step. Now comes a period of polishing and refining to finish the movie you will see in theaters this Fall.

-Travis Mills

Mills on the genesis of The Big Something

“Quickly, how it came about is I worked at Zia Records for a couple of years, and I decided that the people I met there had to be incorporated into some kind of story. That took many forms – a novel that was never finished, a screenplay that was very melodramatic (about) day to day record store stuff, but I didn’t want to make a movie like High Fidelity or Empire Records because, to me, even though those are fun movies, they don’t feel like actually working at a record store.

So I was like, “Let’s take two weeks off, (and) blast through it”, and you get in that mode where you’re staying up. At one point I was up 40 hours, on an hour of sleep, but I wasn’t tired. You get in that adrenalin mode and you’re in the story. I was more tired on the days when I had eight hours of sleep.  You get to a point, as a director, where you’re so in the story that you know every beat. I would do every feature film, from here on out, the same way.  And I would hope to do the next one in less than fourteen days.

When I started this film, and went to the film industry people in Arizona for advice, they thought I was nuts when I said my budget was $25,000. The fact we did it for $2000 is kind of like a big “Up Yours!”, because it can be done, you don’t have to spend all of this money. You find local restaurants, and other businesses, willing to help you – because they’re good people – as a kind of community filmmaking, which I like a lot and want to develop.”

Burrito Express (Elliot and Alma School), serves a tasty bean and cheese.

Dunkin’ Donuts (Chandler and Dobson) has a great staff and fantastic coffee (beats Starbucks anyday)

Little Caesars (Gilbert and Pecos) is a terrific location. They have a good helpful attitude. If anyone hasn’t tried their cheese bread, it’s a guilty delight.

Port of Subs (Queen Creek and Price Rd) has delicious subs that give Subway a run for their money any day. These folks deserve our utmost appreciation.

Chipotle (Mill Ave) stunned me with their willingness to help us out. I wouldn’t eat at any other location.

Einstein Bagels (Guadalupe and McClintock) provided breakfast for us, a great assortment of bagels and pastries.

Dawgfather Grill (Central and Camelback). Located right next to our record store, Tracks in Wax, this locally own restaurant won my heart. The burgers taste like my dad just cooked them on the grill. Go pick up some records and buy yourself a hot dog or their amazing dirty fries.

Jimmie and Joe’s Pizzeria (Ray and McClintock). If you haven’t tried this pizza, you are seriously missing out. Their Big Jimmie fed all of us, no problem. Their Serious Slice deal leaves nothing to be desired.

I would also like to throw an extra thanks to some of our locations: Tracks in Wax, Q & Brew Pool Hall, Gold Bar Coffee Shop, and Tops Liquor. These places treated us with true grace and respect. I owe them my devotion.

-Travis Mills

How often exciting and sometimes humbling an experience it is to watch the footage gathered from fourteen days, to piece together into one solid story.

Lookout for a full-length trailer near the end of July.

-Travis Mills

Photo by Adam Moreno

I don’t know how many people have set out to make a full-length movie in fourteen days in the June heat of Arizona with a budget of less than two thousand dollars… and have finished. In those two weeks of living and breathing The Big Something, we got ahead and fell behind, but we came out on top. We finished on time and on budget and more important than anything, we made a good story.

Yes, that story is still in pieces. It needs to be put together; Todd Hunt and I are on the job. But I know we’ve got a good story. I can feel it in my guts.

On Sunday night after our last shoot at Tracks in Wax, we celebrated our butts off. It was a night to remember (for those of us who can). We certainly deserved it and it was the people whose hearts were really in the movie that showed up and stayed. The bond between some of us can’t be defined, only felt.

You can expect to see The Big Something before the end of 2011, both online and in theaters in Arizona. In the meantime, thank you for paying attention. Keep checking back here for updates on our progress.

-Travis Mills