SXSW 2013 - Leftovers PT2: BOUNCEBACK Premiere

The premiere for The Bounceback was Saturday March 9th at the historic Paramount theater. Panic struck our team an hour before the show when our director, Bryan Poyser, got word the screening might have to be canceled due to a problem with our HDCAM tape. As Post Supervisor I went on high alert as getting these tapes made and QCed was part of my job.

I was on my way to the Paramount when he called me so I was able to get to the theater pretty quick. There was some confusion but we figured it out pretty fast: There had been a problem with the film screening before us. Our tape was fine. That other film's screening had been canceled (but SXSW added two more screenings to make up for the loss of their premiere). Still, it was a scare before our big unveiling. Good thing they keep the Paramount cold inside cause I was sweating bullets for a few minutes.

The false alarm gave me a chance to meet one of the writers on the film, Steven Walters. Working in post, you spend most of your time with a tiny yet tight group of people trying to get the movie finished - the last ones standing after production. So it's a little awkward to meet another member of the crew that you have had zero contact with to that point, but who was instrumental in its making.

Steven and I hit it off right away. First off, I recognized him for his appearance on Friday Night Lights as a counselor with a crush on Tammy, Coach Taylor's wife. Secondly, I asked him if The Bounceback used to go by another name when it was still un-produced and the plot was a little different. He confirmed that it was, so I told him that his script landed in my email box via a tracking board many years ago. He got a kick out of that and told me about the long journey of re-writes and re-imaginings the story went through, as well as the handful of near-starts it had before finally moving forward in Poyser's hands.

The Bounceback screening felt like a party. The movie played like it had unleashed some pent up energy upon the audience. The audience responded with laughs, cheers and applause. We could not have asked for a better screening...

Although...

There were two gentlemen sitting directly behind us who talked here and there throughout the movie. Sometimes they would quote the movie out loud after they just heard a funny line (a pet peeve). Sometimes it was to ask the other a question and clear up some confusion in what is a pretty straightforward story.

By the end, one guy loved the movie while the other just felt like he couldn't buy the main character's motivation. I'll say this: The dude who was in our corner really went to the mat for the movie, defending it against his buddy's criticism. Our new insta-fan even asked a light-hearted question during the Q and A. As the film played I was tempted to turn around and say something to them, but by the closing credits their banter reminded me too much of old(albeit less intelleigent) "Siskel & Ebert" episodes. So I just had to laugh it away and head on down to the after party.

And now for something completely different: On our way to the after party, my wife and I stopped into Royal Blue Grocery on S. Congress. Had never been there before. They serve sandwiches and things, including one of the best Cuban sandwiches I have ever devoured. This in the last place I ever expected to find a good Cuban sandwich. During the festival you tend to get real hungry as your normal routine is thrown out of sync for up to nine days, so you try new things. We were so happy we did.