Too Many Hats Can Weigh You Down

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

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

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)

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...)

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

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")

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