19 Wednesday Dec 2018
Posted in Development, Financing, Interviews, Post-Production, Pre-Production, Production, Release
Our projects continue to grow and develop. But we’ve moved everything to one centralized location: Fatelink.com. You’ll find every single article on this film archived there….and many new ones, too.
So please, if you enjoy reading about the creative process and want to check in on how Inside-Out, Outside-In is developing, follow our blog there.
Sincerely,
Hunter Lee Hughes
Founder, Fatelink
10 Saturday Sep 2016
Posted in Development, Financing
Tags
"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.", failure, fear of failure, filmmaking, how to recover from failure, hunter lee hughes, i failed, indie filmmaking, inside-out, samuel beckett, stan wawrinka, try again
As I watch the U.S. Open, I’m reminded of Samuel Beckett’s insight from “Westward Ho” every time I see a medium shot of (now) finalist Stan Wawrinka. The quote goes like this, “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
I think of it when I see Wawrinka because it’s tattooed on his left forearm.
Four years ago, I set out to direct the feature film, “Inside-Out, Outside-In.” The film never got made. Simply put, I failed. (Or at minimum, did not succeed on my timeline). Ouch.
To be fair to myself, I did direct another feature film in this time frame that’s currently touring film festivals, the neo-noir poetry mindbender Guys Reading Poems. But the achievements of that film don’t remove the stubborn reality that I wanted to make “Inside-Out, Outside-In” and it didn’t happen.
Failure seems especially daunting in a culture dominated by a materialism that has even managed somehow to take over spirituality (VISUALIZE IT AND THE MILLIONS ARE COMING, DUE TO SPIRITUALITY!). We expect materialism with the Kardashians and reality television and, more cynically, in a corrupt political system. But now, even many self-help gurus and ministers peddle the idea that financial success and empowerment come to those who pray (correctly) and really believe it. So failure can feel not only like a setback, but also like the sign of a moral and spiritual shortcoming (YOU DON’T BELIEVE IN YOURSELF OR IN THE POWER OF THE UNIVERSE ENOUGH!).
Also, for those of us who identify with the struggling artist motif, there’s a shadow side to failure that sees in it not only moral shortcomings, but also moral superiority. After all, it’s easier to embrace failure if we think of those who’ve succeeded to higher levels than ourselves as cheaters or sociopaths or spiritually bankrupt lawyers (and indeed some of them are). The danger in thinking that way is that a failure can reinforce a false narrative that you failed because you’re too good to succeed, akin to the mantra “only the good die young” – which implies that the old among us are not so good. In this case, we can harbor thoughts of “only the good go unrecognized and fight on as starving artists” which implies that “only the corrupt (or sellouts) succeed.”
Neither of these strains of thought works for me anymore. Self-help gurus craft good soundbite, but I guarantee that 99% of them could not direct a feature film and pull it off. In fact, most of them wouldn’t get past dealing with SAG-AFTRA. And struggling artists holding onto their purity and embracing failure’s more noble undertones sometimes sell their passion project and then they buy condo’s, too. I’ve seen it happen.
My thinking now is that failure – especially failure in terms of the materialistic world – is just not that grandiose. In itself, it doesn’t show much about who we are as people. Some amazing artists never succeed financially and some do. Some extremely successful people got there because they cheated, lied and manipulated their way to the top. Others worked really hard and conscientiously extend a helping hand to those on the way up.
The quote implies that if you’re NOT failing it’s because you’re not trying. The only way you can’t fail is by having no aspirations at all in your life. And that’s the ultimate losing approach to being human.
This week, I set up our Google Drive and re-ordered all the folders with regards to “Inside-Out, Outside-In.” I called the first meeting of the few people involved with the project at this stage – my manager Bradley R. Bernstein, my brother J. Parker Buell and longtime Fatelink collaborator Camille Carida, who was in the reading of the material way back in 2013 and has been a constant source of encouragement on the script. We talked about our system of naming files, scanning receipts, recruiting producers, investors and talent, creating talking points for the film and organizing a reading of the revised script in November. Afterwards, Bradley said it was the best meeting I’ve ever run. For now, the film is like that. It’s just meetings and lonely hours at coffee shops rewriting and determining file naming conventions with the hopes that it’ll save us effort six months later when the team expands from four to 124. To the extent that I succeeded in this one meeting, I attribute to a willingness to try again, fail again, fail better. Thank you, Samuel Beckett for your wisdom. And Stan for enduring the pain of a tattoo (and for being amazing enough at tennis that we all get to see it).
Tomorrow, I’m heading to a very successful friend’s condo to watch the Stan Wawrinka-Novak Djokovic final (to save money, I don’t have a television or cable subscription right now). I love Djoker, but I’m pulling for Stan. I hope I catch a shot of his tattoo.
On Monday, I get back to work on “Inside-Out, Outside-In.”
Nathaniel is taken aback by Jason’s performance. Note: It’s a solo shot, unlike the other two auditions. (storyboard drawn by Monte Patterson).
Hunter Lee Hughes is a filmmaker living and working in Los Angeles. His feature film, Guys Reading Poems, is currently on the film festival circuit and will screen at the Breckenridge Film Festival on Friday, September 16th. His favorite tennis players are Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic.
If you enjoy the blog, please support our team by following us on Facebook, Twitter (@Fatelink) or Instagram (@Fatelink).
22 Thursday Jan 2015
Posted in Financing
Tags
crowd funding, crowdfunding, Guys Reading Poems, how do i run a crowdfunding campaign, hunter lee hughes, indiegogo, inside-out, insideout, kickstarter, leah cevoli, online fundraising, outside-in, raising money online
Probably the most common question I receive from fellow independent filmmakers is, ‘How do we make crowdfunding work for our project?’
I had the same question for my first feature film, Guys Reading Poems, and – luckily – I was able to ask Leah Cevoli, an expert in the field. She helped us navigate strategy and effective execution within the crowdfunding space and gave practical pointers to maximize our chances. Ultimately, we were successful in our raise, which has made all the difference in the life of our film. So since so many folks have questions about crowdfunding for their films, I thought I’d return to Ms. Cevoli and see what she had to say!
Leah Cevoli
Hunter: So Leah, I consulted with you on Guys Reading Poems Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. I can honestly say that without your help, we would have died on the vine. So thank you for that. Crowdfunding is probably the number one topic that filmmakers bring up when they speak to me. They recognize its potential value to their lives, but are sometimes a little lost and overwhelmed with it. And sometimes I see that look in their eyes that says – FREE MONEY!!!! – and I worry. What would you say is the biggest misperception people have about crowdfunding for webseries, short films and feature films?
Leah: You’re welcome. I was truly impressed with how you absorbed all of the information I gave you AND put it into action for such a strong finish! Congrats!
The biggest misperception is that most filmmakers, inventors, etc think that if you have a great concept, you can put it up on a crowdfunding platform and it will get funded. The second biggest misperception is that if you have a great concept, cool rewards, and a great video you can place it on a crowdfunding platform and people will just find it and fund it.
Hunter: You mention inventors. Some people have expressed that – going forward – crowdfunding will be more effective for new consumer products and apps rather than filmed entertainment. I guess the theory is that people are essentially pre-buying items they can use rather than sort of angel gifting for an artist. Do you agree with this theory? How can films continue to expand in the crowdfunding space?
Leah: I do think that we will see more and more products, inventions if you will. Crowdfunding gives so many people that otherwise wouldn’t have had a chance to fund the next chia pet, snuggies, or pet rock a platform to get their idea out there. However, I don’t see it dying down for filmed entertainment either. If anything, it gives the consumer a better and more varied option of the entertainment choices they can view. And in effect, it’s a pre-buy for the film’s dvd, poster etc. Speaking of pre-buys, I believe if musicians paid more attention to crowdfunding, they could take much of the power back into their hands that was lost with the breakdown of record labels and online file sharing.
Hunter: That makes sense. And musicians have tour tickets to offer as well! If you had to narrow it down to a couple variables, what are the biggest differences between a campaign that is successful and a campaign that is unsuccessful?
Leah: Preparation, outreach to their personal friends and family, backer communications, and non-stop social media content.
Hunter: Very true. In our campaign, although it may’ve seemed like it was taking place ‘online’ I was making lots of personal phone calls to colleagues, friends and family members, lobbying them to back us. We held Kickstarter fundraisers – large and small. We arranged for potential substantial backers to tour our office and view some of our creative work. Online crowdfunding doesn’t take away your responsibility as a filmmaker to ask people for money in person or on the phone. You have to do it, in my opinion. So knowing that crowdfunding campaigns are sometimes more than meets the eye…what kind of prep time do you suggest for campaigns? Does that change depending on the amount of money being raised?
Leah: It depends on the team. Not so much the goal amount, but more so the size of their social networks, and the number of team members that are fully vested. It also depends on the skill-sets of the team; do they need to hire a video editor, a graphics person, a social media assistant? On average, I would say at least a month prep time, but in reality it’s probably more like three months.
Hunter: What has been your happiest moment on a crowdfunding campaign?
Leah: Aw man, this is a tough one. I’ve had ecstatic moments on so many campaigns. I’ve appeared on the 11:00 news with the team of the feature film Blood Kiss. I’ve pulled all-nighters with clients. I’ve had major A-list celebs and magazines mention clients. There are a lot of happy moments. In a nutshell, every win has been a happy moment.
Hunter: Finally, you are a woman of many talents, including acting. How is your acting going? Does your expertise in crowdfunding help you in your acting or does it cause others to think you are “less serious” as an actress? Many of our readers have more than one talent and sometimes one is related to “business” and the other to “creative.” How do you balance the two in terms of your life and how you present yourself to others?
Leah: Thank you! I’ve got some really great projects coming out this year. I recently voiced two characters for the feature film The Grid Zombie: Outlet Maul, shot a lead role in the horror flick Killcast, and will soon be voicing a character in The Sultana Documentary, executive produced by Jim Michaels and Sean Astin. I’m also attached in various acting and producing capacities to quite a few projects who are scheduled to shoot in 2015.
I’ve been a member of SAG (now SAG-AFTRA) since 2005. I launched my crowdfunding business in 2013. I’ve been acting a lot longer, and have built up a name for myself, with some really great credits on my resume, yet I absolutely have struggled with the fear of not being seen as an actor if people see me as a crowdfunding manager. As artists, we never want people to associate us with anything but our artistic career, no one ever wants to talk about their waitress job, for fear of not seeming like a talented actor. For most of this time, crowdfunding has been my “waitress” job, and I didn’t really want to talk about. My clients have all been word of mouth, referrals and I’ve been happy with that. This year, 2015, I’m structuring it more like a business, speaking at more events and workshops, and boldly talking about my business outside of acting. I’m making it work for me, and to be honest, the majority of projects I’ve been cast in this year have been in some way related to crowdfunding. I’m leveraging my skills at raising funds, to align with better projects and teams. I think it’s becoming much more acceptable and frankly necessary, to have multiple streams of income based on your skillsets. Yes, I’m a damn good actress, but I’m also a wiz at crowdfunding and I’m embracing that, as should anyone else who’s reading this and concerned that one of their skills may diminish another. It’s just not true anymore.
Hunter: Agree with you 100%. Becoming a more savvy businessperson does not mean you are less of an artist. In fact, it’s empowering and that can help bring additional solidity to the creative side that’s then more free to experiment and take risks. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with us, Leah! And thanks for helping us with Guys Reading Poems. If we decide to crowdfund for Inside-Out, Outside-In, you’ll be hearing from me again…
For those of you interested in working with Leah, she has generously offered a 10% discount to readers of this blog. Let her know that you’re from InsideOut film blog and she will apply the discount!
Crowdfunding Contact Info:
www.leahcevoli.com/crowdfunding-packages
Leah Cevoli
Also, you may be able to glean more gratis info from Leah on crowdfunding by connecting to her social media networks…
Social Media Info: www.twitter.com/Leah_Cevoli www.facebook.com/LeahCevoli www.imdb.me/LeahCevoli
Hunter Lee Hughes is a filmmaker and actor living and working in Los Angeles and the founder of Fatelink. His current feature film Guys Reading Poems is touring film festivals and this blog is dedicated to the process of making his second feature film, “Inside-Out, Outside-In.” If you enjoy the blog, please support our team by following us on Facebook, Twitter (@Fatelink) or Instagram (@Fatelink).
