Photo of The Turning Point

The Turning Point

General Info

  • Role:

    FilmmakerRoles(_FilmMakerRoleID = 2, _FilmMakerRole = Producer) / FilmmakerRoles(_FilmMakerRoleID = 1, _FilmMakerRole = Director) / FilmmakerRoles(_FilmMakerRoleID = 3, _FilmMakerRole = Editor)
  • Website

    eRATicate.com/ttp
  • Influences

    American Movie, Dogtown & Z-Boys, Super Size Me, Crumb, Murderball, Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The Real Dirt on Farmer John, Tarnation, Sherman's March, Bright Leaves, Fast Cheap & Out of Control, Home Movie
  • Directors

    Ross McElwee, Chris Smith, Errol Morris, Stacy Peralta, Morgan Spurlock, Steve James
  • Festivals

    Ashland Independent Film Festival

Video Player

Blurbs

About me:

..

What I Watched Last Night

________________________________

"Williams has a surefire crowd pleaser on his hands, one that evokes really deep emotions of life and love, and it’s a winner. ’The Turning Point’ is a beautifully done slice of life, and I enjoyed it to pieces." - Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed

"It all worked for me. I empathized with them, I understood them, and their choices, and the changes in their life. I even in quite a few scenes felt stressed and on the edge of my seat for what was going to happen next." - The Reviewer

"At about 20 minutes into The Turning Point, something interesting happens. It stops being a film, and it becomes something more-- something that is richer and more vibrant. It becomes real life." - Tony Vescio - Passionate Movie Reviews

"It’s funny, passionate, entertaining and informative all at once!" - Brian Morton, Rogue Cinema

"Parents-to-be would do well by checking out this movie... It’s a well-done doc that does what it sets out to do." - Eric Campos - Film Threat

This film began in 2003, when my wife Kristan and I decided to have our first child. Being a filmmaker, I thought I would make a short documentary about our life leading up to the birth. A very personal film, made mostly for our family and future kid, something they could watch when they were old enough to be interested. As Kristan’s pregnancy went on, and I got more and more footage, I realized that there might be a feature film within all of it.

I thought that the film would end once our child was born, but after the birth, I kept on filmming, as any dad with a video-camera would do. It wasn’t until our kid was about six months old, that I began to edit the footage together. I didn’t have a script of any sort, not even an outline, simply what we had lived through. I began to shape a film out of the raw footage. The first cut was almost two hours long, very rough, without a real beginning or end.

Over the next two years, in the brief free time I had, mostly during our child’s naps, I kept chipping away at it. I cut the running time to around 70 minutes, while also adding more pieces to the story. I figured out how the film shoud end, and came up with a completely new beginning. A real film came into being.

The Turning Point is now a journey from the beginning of my life into the second year of my child’s. It is a personal view at the process of pregnancy and a look at the steep learning curve of being a new parent. It is a funny and heartwarming ride; edited in a very tight, almost dream like fashion. I think that it will be a good film for couples looking to have a new child, or a nice look back for those that are already parents. It is a story that most of us go through sometime in our life, but told in way and from a perspective that has not been seen before. I believe that it is a completely unique film.

Not your ordinary documentary,
about the extraordinary thing we call life.

Featuring music by:


Guster


Monostereo


Watch all of XRATS Productions other short films,
music videos, commercials, etc. @ YouTube:

Also be sure to check out director Ross Williams’ profile.

Who I'd like to meet:

Anyone who'd like to see this film.

Details

  • Status: Married
  • Zodiac Sign: Taurus
  • Children: Proud parent
  • Occupation: Documentary Film

Schools

  • Art Institute Of Seattle

    • Seattle,Washington
    • Graduated: 1996
    • Student status: Alumni
    • Degree: Associate's Degree
    • Major: Advertising
    1994 to 1996
  • Etna High School

    • Etna,California
    • Graduated: 1994
    • Student status: Alumni
    1990 to 1994

Login

Forgot password?

Need an account? Sign up