The Music of Something, Anything

We've received a lot of messages asking about the music in Something, Anything, so here's some information about how to hear it. Alas, we can't release a soundtrack to the film because, though we have rights to the music in the film soundtrack rights are another thing altogether. That said, you can make your own at home using these links to the iTunes store. Some of these songs will be available on Spotify or Youtube, too. Purchasing music, however, is the best way to support artists, so that's we've provided iTunes links.

Two things to note:

Eric V. Hachikian composed three original piano compositions for the film -- the opening credits music, the music that plays while Peggy writes in her journal the first time, and the music that plays at the end of the film. They're beautiful compositions and we were honored to have him compose them for the film, but they are not currently available for purchase or streaming.

The last two songs on this list are the original versions of the songs used in the film. We had new recordings done of those songs.

"Enchante" - Donald Brown

"Easley Said and Done" - Donald Brown

"Seekers of The Truth #12" - Cecil Lytle

"Easter Hymn" - Cecil Lytle

"Easter Night Procession" - Cecil Lytle

"The Healer" - Ben Sollee

"The Law" - Emily Jane White

"Dead Town" - The Vaygues Not available on iTunes, but found on YouTube via the supplied link.

"Get Left In the Dark" - Nerves Junior Note: This is the vocal version of the song. We use an instrumental version in the film, but as far as we know that version isn't commercially available.

"Know You Now" - The Someloves Note: This is the original recording from the 1980s. The song was covered by (now-defunct) Knoxville band The Young in the film, but that version is not commercially available.

"Vultures" - The Pass

"Where Did I Go Wrong?" - Dead Moon

"You Just Don't Feel That Way About Me" - Bevis Frond

"Franklyn" - Michael Nyman Notes: This is Michael Nyman's original recording of his composition. In the film the composition is performed by Tracy Cowden, but that version is not commercially available.

 

Something, Anything - By the Numbers

A year ago today, Something, Anything had its world premiere at the Wisconsin Film Festival. Today, the film is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Vimeo, and Netflix. To commemorate an incredible, and exhausting, year of sharing the film with audiences here are some fun facts.

Something, Anything... by the numbers

22,474: miles traveled screening the film from April 2014 (premiere) to February 2015 (end of fest travel)

3333: days between emailing inquiry to Abbey of Gethsemani (first day of research for script) to world premiere (Wisconsin Film Festival)

961: gigabytes of original footage (AVCHD codec, in case you're interested)

371: days between first day of principal photography and last day of principal photography (August 14, 2011 - August 20, 2012)

159: runtime of the film's first assembly edit

127: scenes in final draft of screenplay

100+: actresses seen during casting for role of Margaret

88: runtime of film's final cut

71: dollars paid on Ebay for the main lens used to shoot the film (Nikon 50mm f/1.8 Series E)

58: locations filmed

57: Facebook posts on since April 2014.

33: speaking roles

24: music cues

14: festivals and cinematheque selections (as of April 5, 2015)

8: number of times Paul Harrill and Ashley Maynor moved from pre-production through post-production

7: average number of crew members (largest crew size was 14; smallest was 1).

6: different camera models used on various occasions through production

5: attempts made to film synchronized fireflies before succeeding

4: babies born to crew and cast members during the film's production, post, and distribution

3 and 1/2: stars (out of 4) given to film by critic Michal Oleszczyk in his review on RogerEbert.com

2: number of weeks Something, Anything was in Netflix's Top 50 streaming movies according to website InstantWatcher.com

1: scenes in which the character of Peggy/Margaret (Ashley Shelton) does not appear in the film

Released

The head of the trail where we filmed our first shots.

The head of the trail where we filmed our first shots.

Paul here. I'm honored to announce that Something, Anything was released digitally today in partnership with the Sundance Institute. The film is available for purchase and/or rent on iTunes and Google Play immediately and will be released on Amazon in the near future. It's also now available on Vimeo On Demand.

I started writing this film in earnest in late 2009. Soon thereafter Ashley Maynor joined the journey. Then, starting in 2011, many others came along to help bring it to life. We worked on it, on and off, for a long time before it finally premiered in April 2014. It took so long to make that we joked that it wasn't a film; it was a lifestyle. And when we were making it we honestly had no idea if anyone would ever see it. That’s the truth.

Since last April I have had the remarkable fortune to travel with the film, meeting and talking with people who have been touched by it. Earlier this month the film screened for a week in New York and was reviewed, warmly, by critics and publications I’ve read for years. And, now, today it has been released out into the world. Anyone that wants it can download it now.

Thinking about this movie's digital ones and zeros -- files that were stored only on my solitary computer for so long -- now transferring through wires and cables onto others' computers, maybe even your own… It is very strange. It is also a little bittersweet. But mostly what I feel is a kind of sweet relief, which I can only liken to the feeling you get when you finally sit down after hiking through the woods for a long, long time.

Something, Anything: Screenings and Screen Forward Guests

We're very excited about Something, Anything's Screen Forward run in New York at IFP's Made in NY Media Center. Opening night is Friday, January 9 and it runs daily through Thursday, January 15.

http://player.vimeo.com/109279504

 

Follow this link to purchase tickets!

We'll be having several special guests join us after the screenings to discuss films and filmmaking. Below are several trailers and other links so that you can learn more about our guests, in case you're not familiar with them.

 

FRIDAY, JANUARY 9 @ 7:30 PM

Something, Anything followed by a Q+A moderated by filmmaker Daniel Carbone of Hide Your Smiling Faces

http://youtu.be/yDqpowHJdO4

 

SATURDAY, JANUARY 10 @ 2:00 PM and 4:30 PM

Following the 4:30 PM screening there will be a roundtable discussion featuring producers Ashley Maynor (Something, Anything), Summer Shelton (Little Accidents),  Lucas Joaquin (The Heart Machine, Love Is Strange), and Tory Lenosky (Keep the Lights On).

http://www.vimeo.com/video/112844536

 

http://www.vimeo.com/107052828

http://youtu.be/9MR1nNgSM6M

 

 

SUNDAY, JANUARY 11 @ 2:00 PM 

Post-screening conversation on Contemplative & Spiritual Cinema, with writer/director Paul Harrill and Caveh Zahedi (The Sheik and I; actor, Waking Life) and filmmaker and critic Dan Sallitt (The Unspeakable Act).

http://vimeo.com/56075178

http://youtu.be/M5cjPlupfM4

 

MONDAY, JANUARY 12 @ 3:00 PM 

Post-screening conversation between Something, Anything cinematographer Kunitaro Ohi and cinematographer Daryl Pittman (White Reindeer).

http://vimeo.com/video/59124627

 

TUESDAY, JANUARY 13 @ 7:30 PM 

Followed by a post-screening Q+A with writer/director Paul Harrill, producer Ashley Maynor, and lead actress Ashley Shelton. Moderated by film critic Alissa Wilkinson, who interviewed Paul Harrill about Something, Anything for Christianity Today. Read the interview here.

 

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14 @ 7:30 PM 

Tennessee Film Night with writer/director Paul Harrill, producer Ashley Maynor and fellow makers of movies set/shot/connected to the Volunteer State -- Tim Sutton (Memphis) and John Henry Summerour (Sahkanaga). 

 

http://vimeo.com/video/88093579

http://www.vimeo.com/video/36370413

 

Something, Anything - World Premieres

Something, AnythingAshley Maynor and I spent a lot of time -- a lot of sweat, a lot of love, a lot of pain -- making SOMETHING, ANYTHING. More than either of us have ever put into a movie. Years. Friends of ours have raised infants to preschoolers in the time it's taken us to make this film. This film has been our baby.

Not surprisingly, as we finished the film we did a lot of thinking about where we would want to premiere it. We knew wanted it to be a festival with a lot of integrity, both in the films they select, and the way they treat their filmmakers. Path

So we asked a lot of filmmaker friends, and we researched. What festivals were taking risks on premiering and screening films that we admired in the last few years? (Films like The Unspeakable ActThis is Martin Bonner, and The Color Wheel, among many, many others.)

And two festivals kept coming up again and again: the Sarasota Film Festival and the Wisconsin Film Festival.

So we shared SOMETHING, ANYTHING with programmers Tom Hall (Sarasota) and Jim Healy (Wisconsin). And we crossed our fingers. These guys look at thousands of films a year. I don't know how they do it, honestly. For the sections that we'd be eligible for, they maybe take a dozen films.

The fact that both of these programmers -- who we admire so much, and whose festivals are beacons of daring programming -- separately selected SOMETHING, ANYTHING for their respective festivals… well, to call it gratifying would be an understatement.

We're calling our screenings at both Wisconsin and Sarasota our "World Premiere" -- a co- or dual- World Premiere, if you will. The festivals happen over the same dates, and its a way for us to signify how honored we are to have all of our hard work -- and the work of so many others -- to be recognized by both festivals.

Thanks for following us on the journey so far.

Something, Anything

Announcing our first feature: "Something, Anything"

Among my friends and collaborators, I have something of a reputation for being tight-lipped about films that I'm actively working on. This is one of the reasons things sometimes get very, very quiet on this blog.

Though the path to completing and premiering it is still long, Ashley and I are happy to announce that our first feature, Something, Anything, is in post-production. In fact, the Independent Feature Project announced yesterday that Something, Anything has been selected as one of ten projects from around the country for IFP's esteemed Narrative Lab.

You can read more about Something, Anything, the other projects, and the Lab in the official press release and the Filmmaker Magazine article. The projects are impressive and we're honored to be in such good company.

Friends of ours have taken their first features (The New Year ParadeSt. Nick) through the Lab, and knowing how much they valued the Lab makes us especially excited to have this opportunity.

We'll try to do a blog post or two about our experiences at the Lab. Stay tuned. Until then, here's an image from the film -- one of the last shots of the movie, but one of the first we filmed.

Something, Anything