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Inside-Out, Outside-In

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Inside-Out, Outside-In

Tag Archives: indie film distribution

So you’ve raised $2,500. What do you buy first? Filmmaker-distributor Rob Williams discusses DIY indie filmmaking

10 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by hunterlh in Casting, Interviews, Release

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best investments for a young filmmaker, Black Briefs, Blue Briefs, casting an independent film, Guest House Films, How do i distribute my movie, how do i find a good movie distributor, how do i find an honest movie distributor, hunter lee hughes, independent film distribution, indie film distribution, Men Next Door, Rob Williams

Rob Williams isn’t just a filmmaker, he and his partner Rodney Johnson have created Guest House Films, which distributes movies primarily for the gay audience. I met Rob after they acquired rob williamsFatelink’s film “Winner Takes All” for their “Black Briefs” collection, which went on to hit number one on TLAGay.com‘s sales chart for LGBT titles. Rob talked with us about his new film “The Men Next Door” and about the process of making a film from incorporating to casting to finding the right distributor. And, yep, he answers that question. What should you do with the first $2,500 you raise?

Hunter: You’ve gotten to the promised land of indie filmmaking and by that I mean, you haven’t just directed one film. You’ve directed six! How has the craft and business of filmmaking changed between your first feature and “The Men Next Door“?

Rob: For me, filmmaking has become easier for two reasons – (1) I’ve gained experience on each film, which lets me better anticipate problems and hopefully be more creative with my work; and (2) changing technology makes for easier camera purchase or rental,  software availability, distribution options, etc. And we have spent a lot of time working on building Guest House Films since we shot our first film, and while the business end of it never gets easier, perseverance definitely pays off.

Hunter: I’m beginning to get a little suspicious of aspiring filmmakers who tell me that the only reason they haven’t made a movie is they have no one to finance it. What advice can you give filmmakers to get over that hurdle? Or, with digital technology, is that just an excuse at this point?

Rob: I think the combination of digital technology and crowd-sourced fundraising (such as Kickstarter and IndieGoGo) make it easier than ever to make a movie without any excuses. You can buy or rent a high-quality digital camera for very little money, find actors and crew members willing to work for little or no wages (though I always recommend paying every member of your cast and crew), edit the movie on your computer, and release it online. That’s where the real indie filmmakers are turning these days, and with a little imagination and a lot of hard work, anyone can get their movie made. Now, whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is another question!

Hunter: Are you functioning as your own movie studio in terms of owning equipment, editing facilities, in-house graphics? How much stuff do you rent/farm out versus keep in-house? And if an indie filmmakers has $1500-$2500 to invest in equipment or software, what would you advise as the first purchase?

Rob: We have always believed in doing what we can do well, and then farming out the rest. For us, that means hiring a good director of photography, editor, music composer, graphic designer and all of the other positions that make a movie stand out, and allowing us to focus on the writing, directing, producing and distribution. But we’ve never really invested in equipment for one reason – technology changes incredibly fast. That amazing HD camera that costs $2,500 today might be completely obsolete in a year or two. My advice to an indie filmmaker with that amount of start-up capital would be to find a good attorney and use that money to incorporate their business and get the basic legal paperwork done so that they can move forward with building their brand.

Hunter: How do you keep the casting process streamlined and efficient? Casting is one of those things that a lot of indie filmmakers don’t budget for – they figure it’s two days borrowing an office and buying some doughnuts for the guy helping you video the auditions. But if the casting process takes a month…well…that gets expesnsive, right? Time is money. How do you keep on track?

men next door

Michael Nicklin, Eric Dean & Benjamin Lutz in “The Men Next Door“

Rob: Casting should never be an expensive process. We keep track of actors we like, and if there is an opportunity to work with them, we’ll try to bring them in. It’s much easier to find an actor you like and who is good, and approach them directly, than to hold a huge cattle call. But if we have to, we post on online casting sites, carefully comb through submissions and keep the audition process to a minimum. And if that doesn’t work, we ask fellow filmmakers – referrals are the absolute best way to find good actors. If another director or producer can vouch for someone’s talent and work ethic, that goes a long way with me.

Hunter: Of course, as an old school romantic, it seems totally awesome that you make movies with your partner Rodney at your side. Is it fun to be able to develop as a filmmaker with someone you care about so much?

Rob: Absolutely! It’s great that we have been able to start our company together, work together to make it grow, work on each film together and share in the rewards. We are both passionate about filmmaking and dedicated to producing the best films we can.

Hunter: You and I have talked a little bit about the evolution of LGBT film. Are you seeing any trends in how the films are maturing? Or are they maturing at all? Should a young LGBT filmmaker still make his “coming out” story if that’s what moves him? Or are certain stories deemed too “passe” and others “hip”?

Rob: It’s tempting to say that we’re moving into a “post-gay” world of filmmaking, where the characters’ sexual orientation is irrelevant. But that’s just not true, especially for people like me who want to make gay-themed films. Hollywood films may incorporate more and more gay characters in a nonchalant way, but indie gay films are made for the gay audience. Our viewers want to see their lives reflected onscreen (or perhaps see what they wish their lives would be). I wouldn’t ever tell a filmmaker to stay away from any particular genre, because we need filmmakers to tell stories that are important to them, that move them and that could resonate with their viewers. Sure, coming-out stories have been done to death, but if someone has a fresh take on it, they should go for it. Good storytelling transcends genre.

Hunter: You’ve now branched into distribution with the “Black Briefs” and “Blue Briefs” collections of gay shorts. (And we’re especially grateful since it includes our own “Winner Takes All”). How did this bridge to distribution happen for Guest House Films and why did you feel it was important? Is being a distributor more or less fun than the producing?

Rob: After dealing with distributors for our first four films, Guest House Films made the decision to get into distribution with our fifth feature film, “Role/Play,” taking advantage of the relationships we had built over the years and the increasing ease with which filmmakers can get their own products out to the public. After the success of “Role/Play,” we saw an opportunity to get other people’s films out there, particularly short films. There are so many amazing gay-themed short films produced every year, and so few ever get seen outside of film festivals, and we’re glad we can help filmmakers get their work seen. It’s a lot of work, but it’s also very gratifying to see these great films reach a wider audience.

Hunter: I know and many others in the community know your reputation for honestly caring about LGBT filmmakers and being honest in business, which is amazing in a field rife with piracy and “creative accounting.” What are the biggest ethical pitfalls that young filmmakers face and what are some strategies for staying true to yourself?

black briefs

Rob’s collection of dark short films landed on the top of TLAGay.com’s sales chart in 2012.

Rob: The biggest pitfall young or first-time filmmakers encounter is accepting the first offer they receive or not doing their research about distributors. Before signing anything, filmmakers should ask around and find out exactly what they’re getting into. If they want to stay true to themselves and to what they want to do, they should focus on developing good scripts and finding good actors, and then simply make the movies they want to make. Don’t let anyone tell you what you should or should not make – create the movies that mean something to you, and that will make it resonate with others.

Hunter: Thanks for your time, Rob. I think it’s exciting that you’re going all the way with DIY and distributing product yourselves, making more money on your own films and providing a platform for newer artists to gain exposure and a financial foothold in the market. 🙂

—

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).

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Interview: Carlos Pedraza talks indie film fundraising, indie film distribution, indie film success

30 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by hunterlh in Interviews

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Carlos Pedraza, financing indie film, hunter lee hughes, indie film distribution, indie film fundraising, indie filmmakers, J.T. Tepnapa, Judas Kiss, producing tips, Richard Harmon, Something Like Summer, The Dark Place

One of the benefits of getting into film festivals is meeting other indie filmmakers that inspire you as you slog from program to program, with a few well-earned pit stops at local bars and coffee shops. Carlos Pedraza and I met in just such a fashion at Philly QFest 2011, then again at San Diego FilmOut 2011 and once more at Chicago Reeling 2011. His friendship proved one of the most valuable rewards of the film festival experience.

Carlos wrote and produced “Judas Kiss,” one of the most popular films on the circuit last year, which earned much success for Carlos and its director J.T. Tepnapa. That’s no surprise, seeing as how Carlos is a thoughtful writer and methodical producer. He’s been generous enough to share some of his producing tips with me privately and, now, is elaborating on his experiences for our blog readers.

Hunter:  You’ve been through the process of producing a feature film – “Judas Kiss.” Whew. What an accomplishment! What is something about producing the film that was way harder than anticipated and something that was way easier than anticipated?

Carlos: Producing a feature film is the hardest work I’ve ever done, and I’ve had some challenging projects in my past careers. It’s an order of magnitude more complicated than the short films and web series I’d worked on before. A feature film has a lot of moving parts, in all phases of the project from development and pre-production, through principal photography and to post-production and marketing. Keeping all these gears moving in the right direction and speed — it’s mind-numbing work. I physically trained in the months before to build up my stamina because I knew production would be physically exhausting.

The unexpectedly easier part? How much easier my job is when you hire very competent crew and trust them to do their jobs. If I’d micro-managed this film, it would’ve been terrible.

Hunter: I’ve found that most all up-and-coming filmmakers want to know – how do I score investors? Do you have any tips on this front?

Carlos: Plenty of tips — but no panacea. Finding investors will always be difficult, even when you know people with money, because you’re not really trying to raise money — you’re trying to create faith in you. The investment is a result of their faith in you. Many filmmakers are trying to sell their story to investors when they should be more concerned with selling themselves. That means you have to work on building confidence in your abilities not only as a filmmaker but as a businessperson.

So here are the tips: Put up a website. Early. Get content on it. Often. Give people something to care about. Don’t ask for money until the time comes. If you’ve done your job, people will want to invest in you.

Work social media. When we started “Judas Kiss” there was no Facebook. Today, you absolutely need a Facebook page for your movie. But you can’t just have a page. You need to provide content — often — and opportunities for interacting with your fans. If you don’t keep this up, people will get bored. The last thing you want is people to associate boredom with your movie.

Take your time building fans. Start early. Don’t expect to announce your project in one day, start a Kickstarter campaign and raise all the money you need in one fell swoop. The people who’ve done that are exceptions. You are more likely to be the rule.

Build a fan base. If you’ve worked on other film projects, post about your new project on their website and Facebook pages. Communicate with them. Use Twitter. A lot. But don’t just be spammy. Give people interesting news. For “Judas Kiss,” we did podcasts for two years before we started raising money. We put up hot photos of our stars as we began casting.

Use video wherever you can — Twitter, Facebook, your own website. People respond to videos more than any other kind of post. Have a business plan. And not just inside your head. We did a fancy-schmancy published investment prospectus that laid out the project — cast, crew, story, and how we planned to make money. People don’t just fund ideas; investors want to know how you plan to earn back their investment.

Network like crazy. Talk about your project. Inspire people with money. If you do your job right, they’ll come to you and hint about their interest. Be prepared to follow up immediately. That’s why you need that published prospectus. And website. And Facebook page. Etc.

Hunter: I thought your plan to do festivals and then go straight-to-DVD/VOD was brilliant. Are more filmmakers forgoing a traditional theatrical run? Do you have any regrets about this distribution strategy? How did it all work out?

Carlos:  Understand one basic truth about independent films and theatrical releases. YOU WILL NEVER MAKE MONEY FROM A THEATRICAL RELEASE. Releasing theatrically is a marketing cost designed to get review and generate interest for people to actually buy the film when it goes to DVD, iTunes or other digital formats. We used our film festival run as a theatrical release. We got reviewed and we got buzz. When the time came to release the film for sale, we were going at full thrusters. Other filmmakers may choose to fund theatrical releases in New York and Los Angeles. There are some awards you can only qualify for if you have a seven-day run in one or both those cities. Some industry newspapers will only review you if you release in L.A. and/or NYC. If your film needs that juice, go for it, but expect to pay dearly. Promoting a film at theaters costs a lot of money. For Judas Kiss, I don’t believe a theatrical release would’ve resulted in significantly more sales than we’ve been fortunate to have. Filmmakers have to have a distribution strategy in mind way back when they’re doing their business plan. If you’re lucky enough to find distribution, be careful about signing away your worldwide rights. Try to keep it on a country-by-country basis. You’d be better off finding a reputable sales and distribution agent to get you distribution deals than you would be seeking theatrical release.

Hunter: In addition to producing “Judas Kiss,” you also wrote it. How did you handle the tension between those two very different jobs. Did the producer in you ever want to cut a scene for logistical reasons that the writer in you really wanted to keep? How did you manage all that?

Carlos: I was trained as a journalist to be able to separate your feelings from your work. I brought that same sensibility to my work as a writer and producer. We spent three years developing the script but when it was done, my work as a writer was done. I shut down that part of my brain. Then I had to worry about how to actually make this movie. That is an exercise in compromise more than creation. There were several scenes we cut when it became untenable to keep them in the film. Sometimes you have to sacrifice part of your vision in service of the grander them you’re working to impart to an audience.

Hunter: I absolutely loved your lead actor Richard Harmon. He’s so striking on screen and his performance really conveyed the soul torture of a young artist facing life-altering moral questions. Where did you find him?

Carlos:  Richard came to us, thanks to his very dedicated agent, who is a real go-getter. She made sure his audition tape got into our hands no matter what. Once we saw that, we knew we had the actor we wanted. At that time, he was also prominently featured in the “Battlestar Galactica” spinoff – “Caprica” – on the Syfy network. So we got to see his work on TV, too. Casting Richard was a no-brainer.

Hunter: After all you went through with “Judas Kiss,” will there be another one? When? Where?

Carlos:  After seven months of post-production and a very successful year promoting the film at film festivals, followed by a strong first quarter of sales, we are ready to make another film. Another two, actually. Our production company, Blue Seraph Productions has raised development funding for “Something Like Summer,” an adaptation of the acclaimed love story by Jay Bell, named by Amazon as one of its Best Books of 2011, and nominated for a Lambda Literary Award this year. I am writing the screenplay, and we are co-producing it with Jade Knight Productions from Seattle.

Also in development is “The Dark Place,” a mystery-thriller set in wine country. That script is by our Judas Kiss co-producer Jody Wheeler, and will star Timo Descamps and Sean Paul Lockhart, both starring in “Judas Kiss.”

You can learn more about the two new films at the Blue Seraph website or on the Facebook pages for “Something Like Summer” and “The Dark Place.”

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).

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