Movie Magic, Movie Tragic

“Movie Magic, Movie Tragic” recounts the story of a novice filmmaker making his first and potentially last feature film. With a mixture of bitter sarcasm and upbeat humor, he recounts the highs and lows of making a “perfectly good” low budget romantic comedy and what you should do if you’d like to lose money just like him. It’s a real-life tale of practical lessons learned and comic observations; a story of what happens when you wake up one morning with no job and declare yourself a Film Producer.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to wake up one morning, quit your job and declare yourself a Film Producer? Have you considered the costs and whether anyone will ever watch it? Who hasn’t wasted 90 minutes then wearily watched scrolling credits and thought, “I reckon I could make a movie better than that.” In Movie Magic, Movie Tragic, Mark Kalbskopf describes how you can do just that. With a mixture of bitter sarcasm and upbeat humor, he recounts the highs and lows of making his “perfectly good” feature film, “Right Hand Drive”. It’s a real-life tale of practical lessons learned,comic observations, and what you should do if you’d like to lose money, just like him. $300,000 to be exact. Starting with his childhood naivety concerning the entertainment and cinematic world, he takes us on a personal journey to independent filmmaker and the director’s chair. Writing a screenplay in his lunch hours, poring over do-it-yourself film books in the evening, and playing producer at his local public access TV studio paves the way to the start of movie magic. Fill in the few missing pieces with some film workshops while holding the family together. What could possibly go wrong? Join the author as he heads off to London to setup a film production company and begin shooting his masterpiece. Imagine an enthusiastic pool of talented film enthusiasts clamoring for opportunities to join the industry while a government is pushing incentives for you to make your film in their green and pleasant land. They all look to you, to your bleeding bank account and creative direction. This book describes the realities, the fun, the stress, and the mistakes you need to make in order to lose a lot of your money. Now, there’s nothing standing in your way. Call a mortgage lender right now, refinance your house, contact your rich uncle, and filmmaking fame awaits you. You won’t regret it, but it might just, no, it will, cost you more than you think.

Mark Kalbskopf, originally from the UK now lives in Virginia. From small beginnings writing and directing stage plays he began producing short screenplays and graduated from the International Film and Television workshops in Rockport Maine. His “perfectly good movie” Right Hand Drive (www.RightHandDriveMovie.com) is sure to be a breakout hit just as soon as he receives the Oscar nomination or Sundance reconsiders their last response. He now works as a software developer trying to pay off the large mortgage resulting from his exciting adventures in movie making.