Peter texts me as I come home from a long day at work.

"Just got a call from Ben. The distributor wants an answer tomorrow.  You, Juan and I should talk tonight."

Ten minutes later the three of us are on conference call.  

We have until tomorrow to make the biggest decision we've made for Second Skin.

There are a thousand variables.  There is no clear answer.  This distributor is awesome, but so is self-distribution.

It's going to be a long night.  A very, very long night.

[And for the many that have written to us about the Newsweek article-- no, we're not the shirtless Mormons on page 10- it's the article NEXT to that one.  Eesh.]

Comment (0) Read More...

So Juan and I spent the weekend in our hometown in Maryland, with a good friend we'll dub J. Antonisse, for anonymity's sake. 

It was a fantastic weekend, and my first suburban pool experience in years (which is to say, it was the highlight of my summer, no question).   

On the way back home from the pool, we got to talking about the book that I'm adapting (which I can announce very very soon- the deal is done, I need to go home and sign it) and memes.

And Juan and I pronounced the word one way.  And J. and his mother P. pronounced it another way.

--meme-- 

WAIT.  Don't go bounding to dictionary.com -- before you look it up, how have you pronounced the word- or pronounced it in your head? 

We have a little wager going that involves J's iPhone... 

Comment (7) Read More...

Comment (0) Read More...

Sure we've had our share of press, but there ain't nothing like walking to a newsstand and picking up a magazine your movie's in...

After a few weeks of temp work (and all the bile that rises with it) I can't tell you how good it felt getting a package in the mail.  I had no idea what it was until I spotted two pics of Juan on page 28!  I was interviewed months ago for this one, and they only included one quote, but what a juicy one!

Going It Alone 

"This is the dilemma facing the makers of the documentary Second Skin, who have a low six-figure worldwide deal on the one hand and 100,000 hits per month on their blog on the other.  They've done the extensive marketing and support of their film at festivals and on the web without a distributor helping, and admit the question of what a distributor could do better keeps them up at night. 

'The question we have is: Do we want to spend a year or two marketing this movie ourselves?' notes writer-producer Victor Piñeiro. 'We've actually made a detailed Excel document figuring out exactly how much money we would need to pay ourselves for doing this.  That's what really has us on the fence.'"

Comment (0) Read More...

Wow, it worked.  All that mass emailing and mass Facebook-ing, and it really worked.

Tickets are almost sold out- we've managed to nearly sell out a 500 seat theater in less than twelve hours.  Thanks everyone!

Peter made the trip into the city to nab some extra tickets, and later on Taylor (Juan's GF) made the same trip.  "Two tickets to Second Skin."  "Oh, the movie that's outselling all the others by far?  Yeah, almost sold out."  That was in the afternoon.

Can't thank you all enough.  Thanks for coming out. 

Comment (1) Read More...

Well we've got some amazing press coming our way (thank goodness). I just got word that in the next month or two we're getting a nice big promo piece on Current TV!  I'll definitely keep you all posted on when and where you can watch it. This is the channel that Al Gore co-founded, and it's a real honor to have them approach us. There are a few new clips from the film that have never been seen before too!  If you're a fan of Second Skin, which I'm hoping you are, stay tuned.

Peter also just got word of an extra special mention of us in something that has us really excited. I don't think we can spill the beans on that though.

Comment (0) Read More...

Tickets to our New York City Premiere are on sale NOW (well, at 11am EST today, Tuesday).

They're going very quickly, so please buy immediately- we want to see you there!

To buy tickets, click here.

The details:

When: Friday, Sept 5th @ 9:20.

Where: New World Stages- 50th St. b/t 8th & 9th

Who: You, us, some celebrities and a ton of press people.

What: Second Skin, our documentary on virtual worlds

How: Through the magic of technology, I guess...

Comment (0) Read More...

I just got word that our Second Skin interview is going to be in next week's edition of Newsweek! (Well, either this coming week, or the next.) We've gotten some great press since March, but I'm not sure anything competes with being in Newsweek!

Its a personal point of pride for Juan and I. Newsweek's the magazine our parents were subscribed to since we were tiny. Most mornings (or at least a couple a week) had me poring over Newsweek as I ate breakfast before middle or high school. I remember cutting out a few Newsweek political cartoons for sixth grade social studies, and generally getting some small sense of what was going on in the world due to that magazine. (Ah, those sweet halcyonic pre-internet days...)

So keep your eyes open, and you might catch us!

Tomorrow tickets go on sale for NYC- hope to see all you there!

Comment (0) Read More...

Our NYC Premiere is at the futuristic New World Stages theater close to Times Square on Friday night- September 5th @ 9:20pm

Tickets go on sale this Tuesday, and it sounds like they're going to sell out quick. Like, U2 concert quick. Please grab them soon HERE. They're only $10 and we get no guest passes, so please buy a ticket, and tell all of your friends to- they're cheaper than Manhattan movie prices! Here's the info I'm emailing out...

Second Skin NYC Premiere Friday Sept 5th @ 9:20pm close to Times Square. Tickets on sale THIS TUESDAY – immediate sell out expected- purchase now!

Second Skin, the documentary about virtual worlds and the real lives they affect, is finally coming to New York City- the filmmakers’ home town! Second Skin premiered opening night of SXSW to sold out shows, rave reviews, and unprecedented press. It’s been selling out major film fests since March, and will be released in theaters later this fall, DVD in early ’09. Second Skin has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including Newsweek, The NY Times, Wired, NPR, FOX TV and NBC.

The Second Skin premiere promises to be memorable. The movie is screening in a brand new theater close to Times Square (New World Stages). Most of the major media outlets have RSVPed, and the VIP list includes a few very-recent Oscar winning actors and directors, Oscar/Emmy/Sundance award winning documentary filmmakers, and a number of luminaries from the NYC Indie community. And, hey, it’s writer/producer Victor’s 30th birthday to boot. Come be a part of Second Skin’s history!

Comment (2) Read More...

Every once in awhile, I find it helps to give blog newcomers the skinny on our crazy little movie and all the triumph and trials that surround it. There’s been a surge of readers after Fantasia (thanks, Simon!) and I expect the numbers will shoot up when our distribution deal is announced in the coming week(s?) so, once again (and with all the usual apologies to our OGs)…

Second Skin was born in ’06 with a conversation Juan, Peter and I had about my buddy Ben, who was living another life inside a virtual world. In the real world, friends and family were dubbing him an addict, but in the MMO Star Wars Galaxies, he was the mayor of the largest city in Naboo, admiral of their navy, and a legendary leader. This disparity was fascinating, and when Peter told us about a NY Times article he read on gold farming, we plunged head first into Second Skin and never looked back.

The voyage was tough, thankless, exhilarating and dangerous. We loved every second of it. We traveled the US in search of gamers, found a thousand ways to film a guy sitting at a computer, were chased by the mob in China, hung out with porn stars in LA, had countless Entourage moments, made a handful of lifelong friends, and watched Juan gradually become Gollum as he edited 24/7 in his cave for months.

Two years of countless interviews, endless road trips and relentless subject-stalking later, we finished our movie and submitted it to SXSW, wishing, hoping and praying that the most important US film fest after Sundance would like it. Our prayers were answered, and then some. SXSW gave us the most coveted spot on their schedule- 9pm Opening Night. Our two weeks in Austin were a dream come true. We broke audience records with our movie, were interviewed by every TV, radio and print media person in the city, and were in talks with all of the distributors at the fest. We also scored some killer reviews.

Because of the momentum of SXSW (thank you Matt Dentler & Charlie Sotelo!) we were picked up a ton of other film fests, and had the luxury of choosing between multiple distributors and sales agents. It’s been a very bad year for documentaries- we’ve felt it (pummeled is a better word) but kept our eyes on the prize. And thank God, here it comes.

Second Skin is on the brink of signing a deal with a distribution company who aims to put us in theaters in the fall and DVD/download in early ’09. We’ve got a bunch of people in the media poised to interview us as soon as the announcement is made. We could’ve never prepared ourselves for SXSW, but are bracing once more for impact…

Comment (0) Read More...