"Dog Days of Summer" Mark Freiburger Blog
I am one of those people that loves hearing the story of how a movie came about. From the blockbusters to the small indies, every film has a story behind it and is someone's labor of love. That is exactly what Dog Days of Summer is for producer and director Mark Freiburger. For his first feature film, Mark successfully raised nearly half a million dollars from multiple private sources and signed one of Hollywood’s most successful character actors (Will Patton from Remember The Titans & Armageddon) to star. Prior to Dog Days, there were a handful of music videos for the national BET Network. Mark has also directed numerous award-winning short films and has served as a screenwriter for the novel adaptation of The Trial from best-selling author Robert Whitlow, scheduled for a 2010 release. Currently, he is in the process of developing his second directorial feature based on the novel, Jimmy, also from author Robert Whitlow. Mark has written a blog for Amazon to share the story of Dog Days of Summer, which is now available on DVD. -- Lisanne
Dog Days of Summer truly is a “passion project” of mine in every sense of the phrase. I am thankful
every single day that I had the opportunity to make it. As I’m not very advanced in my years yet, it has single handedly been the most difficult thing I’ve ever attempted to create. This project was ultimately conceived during a simple trip to watch a baseball game in the historic colonial capitol of Edenton, North Carolina at the age of seventeen. Immediately I fell in love with this relatively untouched, undiscovered town. I heard that there was a British travel journalist who had recently bounced around the United States, writing articles about the towns and cities she visited. This journalist stumbled upon Edenton and wrote an article about it with the headline proclaiming… “I Finally Found Norman Rockwell’s America.” Those were my sentiments exactly. At the age of seventeen I knew that someday I would make my first feature film in Edenton… but at that point, I had no idea what it would be about.
So fast-forward just a few years. There I was…a simple film school degree under my belt, a gang of kids that wanted to make a film by my side, a lot of will power, a little financing, and a great story. And there we were…ready to make our first film. I was 21 when I first rolled into Edenton with that ragtag crew, feeling like we were ready to take on the world. At least that’s what we thought! I was 23 when I finished post-production on the film. Now I am 25 and have the privilege of watching it release on a national level. Everything that happened in the last 4 years has been nothing short of a whirlwind, with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows… and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.
I often describe Dog Days of Summer as an allegory of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden set in the American South. We follow a group of people as they are “banished” from the Garden to the symbolic point of the town’s flooding, which represents the washing away of the old sins and the rebirth of new life. The story is told through the eyes of one man who has 24 hours before the catastrophic flood to wander through the now vacant town he has lived in since birth, searching for something he lost one summer many years ago. As he combs the town, he tells the story of the fateful season when the mysterious Eli Cottonmouth (played by Will Patton) appeared in his seemingly idyllic paradise and changed it forever.
I like to think that what we have, blemishes and all, is a unique little film. It is hard for me to explain what’s happened in the past year throughout festival screenings, private events and our limited theatrical release. But, what I do know is that the film has struck a chord with a wide variety of audiences. It has received awards at Christian-themed film festivals and also been purchased by Muslim-based distributors in the Middle East. I’ve screened it at liberal arts and conservative universities across the United States, and the film was as well received in those settings as it was in the indie theaters that ran it. That being said, the reactions of the audience have been across the board. I’ve noticed that people who came to see the film with the expectation of a happy-go-lucky summertime film were caught off guard. Dog Days of Summer asks some tough questions and challenges us to look inside of ourselves and examine who we are versus who we think we are. These are questions that require serious self-examination and introspection, two things that are sometimes painful, but ultimately vital to our growth.
The great thing about film in general is that it’s purely subjective in its nature, just like music. What one person dislikes, another will like or possibly love. Each person who has viewed Dog Days of Summer seems to take away something different from this project. So, I’m asking you to check out our DVD, create your own thoughts and interpretations, and take a moment in your busy life to enjoy a little cinema with a large heart. – Mark Freiburger
Michilyn G on April 23, 2009 at 03:29 PM
Great Movie and great job directing!
jeux voiture on September 26, 2009 at 06:22 AM
Truly a wonderful coming of age drama/mystery with a bit of a Southern Gothic quality to it. The cast is outstanding and Will Patton as the mysterious drifter "Eli Cottonmouth" has one of the most unique and memorable roles of his career in this Film. It wasn't rated when I saw it in theaters, but I'm guessing it will be rated at about a PG.
chi flat irons on June 08, 2010 at 08:17 PM
It wasn't rated when I saw it in theaters, but I'm guessing it will be rated at about a PG.