Poll Results | Movie Ticket Prices

We asked you how much you're willing to spend on a movie ticket. Here's what you told us...

$10 -- 39%
Less than $7 -- 33%
I don't buy movie tickets -- 11%
$15 -- 6%
$20 -- 6%
Price does not affect me -- 5%

$25 or more -- 0%
$12 -- 0%

Are you surprised by these results?

Why The Indie Film Industry Needs Producers

Time and time again, I get the impression that the "Film Industry" generally does not value producers. I suppose I shouldn't deduce that The Studios' abandonment of Producer Overhead First Look Deals means that the business doesn't value Producers, and just that The Studios need to control costs or that they have other ways of accessing content, but...

Well, it's hard not to feel that it's just that Producers aren't respected. I suppose that financiers willingness to under pay Producers should not lead me to think that they don't know how much a Producer does. Maybe they are just trying to get a good deal. I suppose that I could take it as flattering that experienced folks in the business, assume that my overhead is covered, that my assistant's salary is taken care of.

So what is it that Producers do for the Film Industry at large?

1. Producers bring new investors into the business, both in terms of sourcing them, and structuring deals that make sense from an investors' perspective
2. Producers look out for investors' needs (substantially more than distributors do), as Producers think long term and need private equity to stay in the game.
3. Producers provide development supervision to get the scripts right -- and they usually get a lot more writing done without additional costs -- because the authors know they are doing it to get the best movie made, and not just to justify their jobs.
4. Producers inspire talent to embrace work for affordable yet just rates -- because everyone knows that the producer is doing also for the love but for a whole lot longer.
5. Producers counter-balance industry pressure to increase costs and keep movies' budgets at levels that make sense -- which is good for the industry.
6. Producers innovate -- be it in the search to deliver a better film or to control costs, innovation is in their blood.
7. Producers develop talent and take the chances on emerging artists.
8. Producers keep in touch with the audience, weighing where their tastes and habits are.
9. Producers bring content, talent, technology, audiences, investors together.
10. Producers help show the business and the culture where they might aspire to be going.

Tom DiCillo on "Living in Oblivion"

What was going on before you made Living In Oblivion?
TOM DICILLO: My first feature was film called Johnny Suede, starring Brad Pitt. I busted my ass on that one for at least four years to get it made. Although the film reached a certain sort of audience, it never quite found an audience, and the distribution of it was, frankly, really disappointing. It made making my second film really, really difficult.

I had written a screenplay called Box of Moonlight, and could not get the money for it. Years and years went by, two, three, four, five, and I just reached a point of such maniacal desperation that I said, "I have to do something, no matter what." It was out of that intense frustration that Living in Oblivion was born.

It wasn't born out of, "Hey, let me make a funny movie." It really came out of one of the most intense periods of anger and frustration in my career. And, ironically, it turned out to be the funniest movie I've ever made. I think in some way that is part of what makes my humor my humor. It is humor based upon real, human intensity, desperation, foolishness.

One of the things that makes the script so strong is that all the obstacles that you put in Nick's way are real obstacles that you've experienced in that position.

TOM DICILLO: Whatever you write, you have to tap into something personal for yourself. I used to have an acting teacher who said to me, "If it ain't personal, it ain't no good." There's something to be said for that. Even if you're talking about a character, someone who's not you, you have to find something that is you that you really do believe and that you've really experienced and you have real feelings about, and put it in that character's mouth and in their hearts and minds.

But at the same time, I don't want to ever make it seem like when I write that it's just me. I'm not interested in that. Even with my first film, Johnny Suede -- sure, I put a lot of myself into that character -- but I also was very clearly trying to find a way to make it more objective, more universal, something that other people could relate to.

I absolutely believe that if you can find a way to tap into something that's very personal, and then make a creative leap from there, that's the best way to do it. Anger by itself is not enough. You have to have the creative imagination coming into play as well.

How much rehearsal did you have?

TOM DICILLO: None. Absolutely none.

I don't like to rehearse, anyway. My style of working is to just talk to people, get the costumes correct, talk a little bit about the character, and then just find it as the camera is rolling. What was so fascinating to me was that none of these actors auditioned and they were almost instantaneously their parts. But everyone knew the lines, I'm very disciplined in terms of that.

Most people think Living In Oblivion is completely improvised, but there's only one scene that was improvised, and that's the scene where Steve erupts at the crew at the end of Part One. Everything else was completely scripted.

Were there any things you learned writing that script that you still use today?

TOM DICILLO: Yeah. I have a tendency, if I'm going to write a joke, I set it up with a one, two, three punch. But I realized that most of the time, when I get in the editing room, I usually only end up using the one or the two, never the one, two, three. That's kind of an interesting lesson to learn: if you're going to tell a joke, just tell the joke. Don't do three jokes.

I also learned the idea of setting in motion something that, once it's in motion has a life of its own and people are really are almost instantaneously eager to find out what's going to happen. That's a crucial thing. Many screenwriting teachers will talk to you about a screenplay and say that it's all about tension and conflict. And, in some ways, that absolutely true.

But if that tension and conflict doesn't arouse enough interest to have people really want to know what's going to happen next, then you're screwed. I think Johnny Suede suffered from that a bit. It was my first screenplay and there's very little real dramatic tension in it.

I like the idea of setting something in motion -- like a cart rolling down a hill -- that once it's going, you can't stop it.

What's your favorite memory of working on Living In Oblivion?

TOM DICILLO: Oh, man, there are millions. I think I would have to say that it was the look on people's faces the first time Peter Dinklage, who plays Tito, erupted into his tirade against the director. Most of the crew that we had hired had not read the script, because we weren't paying anybody. And so we were getting people working for free, and they might work one or two days a week.

And so this crew was just standing by the lights, doing whatever they were doing, and all of a sudden Peter Dinklage, during a take, says, "I'm sick of this crap." He just erupted and everybody just turned and looked with their jaws open. They really thought he was saying it.

Then the laughter that erupted when they realized that it was just part of the movie, it was a fantastic feeling. It made me really feel that I had stumbled upon something and it was working.

Q&A with Actor Ken Jennings

Film: Under Jakob's Ladder
Actor: Ken Jennings
Role: Oigen

Q: What attracted you to working on this film?
A: Well, first of all, it was just work. And it's always good to work. But I knew that I really liked the piece when I saw a line to the effect of "The path to salvation is through the gate of mercy." That's probably a paraphrase. But I really liked that. That's also my favorite line from the film.

Q: Did you do anything special to prepare for the role of Oigen?
A: I really didn't have to do too much to prepare for Oigen. Worked on the accent a bit. But the role is fairly self-explanatory. I play a lot of dark characters. They're fun to play. Playing an Irish gangster in a film I'm currently shooting ("White Irish Drinkers").

Q: What was the most challenging scene for you?
A: I didn't find any scene that challenging. I'm used to playing characters of this sort.

Q: What did you enjoy the most about working on this film?
A: The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the moral value of the film. And I really enjoyed meeting and working with Robert, Jill, and Mann. We had many good talks about all sorts of various things. Spiritually, it was good for me to work with them at that time. They're good people.

Q: How did you get your start in film?
A: I've been doing film and TV for quite a while now. But I really got my start on the stage. And the stage is still where I get most of my work. I've done eight Broadway shows. Won two awards for my work in "Sweeney Todd" on Broadway. Done lots of regional theater. Played everything from Shakespeare and Strindberg to Porter and Berlin. Playing the great Shakespearean roles, that's the best. I've had the honor to play both Shylock and Iago. I think those roles were the highlights of my career. The regionals don't pay as much as Broadway. But I didn't get into this for the money really. I got into it for the love.
Q: What inspires you as an actor?
A: And there's nothing like playing those great Shakespearean roles. Right now, I'm performing in an Off-Broadway show, Sessions. We've been running for over a year now.

Q: If you weren't an actor, what would you be?
A: I'd always be an actor. If I wasn't getting paid for it, I'd still be doing it on an amateur level.

Jon Reiss on The New Way To Think Of Theatrical

I wasn't at DIY Days. If I had been, perhaps I could have saved some time that I just spent brainstorming and writing it all down. Dang.

Jon puts a lot of good stuff out there. With most of the new crop of Sundance films having gotten their golden tickets this week, their makers would do well to listen up to the words that Mr. Reiss speaks. Is that you?

And if you look at the list of To Dos that I served up on that last post, you would do wise to heed his advice and fire your DP and hire a Producer of Distribution & Marketing. Open your ears:

And here's a nice round up of Jon's talk from Sheri Candler.

Prison Rat

Stockings, our prison rat from Under Jakob's Ladder, was the feature of her own newspaper article this past weekend. Along with her owner Dana (our fearless Rat Handler)...

And of course with Yasha (Quentin McCuiston).

You can read the article here.

The Twenty New Rules: What we all MUST TRY to do prior to shooting

I am prepping a new film with the shortest amount of time I have ever had to prep a movie. It is also one of the more ambitious projects I have been involved in. There is so much to do I can't afford to squander any time (luckily I have been prepping some blog posts in advance, so this doesn't take time -- it expands time!). The short prep is also unfortunate because now is a time that the producer has to do even more than ever before.

My To Do List may be more of a Wish List these days. Instead of doing everything I think I should be doing, I have to focus first on what absolutely needs to be done to get the film in the can.

Now is the time we should be doing things differently; yet given the opportunity to make the film I want, with the cast I want, even at a fraction of the budget that I want -- how can I let that opportunity go by?

Having more options and better tools, doesn't solve everything by any means.

These times are tough indeed. Everyone knows it is hard out there for an indie filmmaker, particularly for a truly free filmmaker. Most would acknowledge that it is harder now than it has ever been before. Few have revealed (or admitted) how the current situation will change their behavior. I think right now, with reality staring me in the face, I can only speak about what I wish I could do. There is still a big gulf between thought and expression. How does the present alter what we all wish to do on our films?

Personally speaking, I would say we need to evolve the definition of what it means to be ready to shoot a film. Granted, more can always be done on the creative level and that is certainly worthy of discussion, but here -- on TrulyFreeFilm -- we are discussing the apparatus, the infrastructure, the practices that can lead to a more diverse output, robust appreciation, business model, and sustainable practice of ambitious cinema. So, what would I do if I really had my shit together? I have been trying to answer this and share my thoughts along the way.

Today's version:

1. Recognize it is about audience aggregation: Collect 5000 fans prior to seeking financing. Act to gain 500 fans/month during prep, prod., post processes.
2. Determine how you will engage & collect audiences all throughout the process. Consider some portion to be crowd-funded -- not so much for the money but for the engagement it will create.
3. Create enough additional content to keep your audience involved throughout the process and later to bridge them to your next work.
4. Develop an audience outreach schedule clarifying what is done when -- both before and after the first public screening.
5. Curate work you admire. Spread the word on what you love. Not only will people understand you further, but who knows, maybe someone will return the good deed.
6. Be prepared to "produce the distribution". Meet with potential collaborators from marketing, promotion, distribution, social network, bookers, exhibitors, widget manufacturers, charitable partners, to whatever else you can imagine.
7. Brainstorm transmedia/cross-platform content to be associated with the film.
8. Study at least five similar films in terms of what their release strategy & audience engagement strategy was and how you can improve upon them.
9. Build a website that utilizes e-commerce, audience engagement, & data retrieval. Have it ready no later than 1 month prior to first public screening.
10. Determine & manufacture at least five additional products you will sell other than DVDs.
11. Determine content for multiple versions of your DVD.
12. Design several versions of your poster. Track how your image campaign evolves through the process.
13. Do a paper cut of what two versions of your trailer might be. Track how this changes throughout the process.
14. Determine a list of the top 100 people to promote your film (critics, bloggers, filmmakers,etc)
15. Determine where & how to utilize a more participatory process in the creation, promotion, exhibition, & appreciation process. Does it make sense for your project to embrace this?
16. How will this project be more than a movie? Is there a live component? An ARG? An ongoing element?
17. How can you reward those who refer others to you? How do you incentivize involvement? What are you going to give back?
18. What will you do next and how can you move your audience from this to that? How will younot have to reinvent the wheel next time?
19. What are you doing differently than everyone else? How will people understand this? Discover this?
20. How are you going to share what you've learned on this project with others?

As I've said, I know I am not doing all of these yet on my current production, but that leaves me something to strive for the one following. The goal is to keep getting better, after all. But man, I wish I could be doing more!

The desire to do more is so huge, but time and resources limit me, limit us. Sometimes it feels like an accomplishment to at least get the film financed. Still though, I can't claim to be doing my job (producing) well if I am not doing all of these. I have to do better. I know it is even harder on smaller jobs. Still though, as much as our job descriptions keep expanding as our salary level decreases, this list is what we must accomplish. Or at least it is the list I think we need to accomplish right now.

I am going to shut up now and get to work. There's too much to be done.

Q&A with Actress Alexandra Tejeda Rieloff

Film: Under Jakob's Ladder
Actress: Alexandra Tejeda Rieloff
Role: Emma

Q: What attracted you to working on this film?
A: The challenge of playing a Russian woman from a period past. I also thought the story was very moving.

Q: How did you prepare for your role?
A: Almost ten years ago, I bought a CD -- 'Russian Accents For Actors' -- which somehow remained with me. I knew one day I would put it to use; I think it was something I always wanted to do. I also watched Sergei Bondarchuk's film, 'War and Peace'. (It's approximately seven hours long.) I picked scenes where I could study the women, in particular, and played them over and over... Some nights I fell a sleep listening to their voices.

Q: How did you identify with your character?
A: With a little effort, I think we can identify with all things and other human beings... However, having some German/Russian ancestry helped.

Q: What did you enjoy the most about working on this film?
A: I enjoyed everything about working on this film. Every moment was a learning and growing experience.

Q: Talk about working on the set.
A: Robert [producer] and Mann [director] were wonderful. Mann exudes a trust and confidence which gave me trust and confidence. I thank them both for trusting 'Emma' to me. I did not have much dialogue with Jeff [role of Jakob], but the scene on the bridge was electric, for me. It might be my favorite scene. He was fantastic!

Q: What was the most challenging scene for you?
A: I only had a few scenes, but I think the arrival of Emma to Rachel's house. Maybe because I didn't have her there... But such is the art of filmmaking!

Q: How did you get your start in film?
A: I auditioned for a film called 'Destination Unknown' and got a small role. I think I have one line or two, can't remember. It was my first film audition. I had been working as a dancer and on stage up until then. It was something I always wanted to do.

Q: Who are your influences?
A: My influences are many. I am a compulsive thief who draws from everything I can: People, especially strangers, music, nature, animals. Definitely animals. They're so real and alive. My father who was an inventor, and my mother who is one of the most adventurous and courageous people I know. Actors who have inspired me! Kim Stanley, John Hurt (in the 'Elephant Man'), the French actress Isabelle Hubert, the Spanish actress Carmen Maura, Charlie Chaplin, Walter Matthau. And I wish I had been around to see Laurette Taylor on stage. Maureen Stapleton and John Cassavetes, Angela Lansbury, Peter Falk... Ben Gezzara! Jee, I've been inspired by so many actors...

Jamin Winans on "Ink"

What was your filmmaking background before you made Ink?

JAMIN: I grew up with a video camera in my hand and learned filmmaking mostly by doing it. I joke that Ink is actually my 4th feature film because I made two feature length films by shooting on VHS and cutting on two VCRs when I was a kid. I went to film school for a year, but dropped out realizing my time was best spent just doing it. I made my "first" feature, 11:59, in 2003-2004.

Where did the idea come from?

JAMIN: When I was a kid I was in love with Snow White. Consequently I was terrified of the witch in old woman form. I used to believe she would sneak into my room and try to steal me out of bed to take me to some place terrible. That image stuck with me a long time. It's not just coincidence that Ink looks a lot like the witch from Snow White. And that's where the movie started from. I had the scene of a monster stealing a kid out of bed and angels trying to stop him. The story just kept building from there.

What was your process for writing the script?

JAMIN: I outline heavily. My scripts are usually complicated and involved so I'll often spend months, if not years, outlining. The actual script writing is quick. I tend to not write a single page until I'm absolutely certain I have everything worked out. In the case of Ink I finished the script and then made several revisions over the course of pre-production. There were probably at least a half-dozen revisions. During that time I got feedback from trusted people whose opinions and taste I respect.

How did you finance the film and what did you learn in that process?

JAMIN: We've been building a fan base over the past 10 years or so. During that time we've found some supporters who have been willing to invest in projects. With Ink, Kiowa (my wife and producer) and I really wanted to be investors ourselves. So we mortgaged our house to be the first investors. We then we started to talk to our friends and supporters and gave them a fairly elaborate and visual business plan. The fact that we were investing ourselves certainly helped others feel more comfortable. We raised the financing we needed over about 8 months.

The thing I've learned about financing both our films is that it just takes time. It takes time and leg work to get to the right people and ultimately convince them that this is a project worth supporting.

What sort of camera did you use? What was good about it? What was not so good?

JAMIN: We shot entirely on the Sony V1U. It was the smallest HD camera available at the time (weighing about 3 lbs). Originally we were going to shoot with the Sony CineAlta, but realized it was just too big for the situations we were shooting in. We needed a camera that was light and could fit in small spaces. We were shooting an enormous amount of setups a day and having that small camera was a saving grace.

On the other hand, the issue with the V1U is that the latitude is pretty weak. When shooting night exteriors, we needed to pump out a lot of light to register on that camera. It made night scenes really rough. The Sony EX came out immediately after we wrapped. It's not much bigger than the V1U, but has a much better latitude. If we shot Ink today we would use that camera.

You wore a lot of hats on the film -- writer, director, editor, composer, producer. What's the benefit of doing that? The downside?

JAMIN: Yes, and Kiowa was the producer, production designer, costume designer, and sound designer. The benefit is absolute creative control. I'm able to make the decisions I want without encumbrance. The other advantage is that there's less time wasted on communicating between "departments." So it can be really efficient. The downside is that there are only so many hours in the day. I can only work so fast when I'm doing everything. It can also be nice to have other collaborators throwing in their two cents. You don't get that when you're working on your own.

And, finally, what did you learn from making the film that you can take to other projects?

JAMIN: More than anything I've learned how powerful fans can be. We've had a fan base that's carried us and Ink for the past several months as we've taken it out theater by theater. Because of the time we're living in, we're able to connect with a lot of our fans personally through our social networks. They've become friends, advocates, and have really kept our spirits high as we fight to get Ink released. More now than ever, I suspect our fans will be a big part of the ongoing filmmaking process.

The Cost of a Movie Ticket

When was the last time you went to see a movie at the theatre? Did your heart sink to see the price of the ticket? Or maybe you gave no thought as to the amount you had to pay at the box office...

Did you know that in 1948, the average ticket price to see a movie in the U.S. was just 36 cents?! Ten years later, in 1958, the price nearly doubled... to 68 cents a ticket.

Take a look at the chart below. Notice the average price doubles for each decade (the exception being from 1988 to 1998).

1948 -- $0.36
1958 -- $0.68
1967 -- $1.22
1978 -- $2.34
1988 -- $4.11
1998 -- $4.69
2008 -- $7.18

Hmmm... What does that mean for the next decade? If we're at an average of $7.18 per ticket right now, double that and you jump to around $14.00 a ticket.

Of course, these figures are the average for the entire United States. Spend some time in New York. We're already paying between $10-$14 for a movie ticket in NYC. So, that would make the average New York City movie ticket $20-$28 in 2018, right? (Popcorn, anyone?)

What do you think? What are you willing to pay for a ticket to see a movie? (Where do you draw the line? $10? $15? $30???)

Take our poll... {This poll is now closed, but you can still leave a comment below.}

Also, feel free to leave a comment...

15 Ways To Show Your Collaborators You Appreciate Them

As an indie film producer, what can you do to show appreciation for all those that are helping you make your film?

1. Do your job well. Make a film everyone is proud of. Give the team memories that they were lead well.
2. Provide timely information and decisive actions, as clearly as possible. Don't try to hide anything. Don't sugar coat; speak truthfully about the situation -- reality may not be pretty, but presenting it clarifies your mutual trust.
3. Recognize how well your collaborators do their jobs and show how much you appreciate them. Show respect. You can't make this film without them; they chose to join you and you are fortunate to have them.
4. Learn everyone's name. Learn something about them. Take interest in their lives. Remember & celebrate their birthdays. Thank them for their work.
5. Demonstrate that you are concerned for your crew's health. Provide vitamins and sun screen. Can you provide flu shots on set? When someone is sick, send them home.
6. Have a true commitment to safety. If working long hours on location, provide overnight accommodations. Don't let people drive when they are over tired. Really have a safety meeting each day.
7. Good food is quickest route to someone's heart. Provide thoughtful craft service: healthy food, fun food, new food, fresh food. Work with your caterer to make sure people are getting what they want.
8. Provide a constructive work environment. Keep the workplace clean and orderly. Don't joke around camera. Don't let people read in view of others. Give everyone access to information.
9. Don't contribute to a bad world. Help your team recycle. Don't force them to waste due to their work situation. Use less paper.
10. Bring some fun into their world. Provide entertainment or education at lunch breaks. Do "dollar days" at the end of the week.
11. Let them help the world at large. Organize a blood drive at lunch during production, a toy drive, or coat drive during the winter months. Get absentee ballots when they will be working during election periods.
12. Adopt and post/display strong anti-discrimination, anti-sexual harassment policies.
13. Help them enjoy themselves. On location, provide an extensive entertainment list for all visiting crew and cast, including restaurants, theaters, medical, specialty stores, massage, and directions. Organize some group outings during non-working hours.
14. Go that extra distance to make things better for the team. On location, provide laundry service. In booking travel, always enter everyone's Frequent Flyer miles. Provide direction books in all vehicles.
15. Recognize everyone as a key part of the process. Get them the tools they need to do their work well. Screen dailies and invite everyone. Create a blooper reel to screen for crew. Give them posters, DVDs, t-shirts. Inform them as to the progress of the production. Allow them to comment on the website.

When I have asked for some of these things from past production teams, I have occasionally met with some resistance. "I am a production manager, not a camp counselor!" "These people are adults; they should be able to take care of themselves!".

I don't agree. Everyone works hard. We need to show that we appreciate it. It's funny though, when I put this question out there to the Facebook & Twitter worlds, I think people mostly recommended alcohol and backend points. Money and booze, maybe that's all it takes...

Special thanks to all of you who contributed to this. This was a crowdsourced post.

Water in the Hole

Have you watched a prison escape movie recently?

They always have the inevitable escape hole.

Well, in our prison movie, Under Jakob's Ladder, we too had our own hole.

Week 3 of the film shoot. It was on a Monday (technically our "day off"). Everyone on the crew was pretty exhausted. (Our big question was why Peter [i.e. "Vovik"] hadn't been able to dig all that much with the spoon we had given him?!)

And we needed the hole by the next day. A hole deep and wide enough to stand in. Big enough to be an escape hole.

Well, that's when it's nice to have associate producers who don't shy away from having "hole digger" as part of their resume. Unlike Peter, Steve was allowed to use a shovel. Up went the dirt, down went the hole. All ready by the morning of Tuesday's shoot.

Except it rained during the night.

We had a new problem.

Now, we had to spend some time getting the water out of the hole!

Paul Solet on "Grace"

What was your filmmaking background before you made "Grace"?

PAUL: I've been running around with a camera since I was a little kid, making short films and writing stories, and I was lucky enough to have parents who were really supportive of the arts, so they always encouraged that stuff. I started making shorts seriously in film school, and kept it up afterwards, but "Grace"is the first feature I've directed.

Where did the idea come from?

PAUL: The basic idea came from the medical science involved. I was having a conversation with someone and it came up that it's actual medical science that if you're pregnant and you lose your child and labor isn't induced, you can actually carry a baby to term, and that this is a decision that women make more frequently than we talk about in polite company. To me, that was such a powerful idea, it was a perfect jumping off place for a genre story. I've always been fascinated about the power of the mother child bond, so "Grace"was born from that.

What was your process for writing the script?

PAUL: I'm a very thorough outliner. I spend a lot of time working out the acts, then the sequences, then the scenes, then the beats, and while I'm doing that I'm working on the characters, who they are and what they want. I never jump into writing until I have an extremely thorough outline. The same was true of "Grace". Even still, the script grew and changed a great deal over the years. I probably wrote 75 drafts of it.

Did you write it with the idea that you'd direct it ... and, if so, did that change how you wrote it?

PAUL: I wrote it with the idea that I'd probably direct it, but if someone had come to me who I thought had a real vision for the script and would make a great film, I'd have let them. The people I met with just weren't those people, and I believe in the story enough to see it done right. I always write with the goal of having it down on paper in a way that anyone can understand without further explanation, even if the intention is for me to direct it. The goal is always to come up with a perfect reading script.

How did you get the film funded and what were the challenges in doing that?

PAUL: A lot of people were interested in purchasing or optioning the script, but they weren't going to let me direct it because I hadn't done a feature before, and they weren't coming up with anyone good to do the job, so that was a challenge.

It wasn't until Adam Green saw the short and solicited the feature - at the urging of our friends at Iconsoffright.com -- that "Grace" was born. And even once Adam and Ariescope had optioned the script, we had a hell of a time landing the dough. In the end, Adam took the project to Anchor Bay, and they loved it so much they offered to finance it. But it was a long road. Lots of footwork, and lots of faith were required....

What did you learn from making the film that you can take to other projects?

PAUL: Treating people right really is the best policy. I encouraged this crew and this cast to take ownership over the project and let it be a show that reminds them why they're in this business, and then I focused on creating an environment in which everyone could do their best work and be respected and appreciated for it. That's the only way to do a movie as ambitious as this in the amount of time we had to shoot.

Loss

Under Jakob's Ladder is, on one level, a movie about loss.

It's about the loss of freedom for the protagonist Jakob and his fellow prisoners... The loss of trust where everyone begins to suspect everyone else... The loss felt by a granddaughter as her grandfather is torn from her.

This movie is based on real-life events that happened in the Soviet Union in the 1930s. Real-life losses that were felt by real-life people.

But this movie isn't just about a certain group of people in a certain historical time. You probably never spent time prison because your neighbor was looking for another bottle of vodka.

But you can perhaps identify with loss on some level.

For Jakob and his fellow prisoners, they looked for and found a way to rise above the loss felt in their lives. Something (we hope) is a major theme that plays out in the movie.

(This blog post is dedicated to the people who deal with loss everyday.)

Taking a Break

We'll be taking a break with the actor Q&As for a couple of posts. Don't worry. There are still more to come...

Good-looking* Films Shot On The Red Camera

Of course, not being on this list does not mean, the film is not good-looking. The only criteria here was that I harvested the suggestions from my twitter and facebook feeds, and I knew of the movie (*not actually that I saw the movie).

I needed this list and really appreciate everyone putting it together (so damn quickly too). I place it here assuming others too will need it.

Antichrist

Bronson

Butterfly Effect 3

Che

Crooked Lane

District 9

Easier With Practice

The Exploding Girl

The Girlfriend Experience

The Informant!

The Knowing

Life During Wartime

The Red Riding Trilogy 1983*

The Social Network

Van Diemen's Land

It's sort of interesting how widely diverse the films are both in terms of content and in terms of budget.

Q&A with Actor Sean Patrick Folster

Film: Under Jakob's Ladder
Actor: Sean Patrick Folster
Role: Yosif

Q: How did you get your start in film?
A: Just began auditioning.

Q: How did you prepare for your role in this movie?
A: Lots of Russian dialect practice, lots of work on my own with grief and loss. That's sort of what I saw this character [Yosif] as, someone whose character problems got him pulled out of the life he built for himself, and the difficulty of that... stuff I could easily relate to.

Q: What was the most challenging scene for you?
A: By far the dialogue scene, the one where I tell that big long story. Never felt like I got it.

Q: Which scene in the movie was your favorite?
A: As far as what I was in, there was a moment when Yasha came over to me and retrieved the box of bible passages I'd thrown against the wall, sort of a moment of connection with him and me, some tenderness... I liked that moment. Don't know how it played, but it felt good.

Q: What was it like to work on this film?
A: Really enjoyed everybody. Was a pleasure. Folks just wanted to do their best. Mann was particularly good for me, he had a real openness and curiosity about what you could bring, but one time he told me "You didn't have it in the long shot, I need it for the close-up." I really appreciated that, that when he really needed to see something, he wouldn't BS me and shine me on, but just be straight... Really appreciated him for that.

Q: What did you enjoy the most?
A: The camaraderie. The sense of togetherness. The way people left you alone to work on your process. The sense of silent support everyone had for each other, even though we were all pretty tired. How cold it was that first night.

Q: Who inspires you as an actor?
A: Benicio del Toro, Phil Hoffman, Chris Cooper... I don't know, lots of people.

Kelley Baker: The Angry Filmmaker

First things first: Why are you angry?

KELLEY: I'm angry for a lot of reasons. I'm pissed that good films can't get distributors because they don't have stars. I am angry that all sorts of Hollywood 5 and 10 million dollar pictures are called "independent" when they're not. I'm angry because a lot of doors have been closed to Real Independent Filmmakers and very few filmmakers seem to care. I see filmmakers give their movies to distributors for nothing, no advance. If you don't get an advance you'll probably never see any money!

I see too many people wanting to be filmmakers for the wrong reasons, to make lots of money and to be famous. And filmmakers aren’t working together to help each other. So many independent filmmakers from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s were going to change the system, and now they are part of it. They are more interested in money and being critical darlings then fighting the system the way they once were. They have been sucked in to the system and most went down without a fight.

What's wrong with independent film today?

KELLEY: The independent film industry is no longer even remotely independent. It's been mainstreamed by Hollywood and is now simply another over-hyped product. Like commercial radio, pop music and Starbucks coffee, the industry has become a homogenized mess of conglomerates owned by a handful of extremely powerful corporations. It begs the question: Independent from what? We need to take the word "Independent" back!

Indie has become a marketing phrase. I have a tough time sitting through a ten million dollar "indie" movie. I want people to recognize that "indie" doesn't mean stars and all of that other crap. WE are Independent Filmmakers and WE make movies whether WE have a deal or not. I want to see more theaters and media art centers providing places for us to show our work, instead of just giving us lip service about how they support independent film. I am fed up with these "independent" film festivals that show all these movies with big names in them.

Real Independent Films are still being made; they just don’t have access to audiences. I always say that independent filmmaking is a live and well, it’s independent distribution that is dead. You have to play by the industry’s rules to get your film seen if you want a decent sized audience.

I opt to do things differently. Like early punk bands, we have to find our audiences and cultivate them. That’s why I spend half the year on the road touring and showing my films.

I've told filmmakers forever to never put their films on credit cards. Give me your best argument against that habit.

KELLEY: I’ll use my own experience for this one.

I spent a ton of money on my first feature, Birddog. A lot of people told me they would help me get distribution when I made my first feature. I believed them and I probably shouldn't have. I was the Sound Designer on films like Good Will Hunting, My Own Private Idaho, Far From Heaven and Finding Forrester. I had my "indie street cred" but that didn't seem to matter ultimately. I had a screening for friends in LA and everyone liked the movie, then they told me how hard it was to get a distributor and they all walked away.

No one helped. So I arranged screenings for distributors. I screened in LA, New York, Toronto and London. We also had it at the IFFM. The distributors all said the same thing, "We really like this movie but we can't distribute it because it has no famous stars in it." I told them it was an independent film and they said that was fine, but if you make an "independent" film you still need a big star in it.

Anyway, I ended up owing a ton of money to the IRS... Since all of these people had said they were going to help me find a distributor, I took all of the money I should have paid in taxes and used that to fund the film. When it didn't get picked up ... I still owed the money. It took my lawyer and I seven years of dealing with the IRS to finally get everything straightened out. Ultimately I had to sell my home of twenty years and just about everything I owned. It was hell!

I gambled and I lost. I understand that. I listened to certain people that I shouldn't have trusted. Ultimately it was my fault. I made the decisions and I paid the price. I don't want others to go through what I did.

There is no guarantee you will get a distributor, (if you want one), and most people end up paying off their movies working jobs that they hate at 30% interest.

Don’t use credit cards or go way in to debt; if you do you’ll be one of those people.

What's the smartest thing a filmmaker can do before starting their feature? What's the dumbest?

KELLEY: Spend time in pre-production! Too many filmmakers think if you’re not shooting you’re not making a movie. I spend 3 – 4 months easily in pre-production. I try to work everything out long before I start shooting. I rehearse for weeks, just like I’m doing a play. I want all of the actors to know their parts and their characters long before we start shooting.

I only write for locations I know I can get, and I don’t write scenes I know I can’t shoot, (like car chases).

I continue to write throughout this period as well. On Birddog I started pre-production with draft 11 of my script and still made changes throughout the process. On all of my films I don’t even think about shooting until I have done a ton of drafts. I have people I trust read my scripts and get lots of feedback. Your odds of making a good film increase if you have really worked the script over and over. If you have done the work to have a good script the odds get better that you’ll make a good movie. You can still make a bad movie from a good script though, this isn’t a science.

I think you just really need to take your time in pre-pro, don’t rush it. Since I never have any money, the better organized I am, the more efficiently I work and the smoother my shoots go.

As far as the dumbest, I think that is to hurry up everything so you can start shooting long before you’re ready. And using your credit cards. Using friends who aren’t actors in your films. Your friends aren’t good actors no matter what you think. Get good actors. I think there are lots of dumb things you can do if you don’t take your time.

What's the best advice you ever got about filmmaking?

KELLEY: You need to be a shameless self-promoter and self distribute your work. We always hear those bullshit lines; I make my films by any means necessary! Well why aren't you getting your films out by any means necessary? Why are you sitting on your ass waiting to see if you got in to some film festival? Why aren't you burning DVDs and selling them at screenings? Why aren't you promoting your movie on the Internet?

You gotta get the word out, and you have to do it yourself. It has to do with getting your films seen. If no one sees your movies, how are you going to build an audience? I tour, I teach and I have developed a fan base. One person at a time! Has it been easy? No. It's not supposed to be. At then end of the day all you have is your work and if no one knows about it or you, whose fault is that?

Finally, which current filmmakers (independent or otherwise) inspire you?

KELLEY: I will watch anything that John Sayles does. Same with Jim Jarmusch although I thought that Broken Flowers sucked! I like Danny Boyd’s work, Brian Johnson, Beth Harrington, John deGraff, lots of people that most people have never heard of. Janet McIntyre is a filmmaker to watch, she makes docs.

I watch lots of different types of films so I am inspired by films more than I am by filmmakers. I still try and watch lots of docs and foreign films to get a different point of view of the world.

I actually think I am more inspired by writers and musicians than I am by filmmakers. I am inspired by people who don’t give a shit what others think, they push forward and make the things that they want to make. I like things that are passionate in some way or another.

I don’t have a television, so I read more than most people and I love to visit museums. That is the way I have always been…

Did I answer the question?

http://www.angryfilmmaker.com/index.php

Q&A with Actor Peter Iasillo

Film: Under Jakob's Ladder
Actor: Peter Iasillo, Jr.
Role: Vovik

Q: What attracted you to work on this film?
A: The casting notice said that the producers were looking for authentic and authentic-sounding Russian accents. I had played comic Russian "characters" before, but wanted to seriously play the part of a Russian. The part [of Vovik] originally called for a medium-build wiseguy type, almost mean at times. The Moon Brothers rewrote the part to be that of a larger, more humanistic character, who would at times lighten up scenes with humor and still be able to show his sensitive and tragic side.

Q: How did you prepare for your role?
A: I had studied Russian history for past roles, but for this part I delved deep into the history of Stalin's Russian and the period of the detention camps and the "Black Ravens". I did a lot of online study, printed and studied photos and drawings of actual prison camps and watched as much video on YouTube as I could. I also listened to authentic Russians speaking in English. Let me say that it was never my intention to sound like a Russian actor trying to speak English, but rather as an American actor with a believable Russian "tone" to his speech.

Q: How did you identify with the character of Vovik?
A: Anytime I play a part, I ask myself what would I say, do, or feel if I were in this character's shoes. The lines are already written, so it's just a matter of learning them and speaking them as the character. Even if I were playing an axe murderer, I put myself in the character's psyche and play it truthfully.

Q: What was your favorite scene?
A: My favorite scene is the fight between me and Bruno. Stuntman and actor Matthew Staley worked with us to make the scene very powerful and convincing.

Q: Tell about working on the film.
A: Where do I begin? It was a joy from start to finish. Even standing in the freezing cold rain in the middle of the night was "enjoyable" as the crew was always ready with blankets and coats between takes.

Q: What did you enjoy the most about working on this film?
A: The professionalism and camaraderie of the entire cast and crew. Nuff said.

Q: What was it like to work with Jeff Stewart?
A: Jeff Stewart (Jakob) is a seasoned pro! I learned so much from him. I still marvel at his ability to be completely silly and goofy off camera and then elicit tears in a scene of great depth and drama.

Q: What about working with Robert and/or Mann?
A: Robert and Mann are real directors! Not just in the technical sense, but in knowing how to work with actors and how to direct actors. They understand the whole acting process and respect their artists and know how to get a truthful and honest performance from them. They know how to shoot a scene and have an excellent sense of story structure and continuity. They will also praise you and let you know you are doing a good job. That goes a very long way when you are responsible for handing in believable performance.

Q: What was the most challenging scene for you?
A: The scene where I discover the that camp guards have taken Jakob's coat from the escape hole that I am digging and trying to hide was pretty challenging. It's a very emotional moment where I realize they are going to take Jakob and punish HIM for MY hole digging! I needed to go Method for that one. On stage, you have momentum to propel yourself into the moment. On film, you have to be able to turn it on and off between set-ups. The camera sees EVERYTHING, especially what's inside. So it better be real.

Q: How did you get your start in film?
A: I had friends (that I still keep in touch with) who were horror movie directors. They knew me from community theatre and cast me in their early films Igor and the Lunatics, Spookies, and Killer Dead. I love all acting, but I fell in love with "camera acting" from that first day till now.

Q: Who are your influences as an actor?
A: My favorites actors are those that I share some aspect of their character type with. They are Zero Mostel, Vincent Schiavelli, Vincent Price, Timothy Carey, Geoffrey Rush and Clancy Brown. If you don't know who any of them are, I invite you to look them up on the Internet.

Ten* Filmmakers I Would Crowd Fund*

In celebration of Arin Crumley & Keiran Masterton's success using Kickstarter to fund development of OpenIndie.com, I thought I would launch my annual grants. Or rather my annual promise of grants. Money! $ For Films! Free!*

If any of the following filmmakers had a crowd funding page for their next film (provided the film was $300K neg.cost or less), I would donate some money to get it made. And I would encourage others to do so.

Sean Baker

Ronnie Bronstein

Antonio Campos

Tze Chun

Lee Isaac Chung

Barry Jenkins

Judi Krant

Ry Russo-Young

Bradley Rust Gray

Lance Hammer

So Yong Kim

Who would you fund?

I know there are more than ten* I could have listed, but I thought this was a good start, and you have to draw the line somewhere. Plus, being an indie film producer in a land that does not demonstrate that it values what I do, I don't have enough cash to go beyond this list! And even still, my contribution would not be significant financially; it would be more of a vote of support in hopes that others would be encourage to support the culture they want. I would give in order to become part of their team, to hear what they are up to, to get updates.

I listed artists who have are all early in their careers -- but have already directed a feature. I listed filmmakers whom I was confident could deliver a whole lot for a little. I listed filmmakers whom I am not already involved with.

Yet before I gave to any of these filmmakers, I would want to see a commitment to building audiences PRIOR to filming -- say a pledge to not commence until they had collected 5000 unique fans. I would want to know that they had a plan to market and release their film that went beyond bringing it to festivals and hoping for the best. I would want to know that they would set up an e-commerce site on their websites -- and that they had a website (which they refreshed with regular content). And of course I wouldn't transfer the money until they had reached their goal in pledges. Then I would gladly give money to them to get that next film made (and not ask for anything in return other than the satisfaction of having helped).