Audience Quote
"I don't remember ever laughing that hard at a movie.  Kudos to all involved."
Retired Ad Exec, Brentwood, California
 

“POET HEADS” was born of a simple idea with lofty goals.  

The filmmakers, Rawle D. Lewis and Sean E. Elliott (Soup Kitchen Entertainment) wanted to make a film that could be done on the thinnest of budgets, anorexic in fact.  They also had to be able to shoot it themselves with a minimal crew (it was more like a “few folks” than a crew).  With that said, what mattered was making a funny, unconventional film that everyone could enjoy.  “We want the audience, whether nineteen or ninety-nine, to be laughing at the film long after they’ve seen it.” 

So they wrote a story about artists taking themselves a little too seriously and the insanity that surrounds them.  The script read funny, but now it’s time for a table reading to give life to the characters.   Rawle and Sean felt they had something good before the reading; but after, the energy and enthusiasm was undeniable.  The actors would unintentionally break character during the reading as they couldn't stop laughing.  (That's a really good sign for a comedy.)  They were overwhelmingly thrilled.  Having fun throughout the process was a major factor with the filmmakers.  While it was a lot of work (Rawle alone wore half a dozen hats), they wanted to make sure making this film was a rewarding experience.  Of course, there was some tension, but that was outweighed by the humorous atmosphere on the set.  Some takes actually had to be re-shot due to actors laughing off camera.  The set was often crowded as some actors would hang around long after their scene was done.  No - they weren't waiting for a check; they actually enjoyed being there.    

The filmmakers used veterans and up-and-coming actors for the key roles as well as non-actors to play your everyday people.  Everyone that was part of this film was glad to be there, and Rawle and Sean were very grateful for their excitement and dedication to the project.  

There’s gorilla filmmaking - and then there’s what these guys did!  With the budget they had, there was no time for reshoots or incidentals.  "Get the shot and go!" could have been the mantra.  The shot list reflected the script to the letter.  If something wasn’t going to work, for whatever reason (an actor is a no-show, a promised service is withdrawn last minute, etc.), the filmmakers would redefine the term ‘improvisation.’   Services were made available as well as locations donated.  Cast and crew all had the desire to see the film through to completion. 

There were also other, perhaps cosmic, forces at work.  A good example… in one scene, actor Will Kane is supposed to hold up a newspaper with a headline depicting a violent occurrence.  The newspaper wasn’t printed in time for the scene, so Rawle decided to shoot another scene in a nearby alley instead.  Suddenly there was a slight breeze (I kid you not) and the front page of a newspaper was blown against Will’s leg.  He picked it up and read the headline.  It was a perfect coincidence, and they used it to their advantage in the original scene. 

Postproduction occurred as financing became available.  Cleaning up sound, adding scenes that were previously cut, overdubs, were all accomplished a little at a time.  The filmmakers made frequent visits to ‘Coinstar.’ 


Even the test screening for the film was nail biting.  The film was still being edited; and while there was a room of over 200 people waiting for the viewing (the venue had seating for 150), the film had not yet arrived.  Three minutes before the scheduled start time, the film arrived.  There was only a partial sigh of relief, as Rawle and Sean weren’t able to view the movie ahead of time to make sure everything was as it should be.  They crossed their fingers and hoped everything came out right.  There were a few issues, but audience laughter from the beginning of the film to the very end led the filmmakers to believe no one noticed those few issues, or had too much fun to care!  In any event, the test screening was a big success.

Although it may be taxing at times - many, many times in fact - the key is to maintain the story and keep people interested in what's going to come up next.  One of the biggest gratifications of the art of independent filmmaking is ending up with the movie you wanted to make (plus getting a fat check!)  

The goal of these two filmmakers is to profit enough from this film so that they can continue to make films independently.  By utilizing talent interested in quality projects, these filmmakers ensure a wonderful movie-making and, ultimately, a wonderful movie-going experience. 

Enjoy the movie!