Filmmakers reach out directly to audiences at the State Fair
One of the biggest challenges facing small-budget indie films is not actually making the film, but getting the word out to movie fans. The director and the star of a new comedy drama, "Brittany runs a marathon," have decided to literally take the word to the people, at least in Minnesota.
Director Paul Downs Colaizzo and actor Jillian Bell spent Wednesday morning at the Minnesota State Fair, just two days before the movie opens nationwide in theaters.
It’s made for a busy 24 hours. Tuesday night they flew into the Twin Cities to head straight to a movie theater to talk about their film. They slept for a few hours and then headed to the Minnesota State Fair. First stop, the WCCO-AM booth.
"Thanks for dropping by, let’s have a nice Minnesota welcome for them!" said host Dave Lee as the crowd clapped.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
It’s 8:30 a.m. and six more media interviews await Colaizzo and Bell have before noon.
Usually movie campaigns involve one-on-one interviews with journalists, but almost all of these are in front of live audiences. It's a chance to make a direct connection with moviegoers.
In between stops they also both want to experience the fair.
"I want a fried Oreo at some point," said Colaizzo.
"Is that what we are doing?" asked Bell. "Are there rides, too? Can we do this on a ride?"
Colaizzo says "Brittany runs a Marathon" is based on his best friend and the chats they had about achieving happiness and trying to find a way in the world as someone in their late 20s.
"And out of one of those conversations she went on her first run," he said. "She was really finding structure in her life for the first time and goals and a routine that helped her get on a stable footing and find her balance."
It wasn’t simple though. Colaizzo began writing a script, and threw in a few extra obstacles. He says several of the things that he’d made up then actually happened to his friend.
Colaizzo is a playwright. This is his first movie. In the film the hard-partying Brittany is adrift as everyone else gets on with their lives. Then her doctor tells her she needs to lose 55 pounds, eat better and exercise more.
She can't afford a gym, so she decides to go for a run: just a single block. When she gets back her brother-in-law calls her on Skype.
"Hey man, what happened to you? You get caught in the rain?" he asks.
"Oh, it's sweat," she replies. "I ran today."
"Why the hell you do that?" responds the mystified in-law. "Someone chasing you or something?"
In time Brittany begins training for the New York City Marathon, despite major challenges along the way.
The film touches on some raw topics: gender politics, self-confidence, body image and how to trust or even love someone, including yourself. Jillian Bell says she fell in love with the script as soon as she read it.
"I wasn't surprised that it was based on a real woman's life" she said. "And she felt like someone I already knew. At times she felt like me. At times she felt like one of my best friends. My dad was in there, too."
"Brittany Runs a Marathon" is running into the issue faced by many indie movies.
"Getting people to know about it is the hard part, yeah" said Colaizzo.
The film is distributed by Amazon Studios. It will be available on Prime around Christmas, but in the meantime they need to get the word out, talking to as many people as possible trying to find an audience.
Colaizzo says this is a movie about people who are typically forgotten by Hollywood.
"Thornton Wilder has a quote that I have always thought about which is 'Film is the story of them, and theater is the story of us,’" Colaizzo said.
As a playwright Colaizzo wants "Brittany Runs a Marathon" to bring the theater into the cineplex.
"And that means getting into the theater and sitting side by side with somebody and watching a story that will have you talking afterwards, relating to it afterwards and hopefully feeling inspired," Colaizzo said.
Minutes later that wish seemed to be answered as a family which had seen the movie at an advanced screening a few weeks ago approached the filmmakers and said they had begun running again. The father had even checked out the possibility of running the New York City Marathon.
But talking about a movie can prove difficult in a setting with as much sensory overload as the fair. At one point, Bell notices a strange expression on Colaizzo's face. It's a mixture of alarm and happiness.
"Oh my gosh, he got 'em. He got the fried Oreos,” Bell exclaims as the realization sinks in. "You love it! Can I have a bite of yours because I don't want to start my own?"
"It's a donut with an Oreo inside it basically," replied Colaizzo.
For her part, Bell is still fixated on going on a ride until something else catches her eye.
"What's the butterfly house? Oh my goodness I want to be around butterflies," she said.
And that's how the rest of the interview happened with all of us covered with winged insects.