| | "DRIVERX" OPENING THEATRICALLY
NOV 30TH THROUGH IFC FILMS |
| | My No-Budget Feature Premiering in NYC & LA & Several Other Cities |
| | Ok, I know it's been awhile since my last email blast. My first career--producing--has been getting in the way of my second career--teaching. And that's always been the bargain. I don't just run No Budget Film School and teach classes, viewing the film business and micro-budget filmmaking specifically from afar. I produce micro-budget features and then I take those lessons and refine the classes I teach. Sometimes I get buried in producing and NBFS falls to the wayside. The last couple of years have had that affect, as I've produced two features (Devil's Whisper premiered last year and was released by Vega Baby/Sony) and I recently finished a big web series for eOne (as a production accountant and post production supervisor) and a fictional podcast for AMC's Shudder (as a post super). These other projects were jobs where I was a hired gun--though I will say I am incredibly pleased with all of them--but my baby is DriverX.
I am overjoyed to report that DriverX is opening November 30, 2018 in theaters and On Demand through IFC Films/Sundance Selects. This little movie, self-financed with 0% credit cards, Kickstarter donations, and a little money from a couple of friends and family members, is getting a 10 city minimum theatrical release from a company that releases consistently high-quality films costing many multiples more than ours. Films like Boyhood, The Death of Stalin, The Babadook, 45 Years, the recent Blaze, and the upcoming Wildlife, opening this weekend.
I am so proud of this film, and as many of you know who read these emails regularly, it has been a long road. Henry Barrial, my regular creative partner, started writing the script around 4 years ago and we started shooting it 3 1/2 years ago. That journey, and the result, are going to make for an excellent one-day class and I am working on that right now as I write this. I look forward to teaching this class next year, once the heavy lifting for the film is over.
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| | If you want to get a preview of what I will be covering in this class, come to one of our upcoming screenings, where I will be answering questions after the show (likely along with lead actor Patrick Fabian and other cast and crew). I plan on having several special nights here in town during our Los Angeles run, which will be at the Laemmle Monica in Santa Monica. Because it's opening the same night in New York at the IFC Center, we're planning to have a sneak preview screening on Tuesday, Nov 27th where many of us will be in attendance. We'll then open in several other cities in the following weeks. I will send out a follow-up email with all the details when I have them.
I am also currently writing a series of articles covering different topics related to the making of the film. Things like how I budgeted and financed it, how we shot the night driving shots on a micro-budget, and how we cast the more than 50 speaking parts. I will be sending these out in the near future, too.
If you want to follow the film more directly, please sign up on our mailing list at DriverXMovie.com and follow us on social media, (we're about to ramp that up):
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| | | | | A trailer from IFC is coming very soon, but if you want to get a preview, you can view a clip from the film now, below.
Much more information to come. Stay tuned! |
| | | | | | FILMMAKERS ALLIANCE PRESENTS VISIONFEST
Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018 • 6pm • The Viaduct, Los Angeles State Historic Park
Filmmakers Alliance is presenting VisionFest, their annual screening, networking and partying event, held every year since like forever. I like to think of this as a celebration of Los Angeles Independent Filmmaking. Good times, good people, good films. Lots of food, drinks, and music. I will be there this year and I hope to see you, too. Remember to use the special discount code: FAFriends when you register, and get half off! Tickets are only $10!
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| | | | NEW HEIGHTSARTS SYMPOSIUM
Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018 • 8am - 6pm • The Centre • Santa Clarita, CA
The New Heights Workshops in Santa Clarita CA are putting on an all-day FREE symposium this Saturday that promises to be a great event. Panels include “You Have Made a Film: Now What?”; “Top Marketing Tips for Indie Filmmakers”; “Getting Your Film into a Festival”; “Music Supervisors: Their Role and What They Look For”; “Getting Social: The Artist and Social Media” and more. Panelists include Liz Manashil from the Sundance Institute, distribution expert Sheri Candler, and several successful indie filmmakers. Oh, and I did I mention it was FREE? I did? Well, it was worth mentioning twice. |
| | | | | | RICH KIDS
Los Angeles Premiere at the Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival Oct. 20, 2018 • 9:00pm
I've seen this terrific no-budget film twice now and I highly recommend it. A timely and moving drama set in my hometown of Houston, Texas, director Laura Somers (LA-based, but originally from Houston) has won several awards on the festival circuit as of late. The story of a group of under-privileged high school kids who sneak into a large, empty house in their neighborhood and pretend for a day that they are "los ricos," this is the kind of film that could have easily wound up cloying or cliched. But the young cast is so good, the writing is so specific and sensitive, and Laura handles the material so assuredly, it ends up being honest, funny, and surprising. Laura will be there to answer your questions along with cast and crew. The film screens at the Regal LA Live movie theater complex. Visit their website for more information on the film and to check out their trailer: RichKidsTheMovie.com
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| | | | | AT YOUR OWN RISK
Now Available on iTunes and Vimeo
Rich Kids above is a bonafide no-budget film in my book, with a budget that I'm pretty sure is south of $50k. But Helenna Santos' new film, which she produced and stars in, makes Rich Kid's budget look positively extravagant! Shot for $1,000 and made for a total of $5,000, Helenna definitely meets the No Budget Film School standard of No Budget. And why not--she's a former NBFS student. You can read all about how she made the film in this recent MovieMaker article, and then, watch it on iTunes, today! Or better yet, you can watch it on Vimeo and purchase the Filmmaker Bundle, where you'll also get to see exclusive behind-the-scenes video and listen to filmmaker commentary, as they take you deep into their micro-budget filmmaking journey. Helenna had no intention of making the film and then turning it over to others to distribute. From the beginning, their goal was to release it themselves, and so they are using Distribber as their aggregator. This is an empowering way to control your destiny. I've bought my copy and look forward to watching it this weekend!
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