Thursday, August 13, 2009

Plushgun Fans: Cut Your Own Graduates Movie MUSIC VIDEO

PLUSHGUN FANS!!! We love making The Graduates more and more interactive.

If you want to play with some cool footage and interact with the movie on a new level, just go to our homepage: www.thegraduatesmovie.com and click on "Cut Your Own Trailer" at the bottom:

Cut your own Trailer

Tons of footage and music from the movie will download, along with some basic concepts on cutting trailers.

When you're done, just upload your trailer anywhere on the net and we'll link to it all over the place.

Tons of people will see your work, and we'll even send you a free Graduates DVD!

Super Awesome Film Show interview about The Graduates

Super Awesome Film Show interview about The Graduates ... http://ping.fm/MGIhI ... talked financing, production, indie film marketing...

The Graduates Band Competition!!!


THE GRADUATES BAND COMPETITION HAS LAUNCHED!

In the last year we've introduced the bands on Volume 1 of our soundtrack to TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE. Volume II launches this fall, and you're invited to submit your music for inclusion!!!

FOR MORE INFORMATION, HEAD OVER TO OUR BANDS PAGE AND DOWNLOAD THE FLYER!

Submit links only (no MP3's) to:
music@graduatesmovie.com


Monday, August 10, 2009

Blog title...

Congrats to our soundtrack band PLUSHGUN on an incredible tour... Can't wait to hear new material and catch a show in NYC!!!

shows remaining:
Aug 20 2009 11:30P
Popscene - 18+ San Francisco, California

Aug 22 2009 8:30P
Private Show SoCal, California

Aug 23 2009 8:00P
Knitting Factory - ALL AGES!!! Los Angeles, California

Aug 28 2009 8:30P
T.T. The Bears w/ The Appreciation Post Cambridge, Massachusetts

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Must Listen...

Two of our soundtrack artists have new EPs, and they are truly awesome:

Sonia Montez: http://ping.fm/4ILEg

Seth Freeman: http://ping.fm/FbtMq

Give them a listen, awesome stuff...

Band Competition: Winners on Soundtrack!!!


THE GRADUATES BAND COMPETITION HAS LAUNCHED!

In the last year we've introduced the bands on Volume 1 of our soundtrack to TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE. Volume II launches this fall, and you're invited to submit your music for inclusion!!!

FOR MORE INFORMATION, HEAD OVER TO OUR BANDS PAGE AND DOWNLOAD THE FLYER!

Submit links only (no MP3's) to:
music@graduatesmovie.com


#4 COMEDY ON AMAZON.COM!!!

Last week, we asked our fans to rent or buy The Graduates from AmazonVOD. In 24 hours we skyrocketed from the #22 Comedy to #4! We also skyrocketed to the #11 movie of all movies on Amazon.

THANKS TO YOU for three days straight we were ahead of Slumdog Millionaire (Best Picture 2008), Marley & Me, and even Twilight. This is unheard of. We were the only true independent film in the Top 50, and the only film made for under $10 million.

So how did The Graduates, made for a paltry $95,000 skyrocket to the top of Amazon.com?

BECAUSE OF YOU: OUR FRIENDS, FAMILIES AND FANS

If you haven't seen The Graduates yet, please consider downloading it from iTunes today. We want to make the same push on iTunes, and we know WITH YOUR SUPPORT we can crack the Top 10.

Here is the link:


THANK YOU!!!

NETFLIX: add The Graduates to your queue today!

Want to see an incredible indie comedy right freakin now? Add us to your Netflix qeue TODAY!

Picture 1

Become our friend on Netflix!

Interview on The Beach

Every week this summer we're going to post different interviews with people involved with the film- me, Matt, the interns, the cast and crew... This week we start with me talking about what inspired the movie, and why/how I got into movies (I promise future interviews will have nothing to do with me!):



Our Summer Interns Could Kick Your Summer Interns Asses



Indie Filmmaking Tips & Tricks 5: Hygiene

Indie Filmmaking Tips & Tricks 5: Hygeine from Ryan Gielen on Vimeo.



Indie Filmmaking Tips & Tricks 5: Hygiene

THE GRADUATES MARYLAND PREMIERE!

The Graduates will have its first theatrical run in... wait for it... MARYLAND, BABY!

WHAT: The Graduates World Premiere, Maryland
WHEN: May 15th - May 20th
WHERE: R/S Hollywood Cinema 4, Arbutus, Maryland
TICKETS: Advance tickets available at the box office Monday, May 11th

Screening times:
Friday, May 15: 7pm, 9pm
Saturday, May 16: 1pm, 7pm, 9pm
Sunday, May 17: 6pm, 8pm
Mon, May 18: 8pm
Tues, May 19: 8pm
Wed, May 20: 8pm

Tickets: 8$ adults, 7$ Students

R/C Hollywood Cinema 4
5509 Oregon Ave.
Arbutus, MD 21227

Movie Line: (410) 242-1188
Right next to UMBC



WORLD PREMIERE ANNOUNCED MAY 1&2 NYC

It's official! THE GRADUATES will world premiere at The Astoria Beer Garden's historic 250-seat theater!

The Graduates.
Beer.
Vintage German Decor.

Let the endless summer begin!

INFO:
Friday, May 1st & Saturday, May 2nd
Astoria Beer Garden
2919 24th Ave
Astoria, Queens 11102

TICKETS:
$10 online
$12 at the door

THESE SCREENINGS WILL SELL OUT, PLEASE BUY YOUR TICKETS ONLINE:
www.thegraduatesmovie.com/showtimes


Friday Prem




COLLEGE TOUR ANNOUNCED!

The Graduates College Tour kicked off last week at Fairliegh Dickinson with a packed house and a TWO-HOUR Q&A! I introduced the film and said we'd stick around until everyone's questions were answered, and I meant it. We love to talk about our film.

The rest of the tour (updated as we finalize each school):
George Washington University
Purdue
Michigan
Penn State
Washington & Lee
Carnegie Mellon
Johns Hopkins University
George Mason
Georgetown
UMBC
Texas A&M
School of Visual Arts
Columbia University

For a full list and screening times, please check out our SHOWTIMES page.





To book The Graduates for a screening and Q&A at your school, please email holly@graduatesmovie.com

I can only hope every college audience is as fun and engaging as FDU was. We're trying to create a new model here- not only will we stick around for as long as the audience has questions, we'll also be at every screening of the film this summer to do Q&A's and meet n' greets nearby. For instance, when we open in NYC this May, I'll personally be at every screening (around 30-35 screenings) to do a Q&A with the ticket-buying audience.

We want you to see the film, and we love to hear your thoughts and questions. Can't wait to see you at a screening soon...

Awesome Video Review of The Graduates

Alec Kerr is a reporter, but you can record your own video review of the film. Upload your own video review of The Graduates and we'll send you a free DVD when the film comes out. We'll also post it here and on our website and fan pages!

Alec Kerr's review:


FAN TRAILER!! (u can make one 2)

This is our first fan trailer. It, of course, rocks:



Thanks, Jazzmie08!

Top 5 Reasons to Download The FREE Soundtrack

Top five reasons to download The Graduates Soundtrack:

5. Ultimate beach party mix, featuring bands you've seen on MTV, VH1 and heard on podcasts and radio...

4. Comes with the official trailer for your iPod

3. Peer pressure: all your friends are doing it

2. Guaranteed to get you to third base

1. You like fun

Click here to download the free soundtrack (use the code SNEAKPREVIEW)...

THIS WEEK ONLY: Watch The Graduates For Free

Free Online HD Sneak Preview!
The Graduates will be available on our site in is entirety, for free, in HD from Thursday, Feb 26th through Sunday, March 1st!

The Graduates Free Online HD Sneak Preview
- Starting Thursday, Feb 26th at 12:00pm
- Through Sunday, March 1st at 11:59pm
- Exclusively on www.TheGraduatesMovie.com

How to watch:
- Click play
- Let HD load
- Watch full screen or small screen!

------

Here's some other cool stuff to do when you're done with the movie:

Cut Your Own Trailer: This is a first of its kind. We'll make five different downloads available, each filled with .MOV video clips and WAV music files. You can cut them, upload them and send us a link, we want to see your work!

Pre-Order the DVD: Order early and we guarantee it will arrive by graduation.

Download the free soundtrack: Just go to our Music page and enter the code "GOGRADS" at checkout. The entire soundtrack will download for free.

Download the Soundtrack for FREE

The Graduates is going to be the first film in history to give away 1 million soundtracks...

To get the FREE SOUNDTRACK:
1. Go to our Music Page...
2. Add both digital discs to your cart
3. Enter the code: GOGRADS
4. Checkout and download free soundtrack

It really is that simple. If you like it, forward this to a friend.



----------------------
Here's some more info:

Why are you giving away 1 million free soundtracks?
It's simple: the music rocks. We believe once you hear the soundtrack, you'll have to see the film :)

One million sounds like a lot, how can you do it?
That's where you come in. If you forward this promo to just one friend, and they do the same, we'll reach 1 million by May 8th (the day the film will hit theaters).

We also have a couple incredible corporate sponsors, like TripSmarter.com, giving away soundtracks to people who are looking at spring break and summer vacations.

Why are the soundtracks FREE?
The short answer: we want you to have it! We want you listening to our soundtrack instead of the millions of other songs available out there. At the very least, we want a spot on your shuffle.

The longish answer: we tried some nuanced promos, we tested out things like $0.99 soundtracks, or giving away half the soundtrack, but while that was interesting to people, it just wasn't powerful.

We think those promos locked people out of the movie, because they came with a caveat- you can only have half; you can have it if you pay a little money- and those caveats would prevent people from participating in the promo.

So we decided to really go for it. Our goal is get as many people as possible to know about and eventually see The Graduates. So why not just give the soundtrack away, and make it as easy as possible for people to participate in the promo and to get to know the film.

An example of our partnership with TripSmarter:
Free Music Final Trips 2


How will you track the progress of the promo?
We want to make a big splash as the promo evolves and more people download the soundtrack, so we're in the process of creating a cool graphic that will auto-update, sort of like the thermometer you see on certain charities' websites, but maybe a little cooler :)

Check back often for updates and to see how many people have downloaded the free soundtrack.



Questions? Email us: music@graduatesmovie.com

Soundtrack Review: Amplifier Magazine

AWESOME review from Amplifier Magazine:

Film soundtracks are usually a poor investment, and often laden with incidental music and songs that have been previously issued; ditto releases which propose to be “inspired by the film…” which tend to be thrown together at the behest of ad departments. Not so with The Graduates, which emerges as a cohesive collection of up-beat novelty offerings that certainly evoke the film’s storyline of libidinous high-school grads who head to a beach resort to get laid and party. Though they’re not (yet) household names, the artists here - most notably Mad Tea Party, Seth Freeman, Sex w/Lurch, and The Smittens, - all put their best musical foot (and bleeding hearts) forward. Sex w/Lurch’s “Tokyo Cowboy” is a mad-cap garage rocker that would fit nicely on Nuggets (think ? Mark and the Mysterians). “Here Kitty Kitty,” one of several Freeman cuts, has a ska beat to die for and a sexy libretto that would make Beyonce blush (note to Freeman - you should prompt her to cover this!). Mad Tea Party lives up to its goofy name with the “Wipe Out” inspired “I Went Out” - replete with Beach Boys harmonies and charmingly out-of-tune vocals that would get Mother Theresa thrown off American Idol. Dig The Smittens heartfelt “The Garden” - a mid-tempo rocker rendered in a baritone just south of Johnny Cash. The Graduates puts the fun back in rock ‘n’ roll where it belongs!

--Tom Semioli [January 26, 2009]
Get the entire thing FOR FREE, HERE!

Radio Interview: The Graduates Soundtrack

Check out the feature article on our Soundtrack!



While the former music industry crumbles into a slow, self-inflicted suicide stabbing of itself, there is an opportunity for independent musicians/bands to form alliances with independent filmmakers. Recently, I read a story in TechDirt about a independent movie production, for a movie called The Graduates, that was going to heed SEC Bad Boy Mark Cuban’s suggestion of giving away soundtracks to movie goers.  Being a big fan of both independent movies and indie music (not to mention Mark Cuban), I was really intrigued by the idea of attempting to give away 1,000,000 soundtracks to an independent movie.  So I contacted executive producer of The Graduates, Ryan Gielen, for an interview to better understand this process and how it might benefit both independent musicians and movies in the future.Free Soundtracks - Getting Your Music Into The Movies, Jan 2009



Ideas for any indie musician or filmmaker on getting great music into great indie films...

Friday, February 13, 2009

CineMaryland Interviews The Graduates

CineMaryland interviewed us prior to our sold-out Maryland sneak preview... Check it out... Did you know you can download the entire Graduates soundtrack for FREE? Just go to www.thegraduatesmovie.com/music...

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Dancing In A Minefield video

A tribute to We Need Girlfriends:



Plushgun on iTunes:
Plushgun - The Graduates, Vol. 1 (Official Soundtrack)