The Psychology of an Indie Filmmaker

I watched Slumdog Millionaire last night; it was far too late in the evening when I began, but I enjoyed it. There’s quite a bit of hoopla out in the world about this film, including glorious reviews and several Golden Globe™ nominations. Incidentally, I bought the soundtrack online a few days before because I was intrigued by its eccentricity.  The soundtrack features eclectic musical compositions by A.R. Rahman & M.I.A. as well as many others, including the exceptionally cool song, Paper Airplanes.

I try not to go into details about the movies I review and I’ll follow the same process here, but let me give you an overall overview of the film: a boy from Mumbai is winning at Who Wants to Be A Millionaire (India edition) and has been accused of cheating. Instead of merely being arrested he’s tortured and forced to explain how he came to know the answers to the questions. Therein lies the story of him growing up in the slums of Mumbai, falling in love, losing the love of his life and being granted on last opportunity for destiny. 

The central love story is effectively woven through a reality-check glimpse of the harsh ghetto life of a slumdog. There is Muslim-bashing, child stealing and other grotesqueries that have us flinching.  The lead actor, Dev Patel is convincing as the puppy-dog-eyed slumdog, but I found some of his character’s bravado inconsistent. 

I enjoyed the film very much. It was captivating like City of God–edited by an MTV– although I wouldn’t put my money on it to take home Best Picture. There are too many films with greater storytelling, better acting and more enriching plots.

Film Reviews M.I.A. AR Rahman, music, slumdog millionaire, soundtrack

The industry must be truly slow–even the independents are far and few in between, it seems. Yesterday was quite uneventful and unproductive for me. It was the first day back to school for my two older daughters after the long winter recess. I was home with the two youngest and thought I might get some serious work done. Not so. I couldn’t concentrate or focus, so I ducked my head between the pages of Eclipse, the third book in the Twilight Saga. Which reminds me, I must have my eyes checked; I may need reading glasses. 

I did speak with my friend, Maya. She’s going to do the narration/voiceover for the new edit of The Broken Hearts Club. We’re going to try to make this happen before the end of the month. 

I also mulled over some ideas about a possible vampire action/romance story for a book. The idea is a spin on previous script, The Renascence Odyssey, which is a surreal romance drama. I think it may be fun to let the creative juices flow and write with the wordiness that only novelists can.

But first, it’s time to work on increasing the digits in the bank account. The ideas I’ve had thus far about selling a copy of a short of mine aren’t very appealing anymore. I can’t spin it enough to place enough value on a 4-minute film. I have to keep working on it. And–of course– I’m sidetracked again: today I had an idea for another romantic dramady based on three words: I DOn’t Know. It’s a perfect Zach Braff type flick, a la Garden State or The Last Kiss

We’ll see what good and productive things occur today.

BHC, Filmmaking, Industry, Life, The Renascence Odyssey, books eclipse, twilight, zach braff

One of my resolutions for 2009 is to do much more reading. So, in the spirit of literary awareness, my Christmas gifts consisted of four requested books, namely: The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer.

I started reading two days after Christmas. To date I have finished two of the books:

twilight

And

I must say, for a book written for the ‘tween scene, it is quite entertaining. Half of the time I am astonished with the leads passive-aggressive  self-destructive mentality. The other half, I am looking for a fight. To wit, I must say, there are no fights. The fight sequences are completely nonexistent. Nevertheless, the books are easy to read, entertaining and I’ve blown throw 1000+ pages rather quickly. I am halfway through the next book–

Dramatically, the third book in the saga, Eclipse, is much better than the second book.  I’m not vouching for the film in any way, however. I haven’t seen it. All I can say is, the books are a nice read.

If you’re interested in any of the books, they are worth it — and now they’re cheap! Just click the link below.

Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)

Speaking of which, I plan to write my own book about vampires this year. I have the major plot points already worked out. It should be fun to write.

Life, books books, eclipse, new moon, stephenie meyer, twilight

Finally, after many many months, I witnessed Batman: The Dark Knight. I’ve got just three words to say: Oh-My-God!

Two things about the film blew me away; sometimes, even thought you only have two spectacular aspects of a film it’s still enough to blow you away.

The first, and most obvious, was of course the performance of Heath Ledger. I wasn’t what you’d call a big fan of Mr. Ledger by any stretch of the imagination. However, being mesmerized by his performance as “The Joker” reminded me of Hollywood’s spectacular loss after his death. I’m sure you’ve read all the articles and essays under the sun about his performance so I won’t bore you with my much-too-late pontification. Watching Heath “perform” is enough to make me strongly consider buying the BlueRay DVD–and I own no previous Batman movies.

But more than the acting, more than the performances, more than the thrills and chills was the writing. The writing was utterly amazing. Wow.  Like many folks, I believe, I was sure that I’d witness an angrier version of the Batman, one where he’d stoop so low as to murder crime figures affecting serious collateral damage along the way. Such was not the case. The way that Two-Face was written into the movie, the manner in which he rose–and fell, was sheer brilliance. How noble and selfless was Batman’s final decision, inflict damage upon himself by taking the fall for Harvey’s quick and assured demise, following his rampant rampage through Gotham’s police force? I never saw it coming. I kept waiting and waiting to see Batman flip-out and go medieval on Gotham’s ass.  Not so.

Brilliant writing.

I also recently watched Ghost Town. I’ve kept my eye on Ricky Gervais since his scene-stealing appearance in Night at the Museum. He was no less interesting in Ghost Town. Although the film got somewhat soggy and slow in the end of the second third of the film, overall I laughed and was deeply connected to his character. My wife was almost literally on the floor during the scene when the doctors tries to hide the fact that his character died  for seven minutes during a routine surgery. It’s absolutely hilarious! It helps that the film is also bolstered by heartfelt performances by Tea Leoni (I have a crush on her) and Greg Kinnear.  

I think the film could have further benefited by a minute or two more of teary-eyed exposition when Gervais’s character finally acquiesced to his duty and helped the ghosts with unfinished business, but that is my only complaint. I loved the movie.

Film Reviews batman, Ghost Town, health ledger, ricky gervais, The Dark Knight

Somewhere, along the road to perfection…you’ll probably achieve and surpass your current goals.

Think big…then think bigger. Go for the more grandiose goal and somewhere along the way, you’ll achieve all that you truly desire.

Life

Having a reel is very important to almost anyone in the business. It’s a vital tool that shows the world — in small clips — what one is capable of behind and in front of the camera. I’ve always struggled with the concept of creating a Director’s Reel.  What is a Director’s Reel? What do you show? As I look at examples I cannot come up with anything that doesn’t immediately remind me of a director’s influence on the scene. I see the acting (actor reel), the lighting (the DP’s reel), the set design (the Art Director’s reel) but nothing that says, Hey, it was done this way because the director directed it this way.

So what’s a writer/director to do? Any input would be nice

Filmmaking clips, director reel, reel, showreel

2009, here I come. First things first: I’m going to spend some time learning how to further thwart asshole spammers who sign up for my list. It’s so silly how they enter obvious fake names and fake email addresses expecting me to add them to my list. I mean c’mon guys — read my blog at least; I was an I.T. guy for Chrissakes. 

Welcoming the New Year

Today, in the spirit of superstitions related to welcoming the New Year, I am drinking from my Screenwriter coffee mug all day. I plan to enter the spirit of the New Year with all thoughts focused on that which gives me hope, pleasure and inspiration. A successful career is one of those things I am specifically devoted to.

I took a break from taking down my faux Christmas tree. This is the last year for fake trees. According to recent research I’ve read, real trees are better for the environment. That’s cool with me. I like real trees. I’m not a Douglas Fir kind of dood; I’m more of a Noble aficionado.

I know some people abhor the idea of making resolutions for the New Year. I think it’s kinda whack to hate-on something that can do you no wrong. The New Year is significant enough of a beginning to work with our endeavors for self-improvement so… why not?

I’m officially saying good-bye to old relationships that didn’t pan out — professional and otherwise. I’m moving on. In some cases I must add an official “fuck ‘em” strategy to make it work, others will simply be ignored. 

Social Networking? Hmmm, how effective has it truly been for me? Not very. My blog will become my primary social networking tool, so to speak — supplemented by Twitter. Although I am also on Facebook, Linked In and Myspace, for the most part these business tools have been time sucks. There’s no better networking tool than a face-to-face meeting, followed up with a business card exchange and an email to reinforce it. 

Focus is the key to achieving these things. Focus it shall be.

Life, Personal 2009, new year, resolutions, social networking

“Notorious”

Someday that word may be used to describe me to the masses — but right now it’s a word only the closer of the closest people I know may use when discussing me, my life and my exploits.

I’m sitting here finishing a second glass of white Merlot, feeling a tad buzzy, and contemplating exactly how much of me I’ll divulge in this blog and how much of my future plans I’ll discuss. Tomorrow is December 31st, 2008. In less than 36 hours a new year will begin and I, like many others, will be faced with the question: what next?

I’m straddling the fence on a couple of filmmaking issues. I was watching a movie — I won’t say which movie — and was suddenly overwhelmed with fear. Fear of filmmaking. I quietly stepped outside, lit a Kool  and thought, Making a film is hard work. You’ve only done it at the micro-budget level, Angelo–scrambling by the seat of your pants. Do you really want to have millions of dollars of OPM at stake when you make another film?

It was an honest question. In fact, I remember the movie I was watching. (I use the term movie instead of film because it was a popcorn flick) I remember calculating how much time, energy, planning and scheduling when into the first 5-minute sequence. The results I came up with were staggering. It had to take a week (at least) to shoot the film’s opening sequence. A week. That week equals about 2-3 months of planning and coordination. Wow. Have I really thought about what I’m getting myself mixed up in?

The feeling didn’t last long–I never allow feelings of doubt to last for long. I have enough working against me, I don’t need to add to the list. I realized that I was operating in a different league. My mentality is one of guerrilla filmmaking, which means I can turn out as many films as I can write within any given year. In the real world, filmmaker (directors) make films every one or two years. That was the difference. From that difference sprung the  problem. However, it was important to identify the root of the problem. I did. I was in a rut.

The only way to break a rut is to blast through it, without fear of failure or consequence. And now that I’ve renamed this blog The Psychology of Independent Filmmaking I can add a new dimension of insight to what I write. Now I can discuss, ad nauseum, the emotional elements of indie filmmaking. 

Everything in a filmmaker’s life has an affect on his/her ability to make films. Everything. My life has been topsy turvy for the last 2 1/2 years, but it’s finally settling down. Part of that settlement is the mutual agreement my wife and I have recently came to, to amend the status of our marriage. We are a conundrum to the world of divorcees. We ultimately came to this decision amicably, with love, respect, fondness and the best wishes for each other. We aren’t hiring soothsaying winner-take-all, devil-may-care lawyers. We are proceeding lovingly. And that’s because my wife is one of the greatest people I’ve met in my life. She’s been with me and hung in there with me through thick and thin; through each career diversion and distraction she’s always believed in me. When I stopped writing to sell life insurance and mutual funds, she was there. When I resigned myself to working my way up the corporate ladder in the world of Information Technology instead of filmmaking, she was there.  When I ultimately got back in the saddle and went on a furious filmmaking spree (ten films in 2 years) she was there, holding down the fort. She’s a remarkable woman who’s blessed me with four gorgeous obedient children. Whatever success I ultimately achieve is due, in no small part, to her love and support. Kathy is a remarkable woman.

Sometimes going after one’s dreams so fervently has consequences.  Indie filmmakers must be smart, especially when they have a family. We are bombarded with all sorts of distractions,  temptations, thoughts, feelings, obligations, situations, emergencies and occasions that demand our attention. There’s always a fire to be extinguished, which often takes precedence over a relationship that needs nurturing. After a while, when the house of tenuous cards collapses we find ourselves saying, If I only knew then what I know now. 

I’ve also learned that hate is a powerful motivator. For sure, we should never totally hate anyone, but occasionally giving in to mental moments of sheer loathing often soothe issues of disappointment and heartbreak. Allowing a “fuck ‘em” to escape from your lips is okay every now and then

In light of the above I’ve had to reconsider my plans for 2009, escalating some, forcing others back into slow deliberation. I’ve completely removed the “never” from my vocabulary when discussing short films. You guessed it — I plan to make a few shorts next year! I plan to rebuild my team and focus my attention on films that touch the heart, spirit and mind — while still entertaining.

I also plan on reacquainting myself with physical exercise and better eating habits. I want to assemble the parts of my book, The Psychology of Independent Filmmaking as well as another book I’d like to write. Then there are scripts. Lots and lots of scripts. I plan to take my children out to the park and/or bicycling much more, read to them more (or make them read) and to be great friends with Kathy. I cannot imagine being otherwise. I plant o spend more time with my friends, get back to NY more often to see my family.

I’m not so hopped up on getting accepted to film festivals anymore. If it happens, great. If not, I’m working on both self distribution and licensing. Of course this means I’ll finish the the final edits for The Broken Hearts Club very soon, which means anyone reading this should make sure to get a copy of the original version asap. It’s going to be worth $$ someday

BHC, Filmmaking, Life 2009, new year

I spent some time checking Craigslist today and I found myself getting slightly  perturbed. Two revelations in particular upset me. 1) Every ad I saw for an editor position was listed with the “no pay” option. 2) There were many short films looking for an editor (and in some cases a DP) for a short film shoot that was planned with the Red One camera — and these ads too, were unpaid. What the hell…?

First, the editing infrastructure needed to handle the immense digital footage coming from a Red One camera is, in a word, exorbitant. Huge. Gigantic. (okay, so that’s three words). We’re talking about processing power, memory and drive space that some professional (read: paid) editors don’t have. Yet, these folks (the soliciting filmmakers) have made the decision to shoot a short film on the Red One, but haven’t the budget to hire an experienced editor, so they want someone out there to 1) own the right equipment and 2) edit for free.

Again, I say, What-the-hell?

I can spend all day  on that topic but then I’d forget the other topic of my dismay. Why, in God’s holy name, are you shooting on the Red One — for a short — when you don’t have enough money to pay an editor? It seems like we’re approaching a new low in indie filmmaking.  Indies want their films to look spectacular — but they’re not willing to pay for it. Isn’t this like putting the cart in front of the horse? Editing, like sound, is vitally important to any film. Why would anyone in his or her right mind, put money into a camera and not into the professional expertise required to edit the footage from said camera?  

Standard HD cameras (and there’s lots of them) can do the job with merely a competent DP and a director who knows what look he’s going for. Hell, I’ve shot films in MiniDV, and because I hired (and paid) a brilliant DP’s I’ve had folks ask me if I shot on film. What’s the point of having a $250,000 Ferrari in your driveway if you don’t have a driver’s license? 

A composer I’ve worked with several times has the same issue. He is repeatedly bombarded with requests to score films (shorts and features) for “copy and credit.” For a newjack just starting out, this may be a promising endeavor, however, for someone with multiple film credits, and several awards for his scores — how dare anyone ask him to work for “copy and credit?” 

It’s a scary trend. Editors, composers, musicians, and DP’s put a lot of time, energy and effort into learning their skills. We need them to be at their best if we expect to make our best film. And they deserve to be paid.

Filmmaking craigslist, no pay, red camera, red one

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES.

I saw it yesterday. Finally, after nearly two decades since the film’s release, I watched it on HBO. It is an amazing film, full of heart, emotion and wonderful storytelling. Amazing. I don’t think I would have appreciated it as much as I do now had I watched it years  ago. I’m sure I wouldn’t have been so touched, emotionally and creatively. 

Studios don’t much make movies like that anymore. They don’t give us as many opportunities to know, loathe and love the characters we see on the screen. They don’t give us a chance to see the frailty of human character, or the diversity in degrees of human flaws. Aside from action movies, how often do we sit anxiously, silently — and then ostentatiously — cheering for the little guy?

I greatly enjoyed this film. I was glued to my seat, repeatedly hushing my children Israel and Cimone; desperately rocking my 3-month old, Imara, back to sleep — leaning over to my wife, Kathy, for insight about what just happened on the screen. 

I think I’ll check IMDB and see if the film is listed as one of the best 250 movies of all time. I think it should be.

Film Reviews, Life fried green tomatoes, review