| | "DRIVERX" WORLD PREMIERES
OCT. 11TH IN TACOMA |
| | My No-Budget Film About a Middle-Aged Rideshare Driver Hits the Festival Road |
| | Well, I'm happy to finally report, after two years of talking about it, and referring to it, and sometimes writing about it, that my self-financed, micro-budget feature DriverX (my 5th collaboration with writer/director Henry Barrial) is now finished and about to world premiere at the Tacoma Film Festival in Washington state. It will go on from there to play several festivals in Oct/Nov, then I expect to play several more in the Spring, as I'm just now submitting to those with a finished version of the film.
There are many reasons this film took so long--some are just natural for no-budget indies (as I've said many times: CHEAP, GOOD, FAST - PICK TWO), and some very specific to this particular project. In the beginning, the delays were based on working around an actor's schedule (our lead actor Patrick Fabian was shooting his TV show Better Call Saul, and we had to shoot in multiple production periods to accommodate that). Then, for the last several months, it's been about trying to complete 45 VFX shots (plus the graphic overlays) for no money. This was no small task--I got a bid from one company for over $40k! I didn't spend much more than that to shoot the movie!
Well, all that's behind me. I now have a finished product, with all the music, sound design, visual effects, and color done. As you've probably heard elsewhere, this does not mean I'm done. I'm probably at about the halfway point. Now the really big job of getting the film out there to an audience and hopefully making some money back begins. I have a lot of ideas on that that I will share in future posts, but for now, I'll just tell you where the film is playing in the coming weeks.
If any of you are nearby, I would love to see you at a screening. I will be at all of these screenings (and Patrick will be at most of them). I'd be happy to share any insights, cost figures, techniques, etc. on the production and post, and I will be writing about some of this in future emails and maybe even teaching a class on this, (like I wanted to do with Pig previously). I'm very proud of this film. I think it came out really well and am excited to see how audiences react. I think we did a lot with very little--which is kind of the whole point to this newsletter, my classes, and the efforts you're doing or want to do. I learned a ton and look forward to passing that knowledge on to you! |
| | WHERE WE'RE PLAYING
I will be out of town most of October and half of November attending the first five festivals. I subscribe to the "you've gotta be there for anything good to happen" theory of festival attendance. Plus, I just really enjoy film festivals. AND, in Tacoma, I will be doing a No Budget Filmmaking presentation (see below).
If you're interested in my thoughts on film festival strategy, please read the big article I wrote about it a couple of years ago. And if you have questions, please always feel free to email me.
Again, if you're in the area, please come on by! I'd love to see you and hear what you thought of the film. Also, please follow us on social media. I haven't had much time to devote to social yet, but we plan to start ramping up our efforts. |
| | | | | | | | FILMMAKERS ALLIANCE PRESENTS VISIONFEST
Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2017 • 6pm • Los Angeles State Historic Park
Filmmakers Alliance is presenting VisionFest, their annual screening, networking and partying event, held every year since like forever. This is always a highlight evening for independent filmmaking. Good times, good people, good films. Lots of food, drinks, and music. I had such a great time last year, but unfortunately I will be out of town this year. But that doesn't mean you should miss it! Remember to use the special discount code: FAFriends when you register, and get half off! Tickets are only $10!
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| | | | TEXAS EXES LA CHAPTER PRESENTS "THE DIRECTOR/POST RELATIONSHIP"
Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017 • 3pm - 6pm • UTLA Center • Burbank, CA
I am on the committee for the Texas Exes in LA and we have something called the Hollywood Seminar, which are quarterly events that feature University of Texas alums, but are open to anyone who wants to come and learn. This quarter's event is a round-table panel discussion on post production--featuring directors, editors, and post-production supervisors--focused on the relationship between post and the directorial process. There will be a Q&A and networking afterwards. We've got a great group of panelists for this and the price is cheap-- $10! Check out the Eventbrite page for details and to register.
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| | | | | "THE ART OF NO-BUDGET FILMMAKING" PRESENTED BY MARK STOLAROFF
Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017 • 11:00am • Tacoma Film Festival
I will be doing a 2-hour presentation on no-budget filmmaking that pulls several ideas from my class and is a nice introduction to the micro-budget process. These are the principles that you need to learn before you can embark on a truly no-budget feature. I've given this presentation all over the country and am excited to present it at Tacoma the day before my own no-budget feature DriverX plays at the festival. The seminar is FREE, so if you're in the area, come on down!
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| | | | | | SHUTTERSTOCK QUICK CUTS FILMMAKING COMPETITION
Deadline: Oct. 14, 2017
Filmmakers Alliance is working with Shutterstock, the stock footage company, to host a stock footage filmmaking competition. Use their HD footage (for free) to make a short film - using only their footage or integrate it into a new or existing short film. Finalists will be selected by a panel of industry veterans and the top 5 finalists’ films will be shown at the above-mentioned Filmmakers Alliance event, VISIONFEST. Cash prizes to the top 3 films. If you're interested in doing this, don't delay--the deadline is the 14th, so you have a bit more than a week.
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| | | | | POND5 FILMMAKING COMPETITION
Deadline: Nov. 1, 2017
Not to be outdone, the other big stock footage company, Pond5, is also having a filmmaking competition. To take part in the contest, you’ll need to create a short film (2-5 minutes) incorporating footage from the Pond5 collection (their footage is available to participants for FREE!). The Top 10 films entered will be screened at the awards ceremony at the Montalban Theater on November 8th, where the judges will select the winners. There's more than $4,000 in prizes and the grand prize is $2,000! If you're interested in attending the awards ceremony, which is by special invitation only, email: filmmakingcompetitions@gmail.com Click the button for rules and all the other information you need.
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| | | | | SUNDANCE CREATIVE DISTRIBUTION FELLOWSHIP
The Sundance Creative Initiative, a department of the Sundance Institute (that was formerly known as Artist Services), is launching a Fellowship for filmmakers looking to self distribute their films. The application process is open to the public and is FREE, and if you're selected, you'll receive all kinds of incredible support (including financial) in pursuing the distribution of your film. This sounds like an incredible opportunity for the right film and several projects will be chosen on an rolling basis. Check it out!
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