Hanging It Up

So...this isn't really an easy post to make but one that must be made, I suppose...

After 10 years of toiling in various stages of development hell...Ugly (Is a Movie) is officially dead.

The reasons for this are numerous but mostly, it just doesn't feel right anymore. The ideas and characters in the film are still close to my heart and I hope to do something with those scenes and bits of dialouge in the future but I have put my cast and crew through enough waiting in limbo over the years and it's time to cut our losses and move on to something different.

Over the years of working on this project I've made many good friends and allies and would like to publicly thank all of you for your support. All of the money raised for the film has gone into replenishing the funds from when we shot our preview footage way back in March of 2007. YES, it was that expensive. So no, I'm not going to take all of the money generated through the ads to the left and vacation in Cabo. Labs, crew members and equipment will be paid for so all your donations have still made a difference.

So what's next for Jason Ryan Films? I have a few scripts that have been on the back burner while I was concentrating on Ugly (Is a Movie) these last couple of years that will now be resurrected. I do have another feature length script I am very anxious to make sometime hopefully in the next couple of years. You might be saying to yourself, well...why this other thing and not Ugly? The truth of the matter, the stars just aren't aligned for this project anymore. The actors are growing older and moving on, some crew members don't even live in Seattle anymore. Trying to cobble together the same atmosphere of the original 27 minute long preview short just isn't possible anymore. I kind of liken it to a dysfunctional marriage; at some point things looked great and you were both in love but at a certain point when things don't work anymore it makes more sense to part ways than to stick together. So, with that metaphor in mind, I'm going to be looking for "other fish in the sea" and I'll always keep a piece of the original vision for Ugly with me. It still exists as a short film that I am very proud of. We've had screenings all over the country, got invited to speak at a "works-in-progress" panel along with local film icon Lynn Shelton ("Humpday") and have made lots of very supportive and enthusiastic fans. Thank you so much for your support for this film. Be on the look out for other short films, music videos and someday in the near future, feature films with the same sensibility, creativity and passion. I am definitely not going away, just changing my course of direction.

Check www.jasonryanfilms.com for up to date news and various projects.