Loving Jeff Goldsmith's Screening Series in LA and He's a Cool Guy - Plus The Big Wedding Thoughts

I just got back from another screening in Jeff Goldsmith's screening series here in LA. I feel like I'm a bit of a stalker. I see him at these series and then I see him at Sundance and most recently at the gas station. He must think I'm insane. I think he's embarrassingly smart about movies - that's my embarrassment btw.

It's ridiculous how little I know about the history of film. I am trying to improve - I am trying to not fill my brain with only schlocky studio crap but it's so hard to pull myself away sometimes and watch what is good for me. I know Jeff's stuff is good for me so I want to give him some props here.

Jeff is a former editor of Creative Screenwriting and now publishes Backstory Magazine. He hosts a very popular podcast: The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith. After each film he screens, he hosts and records a Q&A with the writer. He then posts it as a podcast for everyone to hear. It's very cool and super interesting. And the screenings are free, open to the public once you join his site, and he screens some great films.

Tonight we saw Justin Zackham's new film The Big Wedding. It's a big ass rom com with a ridiculously talented cast. Yes, during the Q&A Justin did discuss how he got the cast - with LUCK being the operative word. I'm sure it helped that he wrote The Bucket List - maybe a little.

The opening weekend for The Big Wedding was a bit painful - some called it a bomb - ouch - sorry Justin, that hurts to hear, I know. So I was curious to see what a "bomb" looked like these days. It actually didn't stink like a bomb. It was raunchy and funny a lot of the time. I laughed out loud in spots and that's not easy to do these days. You could tell a guy wrote it - who else would open a rom com with a cunnilingus scene? But I can appreciate that - truly.

Overall it was a fun romp and the cast, again, was ridiculously talented. Justin joked that with a cast like that, you're putting a bullseye on your back. And he's right. You kinda are. People roll their eyes at such a cast because it feels like a stunt - almost like the studio is loading the film with great actors because the script isn't all that great. But that actually wasn't the case here.

It was actually written to be a much smaller film - more of an indie if I dare say it. The budget was supposed to only be about $20 million (only I say..) but it ballooned to over $30 mill due to that amazingly talented cast. Did I say how amazing the cast is? I can get away with only listing last names (because they're so famous), right?

DeNiro, Keaton, Sarandon, Seyfried, Heigl, Grace & Williams - Did I forget anyone?

If it weren't for Jeff's screening series, I probably wouldn't have seen this film in the theater. The opening weekend reviews kind of killed it for me. But you know what? It's a fun film and I laughed - it's raunchy for a rom com, which was refreshing - and if you're a rom com junkie like me, why the hell not see it on the big screen?

So thanks Jeff for the enjoyable night and the great Q&A. Thanks Justin for making a funny movie and telling us your story. I really liked The Bucket List so I'm a fan. I didn't know you wrote that film until tonight. It might help in the marketing of The Big Wedding. You might want to mention that.

Oh and did I tell you, my readers? My husband and I write a wine blog too and we just won a scholarship to attend the wine bloggers conference. Yes, there is such a thing. British Columbia wine country here we come! I am aiming to do some filming there and I'll share some of the footage here on this blog. If you're so inclined to check out our wine blog, we'd love to have you: www.2hollywoodwinos.com - Where Hollywood Meets Wine. Yes, of course, even my wine blog features some movie stuff.

So long story short, if you live in LA, you should join Jeff Goldsmith's screening series: http://www.unlikely.com/screenings.html. They're great and you'll be cooler for it.

Oh and here's the trailer for The Big Wedding if you're interested - damn that cast is good:

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I'm Okay with Zach Braff Using Kickstarter to Fund His New Film "Wish I Was Here"

When Zach Braff started his campaign, I thought, well, here we go again. Another Veronica Mars-type campaign. I rolled my eyes knowing he would get his funding pretty fast and probably a few mill above what he's asking for. That was just me being jealous as I'd love to fund one of my movies for multi-millions in just a few days. But then, I shrugged my shoulders and thought maybe some day I can once I am as successful as Zach and I moved on to my own projects staring me in the face.

I was then reeled back into Zach's campaign by all the "controversy" that is now being stirred up by his use of Kickstarter to finance his next film. Some people are hating the fact that he would use Kickstarter because he's a celebrity and should have the means to either find the money or pay for the film himself. And he's making Kickstarter even richer.

I'm a little surprised by this controversy. Zach Braff is an indie filmmaker. He made a well-received indie film for $2.5 million and now he wants to make another indie film. It's true he has had a lot of success with his acting career and with his first indie feature. But I don't see how that's a valid reason for not using a fundraising tool for making his next indie film. Haven't we always been brow-beaten to never use our own money to fund our films? Why should Zach?

Not to mention, fans who contribute to his film are his fans, cultivated by him from his solid work as an indie filmmaker. It's not like he's stealing fans or their money away from other filmmakers, as some have implied. In fact, I bet the exposure Zach's campaign brings to crowdfunding will lead to a greater comfort level for the masses to contribute to films through crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter.

Plus, he's giving an opportunity to his fans to be involved in his film. This is huge for people who are not in the film industry. He's giving access to those who want to be part of film. And that's awesome. I bet the person who gets to watch the film with Zach and give his/her thoughts to him will remember that day for the rest of his/her life. He's offering a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Now, I get that people are annoyed that someone with his celebrity and finances would take the "easy" route to funding. And I understand the fear that Kickstarter and IndieGoGo etc are going to turn into celebrity havens where the little guys are once again kicked to the curb. I see the perceived injustice of it all but I'm just not seeing it in this case with Zach's project.

He's an indie filmmaker trying to make an indie film. It's not like he's making a broad comedy for the studio system. I think we should support a fellow indie filmmaker and be proud of his success. We would all love to be in his shoes and you know what? Some day you just might and wouldn't you want to know the indie film community has your back?

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Indie Film Press Break: 2013 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES AWARDS

2013 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES AWARDS

* * *

THE ROCKET, THE KILL TEAM, WHITEWASH AND OXYANA

WIN TOP AWARDS IN JURIED WORLD COMPETITIONS

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SANDY STORYLINES WINS FIRST-EVER BOMBAY SAPPHIRE AWARD FOR TRANSMEDIA

* * *

FESTIVAL AWARDS $155,000 IN CASH PRIZES

[April 25, 2013 – New York, NY] – The 12th annual Tribeca Film Festival, co-founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, and presented by founding sponsor American Express, announced the winners of its competition categories tonight at a ceremony hosted at the Conrad New York in New York City. The Festival runs through April 28, 2013.

The world competition winners for narrative and documentary films were chosen from 12 narrative and 12 documentary features from 14 countries. Best New Director prizes were awarded to a first-time director for both narrative and documentary films, selected from a pool of 24 feature films throughout the program. Awards were also given for the best narrative short, best documentary short and student visionary films in the short film competitions. This year’s Festival included 89 features and 60 short films from 38 countries, programmed by a team led by Tribeca’s Chief Creative Officer Geoff Gilmore, Artistic Director Frederic Boyer, Director of Programming Genna Terranova, and Programmer Cara Cusumano.

This year the Festival introduced a new award, the Bombay Sapphire Award for Transmedia, for the new juried Storyscapes section, created in collaboration with BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® gin. Also announced at the awards were the Tribeca Online Festival feature and short film winners selected by the online audience. The winners of the Heineken Audience Awards, determined by audience votes throughout the Festival, will be announced on April 27.

“It is a pleasure to share a diverse range films with our audiences at Tribeca and to introduce new storytellers from every corner of the globe,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder, Tribeca Film Festival. “We are grateful to the incredible group of talented filmmakers who shared their work with us and with the New York and film communities.”

“With such a wonderful and diverse selection of films in our competition sections, the jury has had quite the challenge in awarding just one per category,” said Frederic Boyer, TFF Artistic Director. “Their selection recognizes films depicting worlds that are seldom seen on screen and to which we are given the rare opportunity to experience through unforgettable characters and remarkable subjects.

Screenings of all winning films will take place throughout the final day of the Festival, Sunday, April 28, at various venues. Specific times and ticketing information are available on the Festival website,www.tribecafilm.com.

In addition to cash awards and in-kind services provided by sponsors including American Express,

AKA, Bombay Sapphire, Citizens of Humanity, Company 3, Kodak, Persol, and Sony Electronics, the Festival presented the winners with original pieces of art created by acclaimed artists, including Joyce Pensato, Dustin Yellin, William Wegman among others.

Following are the winners, awards and details on the jury who selected the recipients:

WORLD NARRATIVE COMPETITION CATEGORIES:

The jurors for the 2013 World Narrative Competition were Bryce Dallas-Howard, Blythe Danner, Paul Haggis, Kenneth Lonergan, and Jessica Winter.

·         The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature – The Rocket, directed by Kim Mordaunt (Australia). Winner receives $25,000, sponsored by AKA, and the art award “Two Voices #1” by Angelina Nasso. The award was given by Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal. 

Jury Comments:  “The Rocket is a spectacular achievement that is powerful and delightful in equal measures. Artfully structured and gorgeously shot, it chronicles the struggles of a displaced family while steering well clear of either sentimentality or despair. Complex in its tone and characterizations, the film takes an unflinching – and edifying – look at the suffering caused both by a legacy of war and the new status quo of economic globalization. And yet, while never losing sight of those grim realities, it also offers us a transcendent tale of hope and perseverance in a world that few Westerners ever have the chance to see.”

-Special Jury Mention -- Stand Clear of the Closing Doors, directed by Sam Fleischner. The announcement was made by Kenneth Lonergan.

·         Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film – Sitthiphon Disamoe as Ahlo in The Rocket, directed by Kim Mordaunt (Australia). Winner receives $2,500. The award was given by Blythe Danner.

Jury Comments: “One of the great pleasures this year was the discovery of this young, non-professional actor, who plays his role with an irresistible blend of pluck, stoic determination and vulnerability. Sitthiphon Disamoe carried a big, ambitious production on his small shoulders, with charm and grace to spare.”

·         Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film – Veerle Baetens as Elise Vandevelde in The Broken Circle Breakdown, directed by Felix van Groeningen (Netherlands, Belgium). Winner receives $2,500. The award was given by Bryce Dallas Howard.

Jury Comments: “We’ve selected a woman who shows herself to be a totally committed and fiercely versatile actress. Veerle Baetens’ character goes from a sunny free spirit to grieving wife and mother, and no matter where we are in the course of that journey, this actress shows us the light burning inside her character, one that both sustains and destroys. She is the heart and soul of the movie, and her performance is nothing short of a tour de force.”

·         Best Cinematography in a Narrative Feature Film – Cinematography by Marius Matzow Gulbrandsen, for Before Snowfall, directed by Hisham Zaman (Germany, Norway). Winner receives $5,000, sponsored by Sony Electronics; a Sony Alpha A99 Full Frame Camera and a Sony NEX-VG900 Full Frame Camcorder; and $50,000 in post-production services provided by Company 3. The award was given by Blythe Danner and Alec Shapiro, President, Sony Professional Solutions of America. 

Jury Comments: “Before Snowfall packs a visual punch to match the force and ambition of its story about a teenage boy who pursues the honor killing of his own sister. Shot in four countries and capturing everything from a rural village to multiple European cities, from intimate domestic scenes to teeming street life, from a harrowing border crossing to a bleakly beautiful Nordic landscape in winter, it invites us into many vivid worlds and fulfills many possibilities for cinematography as an art form.”

·         Best Screenplay for a Narrative Feature Film – The Broken Circle Breakdown, written by Carl Joos and Felix van Groeningen and directed by Felix van Groeningen (Netherlands, Belgium). Winner receives $5,000. The award was given by Paul Haggis.

Jury Comments: “The Broken Circle Breakdown is a true original, starting with the eclectic ingredients in its dynamic screenplay: a romance of opposites, a battle between spiritual faith and secular humanism, triggered by unthinkable tragedy, a Flemish bluegrass band. With dialogue that spans the sweetly flirtatious and the operatically confrontational -- and with dollops of humor and a pure, deep love of music – the film leaps nimbly back and forth in time to conjure vivid characters who face down literal life-or-death issues. They win both our rapt interest and our greatest empathy; they make us both think and feel.”

BEST NEW NARRATIVE DIRECTOR:

The jurors for the 2013 Best New Narrative Director Competition were Naomi Foner, Tony Gilroy, Ari Graynor, Radha Mitchell, and Stu Zicherman.

§  Best New Narrative Director – Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais, director of Whitewash  (Canada). Winner receives $25,000, presented by American Express; $50,000 in post-production services provided by Company 3; and the art award “New Elands Bay” by Erik Parker. The award was given by Tony Gilroy, Radha Mitchell and Deborah Curtis from American Express, Vice President, Entertainment Marketing & Sponsorships.

Jury Comments: “Whitewash is funny, strange, emotionally honest, tense, pathetic, and ultimately haunting -- a broad canvas for even the most experienced director to paint. It quickly became clear that we were in the hands of a filmmaker with the intelligence, imagination and bravery to carry off this very tricky piece of material. The ability to mix tones and the guts to stage odd, random moments and make them inevitable is one of the least-appreciated tools in a filmmaker’s skill set. The taste and attention to detail required to deliver a story this unsettled and delicate is the work of a director -- and a team -- that this jury hopes will continue for many movies. Their story is so credibly and invisibly constructed -- and the filmmakers have such control of the material and trust in the audience -- that the film reaches for metaphor without ever having had to ask for the privilege. It is a remarkable first feature, and we extend our congratulations to all involved, including two spectacular lead actors in Thomas Haden Church and Marc Labrèche.”

-Special Jury Mention: Harmony Lessons, directed by Emir Baigazin (Germany, France). The announcement was made by Naomi Foner and Ari Graynor.

WORLD DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION CATEGORIES:

The jurors for the 2013 World Documentary Competition were Joe Berlinger, Sandi DuBowski, Whoopi Goldberg, Mira Sorvino, and Evan Rachel Wood.

·         Best Documentary Feature – The Kill Team, directed by Dan Krauss (USA). Winner receives $25,000, sponsored by Citizens of Humanity, and the art award “Harley Before the White Prom” by Gillian Laub. The award was given by Mira Sorvino and Gareth Baxendale from Citizens of Humanity.

Jury Comments: “The Kill Team examines the fundamental flaw in the preparation of young soldiers for war that allows them to see people as targets without humanity, a culture of killing that looks to express itself even in times of peace. It masterfully combines verite' footage, talking head interviews and a private look into one family's desperate fight in a seamless cinematic undertaking.  As the drama unfolds we are faced with issues of both institutionalized responsibility and culpabilty within the military itself, the extreme importance of individual acts of courage, cowardice or allegiance to authority, and an expiation of guilt of one tormented soldier's decision to blow the whistle, too late.  We feel it raises questions that demand to be answered by our military and society at large, so that these ever enumerating acts of senseless violence cease.”

-Special Jury Mention: Oxyana, directed by Sean Dunne (USA). The announcement was made by Joe Berlinger.

·         Best Editing in a Documentary Feature – Let the Fire Burn, edited by Nels Bangerter, directed by Jason Osder (USA). Winner receives $5,000. The award was given by Whoopi Goldberg and Sandi DuBowski.

Jury Comments: “Let the Fire Burn tells a story we were stunned to realize we didn’t know. It offers a time capsule, taking us to a horrific moment in our nation’s history with a masterfully structured edit that vividly mines a trove of blistering period archive images without voiceover narration. The film ensures that a criminal and senseless destruction that cost eleven deaths -- five children, six adults -- shakes us to our core and is remembered with utter visceral power.”

BEST NEW DOCUMENTARY DIRECTOR COMPETITION:

The jurors for the 2013 Best New Documentary Director Competition were Jared Cohen, Taraji P. Henson, Riley Keough, Jason O’Mara, and Josh Radnor.

·         Best New Documentary Director – Sean Dunne for Oxyana (USA). Winner receives $25,000, presented by American Express; and the art award “Untitled (#5), from the Men in the Cities Photo Portfolio” by Robert Longo, courtesy of the artist and Metro Pictures. The award was given by Taraji P. Henson and Deborah Curtis from American Express.

Jury Comments: “Sean Dunne's Oxyana is a major accomplishment, deeply sad without being sentimental, fearless, unblinking and deft in the filmmaker’s ability to coax harrowing stories from his subjects. It is not an easy film to watch. It could be read as hopeless, but by the end, something of the light of each person shone through. It presents an acute awareness of the severity of their situation mixed with an inner battle to not let this film be the final story of them or their once-proud town. We will never forget the faces of these people, their stories and their struggles.”

-Special Jury Mention -- Let the Fire Burn, directed by Jason Osder. The announcement was made by Riley Keough and Jason O’Mara.

SHORT FILM COMPETITION CATEGORIES:

The 2013 Best Narrative Short Competition jurors were Christine Baranski, Kassem Garaibeh, Jessica Hecht, Chris Milk, and Sheila Nevins.

·         Best Narrative Short – The Nightshift Belongs to the Stars, directed by Edoardo Ponti (Italy). Winner receives $5,000, sponsored by Persol; 10,000 feet of film stock donated by Kodak; and the art award “Study: Northern City Renaissance, Mauve Dawn (Mass MoCA #79-R)” by Stephen Hannock. The award was given by Christine Baranksi and Andrea Dorigo, President of Luxottica, North America.

Jury Comments: “The Nightshift Belongs to the Stars expresses love in its many dimensions and literally gets to the heart of the matter.”

-Special Jury Mention: Yardbird, directed by Michael Spiccia (Australia). The announcement was made by Christine Baranski.                  

The 2013 Best Documentary and Student Short Competition jurors were Abigail Breslin, Bobby Flay, Eva Longoria, Jason Silva, John Skipper, and Danny Strong. (John Skipper recused himself from the final vote in the Documentary category.)

·         Best Documentary Short – Coach, directed by Bess Kargman (USA). Winner receives $5,000, sponsored by Persol, and the art award “Psycho” by William Wegman. The award was given by Jason Silva and Andrea Dorigo, President of Luxottica/Persol.

Jury Comments: “In just 15 minutes, Coach brilliantly shows us a world in which pain and tragedy can lead to triumph and success. It takes us through a national scandal that was handled by the film’s subject with her signature passion, grace and dignity. All together, it shows us why C. Vivien Stringer is a hall of famer and one of the great college basketball coaches of all time.”

-Special Jury Mention: Royal American, directed by Michael Scalisi (USA). The announcement was made by Jason Silva.

               

·         Student Visionary Award – Life Doesn’t Frighten Me, directed by Stephen Dunn (Canada). Winner receives the art award “Platonic Haircut” by Dustin Yellin. The award was given by Danny Strong.

Jury Comments: “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me is a sweet coming-of-age story that displays its writer/director’s unique voice through humor, drama and whimsy, in a way that brings true depth to his charming yet conflicted characters. Effortlessly shifting from comedy to drama, this work definitely showcases a young director with a skilled hand and a bright future ahead of him.”

-Special Jury Mention -- Reporting on the Times: The New York Times and the Holocaust, directed by Emily Harrold (USA). The announcement was made by Danny Strong.

BOMBAY SAPPHIRE AWARD FOR TRANSMEDIA

The 2013 BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Award for Transmedia jurors were Thomas Allen Harris, Jeff Gomez, and Frank Rose.

·         Bombay Sapphire Award for Transmedia: Sandy Storyline, created by Rachel Falcone, Laura Gottesdiener, and Michael Premo (USA). Winner receives $10,000, presented by BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin, and the art award “Study For Austin Courthouse” by Clifford Ross. The award was given by Thomas Allen Harris and Ned Duggan, Brand Director, Bombay Gins.

Jury Comments: “We were treated to five extraordinary, transmedia works, and the winner stood out for its powerful demonstration of the potential of communal storytelling. Sandy Storyline, created by Rachel Falcone, Laura Gottesdiener and Michael Premo, leverages the innovative Cowbird storytelling platform, creating a fully realized transmedia account that demonstrates both the therapeutic power of storytelling and our responsibility to bear witness. This project will be of use not only to people today but also to future generations seeking to understand a signal moment in our stewardship of the planet. Moreover, thanks to its admirably simple user interface, its elegant design both online and in physical installations and its effective yet unobtrusive curation, this project serves as a model for narratives surrounding future moments of crisis.”

TRIBECA ONLINE FESTIVAL CATEGORIES:

The 2013 Tribeca Online Festival winners were voted on by visitors to tribecafilm.com.

·         Tribeca Online Festival Best Feature Film: Lil Bub & Friendz, directed by Andy Capper and Juliette Eisner (USA). Winner receives $10,000 and the art award “Blk. Candy Series 5”, by Curtis Kulig The award was given by Geoff Gilmore.

·         Tribeca Online Festival Best Short Film: A Short Film About Guns, directed by Minos Papas (USA, UK). Winner receives $5,000. The award was given by Geoff Gilmore.

FULL LIST OF ELIGIBLE 2013 TFF FILMS IN EACH CATEGORY OF COMPETITION:

World Narrative Feature Competition:

·         Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature: 12 films

·         Best Actress in a Narrative Feature: 12 actresses

·         Best Actor in a Narrative Feature: 12 actors

·         Best Cinematography in a Narrative Feature:  12 films

·         Best Screenplay for a Narrative Feature:  12 films

World Documentary Feature Competition:

·         Best Documentary Feature: 12 films

·         Best Editing in a Documentary Film:  12 filmmakers

All feature sections, first time directors with films making their North American, International, or World Premiere

·         Best New Narrative Director: directors selected from 12 films

·         Best New Documentary Director: directors selected from 12 films

Short Films in Competition:

·         Best Narrative Short: 38 films

·         Best Documentary Short: 17 films

·         Student Visionary Award: 5 films

Storyscapes Projects in Competition:

·         Bombay Sapphire Award for Transmedia: 5 projects

For more information on all of the films in the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, please visit tribecafilm.com.

Tickets for the 2013 Festival:

Tickets for the Festival are $16.00 for evening and weekend screenings, and $8.00 for all late-night and weekday matinee screenings and can be purchased online, by telephone, or at one of the Ticket Outlets, with locations at Tribeca Cinemas at 54 Varick Street, Clearview Cinemas Chelsea at 260 W. 23rd Street, and AMC Loews Village 7 at 66 3rd Avenue. The 2013 Festival offers ticket discounts for evening and weekend screenings for students, seniors and select downtown Manhattan residents. Discounted tickets are available at Ticket Outlet locations only. Additional information and further details on the Festival can be found at www.tribecafilm.com.

About the Tribeca Film Festival:

The Tribeca Film Festival helps filmmakers reach the broadest possible audience, enabling the international film community and general public to experience the power of cinema and promote New York City as a major filmmaking center. It is well known for being a diverse international film festival that supports emerging and established directors.

Founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 following the attacks on the World Trade Center, to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of the lower Manhattan district through an annual celebration of film, music and culture, the Festival brings the industry and community together around storytelling.

The Tribeca Film Festival has screened more than 1,400 films from more than 80 countries since its first edition in 2002. Since inception, it has attracted an international audience of more than 4 million attendees and has generated an estimated $750 million in economic activity for New York City.

About the 2013 Festival Sponsors

As Founding Sponsor of the Tribeca Film Festival, American Express is committed to supporting the Festival and the art of filmmaking, bringing business and energy to New York City and offering Cardmembers and festivalgoers the opportunity to enjoy the best of storytelling through film.

The Tribeca Film Festival is pleased to announce the return of its Signature Sponsors: Accenture, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Bloomberg, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Gin, Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), Brookfield, Cadillac, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, ESPN, GE FOCUS FORWARD (in partnership with cinelan), Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Heineken USA, JetBlue, Magnum® Ice Cream, NBC 4 New York, NCM Media Networks, The New York Times, and OppenheimerFunds. The Festival is also honored to welcome the following new Signature Sponsors: AT&T, IWC Schaffhausen, PepsiCo, and Sony Electronics.

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Check Out Our New Short on So Natural TV (www.sonatural.tv): Teen Queens!

Super excited to announce that I have recently partnered with the incredibly talented writer/director Leena Pendharkar on her Web channel So Natural TV (www.sonatural.tv) or on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/sonaturaltv.

We are putting together a slate of new Web series and short films for the channel which features sharp-witted short films and series about women.

Check out our new video and subscribe to the channel so you can see what we're up to! Stay tuned for a new series and a vlog about fashion, beauty and DIY by the beautiful Taryn Horacek (http://www.chictopia.com/stylephenomenon).


 

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Indie Filmmakers, I Say Share Your Contact Information

Indie Filmmakers, I am sending out a call to everyone to try to be more approachable. I had a question that I wanted to pose to some of my producer colleagues and I realized that I had no way of reaching some of them.

IMDb and Studio System and even your own Web site should be a place of networking. And if you aren't sharing your contact information - at a minimum, your email or some sort of email address - then no one knows how to reach you.

Trust me, most people will give up trying you if you are too hard to reach. And some of those people might have new projects you are missing out on or some great info that helps sell your current products.

Now, I understand that celebrities should have a layer between them and the public. But they are all repped and we know how to reach them through their agents or managers.

If you aren't repped, you really should have your contact information available on the internet - unless you have a known stalker. In that case, you're forgiven.

I highly doubt that random people will start bombarding your inbox. You may get a few unsolicited emails here or there but, in that case, don't respond. Or block any spammers.

Normally something like this wouldn't phase me - that is, until I had an important reason to reach someone and his or her contact info was nowhere to be found. And it hit me that being hard to reach is likely contributing to the downfall of our industry. We filmmakers are not communicating enough with each other.

We should be talking all the time, sharing resources, advice, referrals, experiences. Imagine how much we can learn from each other? How many trial and errors we can all be avoiding? We wouldn't have to reinvent the wheel! We could lean on and partner with each other on great projects. Haven't we all learned that to give is to receive?

So log into your IMDb account or email Studio System and make your email available and let's start communicating! If you don't, you just might be missing out...

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Pulling Back the Curtains: Being an Independent Film Producer Is F'ing Hard!

There I said it. I probably think it every few minutes each day.

I am starting a feature on this blog of pulling back the curtains on independent filmmaking. I will try to provide really honest insights into this maddening world of independent producing.

I'm really not sure why indie filmmaking has to be so difficult. You would think that if you find a script that you enjoy and you hire a talented crew and cast to make it that you would be able to find a few hundred thousand in this huge world of ours to watch it. Well, I'm sure we can find people to watch it, but to actually pay for it is another story.

And then there are those distributors who did get money from your film and don't pay you. Ehem.

The other day I wrote this long diatribe on why I'm so pissed right now at the industry I so love, but I decided not to post it. It was just too negative - even for me. I figure I got it out of my system and it can sit in my Drafts folder as a therapeutic entry. I can just pretend I posted it and re-read it periodically so I can vent to myself.

Even this entry is getting a little dark for me. But it's the truth. Independent film producing is hard.

I am constantly wracking my brain for ideas that I think will make a splash. Will it have legs to be a festival darling? Or is it a straight-up genre flick that we can sell to the hungry genre audiences? Or is it really castable and a great actor will really eat up the part.

And then the journey to find these scripts is even harder. Man, it truly is like searching for a needle in the haystack. Choosing a script to produce is soooo subjective so finding a script that speaks to you on a very personal level when you haven't been part of developing the idea is nearly impossible.

What's even more difficult is finding that script you love and then thinking about, well, who is going to want to finance it? But first, I need to schedule and budget it so I know what kind of budget I need. From there, I will need a business plan so I can approach investors. Schedules, budgets and business plans are a lot of work!

And meanwhile, let me hit up my manager and agent friends and see who is willing to read it for their clients when I have no money. And let me bug sales agents for sales projections and who means what these days to the deteriorating box office. Don't even get me started on the Web productions that are blowing up. And TV is where it's at these days. It's mind-boggling to navigate it all.

Okay, so let's say you make it through all of these benchmarks, you have your script packaged and you have enough money to make the film. Next you need to find crew and vendors willing to work for indie rates and pray you make your days so you don't go over your unrealistic 18 day schedule.

Then you finish your film and suddenly you find out that you weren't accepted into Sundance or Toronto or Cannes - if you are, that's awesome, but you're still not off the hook. Next you land that sales agent who then tells you that you will be lucky if you find any deals to fully pay back the investors, especially if you didn't get accepted to a major festival - and forget about getting a return in a timely manner. It's gonna take years!

All the while, you deferred most or all of your fee so you're essentially working for free on this film that is kicking your ass. And you're scraping by on production gigs or a day job or consulting fees and thinking what am I doing? I'm smart. I'm talented. Hell, I am a CEO of multiple businesses (as each film is a business). So why am I not a multi-millionaire in my mansion? Producers are wealthy, right?

And then you smack yourself and realize that independent producers are not wealthy unless they come from money or they have had that elusive hit that everyone dreams of and even then, the distributor probably took most of the money earned by that hit for their expenses. Totally jaded right? But it's a harsh reality, which is why it's so important to learn how to protect yourself in this industry. You need a good attorney, a great support system who will give you lots of hugs, and a savviness and confidence about what you're worth and what you're creating.

Okay, why am I working the hardest I have ever worked for the smallest pay of my life? Some days, I'm not sure, but it makes me sick to think of bagging it all and walking away. It's not in me to give it up. There's always that fire burning right below the surface - sometimes it's just a pilot light - but it's that fire in my belly that keeps me going. It's that desire to have creative and financial freedom some day that I believe indie producing can one day provide.

Why do I believe that indie producing can bring me freedom? Well, I have seen it with my own eyes. Friends and colleagues who have found a niche that works for them. I just need to find that niche. And I firmly believe that risk-takers are the ones who really have the ability to build a career on their own terms. And if you fail, it's not because you didn't try. The greatest rewards come with the greatest sacrifice. It also helps that I have a very entrepreneurial soul. I can thank my grandparents for that.

What do I say after all this introspection? Throw some fuel on that fire and get back to work! We are creators and we have an audience to serve. All it takes is that one YES! Buck up bitch! You can do this!

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