| | | | | Now that I am done with my classes, it's back to working on my films. As you know, I'm in post production on my latest no-budget feature film, DriverX, which writer/director Henry Barrial and I mostly completed at the end of September, (we have a couple of pickup days scheduled for December). Henry is editing the first assembly and we hope to bring on our regular editor to take over after that. I've outlined a couple of articles I intend to write about the making of the film, (I gave my last class a bit of a preview of that), and I imagine I will learn even more useful stuff to pass along once we get to the distribution phase, since that is changing so quickly and has become, in my opinion, incredibly difficult. There are a LOT of films out there!
I am currently negotiating those waters with our previous film, The House That Jack Built, which Henry directed, (it was written by the late, great Joe Vasquez, who directed Hangin' With The Homeboys back in the early 90's), and on which I became a producer when they hit post production. Jack premiered in the 2013 LA Film Festival and went on to win 8 awards, and was then picked up for distribution by a relatively new distribution company called Vega Baby Releasing. We were thrilled when they decided to do a day-and-date release, opening the film in selected theaters along with making it available on VOD. The whole point of playing in the theaters was to get the film into the In Theaters Now folders on cable VOD. It opened on November 6th and we're waiting to hear how it did overall. I am working on a deep dive article on the making of this film, which I hope to finish in the coming days (or weeks--I'm busy!).
Much of filmmaking can be a solitary process, especially if you're writing or editing or in charge of social media, but we all know that at various times, it can be incredibly collaborative and now in this new age of the internet, the power of the Crowd is taking on a new importance. You're all familiar with Kickstarter (and other crowd-funding platforms), and I have given my tips on how to launch successful Kickstarter campaigns on multiple occasions (here and here). But I wanted to mention a couple of relatively new "crowd" resources that I have found valuable in the making of my recent films... |
| | | | STAGE 32
Facebook for the Film Industry I hope at this point that you've heard of Stage 32 and are already using this incredibly valuable platform, but for those a little slow to action, (I know, you're busy too!), let me explain.
Stage 32 is a social network specifically designed for film creatives. There were a few of these that popped up over the last several years, but Stage 32 survived and then thrived for a number of reasons. One, it has a great founder, Richard Botto. RB (as he's known) is not only a really great guy and lover of film, but is also an incredibly hard-working and sharp businessman. I met RB at the Phoenix Film Festival back in 2012 when my film Pig was playing there, and he was just launching his company. Since then Stage 32 has become the largest platform of it's kind, with over half a million members worldwide. RB has been a tireless ambassador for his creation, seemingly at every film event, and happy to sit down and discuss your projects and ambitions. This is another reason Stage 32 is so good--RB listens to filmmakers.
Second, rather than just be a social network, Stage 32 is also an educational platform and has been growing that part of what they do exponentially over the last couple of years. Offering a huge variety of affordable webinars and online classes, there is something for everyone related to every part of the filmmaking process on Stage 32. A quick sampling of what they've offered recently: 11 Things You Must Do Before Approaching Distributors; How To Sell Your TV Series; How To Finance Your Independent Film & Break Even Before It's Release; Adapting Your Book Into A Film or TV Program; How To Attach Top Talent to Your Independent Film; and so much more. These programs are taught by leaders in the industry and are available to enjoy live and then watch as an archive indefinitely.
Third, they are constantly improving the platform and the user experience, making it easy to connect with other creatives, share tips and resources, ask questions, brag about your upcoming release, whatever. I think this was the part that struck me first, just how well designed their interface was and how it keeps getting better.
Of course, it's free to join, making it a no-brainer. And they are doing one of their regular programs this Tuesday, November 24th, something they call On Stage With RB. These are FREE webcasts where you get to "meet" RB and ask questions, and this time around RB will be joined by Jaia Thomas, a noted entertainment attorney, and you'll be able to ask her questions too.
I encourage you to jump on the platform, create a profile, navigate around, try one of their webinars, and then see what you can get from (and give to) this particular crowd. |
| | | SHAREGRID
The Uber of Camera Rentals
Another way to take advantage of the Crowd these days is with the Sharing Economy. Drivers are sharing their cars with services like Uber and Lyft, homeowners are sharing their houses and apartments with Airbnb and VRBO, and now, filmmakers can share their camera equipment with ShareGrid.
The concept is pretty simple. Equipment owners post their gear on the site and renters have the opportunity to search for what they need in their geographic area. ShareGrid handles the payment collection and also provides for insurance if renters don't have it already. The key to making this work is that all members are vetted by the company and verified. Members also rate and review their experiences, similar to Uber, so if there is a bad player, it will become evident. And most importantly, you will save money compared to renting from a company.
On DriverX, I was looking for a pretty expensive tripod and found a member with what I needed who lived right down the street from me. The rental price was well below what I was being quoted by rental houses, and the process couldn't have been smoother. The interface makes it all pretty easy.
ShareGrid only started in LA at the beginning of this year and already they have over 2,600 LA members, comprising over $25 million in inventory. You'll find everything from cameras, lenses, tripods, camera accessories, stabilizers, jibs, drones, lights, audio equipment, even vehicles. They recently launched in New York City and their growth there has been faster than LA. They plan on expanding nationwide.
It's free to become a member and they're offering a 20% discount on all rentals during their beta period to new members who join now. Check out their site and see what they have to offer, or if you're an equipment owner, join and start making money on that expensive gear that's just sitting around in the closet.
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| | | | | | FINDING NEIGHBORS
Available Now on Digital Platforms
You may recall a guest blog article written for my site by writer/director Ron Judkins a couple of years ago regarding his newest feature, Neighbors, (now known as Finding Neighbors to not be confused with the Seth Rogen comedy).
Ron's experience in the industry is unique. Finding Neighbors is his second narrative feature as a writer/director, (I met Ron when my former company Next Wave Films repped his first feature The Hi-Line at Sundance back in 1999). After Next Wave shuttered, Ron and I started a production company called Antic Pictures and produced a $50,000 feature directed by Henry Barrial called True Love. But in addition to directing and producing, Ron is considered one of the best production sound mixers in the industry. He has been nominated for 5 Academy Awards and has 2 Oscars on his mantle, (yes, they are heavier than they look!). He has worked with Steven Spielberg on just about every one of his films since Hook in 1991.
But Ron's interests as a filmmaker veer considerably from the big-budget extravaganzas he works on as a sound mixer. He explores the human condition in small character-based dramas, capturing honest emotions in authentic situations. Finding Neighbors was a very personal story and a labor of love. It took several years to develop, shoot, and release the film, but it finally became available back in September via Strand Releasing.
I encourage you to read his article and then check out his film. No-budget filmmaking and the techniques I teach in my classes aren't just for newbie filmmakers in their 20's--they can be essential for anyone telling subtle stories who doesn't want to wait forever for financing. The film is available on all the popular digital platforms, but watch it on VHX, since most of the proceeds from this platform come back to the filmmakers.
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| | | STINKING HEAVEN
Opening in selected theaters and on VOD Dec. 9th
I only got to see a few films this year at the AFI Fest, (though I had already seen many others playing there when I was at Sundance). I will write an extended article about my favorite film at the festival, Krisha, when it opens in March. But for really indie artfilm fans, I recommend you catch the audacious Stinking Heaven when it opens in December. I'll admit, this is a tough one to get into; one of those films that doesn't give you any set-up and doesn't really explain anything up front. And to top it all off, it looks like it was shot on VHS, and in fact was shot in standard definition on a vintage Ikegami HL-79E camera from the 80's, with a convention-defying 1:33 aspect ratio, no less.
I wasn't familiar with the filmmaker Nathan Sliver's work, but he has been working in this vein since graduating from NYU in 2005. Stinking Heaven is his 5th feature. Set in 1990 in what has to be the worst group home for recovering addicts ever, the characters and the aesthetic are based on a couple of documentaries about wayward individuals that he found online. As was noted in a Filmmaker Magazine story, "Silver thrives on the chaos that arises from his improvised, ensemble pressure cookers." This is uncompromising, rigorous filmmaking, but when it pays off--as it does in a couple of amazing, jaw-dropping sequences--it pays off in spades. Completely improvised, his actors give some of the most committed performances I've seen in awhile. At the end, when you see the SAG-AFTRA logo, you're almost shocked--how could those people have been acting? They just seemed so real.
I don't know how much this film cost to make--he raised $20k from Kickstarter with what has to be one of the more unusual campaign videos--but clearly this is a micro-budget film. And the kind of authenticity Silver is going for comes at a price--mostly free. It does not cost a lot of money to create what works so well in this movie. His affordable aesthetic works brilliantly for the story he's telling. Don't let people tell you you have to shoot with a RED in 4k--I'm certain numerous films that were shot that way didn't make it into AFI Fest and won't be coming out in theaters next month.
I was struck by what Silver had to say about the current state of American Independent Film Distribution in a recent interview: "I just think that there’s no audience. As soon as you screen in New York at a festival, you lose fifty percent of the people who would come see your movie. I think it’s very difficult to get people out to movies. It’s a losing battle, and I don’t have any solutions, just frustration, and paperwork, and a lot of emails. It feels like, somewhat in vain, I hope it isn’t, that’s the part of me that’s Quixotic; I will keep making movies no matter what. The joy of movies is not in distribution; it’s about making them. This whole side of it is not something I take on because I want to, but because I have to."
You can catch Stinking Heaven in NYC at the Anthology Film Archive beginning Dec. 9th; at Facets in Chicago beginning Dec. 11th; and at the Arena in LA beginning Dec. 18th. It also opens exclusively on Fandor beginning Dec. 9th, so if you're a subscriber, you can watch it for free.
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| | | | | FILMMAKERS ALLIANCE SHOOTOUT
2-Day Filmmaking Challenge With $5,000 Winning Prize
Saturday & Sunday, Dec. 12 - 13
Filmmakers Alliance is holding its first-ever Shootout Filmmaking Challenge. A kind of 48 hour film competition with a winning prize of $5,000 worth of cash, goods, and services toward you next short film.
What makes this challenge different from you typical 48 Hour contest is that all teams will be provided with Canon C300 cameras, a grip, lighting and audio package, and post production software. Even actors will be provided. Another interesting feature is that all teams will be working from pre-selected scripts provided by the 3rd Page writing collective.
Only 10 teams will be selected so apply today. The deadline for applications is November 30th!
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| | | MS. IN THE BIZ HOLIDAY PARTY
Mon., Nov. 30th • 7:30p - 11:30p • Hutchinson Cocktails & Grill, W. Hollywood
Ms. In The Biz is having their annual Holiday Party and everyone is invited, (not just the ladies!). This is always a great opportunity to network with fellow directors, writers, actors and producers, with half the profits going to WriteGirl.org. There's an open bar and an opportunity to get your picture with Santa! RSVP now before they fill up!
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| | | I want to wish everyone a safe and fun Thanksgiving holiday! |
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