Chris Hadley of Snobby Robot - Thanks for watching and liking our show!

We are so pleased that Chris Hadley at Snobby Robot chose to cover our new Web series I Love My Annoying Spouse and that he likes the show! Check out his awesome article here: I LOVE MY ANNOYING SPOUSE: Our Spouses May Be Annoying…But We Love Them Anyway.

I really love the coverage that Chris does on Web series. He's very thorough and insightful and really gets to the core of why a series exists. I'm really glad that Erik Urtz founded Snobby Robot. The Web site is providing such a wonderful forum for learning about video creators, big and small.

Looking back, we had so much fun making I Love My Annoying Spouse. My husband Steve and I brainstormed the episodes, using real life moments from our 20-year marriage and we decided to test our new Nikon 7100 still camera with the video function and employed our H2 recorder to capture the sound. Steve is a still photographer by training but he was able to make the leap from stills to video pretty seamlessly. It was really nice to have him as the DP.

Then Jonny Loquasto and Ann Tierney Kelly embodied those wonderfully annoying marriage moments and brought their own twist to the characters. And Annie Bydlon was an all-around huge help on set.

We proved that you don't need many resources to make entertainment. It really comes to down to story! We hope you like the story we're telling!

If you haven't seen any episodes yet, you can check them out on my Meritage Pictures YouTube Channel here:

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Stop Spending Time with Toxic People (from Entrepeneur)

I came across this article I want to share from Entrepreneur: "Stop Spending Time with Toxic People".

I completely agree with its sentiments. It's inevitable that at some point in your career, you will associate with toxic people. They may be good people but for some reason you and that person are oil and water.

Not everyone is meant to get along. You will do yourself and even the toxic person a favor by limiting or even letting the relationship go.

There is nothing healthy about forcing a toxic relationship to continue. You will both be better off walking away or at least letting the business relationship fade away. You may make better friends than business partners. And that's okay.

We filmmakers are entrepreneurs. We are only as good as those we work with. So if the people you work with are toxic then everything you do will have toxins.

Cleanse yourself in 2014! It really makes a difference to your performance and your life!

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Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas everyone! It's been a great year and I hope you all have a wonderful day. I am truly blessed by all of the amazing people in my life.

Here's a little Christmas treat: A new episode of I Love My Annoying Spouse.





And if you missed our Christmas video from So Natural TV and Overly Attached Andy, here it is again. Cheers!!

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Happy holidays!!!

From all of us at Overly Attached Andy and So Natural TV and All About Indie Filmmaking!!

And Happy New Year too!

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Casting Call for Funny Women in 20s/30s for New Web Series!

Our Web Channel So Natural TV is casting for its new comedy web series, Mommyhood. It’s the story of two long time friends who discover, after having babies, that they have very very different outlooks on parenting.  Looking to cast four women, ideally comics with great improv skills. Must love the web/web series and be socially engaged and willing to participate via Twitter, Youtube, Instagram and other outlets. If interested, please send a headshot and a paragraph about yourself to sonaturaltv11 at gmail.com. Here are the character descriptions:

ANIKA (late 20’s, early 30’s): Is a fashion entrepreneur who recently sold her t-shirt company to a large company. She is busy and very focused on her career, and ambivalent about being a mother. While she loves her daughter, she is very slow to embrace some of the new things that come with motherhood, and often throws herself into her work. She is terrified of becoming “one of those women” who is obsessed with mommyhood and can’t talk about anything else.

MELODY (late 20’s, early 30’s): Is an engineer who recently gave up her job because she feels that nothing is more important than staying at home with her daughter. She is the perfect “So Natural” mom meaning that everything has to be green, natural and perfect. Her life revolves completely around motherhood and can’t talk about anything except her baby. She is very caught up in the “LA mom” “So Natural” vibe.

MARGARET (late 20’s, early 30’s): Is a WASPY upper class mom who just divorced her hubbie and now spends her days poolside while a “team” takes care of her baby. She has no time for middle class mommy issues, and has had a recent sexual awakening that has her exploring men, women and everything in between. She loves her baby, but because she got married at age 25, she is now 32 and facing a life crisis.

RUBY (late 20’s, early 30’s): Is a jewelry entrepreneur who swears off kids and can’t understand why anyone would want to have them. She travels all over the world selling her wares. She tends to have long-term boyfriends, but then ultimately freaks out and never settles down with anyone for various reasons.  She doesn’t minds her friends kids, but def doesn’t want any of her own. People are always trying to convince her how wonderful mommyhood is, but she is pretty clear on her point of view.

We hope you submit!

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First Episode of Our New Web Series I Love My Annoying Spouse Is Here!

It's here! Our first episode of our new Web series I Love My Annoying Spouse.

Starring Ann Tierney Kelly & Jonny Loquasto. Produced, Written and Directed by me. My husband was the DP - go Steve Kosek! And Annie Bydlon did everything else - haha. She was a huge help on set and helped me edit the episodes. We had a lot of fun shooting these short episodes. Learned a lot and realized that you're only an idea and effort away from creating entertainment.

This first episode is inspired by true events... Let me know if you've ever had a similar experience. Gotta love your spouse! I do!

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Making Foreign Sales for Indie Films Yourself

Looking back at my indie films and how they performed in both the domestic and foreign markets, I am coming away with the thinking that we need a much better system for selling small independent films into the foreign markets.

Duh!, you say. And rightly so. I am a broken record but it really hits home when you personally experience the inequities that exist for small indie films.

It's such a struggle to find a foreign sales agent to take on a small indie film. And once you do find that company, they will present you with deals that don't have you earning any money until after they have recouped tens of thousands of expenses.

I understand there are expenses to travel the world and sell titles to foreign buyers but indie films can't bear tens of thousands of expenses. Too often all of your revenue is eaten up by these expenses. So you spend years making a movie and then you get excited to share it with the world and earn some money to pay your investors and yourself only to find out that ALL the money is lining the pockets of your sales agents. It's a harsh reality and one that needs to change.

So how do we sell our small indie films into the foreign markets without foreign sales agents? That is the question.

Sure, you can email foreign distributors and ask them if they want to consider your title. I have had some success doing this and I have sold one of my small films myself in a foreign territory in the past. But what happens if you do reach out to foreign buyers yourself and you aren't able to get any deals that way either?

I don't have all the answers - yet. But I'm working on it.

Right now, I am seriously considering sites like IndieReign or Distrify. I just have to get to that point where I feel that our title has a chance to reach a large audience through these sites. I have a couple of shorts on IndieReign right now. Their performance isn't great but they are shorts and I don't have time to actively promote them so their underperforming is largely my fault. I think a feature that I and my team actively promote will do much better.

The fear is that you load your film on these sites and then you have no way to market the film to an audience in these global territories and then your film lies idle in that territory. At least with a deal through a foreign sales agent, you are assured of getting your film distributed and exposed to an audience in the territories they sell. The problem is you may never see any revenue from that sale.

So is it better to get exposure through your foreign sales agent's deals and the real possibility of seeing no revenue or is it better to control the rights yourself, approach foreign distributors yourself and/or put it on a site like IndieReign, and take the possibility of getting little exposure and the high probability of little to no sales? It's a Catch-22 to be sure.

I'm leaning toward controlling my own foreign rights on the small indie films I make. I have great appreciation for the work of foreign sales agents. But they are best for larger films that have the ability to garner major sales. And I think they would agree with me.

When it comes to small indies, I'm thinking it's better for me to control the foreign and establish my own way of selling into these markets through relationships I establish or through marketing efforts we employ.

The upside to a site like IndieReign is that you do control the rights to your film. The success of your film is up to you and you can get creative on how to promote your film on these kinds of sites.

The downside is that once you expose your film in that foreign territory, you run the risk of that country's distributors never wanting your title in the future because you have already exposed it in their territory. A sale to a major distributor in one country can be significant to your bottomline so you don't want to take this decision lightly.

In the end it comes down to a fear of the unknown - could you one day get a sale in that foreign country so hold onto those rights or is it better to take your chances on a self-distribution platform and risk the sale to a distributor? It's a tough question.

Whatever you do, you need to think about the best interest of your film and investors. Do your research and come to an educated opinion about what the best path may be for your title.

I am definitely a risk-taker and I think we may be ready to embark on the road less taken and start making our films available in foreign territories ourselves. We just need to make that leap!

Has anyone else been able to sell foreign themselves? What are your stories?

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Getting Fired in Hollywood Still Hurts - A Reflection on Frank Darabont

I was reminded the other day that none of us is immune from the pain of creative conflicts and no matter how successful or talented we are, there are those times when something you are doing, even loving, can backfire on us and leave us devastated.

I have had a few moments in my career when I brought incredible love and passion to a project only to have friction occur within our team, resulting in a complete breakdown of the team and project. I look back on those occurrences with great sorrow as I know everyone involved was a good person with good intentions.

In the heat of the friction, everyone is doing damage control, projects are faltering, tempers are flaring, feelings are being hurt, and friendships are crumbling. It absolutely sucks. And I'm pretty sure we have all experienced it. If you haven't, you're lucky.

I was reminded of these moments the other day when I was reading about uber-talented writer/director Frank Darabont being fired from the incredibly successful show he created, The Walking Dead. According to the article Darabont was upset over budget cuts to the critically acclaimed series and the network wasn't willing to bend. Eventually the network felt the need to fire Darabont rather than come to a compromise.

Now, I'm sure both sides felt they were in the right. Darabont wanted to protect the series and the cast and crew and the network wanted to protect the bottom-line.  However, no matter who was right or wrong the end result it still the same: someone was fired from a project that meant the world to him. That hurts.

What happened to Darabont is a reminder that we're all human and susceptible to being hurt, no matter how successful we are. In the article, Darabont was asked whether or not he watches The Walking Dead after he was fired from the show. His response: “Oh god no, why would I,” he says. “If the woman you loved with all your heart left you for the Pilates instructor and just sent you an invitation to the wedding, would you go?” He continued, “There’s a deep commitment and emotional investment that happens when you create something that is very near and dear to you, and when that is torn asunder by sociopaths who don’t give a shit about your feelings or the feelings of your cast and crew because they have their own reasons to screw everybody, that doesn’t feel good.”

No, it doesn't feel good. And I'm sorry it happened because Darabont has brought us all such great entertainment - The Shawshank Redemption is still one of my favorite films of all time. I'd rather believe that he's basking in the glory of all of his achievements and having a rocking good time at this point in his career. I know he has a new show on the horizon called Mob City and I can't wait to see it:



He deserves to be happy. We all do.

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It's Friday! Why Not Make It an Overly Attached Andy Day?

Andy

Taryn

We are six episodes into our launch of our new Web series Overly Attached Andy. It's been going really well. We've received some great press, including some really good reviews. 

The number of views is strong for a new series. And we are growing our subscribers on our YouTube Channel So Natural TV, which we're super excited about.  

Here's what Michael Record of Comedy TV Is Dead lauded about the show in his review:

I left each episode wanting more; a complaint that is probably the best complaint a web series can hope for... 

Overly Attached Andy is a credit to all concerned, as it is a professional and yet warm show that I enjoyed watching. Just give me an extra minute per episode to throw in some character detail and I’d be a happy reviewer. As it is, I will be keeping a close eye on all concerned with the show, because I have no doubt that an absolute corker will result from their talents later down the line.

Chris Hadley of Snobby Robot  praised the show in his review here. He said: 

Filled with current, relatable characters and situations that will instantly resonate with audiences, OVERLY ATTACHED ANDY is a romantic comedy unlike any other; one that  shows viewers just what it means to be a guy in love, and just how awkward and humorous the pursuit of romance can be.

If you haven't had time to check out the series yet, here is the Playlist for all six episodes. They're short episodes so it will only take about 15 minutes to catch up! Happy watching! 

And please let me know what you think. I'm just starting out in the Webisphere and Leena and I want to keep making great entertainment. 



 

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I Love My Annoying Spouse: I'm a Good Listener

Susan thinks she's a good listener...

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It's Web Series Time! Overly Attached Andy and I Love My Annoying Spouse

We are about half way through our release of our new Web series Overly Attached Andy. I hope you have been checking it out. You can watch the series on our So Natural TV YouTube Channel here. I would love to know what you think.

It's been a lot of fun getting responses from the audience and building out Andy's world on our Tumblr blog: overlyattachedandy.tumblr.com. Creating stories is what we live to do so we're the happiest when we are able to release a new project out into the world. Please join our journey!

Here's our newest episode to give you a taste:


After we wrapped filming Overly Attached Andy, I thought it would be fun to create another series so I could experiment with directing. I specifically made it super simple. And it's been really fun to create! It's titled I Love My Annoying Spouse and it stars Ann Tierney Kelly and Jonny Loquasto. My husband shot it (he's a photographer) and Annie Bydlon helped out on the shoots and with editing.

Here's a fun video of the lovingly annoying couple and how they met:

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The Challenges of Recording Sound with DSLR Cameras

I am getting lots of experience shooting with DSLR still cameras, such as the Canon 7D, 5D and 1D, and the Nikon 7100. These cameras are very popular with independent filmmakers because they shoot in high definition, are compact (which allows you to be stealthy), and they are affordable. I also love that they shoot beautiful stills, which come in handy when you are trying to promote your videos.

A major downside to using DSLRs is recording sound. It's essentially impossible to record quality sound with picture. And sometimes I'd like the ease of shooting something with all the media in the picture so I can quickly edit and export. Recording external sound and syncing means extra steps and equipment that sometimes, I'd love to avoid.

However, the in-camera sound on DSLRs is unusable. Sure, if you are fine creating videos and not worrying about a tinny, low quality sound then you're fine. I've watched a ton of videos online that have racked up the views and have low quality sound. I'm not recommending this path but the popularity of your video does not necessarily hinge on having perfect sound.

As a professional filmmaker, I do try to get the best quality sound I can manage in every circumstance. Of course, depending on the situation, the equipment, the resources, some shows will have the high-end professional sound mixing and some will have to be what we can pull together for no money.

For one of our low-cost shoots, i.e. free, we wanted to try to achieve the best sound with our Nikon 7100.  We have a Rode NTG-2 mic and thought it should capture the sound in higher quality. That's what you would assume, right? So we tried using it direct into the camera. Unfortunately, when we played back the sound we noticed an audible hiss in the recording, which actually sounded worse than the in-camera sound. At first, we thought it was our settings or our equipment but then we started to do our research and lo and behold, using external mics with DSLR cameras can introduce a hiss.

It's true that you can try to lower the hiss in post but we were so shocked to even hear a horrible hiss in the first place. Why do these cameras even allow for an external mic if you're going to get sound with a terrible hiss? Boggles our mind.

To address the hiss, some users have recommended using a pre-amp between your mic and camera to try to remove the hiss. We tried it with our Nikon 7100 and Rode mic and it didn't help. Perhaps this might work with other set ups but it didn't work with the Nikon 7100 and Rode mic.

Next we tried using our H2 Recorder as the pre-amp between the Nikon 7100 and the Rode mic and that didn't work either. The hiss was still there.

Finally, out of frustration, we decided to record the sound externally through our H2 recorder. We thought, well hey, why don't we try to use the Rode mic with the H2? Perhaps that will help make the recording even higher quality. Wrong... The H2 wouldn't even recognize the Rode mic.

Ahhh! We did so many tests and consulted so many videos and manuals and the end result was using the H2 recorder on a boom. It's not the best solution for capturing sound but it's definitely better than using in-camera sound or an external mic direct into your DSLR.

So for now, when the economics don't make sense to hire a professional production sound person, we are using our H2 recorder and having the extra step of syncing sound in editing. I was hoping to not have to sync sound in editing, as it's an extra step and can be frustrating as well, but if it means better quality sound than the in-camera sound, I'm willing to do it. But I will be on the look out for a better solution!

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Conversation with Writer/Director Leena Pendharkar - Psst...Our Series Overly Attached Andy Premieres Tomorrow!

As you all know, I have partnered with Leena Pendharkar on a new Web series called Overly Attached Andy. The series premieres tomorrow October 15th on our So Natural TV YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/sonaturaltv. We also have a fun Tumblr blog for the series where you can see Andy Rants and get a sense for what kind of person he really is (cat images included): overlyattachedandy.tumblr.com.

If you haven't seen it yet, you can also watch the trailer for Overly Attached Andy here: 

Let's get on with the conversation! I thought it would be fun to talk with Leena about what inspired her to want to create Overly Attached Andy. Leena is a writer/director who grew up in Raleigh, NC but doesn't consider herself Southern, although she could definitely use some Bojangle's sweet tea right about now. For a more serious bio (who wants to be serious?), you can check out her Web site here.

Tell us about Overly Attached Andy, the new Web series you wrote and directed and we both produced. What inspired you to develop this story?
I was inspired to tell this story because of the wacky and weird dating stories I've heard out there! Also, I wanted to explore the idea of a guy who is really genuine and just truly wants to find love but is maybe approaching it with a little too much honesty. Too much honesty isn't always a great thing, you know?

Overly Attached Andy will be the first Web series on our YouTube Channel So Natural TV. Why did you decide to start the YouTube Channel So Natural TV? What are your hopes for the channel?
I started the channel with a series of sketches called So Natural, about four wacky hipster moms. These sketches were based on some flash fiction/short stories I had been writing, and I thought one day, hey these might make good short films. I was always writing these kind of short comedic pieces for fun for years. I probably have over a hundred of them just sitting on my computer and never really thought there was much to do with them. I was mostly focused on writing features, had made some short films and was obsessed with the idea of making an indie film. 

I spent about five years making my indie film Raspberry Magic, and after, I was feeling like, what am I going to do next? I won a development grant for my second feature, A Day with Dandekar, through Tribeca All Access, but I knew it would be a long journey to making that, and didn't want to sit idle again for years and years.

At the time, I was really inspired by a lot of the work online, and thought I should experiment and make my own material so I made the So Natural sketches. I was really surprised at how many opportunities came about because of those sketches. Just even little things like being curated on sites like Funny or Die and Fail Blog felt really awesome. 

With the So Natural sketches, I also pushed my writing style a little more. Prior to those, my features were always more dramedy. But I took a lot of the weird comedic ideas in my flash fiction and built them into the short films, something I was always really nervous about. I had been taking classes at Upright Citizens Brigade, and it helped me gain some confidence and feel ok with pushing myself. From there, I just fell in love with working online, and have been developing more material. I just want to keep working with great people and making more content and shows.  

Had you ever worked online before? What was your background in media?
I was involved with new media for a long time, starting back in the late 1990s. In college, I wrote for newspapers and a friend of mine started one of "the first" online newspapers at UNC-Chapel Hill. I got involved and got really hooked. I got into making graphics, writing for the web and even designing web pages. I got pretty good at that stuff, and after college worked for Congressman Bob Filner (yes that guy) being a junior legislative aide, and doing a lot of media for the web. Plus, I freelanced for many web publications, some fun women's sites and made a decent amount of money doing it. This was back when web sites actually paid for content :) 

But then I went to graduate school, got a Master's in Documentary film production, and got very good at making videos + design + graphics for the web and had a small business doing that for clients. At the same time, I was crewing on movie sets and writing screenplays. Having my own business was fun and I learned a lot, but I got a little burnt out cranking our graphics for clients. I knew I wanted to focus on making movies, so I started focusing on making an indie feature off a script a lot of people had really responded to. So for a while, I stopped working in the online space but I found that I really missed it.  

What do you like about creating videos for the Web? How does it compare to independent film?
I actually really like short form content. I think it's a very different skill than writing a longer, more involved story as for a feature. I like both, it just depends on the story you want to tell. The nice thing about the web space is that there is definitely more creative control, and the budgets are smaller so you can do a lot with little. Distribution is always a challenge, though, and a lot of the work on online media is constant/nonstop social media and PR. But it all kind of ties in with the way that a show is created and can be fun.

You were an independent filmmaker first. Tell us about your experience making your independent film Raspberry Magic - the good, the bad, the ugly - and why you feel the Web is where you need to be right now? And will you still make independent films?
I grew up admiring independent film, especially the work of Deepa Mehta and Mira Nair, then later small personal movies like those of the French/Italian neo-realists. I really love the work of the Duplass brothers and others like them doing these kinds of small, character-driven movies. So, I still love indie film, and definitely will continue to make independent films. 

As a storyteller, I think certain stories are better for the web, and certain stories are better for movies. Of course, the distribution model for the kind of small, character-driven movies I love seems to be falling apart which is really disappointing. It seems like that sort of writing and storytelling is really now only on TV or the web. 

As for being independent, I always say, being an indie filmmaker is not for the faint of heart. It's a labor of love and you do it because you love it, but it's not easy. I think in making Raspberry Magic, the raising of the money and some of the organizational aspects started to really bog me down. I worked with some great people, but it felt like we climbed a mountain. I definitely am/will keep working on features, but I'd like to find innovative ways to distribute them. Raspberry Magic is currently on Starz, plus it played on a number of other platforms like Hulu and Amazon, but really we didn't see any money on that. But also, making features is a slow process. It takes a long time to get a screenplay right. I am still working on re-writes for A Day with Dandekar. 

When I was younger, I was impatient just to do something. Now, I would wait for all of the right elements to come together before doing it. I want to get it right. With the web, it's true as well, but at least with shorter content that doesn't need a big budget, you can make things more quickly.

What are your future plans for Web series and the So Natural TV channel overall?
I would like to do a series that is more involved, like our "Mom" project (Leena and I are developing a new Web series involving urban moms - so stay tuned!). I'd like to have longer episodes, more story and deeper audience engagement. I love the web because there are so many amazing things you can do on the interactive side, almost like a video game. The technology is always growing and changing and I think we are going to see series that do incredible things, so I'd like to get into that on the directing side.

What advice would you give new filmmakers as they figure out what kind of media (Web series, films, television shows etc) to explore?
I think its important to constantly "make things" and stay creative. The other thing is to find people you really enjoy working with. Whether its web series or film, this is a highly collaborative medium and it's only as fun as the people you surround yourself with. But taking control of your own career, being entrepreneurial and making your own road map is key.

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I Love My Annoying Spouse - My New Web Series as Director!

I have been producing media for a long time now. If you include the years I produced books then we're looking at over 20 years. Wow! How does time fly so quickly?

For the longest time, I thought that all I would ever want to do is produce. And, honestly, I would have been happy only producing. It makes me happy and I think I'm good at it.

Then a realization came over me. I spend so much time searching for new projects. I read countless scripts and books and articles only to come up empty-handed. I attend festivals in the hopes of cultivating relationships with new writers and directors that may lead to a greenlit project. This is something every producer should do, however, it's not easy. Once a writer or director is at a festival, he or she usually has a creative team in place.

And incredibly, I currently work with some truly amazing writers and directors but we often go through waiting periods between projects and I would find myself constantly searching for new material. It finally hit me after years of searching and only finding a handful of projects I wanted to produce that with all that time I was spending looking for another great project, I could be spending time figuring out my own voice.

Finally, I decided it was time to self-generate. That way, I could still produce but also write and direct during periods in which I'm not producing other people's works.

I've been writing the last few years and I do have a co-writing credit on my film Not Since You. I love the process of writing. It's an amazing creative outlet that helps to reduce my stress. So in addition to the material I am developing with other writer/directors, I want to be developing my own. I want to be able to produce what speaks to me, whether it's written by me or someone else.

I am now trying my hand at directing - eek! I never thought I would say that. But instead of waiting around for someone else to like my work enough to want to direct it, I figure let's use that time to experiment and practice and work on developing my skills as a director.

If anything, I will become a better storyteller and producer! It truly can't hurt to expand myself and take on a new challenge.

About a month ago, I came up with the idea of doing a Web series about exploring how a loving couple deals with their spouse's annoying habits. I'm calling it I Love My Annoying Spouse. I have a Tumblr started here. Please check it out and Follow it!

I've been married for twenty years and I love my spouse more every day - but along with that love are, shall we say, annoying habits we inflict on each other. I wanted to take a hilarious look at these relatable annoyances we all experience in relationships.

The series is super fun - and I hope funny - and purposefully simple. We have a cast and crew totaling five - check out how cute they are (even my husband is my DP - and let me tell you, he offers up his share of episode ideas):

From left: Annie Bydlon, Jonny Loquasto, Ann Tierney, me, Steve Kosek

Our lovably annoying spouses are being expertly performed by Jonny Loquasto and Ann Tierney. These two are a laugh. I had to bite my lip as we were shooting so I wouldn't laugh out loud and ruin a take.

Here they are as Bobby and Susan Parker - our lovably annoying spouses:

Jonny Loquasto as Bobby & Ann Teirney as Susan

We had a wonderful first shoot this week. With our wonky schedules, we had to shoot on a weeknight!

I am now in the middle of post and learning all I can about Adobe Premiere. I am not going to get caught up in the Final Cut 7 v. X drama so I'm choosing Adobe as my editing software. Plus I know Photoshop so that will hopefully help with graphics etc.

So wish me luck as I tap into this new adventure of directing! Don't worry, I will still be producing. I love working with other directors and have some awesome new projects I'm developing with them. The future is bright all around.

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Our New Web Series: Overly Attached Andy - Coming October 2013!

I am so excited to announce that we are near completion on editing our new Web series Overly Attached Andy.

Writer/director Leena Pendharkar and I teamed up this year to create content and grow the Web channel So Natural TV. We decided to start developing full series. Overly Attached Andy is our first one!

Andy is a hipster wannabe and is overly attached to his ex-girlfriend Taryn. In this series, Andy tries to get over Taryn by looking for love in all the wrong places. Will he be successful in finding love? Watch the series to find out!

The series will be released on So Natural TV and will be featured on its own Tumblr blog here.

We are planning to launch the series in October so get ready!

Check out the trailer for the series below - we hope you like it and share it with your friends. Thanks everyone for your support. It means a great deal to me to share this fun series with all of you. We had a great time making it and that is the best kind of filmmaking ever.

Join in the good times by watching the trailer for Overly Attached Andy and please subscribe to So Natural TV.

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Check Out My Package: Making Your Film Project Irresistible - A WGA West Panel

My friend and wonderful line producer of my films shared the following video with me about packaging your film. She found it randomly on YouTube. I thought I would share with all of you. Thanks for finding it Jade! Now go package your film!

And here is a great article from Ted Hope about packaging as well: Twenty Tips for Packaging Your Project Successfully. 

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New Indie Film Release: It's Not You, It's Me, Directed by Nathan Ives

What is It's Not You, It's Me about?

It's an edgy relationship comedy about a thirty-something guy contemplating a break-up and the crazy, conflicted voices that surface in his head.

Tell Us About Yourself. Did You Always Want to Be a Director?

I'm not sure I ever knew what I wanted to be, but rock star has always been somewhere in the mix, although, if I'm honest, that train has probably left the station. My path has been an interesting one. I graduated college with an economics degree, got a job in financial sales and completely burned out after eight years. I took a year off and traveled, spending a good bit of time in Central America, Southeast Asia, and New Zealand, one of the best years of my life. When I returned to reality, the only thing I was sure of is that I didn't want to be in financial services, I always had a love of the water and powerboats, so I bought a small powerboat repair shop. This was around the height of the economic boom in 2006 and as I suffered through the learning curve of being a business owner, I watched the boat business die with the economy over the next few years. Although I pretty much ruined myself financially, I held on and still have a scaled down version of it today.

During all this, I was writing scripts with a writing partner. We had a couple of small sales and a handful of options. We saw two films get made, and I didn't feel that either one captured the story we'd written. With the help of a producer and a really wonderful writers group, I completed the script for 'It's Not You, It's Me' and since it was a fairly personal story, I wanted to see it made to my vision. With this in mind, I read a lot of books on directing, talked to a lot of people, and began the arduous process of raising the money. The following year was without question the hardest, but also the most rewarding I've had.

Why Were You Compelled to Make This Story?

The story is pretty personal to me. It explores the struggle of balancing the desire to live a sort of Jack Kerouac existence along with that depicted in a Norman Rockwell painting.

Why Should People See It?

I think it's a very honest (sometimes too honest, perhaps) depiction of what goes on in a guy’s head when a break up is on the horizon. It's very funny at times, very heartfelt at others, and beautifully acted.

What Do You Like About Making an Independent Film?

A band of talented people coming together with a common goal of making a film is an AMAZING thing to be part of. Is there anything better than meeting a bunch of new people who are passionate about what they do? I gained a few lifelong friends, and a whole bunch of others who I love to meet up with for a beer. I guess my favorite part of indy filmmaking, is the people.

I guess second to that would be selecting music for the film and working with the composer. I got such a heightened appreciation for the power of music in a scene. 

Casting is also a true joy, watching people make the words you wrote exponentially better is pretty great.

What Don't You Like About Making an Independent Film?

The whole 'who gets what credit and where their name is placed in the credits.' It's a pain in the ass and really brings out the egos in people.

I hate paperwork and there is a LOT of it.

There's also a lot of 'hurry up and wait' at every stage of the process, that's tough.

How Did You Finance Your Film?

Once the script was done, I hired a casting director who got Vivica Fox on board. From there, I worked with my producer on crafting a business plan. Once done, I contacted pretty much everyone I knew, I probably sent out 100 business plans. Whether it was people with money, or people I thought might know someone with money, I talked to everyone. I got a lot of expected rejection, but was able to cobble together the money from a handful of believers. 

One of those was my new dentist. Just before we shot the film, I was short on the shooting budget. I went in for a cleaning and pitched my new dentist while his hands were in my mouth. The next day he gave me a check to round out my shooting budget. Pitch everyone, really.

What's the Future for Your Film?

After exploring the sales agent/distributor model and realizing pretty quickly that I'd probably have better chances with a lottery ticket to make my investor's money back, I decided to embark on an independent release. I'm basically stealing the model rock bands have been using for years.

We're having an L.A. Premiere on September 18th and then I'll hit the road on 'tour.' I have about 30 screenings lined up at independent theaters in NC, SC, TN, GA, and FL between October 1st and December 15th. 

I'll attend each screening and do a Q&A after. I've hired a publicist to help promote the screenings, and will be hitting the streets with my iPad a couple of days before each screening, showing people the trailer and encouraging them to attend. I'm also speaking at the film schools of local colleges to inspire aspiring filmmakers and build support for the film.

If the model works through December, I'll continue on the road, hitting the entire country. Short term the goal is to drive traffic to the VOD platforms (iTunes and Amazon mainly). Long term is to build a following for my films, building a sustainable model for me to continue this path until I drop dead at some point hopefully much later.

What's Next for You?

I have two more projects in the works, one of which I intend to shoot in the fall of '14.

Here's the trailer:

THEATRICAL TRAILER from Mule Films on Vimeo.

Good luck to the folks of It's Not You, It's Me!

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Ted Hope's 99 Recommended Steps for Making Good Movies

Indie Filmmaker and Executive Director of the San Francisco Film Society Ted Hope has done it again! He's put together a wonderfully detailed list of what it takes to make good movies.

Check it out here: 99 Recommended Steps for Making Good Movies

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VOD Mixed Blessing?

I'm not sure I see the mixed blessing in VOD for indie film. I see a blessing.

Here's a good article from The Wrap to ponder: Why VOD's Popularity Is a Mixed Blessing for Indie Film.

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Why Netflix Streaming Is Good for Indie Film

This past year I had three titles streaming on Netflix: Not Since You, Take Me Home and The Diary of Preston Plummer. Right now I only have Not Since You and The Diary of Preston Plummer on Netflix streaming as our license period for Take Me Home has recently expired. We are inquiring about renewal currently.

Our sales agent had a great tactic of allowing my films to appear on Video on Demand and then on online platforms such as Amazon and iTunes through our aggregator (Warner Bros. Digital Distribution) for the first 6 months to a year. We would see a lot of rentals and sales through these avenues.

And after this initial 6 month to a year period, the title could use a boost of exposure. That's where our Netflix deal came in. Netflix offers a license fee instead of a piece of each rental. This can be a double-edged sword, because if your film does really well on Netflix then you may be missing out on some revenue. But after having three titles on the site, I am seeing that their license fees are okay. Of course, I will always want more but I don't feel like their fees are inappropriate when compared to how the title fared on other platforms.

The downside to Netflix is that once your title is on Netflix, most people will figure out a way to watch the film on Netflix so you will be missing out on additional revenue through other platforms. You will likely see a downturn in your sales from other sites.

The upside is that you are exposing your film to a brand new audience who may not have heard about your film. Many people only watch movies through Netflix so your title is now garnering new fans. And it definitely works. I watched one of our titles languish in securing new Facebook fans for a few months. As soon as the film launched on Netflix, our fans started growing and we got new reviews we could promote.

A great way to promote your film is to create a quote page of reviews from various sources, including Netflix. We designed a quote page for Not Since You. It's been an awesome promotional tool. Check it out here:

The nice thing about Netflix is that the license timeframe tends to be short - less than 2 years, sometimes only 1 year. This means if your title does well on Netflix, you will be up for renewal and obtain an additional license fee. One change in Netflix deals is that they stopped paying full license fees upfront. It's now a quarterly payment over the license period. I don't love that new system but I'm happy for the sale.

What I've found with Netflix streaming is that they don't have a lot of studio competition. Sure there are some good studio films on Netflix but overall, the streaming side of Netflix is comprised mainly of older titles and independent films. This means your independent film has the chance to stand out amongst all of the other offerings. I think this fact has helped our titles immensely.

I make films with romantic storylines and Netflix is a great place to try to get your romantic fix. The good thing for my titles is that there's only a handful of popular romantic films available on Netflix. So Netflix streamers are going to probably take a chance on one of my titles due to the lack of competition. I'm totally fine with that. Less competition, the better.

Luckily, each one of my titles has been rated pretty well on Netflix. That helps a lot. Viewers will see an above average rating for a film and give it a whirl.

So I say to the indie film community, give Netflix a whirl. Netflix can be a great way to increase your film's exposure, garner more reviews, and drive fans to other social media. I likey!

You can watch my two films on Netflix here: The Diary of Preston Plummer and Not Since You.

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What You Have Been Waiting For: How to Wear Fake Eyelashes by Hi! It's Taryn.

We have a new episode of Hi! It's Taryn. She shows us how to put on fake eyelashes. Personally, I have never worn fake eyelashes. I was enamored by the process. I'm learning so much producing this show.

I may have to try it! Check it out for yourself here:

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Don't Be Clueless When Producing Low Budget Films

This post is inspired by a Facebook status from a friend who is a focus puller. This friend is someone with whom I have worked on both low budget and decent budget projects. He's a great person and a really good focus puller.

Today he lamented that he's working with a low budget producer who asked him why they needed a 2nd AC and what does a 2nd AC do?

This obviously did not sit will with my friend or all of his other crew friends as his comment started an outcry of similar frustrations about clueless producers.

As a producer, I take what people say about their experiences working with producers very seriously. This is my career and my industry and what one producer does carries over and affects the work of all producers. I want to know about people's frustrations so I can try to avoid making similar mistakes and improve the future of independent film. If we want to make movies, we should all have this goal in mind.

Let's examine why my friend would be so upset with this clueless producer.

Well, as we all know, a producer helms a production. He or she is the glue that keeps the production together. If you're working for someone, you need to feel confident that person knows what he or she is doing and understands the inner workings of your department and the resources you need. Why is this so important?

You need confidence in your leaders so you can trust that you're being treated properly and will have what you need to do your job successfully. As soon as you distrust management, feelings of angst start creeping in and job performance suffers and then all hell eventually breaks loose. I've worked on sets as a crew member with clueless producers and trust me, all hell eventually breaks loose.

In this particular case, the clueless producer may have a valid reason for questioning the 2nd AC hire. However, he went about questioning this hire in a really bad way that undermined any trust he had between himself and my friend.

On the outside, it's pretty clear to me that the film is probably having budget problems and this clueless producer is thinking of ways to trim the budget. This is a completely valid issue and one that this producer needed to address. However, instead of respecting my friend and his team, he actually insulted them by asking what a 2nd AC even does. Ouch.

First and foremost, you as a producer need to know what every crew member does. That is your job. It is not the job of your crew to tell you. If you don't know what a crew member does then google it. Don't ask a crew member.

Second, if you are having budget issues then say so to your key team members (not the entire crew - your PAs do not need to know you are having budget issues) and get your department heads to help you figure out a solution.

In this case, the clueless producer could have said to my friend, we are having some budget issues. We're needing to make cuts in all areas. Is there anything we can cut back on in your department? Do we need as many crew members? Solicit advice and possible solutions from your team leaders. Don't insult them by implying that a person they hired isn't needed and definitely don't ask what that person does. Even writing that makes me cringe.

Clueless producers give us all a bad name. I work on all kinds of films and some have great budgets and I can hire enough staff and pay people their real rates. And there are other films I take on because I believe in the creative team and I want the world to see their work. I bring professionalism and knowledge to both kinds of projects. Because both are valid even though one may not have the funds of the other.

In fact, low budget productions are the hardest ones to make. When I take one on, I know I won't make enough money, if any at all, upon which to survive. And I will have to ask other people to do the same. I hate having to ask other people to work for peanuts.

I make small films because of my belief in someone and his or her vision. And I know I will have to beg, borrow and steal everything to make it happen. It's an arduous journey at best but I keep doing it because I love helping to bring someone's vision to the world. It feels good. But they are incredibly painful to make and super personal - which can be both amazing but also heartbreaking.

So when I hear the cry of disgruntled crew over low budget filmmaking, it makes me sad. These little films need all the support they can get. And when I hear outcry over a producer's cluelessness, it makes me even sadder or actually pissed. Because what another producer does to his or her crew affects me. I may hire his or her crew later on and he or she has tainted that person's feelings about working on a low budget film - the hardest kind of film to make.

In conclusion, if you want to produce movies, get experience, increase your knowledge, read books, read blogs, attend seminars, work on all kinds of projects, respect your cast and crew, and for goodness sakes, don't be clueless! Low budget filmmaking is necessary and really, really hard and it needs producers to treat it with care and respect.

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