LIFE BEGINS Online Screening

There was very little notice, but we had a fantastic online screening event presented by ITVS where we could watch LIFE BEGINS AT REWIREMENT and be connected in an interactive discusssion. It was a blast and we loved hearing from teachers who said their students were very much into the short (despite what some educational advisors thought). We've found that kids and teenagers are especially touched by the story, as they identify with their grandparents and parents going through similar situations.

Thanks to everyone who joined! What could be more appropriate for a film about connecting virtually with a loved one than to meet viewers online to talk about it? You view the archived log by going here and hitting the "Enter Anonymously" button.

The Robots are Coming!

This commercial for GE celebrates the optimism, fun and excitement behind technology. Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris of Little Miss Sunshine fame, this spot gathers the most famous robots in real life and pop culture. K.I.T.T.! Asimo! Robby the robot and more!

Jill Andre in THE MASTER

Catch our very own Jill Andre (who starred as Life Begins at Rewirement's Jessica), in Paul Thomas Anderson's latest mesmerizing pic, The Master.

Aging Online Profiles LIFE BEGINS

Jamie Carracher of the senior tech blog Aging Online interviews director Trevin Matcek on LIFE BEGINS AT REWIREMENT. Click below to read the article:  

Don't Retire, Rewire: Does the Future of Eldercare Include Uploading Your Consciousness?

 

We highly recommend checking the rest of this blog out, which covers how seniors are embracing technology and the changing face of aging.

We're thrilled that Things We've Made is being promoted in Creative Capital's On Our Radar database as a "Project To Watch." 

Creative Capital is an amazing supportive organization of the arts crossing many disciplines. It's an honor to be included in the impressive array of traditional and non-traditional storytelling from filmmakers all over the country.

Describing LIFE BEGINS AT REWIREMENT as "entertaining, thought-provoking and disturbing pending some unanswered questions," blogger Joared at Along The Way has started a fascinating discussion about the film with her readers. As an active parent, grandparent, student and rehab professional working with adults part time, her perspective on life and aging is on many levels. 

In "Digitally Rewired Senior Life," check out her post and comments from the readers about what they thought of LIFE BEGINS.

Behind the Scenes story on LBAR

Read about the visual design of LIFE BEGINS and how we shot it using the ARRI ALEXA. Being able to use this camera elevated the production value in countless ways. Click below to read the article featuring interviews with DP Jaron Presant and writer/director Trevin Matcek:

Cinematic Sci-Fi in LIFE BEGINS AT REWIREMENT

LIFE BEGINS AT REWIREMENT Now Online

At long last, it's finally here for your viewing pleasure...LIFE BEGINS has launched online at PBS and the Futurestates website. Put your headphones on and crank it up!

Watch Life Begins at Rewirement - A Future Friday Premiere on PBS. See more from FutureStates.

Don't forget to vote for the Audience Award!

Unfortunately the video player is not viewable on iPhones or iPads unless you download the PBS viewing app. It's free and will allow nothing to come between you, LIFE BEGINS  and DOWNTON ABBEY.

LIFE BEGINS Soundtrack Now Available on iTunes

One of the most fulfilling collaborations on Life Begins at Rewirement was working with composer Keith Ruggiero of Soviet to create the soundtrack. We're please to announced the soundtrack is being released by Ojet Records and is now available on iTunes! Digital download includes exclusive behind-the-scenes stills, director and composer notes. Go here to purchase.


Listen to a track here:

 

The 10-track album has been described by Trevin as "the heartbeat" of the film. Striking "hot and cold balance by mixing analog and digital." Says Matcek, "The result is synthetic, but never artificial. It's warm and earnest, with a layer of loneliness just below the surface. Keith summed up the feeling it creates with a single word: chills." 

LIFE BEGINS Premieres at Tribeca

It was amazing festival premiere at Tribeca for Life Begins at Rewirement! The theater was packed and our film had quite an enthusiastic response. Here's a pic of writer/director Trevin Matcek during the Q&A afterwards, where he was joined by other Futurestates directors Patrick Stettner, Jennifer Phang and Nanobah Becker. People loved the near future world of Life Begins and definitely want to see more. We're looking forward to more festival dates at a theater near you and using it as a launch pad for Things We've Made!

Yo, LIFE BEGINS AT REWIREMENT Heads to Tribeca!

ITVS and the Tribeca Film Institute will host a free screening of FUTURESTATES Season 3 at Tribeca Film Festival!

When: 

Saturday, April 21 at 2 p.m. 

Where: 

Tribeca Cinemas

54 Varick Street 

Come join us in NYC for this special screening, followed by a Q&A with writer/director/cyborg Trevin Matcek (Life Begins at Rewirement) and other directors from the Futurestates series Jennifer Phang (Advantageous) and Patrick Stettner (Gunny). 

To attend, RSVP to rsvp@itvs.org.

SXSW

We love Austin. It's been great seeing a lot of the tech work descend upon the town to discover it at SXSW. Sadly, we can't stay for music this year but the interactive and film conferences have been a blast! Futurestates got some nice plugs during the panel, Prototyping the Future. 

Ray Kurzweil did a keynote speech earlier this week, which we live tweeted for Life Begins at Rewirement.

You can check out our SXSW coverage and follow the film for news & updates here:

@_lifebegins

Introducing LIFE BEGINS AT REWIREMENT

At last, we're able to announce a project we're very proud of: Life Begins at Rewirement. Trevin was commissioned by PBS and ITVS last year to write and direct an original story set in the future for Futurestates series. From the PBS website:

If you were given a glimpse into the future, would it change the way you live today? Returning for a third season, the FUTURESTATES series offers a new collection of seven fictional shorts that explore possible future scenarios through the lens of today’s global realities.

Life Begins follows Simon Ender as he struggles with his decision to commit his 100-year-old mother to a revolutionary nursing home alternative where elderly minds are uploaded to databanks. 

We're thrilled to be part of this series. Check out the trailer! It's heartfelt sci-fi with sad robots, an estranged mother and son, poppy holograms, a suburban future and more. Our episode launches online May 15 as the season finale. 

Visit the website here.

Visions of 2011 As Seen from 1911

Whether utopian, dystopian or even downright fantastical, we love hearing about what people in the past thought of what it would be like now. In this Ladies Home Journal article from 1911, much of this is a very idealized look at the future. It's nonetheless fascinating to see what this author thought our world would be like. Some prophecies that did come true: 

- "Photographs will be telegraphed"
- "Ready-cooked meals will be bought"

  And some that didn't: 
- "Everybody will walk 10 miles"
- "Peas as large as beets"

Read more here:

What May Happen in the Next 100 Years