Blog Post #247: 'Ask Delphi' Sneak Preview Screening!

A sneak preview screening of my 4th film 'Ask Delphi' took place on Saturday, May 10th, 2025 at 2pm at University of Miami's Cosford Cinema. Starring Florencia Barletta, Karina Cancio, Nick Rubertone and Shaun Grant. Original Music by Ben Morris. Rene Rodriguez is the theater manager at Cosford Cinema.

(Event photos by Rene Rodriguez and Patricia Mei Rhenals)

Emotional Preparation

Waiting on my seven-time collaborator Ben Morris to send me the tracks of original music he'd composed for my film was excruciating. For weeks, my nearly completed film sat rather idly as I occasionally fine-tuned the cut and sound mix over the intervening time period. Then, sweet reprieve! Within a period of 24 hours, Ben delivered his final cues of original music for the film and, upon eagerly accommodating the invaluable WAV files into my edit, I was ecstatic! I felt a surge of confidence; a confidence that had ebbed as it always does during post-production on a feature film due to the desensitization that occurs with incessant review and surgical manipulation of familiar images and sounds. In any case, with Ben's music as the near-final piece of the puzzle, it was time to schedule the sneak preview screening!

My 4th feature film Ask Delphi is a formally ambitious drama-comedy with a rather bold sci-fi frame grafted onto an otherwise simple narrative. Imbuing it with such formal intrepidness set up a major risk: What if the audience rejects these conceptual and editorial features? What if the experience fails to stimulate spectators in the way I mostly intend it to? What if my distinctive approach fundamentally doesn't work and disposes more to ire than to admire? Such is the danger of experimentation. On a short film, it's common - even expected. But on a feature film, far more financial investment and viewer goodwill is at stake! All of these concerns revolved ceaselessly in my mind as I set the date of the grand unveiling of the film. Despite such an event being far from my first rodeo, I was struggling to accept the more rational quarter of my mind's encouragement to simply wait and see what happens. For this reason, "nerve-wracking" was an oft-used phrase by me in the weeks leading up to the screening.

About a week before the screening, I met up with Rene Rodriguez, theater manager of University of Miami's Cosford Cinema - the venue where I was set to debut my film. At the theater, we performed a simple spot-check to ensure that there were no gaping issues with the technical presentation of the film. Impressed with the visual and audio fidelity of the film, Rene's reaction helped put me at ease. At the very least, the film would look and sound acceptable in the auditorium - the largest single-screen theatrical venue in Miami, I might add! Furthermore, to help quell my nerves a bit more, I decided to refrain from re-watching any of my film until the big reveal and to simply, as my nobler impulses beckoned, wait and see…

Technical Oversight

As my process goes, post-production is a relatively short period of time because I routinely edit the incoming footage as production is underway. At the height of production or post-production, review of the editing occurs daily and my waking consciousness is suffused with thoughts of technical and creative detail. Toward the end of the production and throughout post-production, owing to a recently added amenity, I will cue up the latest version of the film on the projector in my bedroom and watch the film off a sizable area of the wall opposite my bed with a pair of studio headphones. No visual or aural detail is too small to be noticed and adjusted to conformity and acceptability. There are of course painful compromises and reaching justifications over certain incurable flaws which may crop up but virtually nothing is decided arbitrarily.

As mentioned, a spot-check was performed at Cosford. This spot-check consisted of reviewing about 30-second-long segments of the finished film every 15 minutes or so to generally survey the 4K DCP (Digital Cinema Package) file and gauge any issues with the overall presentation. For my part, I simply needed to know what the optimal master audio level should be, if a particular color separation issue was present and if there were any problems with sync that would necessitate replacing the DCP file with a corrected version. Thankfully, the spot-check put to rest all of my concerns.

On the day of screening, I arrived fairly early and Rene invited me to perform another quick spot-check of the start of the DCP file to assure me that nothing had changed since the test earlier in the week. Performing the second test, I observed that everything was intact! But what if something went wrong with the DCP projection during the event despite the set of spot-checks? Never fear! The previous day, I prepared a thumb drive with both a 4K and HD version of the video file (in MP4 file format) ready to be mobilized as backup in case of any compromising mishap.

Event Facilitation

Following Ben's music arriving and being instantly plugged into my NLE software in mid-April, I immediately prepared an email to Rene requesting a date for the sneak preview screening. I now knew my film would definitely be ready by the time the screening was likely to be scheduled - early-to-mid-May. Within a few days, Rene responded and I followed up the email by drafting a complete, minute-by-minute breakdown of the prospective event. Ask Delphi would be the third film I would sneak preview at Cosford so there was ample precedent regarding the form of the event (i.e., doors opening, introductory remarks, Q&A, group photo, etc.). Determined in large part by logic and efficiency, my humble breakdown was eventually approved by Rene and I was elated!

As an award-winning Toastmaster (perhaps a former one as well as it's been years since I attended a meeting proper), any nerves associated with the prospect of speaking in public before a throng of people were negligible. In fact, I love speaking in public in either a prepared or impromptu capacity! But knowing my preference for the former and tendency toward the latter, I felt comfortable knowing that if I strayed from any careful preparation, any unexpected off-road travel was surmountable. Still, fortune favors the prepared! In any case, I thoroughly outlined my opening remarks and selected the questions I'd ask the attending principal cast members during the Q&A after the film presentation.

On the morning of the event, I visited a local Publix to have some previously ordered purple (an important color associated with the film) latex balloons filled with helium and attached to a set of purple weights purchased at a local Dollar Tree. My intention was to place a set of balloons near the entrance of Cosford Cinema to help guide attending guests as the theater is rather nestled within surrounding UM campus buildings ahead of the parking lot. However, upon leaving Publix, the balloon strings became intractably intertwined! Not only that, half of the balloons popped as I stuffed them into the back of my Kia Optima. Sweaty and dismayed, I sat in my car before deciding to place the surviving mess at one key spot near the theater. Better than nothing, I was off to the theater.

Throughout the event, I engaged with arriving attendees and kept a close eye on time. Luckily, the half-hour I allotted for guests to arrive and find their seats was more than adequate. At the elapse of that half-hour, I took a moment to survey the entrance of the patio just outside the theater to guide any latecomers. Following that, I entered the theater on-time ready to share my opening remarks. The house by many accounts was packed! I'd say just over half of the auditorium's 240 seats were occupied. However thrilled I was by the turnout, I proceeded with my mission and delivered my opening remarks with calm and confidence. I asked for a moment of silence in memory of former collaborator actress Mireya Kilmon and then acknowledged Rene, family, friends, mentors and the principal cast before citing some basic housekeeping involving phones and restrooms.

Following the film presentation and fairly enthusiastic applause, I ambled up before the audience and commenced the Q&A portion of the event. Welcoming the attending principal cast members Florencia Barletta, Karina Cancio and Nick Rubertone to the area just ahead of the audience, our Q&A began. First, I elicited introductions from my beloved cast members before asking pointed questions of each of them. After, I invited the audience to provide questions for either myself or the cast. The entire 35-minute activity was a bit overlong but lively and insightful. After the Q&A, I directed all attendees to gather on-stage for a group photo but with limited success. No matter. The entire event was satisfying for so many other reasons - among them, its execution without any considerable hitch to speak of.

Social Engagement

During some pleasant small talk with Rene at the back of the theater at the start of the event, I noticed the first two attendees to arrive were a pair of young people; one a former student of my friend Tony Mendez, who previously taught media production at a charter school. I excused Rene and engaged with the two youth immediately and stressed the importance of their presence at the event. Those familiar with my ethos and rhetoric know that generativity is a large part of my motivation for making films and writing/speaking about them. After a moment with the two young'uns, I saw fellow local feature filmmaker Manny Delgadillo and spoke to him and his lady friend with equal gusto! Following that, I eagerly greeted some arriving cast members before moving outside.

In the theater-adjacent patio, my ensuing interactions are a blur in my memory due the sheer quantity of words exchanged and diversity of guests I encountered. Nevertheless, I expressed tall gratitude and joy over seeing every single person! It was overwhelming encountering so many individuals from such a wide variety of social contexts. Some figures who knew me when I was a teenager first grappling with the art of film to many who I'd recently met at other local film screenings. Because virtually everyone arrived on-time, any concern about over-socializing and losing track of the event's temporal structure was annulled. Plenty of time to enjoy many warm embraces and much friendly banter.

At the close of the event, the whirlwind of social interaction recommenced and I found myself eager to briefly probe some nearby friends and acquaintances for their honest opinion of what they'd just seen. Praise was abundant and I received many encouraging comments. I knew I'd want to reconnect with many individuals beyond the date of the event after they'd had enough time to process and consider the density of what the film offers. So, I'm still looking forward to enjoying time with many of the guests on separate occasions to further appreciate their responses.

Creative Insight

The sneak preview screening was a dam-breaking for me! After approximately 18 months from conception to completion, I was now free to speak in generous and explicit terms about the distinctive formal features of the film. But before touching upon that at the head of the theater following the film presentation, I listed some basic facts about the production: 6 months of production, 32 days of filming, 23 locations, 59 cast members (50 on-camera, 9 voice), $8,000 production budget and zero crew. After sharing those details, I invited the attending principal cast members up and initiated a 35-minute Q&A.

Florencia, Karina and Nick all introduced themselves and I tried to furnish their responses with additional insight into my choices as the writer and director. Their introductions proved their commitment to the craft of film acting and I'm sure the audience appreciated their earnest and crystal clear devotion. After introductions, I asked each of the cast members pointed questions about their individual perspectives. Florencia discussed the challenges tackling more dialogue than she was accustomed to, Karina expressed her surprise over the clarity of the resulting film compared to her perception of it throughout the production process and Nick related his love of skateboarding to his practice of the dramatic arts. At one point during the first part of the Q&A, I was at last able to comment upon the aforementioned distinctive formal features of the film and I felt like an unclogged faucet streaming forth bounteous fluid!

The second part of the Q&A involved questions from the audience. Their questions related to my proudest accomplishment in the film, the origin of the sci-fi aspect, a discrepancy with an earlier released concept trailer, the reality of some of the closing visuals, interest in a surprising hard left turn at a particular juncture in the film, concern about animal welfare, advice for young filmmakers and the response of the actors to the finished film. Responses from the cast were measured, brief and handled with utmost care. Additionally, I felt compelled to respond with a touch more substance to one of the students in the audience; he and the other young people being the most important audience for my films. In sum, the Q&A was spirited and translucent in a way that seemed to satisfy curiosity about a film produced with unique features and under unique circumstances.

Future Prospects

Three days removed from the event on that sunny Saturday, I reflect on some future plans. Visiting the class of the attending young people to talk about filmmaking and my creative process may be a possibility. At the very least, I'd love to donate a copy or two of my 1st book 20 Years a Filmmaker to their classroom library if a suitable collection exists. After all, I did write the book for the express purpose of providing young people with an example or model to follow if they should be so inclined.

I'm also thinking about my next film (as usual). Two of them, in fact. The first may be a no-budget, purely experimental feature film I could design and produce before the end of summer. The second is expected to be another full-fledged feature film production with actual crew members while being heavily reliant on VFX work. So, I am interested in taking a fair share of time to learn a particular piece of free, open-source VFX software in order to realize my plans.

In short, I am not interested in any extended period of rest, relaxation or vacationing. I'm having too much fun creatively and I feel capable of handling far more despite the fact that the past four years have seen me producing three feature films back-to-back-to-back. Indeed, time is short and my enthusiasm for more to juggle rarely recedes; even in the wake of significant accomplishment. After all, this is just the beginning. I'll relax when I'm dead!

Film Criticism

So, what did those who attended the screening think of the film? At the close of film, the applause seemed rather vigorous, lasting throughout the first three or four title cards of the end credits. Upon prompting various attendees for their opinion, there seemed to be unanimous appreciation for the work but a hesitation toward ecstatic or effusive praise. I understand I made a challenging film. Its narrative and thematic leanings are counter-intuitive and antithetical to the usual rhetorical content of most popular films. Atop that, the form which encases all of the dramatic and comedic happenings is attempting to escape the fundamental language of film we're all extremely accustomed to.

As far as I know, there were two professional film critics present at the screening, both of which I am fairly well-acquainted with. MiamiArtZine's Ruben Rosario expressed dissatisfaction with the film, citing technical flaws and an overly repetitive second act. Moreover, Ruben shared that those unfamiliar with my work would find the piece "antiseptic and impenetrable," while those familiar with my oeuvre will experience "déjà vu" owing to its stylistic proximity to my previous feature films. However, he did appreciate a particular touch of absurdity which rears its head in the latter stretch of the film. The Cosford theater manager (and former Miami Herald film critic for 33 years) Rene Rodriguez's response was enclosed to me in an email. He simply stated that Ask Delphi was "[my] best and most ambitious film to date." As of this writing, I have not interacted with him since but I look forward to doing so!

Unlike biology, I'm convinced artistic criticism is far and away socially constructed. There are no rules or experts, only fashion and devotees. As tightly as I embrace my favorite works of art, I understand that the determination of my affinity for them and even reaching objective arguments about their value are rooted in subjectivity and circumstance. And long have I found truth and light in work that was roundly dismissed by virtually all of my peers. Yet, I hold firm regardless of the solidity or precarity of my position. That is our right. We defend what we love and I am supremely proud to have molded this film into existence with the help of so many amazing collaborators! And I'll have plenty more to say about it once I am ready to release the film more broadly and publicly via streaming distribution. Until then, I will continue to create while keeping in mind some sharp advice from Steven Spielberg about facing criticism of your work:

"Don't blink."