On Location

I was in Seattle this weekend and reminded of all the adventures I have had as a filmmaker "on location." Going "on location" usually has me working outside of California in beautiful, interesting settings. So on top of being able to tell stories, I get to see and work in incredible regions that I wouldn't necessarily otherwise even visit. 

Working on location is a lot of work but also a lot of fun. You have to try to set up as much as you can from your home base and then head to the location and start living there as much as three months before filming. It's important to live there and get the lay of the land, hire the crew and lock in the equipment. 

It can wreak havoc on your personal life, especially if you have kids. But it's definitely doable. My husband and I have the rule that if I am out of town, we need to make plans to see one another at least every three weeks. So if I'm on location for six months, I either fly home every third week or my husband visits me. 

The first thing I do when I pick a location for filming is reach out to the film office in the region. They usually have a production guide with a list of all the vendors in the area as well as crew lists of regional crew. 

From there, it's a juggling act -- life, work, art, home -- and a whole heck of a lot of fun and adventure along the way. 

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Drama Is Everywhere

This morning I was awakened by a search for a knee pad and disdain over chocolate chip muffins versus friendship bread. The drama went on for at least an hour, all before 9am. As I lay in bed trying to ignore my niece's cries and wondering how people can talk so much that early in the morning, I was reminded that drama is all around us and if you are ever in search for fodder for your stories, just look and listen to those around you. 

No matter where we are from, there is a universal language amongst us all: the human emotion. We may react differently to situations but the reaction itself can be related to by all. Chocolate chip muffins caused sorrow in my niece but the rest of us were overjoyed by the tasty, homemade treats. These disparate reactions are what create drama amongst us. 

Our everyday drama may not be overly cinematic but that's where storytelling is exciting. Taking our everyday experiences and expounding on them, massaging them, twisting and turning them into something extremely funny or sad or insightful. 

So whenever you are developing or writing a story and you think you have hit a wall, just look around you. The drama might be sitting right in front of you. 

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Francis Ford Coppola Embraces Indie Marketing with Tetro

I've heard about Francis Ford Coppola's new film Tetro and what I find really interesting is that he is embracing the forms of marketing that the independent film world has been espousing lately. Check out Tetro's Web site here. 

Click on the moth and you will see a handheld video of Coppola providing an introduction to the film. It's a very scrappy video of him holding the camera in an outstretched arm as he enters his workspace (in Napa Valley -- I want a workspace in Napa Valley!) and sits down. He talks about how this film is his first original screenplay in years (since The Conversation) and how excited he is for its release, telling people to keep coming back to the site for updates -- very indie indeed. 

I would expect this kind of video from a low-budget filmmaker, not Francis Ford Coppola, which is probably the exact reason he did it this way. He could have easily relied on more studio-type marketing (slick Web site; ads on Variety, etc.) but he's chosen to get very personal about it. He really wants the film to be embraced by the indie world and fans of independent film. Very interesting. 

And his cast is very indie too. Controversial Vincent Gallo, director of The Brown Bunny with the infamous blow job scene, stars, and Coppola comments on Gallo's brilliance. Do I hear another comeback a la Mickey Rourke? I'm looking forward to seeing Gallo in a challenging role featuring his acting chops instead of his sex chops.

The other actors in Tetro include Alden Ehrenreich and Maribel Verdu. Tetro will be 18-year-old Alden's feature debut and Maribel's follow up to a number of award-winning international productions, including Y Tu Mama Tambien.

I'm impressed by Coppola's efforts to self-promote his new feature. He appears to be a real entrepreneur and indie filmmaker at heart with his American Zoetrope production company and wine business. He even states that Tetro is the work he has always wanted to do but his career led him in other directions. Doesn't that sound familiar!

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Super U: A Venue to Watch Short Films

Melissa Wood of Super U asked me to mention their Web site to my readers. Looks super cool. As an aside, Super Channel licensed one of my shorts last year so I know they pay for shorts! 

Super U is the online venue to watch the latest short films. Viewers enjoy high quality content, qualified by the viewers themselves. Filmmakers enjoy on-site contests and exposure to broadcasters like Super U’s partner Super Channel, Canada's national pay television network. As Super U grows, filmmakers will share in the advertising revenues generated on the site.

Super U runs regular themed contests for the members with large monetary prizes, and the contests are often judged by a celebrity panel.

Check it out...

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Baby Steps to a Feature Film

Making a film is the culmination of thousands, no probably billions, of baby steps. From the inception of a great idea to the final tape or print, countless baby steps of movement have occurred. Films do not happen overnight. They take tons of patience and perseverance. 

The best advice I can give for handling the amount of time it takes to make a film is: love the project. It's this passion and love for the film that will carry you through years and even decades of nurturing, revising, head-banging, and all the other schizophrenic activity associated with filmmaking.

Alright, this is a super cheesy reference but gotta love it!: Kris Kringle (aka Santa) had it right when he sang to Winter Warlock in Santa Clause Is Coming to Town: 

Put one foot in front of the other

And soon you’ll be walking cross the floor
Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking out the door

You never will get where you’re going
If you never get up on your feet
Come on, there’s a good tail wind blowing
A fast walking man is hard to beat

Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking cross the floor
Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking out the door

If you want to change your direction
If your time of life is at hand
Well don’t be the rule be the exception
A good way to start is to stand

Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking cross the floor
Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking out the door

If I want to change the reflection
I see in the mirror each morn
You mean that it's just my election
To vote for a chance to be reborn

 

That had to have put a smile on your face! 

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Hiring for Film: Get Referrals. Post Ads. Interview. Check References.

It may seem obvious but anytime you hire someone new on your film, take the time to check the candidate's references. And get referrals! The best way to fill the ranks in the various departments is to call your filmmaker friends and colleagues and see who they like working with. 

If you are in a new area where you haven't worked before, check with the area's film office and ask for crew lists from other productions that have filmed there. Most larger cities have active film offices and each should have crew lists from every film that has shot in the surrounding areas, sometimes the entire state. We recently filmed in Athens, Georgia. Without access to crew lists from other productions through the Georgia Film Office in Atlanta, I would have had a much more difficult time finding our crew. 

As you start calling crew and other film professionals, ask for referrals from them as well. Some may not be available or interested in your project, but they may know someone who is. And post jobs on sites like Craigslist and Mandy.com. I've found really good people from ads on Web sites. You can even put the pay to ensure the candidate is already open to the salaries you have budgeted. 

Next, schedule sit-down interviews, if you can. You may be out of town and have to rely on phone interviews but if you have the opportunity to schedule an in-person interview, do it. Sitting down with someone will give you the best indication of his or her personality. 

Checking references can seem tedious but they can be very revealing about a candidate and they can help you winnow the list of candidates. I'm sure everyone lists references that they know will say good things about them. But, sometimes, references are honest and what they can reveal can help you decide who is best for your production. 

You will be spending 12 to 18 hours a day with each crew member and months with others in post. Take the time to hire those you want to spend most of your waking hours with. 

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More People Are Going to the Movies

According to today's New York Times article "In Downturn, Americans Flock to the Movies," box office numbers are up -- ticket sales are up 17.5% and attendance is up 16%. That's great news for our business and believable. I'm finding it to be true in my own movie-going pattern. My attendance is definitely up!

Why are more people going to the movies now? I think the recession has a lot to do with it. Movies are still a relatively low cost way of being entertained. They are much cheaper than an expensive dinner at your favorite restaurant or going to a pricey concert or taking a weekend trip. So naturally, movies become part of the plan for some low-cost, get out of the house, fun.

I also think the increase has to do with wanting a break from all the bad things that are going on in the world. Movies are a great respite from all responsibility. The lights are down, no one can talk, the cell phones are off. You are in another dimension for 2 hours, and if the movie is good, you feel good. 

As well as wanting a break from bad things, I think we are all seeking opportunities for bringing normalcy to our lives and the sheer act of going to a movie helps us feel normal. Going to the movies is something we all have grown up doing. Retreating to the theater allows us to revisit the glory days of spending Saturday afternoons at the local cinema, sneaking into R-rated films and eating way too much popcorn. Those were the days!! On that note, I'm going to go to the movies. 

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