I recently ran into Ryan Watt at BarDog Tavern in downtown Memphis.  Introduced through a mutual friend, Ryan relayed that he was working on a new film in Memphis as the executive producer.  I love hearing about films being made in Memphis and I couldn’t resist having Ryan as a guest blogger on MemphisConnect.   So here is the latest on film making in Memphis in Ryan’s own voice.

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While growing up in Germantown, TN, my friends Allen Gardner and Brad Ellis knew before high school that they would write and direct movies.  I enjoyed watching them produce short satires and even full-length feature films in high school with not much more than a video camera.  Ten years later, their production company Old School Pictures has just wrapped principal photography on their tenth feature film, Daylight Fades.

I eagerly joined the group as Executive Producer on this ambitious project, and it has been an incredible experience.  After an intense seven-week shoot, entirely in Memphis, I have a new love and tremendous respect for the art of film making.  Midtown and Downtown communities and businesses went above and beyond, truly astounding us with their willingness to help.  People we didn’t even know before filming began provided us with essential services, including locations and catering.  The Memphis Film Commission was integral to the success of our production.  The Memphis Police and Fire Departments, Memphis Parks Commission, and many other local organizations gave us their full support.

If you are considering a film project in Memphis, there is a network of extremely dedicated and creative individuals and many organizations to look into.  Live from Memphis, Indie Memphis Film Festival, and ArtsMemphis are all great places to start.  Recently, Memphis was named the 8th best city for independent film making (http://www.memphisfilmcomm.org/news/news26.htm) and I will attest that the recognition is well deserved.

Daylight Fades is a drama involving vampires that puts the emphasis on characters and story over the more traditional horror elements.  Although writer Allen Gardner now lives in Los Angeles, he knew that this film should be set and shot in his hometown of Memphis.

We have utilized social networking and other web-based tools as our primary source of marketing.  Our website, www.daylightfades.com, serves as a hub for our blog, flickr photos, facebook group, myspace group, twitter updates, and other news.  We’ll constantly be adding content, including a behind-the-scenes documentary premiering later this month in the form of webisodes.

I invite you to follow our progress online and will keep everyone updated in regards to release details and other exciting news.  The film, currently in post-production, will be fine-tuned through multiple stages of editing for months to come.  Daylight Fades is scheduled to debut at film festivals before premiering in Memphis theaters sometime in late 2009 or early 2010.

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Ryan Watt is the Director of Marketing at New School Media Group and Executive Producer of the film Daylight Fades, currently in post-production.  Securas Consulting Group acquired his technology firm Metro Backup in 2006, where he served as Director of Marketing until late 2008.  Ryan returned to Memphis after graduating from the University of Tennessee with a degree in Marketing.

Ryan Watt, Executive Producer on Daylight Fades

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