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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The Indie Filmmaker Nightmare Does Happen: Royalties Being Delayed

Indie filmmakers and indie film lovers, a distributor of one of our titles is claiming they can't pay our royalties to us when owed. Our title made them (is making them) a lot of money on which their company is surviving (they're still getting their paychecks), leaving us to struggle yet again. They are paying the debt off their other titles with the money our title has earned and saying they will give us money when they are able in drips and drabs. This is happening - despite having contracts in place. 

Indie film lovers, whenever you can, please buy films direct from the filmmakers or support them when crowdfunding so the filmmakers are assured of getting some funds to live. This is why indie filmmakers can't make livings and why we need to really invest deeply in distributing our films ourselves! 

We need to figure out proper monetization on self-distribution and effective forms of indie film marketing. Please be aware of the struggles of indie filmmaking and hopefully try to buy or rent direct from filmmakers whenever you can. 

Please don't be afraid of sites like Distrify.com or IndieReign.com or Vimeo.com or CreateSpace.com and buying or renting titles from them. They are legit and helping indie filmmakers survive! Thanks all! Wish us luck as we go up against Goliath...

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Affordable Script Consultation from a Producer's Perspective Provided by All About Indie Filmmaking

Hi everyone! I have started a new service in association with my blog. I am now offering script consultation from a producer's perspective. I have read thousands of scripts through my career and have always thought it would be great to provide the producer's perspective on a script. I want to help filmmakers develop stronger projects.

As a film producer, I am on the eternal search for a produceable script. One that has the following essential elements:

*Great Structure
*Engaging Plot
*Strong Dialogue
*In-Depth Character Development
*Castable Lead Characters
*Budget That Makes Sense for the Genre and Any Creative Attachments
*Commercial & Marketable Premise
*Clear Audience

If a script has the above elements, I know I can feel comfortable introducing it to financiers and cast and crew and spend the rest of my life marketing the project to distributors and audiences worldwide.

It's a big decision for a producer to take on a project. Therefore, you want your script to be ready for a producer's eye - because you usually only get one chance submitting your script to a producer.

I read a lot of scripts each week and know that many do not include the above elements. And if these elements are not in your script then you will have challenges in getting your script sold or made into a film.

After reading a screenplay, I'd love to have the opportunity to have a detailed dialogue with the screenwriter and be able to tell her or him a producer's opinion on the script. And then I realized I could! So I have decided to start offering script consultation from a producer's perspective. I have added a new page to my blog offering this service.

Most script consultation services only focus on the writing of the screenplay and not on whether or not the screenplay is actually producer-friendly. I can look at your script with an eye to what a producer will be considering upon assessment. This can help you tackle any trouble areas before you begin submitting your project to producers.

If you have a project you are interested in making but you'd like a producer's opinion on how produceable your script is, please contact me at the following email address and I will be happy to read your script and provide a written assessment of each element at which I personally look when assessing whether or not to take on a project.

My perspective is my own. I can't guarantee that your film will get produced even if your script has all of the above elements. But I can provide you with insight into what a working producer may think and give you the opportunity to try to make your script even stronger prior to exposing your script to producers, and even agents and managers.

My rates are very reasonable too. Please take into account that just reading your script can take 2 hours, just like watching a film can. I will then take time to write up my assessment and send it to you. I am keeping my rates low as I would like to make this service affordable for my readers who tend to be low budget independent filmmakers.

Feature-length script: $100
Short script (under 20 pages): $30

If you would like your script evaluated by a working film producer (I have produced over a dozen short and feature-length projects) who will provide you with a producer's perspective, please email me at allaboutindiefilmmaking@gmail.com.

Turnaround will average 1 week, depending on my schedule. All reading and assessments will be done by me. I do not outsource to readers. Thanks everyone! I look forward to reading your work!

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Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I'm Irish so we love to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Had a great day in Hollywood. Hope yours is just as good! Cheers!

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Citizen Hearst plays the Hearst Castle and Theaters Nationwide Too!

On Friday, March 8th, our new documentary Citizen Hearst had the honor of playing in the former media mogul William Randolph Hearst's personal screening room at the Hearst Castle. This was made possible by the wonderful San Luis Obispo Film Festival. What a memorable evening!

The film is released in theaters now! Check your local listings at the Citizen Hearst Web site: www.citizenhearst.com.

Here are some images of the event held at the Castle in San Simeon, CA:

And here we are on the last day - spent in Paso Robles wine country - what a great group and a great time :)

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That's a Wrap! on Our New Short Plain Clothes

We spent this last weekend filming our new short film Plain Clothes. It was a great time. Much of the crew came from either our last film Take Me Home or Sam Jaeger's show Parenthood. It was like friends coming together to make a movie. In fact, I believe I heard Sam and Howard (our DP) at one point say they felt they were back in high school making a movie when we were in Sam's front yard stealing some shots.

Actually, it's this shot in particular:

And from another angle:

We had an amazing stunt crew with us coordinating the stunts:

Our prop team rocked the firearms and thanks to our friend Les who let us use his Jeep as our picture car:

We had an awesome grocery store:

And lovely home (and bed) in which to film:

The best caterer ever - Amber Jaeger! Here we are scarfing down her food:

And here's to the best cast and crew - love you guys!

We're makin' a movie and lovin' it! To track our progress, check out our Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/plainclothesmovie.

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