To whom it may concern,
Nothing is more important to an indie film than the love, blood, sweat & tears of the creator. This & more went into the making of Headlock. Mark doesn’t just make films he creates art, the title of which is a huge part of this creation & the cornerstone by which the film has come to be known across social media since its inception in July 2014. For just over four years Mark, cast, crew, fans & film buffs alike have been posting, following the film’s journey & anticipating the release of the film under the name Headlock across Twitter & Instagram. It’s something we are all passionate about & none more than Mark himself. As the person who wrote, directed & stared in Headlock he is intimately connected to this film at every level & a lot of thought went into giving the film a name that did it justice. That name is Headlock.
The instant I heard the title Headlock I was intrigued by what talented filmmaker Mark Polish would unleash on the world. Headlock is unique, it draws you in & it sparks the imagination. Having had the honour of viewing Headlock I can say without a doubt that this title suits the compelling story of brain trauma perfectly. By contrast ‘Against the Clock’ is mundane, generic & sparks no sense of imagination. My first thought was actually ‘sports’. Mark’s artistic vision is incredible & with that comes a title as unique & intriguing as his work. This vision should be respected in its entirety.
We all know the film as Headlock, we all love the title Headlock & for four years we have been following the journey of & looking forward to the film Headlock. It’s heartbreaking to see a production company try to undermine a filmmaker’s artistic vision & for what, the sake of alphabetical order... I don’t know anyone who picks a movie based on where it falls in the alphabet or who is so incredibly lazy that they won’t scroll past ‘A’. Is it your intention to only produce films that start with ‘A’?
I will never understand why production companies think they have a right to change anything about the work they have been trusted to release to the public. If you don’t like something about a project don’t agree to take it on; once you do you do so as a whole. By changing the name, especially four years after it’s creation, you are not only stealing Headlock’s identity you are risking the success of the film. Not everyone spends endless hours online & as such there is bound to be a percentage of people who awaiting the release of Headlock will miss it as they aren’t looking for the release of a movie called ‘Against the Clock’. This is an unacceptable risk. Mark & his team have worked long & hard to bring this incredible film to audiences & the built in audience have been anticipating the release of Headlock.
Please don’t change the name of Headlock to some generic claptrap that has no sense of adventure, has nothing to do with the story being told & ultimately disrespects Mark. This film is his vision & Headlock is the title, the only title, that does justice to his vision.
#iheartheadlock
