Nitecrawlers Movie

Never Fear the Dark: Nitecrawlers is Alive & Well

2010-08-13T21:54:00.008-04:00

It's been quite a while since the last blog post, but that's not to say nothing has happened on the film. The making of an independent movie is an epic task of both physical and mental proportions. And while the heavy lifting comes later, much of the struggle for an indie filmmaker is front-loaded with the psychological hardships that come from trying to convince yourself that it's not an insane, idiotic, foolhardy risk to even attempt to make the thing. And that's where we've been doing all our work.

What's a Career, Anyway?

The mental part of indie filmmaking is like pushing a boulder up a hill. Just when you get it to the top (and many never do), it dips over the edge and begins barreling downhill, out of control, an unstoppable force that drags you along for the ride. Mike and I are still pushing that boulder up our own personal mental hills.

For myself, that push got a whole lot more difficult with the appearance of a full-time job offer in early August. Thing is, I've been freelancing quite successfully for the past year and a half, and it's the perfect lifestyle for making a film. You work three days on, four days off, or work two weeks straight and then have a week to yourself. But the allure of a full-time job is obvious: the financial security, the regular salary, the benefits, it's all there.

A Tough Decision

Having just moved into a new apartment, the job offer came as a welcome safety net to ensure that I could provide for myself and the ones I love. The salary wasn't amazing (when is it ever?), but accepting the offer would have lifted the mental weight of worry that hangs constantly through the ebbs and flows of freelance work. So what did I do?

I turned it down. I won't pretend the decision was unilaterally motivated by Nitecrawlers, but when I forced myself to look into a mirror, I came to terms with who I am, where I want to go, and what I want to do. Simply put, I want to make this film. And I want to make it now. I realized that the responsibilities piling up, all the bills needing to be paid, all the reasons I was using to justify accepting the full-time job offer were actually the best reasons to turn it down and make this film now.

Great Risk, Great Reward

So many people spend their lives looking into the rear view mirror with a burning regret. I don't want to be that person. Independent filmmaking is an immensely challenging discipline that requires a vast wealth of both technical knowledge and business acumen, but at its heart, it's a mental battle of epic proportions. If you can force yourself to take the plunge, only good things will come. As Mike told me during my decision process, there is no great reward without great risk. The great risk is turning down a "safe" job, but the great reward is Nitecrawlers. We're back.

- K

Silver Linings (The Power of Tax Incentives)

2010-03-30T18:15:00.008-04:00

Even in this grim economy, every cloud has its silver lining, including the film industry. During a Film Specific podcast, Suzanne Lyons brought up a wonderful point; if you buy into the conversation of scarcity, your actions will be directly correlated to that mindset, and it will show with investors. How can you attract investors when you paint a bleak picture of an over-saturated market, where nothing is selling?

The truth is, films are still selling; distributors are simply being more selective in their acquisitions, and the bar has been raised for filmmakers to produce original, creative work (Kevin touched on this in his last post.)

More importantly, now is a better time than ever to invest in film. With amazing federal tax rebates and incentives such as Section 181, you can guarantee investors recovery of their money, regardless of distribution, of 50-77 cents on every dollar. Josh Kaplan, a business lawyer at Stahl Cowen uses this example, "If a tax payer is in the thirty-five percent (35%) tax bracket and a qualifying film is shot in Michigan which has a tax credit of up to forty-two percent (42%), an investor will be eligible to recapture seventy seven percent (77%) of his or her investment in a qualifying production."

If you aren't familiar with Section 181, I've assembled some quick facts below to give you an idea of what it entails, as finding information about the bill on the internet seems to be somewhat difficult.

Section 181

• Section 181 is a federal tax incentive designed to combat runaway film and television production.

• This is a significant Federal tax incentive that allows producers of qualifying productions to take an immediate tax deduction for the full or partial costs of a production in the year the cost is incurred (as opposed to having to spread or amortize those costs over a period of years beginning after the film goes to market).

• Section 181, which was first enacted by Congress in 2004, was extended and modified as part of the financial rescue package passed by Congress and enacted into law on October 3, 2008. It was extended for one year for qualified productions that begin the first day of principal photography before January 1, 2010.

• Under H.R. 4213, The American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act of 2010, Section 181 is amended by extending it until December 31, 2010’.

• HR 3931 seeks to extend Section 181 until the end of 2011. (Referred to committee)

• HR 2720 goes well beyond a 2 year extension and looks to make Section 181 a permanent tax incentive for qualified films. (Referred to committee)

• In the case of a film co-produced by multiple investors, the deduction for qualifying expenditures must be allocated among the owners of the film in a manner that reasonably reflects each owner’s proportionate investment and economic interest in the film.

• The proposal applies to the first $15 million in production costs for qualifying film or television productions.

• To qualify, at least 75% of the total compensation expended on the production must be for services performed in the United States.

• There is no specific form to fill out. The IRS temporary regulations require that you declare in a separate statement that you are electing to utilize Section 181. The legislative history also states that: “deducting qualifying costs on the appropriate tax return shall constitute a valid election.” Therefore, deducting the production costs (that would otherwise be capitalized) on your tax return will qualify as electing to take advantage of this incentive.

• If production expenditures are incurred in more than one year, the immediate tax deduction will be taken in more than one year.

• Section 181 refers to “the taxpayer” who makes the election and takes the deduction. The temporary regulations provide that only the owner of the film or television production may elect to deduct production costs under section 181.

• Producers should consult with their professional tax advisor's on any issues related to this new Federal tax incentive.

- Mike

Our New Domain Now Routes to...Here!

2010-03-30T15:44:00.003-04:00

Just a quick update on our newly purchased domain, www.nitecrawlersmovie.com. Thanks to Mike's hard work, the domain name now routes right to this blog! That's right...if you want to send your friends to check out our blog, or want to bookmark it for yourself, just use the new URL:

www.nitecrawlersmovie.com

- K

Registering the Domain

2010-03-30T00:01:00.000-04:00

It's official...we now own www.nitecrawlersmovie.com!

But wait, stay here! Don't go there just yet...there's nothing there. As we start to publicize this blog a bit more, we just wanted to park our preferred domain name. Eventually, our hope is that this blog will live on nitecrawlersmovie.com, along with lots of other great content prior to the film's production.

Mike registered the domain name yesterday with Yahoo Domains. $11.94 for 2 years. Not a lot of money, but it's still another drop into the Nitecrawlers hole. With each dollar we spend (on books, on the workshop, on the logo design, and now on the domain registration), Nitecrawlers begins to feel more real. Money will do that.

One idea that Mike and I are toying with is tracking all our expenses on this blog, so that fellow filmmakers can get a real glimpse at the true costs of making an independent film on the same level as ours. We'll be labeling each such post with an "Expenses" label, so if you want to see just those posts, click on the "Expenses" link over to the right to track all our expenditures to date.

We're excited to begin plotting content for the website and hopefully we'll have an update on that in the not-too-distant future.

- K

Creating a "Unique" Script

2010-03-29T09:10:00.002-04:00

"When it comes to horror, bring us something unique...something we haven't seen a hundred times before."

Mike already posted a wrap-up of Suzanne Lyons' great indie film producing workshop that we both attended a week ago, so I won't rehash the details. The above quote, however, really stuck with me.

On the second day of the workshop, a film sales agent came by and gave a great guest lecture. Inevitably, someone asked her about the state of the horror market. In her words, horror is still over-saturated with movies about "teens running around in the woods." But all hope is not lost. She stressed the importance of creating a horror film that is fresh and unique; this, above all else, will help your horror film rise above the rest in terms of saleability.

So where did that leave the Nitecrawlers script? From the beginning, Mike and I have always felt that our concept was a strikingly refreshing take on the genre. However, the discussion with the sales agent led me to think more about our script-in-flux, and the inclusion of "bankable" story/set/character elements. Did we have enough to guarantee our film's success? What could I do to add more in the impending second draft?

Being a screenwriter is probably the most freeing of creative inputs of filmmaking. You're not yet locked into a budget, and you're limited only by what your mind can conjure. Being a screenwriter for independent films is a whole different beast entirely. The format's the same, but the approach is completely opposite (at least for me).

For one, you're usually locked into a budget range (whatever's feasible for you to pay out-of-pocket or raise from family and friends). For another, independent filmmakers are constantly bombarded by "insider info" from sales agents, producer's reps, distributors, entertainment lawyers, and hell, even other filmmakers as to what elements will help your completed film sell. In no particular order, the laundry list for horror films goes something like this:

1. Name talent
2. A kill/death scene every 8 minutes
3. Nudity
4. Lots and lots of gore

...and so on.

How much credence does this advice and list have? Well, Plasterhead only had one of the four, and received worldwide distribution, so take that how you will. That being said, the compulsion to include these elements in our second script is, frustratingly, still very real. After all, this list is about as close to a Holy Grail as you're ever going to find. And for filmmakers whose hearts lie in the horror genre, it usually comes down to two choices: stick to the list and hope that the market of teens willing to see another hack-em-up slasher movie keeps going strong, or try something so far off the map and hope to hit the Blair Witch/Paranormal Activity lottery.

I think to write a truly successful script, your approach must land somewhere in the middle. At the $200,000 budget level, a lot of the scripting for Nitecrawlers has been Mike and I coming up with really awesome individual sequences, then slowly and carefully weaving them into the overall thematic fabric of the film's overarching story. For me, writing for a low budget means deliberate selection of specific plot elements that I, as a filmmaker, know will be able to shine on the money we have to execute the ideas on the page.

In a way, Mike and I have our own "list" of elements that we want to include in the film, things that we think will make the film both successful and salable. The trick is in approaching these elements from a truly groundbreaking and fresh perspective. The main problem I have with "The List" above is that it encourages paint-by-numbers screenwriting, and it's a trap I find myself constantly trying to avoid. It seems easy, but the threat is always there.

As I re-read the first draft of Nitecrawlers, I've come across several areas in the script where I've tried to shoehorn in some of the elements from "The List". Problem is, they don't fit with the quirky tone of the rest of the film. Taking them out means that perhaps, in the eyes of some sales agent or producer's rep, our film might not meet all the criteria they're looking for as they fast-forward through the DVD screener that lands on their desk. Leaving them in, however, means that, in the eyes of the sales agent who came to speak at the workshop, our film is not "unique" enough to rise up above all the other Friday the 13th clones being churned out daily. Over the next couple months, then, the creation of our second draft becomes not just a re-writing process, but a re-imagining of the way we look at the horror genre and its preconceived notions about what's "hot" and what's "not."

In the end though, I'm confident that I will always do what's best for the story, "The List" be damned.

- K

Nitecrawlers Timeline

2010-03-26T15:22:00.002-04:00

As mentioned previously, Kevin and I have decided to take a step back to better educate ourselves on the producing front, before resuming work on the second draft of the script. This new timeline structure reflects what we've learned in Suzanne's workshop, with our own personal touch. Her workshop helped tremendously, especially after going back and looking at our previous timeline of events. Extremely ass-backwards! We'll begin to fill in sections of our timeline in more detail once we actually hit each phase. But, for now, a few things to note:

First, once we finish our final draft we'll consult with a line producer to help verify that our budget is doable, based upon what we are attempting to accomplish on paper. We'll then amend the script according to his numbers (if need be), until we are absolutely certain we have a $200,000 film.

We've also worked in a Marketing section into our timeline. I wrote previously about the transmedia model, and how we are going to leverage other mediums to help raise awareness for our film, even before cameras start rolling. We are going to establish an on-line presence by launching our website with exclusive content for fans. Our ideas will start to take life, as we brand our film in preparation for soliciting investors.

So, here is our new working timeline. I can now visual what 2012 will look like, and it is rapidly approaching!

Educate / Research / Network
March 2010 – May 2010

· Workshops
· SAG Guidelines
· Legal Contracts
· Distribution Models
· Financing Methods
· Marketing

Develop Final Script
June 2010 – Aug. 2010

· Conceptualize Villain
· Consult with Line Producer

Marketing
September 2010

· Launch Website
· Develop Marketing Initiatives
· Merchandising
· Fan Club
· Hire Concept Artist
· Write Comic Book series
· Hire Illustrator
· Hire Web Designer
· Social Media (Facebook, Myspace)
· Launch Website

Business Plan
Nov. 2010 – Dec. 2010

· Create Business Plan
· Hire Graphic Designer
· Create Investor Website
· Consult with Sales Agent

Form LLC
January 2011

Financing
January-June 2011

· Refine PPM
· Consult with lawyer re: PPM/SEC rules/risk language in packets
· Sales Presentations

Hire Line Producer / Discuss Budget & Schedule
Mid-June 2011

Soft Prep
July-Mid August 2011

Breakdown Services/Casting/Contracts
August 2011

Pre-Production
September 2011

Principal Photography
October 1-25 2011 (20 days total)

Post-Production
Nov. 2011 – Jan. 2012

- Mike

Suzanne Lyons Producer Workshop

2010-03-24T22:53:00.005-04:00

The last 10 days have been a complete whirlwind for me. After I spent a week in Ireland visiting friends, I headed straight to California to meet Kevin for Suzanne Lyons' independent producer's workshop. Now, sitting here adjusting to my third time zone in three days, I've got a sleepless night to reflect on how valuable the workshop really was.

Kevin and I were turned on to Suzanne Lyons' workshop through Stacey Parks' website, Film Specific. While Stacey's expertise lies in foreign sales and distribution, Kevin and I were looking for an independent producer to walk us through the proper steps of producing a film under the SAG Ultra-Low Budget Agreement.

Kevin and I were both drawn to the class due to the invaluable resources Suzanne's workshop offered, such as the $15,000 worth of contracts we can later amend for our own use. While it's easy to go out and buy an indie filmmaking book full of generic contracts, nothing can compare to spending two days with an experienced producer, breaking down contracts and having our questions and concerns answered.

By learning from Suzanne's experiences (and costly mistakes), we'll be better prepared to deal with similar situations when they arise during our own production. By acquiring a wealth of information from Suzanne and Stacey, we now have a deep knowledge base we can quickly refer to, when need be. While it's impossible to regurgitate every bit of information we learned throughout the weekend, we will be sure to share what we've learned and how we are applying Suzanne's techniques to our own film, when we cross those bridges.

Another important aspect of the workshop was learning exactly what a producer's role is and what our responsibilities are. For our last film, the answer was simple, everything! This was a big misconception that Suzanne shattered for us; while a producer does have to wear 100 hats, he is not responsible for everything. By delegating responsibility to a trusted line producer, some sanity may actually be retained on our end

Finally, as I've said before, it's very easy to talk about making a film, however, talking doesn't cause a film to materialize, action does. And this is what Suzanne's workshop did for us; it made our project feel a bit more real. By investing in ourselves, we are ultimately investing the first dollars into the film itself.

By attending this workshop, it proves that Kevin and I are both committed to getting this film made. For anyone who knows us, knows we wouldn't throw away $1,200 on a workshop, if we had no intention of making this film. We hate spending money recklessly, both in our personal lives and on the screen, which is ultimately why we took this class; to stretch our dollars as far as we can.

- Mike

Too Many Hats Can Weigh You Down

2010-03-07T12:51:00.002-05:00

One of the toughest things about juggling tons of different roles while making an independent film is being able to mentally separate duties and responsibilities. If you're just staring into the closet, looking at all the hats you'll eventually have to wear, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. The strongest impulse is to curl up into a little ball and get nothing done.

As the writer of Nitecrawlers, there are certain benchmarks that I need to hit in order to keep pushing our timeline forward. Once the wheels get going, it's crucial to keep moving; if you stop to worry about the myriad unknowns that pop up during the production of a feature film, you risk the wheels all coming off the cart.

One of my greatest strengths as a producer is also one of my greatest weaknesses as a writer. I'm incredibly business-minded and process-oriented (I'm currently wrapping up my MBA). The screenwriting process of an independent film is, for me, unbearably complicated by the fears of future business and legal quandaries. It's all too easy to sit down, write a page, and then think, "Well, wait...how are we going to handle funding for this film? Aren't there SEC rules for soliciting investors? Don't we need Private Placement Memorandums?"...and on and on into tangential hell.

These and other mental roadblocks have been stalling the re-write process for the past month or two. If I'm constantly worrying, I can't devote the unadulterated attention to refining our (great) script and concept. That's why Mike and I decided to take the financial plunge and attend Suzanne Lyons' Indie Film Producing workshop out in LA in mid-March. For those not in the know, Suzanne is a successful indie film producer who has made several horror films under the SAG Ultra-Low contract (and received distribution through companies like LionsGate and Sony Screen Gems).

I'm hoping the workshop will accomplish several things. First, Suzanne's knowledge should help illuminate many of the process and "which should we do first?" questions that I have about our new film endeavor, freeing my mind to focus on refining and locking the script. Second, the cost (roughly $600, plus flight, hotel and car) will serve to help convince Mike and I that we're truly committed to this new project and venture.

- K

Finding a Film/Work/Life Balance

2010-02-23T13:07:00.003-05:00

Mike already touched on this in his last post, but I'll say it again: we're delaying the production of Nitecrawlers until Fall 2011.

Is this a bad thing? I don't think so. I think it's just something that's necessitated by the complications and demands of everyday life. With Nitecrawlers, Mike and I are a little locked in to shooting in the Fall/Autumn by certain aesthetic desires for the film. The film will be all the better for shooting during the season we're trying to portray, so not getting to the film in Fall 2010 means we need to push production a whole year.

However, let's make one thing clear; by "production", we mean principal photography. In reality, the Nitecrawlers train has already left the station (or rather, left quite some time ago), and will roll steadily on all through 2010. We both firmly believe that the extended Pre-Production phase that the film will enjoy will really allow us to hone not only our approach to the film but also our approach to its marketing. In this era of independent filmmaking, with the current economic stresses and the traditional sales venues like AFM and Cannes suffering the one-two punch of oversaturation and lack of buyers, having a consistent and innovative marketing approach will be the difference between 20,000 people seeing your film and 2 people seeing your film.

Back on the subject of the post, though. A large reason for the delay was my desire to finish my grad school MBA in December before diving fully into this project. Up until several weeks ago, I kept trying to convince myself that I'd be able to juggle work, school at night, and still find adequate time to devote to all aspects of the film. Problem was, 2010 was here and we still hadn't locked the script, begun the financing phase, formed the LLC, or any of the other steps that we really needed to start taking if we were going to realize our Fall 2010 production date. Finally, I admitted to myself that I couldn't do everything; instead, the new plan is to finish school, lock the Nitecrawlers script, and soft-prep the film throughout 2010. Mike and I will be releasing a new timeline for the film on this blog in the coming month or so, so watch out for that.

Our problem was not unique. The economic reality of independent filmmaking is that the vast majority of filmmakers must find a sustainable and satisfying balance between their jobs, their passion, and any other life responsibilities they have. Mike and I were lucky enough to recoup our budget and profit off of Plasterhead, our first film. That said, we won't be running out to buy a yacht anytime soon. The economic realities are harsher for other filmmakers whose films don't get distribution. Suddenly, your passion project becomes a $20,000+ sinkhole, and that's not including the countless man-hours you and others have devoted to the project. There are no two ways about it: in terms of both time and money, filmmaking is an incredibly expensive "hobby."

That, truth be told, is why most independent films never leave their creators' heads. I'm always amazed when someone gets a film off the ground, let alone finished, let alone distributed. For Mike and I, filmmaking has never been an "all or nothing" enterprise. We're not pinning the entirety of our career hopes and aspirations on the success of failure of our films. We keep doing it because we're able to extract enough joy and value from the experience, the exercise. This allows us to walk away satisfied with our own work as filmmakers, regardless of the financial result. But in order for us to be able to do that, we have to remain focused on our "day jobs" and furthering our professional skills and relationships to the point where our expensive hobby becomes sustainable. Thus the MBA, the grad school, the 9-to-5 grind. It's a stark reality of the path we have chosen, and sometimes, it requires some serious thought and juggling of time. Hence, our decision to shoot in 2011.

- K

1 Step Back, 2 Steps Forward

2010-02-15T16:18:00.009-05:00

For the past month, Kevin and I have been juggling other responsibilities in life, while simultaneously trying to move the film forward. Unfortunately, there's been several weeks where the film hasn't been given the attention it deserves. I think this is something every independent filmmaker can relate to, as the reality is, we don't have the luxury of working full-time on the film. A majority of independent filmmakers lead double lives, trying to pay bills and find the time to work on their films. So, while this blog primarily exists to document the development of our film, I think it's equally as important to focus on us, as individuals from time to time. After all, making a film affects every aspect of one's life.

Last year, I came down with the travel bug, and ended up traveling for over fourth months. At the end of the year, I gave up my apartment to spend two months in Australia and New Zealand, while Kevin started writing content for this blog. Upon my return, I attempted to get my 'professional' life back in order and start making money again so I can support myself and pay bills.

So, due to other passions, responsibilities, and most importantly, having a desire to become better producer's, Kevin and I have made the decision to push our production date back to Fall 2011, which in my opinion, is extremely beneficial. Time must not be seen as the enemy, but rather, a tool to help us prepare for the future.

One of our biggest regrets with our last film, was not spending enough time in development. We felt like time was working against us, and in return, we rushed into production, under prepared, both from a business and creative standpoint. As naive, ambitious twenty-two year olds, we learned the only way we knew how; in the moment and through hindsight.

Moreover, backlash and lawsuits ultimately come back to the producer, especially if one does not understand the intricacies of soliciting outside investors, filing the correct paperwork and working within the confines of SAG's Ultra-Low Budget Agreement. As producers, we are 100% responsible for our actions, and one misinformed decision can be costly, so we asked ourselves, do we know everything we need to know to be able to move forward? The answer was no.

We aren't putting this film on our credit card, like last time. We now have a responsibility to recoup and turn a profit off our investors' money. Ultimately, investors are investing in not just the film, but also the individuals making the film, so put yourself in their shoes: would you invest in yourself?

With that said, we've won a membership to the website Film Specific, run by Stacey Parks, an expert in the area of Film & TV distribution, which has proven to be an invaluable resource to us. Kevin and I will also be flying out to L.A for a producer's workshop in March, that we are really looking forward to. We'll be sure report back!

- Mike

Our Previous Film: "Plasterhead" (2007)

2010-01-12T23:37:00.003-05:00

We've been getting a lot of requests to hear more about our previous film, which up until this point, we haven't disclosed on the blog.

It's not that we don't want to talk about it or aren't proud of it; we both are, immensely so. However, we made our first film, a $20,000 horror feature called Plasterhead, when we were 22. We did a lot of things right, and we also did some things wrong. As with any piece of art, Plasterhead inspired a lot of strong opinions, from the extremely positive to the vile and negative. Mike and I have learned and matured so much in the time since Plasterhead that we don't want to be judged solely on that one piece of work. Mainly, though, we want to keep the focus of this blog about our new film, Nitecrawlers.

That being said, our little $20,000 horror film Plasterhead was, by all accounts, a great success. It was distributed on DVD in the US by Arts Alliance America (distributors of Super Size Me). Through our distribution deal, "Plasterhead" was available in stores like Wal-Mart, Best Buy, FYE and Hollywood Video, and can still be found online at Netflix.com (DVD & streaming), Amazon.com and Blockbuster.com.

Here's the original distributor's sell sheet for the American release:

Another cool thing was seeing the film released in different international territories. Plasterhead has been released in four countries: Russia, Japan (as No Face), Germany and Singapore.

Here is the Japanese and Russian cover art:

If you want to learn more about the film, you can visit the Official Website. Here also is the teaser trailer for the film:

And finally, since a lot of you guys and gals visiting the blog are aspiring filmmakers, I'll share with you a "Reverse Distribution" case study video that Mike and I recorded for Plasterhead. Reverse distribution, if you're not familiar with the term, is the process of preparing for distribution early in on the filmmaking process. Essentially "reverse engineering" your film for distribution by tailoring elements specifically to things distributors are looking for.

As a tiny film with no budget and no "name" actors, we faced an uphill battle finding distribution with Plasterhead. We spent a lot of time preparing for distribution, even before we rolled on a single frame. We credit the reverse distribution techniques we employed on Plasterhead for the film's eventual success. Anyway, here's that video, if you're interested:

So anyway, that's about everything there is to know about Plasterhead. As good an experience as it was, Nitecrawlers will be on a whole new level. We can't wait.

- K

Out with the Old, In with the New (Business Models...)

2010-01-09T22:52:00.011-05:00

While developing the script, it's important to be mindful of the new business model we are embracing, as it's going to have an effect on how our story unfolds. Under the transmedia business model, we are going to tell part of our story through a different medium other than film, long before financing is secured.

With an elaborate story and a complex time-line of events to interweave through two different mediums, it's important that all our story elements work in harmony of each other. We must tread lightly and remain sensitive to the fact that we are introducing our character's back-stories independently from the script itself.

So why is the transmedia business model beneficial over the old business model? (Robert Pratten from the workbook project explains the different business models here)

With our previous film, it felt like our distributor simply stuck the film on Hollywood Video's new release wall and hoped for the best. Or perhaps they assumed that the film's slick DVD artwork would stand out from the thousand of other horror films on Netflix. They were simply trying to inflate their marketing numbers without getting their hands dirty; this ensures that the filmmaker won't see any back-end profits while the distributor puts forth minimal marketing efforts..

By attempting to gain 5,000 fans before production begins, we are taking matters into our own hands (and remaining one step ahead of filmmakers who wait until post-production wraps to start the process). Why rely solely on the distributor to raise awareness and interest for the film?

As Kevin stated previously, having a pre-established fan base is much more attractive to investors, as we are assuring them that a market already exists for a film that has yet to begin production. The transmedia model is certainly favorable in this aspect.

Alternatively, this new business model will help filmmakers gauge how a story will be perceived by fans, before the camera's start rolling. Is there even an audience for the film we want to make? The transmedia model helps test the waters. It can be viewed as a form of risk management; why waste our time (and others money) with a story that no one has any interest in?

Lucky for us, we've got a story that no one's told yet.

- Mike

Beginning the Search for a Concept Artist

2010-01-08T19:57:00.004-05:00

As Kevin immerses himself in the film's second draft, it's important to identify other areas of the development process that we can simultaneously concentrate on; designing business cards for networking purposes, researching other film's sales data for business plans, and last but not least, conceptualizing our monster's design. Working as a team allows us to divide and conquer, to remain focused on the bigger picture.

With "Nitecrawlers", we'd like to develop more of an organic monster than a stereotypical masked villain this time around. We've got some ideas kicking around that we'd liked to see fleshed out through an artists perspective. Once we enter pre-production, an FX artist will ultimately have the final say in our monster's design, however, for developmental purposes, an illustrator is needed for concept design for investor materials.

While projected investment returns and risk management details are immensely important to an investor, it's equally as important to brand your film from it's inception. After all, we are visual creatures by nature. We are selling our vision. Bring your ideas to life before you present to the investor. Let him see the film's potential through dynamic artwork; then capitalize on that excitement.

After reviewing 50 different on-line portfolios from artists around the world, we have a handful of potential illustrators fit for the job. Sometimes the internet can be a black hole of useless information, yet, for as much junk as there is out there, talent is always waiting to be discovered.

Stay tuned as we secure an illustrator and start to bring our ideas to life.

- Mike

Plotting Meeting #1 (aka "The Importance of a Scene-By-Scene Outline")

2010-01-08T00:15:00.004-05:00

Some might argue that thinking of an idea for a film is easy. Everyone's had a moment where they've thought "that would be a great idea for a movie!". They've got a beginning, they've got an end, maybe some cool characters, maybe even some cool scene ideas and set pieces.

That's kind of where Nitecrawlers has languished since this past summer. The first draft of the script was written by myself in October 2009, without a "proper" outline. Instead, I worked off a long and messy series of notes and computer documents containing broad scene ideas and super-specific plot elements. The result was a first draft of the script that addressed many individual scene ideas but lacked a cohesive narrative structure. It was more an exercise in writing than a true first draft.

Previously, when Mike and I would come up with a cool scene idea, we would assign it a single descriptive phrase (like "Jason Makes Enemies at School", just to give an example). This usually captured the essence of the scene, but gave no details as to what actually occured. Who is present? Where is it taking place? What is being said? Most importantly, what purpose does the scene serve? What does the scene accomplish in terms of advancing plot points, conveying knowledge to the audience, or giving definition to the characters?

What we lacked (and what I realized was ultimately preventing the script from moving forward into an honest 2nd draft) was a comprehensive scene-by-scene outline. Several popular novelists, including Stephen King, downplay the necessity of an outline. King in particular notes that he used to work off long and elaborate plot outlines, but nowadays just sits down and starts writing, letting the story take him where it may. As someone whose primary craft isn't writing (see my previous blog post), however, I realized that I needed to have Nitecrawlers in front of me in outline form before I could proceed with the 2nd draft.

Plotting a movie is also a lot more deliberate than plotting a novel, even more so if that film is an independent film being done on a limited budget, like Nitecrawlers. Beyond conveying the story, the writer must remain cognizant of both time and budget restraints. For me, simultaneously processing these elements while still trying to move the plot forward was too arduous a task without an outline in front of me, on which most of the "processing" had already been done and laid out.

That's why Mike and I spent most of the day today hashing out Nitecrawlers scene by scene. We started at the beginning of the film, listing the scene number, scene title (that one line description I mentioned earlier), characters, location, and a fleshed out description of the key points and motivations that each scene is responsible for conveying. I found this process to be immensely cathartic, and I highly recommend doing it for any film, and especially doing it with someone.

For one, Mike and I were able to debate each scene and ensure that we were both on board with the plot points and general idea of the scene. Plotting scene by scene together also helped us to recognize any potential plot loopholes, inconsistencies and vagaries and cut them off at the head. We forced ourselves to identify the specific purpose of each scene. On a $200,000 budget, we need to strongly enforce a strict economy of scenes. If it doesn't have a purpose, we can't shoot it. As a film based in the horror genre, we also have to juggle conveying backstories without allowing any one scene to get bogged down with talking heads. And as an ensemble cast film, we need to meticulously plot each scene so that no character gets left behind or their arc neglected.

We made it about halfway through the film today, and we expect to continue tomorrow. Then I'll take our scene-by-scene outline and begin the 2nd draft next week, for a February 1st deadline.

- K

Writing Your Own Script (versus Optioning)

2010-01-07T22:03:00.004-05:00

So why am I writing Nitecrawlers myself?

To save money, for one. Rather than pay a writer to write our script or option an existing script, writing Nitecrawlers will save us immense amounts of cash. When the script is complete, I can simply sign over the rights to the LLC that we will establish for the production of the film. This can be done for a nominal, symbolic amount of money (like $1).

More importantly, though, writing Nitecrawlers is a catharsis for me, on several levels. The screenwriting process on our last film (which I also wrote) was extremely hectic, and though we eventually got our shit together, there was always the concern that the script wouldn't be ready by production. On that film, I was writing all the way up until 2 weeks before production began. On top of that, location and weather inconsistencies necessitated the writing of additional scenes during actual production days. The entire writing experience from our last film left me with many metaphorical gray hairs and a desire to handle the screenwriting duties with more grace on our next film, which would eventually become Nitecrawlers. This time around, I want to finish the script before we proceed to the next step in the pre-production timeline. Because we're no longer playing with only our own money anymore, it's important that we start the filmmaking journey on the right step.

The basic story framework for Nitecrawlers is also one that I've had brewing in my head for years, so much so that I feel that I must write the script myself, if only to exorcise the demons in my own mind. It feels good to see ideas begin to take shape on paper, and to see other people close to the process embrace the plot points and concepts which I've ran through hundreds of times in my own internal world.

That said, screenwriting is hard. It's goddamn hard. There's absolutely no way to bullshit your way through the process. It involves long blocks of time, in a room by yourself, staring at a computer screen. All the great and whimsical ideas you've had while taking a nighttime drive, or hiking a mountain, or staring at the stars suddenly seem to disappear into the dark recesses of your brain when you're staring at a blank computer screen (kind of like some of my blog ideas!).

It's even harder when you're directing the film (as I will be). Knowing that I'm directing causes me to take undue liberties with the script that may make it hard for outside readers to comprehend. Because I know I'll be on set, I often find myself emitting certain important details within the script that make sense in my head but that need to be on the page in order for outside readers (especially actors) to understand what's going on in the story. As we will be going through the Screen Actor's Guild (SAG) and pursuing some name actors, I need to make sure that the script reads just as cleanly for an outsider as it does for me, that no reading in between the lines is required, and that every important bit of information is right there on the page, rather than in my head.

- K

Welcome 2010.

2010-01-03T01:26:00.011-05:00

I've been absent from this blog the past couple of months because I have been traveling overseas. Kevin's been doing a great job in the meanwhile. Here are some initial thoughts as we prepare to fully dive into this project in the new year.

As I enter the second quarter of my life and inch towards my thirties, Kevin and I have made the conscious decision to make a new film. We feel like we owe it to ourselves to see what we are capable of. It's comforting to know that whatever I risk materially, can be regained over the course of my life (along with my sanity). If there is nothing risked there is nothing gained.

First, anything is possible. Even raising $200,000 for a film. Sure, it sounds ambitious, but the more we educate ourselves, the smaller the gap becomes between the impossible and the possible.

I think of it this way--If you would have told a younger version of myself that a film of mine would be available in Japan, Russia, Singapore and Germany, I would have never believed you. If you told me I'd be on an airplane flying across the world by myself to travel for months on end, I would've thought you were crazy. If you told the 13 year old version of myself that a small record label would put out my band's CD, I wouldn't have believed that either.

Secondly, you need to build everything from the ground up. Block by block. You make a $200,000 film by making a $20,000 film. You make a $2 million dollar film by making a $200,000 one. You get the point.

I've grown up with a DIY mindset since I was young. I've seen friends start bands in their garages, get in vans, drive across America and develop a following one fan at a time. Those who inspire me are my very own friends.

The world will fail us if we give it a chance. The longer we spend being led, the more we forget how to lead. Whatever you want out of life you need to create for yourself, rather than sitting and waiting for a life that's already passed you by.

Another precept that we prescribe to is-- do everything better. Just by reviewing other filmmakers business proposals, I know Kevin and I can improve upon what they've done. Research, identify and leverage the shortcoming of others to your advantage. Set the bar higher.

If you look at films within our previous films budget range, I'd like to think that ours is better than the majority. That's not to say that our previous film didn't have problems. We were young (22) and there were many aspects about the film that were rushed. When we started it, I don't think we really believed thousands of people would be viewing it. Perhaps we weren't ready for our work to be put under a microscope. We know the film's weaknesses better than anyone. We lived and breathed it everyday for two years.

I'm a realist and I don't expect anything to be handed to me. Failure is frighteningly real. One of the hardest lessons to learn is; just because you work hard, doesn't mean you are entitled to anything... praise, success, respect. Hard work doesn't guarantee people will like what you do. Don't take it personally. Be open to criticism. Brush things off quickly and move on (aka when your film leaks and you get your first negative review on IMDB, hole yourself up in your apartment and drink heavily).

It's an interesting time for film. The classic distribution model is broken and in return, filmmakers are thinking outside the box. They are offering their audiences much more than the typical experience. Filmmakers can now tell their story across a wide range of mediums and multi-platforms. We are no longer bound by just the movie screen. Filmmakers are creating entire worlds out of their ideas and allowing the audience to take part in their creations.

Kevin and I have some exciting ideas we'd like to pursue with this film; we are looking into different mediums that will help us offer more depth to the film's backstory. We are exploring different ways to develop our characters off screen. An important question to ask is; what will make this film better than the thousands of others that are currently being made? What separates us from the rest?

This blog may seem a bit pre-mature to a few and it's easy to say we are going to do this and that, but until we have a final draft, invest the first thousand dollars, create investor materials and open our LLC all this is just talk. This is us thinking out loud from the beginning. Follow us as we make this a reality.

- Mike

Closing the Old LLC

2009-12-09T23:37:00.001-05:00

I'm filing the papers tomorrow to close the LLC we had opened for the production of our previous film. Luckily, it appears to be a pretty simple procedure: file a form, cut the state a check for $100, and you're done.

It's somewhat of a bittersweet experience. We opened the LLC in September of 2005 with no idea what we were doing. By November 2005, we were shooting. We kept the LLC open this long in hopes of collecting some or all of the foreign distribution revenues we were owed (long story). Luckily, we were able to collect some of those revenues this past summer. That said, it's expensive to keep the LLC open every year, and a pain in the ass to file the yearly tax returns, so it's time to quit while we're ahead, say "lesson learned" and move on to bigger and better things.

I also want to close the LLC before 2010 because we are planning on opening a new one for Nitecrawlers, the process of which I will detail in this blog when the time comes. All this business stuff gives me a headache...I just want to get the cameras rolling again, but it's a serious and necessary part of being an independent filmmaker.

- K

Thinking Beyond the Film

2009-12-01T23:08:00.002-05:00

I came across this great article last week (although for the life of me I can't remember where) on the Truly Free Film blog and I thought it definitely deserved a place here, if for no other reason than to allow me to access it multiple times over:

Truly Free Film: The Twenty New Rules

Ted Hope has some great insight about what the independent film producer needs to do just to sell a film these days, and let me tell you, it's a lot more complicated than just making a film.

It all comes down to PRE-PLANNING. I won't summarize the article here, but Ted's point is that "making a film" is so much more than making a film these days. I think especially now, when spending on indies by distros has been dropping steadily, self-distribution may be the only viable option for many indie films to recoup their budgets, making Ted's "rules" all the more relevant.

A couple that I hope to do with Nitecrawlers:

• Collect 5000 fans prior to seeking financing. - Since Mike and I paid for our first movie ourselves, Nitecrawlers will be our first time attempting to raise outside funding. An independent film is a TOUGH sell, no matter how you slice it (Filmmaker: "We've got a 99.99% chance of not getting a distribution deal." Investor: "Great, where do I sign?") When I put myself in an investor's shoes, seeing a pre-established fanbase makes the carrot much more appealing.

• Create enough additional content to keep your audience involved throughout the process and later to bridge them to your next work. - One of my biggest regrets on the first film! Behind-the-scenes video, stills, interviews, a blog (check!), all this stuff should be a no-brainer, and I won't forget it this time.

• Determine & manufacture at least five additional products you will sell other than DVDs. - So important this time around. Even if you get traditional distribution, let me tell you: once you get your advance, you ain't seeing another cent from DVD sales, no matter what kind of backend deal you think you have in place. I've got some cool merchandising ideas brewing for Nitecrawlers that I think will be rewarding for the fans who get on the bandwagon early on.

• Study at least five similar films in terms of what their release strategy & audience engagement strategy was and how you can improve upon them. - I literally spend hours scouring the web and sites like DVXUser.com for films similar in scope to Nitecrawlers (horror-esque genre, sub-$500k budget). Even so, it's hard to ever get the particulars of a distribution deal, which makes it tough to know if a film was able to recoup its budget or not. If anyone has a film like this, or knows of one, and would like to chat about it, reach out to us here! I'd love to trade stories.

'Til next time...

- K

The "Nitecrawlers" Logo

2009-11-30T23:20:00.004-05:00

It's so important these days for independent filmmakers to create a "brand" around their film right from the outset.

That's why, even with the script still in the violent throes of a second draft, we asked our good friend Ed Adams to design us a logo to help us brand the new film. I gave him only a few vague themes and plot points to work off of, and he came up with the pretty logo you now see at the top of the page. The logo will be a key visual element in all our investor materials.

Here's Ed's design (you can also see it up in the header of the blog:

I wanted the logo to recall the shared aesthetic from a lot of popular 80's horror/adventure/comic movies. Two film logos in particular stood out to me as being excellent brand markers of their properties. When you see these logos (or even the typeface), you immediately can recall the film or films of their origin.

Here they are:

"Goonies" Logo:

"The Warriors" Logo:

I think Ed did a really great job of capturing the same essence and timelessness of the above logos with his work on the Nitecrawlers logo. What do you think? I'm going to try to get some commentary from Ed himself and post it here so that he can describe the creative process that went into the logo's creation.

You can check out Ed's website here: http://www.flickertoflame.com.

- K

Getting Back on the Horse

2009-11-30T23:12:00.002-05:00

A lot of first-time filmmakers don't realize how draining the process of making a feature film can be.

When Mike and I started to make our first feature in the Summer of 2005, we were both only 22, both fresh out of film school. We had no idea about the sheer gargantuan nature of what we were taking on. Form an LLC? Prepare early for deliverables? What? Nobody had ever taught us the business end of making a film, and I think that's a common thought that most recently graduated film students experience when they set out to do what we did.

What we didn't realize at the time was that the entire process of making our first feature (from the formation of the LLC and the writing of the script all the way through to seeing the film released in foreign countries like Russia and Japan) was nearly a 3 year process. Even to this day, some 4 years later, parts of the process still drag on. I still have to close the LLC from that film before the year's end.

It was incredibly emotionally draining for both of us. At one point during post-production, we stepped away from the edit completely for 6 weeks. We were just burned out, plain and simple. And once the film achieved distribution and we were finding it in places like Wal-Mart and Best Buy, it was easy to sit back and ride the coattails of that success for a long time.

But you can't milk the success of one film forever, and the creative juices always come rushing back. When you've made a $20,000 film, there are inevitably many things that make you say "Man, next time around, when we have more money, I'm going to do X, Y and Z so much better."

But making a new film is a great risk...financially, legally, emotionally, when you make a film, you open yourself up for a lot of hurt. Especially now, when the economy ain't that great, the pressures are amplified.

I've thought long and hard about how enticing the path of least resistance seems: hang it up after one film and walk around risk-free for the rest of my life saying, "Hey, when I was 22, I made a movie that was in Wal-Mart, that was on Netflix." But I think they call that living in the past.

And so here we are, getting back on the horse once more.

- K

Welcome to Our Journey

2009-11-29T22:58:00.005-05:00

Welcome to the official Nitecrawlers production blog.

One of my greatest regrets while making our first feature film was that we did next to nothing to document the (nightmarishly) rewarding process we went through during its production and subsequent distribution. I'm not going to make that mistake again.

So who are we, what is Nitecrawlers, and why is this worth reading? Let me explain.

My name is Kevin, and I'll be writing this blog with my fellow producing partner Mike. We're 26-year old filmmakers about to embark on our 2nd feature film. Our first feature film (which I'll discuss in more detail in a later entry) was a little $20,000 horror movie with no stars (funded entirely out of our own pockets). Our goal was simple, to recoup our investment and to get our film distributed direct-to-dvd. We ended up doing that and more, with the being released nationwide on DVD by Warner-Elektra-Atlantic and worldwide in Russia, Germany, Japan and Singapore. How well did we do financially? Well, let's just say we did well enough that we're back for more punishment, but as any indie filmmaker can confirm, it ain't about the money.

Nitecrawlers is our long-awaited 2nd feature film. We're billing it as a "coming-of-age horror tale," but I don't think the movie knows exactly what it wants to be just yet. Since we shot our first feature for $20k, we're looking to make what we consider to be a sizeable jump up to a $200,000 budget. What's more, we are hoping to use the SAG Ultra-Low Budget Agreement, which hopefully will mean access to some "names."

So what can you expect to find on this blog? Well, in short, lots of stuff. When Mike and I were 22-year-old newbies setting out to make our first feature on a wing and a prayer, we would have killed for an all-inclusive resource from a fellow independent filmmaker who had walked down the production and distribution path before us, and so that's what I hope to accomplish with this blog. There are some specific things that I'd like to touch on, including:

- Script Development
- Creating Concept Art
- Soliciting Investors
- Writing Business Plans
- Forming an LLC

In short, all the trials and tribulations an independent filmmaker will have to endure. We've done it once, and we're ready to do it again, this time on a somewhat grander scale. Once we secure funding for the film, this blog will hopefully re-direct to our official website, where we will continue to blog from pre-production through distribution.

So hop onboard, subscribe to the blog, and follow our progress in our quest to raise $200,000 and get this film made!

- K