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E Y oOuL rY U R I INnIDdN EePpD Een NIdDE eEnN!cCTe!EM!
Art & Soul of Indie Motion Picture Writing, Production & Distribution
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SUNDANCE SELECTION Filmmaker Sydney Freeland presents “Drunktown’s Finest”
The Biz: Are Indies the 8th Studio? Gear: Feather Touch Zoom Controller Money Matters: New Options Post Options: White Box–Sweet Suite ISSUE NO 65 US $5.95 CAN $6.50
+REEL LIFE Adventures in Moviemaking Inspirational Successes
6 Month Rule, Battle of Pussy Willow Creek, PTSD www.IndieSlate.com Desperate Acts of Magic, Blood Reunion, Shroud1
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Winter 2014— Producing & Distributing for independents. JOIN our online community to access Project Listings, seek cast & crew, distribution, blog & more at indieslate.com! Ouch! William Draven removes a nail from his nose, in Desperate Acts of Magic, page 16
PTSD, page 17
Sydney Freeland, writer-director Drunktown’s Finest , page 20
DEPARTMENTS 6 THROUGH THE EYEPIECE
Indies are a big deal
By RD Walker & Maureen Herzog
22 GEAR
Review: Camera Turret’s excellent Feather Touch DSLR zoom controller By Jim Livesey
24 INDIE RESOURCES
White Box—one sweet Suite
25 THE BIZ –
Indies are the equivalent of the 8th studio acording to this industry-ite By Adam Leipzig
31 PRODUCTION SLATE
Production Listings & CallBoard *Note: Projects are now searchable online at www.indieslate.com
36 INDIE SERVICES MARKETPLACE 38 KESSLER ON LEGAL
Money Matters
FEATURES 18 Pro File –
A Humdinger of a Script Contest and Coverage service
20 Cover Story –
Storytelling from the inside out— Drunktown’s Finest By Maureen Herzog
26 BareBones –
The World’s friendliest Film Festival
REEL LIFE ADVENTURES
True Tales of Making, Marketing and Distributing Indie Movies & TV
8 Battle of Pussy Willow Creek, 6 Month Rule, Blood Reunion, Desperate Acts of Magic, PTSD, Shroud Nicole Leigh suits up in the gothic western Shroud, page 14
FROM THE PUBLISHERS
through the
EYEPIECE
Biz Data and the 8th Studio
Content makers are often cautioned to remember the “business” in the entertainment business. And as much as we may want to avoid drilling down on it, the business is all about numbers. From test screenings, box office receipts, Rentrak home video stats to online tracking, there’s a measurement system at every point. Yet there’s still much we don’t know when it comes to viewing content online. But apparently Netflix knows. And it’s changing the business. For instance, rather than going with the long held network model of ordering dozens of series pilots and then selecting “winners” that are given two episodes to capture audience hearts, Netflix parsed its viewership data and ordered a full season of House of Cards. Kevin Spacey’s project had been turned down by network TV, and ended up setting up a new standard of demand and a development process resulting in a high-quality product. And other online content developers are following suit. But there are still data gaps about which content makers will want to be cognizant. As Liesl Copland, of WME’s Global Finance and Distribution Group said recently said in a speech, “Show us the numbers.” Unlike theatrical box office reporting, cable companies and other video viewing platforms don’t report viewership in a uniform and transparent way, leaving filmmakers and the industry without any benchmarks indicating where audiences are engaging their content. Nevertheless, we’re optimistic that the statistical techniques will soon sync with digital technology.
Indies as the 8th studio? That’s the conclusion drawn by Adam Leipzig, Entertainment Media Partners CEO, after crunching the numbers from the last four Sundance festivals, as he reports in this issue. He bases this startling conclusion on a comparison of the estimated $3 billion spent annually by indie moviemakers to the sum invested by the seven major studios! And that’s without the missing numbers Ms. Copland laments. Leipzig’s assumptions are based on films submitted to Sundance, which represent less than 25% of the total projects submitted to festivals each year, so his figures admittedly underestimate the real investment by indies. The enormous spend is one side of the coin. The other side is recoupment, which sucks, ON THE COVER to put it mildly. His analysis is based on extensive conversations with producers and sales agents, plus A still from the indie movhis own experience as a distributor, producer and ie Drunktown’s Finest, financier (he’s made films for as little as $50,000 shot by Peter Holland. all the way up to big-studio budgets). Pictured: Jeremiah Bitsui His advice, based on years of experience, is as “Sick Boy” and Carmen to have a distribution strategy before you make Moore as “Felixia.” the movie. That, and work on the craft and make better movies. Amen to that.
The design of Indie Slate was improved by Design Director Rachel Gibbs. Contact her at rachel.l.gibbs1@gmail.com with any comments, questions, or to just say hi!
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Vol. 18, Iss 65 ISSN 1535-3427 Publisher RD Walker Editor in Chief Maureen Herzog Contributing Editors Gerald Hanks Adam Leipzig Jim Livesey Contributors Wendy Jo Cohen E. Collins Jim DeVault Cedric Godin David Jetre Hal “Corky” Kessler Blayne Weaver Design Director Rachel L. Gibbs Social Media Director Ryan Aivalis Circulation Richard Amos Database Programmer Gerald Hanks Web Master Bryan Turner Interns Jarvis Kinney Alex Riddle Rachael Sneed Monica Tao Indie Godfather Bert Weil Advertising Antoinette Ellis—Ad Director 215.574.2158, tonie2@verizon.net CONTACT INDIE SLATE editor@indieslate.com For subscription inquires, back issues or in bulk for groups circulation@indieslate.com Ph. 832.593.0405 Fax 832.593.0406 www.indieslate.com Distributed Nationally by Curtis Circulation Available by subscription and on newsstands in the US and Canada at Borders, Barnes & Noble, Hastings, Books-a-Million, and others. If your store doesn’t stock Indie Slate, the mag can be added to its draw upon request. Published Quarterly by IS Media PO Box 218516, Houston TX 77218. Opinions are solely those of the authors. Letters, article queries & photos welcome, but returned only with SASE. Submissions subject to editing for style, content, and to exclusive rights provisions in this publication. Republication rights in any form reserved. SUBSCRIPTIONS available for $24 and $36 for institutions (see form pg 44). ©Copyright MMXIV IS MEDIA
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TRUE TALES OF
REEL LIFE
ADVENTURES IN MOVIEMAKING & distribution Opinions expressed herein are solely those of the writers and interviewees and not this publication’s
Imagining Pussy Willow Creek How Mockumentary History is made By Wendy Jo Cohen I’ve always been drawn to grand tales, but being an indie filmmaker, the reality of making a sweeping war epic had seemed out of reach. Then, in the early 2000s I spent a long weekend at Shenandoah National Park. In New York, we don’t think about the Civil War very often, but in Virginia it is impossible to ignore. Everywhere you go you see historical markers; “The battle of so-and-so was fought here such-and-such a date,” etc. It is very immediate and real. That got me thinking about the Ken Burns documentary, which led to the realization that I could use similar techniques to tell my own, darkly comedic, fictional Civil War story. If I wanted the story to be believable though, it would have to be seamlessly woven into the facts of the real Civil War – a topic I had not studied
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since the eighth grade. That meant months of research. But that was just the beginning. In an actual archival documentary, a crucial task is to cull through the mountain of facts to figure out which to include. But how could I cull through facts that didn’t exist? Obviously I would first have to make them all up, down to the minutest detail... only then could I discern which were relevant enough to be used in a screenplay. The result was 200 pages of prose in which every aspect of the characters’ trajectories was spelled out and integrated into the larger story of the Civil War. Since I was satirizing a well established form – the archival documentary – it was key to stick to the familiar devices, so my task was to assign the various plot points to such tropes as The Talking Head Expert, The Diary Entry, The Old Photograph, The Newspaper Clipping,
The Archival Drawing, The Metaphorical Scenery Shot, The Distinguished Narrator, The Period Music, etc. As in an actual archival documentary, it would be The Distinguished Narrator and The Talking Head Experts that would make up the backbone of the movie. I love “unreliable narrators,” and this was my chance to have not just one but many of them... and to have them directly contradict each other, sometimes in a thoroughly crazy manner. I wanted them to be more than just their credentials, I wanted people — flawed, obsessive people with their own passions and back stories. To this end I devised mini-narrative arcs for each, and worked with my actors to bring them to the fore. Likewise, when it came time to writing narration, I chose to make The Distinguished Narrator a somewhat obnoxious and obviously opinionated human being, rather than the dispassionate and omniscient entity to which we are accustomed. This Narrator is cynical and snarky, and he doesn’t hesitate to add pointed commentary... not only about the historical characters, but about The Talking Head Experts – calling them out when he thinks they are full of it. It was while I was developing the meta story of the historians, experts, and narrator that I realized there was another meta level that needed to be explored. If the movie was ostensibly a documentary — just who was making it? I realized then that a fictional documentarian would not only complete the “reality” I had
REEL LIFE contrived, her presence was thematically essential! After all, although documentaries supposedly deal in fact, they are not plucked from the ether fully formed but rather are made... and made by someone. And that someone, being human, has his or her own tastes, passions, prejudices, and conscious or unconscious agenda. And so I invented Grace A. Burns. Perhaps a cousin several times removed from the more famous documentarians, perhaps someone who just coi ncidenta l ly shares the name but is happy to exploit it. But definitely someone whose dedication to her subject is matched only by her naïveté, and quite frankly, her incompetence. Yes, this was going to be fun! I would use Grace to further underscore the ideas I hoped to convey with my Talking Head Experts and my Distinguished Narrator: just because something appears before you on a screen under the label of “fact” doesn’t mean you are necessarily getting the truth. Much like one of the basic principles of quantum physics, the observer
influences the experiment, and the truth may be impossible to know. So I had my Earnest Documentarian, my Talking Head Experts, and my Distinguished Narrator. It was time to come up with the other key tropes. Metaphorical Scenery Shots were a fairly simple matter
an incredible still photographer, an expert in photo manipulation, a versatile artdirector, an inspired costume designer, a dozen artists, and another dozen musicians. Together we would create the insane collage that is The Battle of Pussy Willow Creek. www.pussywillowcreek.com The Battle of Pussy Willow Creek – WideSphere Films. Cast: Emily Mitchell, Christopher Lukas, Tim Cusack, Zeb Hollins III. Prod/Dir/Svcr: Wendy Jo Cohen; Cin: Matthew Howe; Mus: Patrick Derivaz. Available on iTunes.
Much like one of the basic principles of quantum physics, the observer influences the experiment, and the truth may be impossible to know.
KILLER PRODUCTION MUSIC
Writer/Producer/Actor William Shockley
– these would be captured by cinematographer Matt Howe and me during a crazy five-day road trip through the South. As to Old Photographs and Archival Drawings, for all instances where my story cited actual people or events they could be procured through the Library of Congress. The rest — photographs of my invented characters, pages from their diaries, headlines or other printed materials, period music that spoke to their struggles — these would have to be created from scratch. To that end I engaged
KILLERTRACKS.COM
Before making Pussy Willow Creek, Wendy Jo Cohen wrote, directed, and produced several short narrative films and a music video, and produced 11 primetime documentaries for the Discovery and History Channels. At WideSphere Films, she continues to develop her own projects while providing editing and production services for clients. Email: info@ widesphere.com.
800.4.KILLER
Actor James Karen and his wife Alba Francesca
NAB 2013 BOOTH SL7616 www.IndieSlate.com
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Lessons from 6 Month Rule By Blayne Weaver The most important thing to know about being an independent filmmaker is that there are tons of things you don’t know. Making movies is a constant learning process, and if you’re not constantly being reminded of this fact then you’re doing something wrong. Some of the best lessons I’ve learned have come from talking to colleagues who have been through it before. Every chance I get to be around other filmmakers and hear their war stories gives me a new perspective, and (hopefully) better prepares me for the adversity that’s sure to come. I w rote, directed and acted in the indie feature 6 Month Rule, and as the project went from script to distribution I had a number of on-the-job enlightening experiences. Now it’s my turn to share. 6 Month Rule is a romantic dramedy about a womanizer who has developed a set of rules to help him avoid emotional commitment. The main character is a selfish, shallow and flawed anti-hero who, by the end of the film, tries to become a better man. Oddly enough, the idea for the project emerged from my work as a screenwriter for production companies. I had been hired to write or polish a slew of romantic comedies, and as I was working on these scripts I kept coming back to the idea that what I was writing wasn’t real. This imaginary world where the hero would jump on a horse, race across the Brooklyn bridge to stop the girl of his dreams from marrying the stiff… that never happens. But dating — the real dating that
Blayne Weaver and Natalie Morales
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happens — is funny. In 6 Month Rule I set out to make a film that was based in the realities of singlehood and, in the process, do something new with the classic romantic comedy formula. Financing, which is often the most difficult aspect of making an independent film, was made easier by the success of my last feature, Weather Girl. With a great festival run and a hefty television sell, WG was in the black. Obviously, this is a good thing when I’m talking to investors but it’s still not a slam-dunk. I wanted to direct and star which, of course, raises eyebrows. I had pulled off the whole acting/directing thing with my first short, Losing Lois Lane, and my first feature, Outside Sales, but because I had not done it with Weather Girl (my most successful film), it was seen as a risky endeavor by many financiers. To find the right investors we talked to everyone and had endless lunches or coffees with friends of friends of friends. We took every meeting, and it would lead to another meeting. Finally, we found our patron in James Ballengee, a businessman in my hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana. James believed in the film, and he believed in me. He provided the financing and support to make 6 Month Rule the way I wanted to. Financing in place, we set out to build the cast. The balance of making the film you want with a movie that’s marketable is always a challenge. With a relative unknown in the main role (me), we needed a cast of talented, indie-friendly actors with name recognition to give the project some weight. Through our casting director, Lauren
Bass, and personal relationships we pulled together an amazing cast for the budget. I was lucky enough to work with Martin Starr (Freaks and Geeks, Party Down), Patrick J. Adams (Weather Girl, Suits), John Michael Higgins (Bad Teacher, A Mighty Wind), Dave Foley (News Radio, Kids In The Hall), Jaime Pressly (My Name Is Earl), and Natalie Morales (The Middleman). With this cast I was able to take the bulk of the heavy lifting when it came to days on set, festival appearances and press obligations, while we worked around the schedules of the rest of the cast. Due to Louisiana’s tax incentives and my connection to the Shreveport area, we decided to shoot in my hometown. Shooting on location allowed us to create a modern metropolitan world that was distinctly not Los Angeles. I quick ly learned that the costs that come along with flying in and putting up cast can be a constant drain on the budget. In Weather Girl , which was shot in Los Angeles, the talent could drive themselves and return home after work, making life easier for everyone. Again, it’s finding the right balance between budget constraints and production value. The ease of shooting in Los Angeles should always be considered when shooting on a shoestring. Shooting 6 Month Rule was one of the most satisfying experiences of my life. I was able to build a team of incredibly talented people behind the camera and in front of it. Acting while simultaneously directing can be complicated, but the cast gave me their trust and the performances speak for themselves. A f ter complet i ng t he f i l m, most filmmakers must ask themselves the horrifying question: Now what? How do you take this piece of art that you have slaved over, fought for, and spent lots of money on and get it to an audience while trying to make a financial profit? We aimed for Sundance hoping for a huge studio that would make us rich and put the film on two thousand screens… We didn’t get into Sundance… or Toronto… or Cannes. So we waited. The film was requested at several festivals but none of them seemed big enough or sexy enough to launch the movie the way we needed. So we waited, and it sucked. Finally, we found the right fit. We premiered at the Austin Film Festival, which was perfect for us. The festival focuses on writers, which is perfect for our anti-rom com script. It is small enough so that we weren’t overlooked but big enough
so that there were constant press opportunities. We dropped the money into a publicist and threw a party with the entire cast in attendance. The response to the film and the publicity was everything we hoped for. Austin Film Festival was integral in garnering the attention of the distributor FilmBuff. We worked out a distribution pla n focusi ng on a sma l l theatrical release that would serve as marketing for iTunes and Video on Demand, the real moneymaker. We’d give the digital release several months and then roll out on DVD. The theatrical release was especially eye-opening. We did ten cities, homing in on areas where we had a support group. For instance, the town we shot in or where one of the actors grew up. This plan worked well but we made one significant misstep: we opened first in New York City. It’s long been my dream to open a film in New York, but the problem is that I know about twelve people there. In Los Angeles I know hundreds of people who would (and did) come out to support the film.
In New York we dropped a ton of money into newspaper and magazine ads. We even had a ‘street team’ papering the area near the theater with posters and post cards. The result was a lot of money spent and very little made. Not too big a deal, as we were to play many cities where we would exceed all expectations. The problem was that our opening weekend numbers were terrible. The opening weekend follows a movie forever, and it’s annoying. If we had first opened in Los Angeles, we would have a great single-screen average and that number would follow us. Live and learn. Another mistake I made was how we spent our marketing dollars. The film was playing in the East Village and that’s where we spent. We should have been focused on telling the world we were having a theatrical — not trying to sell tickets. The real point in a theatrical release is to promote the digital and DVD releases. You advertise the theatrical and when it’s on VOD, your customers say “I saw that trailer when it was out,” and they
Blayne Weaver and Vanessa Branch
Continued on 11
Vanessa Branch, Blayne Weaver, John Michael Higgins, Patrick J. Adams, Natalie Morales
REEL LIFE
buy your movie. We did ten cities, more than many bigger budget, art house releases. My problem was about scale; I was trying to fill a hundredseat theater instead of telling the world that my movie was in theaters. I also advise releasing your film ‘day and date’. This occurs when you premiere in theaters and on digital at the same time. Do it — just trust me. I didn’t, and I wish I had. 6 Month Rule was recently released on DV D. This, effectively, is the end of my journey with the film. Festivals, theatrical, digital release, television and finally DVD — the filmmaker’s work is never done. It’s a constant stream of learning new aspects of the business, making tough decisions and selling the hell out of the movie. I didn’t get into writing, directing and acting to learn about financing, budgets and
distribution, but I do it. I do it because when I get to be on set with great actors and lock picture on an edit that tells a great story, and when I stand at the front of the theater after a screening and answer the audience’s questions… well, that’s the best job there is. And if it were easy, everyone would do it. Blayne Weaver has written seven produced screenplays including the Sundance favorite Manic starring Don Cheadle and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He has worked extensively as an actor and stars in the thriller Favor currently playing film festivals. He has written and directed the feature films Outside Sales, Weather Girl, and 6 Month Rule, now available on DVD at Amazon. com and www.blayneweaver. net.
www.IndieSlate.com
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REEL LIFE
— n o i n u e R d o BloMinds & Vampires Come Together Like
by Jim DeVault Lilley I’ve been an indie filmmaker for a long time. Since the time that indies still actually shot on film. I first picked up an 8mm Bell & Howell in the mid-’70s and started making short art films (I’m a surrealist by nature); I continued through Super8, 16mm, VHS, and finally, ended up in the midst of the digital revolution. It was not until then that I decided the time was right to take the plunge into features. It was something I had always wanted to do from the age of nine or ten. In all those years, I accumulated a lot of knowledge about how movies are “done,” from concept to screen, but I’ve never been good at raising money. Because of that my projects are made with small amounts of cash. When asked how much my latest movie cost to make, my pat answer is “less than Spielberg paid for breakfast.” OK, that’s an exaggeration (though I really don’t know what Spielberg pays for breakfast), but it gets the idea across. When working with little or no money, there are inevitably a number of key crew positions that aren’t filled, so it helps if the filmmaker knows how to perform the tasks because he or she more than likely will. With my first two features, however, I made enough contacts that I was able to pull together a small crew for Blood Reunion, my third feature project. For Blood Reunion, we had an AD, script super, sound recordist, producer, and a DP/editor/digital effects artist all rolled up in one person. I even had some people doing stunts and fight choreography — hog heaven, as they say. Still a skeleton crew, and it was not uncommon for the script supervisor to be pouring blood on somebody, but being able to spread the workload was a luxury, and now I’m spoiled. The origin of the Blood Reunion script was, apart from the fact that I just happen to like vampires, twofold. It was inspired by the writings of Montague Summers, who authored some decently scholarly books about vampires, werewolves, and witches; he also apparently believed in them. Summers was the inspiration for the vampire-hunting priest in the script. Also, I have never been too enthusiastic about the direction that vampires have taken in the past decade or so, and I wanted to do a
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movie that was a throwback to the classic vampire films of the 1960s and ‘70s that I grew up with. At the same time, I added a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor, so Blood Reunion doesn’t take itself too seriously. The story goes like this: Fifteen years ago young Janeth discovered her dead mother’s body. Her mother, Winona, had fallen victim to a vampire and was imprisoned in her grave by the local priest. Now Janeth, unaware of her mother’s fate, has returned to her hometown to come to terms with the grisly discovery 15 years ago. Unwittingly, she releases her mother from her grave prison, along with Winona’s thirst for blood and revenge. Lacking funding was no deterrent to jumping headlong into preproduction, and we began casting. We used a different method for casting this project and invited actors to upload their audition video to our Facebook page, or alternatively, to YouTube, and send the link privately. That was costcutting step number one. T he big gest costs we had du r i ng the shoot were makeup (fangs), props (stakes, grave marker, and mort safe), some costuming, and food. We came in well under $1,000 cash, and still topped the budgets for our previous features. Admittedly t here are no extravagant product ion values, but by keeping it simple, and having a good script, it all came together. Of course, as any filmmaker, indie or otherwise, knows, what goes on paper in the scripting phase, doesn’t always happen in the real world of production, and things have to be changed or altered here and there along the way. Blood Reunion was no exception. For instance, the script, called for the priest to have garlic flowers hanging in his window to ward off vampires. The people who were kind enough to allow us to use their home for the location were not so generous with the time they allotted us to shoot there, and there was not enough time to dress the set with the garlic, so we had to improvise a bit. As it was, Paula Marcenaro Solinger, who plays a vampire, is, ironically, allergic to garlic anyway, so it worked out for the best. Through producer Nicki Rauscher I found stunt coordinator Cliff Silver. Cliff
had access to what amounted to a makeshift back lot. We used the same property for several different locations: a campsite, two offices, a cemetery, and a warehouse. This location also included the road where he staged a stunt, doubling for actor Chris Macone being hit by a car. When Cliff rolled off the hood, he landed off balance and did a face plant into the gravel. He wanted to do the stunt again and get it right, but landing on your face on gravel in a dirt road — well it’s not going to get any better than that, so I declined the offer with much gratitude for his bloodshed. I have found that everyone on a project is a potential location scout, and through cast and crew members we found our other locations. Interiors were shot at the aforementioned, and the exteriors were shot at the producer’s home in another city. Another crew member supplied us with a location that doubled for another character’s apartment. I did the incidental music, as I typically do for my projects. Thanks to our lead vampire, Paula Marcenaro Solinger, rock musician Johnny Solinger (her husband) donated the use of a couple songs, including the end-title sequence. T h roug h e ver yone’s ef for t s a nd de d ic at ion , w e w r a pp e d pr i nc iple photography in ten days (long days), which were spread across two months to accommodate some day jobs. There was also one evening to shoot footage for the title sequence, and a couple of pickups, including one where I stood in for an actor who couldn’t make it that night. Since his character was by that time a headless corpse, there were no problems with continuity. Wes Sutton worked his magic with editing and digital effects. He had already acted as director of photography. The film was out of post on December 9, 2012, and we had our premiere the next night at the Texas Theatre in Dallas. Some minor alterations were made, and the final cut was ready for distribution. My first feature was distributed through a company that put it in their catalog, and pretty much forgot about it. It has yet to turn a profit, so we haven’t seen a dime. Continued on 28
REEL LIFE
Crew member Kim Visser slates a scene in the ‘morgue’ Paula Marcenaro Solinger as Winona
Tim Newkirk as Detective Barry April Hartman as Janeth
Director Jim DeVault in a cameo as a vampire about to be “staked.” Stuntman Cliff Silver and driver “Doc” Martin in action www.IndieSlate.com
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Gothic Western Authenticity By David Jetre
A lot of questions race across a filmmaker’s mind when he or she is deciding what film to shoot first or next. Is the story compelling? Is it unique? What are the logistical demands of the script? Can I achieve the proper expression of the script given the budget? Will it have a place in the market? As someone who produces a lot of material, I was particularly challenged with finding a project I could execute affordably and efficiently. Moreover, most of my scripts are lavish and very high concept, aspects that don’t lend themselves to a first film. It became clear early in development that I really didn’t have a property I could shoot on the available budget. I didn’t have a suitable script, so I did what all good writers do: I wrote one. Camping out at Barnes & Noble for several days, I hammered out Shroud over a dozen lattes. Being in Texas, an intimate western seemed the most logical choice, so I wrote the story of a Dutch wife who sails to America to find her missing husband who had disappeared in the untamed Arizona Territory of the early 1860’s. I wanted to create a meditative thriller, a slow-ramping mystery that brings the high, polite expectations of Victorian society into direct confrontation with the lawless Old West. Once I added the historical context of the story arc and suffused it with some supernatural horror, the story was a lock.
Preproduction — people, planning and prep As a director is only as strong as his support system, I approached my friend and business colleague, Edgar C. Pitts III of Design & Technology Consulting Services, to produce the film. Edgar’s tireless commitment to software and solving technical issues proved both inspiring and priceless. For his knowledge in information and technology services, I tapped Daniel Duncan to tackle the hardware and storage requirements any HD project demands. Like Edgar, Daniel exceeded all expectations in anticipating needs and supporting the workflow. To help translate what was in my head to what an audience would see, I hired H. R. Massey III as director of photography and the seasoned Michael Morlan of Tall Tale Pictures (Austin, Texas) as lighting director. I rounded out the visual team with
talented Dallas photographer Bryan Chatlien for Steadicam and camera operator, set and promotional photographer. My assistant director was the very patient Brad Stephens. These men collectively are responsible for the great visual style found in virtually every frame of the movie. As a designer and former carpenter, I chose to tackle the production design personally. I gave myself four months of pr e pr o duc t ion t o s u p e r v i s e t he d r e s s m a k i n g (M a r t y v a n K l e e c k), costuming (Jeanie Akin) and armor design (Patrick Thaden and Ugo Serrano), and to design and print the Victorian and Old West indicia, paperwork, stationery and journals. In between those tasks, I pursued location scouting, dealt with set design and decoration, and wrangled prop selection and handling. My decades of illustration, design and corporate advertising prepared me not only for the visual catalog that would become Shroud, but also for the daunting project management any film requires.
Talent from the Lone Star state Auditions were set up at my offices, and there was an abundance of great talent from Texas, New York, and Los Angeles. We cast
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Texan Nicole Leigh Jones for the lead role of Victoria Celestine. Nicole’s natural beauty and grace was an instant match for the main character. Luckily, when shooting a western in Texas one is not wanting for talented, authentic and knowledgeable cowboys. The main supporting case was rounded out by Charles Baker (Breaking Bad, Terrence Malick’s To The Wonder), Larry Jack Dotson (Bernie), Jodie Moore and Morgana Shaw (Dr. T & the Women). For the lead villain, the mysterious Mayor Undercroft, our original choice for the role did not work out. In recasting, we were fortunate to get G. Russell Reynolds, who infused the role with a suave malevolence and intensity.
Long days and cold nights Despite being our first feature, we had a remarkably calm production. I am proud to say we had no injuries, thefts, or loss of equipment. Certainly there were surprises and even setbacks but strong preproduction, professional persistence and calm problem solving skills won out over those panics I so frequently hear bedevil other productions. Shroud was shot in several locations in Texas, Arizona and California over a year’s time. Many of the exteriors were shot at “Willieville,” the Western town built outside of Austin for the 1986 Willie Nelson film Red Headed Stranger. Various Victorian mansions in Fort Worth and Weatherford, Texas served as sets for some indoor scenes. Once wrapped we began an aggressive marketing campaign to build awareness for the film through various online resources including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr and other social media.
The distribution battle
REEL LIFE
The first cut of the film was submitted to potential distributors, and while Shroud was well received and offers were made for the rights, the general consensus was that the first hour was a little slow. We took that opportunity to re-edit and reduce the running time by eight minutes (total run 101 minutes), as well as make significant improvements to the audio mix and color correction. Blu-ray screeners were again mailed out to distribution companies across North America. We received nine written offers, to purchase the rights of the film, including one from the leader in independent distribution, yet all shared a similar consequence—if we signed the deal we would never recoup our budget. Each deal offered an up-front fee of 10-20% of our budget with an accounting-adjusted net split that heavily favored the distributor. Given that most investors of the film are close friends and family (and the fact that cast and crew were allocated a 20% stake, roughly) we could not accept any terms that were not in their best economic interests. Despite having to raise additional funds and complete many precise mastering steps, Edgar Pitts oversaw all aspects of the disc design and production. In January 2013, Shroud was released on DVD on Amazon.com to strong sales. We’re planning to release an HD version on iTunes with the Blu-ray and later on GooglePlay. Shroud – Jetrefilm Entertainment. Cast: Nicole Leigh Jones, Dylan Barth, G. Russell Reynolds, Jodie Moore, Larry Jack Dotson, Charles Baker. Prod: Edgar Pitts & Daniel Duncan; Dir/ Scr: David Jetre; DP: H. R. Massey III; LtgDir: Michael Morlan; SndDsgn: Johnny Marshal; Mus: Wolfgang Lackner. www. Shroud-Movie.com. Email David@Jetrefilm.com.
Win a PT20 or Feather Touch Zoom by entering the Indie Slate–Camera Turret drawing at NAB, Booth C261
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REEL LIFE Tricks Perfect for Desperate Acts of Magic "The Assistant Outfit" Valerie Dillman (as Stacy Dietz)
Rob Zabrecky (as Geoff) sawing his assistant Allison Marie Volk (as Trixie) W he n f i l m m a k e r Jo e G old w a s struggling to come up with an idea for his next movie, his girlfriend, Tammy Caplan, also a filmmaker, thought of an acting exercise that they both experienced as part of Marilyn Fox’s acting class at Pacific Resident Theatre in Los Angeles. In “The Perfect Scene” exercise, you act out an event from your life that is so meaningful to you, only you could act it out. Tammy asked Joe, “If you were to pick something from your adult life to do right now as a perfect scene, what would it be?” Without hesitating, Joe replied, “I’d pick what happened to me when I competed in the International Brotherhood of Magicians Contest in Los Angeles.” Four months later, Desperate Acts of Magic was written, and Joe and Tammy commenced production by shooting footage at the 2010 International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.) Convention in San Diego. The road to completing the movie was not without its challenges. They had hoped to shoot a number of scenes at the I.B.M. Convention but were denied permission because another movie had shot there the year before and it had not gone well. Using the Canon 7D, Joe and Tammy managed to capture some b-roll and snuck in a few short scenes, but most of the film remained to be shot.
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In the stor y, a magician competes in an international magic competition where he goes head to head with a female street magician with whom he has fallen in love. When it comes to magic in a plot line, women are perennially portrayed as magician assistants or even witches, but seeing a woman as a performing magician is extremely rare. With the script calling for a lead actress as an accomplished professional magician, t he f ilmmakers had to f ind a female magician who was the right age, living in Los Angeles and could act brilliantly, or they had to find an actress who was dedicated enough to put in the time and training to learn magic. Luckily, actress Valerie Dillman was up for the challenge of the role. Although not a practiced magician, Valerie is an experienced TV and film actress, has appeared in many plays, and is accustomed to the demands of rehearsal work. Tammy and Joe decided t he best approach was to shoot the movie slowly, a day or two a month. This allowed them to keep full-time jobs and save up money for each production segment. It also meant that Valerie had time to perfect magic tricks for upcoming scenes. The magic in the movie was intended to move the story forward and tell the
audience more about the characters. This meant that many of the tricks had to be integrated into the story and performed in ways that had never been done before. To accomplish this, Joe sought the advice of magic consultants Tony Clark and David Regal. As a test, Joe first taught the tricks to be used in the movie to Tammy, and then captured her on video performing the tricks. They figured if Tammy could learn the tricks, then likely Valerie could, too. Tony and David reviewed each video, and once the group felt each trick was solid, they’d bring Valerie in for rehearsal. Whenever possible, the magic tricks were shot with no cuts, and definitely no CGI. Scheduling production for one or two days a month provided other advantages as well. It gave the filmmakers time to secure locations that met their story and budget requirements. An even bigger plus was that it allowed them to work around the schedules of the magicians and actors they wanted to hire. But there were also difficulties with this Continued on 37
REEL LIFE
Shedding Cinematic Light on a Serious Issue By Cedric Godin
I felt the need to make a movie about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) when I realized the extent of the pathology, not only in America but also in my native France and other nations. PTSD diagnoses increase each year. The impact of the disorder is not limited to those who serve in the armed forces; people from all walks of life have been diagnosed with PTSD. My mother worked as a psychiatric nurse for 40 years, and her experience made me quite familiar with the complexity of mental and emotional health issues. I believe the need to understand why we sometimes can’t face the outside world is because our inside world is totally
destroyed. This revelation led me to research, read, watch videos and contact people to learn more about PTSD. My friend, G. Larry Butler, was a Vietnam veteran with PTSD who became a working actor. Larry introduced me to groups of veterans from the VA center in Los Angeles and taught me a lot about the disorder. I wrote the entire treatment during a flight from Los Angeles to Paris. English is not my native language, so I knew that the film would be a disaster if I didn’t ask my fellow actors to help with developing the dialogue for the script, which they did. The story of PTSD revolves around a young military veteran who returns from Iraq and struggles to adjust to civilian life at home. As he travels from Miami to L.A. in search of his childhood friend, he spirals deeper into depression and realizes that something is affecting his grasp on reality. Painful memories emerge, and he searches for the courage to overcome his demons and begin the journey back to life. I work in the music industry in
Paris, so my time making the movie in L.A. was limited. We shot the first and largest segment of the film in 20 days. I went back to work in Paris for two months and made a second trip to L.A. to finish the shooting and ADR. Gathering $15,000 from ten friends in a small amount of time enabled us to start shooting. I asked my friend, Jason L. Brandt, to play the lead role. He didn’t have an easy decision to make considering the lack of structure at that time, but he kindly accepted and invested himself every day to make it happen in the best possible way. Later, I reached out to friends Treva Etienne and Philippe Simon, two working actors who were very patient and generous. I also called all the people I knew in L.A., which wasn’t many, to ask for 20 of their days to work on the project. My main goal for filming was to make sure the team was happy. We supplied good food and gas for everyone and didn’t have long shooting days. The shooting schedule showed us the limitations you face when making a low-budget picture, but we definitely maintained a professional atmosphere on the shoot. We shot the majority of interior scenes at private locations. The exteriors were shot “guerrilla style,” as dictated by the budget. My long-time friend and partner, Jim Zaguroli, supplied equipment including two DVCPro HD cameras, five light stands, two tripods, and a tiny screen that we ended up discarding as it took too long to install and required tons of useless filters and cables to work. We r a n o u t o f m o n e y a n d t i m e ver y qu ick ly, so I dec ided to do t he postproduction in France. I met with Julien Decroo, an editor for one of the biggest TV production companies in France. I also asked my old friend and composer, Mickael Winter, to create the score — a first for him. Both Julien and Mickael were excited to work on a film from a first-time director and brought their considerable talents, along with eight months of their time, to complete the project. I knew that these two pros would bring great value to the picture. One of the most impor ta nt t hings Continued on 28
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17
scriptapalooza
16th Annual
screenplay competition
$50,000 awarded in prizes Over 90 producers reading all the entries Top 30 winners get software from Write Brothers Get feedback with your entry We promote TOP 100 scripts for a full year Endorsed by Robert McKee, Author of STORY
DEADLINE APRIL 21 310.801.5366 office
www.scriptapalooza.com
info@scriptapalooza.com
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Scriptapalooza — a humdinger of a script contest
Scriptapalooza, as in lalapalooza, meaning cat’s meow, knockout, etc.
Scriptapalooza, the screenw riting competition and script coverage service founded in 1998, is going into its 16th year and has proven to the industry and to writers that it is committed to working for writers and opening doors for them. Over 90 producers, managers and agents read all the entries, unlike other competitions that do not use industry professionals whose mission it is to identify scripts worthy of production and get them optioned, presented to a studio or purchased outright. Mark A ndr ushko, Scriptapalooza president, sta r ted t he enter pr ise in response to complaints from screenwriter buddies who were always entering contests but couldn’t answer the basic question, “who gets to read your script?” The biggest problem, says Andrushko, “was the nearly insurmountable wall just to get a shot at being seen, heard or read. That was the beginning of our quest to organize a competition that opened up doors, created opportunities and was straightforward with the writers entering.” In the Q&A that follows, Andrushko, brings us up to date with what’s happening with the competition, the prizes and the company’s other services. How has Scriptapalooza changed from its early days? What changes or plans do you have in store for the upcoming year? I don’t think much has changed... Scriptapalooza has always been about the writers, about getting them through that Hollywood door. We have always worked with Write Brothers; they have the best screenwriting software for writers on the market. Changes? We added a new category this year: “Best in Genre” (seven in all), we’re giving away bigger cash prizes. We recently unveiled a new website, and it includes a video explaining how Scriptapalooza works. Please visit our website to see it, we’re really proud of it. Tell us more about the cash and other prizes, and other ways you gain by entering. We are offering over $50,000 in cash and prizes. (Visit the website for a complete list of prizes). But I do believe the biggest prize of all is that Scriptapalooza promotes and pushes the “Top 100” scripts for a full year. No other competition in the world does that. After we announce the Semifinalists, we promote and pitch them for an entire year. I don’t think it’s that crazy. That’s our job;
that’s what a competition should be doing. The 100 scripts are all great. Any of them could be made into a movie or at least get the writer a meeting with a producer, and the writer can show what else s/he has to offer. Here’s how the process works: After we announce the winners, we literally call and pitch the Top 100 to all of our contacts — about 125 producers. They tell us what they’re looking for, and we go through the list/loglines of the Top 100 and get the right script to the right producer. It’s a win/win situation. If a competition that you are thinking about entering doesn’t do that, don’t enter it. Plain and simple. Entering a screenplay competition isn’t about the Grand Prize; that’s a long shot. Go for the connections and what they can do with your script. How long does the judging take? We start giving scripts to judges in early January. They have until July to turn in the scripts that they think are best and should move forward. What advice do you have for writers who are thinking about entering the competition? It sounds redundant but it’s t rue: write and rewrite, and then rewrite some more. Don’t rush to make the deadline. We will be here next year. Have people read your script, give you feedback or get professional coverage before you even consider submitting your script. Proofread, and make sure you have proper format. Make sure you didn’t mix up your character names, and make sure each character has a distinct voice. Also, check for a beginning, middle and end. Those are just a few things to think about. What’s the best piece of advice you’d offer aspiring scribes who’d love to win this year’s Scriptapalooza? Don’t go after the grand prize... that’s not what you should be shooting for. Make sure your script is really good and ready, and submit it. Hopefully, it floats to the top and makes the Top 100, because then we promote it for a full year. Only one writer wins the cash, but 99 others win the same amount of exposure. Who reads all the entries? All the reading at Scriptapalooza is done by producers, managers and agents. I think it’s important to let everyone know we don’t believe in readers because readers can’t do anything with your script. We go
right to the source — that being a producer, manager or agent. These are the people who can set up a meeting, option your script, take it to the studio or outright buy it. A lot of writers want feedback when they enter a competition, but be careful. Getting feedback from just anyone is pointless; getting feedback from Scriptapalooza is priceless. We have had judges request contact information on scripts that are still in the judging process. Also, the writers who make it to the Top 100, including the winner, must be active participants in their career. The writer has to be prepared to self-promote, to use their placement in the competition as a springboard. We have gotten people meetings, and they didn’t know how to handle themselves, nor did they have other material to show the interested parties. Winning a competition is definitely a huge accomplishment, but that’s when the real work begins for a writer. Scriptapalooza opens the door, but ultimately it is the writer who needs to show up and walk through it. Does anyone endorse Scriptapalooza? Yes, our partners at Write Brothers have been endorsing Scriptapalooza and giving away their software as prizes for 14 years. Also, Robert McKee, author of Story, has endorsed Scriptapalooza, saying: “Despite its frivolous name, Scriptapalooza is the best screenwriting competition I know.” You’re offering feedback for $100. How does that work? If you enter the competition you can, at the same time, order coverage on your script for $100. This gives you the advantage of receiving detailed notes on your script in these categories: • Premise • First Twenty Pages • Structure • Character • Dialogue • Setting • Pacing • Tone • Transitions • General Notes Your feedback includes a logline, a synopsis and your feedback totaling four to five pages. Entry deadlines are: January 6, March 3 and April 14, with the final deadline of April 21, 2014. For more on how the competition and coverage processes work, visit www.Scriptapalooza.com.
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SUNDANCE 2014 SELECTION
— g n i l l e t y r St o t u O e d i s n I From T he
By Maureen Herzog
O
n a beaut if ully desolate Navajo reservation in New Mexico, three young people — a college-bound, devout Christian; a rebellious and angry father-to-be; and a promiscuous but gorgeous transsexual — search for love and acceptance. Thus reads the logline for Native American filmmaker Sydney Freeland’s 2014 Sundance feature entry, D r u nk t ow n’s F in e s t . F r e el a nd was inspired to craft the uplifting, coming-of-age-under-desperate-circumstances tale after seeing a 20/20 story that called her hometown of Gallup, New Mexico “Drunktown USA.” She is hoping to “show the world that label was wrong, and that my community has complexity, dimension and hope.” Freeland grew up on the Navajo Indian reservation, which spans parts of New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. “On the reservation poverty is high, alcoholism is rampant and the unemployment rate hovers at 60 percent,” Freeland says. She was raised with the belief that both art and storytelling are spiritual endeavors that, as she explains, “connect us to the earth, to each other, and ultimately, to our Creator.” From a young age, Freeland wanted to be a storyteller. She pursued and received a BFA in 3D Animation and an MFA in Film. Along the way she was named a Fulbright Scholar (2004) and has done work for
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media entities such as The Food Network, Comedy Central, National Geographic, PBS, and Walt Disney. In 2009 she received a fellowship for the Sundance Institute Native American Lab, and in subsequent years received fellowships for the Sundance Institute Labs in Screenwriting and Directing. T h ree yea rs ago, Bi rd Ru n n i ngwater, Director of the Institute’s Native American and Indigenous Program, introduced Freeland to producer Chad Burris of
Indion Entertainment. Burris has produced several features including Sterlin Harjo’s Four Sheets to the Wind, Michael Winterbot tom’s The Killer Inside Me and Nick Cassavetes’ Yellow, and was nominated for the 2013 John Cassavetes Independent Spirit Award for producing Aurora Guerrero’s feature, Mosquita y Mari. A member of the C h ic k a s aw Nat ion, Ne w Mexico-based Burris is an attorney but focuses his energies on producing. He has also written (Indie Slate issue 56) about and spoken on tax credit usage, entertainment law, and film finance for a variety of film festivals and nonprofit organizations. Upon reading the script for Drunktown’s Finest, Burris knew he had to be involved. “The story was new, young, fresh,” he says. “I hadn’t seen any thing like it before, especially one with multi-character perspectives, including a transgender one.” Bu r r is a nd fel low producer Mateo Frazier set about assembling resources. Planning production for New Mexico, Burris says they were able to package the project “with a combination of equity, in-kind support and state incentives.” They shot in the summer of 2013 and used the Arri Alexa, thanks to what Burris calls “very generous support from Arri.” A $30,000 Kickstarter campaign for postproduction funding followed this past fall. The campaign closed successfully with 376 backers and helped to get the project completed just in time for its
Photos by Peter Holland
Sundance premiere on January 18. The film is screening in the “Next” category. Projects in the category are described as “pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling … digital technology paired with unfettered creativity promises that films in this section will shape a ‘greater’ next wave in American cinema.” O n c e D r u n k t o w n’s F i n e s t w a s announced as part of the 2014 Festival program, several companies contacted Burris about sales representation. Screening the proposals with due diligence, Burris engaged Andrew Herwitz of the Film Sales Company to represent the project. The project has been blessed in other ways as well. Indie film champion Robert Redford agreed to participate as Executive Producer. True to the mission of the Sundance Institute, he continues to “actively advance the work of risk-taking storytellers worldwide.” And writer-director Sydney Freeland is grateful, expressing many thanks to the Institute, Bird Runningwater and producers Chad Burris and Mateo Frazier. She also credits her father for the level of success she has achieved thus far. “I was largely raised by a single parent (my father), and he really provided me with a strong foundation,” she explains. “He always made sure I had food to eat and a roof over my head in an environment that maybe was not the most ideal. He also prepared me to deal with rejection — as anyone who is familiar with the film industry knows, you deal with this a lot.” Drunktown’s Finest is an opportunity to gain what Freeland describes as “unique insight into this community because the story is told from the inside out.” What better way to broaden our horizons, expand our minds and ultimately connect us to each other.
Filmmaker Sydney Freeland on the set
Jeremiah Bitsui as “Sick Boy” Carmen Moore as “Felixia”
Drunktown’s Finest – Cast: Jeremiah Bitsui, Carmen Moore, Morningstar Angeline Wilson, Shauna Baker, Kiowa Gordon, Elizabeth Francis, Luis Bordonad. ExPr: Robert Redford; Prod: Chad Burris, Mateo Frazier; Dir/Scr: Sydney Freeland; DP: Peter A. Holland; Ed: Harry Yoon.
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GEAR
Feather Touch Zoom Controller from Camera Turret By Jim Livesey
When Indie Slate asked me to review the Feather Touch Zoom by Camera Turret, I jumped at the chance. Who among us will pass up the opportunity to play with some new gear? Plus, I had heard good things about Camera Turret but had never had the opportunity to use the company’s products. The Feather Touch is a rail-mounted zoom controller that can be used with any zoom lens. It works by rotating the body of the lens, so in many ways it reminds me of the lens-mounted focus controllers that everyone is used to. The difference is that the Feather Touch is motorized and controlled through a rocker switch, which gives a smooth zoom comparable to that found on highend broadcast cameras. It has variable speed, is precise and is set up so that when it gets to the end of the zoom it stops without a bump. All in all, this
makes for a very smooth-working piece of equipment. It comes with a power supply, which means without an alternative power source you need to be tethered to an electrical outlet. I used a battery adapter with a 12-volt out so I could take it into the field. I also found that using a lens gear from my follow-focus allowed for a better grip on the lens and a little more control. (Neither the battery adapter nor the lens gear are included with the Feather Touch). My only complaints about the Feather Touch are the appearance and price. It look s rat her indust ria l, as in straight-from-the-machine-shop industrial. The actual gear that attaches to the camera is big, and the controller with the toggle switch is a large box that needs to be mounted on a tripod handle. While I was using the battery adapter, I
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INDIE SLATE
couldn’t find a comfortable way of operating it on a handheld rig. Finally, the graphics on the controller look like they could be from off-the-shelf components. I’ll be the first to admit that looks are not even in the same category as performance — what really matters is how the equipment works. However, for the $599 MSRP I would expect a little more polish. As professionals, we sell our equipment as much as our services. We spend a little more for a matte box that looks good on the camera. We buy a brand name camera slider instead of hitting up the local hardware store and putting something together. Yes, it’s important that your equipment works, but if you work for clients, the client needs to feel that you are a professional, and our gear is our calling card. In those terms the look of the Feather Touch, while fine for the indie maker, could be unimpressive if used in a client-centric workflow. Camera Turret has a great idea with the Feather Touch, and the technology is solid. However, the price point and the finish of the product may affect the decision to purchase. The other products in the Camera Turret line all have an industrial look, but with more polish. Hopefully, the Feather Touch will move in that direction. PRO • Great variable speed zoom controller • Smooth rocker switch • Unique product fills a need CON • Battery power not included • Hard to use on a shoulder rig • Prototype looks, MSRP
Camera Turret responds Although the reviewer is correct about the “appearance” of the unit, that was necessary to keep cost down, as everything is built in-house. But it’s out of touch with
the competition when it comes to price. I believe he is correlating it to things like the controls for some video cameras, like those made by varizoom and others. These are not running an external motor, but just controlling the motor within the camera. There is nothing out there that can run a cinema or DSLR lens as smooth as ours until you get to the Preston ($12,000) and maybe the varizoom cinema ($6000). Our product was specifically designed as a cost effective way of “live zooming” a DSLR lens shooting video.
See the video of the Feather Touch Zoom in action and explore other products from Camera Turret at www.cameraturret.com. Texas-based Jim Livesey has worked for TV network affiliates and large production and post houses as a producer, director, camera operator, graphic designer, lighting director and animator. He currently teaches video production at the college level.
White Box Suite Studio-Level Finishing for Independent-Level Budgets Over the last eight years, Corbin Bernsen has produced and directed seven independent features — the bulk of which he also wrote and acted in — demonstrating without a doubt that he is one seriously indie dude. As he juggles a variety of film and television acting assignments, such as his regular role on the popular USA Network series Psych, Bernsen manages to develop and produce scripts through his production company, Home Theater Films. (Read the Indie Slate article on Bernsen in Issue 59, and see the on-set interview with him at youtube.com). Even while acting, Bernsen says he’s always scouting for locations, meeting like-minded people and making connections that might prove helpful in future indie projects. “The work supports my addiction to indie filmmaking,” he explains. “For all of us who do this, while everyone wants to score the big one, we know that the odds are not in our favor; they aren’t in anyone’s favor, even for the huge movies.” While movies with budgets in the $10 million to $30 million range are labeled “indie” in today’s media landscape, Bernsen says, “I’m more a lower-budget indie, the $350,000 to $1,000,000 range.” To work cost efficiently and with more control, Bernsen and his group acquired some great postproduction gear and software and recruited seasoned producer Chris Aronoff, who had produced 10 feature films plus hundreds of hours of television and industrial video, and veteran colorist Randy Little, who had tent-pole studio movies and high-end commercials to his credit. Aronoff and Little went to work right away. Before long, others noticed the product being turned out by the postproduction team and sought help from Aronoff and Little to achieve the look needed for their own projects. Thus was born White Box Suite, a useful “tool” to help other filmmakers
accomplish a quality picture-finish that meets their technical and creative needs within their budget. White Box is aimed squarely at indies and offers finishing services for film, television, and all types of content. The team specializes in Color Grading, Finishing, VFX, QC and Delivery. “Our mission at White Box is to give your film a studio-finished look at a cost suitable for an indielevel budget,” Aronoff says. “Our only goal is to make your content look more expensive than it was actually made for. We’ll bid on the job as a package deal, where the total cost is a known item up front.” Just as a home undergoes renovations in order to increase its asking price before it’s listed on the market, the coloring, fixing, and finishing processes of a film can give a higher-quality look to the final product and raise its value as well. “In the indie business, story is everything,” affirms Bernsen. “And everything we do in post-production at White Box supports and enhances the story, presenting it in the best packaging possible.” Learn more about the services offered: www whiteboxsuite.com. Contact Aronoff at 818-754-8977, or email chris@whiteboxsuite.com.
“Our only goal is to make your content look more expensive than it was actually made for.
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Drew, from pg 15 him talk passionately about Drew’s artwork, beginning with his love for the Alice Cooper “Welcome To My Nightmare” album art. We shot with small crews and were very lucky that most of the people that worked on our film either worked for free or took pay cuts. They did it out of their love of Drew’s work and passion for the project. This film is as independent as it gets. The majority of the money has come out of my pocket, as well as my partners Charles Ricciardi and Greg Boas, so we are always running on fumes. We were very lucky that Drew gave us so many interviews and really opened his life to us, making it a movie that not only covers his amazing artwork, but also allows us to get to know the man behind the artwork. How this young boy, with very few advantages other then his talents, worked to become a successful artist. It is truly inspiring. We were very fortunate to have someone so talented also be brave enough to share his life and passion for art in a Documentary. W hich brings me back to Harrison Ford. One year after our first interview with George Lucas we finally got the okay to do an Interview with Mr. Ford. Yeah, that’s how long these things take! The catch? We had only 48 hours to assemble a crew, book our NY to LA flights and make it happen. Through my interviews with Drew
I learned that he had never met Harrison Ford, despite having painted Harrison more then anyone else. To get by, Drew actually poses for Harrison Ford in his paintings! So I knew Drew had to be there when we did the interview and we had to get it all on camera. With Drew standing by, we walked into the room to interview Harrison, cameras rolling. I actually had the honor of introducing them. I was in Geek Heaven! You could see the mutual respect between the two of them. And Harrison Ford’s interview is only one of the highlights of the film. Edited by Krystal Nimigian
Night Shift, from pg 17 ity. What was more amazing to us was the fact no one left. When the movie ended, the audience gave us a standing ovation! The best part of the premiere for me was when Thomas stood up before the film began and announced that we had been picked up for distribution by R-Squared Films. You can now find The Night Shift in stores all over the country, from Amazon to Walmart. I have to say, it’s a strange feeling to walk into FYE and see your face on a shelf. It’s a good kind of strange, though. Thomas and I, and all the gang at Fighting Owl Films, are now working on another short. This one is a silent, slapstick,
romantic comedy called C.U.P.I.D., which involves a young man learning that his destiny isn’t exactly his own to decide, thanks to a mysterious military group. Right now, our main focus is our next feature, Jersey Devil Expeditions. It’s a horror-adventure surrounding the Jersey Devil myth. We’re working with a producers’ consultant to try to secure financing. In the meantime, I can’t open my closet without seeing Herbie’s smiling face. It’s a reminder of all we’ve done and of all we hope to accomplish. There’s a skeleton in my closet, and I couldn’t be happier about it. The Night Shift: Thomas Smith, writer/ director/producer; Erin Lilley, producer; Soren Odom, director of photography/assistant director/composer; Stacey Schattgen, assistant director; Jessica Price, makeup designer; Danna Roper, wardrobe; Shaun Burdick, sound editor; Anna Gramlich, music editor; Patrick Edwards, special effects; Kaine van Riel, special effects. Starring Khristian Fulmer, Erin Lilley, Soren Odom, Jordan Woodall, Jonathan Pruitt, Andrew Crider, Brendon Cooke, Don Bloom. Erin Lilley, an actress, producer with Fighting Owl Films and voice-over artist, accomplished classical singer. Follow Fighting Owl Films (@FightingOwlFilms) on Twitter and Facebook.
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