That was before we knew who you were...

Sometimes all it takes is one person in Minnesota who likes odd little films about cars.

I mine the past for my work but I don't live there. I'm always looking forward. I truly believe the best years of my life are in front of me. 

I'm doing some research for a collection of short stories I'm writing about a used car lot my father owned in the 1960's which lead me to this, That Really Obscure Object of Desire. The old footage is from my father’s used car lot. 

This is my first short film and the one that really kicked off my career. I made it almost 35 years ago (you can tell because I have a dark beard and dark hair). When this film was finished I submitted it to probably 50 festivals and it was turned down by every one! 

I heard about a national PBS series, American Pie, that was looking for new work, but I had missed the submission deadline. I called the producer anyway and he picked up and we had a nice conversation.

I pitched another film (Criminal Justice, a one hour doc) I had. The producer said to send it although it didn’t sound like what they were looking for he’d watch it anyway.  He asked if I had anything else. 

“I made a short film about my car…” There was absolute silence on the other end of the phone. I’m thinking I screwed up. What did I say? 

After a really long moment he said, “I made a film about my car once…Please send me your car film I want to see it.”  I sent him my film. He sent me a copy of his car film which I loved. 

A few weeks later he called to inform me that my film was going to be the first film screened on the first episode of American Pie.. Not the doc I was pitching. He wanted to show That Really Obscure Object Of Desire, the film that had been rejected by all of those film festivals.

When it aired on PBS, tens of thousands of people watched my film, maybe more. 
 
My phone rang off the hook over the next few days as film festivals all over the country were calling and asking me to submit my film to their festivals. I told more than a few of them that I had already submitted and they had rejected it. 

I was told by one programmer, "That was before we knew who you were." WTF does that mean?

I was still the same person, but someone else liked my work, took a chance, and screened it nationally. Now I had a stamp of approval so others would show my work. 

Not only did they all want me to submit the film, they waived all of the entry fees.

I made two more short films, You’ll Change, and Stolen Toyota. Everybody wanted those films. They had an amazing festival run. 

One day I was sitting in my studio and the phone rang. A woman identified herself as the head of programming at TV Ontario. She had seen my first three films at film festivals. She wanted to purchase them to air on Canadian television and was wondering if I had anymore? I told her I had three more I was getting ready to shoot (an absolute lie). She asked what they were about and so I made up three stories on the spot. 

She asked if I could send her the scripts as she was interested in possibly commissioning them. I agreed to send three treatments which I hurriedly wrote that night and sent them out the next morning (pre internet stuff). 

She not only purchased the first three films, she put up some money for the three that I had sent her treatments for. After delivery I asked her who else she thought might be interested in my films and she contacted colleagues at Australian television who purchased all of my short films.

I made a total of seven short films. They have aired on PBS, The Learning Channel, Canadian and Australian television. They've been shown at tons of Film Festivals including London, Sydney, Aspen, Mill Valley, Chicago, and Edinburgh. 

I always tell people don't give up. If you believe in your work you need to send it out so it can reach others who feel the same way you do. 

Sometimes all it takes is one person in Minnesota who likes odd little films about cars... 

I look at That Really Obscure Object Of Desire now and I cringe a little. It's a first film and there are things I'd certainly do over, but I won't. It's done. Don't look back. Watch it below.

I put together all of my short films as a compilation that includes; You’ll Change, a look at fatherhood; Enough With The Salmon, a look at family vacations growing up in the 1960’s; Stolen Toyota, which chronicles the loss of my 1977 Toyota Pick up; Tales From I-5, about my commute from Portland to LA in my 1979 Toyota Corolla, with special commentary by the Tappet Brothers of NPR’s Last Chance Garage; Friday Night, about my near death from complications from an allergy shot; That Really Obscure Object Of Desire, a five minute personal documentary about a man’s obsession with his 1928 Model A Ford; and Love The One You’re With, a look at high school dating in the early 1970’s, and their disastrous consequences. 

These films are unrated. Actually they’re all pretty tame, but funny. Well most of them anyway... 

They are available on my streaming channel,  https://vimeo.com/ondemand/kelleybakertheshortfilms
along with my features and workshops. 

Thanks for reading.

Don’t forget, Support Independent Artists! 

Head over to my website www.angryfilmmaker.com

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