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NOVEMBER 1999

Fine Grind Films begins the offline edit of "Central Garden."  Editing in the new Avid suite at 35 Park. Meanwhile, down at TinoVision (aka FGF South) the new-improved rough-cut of the "Small Timers" documentary is shaping up. Both films hope to finish editing soon, to make the deadlines of two year 2000 Park City festivals:  Slam Dance and No Dance.

OCTOBER 1999

FGF picks up some premium gear from a Nashville rental house and shoots "Central Garden" in 6 days.  This short film is based on an a feature-film idea set in Hawaii. "CG" is filmed on Super-16 and, unlike the Big Muddy shoot, is totally professional.  The best of the Memphis film industry turn out to support the cause and the results are spectacular.

SEPTEMBER 1999

"Small Timers" work continues at our Austin post-production facilities.  More shooting and more of the non-stop editing. The Memphis gang prepare to shoot another film.  Kaleo adapts an idea he has for a feature and cranks out a script for an excellent short film.  Although this script has it's humorous moments, it's nothing like our romantic-comedy feature.  Kaleo really shows us another side. And lucky us!   The gods have shined... the budget for this 20-minute short is more than we spent making our 90-minute feature, "The Big Muddy."  Many thanks to the "gods" responsible!

AUGUST 1999

Fine Grind Films plans a "weenie roast" in Overton Park on the weekend of the eleventh.  We'll supply the hot dogs, you bring your buns!  Don't expect an update "after the fact" - these gatherings usually end up pretty sketchy. But it won't be ALL fun and games with Kahns and Dickel.  Work will continue on "Small Timers" this weekend, too.  More interviews with cast and crew of "The Big Muddy" are planned as well as necessary on-line dubbing thanks to our friends at the greatest broadcast television station in M-Town!

JULY 1999

Will continues off-lining the Teeno-vision documentary film, "Small Timers" - starring the members of FGF.  Rick supplies out-of-house critiques on a weekly basis, keeping Will on his toes.  Almost an hour is complete and getting pretty tight. Kaleo and Michael travel back to Hawaii for the wedding of their good friend, Sarah and her guy, Nick on July 31.

JUNE 1999

The Big Muddy participates and wins a cash prize at the 2nd Annual Memphis Film Festival held in the auditorium at the Memphis College of Art.

MAY 1999

The Big Muddy screens at the New York International Independent Film Festival  and wins the award for "Best Actor in a Feature." The event opens with a film expo at Madison Square Garden (Tino sneaks in to catch a glimpse of Knicks basketball stars Marcus Camby and Latrell Sprewell crushing the Celtics), a distributors luncheon that was light on distributors and heavy on hopefuls and finally the screening at La Bar Bat on W. 57th Street. The screening went well as New Yorkers jammed the converted discotech to catch a glimpe of Mid-South flavor.

APRIL 1999

Due to the wonderful response of the premiere last month, the Memphis crew open the Big Muddy Lounge right next door to the coffee house location used in the film. The BM Lounge not only has a comfortable beer and whiskey bar but screens The Big Muddy to it's guests.

MARCH 1999

The Big Muddy has it's Memphis Premiere in front of 700 guests at the New Daisy Theatre on crime free historic Beale Street in Memphis, TN. The crowd overwhelmingly loves the film.

FEBRUARY 1999

The Big Muddy takes home the Golden Orb award at the No Dance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Kaleo's mug winds up in the Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly and a number of television news shows.

JANUARY 1999

We got some great news early into the new year our first feature film, "The Big Muddy," had been accepted into "No Dance" - an independent film festival in Park City, Utah that has its screenings during the popular Sundance Festival.

DECEMBER 1998

Finally, the Big Muddy got it's first rejection letter from the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City. It was one of 1700 films turned down by the growing festival.

NOVEMBER 1998

Fine Grind members meet in Memphis for a private screening of The Big Muddy. Lisa works deligently on preparing the necessary paperwork for entry into numerous film festivals.

OCTOBER 1998

Kaleo and Mike put the finishing touches on the "picture cut" in the their former home of Honolulu. The fine-tuned version is like a lighting fast race car and sure to be a real crowd pleaser at festivals in the coming months. Rick moves to Knoxvegas, TN.

SEPTEMBER 1998

Find Grind shoots a music video for local alt-rock quartet, Kitchens and Bathrooms at various locations in Memphis. The band also appears in a scene of the Big Muddy.

AUGUST 1998

Various post production on the Big Muddy continues. Or one might say it was a slow month.

JULY 1998

Blown is screened at the F3 Shorts Festival in Austin, TX.

JUNE 1998

Lisa continues to solict copies of the rough cut to various distributors. None are biting but that hardly stops the momentum of post production.

MAY 1998

Mike and Kaleo rent a 3/4 inch editing system and hammer out a rough cut at Fine Grind's main dig on Spottswood Avenue. Blown is shown at the Basement Theater in Albuquerque and the Mansion Theater in Baltimore. Will moves to Austin, TX.

Official Big Muddy wrap party (in true Fine Grind fashion) goes on for three days.

APRIL 1998

Big Muddy trailer and select scenes screen to a receptive audience in a theatre on the campus of the University of Memphis. Blown is screened at the New York International Independent Film Festival and the Speakeasy in Seattle, Washington.

MARCH 1998

Work on the Big Muddy trailer continues as Mike and Kaleo work on the off-line on a simple "cuts only" videotape editing system and Rick ices the on line on the powerful Avid 8000.

FEBRUARY 1998

Someone breaks into Rick's house and steals valuable Big Muddy props and collectibles.

Very cold night time riverbank shooting takes place.

The cast and crew of the Big Muddy finally complete their final shot amidst little fanfare and the usual amount of drinking to commemorate the moment.

JANUARY 1998

Shooting continues on a part time basis not only at clubs and restaurants around Memphis but on the banks of the rather chilly Mississippi River.