An Industry Case Study
Narrative | Dramatic Features
Film Name: Sunset in Winter
Genre: Drama
Length of film: 21 minutes and 8 seconds
Date: September 2021
Director: Kelley Lockman
Producer: Clayton Nix and Kelley Lockman
Executive & Creative Producer: NA
Writer: Kelley Lockman (and Charlton Hoag-contributing writer)
Cinematographer: Brady Holcomb
Editor: Kelley Lockman
Composer: Scott Henson
Production Company: Atlanix
Budget: $1000 (shooting budget), additional $5k – $6k (promotion)
Financing: Self Financed
Shooting Format: Pocket Blackmagic
Screening Format: Digital HD
World Premiere: NA
Awards: 42 awards and 15 nominations
Website: https://www.sunsetinwinter.com/
The Official Trailer for Sunset in Winter
Watch The Trailer for Sunset in Winter directed by Kelley Lockman
A Short Biography of Kelley Lockman
Kelley Lockman is an American actor, director, and screenwriter. Kelley was born and raised in Georgia, his passion for film eventually led him to film school and then to acting. Kelley has appeared on various TV shows and films, including Tyler Perry’s “A Fall From Grace.” He has written and directed his own work and has recently completed A Sunset in Winter In which he wrote, directed, and starred.
The Kelley Lockman Interview
indieactivity: What is your film about?
Kelley Lockman (KL): Sunset in Winter is essentially a meditation on loss and the process of grief. My goal was to make a series of slice-of-life scenes that would hopefully not only tell a strong story but also would put the audience in the protagonist’s shoes; taking them through the process with him. The film was inspired by a few real-life events. All of the actors in the film are friends of mine, and I leaned into anything that was actually truthful for them. I wrote (or rewrote) all of the scenes in this film specifically for the actors that were involved.
Tell us about the festival run, marketing, and sales?
Kelley Lockman (KL): Sunset in Winter has had a good festival run. This is the first film that I have ever tried to promote, and it has won over forty-two awards and been nominated for at least fifteen. Specific wins include Best Short Film, Best Director, Best Actor/Actress, as well as Best Producer and Cinematographer. Recently I received Best Actor in a Short Film from Art is Alive Film Festival and Best Short Film from the Southern Film Festival.
In terms of marketing, we created a website as well as an Instagram and Facebook page. On all of these platforms, I put out trailers, photos, and a video director’s statement. Instagram was quite useful since it is geared towards photos and videos and we received the most positive feedback from that platform.
In terms of sales we are gearing up to do two screenings in Atlanta this summer and we are currently shopping the film to OTT distributors.
Give the full Official Synopsis for your film?
Kelley Lockman (KL): Sunset in Winter is a film about a man who loses his wife to cancer, leaving him to search for meaning in the grief. The film begins with a couple in bed wrestling with the reality that their love will soon be cut short. The protagonist’s wife dies, and then he is left to deal with what it means to be truly alone. Friends and strangers try to comfort him, but nothing helps. However, life went on for him. The reality of that fact is what I wanted to try to convey most of all to audiences. It is hard to put that reality into words because it always seems like such a frail thing to say. I was hoping this film could offer some comfort to people going through this same process.
Development & Financing?
Kelley Lockman (KL): The story for Sunset in Winter began as an idea I had for a scene after watching a performance of the play “Constellations”, starring Kim Hamilton and Michael Howell. Michael later became my Assistant Director on this film, and Kim played my wife. The play centers around the same theme of cancer and loss that the play “Constellations” explores. However, the idea became fully formed when my good friend Ian Covell, who plays the bartender in the film, lost his mother in the summer of 2018.
Watching him go through that grieving process was very moving, and I felt inspired to try to make some sense of that pain on screen. Amazingly, the story he actually gets to tell in the film about his mother is real. He really lost her the year before we shot his scene. In fact, all of the characters in the film were based on the actual people that play their roles. The only exceptions were myself and Kim. It was a magical script to write. It came together very quickly.
Sunset in Winter began as a project of friends. Everyone that worked on this film with me did so because they believed in the script. I had absolutely no money. However, I have the great fortune of knowing a few extremely talented and dedicated friends who, once I pitched them this idea, got on board. I was financing it myself, and by financing – I mean buying lunch. However, right before we began initial photography in late January of that year, my assistant director Michael Howell introduced me to Clayton Nix.
Michael believed that Clayton would be interested in what we were doing, and so I let him read the script. To my great fortune, he loved it and helped me produce the film! It was awesome working with Clayton because, in terms of producing a film in any kind of professional way, I was clueless. Meeting Clayon was a lifesaver for me in terms of making this movie.
Production?
Kelley Lockman (KL): I had the first scene scheduled to shoot in February of 2020, and we planned on shooting until March of that year. After we shot the first scene in February of 2020, the world shut down. Coronavirus was in full and sudden swing. We had to postpone everything until August of that year. Shooting during the height and uncertainty of a pandemic was no joke. However, because of the delay, I ended up doing some rewrites to the script and in my opinion, it is a better film for it.
I scouted all the locations in the film. The bar was a restaurant that I worked at, the fire scene was at my parent’s house, and the mountain top was the property of a friend. The woods at the end were on a trail behind my apartment at the time. We did not have permission for that one. The house belonged to Clayton. All of the locations, with the exception of the trail, were friends and family as well. I cannot stress how thankful I am for everyone’s involvement in this production. I was given so many gifts of effort and time in this production that I am truly humbled.
One person that I have not mentioned yet is Brady Holcomb, who was our Cinematographer. Brady is an absolute beast and an angel. He is young but has an incredible eye and sensitivity. I hope and expect the best for him. We discussed all the scenes, and I articulated to him what I wanted and he delivered in spades! I just cannot say enough good things about Brady. He has the talent, attention to detail, and work ethic that makes for a great cinematographer. It was a wonderful and sensitive collaboration. Again, I am very grateful.
Because of our budget and time constraints with our locations, preplanning each scene was critical. We were very well organized to the point that almost every shot was planned before we got to the locations. Brady and I did a blocking day before shooting in each location. That made the process super streamlined. Without proper planning, no movie can work, but especially one that had the kind of parameters with which we faced. When we arrived at any given location, Brady already knew where to stage the cameras and the lights and while he handled that, I would give the actors a quick rehearsal and usually within an hour or less of being on location we were rolling. I also knew that I didn’t have the luxury of reshoots, so what we got that day was what we had for the film. With a lot of luck and grace we got what we needed.
I scouted all the locations in the film. The bar was a restaurant that I worked at, the fire scene was at my parent’s house and the mountain top was the property of a friend. The woods at the end were on a trail behind my apartment at the time. We didn’t have permission for that one. Haha. The house was Clayton’s. All of the locations with the exception of the trail were friends and family as well. I cannot stress how thankful I am for everyone’s involvement in this production. I was given so many gifts of effort and time in this production that I am truly humbled.
One person that I haven’t mentioned yet is Brady Holcomb, our cinematographer. Brady is an absolute beast and an angel. He is young but has an incredible eye and sensitivity. I hope and expect the best for him. We discussed all the scenes and I articulated to him what I wanted and he delivered in spades! I just can’t say enough good things about Brady. He has the talent, attention to detail, and work ethic that makes a great cinematographer. It was a wonderful and sensitive collaboration. Again, I am very grateful.
Festival Preparation & Strategy?
KL: I wish I could say we had a strategy when it came to film festivals. We took a shotgun in the dark approach. We attempted to choose the festivals that would offer us the most exposure and opportunities.
The Release?
KL: We have yet to do a nationwide release of the film. We plan to do a few more live screenings, and then move to digital distribution.
Advice from the Filmmaker?
KL: My advice to filmmakers would be to follow your instincts; be nice and genuinely kind. If you do not have a great budget and you want to make a movie, you will have to do it through the help and generosity of others. I encourage low-budget filmmakers to write for their friends.
Make friends with actors and crew members. That means creating real friendships instead of doing it just to get something out of the relationship. Be friends first, then make art. This is a collaborative art form. I wrote, directed, edited, and starred in my movie, and I can absolutely say this was a team effort. My team are my heroes. I am grateful and humbled! Without them, this could not have existed.
Finally, lose the bad parts of your ego, but embrace the part that is determined to get something done. Be as kind as you are determined, and give back and give credit as much as you can. The end result may find you working with an amazing group of people that are dedicated to seeing your vision come to life
Tell us what you think of the Case Study for Sunset in Winter. What do you think of it? Let’s have your comments below and/or on Facebook. Or join me on Twitter.
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