Stephen Moramarco on San Diego Living TV show, promoting the upcoming San Diego screening at his former high school!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
How To Deal With Failure, Rejection and Disappointment
The real "F" word? Failure.
It's the word that keeps many artists up at night. What happens if the film, music or other project you are working on falls short of your expectations? What if you don't get into Sundance or for that matter ANY film festival? What if you give a concert and no one shows up?
4. NEVER give up!!!! The REAL failures in life? Those people who let a few stumbling blocks along the way cause them to abandon their dreams and goals. The number one thing homeopathic nurses say their dying patients confess to them before they die is "I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me."
It's the word that keeps many artists up at night. What happens if the film, music or other project you are working on falls short of your expectations? What if you don't get into Sundance or for that matter ANY film festival? What if you give a concert and no one shows up?
Face it, Folks, Failure and its friends Rejection and Disappointment are a fact. A true artist needs to know how to deal with them. Here are a few thoughts on the subject.
1. At least you tried. It takes guts and determination to anything artistic, so the fact that you even tried is worth merit. Think about all the other people you know who are constantly saying "I want to do this" or "I have an idea for" and know that you are a DOER not a talker.
2. It is a learning experience. No matter how much it hurts, there is always something to be learned from failure. In fact, a recent New York Time article posits that very hypothesis. But you don't need to be a genius (or even read that lengthy article) to know it's true. If, instead of feeling sorry for yourself, you simply ask "what lessons did I take away" - you will certainly come away with a list of items that will undoubtably help you at a future time in life.
3. EVERYONE fails! Yes it's true!!! All those celebrities you see airbrushed and smiling on the cover of your favorite magazine? All failures, each and every one of them. The old adage, "there is no such thing as an overnight success" is true, if you look beneath the surface. Read more about your favorite artist and you will discover that they have failed just like you.
 |
| This man suffered from severe depression for many years, and then... |
Your life is not a movie or a book - there are chapters, stories, and events of course, but NO ONE KNOWS HOW IT WILL END. What you may have thought is the defining moment of your existence, was perhaps a minor setback, that in the end, turns out to have led you to something much more valuable. I too had a long bout with depression, and I was able to harness all the pain and disappointment in my life and make an indie film.
You can't know what will happen to you unless you have the courage to take that journey.
I will leave you with an image that I saw on a billboard, that, oddly, and inspiringly, was a PSA:
Monday, September 19, 2011
Review: Selling Your Film Without Selling Your Soul
When it comes to navigating the ever-changing landscape of the indie film world, few have the knowledge, expertise and resources as Orly Ravid, co-director of The Film Collaborative, author/filmmaker Jon Reiss and marketing strategist Sheri Candler. You might say these three names are the "Holy Trinity" of Indie Film; any search query on the subject undoubtably returns one or all of their names.
So it makes sense, at least from a marketing standpoint, that they should band together and offer product to the indie filmmaking masses. The result is a new ebook, available on a multitude of platforms, seductively entitled "Selling Your Film Without Selling Your Soul."
This is a must-read snapshot of the current state of indie film. The book offers a rare glimpse inside the books of at least six indie films currently making the circuit. They range from micro-budget no-name all the way up to low-budget big-name.
The numbers they divulge may be discouraging, especially if one is considering investing money in an indie film of any size budget and expecting a return. From my take, none of the narrative fiction films outlined in the main section made any kind of noteworthy profit.
Yet there is a LOT to learn from within these pages. Dryly written, the book cuts the fluff and gets in to the specific details of many of the films' marketing strategies, including their utilization of Facebook and YouTube. One takeaway: nearly all the filmmakers that advertised on Facebook said they saw no benefit from it, in terms of direct sales. This is partly because of the way Facebook both pushes information to its fans and the lack of direct action an interested party can take on a page, something that is rumored to change very soon.
And, I have to say, the thing the overwhelming majority of these narrative indie films have in common? They all look really really terrible!! Don't believe me: judge for yourself!
Wait, aren't indie films supposed to avoid cliched situations and bad comedy? Perhaps that's why these movies didn't succeed. Then again, somehow, The Cosmonaut, a crowd-funded Sci-Fi project, raised 37,000 Euros just from a video from a guy running around a forest in a space suit with some erie woman's wailing underneath, so I guess anything is still possible.
Perhaps the most interesting section of the book is the one that deals with The Cosmonaut and a few other projects, entitled "Using P2P Methods to Distribute Film?" in which Candler discusses the threat of piracy to the artist/filmmaker and offers some case studies in "alternative" distribution methods, which are gaining more and more traction every day. Alternative licensing, such as the Creative Commons license is discussed, which is an entirely different way at looking at artistic work.
But the best lesson of this book for independent artists, may be in the way the ebook itself is being marketed and distributed. Until October 1, most versions of the ebook are free from the website. They also promise that there will always be a free PDF version available.
They are undoubtably hoping, like many of the filmmakers profiled in the book, that while they may not make a direct profit on the sales of the ebook itself, through ancillary revenue like advertising, and status-building, it will help them continue to work in the world of independent film without - yes - "selling their soul."
So it makes sense, at least from a marketing standpoint, that they should band together and offer product to the indie filmmaking masses. The result is a new ebook, available on a multitude of platforms, seductively entitled "Selling Your Film Without Selling Your Soul."
This is a must-read snapshot of the current state of indie film. The book offers a rare glimpse inside the books of at least six indie films currently making the circuit. They range from micro-budget no-name all the way up to low-budget big-name.
The numbers they divulge may be discouraging, especially if one is considering investing money in an indie film of any size budget and expecting a return. From my take, none of the narrative fiction films outlined in the main section made any kind of noteworthy profit.
Yet there is a LOT to learn from within these pages. Dryly written, the book cuts the fluff and gets in to the specific details of many of the films' marketing strategies, including their utilization of Facebook and YouTube. One takeaway: nearly all the filmmakers that advertised on Facebook said they saw no benefit from it, in terms of direct sales. This is partly because of the way Facebook both pushes information to its fans and the lack of direct action an interested party can take on a page, something that is rumored to change very soon.
And, I have to say, the thing the overwhelming majority of these narrative indie films have in common? They all look really really terrible!! Don't believe me: judge for yourself!
Wait, aren't indie films supposed to avoid cliched situations and bad comedy? Perhaps that's why these movies didn't succeed. Then again, somehow, The Cosmonaut, a crowd-funded Sci-Fi project, raised 37,000 Euros just from a video from a guy running around a forest in a space suit with some erie woman's wailing underneath, so I guess anything is still possible.
Perhaps the most interesting section of the book is the one that deals with The Cosmonaut and a few other projects, entitled "Using P2P Methods to Distribute Film?" in which Candler discusses the threat of piracy to the artist/filmmaker and offers some case studies in "alternative" distribution methods, which are gaining more and more traction every day. Alternative licensing, such as the Creative Commons license is discussed, which is an entirely different way at looking at artistic work.
But the best lesson of this book for independent artists, may be in the way the ebook itself is being marketed and distributed. Until October 1, most versions of the ebook are free from the website. They also promise that there will always be a free PDF version available.
They are undoubtably hoping, like many of the filmmakers profiled in the book, that while they may not make a direct profit on the sales of the ebook itself, through ancillary revenue like advertising, and status-building, it will help them continue to work in the world of independent film without - yes - "selling their soul."
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
How to Shoot Your Movie On Time and On Budget
Recently, I discussed How To Make a Movie for $5000. That's all well and good, but now I want to take a it a step further - ACTUALLY shooting it! Here are some suggestions based on my experiences working behind the scenes on big budget movies, shooting short films, and filming my indie feature film The Great Intervention.
1. Forget Storyboarding. Unless you are doing some kind of spectacular action or fantasy film (and you're not) this is a waste of time. Sure there are a lot of storyboarding programs so you no longer have to draw them by hand. But you do not need this. You have something called a BRAIN. Chances are, you wrote this movie yourself and you "saw" it all in your head anyways.
Instead: Make a Shot List. What is a Shot List? It is of course, a list of shots. You need a Shot List for every scene in your movie, but once you get the rhythm down, you may be able to do a lot of it on the fly, if need be. Look at your scene. How many characters are there? (Hopefully no more than four - see my other article) Let's say three. You now have three shots, because every character in the scene deserves their closeup. Next, you'll want to "pull back" on the scene a little, maybe a medium shot of two of the characters, and a medium shot of the the third. (Two more shots.) Finally, you want a "Master Shot" of the whole room, all the action in the scene, from beginning to end. (One shot) Now, let's list them in reverse order.
1. Master Shot
2. Medium Shot Person A and B
3. Medium Shot Person C
4. Close up Person A
5. Close up Person B
6. Close up Person C
Now, unless you are going for some kind of Sami Raimi-type of thing, that should basically cover your scene from beginning to end.
First thing you do, on the day of the shoot, is block the scene. Have your actors act it out as they would naturally do it in the space, and tell them not to worry about where the camera is. That's YOUR job. Watch them do the whole scene. If, during the blocking of this scene you realize that the characters begin talking in one part of the house and end up in another, yell "Cut." Every time the Master Shot has to pick up and move, that is another "scene" with its own list of closeups and medium shots.
2. Be on time. ALWAYS be early! If you are late, it sends out a domino effect, which slows down production and morale. Have lunch on the 6 hour mark (as required by SAG) and make sure there are plenty of snacks.
3. Don't be too ambitious in the number of scenes/shots, but be not too tame, neither. You should always either be filming, rehearsing, or setting up for the next shot. Professional film sets break down their scenes into eighths of a page - that tells you how slow and methodical they can be. You don't have that kind of luxury.
4. Try to have only one location per day. Every time you do a "company move" you are adding hours to your day. Group all the scenes together that have the same location, regardless of their order in the film.
5. Use as few extras as you can. In a microbudget film, there isn't enough money to pay even the basic $54/8 hours a non-union extra charges. This means it's going to be incredibly hard to get anyone to do it! Besides, a lot of extras adds up to a lot of bodies on the set, and a lot more mouths to feed at lunch time.
6. Avoid fancy lighting. The number one thing that slows down a film shoot is setting up and moving bulky lighting equipment. The Big Boys can spend all day and night with fancy globes and spotlights, but you don't have the time. Cameras nowadays (especially those groovy SLR cameras that shoot HD) are really great with light - you can do so much with so little - use that to your advantage.
7. Move your camera around like a photo camera. It used to be, cameras were bulky, had to be on a dolly, and had to be reloaded every 10 minutes or so of film. Now you don't have any of these to worry about, so "get in there" with the camera. Keep it rolling. Instead of yelling "action" and "cut" all the time, just direct your actors off camera - have them do what is called a "series" of takes in a row, without stopping and starting.
8. Try to stay calm and focused. Breathe in, breathe out. You most likely will have to be your own First AD (the person who actually keeps the ball rolling on major film sets) so prepare to kick your own ass. Oh, and of course, don't forget to have fun - you are living the dream of directing your movie!!!
1. Forget Storyboarding. Unless you are doing some kind of spectacular action or fantasy film (and you're not) this is a waste of time. Sure there are a lot of storyboarding programs so you no longer have to draw them by hand. But you do not need this. You have something called a BRAIN. Chances are, you wrote this movie yourself and you "saw" it all in your head anyways.
Instead: Make a Shot List. What is a Shot List? It is of course, a list of shots. You need a Shot List for every scene in your movie, but once you get the rhythm down, you may be able to do a lot of it on the fly, if need be. Look at your scene. How many characters are there? (Hopefully no more than four - see my other article) Let's say three. You now have three shots, because every character in the scene deserves their closeup. Next, you'll want to "pull back" on the scene a little, maybe a medium shot of two of the characters, and a medium shot of the the third. (Two more shots.) Finally, you want a "Master Shot" of the whole room, all the action in the scene, from beginning to end. (One shot) Now, let's list them in reverse order.
1. Master Shot
2. Medium Shot Person A and B
3. Medium Shot Person C
4. Close up Person A
5. Close up Person B
6. Close up Person C
Now, unless you are going for some kind of Sami Raimi-type of thing, that should basically cover your scene from beginning to end.
First thing you do, on the day of the shoot, is block the scene. Have your actors act it out as they would naturally do it in the space, and tell them not to worry about where the camera is. That's YOUR job. Watch them do the whole scene. If, during the blocking of this scene you realize that the characters begin talking in one part of the house and end up in another, yell "Cut." Every time the Master Shot has to pick up and move, that is another "scene" with its own list of closeups and medium shots.
2. Be on time. ALWAYS be early! If you are late, it sends out a domino effect, which slows down production and morale. Have lunch on the 6 hour mark (as required by SAG) and make sure there are plenty of snacks.
3. Don't be too ambitious in the number of scenes/shots, but be not too tame, neither. You should always either be filming, rehearsing, or setting up for the next shot. Professional film sets break down their scenes into eighths of a page - that tells you how slow and methodical they can be. You don't have that kind of luxury.
4. Try to have only one location per day. Every time you do a "company move" you are adding hours to your day. Group all the scenes together that have the same location, regardless of their order in the film.
5. Use as few extras as you can. In a microbudget film, there isn't enough money to pay even the basic $54/8 hours a non-union extra charges. This means it's going to be incredibly hard to get anyone to do it! Besides, a lot of extras adds up to a lot of bodies on the set, and a lot more mouths to feed at lunch time.
6. Avoid fancy lighting. The number one thing that slows down a film shoot is setting up and moving bulky lighting equipment. The Big Boys can spend all day and night with fancy globes and spotlights, but you don't have the time. Cameras nowadays (especially those groovy SLR cameras that shoot HD) are really great with light - you can do so much with so little - use that to your advantage.
7. Move your camera around like a photo camera. It used to be, cameras were bulky, had to be on a dolly, and had to be reloaded every 10 minutes or so of film. Now you don't have any of these to worry about, so "get in there" with the camera. Keep it rolling. Instead of yelling "action" and "cut" all the time, just direct your actors off camera - have them do what is called a "series" of takes in a row, without stopping and starting.
8. Try to stay calm and focused. Breathe in, breathe out. You most likely will have to be your own First AD (the person who actually keeps the ball rolling on major film sets) so prepare to kick your own ass. Oh, and of course, don't forget to have fun - you are living the dream of directing your movie!!!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
How (and Why) to Use Kickstarter
Kickstarter, a relatively new tool in the world of fundraising, has revolutionized the process of raising money for your film. However, it is somewhat misunderstood by some of the population, and often misused by the artist/filmmakers themselves.
Help me people reach my goal... we are ALMOST THERE..!
4. If you don't make your goal, pause and reflect. Was the amount too unreasonable? Is the project vision not fully realized? Was I too annoying with my fundraising campaign? These may be tough questions to ask yourself, but could provide you with some clarity and insight for your next attempt.
Asking people for money - whether its your father or a total stranger is never easy. If you have a strong idea for a film or project, use Kickstarter to build up a fan base and, hopefully, make your dream come true.
I successfully funded my first indie film The Great Intervention, using Kickstarter. I'd like to share some of my thoughts and ideas on what is now called "crowdfunding."
 |
| Now if I could only convince all these people to give me ONE DOLLAR... |
One thing I have noticed is that there are some people out there who do not like Kickstarter or other similar sites, and may resent you in some way for using it. These people are likely to say "Get a job and pay for it yourself," or "Stop asking your friends for money." These people are missing the idea, but good luck trying to change their mind.
Kickstarter was not designed to be used to ask for a handout. A recent New York Times article went into detail about the founding and philosophy behind Kickstarter's creation.
One thing to know is that not every project is accepted by Kickstarter. You can't just run a campaign to, say, "Pay My Rent for a Year." Projects have to have some kind of artistic value and a specific goal. The small staff personally goes through each application, discussing and helping artists shape their projects so they are "Kickstarter-worthy." If you peruse their website, you will see the variety of projects - from painters to poets - that are using the site to fund their unique visions.
The other concept - and this, I think, gives it a unique twist - is that, if you don't make your goal, you get none of the money pledged and it is returned to the donors. Why is that cool? Because it adds drama and drive to your fundraising. Sure, there are sites like Indieagogo.com that don't have such requirements, but this danger adds legitimacy and urgency to your project. Because, if you DON'T achieve your goal, why should you keep the money - you won't have the amount you need and the project will be unfinished. Kickstarter is about funding and FINISHING your projects.
 |
| Thanks everybody for the donations! Unfortunately, we fell a little short of our goal... |
The Kickstarter website is akin to a salon of artists showcasing their dreams and ideas, and the more philanthropic of us can spend hundreds of hours and dollars giving needy projects a helping hand. On their home page and in their weekly emails, Kickstarter showcases various artists, but the truth is, unless you are really clever or lucky, you will rely on friends and family for most of your donations.
This is not a bad thing! If you have a large network of friends/fans already, they are probably aware of your endeavors and WANT to support you. I was personally overwhelmed by the amount of contributions from friends from my elementary school - whom I had not seen in years - that helped me achieve my goal.
So - go forward with Kickstarter, with the above caveats - and follow these guidelines:
1. Keep your goal realistic. I think $5000 is a good number for a first film - it's not too big to be unattainable, yet, just out of the zone of most people's personal finances. In another post, I talked about how to make your movie for $5000, so use that as your template. Also, keep your fundraising period limited to about a month. That way you have enough time without it getting "old".
2. Be creative with your rewards. Although your Kickstarter contact will help you with this, start thinking about it before you pitch your project. You can and should offer a copy of your movie in some format for donors, but think about other fun ways to connect - it will add incentive to your audience to give.
3. Be creative with the campaign itself. Because the majority of your fan base/contacts are on Facebook, you are going to have to beat the drum regularly and loudly in terms of status updates and links. But a link to the same old Kickstarter page quickly gets annoying and boring. Try using links to YouTube songs/videos to inspire your base. For example, a link to the Theme from Rocky with a short reference to your campaign, is a way to keep it fun and light.
Help me people reach my goal... we are ALMOST THERE..!
4. If you don't make your goal, pause and reflect. Was the amount too unreasonable? Is the project vision not fully realized? Was I too annoying with my fundraising campaign? These may be tough questions to ask yourself, but could provide you with some clarity and insight for your next attempt.
Asking people for money - whether its your father or a total stranger is never easy. If you have a strong idea for a film or project, use Kickstarter to build up a fan base and, hopefully, make your dream come true.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Essential DIY Filmmaking Tools 2011
Hey everyone - times change rapidly in the digital world - every day it gets easier and easier and cheaper and cheaper to make your indie movie! Here is a quick survey of products to help you get up and running without breaking the bank!
1) Cameras - As recently as a couple of years ago, the Flip was all the rage. A palm-sized camera that shoots in HD for under $200, it seemed like everybody was snapping them up. (I shot part of my movie The Great Intervention on a Kodak Zi8 - a similar camera. In this short span of time, both cameras are now discontinued. Why? Because, chances are you've already got an HD camera... in your smart phone! If you have an iPhone 4 (and why DON'T you?) you've got one right there. Same goes for most Androids. If you do have an iPhone, pick up the groovy 8mm app which will let you emulate a bunch of different film stocks, for fun and effect. Don't have/want a smart phone? Find a used Flip or Zi8 on eBay. Don't think the iPhone is good enough? Here are a few awesome films shot on it.
2) Tripod. If you go the iPhone route, you're going to need a special tripod adaptor, if you want to really frame your shots. The Thought Out Company makes several $25 models, which will attach to any standard tripod. If you want to be truly DIY - do a YouTube search for "make your own iPhone tripod mount" - like this one:
Sound: This is often the most neglected part of the DIY setup, but also the most critical. (It's called an AUDI-ence, right?) Crappy sound on your finished product is the dead giveaway of an amateur filmmaker. DAK audio makes several wireless packages at very reasonable prices. Add to that a special adaptor cables from KV microphone (make sure you get the right one for your setup) and now you can add high quality audio to your video quite easily. (Also available for Android)
Don't take my word for it - take the Gadget Guy
Editing Software. Mac users - YOU ARE IN LUCK!! Apple just announced Final Cut Pro X - a totally revamped version of their flagship professional editing software... and -- GET THIS -- it's now just $299! Final Cut Studio used to retail for THREE TIMES that amount. Now the barrier to professional-looking filmmaking is even lower!!!!! Advice to PC users: get a Mac!!! (Discounts galore on used-but-still-in-warranty Macs from Gainsaver.com!!!)
Well, that's about it for the latest gadgets on my radar. I'm sure, soon enough, we'll have chipsets embedded in our brains where we can just "think" our movies, but until then, this is probably as close as you can get!!
1) Cameras - As recently as a couple of years ago, the Flip was all the rage. A palm-sized camera that shoots in HD for under $200, it seemed like everybody was snapping them up. (I shot part of my movie The Great Intervention on a Kodak Zi8 - a similar camera. In this short span of time, both cameras are now discontinued. Why? Because, chances are you've already got an HD camera... in your smart phone! If you have an iPhone 4 (and why DON'T you?) you've got one right there. Same goes for most Androids. If you do have an iPhone, pick up the groovy 8mm app which will let you emulate a bunch of different film stocks, for fun and effect. Don't have/want a smart phone? Find a used Flip or Zi8 on eBay. Don't think the iPhone is good enough? Here are a few awesome films shot on it.
2) Tripod. If you go the iPhone route, you're going to need a special tripod adaptor, if you want to really frame your shots. The Thought Out Company makes several $25 models, which will attach to any standard tripod. If you want to be truly DIY - do a YouTube search for "make your own iPhone tripod mount" - like this one:
Sound: This is often the most neglected part of the DIY setup, but also the most critical. (It's called an AUDI-ence, right?) Crappy sound on your finished product is the dead giveaway of an amateur filmmaker. DAK audio makes several wireless packages at very reasonable prices. Add to that a special adaptor cables from KV microphone (make sure you get the right one for your setup) and now you can add high quality audio to your video quite easily. (Also available for Android)
Don't take my word for it - take the Gadget Guy
Editing Software. Mac users - YOU ARE IN LUCK!! Apple just announced Final Cut Pro X - a totally revamped version of their flagship professional editing software... and -- GET THIS -- it's now just $299! Final Cut Studio used to retail for THREE TIMES that amount. Now the barrier to professional-looking filmmaking is even lower!!!!! Advice to PC users: get a Mac!!! (Discounts galore on used-but-still-in-warranty Macs from Gainsaver.com!!!)
Well, that's about it for the latest gadgets on my radar. I'm sure, soon enough, we'll have chipsets embedded in our brains where we can just "think" our movies, but until then, this is probably as close as you can get!!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
The Hollywood Collapse is Coming!!
Are you ready for The Reckoning?
No it's not yet ANOTHER Superhero franchise foisted upon us - just the opposite. It's the bursting of the Hollywood Bubble - and it's coming this summer to a theater near YOU!
For years, Hollywood has been courting the so-called "Fanboys" who seem to populate the San Diego Comic Convention and drool over anything in spandex.
 |
| Case in Point |
This small-but-extremely-vocal subset has been guiding the Tent Pole machine for years, producing films loosely based on comic books from half-a-century ago, to bigger and bigger profits, and, of course, bigger and bigger budgets.
As in the Dot-Com, the Real Estate, and even the Dutch Tulip era, this is what's known as a Bubble.
And we all know what happens to Bubbles, don't we?
 |
| Wait - what DID happen to Bubbles?! |
On the horizon is The Green Lantern, Harry Potter, Captain America, Cowboys and Aliens, and even The Smurfs in 3D, no less.
Speaking of 3D, much to James Cameron's chagrin, that Bubble has already burst, as sub-par 3D movies like Green Hornet and Gulliver's Travels and extra ticket fees have turned off moviegoers in droves. Because of Kung Fu Panda 2's underwhelming 3D opening, stock in 3D production companies took a huge hit.
Uh-oh, aren't most of these upcoming Superhero movies in 3D?
And, aside from a different color of spandex and a random super power here and there, aren't all these movies the SAME?!
My prediction is that this summer is going to be a big "Wake Up Call" to Hollywood producers.
 |
| This Tent Pole Cost Us $300 Million Dollars!! |
This is good news for the Indie Filmmaker!
They will realize that they can create interesting, compelling films for a fraction of the budget and will fire up their low budget divisions. Just recently, Lionsgate announced their own microbudget division.
Movie theaters, reeling from being burned by Hollywood (yet again) with crappy 3D projection systems and the ever-diminishing theater-to-DVD window, will look elsewhere for content.
Already, they are screening operas, Broadway shows, and concerts, with great success.
In addition, indie arthouses are sprouting up in major cities and elsewhere, such as L.A.'s The Downtown Independent, and budding franchise Alamo Drafthouse, which cater to moviegoers that enjoy more brain than brawn.
Add into the mix, the continuous proliferation of smartphones, video sharing websites and video-on-demand services that cater exclusive to indie filmmakers, and you have the makings of a revolution in entertainment.
No spandex necessary!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Get Over It - It Ain't Gonna Happen
So you've made your first movie - congratulations! You have spent long, hard hours (days, months, years?) creating and realizing your vision. It's only a matter of time before you are accepted to Tribeca, Sundance, or one of the other big festivals, and a fierce bidding war begins. only to secure you and your film millions of dollars and instant fame.
Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it ain't gonna happen.
I subscribe to several "DIY" newsletters and blogs, many of which feverishly cover all the exciting deals being made at Cannes, and offer negotiating tips about how to handle distributors and other high-end buyers.
This is like getting tips on your Academy Awards acceptance speech after your first High School play.
Sure, it's okay to dream, but, then again it's also important to wake up.
While there are a lot of success stories that you read about, of first-time filmmakers making the leap from obscurity to celebrity, the reality is there simply is a glut of product out there. Making a movie, once the achievement of a large group of people and hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars, can now be done by one person with an iPhone. My first film, The Great Intervention, was shot for $5000.
This is not terrible news, people! Every day, there are more and more places to sell, stream or share your movie online. And, every day, it is getting cheaper and cheaper to make them. This means - a) you can do it yourself, and b) you don't need to go to the poorhouse spending all your money on marketing seminars, publicists, and Facebook Ads to recoup your costs. (If you're smart like me, you raise the money for your film on Kickstarter, so you are not in the hole at all. Every dollar that comes in is, technically, a profit.)
I'm not going to lie to you - I have hopes just like you that my film will be seen by Harvey Weinstein. I'm just starting with smaller goals and expectations, and I suggest you do too.
Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it ain't gonna happen.
This is like getting tips on your Academy Awards acceptance speech after your first High School play.
Sure, it's okay to dream, but, then again it's also important to wake up.
While there are a lot of success stories that you read about, of first-time filmmakers making the leap from obscurity to celebrity, the reality is there simply is a glut of product out there. Making a movie, once the achievement of a large group of people and hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars, can now be done by one person with an iPhone. My first film, The Great Intervention, was shot for $5000.
This is not terrible news, people! Every day, there are more and more places to sell, stream or share your movie online. And, every day, it is getting cheaper and cheaper to make them. This means - a) you can do it yourself, and b) you don't need to go to the poorhouse spending all your money on marketing seminars, publicists, and Facebook Ads to recoup your costs. (If you're smart like me, you raise the money for your film on Kickstarter, so you are not in the hole at all. Every dollar that comes in is, technically, a profit.)
I'm not going to lie to you - I have hopes just like you that my film will be seen by Harvey Weinstein. I'm just starting with smaller goals and expectations, and I suggest you do too.
- Enter film festivals with no or low entrance fees. Sometimes, you can email them and beg for a waiver. Not saying that happens much, but it could be worth a try.
- Focus on the community around the film. Actors, investors and friends all want to see your film and have it succeed. Start with screenings that involve them and roll out from there.
- Always have a copy of your film on you - you never know who you are going to meet!
See you at Cannes.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Sneak Preview of The Great Intervention June 1
I am very pleased to announce a special ONLINE sneak preview of The Great Intervention. Indie Film Night, an film-fan website based in Delaware, will be doing a live stream of the movie on June 1, 8PM E.S.T. (5PM Pacific).
Host Bill Page with show the film in 30-minute segments, interspersed with interviews with myself and Karen Zumsteg. So be sure and set your "alerts" - tune in by clicking the Indie Film Night page and click the Live Broadcast button!
Host Bill Page with show the film in 30-minute segments, interspersed with interviews with myself and Karen Zumsteg. So be sure and set your "alerts" - tune in by clicking the Indie Film Night page and click the Live Broadcast button!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Welcome to DIY U.
Film school is too damn expensive. All that money you spend on tuition could be spent on a kickass digital camera and Final Cut Pro. But there still are a few things you can learn from a good film school... Introducing DIY University, aka DIYU. Take our film course, outlined below and you will be on your way to cinematic greatness.
1. Read Lethal Weapon screenplay. Fellow UCLA (and Comedy Club) alum Shane Black changed the rules of screenwriting with this script. Notice how it reads more like a comic book. He even uses the "action" (the descriptive bits between the dialogue) to add a bit of self-aware humor. It's tight, it's funny, and it launched a franchise that made the guy a lot of dough. WHAT YOU SHOULD TAKE AWAY: If you are writing a script, especially a spec script, make sure your "action" is tight and propels the story forward. Break the film down into "acts" and notice how it fits the classic structure. Let it inspire your writing.
2. Read The 5 C's of Cinematography. Fellow Proud Italian Joseph V Mascelli outlines many of the classic techniques of filmmaking. Some of the references are dated of course, but overall it will give a filmmaker an "eye" for what separates "cinema" from "home movie."
3. Read Michael Caine's Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making. Let's face the facts: Film and theater are COMPLETELY different. This book leaves out all the touchy-feely stuff and focuses on the business at hand: learning to hit your mark, open your face to the lens, and do the same thing over and over again. Oh, and how to keep it subtle.
4. Watch Star Wars Begins. Finally, it's movie time! Even if you've seen Star Wars a hundred times and even if you HATE Science Fiction, watch this amazing documentary. This guy was so obsessed, he has created a parallel movie to all three ("good") SW films. He collected all the behind-the-scenes footage, outtakes, and all sorts of video-and-audio ephemera to give you an insight into the incredible creation of one of history's most famous film franchises. You literally watch Lucas build this dream world, only to destroy it later. After it's done, watch Building Empire and finally Returning to Jedi.
And that's it! Follow these steps and you will have almost everything you need to know about filmmaking. Contact me for your diploma.
 |
| Hey, it's the guy from "The Beaver"! |
1. Read Lethal Weapon screenplay. Fellow UCLA (and Comedy Club) alum Shane Black changed the rules of screenwriting with this script. Notice how it reads more like a comic book. He even uses the "action" (the descriptive bits between the dialogue) to add a bit of self-aware humor. It's tight, it's funny, and it launched a franchise that made the guy a lot of dough. WHAT YOU SHOULD TAKE AWAY: If you are writing a script, especially a spec script, make sure your "action" is tight and propels the story forward. Break the film down into "acts" and notice how it fits the classic structure. Let it inspire your writing.
 |
| Don't fuggedaboudit |
2. Read The 5 C's of Cinematography. Fellow Proud Italian Joseph V Mascelli outlines many of the classic techniques of filmmaking. Some of the references are dated of course, but overall it will give a filmmaker an "eye" for what separates "cinema" from "home movie."
 |
| Make sure your face is always very red |
3. Read Michael Caine's Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making. Let's face the facts: Film and theater are COMPLETELY different. This book leaves out all the touchy-feely stuff and focuses on the business at hand: learning to hit your mark, open your face to the lens, and do the same thing over and over again. Oh, and how to keep it subtle.
4. Watch Star Wars Begins. Finally, it's movie time! Even if you've seen Star Wars a hundred times and even if you HATE Science Fiction, watch this amazing documentary. This guy was so obsessed, he has created a parallel movie to all three ("good") SW films. He collected all the behind-the-scenes footage, outtakes, and all sorts of video-and-audio ephemera to give you an insight into the incredible creation of one of history's most famous film franchises. You literally watch Lucas build this dream world, only to destroy it later. After it's done, watch Building Empire and finally Returning to Jedi.
And that's it! Follow these steps and you will have almost everything you need to know about filmmaking. Contact me for your diploma.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Create a Great Movie in 5 Simple* Steps
Recently, I talked about an easy way to "greenlight" your own movie, but I left you hanging when it comes to the actual movie concept itself. There are dozens, if not hundreds, if not THOUSANDS of books, courses, podcasts, webinars etc. on the "art" of screenwriting. Many of these are quite valuable (Robert McKee's Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting
is often bandied about as the best) and/or very expensive (Screenwritingu.com's intensive Pro Series will set you back a few Benjamins or more).
So I am introducing my own Instant* Screenplay formula - a way to create a structure for a feature film that you could make yourself.
(*Results may vary)
Step One: What are you an EXPERT on? Everybody has some kind of hobby or occupation that they know a lot about. Doctors have gone to medical school of course, but even a lazy slob has a lot of knowledge that the average person doesn't about lounging around. People watch movies to enter an unfamiliar world, in which the filmmaker is the guide; when we watch, we also LEARN a little bit about something we didn't know before. This will be your overall CONCEPT. (I.e. "I am an expert knitter, so this movie will be about the world of knitting."
Step Two: YOU are the main character. Let's leave the fantasy world imagining to M. Night Shamalamadingdong. Who are you? What are your strengths and weaknesses? Try and be honest with yourself. Our favorite characters are usually flawed human beings, maybe with a bitter secret - not these perfect "supermen". Remember that word: honesty.
Step Three: Ask yourself "What IF". That is what every movie boils down to. "What if..?" "What if a poor Italian immigrant came to America and got involved in a life of crime?" (The Godfather) "What if a giant shark terrorized a small tourist town?" (Jaws) "What if I had a $150 million dollar budget and I wanted to throw it in the garbage?" (Inception) You get the idea.
Step Four: What does your character (you) WANT or NEED? Most of the time, your character must be involved in some kind of quest or action. This part of the idea may be generated by the "What if?" "What if the world were ending tomorrow? I would want/need to see my mother one last time."
Now the idea should start taking shape in your head. Keep thinking about it, toss it around in your mind as you lay in bed. Keep a notebook or use a voice memo to record any ideas you generate. Repeat steps one through three until it is crystal clear.
Step Five: Put in a surprise twist. Nobody likes a movie that they can see the ending coming a mile away. Rarely is a movie interesting in which everybody gets what they wants and everything is sunny and beautiful. At some point - usually near the film's climax - something goes awry that both the main character and the audience should not see coming. Part of the success of Rocky was that [SPOILER ALERT] he DIDN'T win the fight (I'm talking Rocky I here, people.) People like being caught off guard - it will affect them emotionally.
Step Six: The main character must CHANGE. A screenplay is a story, with a beginning, middle, and end. If nothing happens to the hero, then what's the point? We are watching this movie because it is a defining moment in this character's life that forever affects them. A simple way to do this is have the character start out one way (say "greedy") and end up the opposite ("a philanthropist.") That is the story of A Christmas Carol, in a nutshell.
Step Seven: RAISE the stakes. So now you have your concept, character, story, etc. Now bump it up to the next level. If something is not a LIFE OR DEATH situation (literally or figuratively,) again, what's the point? We watch movies to get our heart racing, to live out the story being played in front of our eyes. If it doesn't matter whether the character succeeds or fails in their goal, then something is wrong. PUMP IT UP!!
So there you have it! Seven simple* steps. That's how I came up with the idea for The Great Intervention. But yours doesn't have to be a comedy. It could be drama, romance, even action.
And if you are indeed successful, you owe me 10% of the film's gross.
is often bandied about as the best) and/or very expensive (Screenwritingu.com's intensive Pro Series will set you back a few Benjamins or more).
So I am introducing my own Instant* Screenplay formula - a way to create a structure for a feature film that you could make yourself.
(*Results may vary)
Step One: What are you an EXPERT on? Everybody has some kind of hobby or occupation that they know a lot about. Doctors have gone to medical school of course, but even a lazy slob has a lot of knowledge that the average person doesn't about lounging around. People watch movies to enter an unfamiliar world, in which the filmmaker is the guide; when we watch, we also LEARN a little bit about something we didn't know before. This will be your overall CONCEPT. (I.e. "I am an expert knitter, so this movie will be about the world of knitting."
 |
| This is what came up when I Googled "lazy slob" |
 |
| Who ARE You? |
Step Three: Ask yourself "What IF". That is what every movie boils down to. "What if..?" "What if a poor Italian immigrant came to America and got involved in a life of crime?" (The Godfather) "What if a giant shark terrorized a small tourist town?" (Jaws) "What if I had a $150 million dollar budget and I wanted to throw it in the garbage?" (Inception) You get the idea.
 |
| I Hate When That Happens! |
Step Four: What does your character (you) WANT or NEED? Most of the time, your character must be involved in some kind of quest or action. This part of the idea may be generated by the "What if?" "What if the world were ending tomorrow? I would want/need to see my mother one last time."
Now the idea should start taking shape in your head. Keep thinking about it, toss it around in your mind as you lay in bed. Keep a notebook or use a voice memo to record any ideas you generate. Repeat steps one through three until it is crystal clear.
Step Five: Put in a surprise twist. Nobody likes a movie that they can see the ending coming a mile away. Rarely is a movie interesting in which everybody gets what they wants and everything is sunny and beautiful. At some point - usually near the film's climax - something goes awry that both the main character and the audience should not see coming. Part of the success of Rocky was that [SPOILER ALERT] he DIDN'T win the fight (I'm talking Rocky I here, people.) People like being caught off guard - it will affect them emotionally.
Step Six: The main character must CHANGE. A screenplay is a story, with a beginning, middle, and end. If nothing happens to the hero, then what's the point? We are watching this movie because it is a defining moment in this character's life that forever affects them. A simple way to do this is have the character start out one way (say "greedy") and end up the opposite ("a philanthropist.") That is the story of A Christmas Carol, in a nutshell.
Step Seven: RAISE the stakes. So now you have your concept, character, story, etc. Now bump it up to the next level. If something is not a LIFE OR DEATH situation (literally or figuratively,) again, what's the point? We watch movies to get our heart racing, to live out the story being played in front of our eyes. If it doesn't matter whether the character succeeds or fails in their goal, then something is wrong. PUMP IT UP!!
So there you have it! Seven simple* steps. That's how I came up with the idea for The Great Intervention. But yours doesn't have to be a comedy. It could be drama, romance, even action.
And if you are indeed successful, you owe me 10% of the film's gross.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Advertising Budget - $1 Million Dollars or $0
When a new movie comes out, whether it is the Mega Tent Pole "Thor" or the low budget indie "Insiduous" - one thing that they have in common is advertising budgets in the millions of dollars. Billboards, bus stops, TV commercials, radio, print, talk shows, web advertising, magazine articles, etc., all magically coordinated so that the weeks leading up to the release, awareness is pretty damn high.
That's what millions of dollars, and a coordination of publicists, media buyers, and advertising companies looks like.
How can you compete with that with your indie film? You can't.
In the perspective of the global film industry, your film's budget and advertising is a proverbial drop in the bucket.
Naturally, the more money you spend on your film, the less your chances are for a recoup.
For every $10,000 you spend in advertising - a formidable sum for you and I - you now have to generate 1,000 more sales/profits at $10 per VOD, disc, or download sold, each of which has its own commission structure.
Now, I am not much of a math (or advertising) guy, but spending $10,000 to get 1,000 people to buy something, seems like a drop in the bucket for such a task. (Recently, as an experiment, I spent $100 on Facebook advertising to get something like 9 "Likes" and zero sales. At that rate, to get 1,000 would be, well, YOU do the math!) And we're not even counting the budget of your film, which was probably in the tens-of-thousands of dollars as well. So we are already talking about a serious chunk of change.
So what do you do? Give up? Of course not!
Spend $0.
That's right. $0. In the the advertising world, your $10,000 is so close to zero anyways, you might as well keep in your bank account.
Here are a few ideas that cost nothing.
1) Become your own publicist. Publicists, especially good ones, can charge thousands of dollars a month. And if they're REALLY good - with an excellent Rolodex (do those even exist anymore?) - you probably can't get them or afford them. There are loads of so-called publicists on the 'Net pining for your indie dollars. Why pay them for what you can - and already have been - doing all along? If you don't know how to write a press release, there are plenty of websites to walk you through it.
One important tip: Take your middle name and the street you grew up on and - voila - instant publicist. My publicist for The Great Intervention is Fred Rainey. He has his own email address and I list my phone number. If someone calls asking for Fred, I know it's related to the movie.
I'm not saying there is not an art to finding your film's niche, writing an engaging press release, and shepherding it out to the media, I'm just saying you might as well do it yourself. Most likely, you came up with the idea for your film in the first place, right? Who knows more about it than you? Focus not only on the film, but perhaps the making of the film like I did (surely there are some interesting obstacles you encountered that others can benefit or enjoy learning from).
Need contacts and places to send your press release? The Internet will help you. Set up your Google alerts for key words related to your film, as well as "indie film" "DIY filmmaker" "film festival" "micro budget" etc. In your inbox every day will be a list of websites/articles that deal with these things.
2) Make the talk show rounds. Sure, you're probably not going to get on Jay Leno, or even Conan. But in your network I'm sure there are DOZENS of people that are making blogs and or podcasts. Just look at your Facebook page. Sure, they may not have huge ratings, but it is a good start. Not only can you get some video and-or audio soundbites for your EPK, but it's good practice in case one of the big shows do indeed come a-knockin'.
3) Exploit your actors. Actors are hungry - they are all trying to become famous. And you gave them a part in your movie! Most likely, because of this very fact, you won't need to "exploit" them - just give them the opportunity to promote the film. Work with them to set up screenings and make sure they are available for interviews. They may have friends that have podcasts/blogs too, so make sure they get a copy of the press release or EPK for their own use. Find out if their backstory can be of use in the publicity of the movie.
4) Return to your hometown. Everybody has a group of people they grew up with, and in this age of Facebook, the odds are good that you are in contact with them. Make an event and show your movie! The local paper likes nothing better than a story like "Local Filmmaker Returns Home to Screen Indie Movie." Perhaps you can coordinate with an alumni group or others to donate a portion of the proceeds to a local charity.
5) Pray for virility. Nobody knows how or why things go viral - that's the wonder of the Internet. Rebecca Black hoped she would become famous, but no reasonable amount of marketing could have generated A HUNDRED AND TWENTY ONE MILLION VIEWS on YouTube.
This is where the playing field is "leveled" between you and the blockbuster. Create short clips of your movies - not just a preview, perhaps, but maybe a controversial/hilarious scene. Keep throwing them out there and see what works. You don't have access to Neilson Ratings or expensive marketing analysts, but you DO have access to your YouTube view count as well as some other interesting insights, including users' attention span across your video! Find other video sites to post it to, and use keywords related to your topic.
And then pray something hits Numa Numa land.
***
So there you go. I'm not saying doing this is better than hiring a publicist or spending a gazillion dollars on billboards. But these are some things you can do own your own without maxing the credit cards that may give you some satisfactory results. At least you tried.
That's what millions of dollars, and a coordination of publicists, media buyers, and advertising companies looks like.
 |
| You're supposed to put garbage on the streets! |
How can you compete with that with your indie film? You can't.
In the perspective of the global film industry, your film's budget and advertising is a proverbial drop in the bucket.
Naturally, the more money you spend on your film, the less your chances are for a recoup.
For every $10,000 you spend in advertising - a formidable sum for you and I - you now have to generate 1,000 more sales/profits at $10 per VOD, disc, or download sold, each of which has its own commission structure.
Now, I am not much of a math (or advertising) guy, but spending $10,000 to get 1,000 people to buy something, seems like a drop in the bucket for such a task. (Recently, as an experiment, I spent $100 on Facebook advertising to get something like 9 "Likes" and zero sales. At that rate, to get 1,000 would be, well, YOU do the math!) And we're not even counting the budget of your film, which was probably in the tens-of-thousands of dollars as well. So we are already talking about a serious chunk of change.
So what do you do? Give up? Of course not!
 |
| No Money? No Problem! |
Spend $0.
That's right. $0. In the the advertising world, your $10,000 is so close to zero anyways, you might as well keep in your bank account.
Here are a few ideas that cost nothing.
1) Become your own publicist. Publicists, especially good ones, can charge thousands of dollars a month. And if they're REALLY good - with an excellent Rolodex (do those even exist anymore?) - you probably can't get them or afford them. There are loads of so-called publicists on the 'Net pining for your indie dollars. Why pay them for what you can - and already have been - doing all along? If you don't know how to write a press release, there are plenty of websites to walk you through it.
One important tip: Take your middle name and the street you grew up on and - voila - instant publicist. My publicist for The Great Intervention is Fred Rainey. He has his own email address and I list my phone number. If someone calls asking for Fred, I know it's related to the movie.
I'm not saying there is not an art to finding your film's niche, writing an engaging press release, and shepherding it out to the media, I'm just saying you might as well do it yourself. Most likely, you came up with the idea for your film in the first place, right? Who knows more about it than you? Focus not only on the film, but perhaps the making of the film like I did (surely there are some interesting obstacles you encountered that others can benefit or enjoy learning from).
Need contacts and places to send your press release? The Internet will help you. Set up your Google alerts for key words related to your film, as well as "indie film" "DIY filmmaker" "film festival" "micro budget" etc. In your inbox every day will be a list of websites/articles that deal with these things.
2) Make the talk show rounds. Sure, you're probably not going to get on Jay Leno, or even Conan. But in your network I'm sure there are DOZENS of people that are making blogs and or podcasts. Just look at your Facebook page. Sure, they may not have huge ratings, but it is a good start. Not only can you get some video and-or audio soundbites for your EPK, but it's good practice in case one of the big shows do indeed come a-knockin'.
3) Exploit your actors. Actors are hungry - they are all trying to become famous. And you gave them a part in your movie! Most likely, because of this very fact, you won't need to "exploit" them - just give them the opportunity to promote the film. Work with them to set up screenings and make sure they are available for interviews. They may have friends that have podcasts/blogs too, so make sure they get a copy of the press release or EPK for their own use. Find out if their backstory can be of use in the publicity of the movie.
4) Return to your hometown. Everybody has a group of people they grew up with, and in this age of Facebook, the odds are good that you are in contact with them. Make an event and show your movie! The local paper likes nothing better than a story like "Local Filmmaker Returns Home to Screen Indie Movie." Perhaps you can coordinate with an alumni group or others to donate a portion of the proceeds to a local charity.
5) Pray for virility. Nobody knows how or why things go viral - that's the wonder of the Internet. Rebecca Black hoped she would become famous, but no reasonable amount of marketing could have generated A HUNDRED AND TWENTY ONE MILLION VIEWS on YouTube.
This is where the playing field is "leveled" between you and the blockbuster. Create short clips of your movies - not just a preview, perhaps, but maybe a controversial/hilarious scene. Keep throwing them out there and see what works. You don't have access to Neilson Ratings or expensive marketing analysts, but you DO have access to your YouTube view count as well as some other interesting insights, including users' attention span across your video! Find other video sites to post it to, and use keywords related to your topic.
And then pray something hits Numa Numa land.
***
So there you go. I'm not saying doing this is better than hiring a publicist or spending a gazillion dollars on billboards. But these are some things you can do own your own without maxing the credit cards that may give you some satisfactory results. At least you tried.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Waiting For Something To Happen
It seems like a lot of the film marketing/selling business is waiting. You send a DVD to a film festival, which gives you a notification deadline - you mail a DVD to a potential distributor - you hand a DVD to a famous celebrity...
And then you wait.
Wait for that call, or, in most cases, an email which says "Thank you for your submission..."
I have attempted all of the above with The Great Intervention. Today is the deadline on two festivals I entered that seemed appropriate - Dances With Films and The Los Angeles Comedy Festival.
I am not optimistic about my chances.
This is not due to the quality of the film - I think The Great Intervention is good enough. I'm beginning to feel that film festivals are parasitic enterprises that feed off the entry fees of indie filmmakers and then program their festivals using inside connections.
Maybe this is sour grapes - I have no inside information. To this date, the only film festival rejection was from Tribeca, which was not a surprise. Thinking back, that $120(!) entry fee (I think there was some overnight delivery involved) could have maybe been spent on advertising or postcards, or some other tangible product associated with the film.
I also recently sent the film to a collaborative distribution company, which filmmakers can pay a fee and receive access to counseling and discounts with their partners. They also directly distribute a small, but impressive list of titles, a few of which I had actually heard of or seen.
I was curious if they would be interested in The Great Intervention. The initiation fee, while not huge, would definitely be worth it if they helped me distribute directly. I started my conversation with them via email, which was promptly and courteously returned, offering to watch the film even before I joined, which was cool. So I sent a DVD.
And waited.
One month went by, and I courteously emailed back saying "Did you receive the DVD?" I received a prompt reply; yes we have received it - please be patient and we will get back to you.
I waited again.
Two months passed. At this point, it seemed clear in my mind that the film had been forgotten - a three-month wait seemed a little excessive. So I wrote politely back, asking for an update.
And waited.
The following response came after about two days - enough time, it seems, to finally watch the film:
"Hi there Steve:
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Thanks SO much for the opportunity to watch your film.
As a non-profit, we only have a certain limited number of films we can take on for direct distribution at any one time. Right now, our slate is quite full.
We'd have to pass on direct distribution of your film.
However, we can provide distribution education and consultation if that interests you....meaning we could talk to you at great length about what opportunities are out there for you to distribute the film in the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) space."
Gee thanks SO much for your reply.
I'm going to pass on joining your collaborative.
It seems to me, this generic answer could have been given to me within a reasonable time frame, where I might have at least felt my film was properly considered. They might have also found one tiny specific thing to say about the film to let me know that they did, indeed, watch it.
And finally, I have had the lucky opportunity to get it personally to some A-List celebs that I have had contact with over the years, as well as an unbelievable opportunity to hand it to a very prominent TV show creator (always have a copy of your project on you, people!)
Will any of them watch it? I don't know. But I will continue to try and get the word out in any way I can.
And then wait for some good news.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Facebook, Facebook, Facebook
The old Real Estate motto was "location, location, location." Today, we modernize the slogan. Let's "Face" it - Facebook is everywhere. With over 250 million people connected, odds are you either have an account or are going to get one. And, if you're an indie filmmaker or musician, you need to be on there stat.
But if you are reading this, you're probably not an idiot, you surely know what Facebook is. Here's just a few tips to help you maximize your usage.
1. Create a Fan Page and Like it. Once you have a regular account, you can fairly quickly and easily create a Fan Page for just about anything. This can be the home page for your movie! Fill out the information and suggest that your friends "Like" it and you're off and running.
2. But that's just the beginning. A static Fan Page is boring and will get few interactions. Conversely, a page that does nothing but advertise itself over and over again with postings will also turn people off. Instead, think of a creative way to post regularly - either using a quote from a character in the movie, posting an article or video somehow related to your subject matter, or even creating a weekly blog (such as this one) to add fresh content. Facebook will let administrators see right on the page how many times your update was viewed, amongst other things.
3. Snazz up your page with new profile modifying applications. Have you gone to a Facebook page, and it stands out from normal pages because of a snazzy design? Companies are popping up everywhere to add functionality. Sites such as Wix.com and Thrusocial.com offer free apps that can increase functionality. Wix's site has limited Facebook designs, but this company's other applications (its Flash and now iPhone-friendly templates) are so great that this surely will be as well. For a start, pick out a few free apps from Thrusocial (such as the link maker, which can link to a DVD page or official movie site) and the video player, which will enable you to embed your trailer right on the landing page.
There are a ton of Facebook modifying pages, each of them with intriguing offers, although some of them can start being quite expensive ($19.99 a month and up.) Tabfusion.com seems like a good compromise, charging a yearly fee ($10/year $20/3 years) per app, which is good esp if you only need one or two. There is a pretty good list at http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/23/1-best-ways-customize-facebook/ but there are a few newer and better ones in the comments section, so be sure to read that.
4. Advertise your page. Getting people to "Like" your page outside of your close circle of friends is always a challenge. But now you can advertise cheaply and effectively with Facebook Ads! These tiny targeted ads are like the ones that dot our Facebook pages already. It's a snap to create an ad - they even give you a preview - but be cautioned that the ads are not automatically approved. Ads that show nudity or imply nudity are not allowed, as well as curse words, of course. Another no-no is implied functionality, with phrases such as "Click here to watch a preview!" probably won't be allowed. Once your ad is approved you can fund it very easily via Paypal. One trick to getting more "Likes" is targeting "Friends of people who already Like your page." This is an option in your ad display preferences and it seems to work best. When someone sees that one of their friends already Likes something, they are more inclined to click. Also, go with a per-click campaign rather than just impressions (appearing on a page) as it will be more results-oriented.
5. What does this all mean? Nobody is quite sure, actually. A "Like" isn't a sale, and even if someone does like your page, there is no direct way to reach them, save for a status update, which they may or may not see. As an experiment for my film The Great Intervention, I purchased $100 worth of advertising to see what would happen. To be honest, my head starts spinning when we get in to all this analytics stuff, which, I guess, I should attempt to tackle in another post. Suffice to say, "insights" or "analytics" as it's called over at Google, does give you a breakdown of how your advertising dollars were spent, much of which I can't make heads or tails of. But, a simple breakdown seems to be that I got 30 "New Likes" - yet somehow that only increased my "Lifetime Likes" about 10 people (which seems to be the number which appears when it says "XX People Like This". Then we get in to the CPC, CTR, and all those other crazy numbers I don't understand. For anyone inclined or interested, here is a screenshot of my $100 campaign.
But if you are reading this, you're probably not an idiot, you surely know what Facebook is. Here's just a few tips to help you maximize your usage.
1. Create a Fan Page and Like it. Once you have a regular account, you can fairly quickly and easily create a Fan Page for just about anything. This can be the home page for your movie! Fill out the information and suggest that your friends "Like" it and you're off and running.
2. But that's just the beginning. A static Fan Page is boring and will get few interactions. Conversely, a page that does nothing but advertise itself over and over again with postings will also turn people off. Instead, think of a creative way to post regularly - either using a quote from a character in the movie, posting an article or video somehow related to your subject matter, or even creating a weekly blog (such as this one) to add fresh content. Facebook will let administrators see right on the page how many times your update was viewed, amongst other things.
3. Snazz up your page with new profile modifying applications. Have you gone to a Facebook page, and it stands out from normal pages because of a snazzy design? Companies are popping up everywhere to add functionality. Sites such as Wix.com and Thrusocial.com offer free apps that can increase functionality. Wix's site has limited Facebook designs, but this company's other applications (its Flash and now iPhone-friendly templates) are so great that this surely will be as well. For a start, pick out a few free apps from Thrusocial (such as the link maker, which can link to a DVD page or official movie site) and the video player, which will enable you to embed your trailer right on the landing page.
There are a ton of Facebook modifying pages, each of them with intriguing offers, although some of them can start being quite expensive ($19.99 a month and up.) Tabfusion.com seems like a good compromise, charging a yearly fee ($10/year $20/3 years) per app, which is good esp if you only need one or two. There is a pretty good list at http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/23/1-best-ways-customize-facebook/ but there are a few newer and better ones in the comments section, so be sure to read that.
4. Advertise your page. Getting people to "Like" your page outside of your close circle of friends is always a challenge. But now you can advertise cheaply and effectively with Facebook Ads! These tiny targeted ads are like the ones that dot our Facebook pages already. It's a snap to create an ad - they even give you a preview - but be cautioned that the ads are not automatically approved. Ads that show nudity or imply nudity are not allowed, as well as curse words, of course. Another no-no is implied functionality, with phrases such as "Click here to watch a preview!" probably won't be allowed. Once your ad is approved you can fund it very easily via Paypal. One trick to getting more "Likes" is targeting "Friends of people who already Like your page." This is an option in your ad display preferences and it seems to work best. When someone sees that one of their friends already Likes something, they are more inclined to click. Also, go with a per-click campaign rather than just impressions (appearing on a page) as it will be more results-oriented.
5. What does this all mean? Nobody is quite sure, actually. A "Like" isn't a sale, and even if someone does like your page, there is no direct way to reach them, save for a status update, which they may or may not see. As an experiment for my film The Great Intervention, I purchased $100 worth of advertising to see what would happen. To be honest, my head starts spinning when we get in to all this analytics stuff, which, I guess, I should attempt to tackle in another post. Suffice to say, "insights" or "analytics" as it's called over at Google, does give you a breakdown of how your advertising dollars were spent, much of which I can't make heads or tails of. But, a simple breakdown seems to be that I got 30 "New Likes" - yet somehow that only increased my "Lifetime Likes" about 10 people (which seems to be the number which appears when it says "XX People Like This". Then we get in to the CPC, CTR, and all those other crazy numbers I don't understand. For anyone inclined or interested, here is a screenshot of my $100 campaign.
If anyone would like to offer their expertise as to whether this was a "successful" campaign, please let me know. In the meantime, I'll keep trying to drum up support for my film using a combination of these ideas, and I suggest you do for your project as well.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
YouTube - The Web's Biggest Free Marketing Tool
No, it's not just for videos of surprised kitties or bizarre music videos. YouTube has become the world's television set - why isn't your indie film on it? Here's a few steps/ideas on how to best utilize this free service.
1. Create a YouTube account if you don't have one, and make a Channel. Call this channel thenameofyourfilm. People visiting your channel page will see your latest video and will be able to subscribe to updates from there.
2. Put up previews and clips, using keywords associated with your content. You might put up an extended scene, or music video related to the film. Try out different trailers and get people's opinion. YouTube has a built-in insights page that is pretty informative as to who is watching your videos, what links or keywords they are following, and even how long their attention span lasts on your video.
3. Do you already have earlier, more popular videos on Youtube? Use the Annotation feature to create your own free ad! Click on the Edit Annotations button at the top of your video's page. Be sure to place the annotation across the entire length of the movie by sliding the blue slider so it makes a solid line across the timeline, and give a quick pitch for your film by typing in the box on the right. You can link to a channel or playlist by clicking the link button and pasting in the video url. My video Satan Lend Me a Dollar has over 130,000 views on YouTube. You can see how I use it to try and pump up views on my movie The Great Intervention.
4. Of course, share these videos on Facebook, and you can even use new flash-based widgets to embed them into your Facebook page. (More on that in a later post.)
5. Finally, create a weekly podcast and upload it to YouTube as well as to your blog. You could have it relate specifically to your film, if you think there's enough material to do something every week. Or, you might want to expand a little, maybe make it a podcast about your film company, maybe do bios of some of the actors.
6. Create your OWN demographic with your show. The key is volume and regularity (that's what my doctor said too!) The more videos you put up, the more views you get, especially if they're all linked via the previously mentioned feature. I decided to create a weekly pop culture/politics-type program called The National Toilet. Every Friday, I create a short, five-minute podcast lampooning the worst of society as reflected in the headlines. This keeps my videos relevant and tied to popular keywords. So far, I am only on my second episode and I have more than doubled my viewership from the first! And with my annotation, I place a link to my promo for The Great Intervention, hoping that people who enjoy the podcast may be of like mind to enjoy the movie.
Give some of these a try and leave your own suggestions as well.
1. Create a YouTube account if you don't have one, and make a Channel. Call this channel thenameofyourfilm. People visiting your channel page will see your latest video and will be able to subscribe to updates from there.
2. Put up previews and clips, using keywords associated with your content. You might put up an extended scene, or music video related to the film. Try out different trailers and get people's opinion. YouTube has a built-in insights page that is pretty informative as to who is watching your videos, what links or keywords they are following, and even how long their attention span lasts on your video.
3. Do you already have earlier, more popular videos on Youtube? Use the Annotation feature to create your own free ad! Click on the Edit Annotations button at the top of your video's page. Be sure to place the annotation across the entire length of the movie by sliding the blue slider so it makes a solid line across the timeline, and give a quick pitch for your film by typing in the box on the right. You can link to a channel or playlist by clicking the link button and pasting in the video url. My video Satan Lend Me a Dollar has over 130,000 views on YouTube. You can see how I use it to try and pump up views on my movie The Great Intervention.
4. Of course, share these videos on Facebook, and you can even use new flash-based widgets to embed them into your Facebook page. (More on that in a later post.)
5. Finally, create a weekly podcast and upload it to YouTube as well as to your blog. You could have it relate specifically to your film, if you think there's enough material to do something every week. Or, you might want to expand a little, maybe make it a podcast about your film company, maybe do bios of some of the actors.
6. Create your OWN demographic with your show. The key is volume and regularity (that's what my doctor said too!) The more videos you put up, the more views you get, especially if they're all linked via the previously mentioned feature. I decided to create a weekly pop culture/politics-type program called The National Toilet. Every Friday, I create a short, five-minute podcast lampooning the worst of society as reflected in the headlines. This keeps my videos relevant and tied to popular keywords. So far, I am only on my second episode and I have more than doubled my viewership from the first! And with my annotation, I place a link to my promo for The Great Intervention, hoping that people who enjoy the podcast may be of like mind to enjoy the movie.
Give some of these a try and leave your own suggestions as well.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Marketing Crash Courses
It seems like every day I'm stumbling upon another website offering to spill all the secrets of selling and marketing your film. These often come at a price, but many offer specials and discounts. Here is an ever-growing list of some resources available to help you market your film. I will try and update this periodically as I see fit.
http://www.lightsfilmschool.com/blog/ - Soup-to-nuts online film school for $299. Offers classes in marketing.
http://filmspecific.com/ - an indie site with lots of free and paid information, including an e-book called the Self-Distribution Starter kit for $29. Other pricing plans are available.
http://www.shericandler.com/ - a publicist with her own blog, specializing in indie films. Free information in the form of articles and blog posts, and Sheri also available for consultation.
http://www.cineticmedia.com/index.php - "Where Art and Commerce Meet" is their motto. They also offer something called Film Buff, which can help indie filmmakers with all sorts of marketing strategies. No prices listed on the site, which usually means this can be pricey.
http://moviemavericks.com/advertising-on-moviemavericks-com/ - this site offers free advertising to indie filmmakers and perhaps a chance for a review. Or so it says - an email sent to the address was not returned.
Indiplaya.com - They just made a big announcement about new content channels at SXSW this year, but their site looks pretty weak. Keep your eyes peeled for updates.
http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/23/1-best-ways-customize-facebook/ - Facebook has a lot of marketing possibilities but it's hard to convert Likes into $s. However, these customizing apps may help you do just that by making a more engaging Facebook Page. Be sure to check the comments for some other cool sites not listed in the main article.
http://thinkoutsidetheboxoffice.com/ - John Reis' site is often referred to as the grandaddy of all distribution/marketing sites. His book is often listed as "must read." Alas, with any print book nowadays, the information gets stale quickly. You can buy a digital version with updates at this site.
http://www.internetmarketingforfilmmakers.com/ - This guy has a very slick website and loves to show you videos. He offers a money back guarantee, so you could check out what he has to offer and decide for yourself if it is worth it.
http://www.lightsfilmschool.com/blog/ - Soup-to-nuts online film school for $299. Offers classes in marketing.
http://filmspecific.com/ - an indie site with lots of free and paid information, including an e-book called the Self-Distribution Starter kit for $29. Other pricing plans are available.
http://www.shericandler.com/ - a publicist with her own blog, specializing in indie films. Free information in the form of articles and blog posts, and Sheri also available for consultation.
http://www.cineticmedia.com/index.php - "Where Art and Commerce Meet" is their motto. They also offer something called Film Buff, which can help indie filmmakers with all sorts of marketing strategies. No prices listed on the site, which usually means this can be pricey.
http://moviemavericks.com/advertising-on-moviemavericks-com/ - this site offers free advertising to indie filmmakers and perhaps a chance for a review. Or so it says - an email sent to the address was not returned.
Indiplaya.com - They just made a big announcement about new content channels at SXSW this year, but their site looks pretty weak. Keep your eyes peeled for updates.
http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/23/1-best-ways-customize-facebook/ - Facebook has a lot of marketing possibilities but it's hard to convert Likes into $s. However, these customizing apps may help you do just that by making a more engaging Facebook Page. Be sure to check the comments for some other cool sites not listed in the main article.
http://thinkoutsidetheboxoffice.com/ - John Reis' site is often referred to as the grandaddy of all distribution/marketing sites. His book is often listed as "must read." Alas, with any print book nowadays, the information gets stale quickly. You can buy a digital version with updates at this site.
http://www.internetmarketingforfilmmakers.com/ - This guy has a very slick website and loves to show you videos. He offers a money back guarantee, so you could check out what he has to offer and decide for yourself if it is worth it.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Places to Sell/Market Your Indie Film Online
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but I will try and add to this as I come across resources and will comment when I have more info.
1. Createspace.com - created by Amazon, this is the granddaddy of on-demand. You can reach a huge marketplace through Amazon. However, they charge about $4 per disc - not terrible but not great (see below). The on-demand feature may be cool, but you have to send them a DVD which they encode from on their end, meaning you will end up with an SD streaming version instead of HD.
2. Kunaki.com - This may be the coolest, greatest thing EVER for indie filmmakers! Kunaki is a bare bones print-on-demand company that only charges $1 per DVD - that's right $1! Customers can pay with credit card OR Paypal. You design a full-color DVD sleeve AND color printed face! Here's the catch: NO customer support, except via email. You have to upload your files via PC (not Mac) to their server. If you are a Mac person like me and have mostly friends that are Mac, this is a HUGE pain in the ass! The upload kept stopping and starting and I have to babysit this thing for SEVERAL DAYS to get it finally completely uploaded. That caveat aside (PC users should have no problems) this looks like it may be the best option, at least for sales directly from your website. They even send you a free DVD for your evaluation, how cool is that?
3. Film Baby - this looks like a companion/offshoot of CD Baby. They charge $40 to get you up and running and charge $4 per DVD and have other non-exclusive distribution options. If you use Kunaki (above) that eats up about $5 of profit per DVD - again not terrible especially if your DVD can retail over $10. (Most DVDs on the site are priced in the $15 range.)
4. Flixfling - This seems to be an indie film alternative to Netflix. You can contact them about carrying your movie and they will ask you to send them a DVD.
5. Casimero - this site offers to stream your film for a monthly fee to Facebook.
6. Film Club - Just stumbled on what could be a cool way to network your movie. I'm thinking you can search for film clubs that might be interested in screening your movie.
7. Meetup.com - here's another idea: type "indie film" and your zip code and find film groups that might be interested in screening your film.
8. Withoutabox.com - This is the the behemoth that controls most of the entry process into the various film festivals in the world. Sure, you can pay $50 a pop (and up) to enter your film in Sundance et. al. but I suggest using the search engine to find fests that don't charge anything to enter.
9. Don't forget your hometown newspaper! In addition, AOL has created Patch.com - which focuses on hyper-local news for each of its many "patches." The La Mesa Patch did a great article on The Great Intervention.
10. Tubemogul.com - this site has a free service that helps you distribute videos to the many different sharing sites across the web. This can help you place preview videos on sites you never knew existed. Using the site, however, has proved pointless and frustrating, as none of its stats seem to work for me.
11. Openfilm.com - This looks very enticing! For as little as $2.95 a month you can get your site on Boxee and other TV/Web hybrid systems. I use Boxee, and if you could get a video on their service they say you are now in 11 million homes. You can turn on and off your movie as well, in case you decide later to sell the rights or whatever. Upon further investigation, I could not find an Openfilm app within Boxee. I emailed them to find out what was up and they said that some of their films are located in the the user's Movies section and that the app is "coming soon." We shall see.
1. Createspace.com - created by Amazon, this is the granddaddy of on-demand. You can reach a huge marketplace through Amazon. However, they charge about $4 per disc - not terrible but not great (see below). The on-demand feature may be cool, but you have to send them a DVD which they encode from on their end, meaning you will end up with an SD streaming version instead of HD.
2. Kunaki.com - This may be the coolest, greatest thing EVER for indie filmmakers! Kunaki is a bare bones print-on-demand company that only charges $1 per DVD - that's right $1! Customers can pay with credit card OR Paypal. You design a full-color DVD sleeve AND color printed face! Here's the catch: NO customer support, except via email. You have to upload your files via PC (not Mac) to their server. If you are a Mac person like me and have mostly friends that are Mac, this is a HUGE pain in the ass! The upload kept stopping and starting and I have to babysit this thing for SEVERAL DAYS to get it finally completely uploaded. That caveat aside (PC users should have no problems) this looks like it may be the best option, at least for sales directly from your website. They even send you a free DVD for your evaluation, how cool is that?
3. Film Baby - this looks like a companion/offshoot of CD Baby. They charge $40 to get you up and running and charge $4 per DVD and have other non-exclusive distribution options. If you use Kunaki (above) that eats up about $5 of profit per DVD - again not terrible especially if your DVD can retail over $10. (Most DVDs on the site are priced in the $15 range.)
4. Flixfling - This seems to be an indie film alternative to Netflix. You can contact them about carrying your movie and they will ask you to send them a DVD.
5. Casimero - this site offers to stream your film for a monthly fee to Facebook.
6. Film Club - Just stumbled on what could be a cool way to network your movie. I'm thinking you can search for film clubs that might be interested in screening your movie.
7. Meetup.com - here's another idea: type "indie film" and your zip code and find film groups that might be interested in screening your film.
8. Withoutabox.com - This is the the behemoth that controls most of the entry process into the various film festivals in the world. Sure, you can pay $50 a pop (and up) to enter your film in Sundance et. al. but I suggest using the search engine to find fests that don't charge anything to enter.
9. Don't forget your hometown newspaper! In addition, AOL has created Patch.com - which focuses on hyper-local news for each of its many "patches." The La Mesa Patch did a great article on The Great Intervention.
10. Tubemogul.com - this site has a free service that helps you distribute videos to the many different sharing sites across the web. This can help you place preview videos on sites you never knew existed. Using the site, however, has proved pointless and frustrating, as none of its stats seem to work for me.
11. Openfilm.com - This looks very enticing! For as little as $2.95 a month you can get your site on Boxee and other TV/Web hybrid systems. I use Boxee, and if you could get a video on their service they say you are now in 11 million homes. You can turn on and off your movie as well, in case you decide later to sell the rights or whatever. Upon further investigation, I could not find an Openfilm app within Boxee. I emailed them to find out what was up and they said that some of their films are located in the the user's Movies section and that the app is "coming soon." We shall see.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Fudge Zoloft - Make Indie Film
Originally Posted on Film Courage.com: http://filmcourage.com/content/fudge-zoloftmake-indie-film
#$%^$ Zoloft – Make Indie Film!
By Stephen Moramarco
Life is stressful – I don’t need to tell you that. Being a self-proclaimed auteur is damn hard work and it just doesn’t get easier. But instead of spending gazillions on pills and therapy, do what I did and harness all that frustration, loneliness and despair into an indie movie!
In 2008, like most of us, I was depressed. The housing and stock market misery hit me in the pocketbook, and on the personal front, a long-term relationship had ended. Creatively, I was a mess - totally uninspired and unmotivated. I began a slow downward spiral into madness - disrupted sleep, anxiety attacks, negative thought patterns. The Demon Beast of Depression had grabbed me by the jugular and would not let go.
I was placed on every anti-depressant on the market, had cognitive therapy sessions, accupuncture and devoured a steady stream of self-help books. But you know what ended up saving me? My own creativity.
Taking advice from a friend, I enrolled in something called The Pro Series at ScreenwritingU.com. This is a great little website/program that attempts to take you from concept to finished screenplay and pitch in a mere six months. It's not cheap. But I found the structure of the email-based program rewarding and invigorating, forcing me to think about marketable screenplay concepts instead of my own miserable existence.
Or - as it turned out - turn said miserable existence into my first feature film! During the brainstorming process, several threads came together in my mind, which eventually became The Great Intervention: what if my parents had tried to get me on an intervention program, only to be turned away because I wasn't "extreme" enough?
The more I turned the idea over in my head, the more I realized this would make a great indie film that would be relatively easy for me to make. I wouldn't need any expensive sets - most of it could be filmed at my house or at friends' houses and I wouldn't need any bulky lighting equipment because I was shooting "documentary-style".
I wouldn't even need a script! Well, not a traditional script, anyway. At night as I dreamed away during those first few formative days, I envisioned the film almost completely in my head. Then I sat down and wrote a 48-point outline.
The whole film would be a riff on my own life. I would star as a slightly-more-loserish version of myself, and I would tap my real father to play my father. Friends would be able to fill out most of the roles, but for the female lead who would play my romantic counterpart, I knew I needed someone special.
So I set out my search - contacting actress friends that might be appropriate for the role, but nothing clicked. One day, however, I typed "indie film los angeles" into Google and, like a vision, the picture of Karen Zumsteg and her stunning blue eyes appeared before me.
 |
| Karen Zumsteg |
Karen was part of a collective called We Make Movies and had been in a 5-million-viewed YouTube video of a supposed UFO crash landing caught on tape by a couple hiking in the wilderness. When we met in person a few days after I contacted her and sent the outline, I knew that I wouldn't even need her to do a proper audition - she was perfect.
I was able to round out the cast with professional SAG actors, thanks to the SAG Ultra Low Budget contract, designed for films made under $200,000. I would only have to pay them $100 a day - quite a bargain.
Speaking of budget, I had none. Well, I did some crude mental math, and imagined that $5000 would be enough to make it work. Hearing so much about "crowd funding," I turned to the Kickstarter website.
Kickstarter allows filmmakers and other artists with a clear goal/project to recruit patrons to help fund it. The catch is you have to make your goal, or you receive nothing. This is actually a good thing, as long as the amount you are raising is not too unrealistic, because it adds to the drama that can work in your favor in the final hours of your campaign.
And so I began beating the fundraising drum so loudly and regularly on Facebook, I risked a rash of un-friending.
But it WORKED! One hundred and eight people came together and successfully funded my project. And while the majority of the people who donated were friends or friends-of-friends, Kickstarter was very useful in legitimizing my project and helping me collect the funds. Most of us hope our fundraising campaigns will go viral, but the reality is the majority of projects are funded by people you already know.
But that is not a bad thing at all! I was heartened and impressed by how many OLD friends came out of the woodwork to donate. Several people from my childhood days on Rainey St. in La Mesa who I had gotten reaquainted with through the miracle of Social Networking donated generous sums to make this project happen.
 |
| John Ciulik, Eric Brown, Johnny Angel, Stephen Moramarco on the set aka my backyard |
With money in the bank, I immediately began filming. Over the course of about two weeks in July 2010, I shot the bulk of the film using several cameras: a professional Sony HD camera, a "prosumer" Panasonic HD camera and this great little Kodak Zi-8, which is their version of the Flip, a tiny HD camera that retails for less than $200.
For my film crew, I focused on avail-ability rather than "ability". Cleverly, I worked in to the film's premise that the filmmakers my parents hired to document the intervention were found on Craigslist, so I could make it artfully bad.
For most of the filming, I just let the cameras run without doing a lot of stopping and starting or yelling "action" and "cut." This helped keep the vérité feel I was going for. If I wasn't getting what I wanted from my actors, I would merely chime in and redirect them, knowing I could chop out all my comments during the editing and jump cut through the sequence.
When I was finally done with principal photography, I had probably 20 hours of raw footage on my hard drive. But I was prepared. Years of editing wedding videos had trained me to work quickly and have a good eye for useable footage. Mentally, I broke down my film into Five Acts, just like a classical play. Act One would be the shortest - the first five minutes of the movie - but the rest of the Acts would play about 21 minutes each.
 |
| Karen Tarleton did a "mother approved" job of playing my real mother Sheila |
With guidance from friends, and after a screening for cast and crew, I was able to whittle it down to 90 minutes - the perfect length, I feel, for any comedy. I am very proud of it.
After years of banging my head against the wall, trying to come up with some crazy off-the-wall screenplay idea, I finally took the old advice "write what you know" to heart - and it worked.
The Great Intervention is now making the festival rounds, but YOU can buy your very own copy of the film for just $5.99!
Just follow this link: http://tinyurl.com/GreatInterventionDVD
Check out the trailer at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLfKOsSOND8
Want even more fun? Check out greatintervention.info - the meme related to the film!
Stephen Moramarco is a writer/actor/director/musician and now a filmmaker. He lives in Lincoln Heights, CA.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Five Quick Steps to Greenlighting Your Own Indie Film
Hello everyone - I have decided to expand the scope of this blog beyond blatant promotion of my indie film The Great Intervention. I hope it also serves as inspiration/information for other aspiring filmmmakers to follow their dream and create an indie film with no budget.
That said, here is my first post for all you aspiring filmmakers, lovingly entitled "5 Quick Steps to Greenlighting Your Own Indie Film"
1. Come up with your idea. Okay, this is the only part of the step I cannot specifically help you with; however, I can help you get inspired. First of all, let me suggest: write what you know. Additionally, consider taking ScreenwritingU.com's Pro Series. True, the full series is upwards of $500, but this six-month online course takes you (at least in theory) from concept to pitch. The first part of the series is especially good, as it forces you to create literally hundreds of screenplay ideas using a simple formula. This is where I got the seed of the idea for The Great Intervention. If you can't afford the full course, keep an eye on their stand-alone courses that may inspire you and are considerably cheaper.
2. Register your idea/script with the Writer's Guild of America, or if you're East of the Mississippi, The Writer's Guild, East. For about $25, this will protect your idea from theft. In theory, if you are producing and shooting the movie yourself, the creation of the movie itself will be your copyright. However, if your shoot date is a ways off, this will establish a registration date for 5 years.
3. Go to SAGIndie and fill out the Ultra Low Budget Application. One of the most important things for any film, of course, is excellent acting. Thankfully, the Screeen Actor's Guild has made it easier than ever for professionals to work on your production. If your budget is under $200,000 (and if you're reading this blog, it surely is) you can hire SAG actors for $100 a day with this contract. There is a little bit of paperwork to fill out, so it's important you start this procedure at least THREE WEEKS before shooting begins. The SAGindie site contains a ton of information and you can also post your casting notice on it for free.
4. Get production insurance. For a long time, this was the biggest stumbling block to getting your shoot Guild compliant: finding short term insurance at an affordable price. When I did my first SAG film Left for Dead in Malaysia way back in 2004, this was a huge challenge. SAG couldn't even legally point me in the right direction. I ended up buying secondhand coverage through a producer whose credits included Nudist Colony of the Dead. It was stressful, as the guy waited until the last possible minute to fax SAG the correct paperwork. Thankfully, nowadays short-term insurance is easy to find, with links even on the SAGindie page. I ended up going with Supple-Merril & Driscoll who have a quick and easy online form and can return a quote quickly. My 10 day shoot cost me a mere $600. And not only will getting the proper insurance put you in the good graces of SAG but it may help you in securing any locations you might need. One indie production I worked on was able to secure a supermarket for free precisely because they had this insurance. NOTE: do NOT get Worker's Comp through them - see below.
5. Hire a payroll company. Finally, you're going to need a payroll company to make the whole package complete. For a very small fee, ABS Payroll in Burbank can not only handle all of your pay to your SAG actors, as well as doing all the pain-in-the-ass paperwork and contributions to Pension & Health, BUT it can also give you Worker's Comp coverage for a fraction of the stand-alone price, saving you thousands of dollars.
Follow these steps and you will be on your way to production of your Indie Film!
That said, here is my first post for all you aspiring filmmakers, lovingly entitled "5 Quick Steps to Greenlighting Your Own Indie Film"
1. Come up with your idea. Okay, this is the only part of the step I cannot specifically help you with; however, I can help you get inspired. First of all, let me suggest: write what you know. Additionally, consider taking ScreenwritingU.com's Pro Series. True, the full series is upwards of $500, but this six-month online course takes you (at least in theory) from concept to pitch. The first part of the series is especially good, as it forces you to create literally hundreds of screenplay ideas using a simple formula. This is where I got the seed of the idea for The Great Intervention. If you can't afford the full course, keep an eye on their stand-alone courses that may inspire you and are considerably cheaper.
2. Register your idea/script with the Writer's Guild of America, or if you're East of the Mississippi, The Writer's Guild, East. For about $25, this will protect your idea from theft. In theory, if you are producing and shooting the movie yourself, the creation of the movie itself will be your copyright. However, if your shoot date is a ways off, this will establish a registration date for 5 years.
3. Go to SAGIndie and fill out the Ultra Low Budget Application. One of the most important things for any film, of course, is excellent acting. Thankfully, the Screeen Actor's Guild has made it easier than ever for professionals to work on your production. If your budget is under $200,000 (and if you're reading this blog, it surely is) you can hire SAG actors for $100 a day with this contract. There is a little bit of paperwork to fill out, so it's important you start this procedure at least THREE WEEKS before shooting begins. The SAGindie site contains a ton of information and you can also post your casting notice on it for free.
4. Get production insurance. For a long time, this was the biggest stumbling block to getting your shoot Guild compliant: finding short term insurance at an affordable price. When I did my first SAG film Left for Dead in Malaysia way back in 2004, this was a huge challenge. SAG couldn't even legally point me in the right direction. I ended up buying secondhand coverage through a producer whose credits included Nudist Colony of the Dead. It was stressful, as the guy waited until the last possible minute to fax SAG the correct paperwork. Thankfully, nowadays short-term insurance is easy to find, with links even on the SAGindie page. I ended up going with Supple-Merril & Driscoll who have a quick and easy online form and can return a quote quickly. My 10 day shoot cost me a mere $600. And not only will getting the proper insurance put you in the good graces of SAG but it may help you in securing any locations you might need. One indie production I worked on was able to secure a supermarket for free precisely because they had this insurance. NOTE: do NOT get Worker's Comp through them - see below.
5. Hire a payroll company. Finally, you're going to need a payroll company to make the whole package complete. For a very small fee, ABS Payroll in Burbank can not only handle all of your pay to your SAG actors, as well as doing all the pain-in-the-ass paperwork and contributions to Pension & Health, BUT it can also give you Worker's Comp coverage for a fraction of the stand-alone price, saving you thousands of dollars.
Follow these steps and you will be on your way to production of your Indie Film!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)