The Stray, Interview Part 2

Okay we are going to pick up where we left off. Please keep in mind that they have about five days left in their Indiegogo Campaign. So when you are done reading take a moment to visit their Indiegogo page. http://igg.me/at/TheStrayTheMovie/x/1065093

MUSIC.

It is emotive and draws people in. It instantly invests people in your project or, if it's bad, it will send them running. Give it due diligence. My music is part of what is being composed for the film but it is also customized and unique to each trailer. Killing two birds with one stone again. You can find artists who want to work with you if they believe in your project. A stepping stone for them and again, it all relies on a good story. But pay them something anyhow. It will go a long way. Also, work out a deal for them to produce a soundtrack from the film to market with all proceeds (after costs) for the sale of the soundtrack going to the musicians and artists that create music/songs for the film. This invests them in your project and you will get great results.


Details.

You will never get distribution for any finished product if you don't dot your I's and cross your t's when getting signed releases for every person involved, every performance, every song. Don't create a legal nightmare that will exclude you ever getting distribution.Prepare.

You will LOVE the results of good preparation and the problems you avoid will make your production more enjoyable for everyone. When artists are enjoying themselves and having fun with what they are doing, they perform better. So will you. You will have fun and look professional because you will be professional. You are what you do.

I guess I shouldn't assume indie film-makers already know this, but,? when you don't have enough money, it inspires ingenuity. At least it should. And if you have the time, putting in time is like putting in gold. YouTube is full of DIY movie-making gadgets. I built an 8 foot long camera slider using an 8ft. Section of an extension aluminum ladder (very lightweight) that I bought off Craig's List for $30. Another $85 to get some great skateboardr-blade wheels, angle iron and mount it all to a wooden platform with the wheels riding the rails of the ladder section. Whatever length of ladder section you have, that's how long a slider you now have. They are standard widths.

We used a drone to get the aerial shots. They are not cheap, yet, but they are getting better and less costly every day just as the cameras they can carry are. Amazon has a drone that can carry a GoPro for under $800 right now. With a few modifications for another $5-600 you can add real time wi-fi monitoring and see what you are shooting as you shoot it. You can learn how on YouTube, here's one but there are more: http://youtu.be/UKMQhWZtNRg   

Or, you can rent a rig and crew to operate it. This can easily cost $1800 for the shot but it gives you a great production value that you can parlay into more money. Consider that.

I built an impromptu camera crane out of a boom pole for lights with my DSLR simply taped to the end of the pole. Where there is a will, there is a Way.

Over the weekend we did just shoot a scene at a local Barber Shop called Barbercide. I was DP, Director, Set Design, another actor/producer (who wasn't in this scene) held the mic boom and so, he was sound department, One of the actresses did make-up and wardrobe and the whole thing, including 5 extras and the barber and the location, cost us $120. to shoot. Why, because I wasn't afraid to ask.

Don't be afraid to ask. HD shows everything so make-up, especially FX make-up is more important than ever. I am not telling people to cut corners here but, if you have more time than money you CAN make very authentic looking FX yourself. Torn bits of toilet paper and white glue make wonderful torn and peeling skin FX. You can mold and peel and color with food coloring, acrylic paint or make-up, very effective and cost-efficient. Just remember to take photos so you can re-create with some continuity for subsequent shots. Cory syrup with red and just a drop or two of blue makes great looking blood; you don't have to be bled dry to make a great film.

                                                               ***
Was a horror movie a choice or was it just the first script that worked for you?

-Horror was my choice. I like it. I've have another script ready to produce after we finish "The Stray" I like it when a movie excites and scares me.-

Will you specialize in one genre of film making?

-I don't think I will specialize in any genre. I need to constantly try new things and challenge myself or I lose interest.- Your posters have a release date listed. What type of release are you considering, many low budget film maker are bypassing theatrical release and going straight to video on demand?

-That release Date of "Halloween" is a best-case scenario that it doesn't look like we will be able to make. I'm not ruling it out, in fact, nothing concrete is making it impossible at the moment. It's a money thing. I can shoot in a full weekly schedule if I have enough money to pay people appropriately. If not, if I can only give them a bare minimum, then I feel compelled to work around their schedules so they don't have to take off a day of work that might earn the $300 to work on my set and make $100.

I can't be that guy. In that case, it's going to take until spring to finish shooting and we will have an early summer release. I don't want to compromise the story or the production to meed a deadline that I made up myself. It is flexible. Remember, the story is what counts.

I will work hard for the best distribution deal I can get. And frankly, I have no idea what that will be. I am keeping the necessary paperwork in order so I won't "shoot myself in the foot" with regard to the deals I could make but still, there are so many options, at this point, I just can't say.

When ready, I will rent a theater and have a private release for invited guests only; the cast and crew and their families and friends. Of course, distributors will be at these viewings and this will run as long as it needs to this way. I am fortunate to be in Hollywood and there are a lot of vital concerns right here in town that can come and view the finished product. This will actually cost less than trying to get it in every festival possible. Festivals today are not what they used to be and it is very expensive to enter and attend and meet the people there that will move your project into distribution. I will choose very carefully the festivals we enter.

And yes, there are many alternatives today, Red Box, iTunes, even the ScyFi Channel, overseas markets, there are more "places to go" for the indie film maker than ever before. First things first though, I need to get back to work and finish this project they way it deserves to be finished, with my full attention and effort.- Thank you Tom for giving me the opportunity to ask you a few question. Good luck with your project and all of us look forward to seeing the finished product.


Okay guys remember to share this post. The more that a project is shared the greater chance that it has of being successful. By going on Facebook or Twitter with a crowdfunding campaign you help the film maker to reach your friends and their friends and so on down the line. Just a little time and effort can pay off for another film maker. The immediate future of low to micro budget film making is going to be tied to crowdfunding. It will always be easy for the big names and failed tv shows to go out and raise money for a vanity project, but for the new and the original it continues to be a difficult process. We want to see something special, something new and unique, but we want someone else to get involved in getting it done.

If any of you have a project that you believe would make for an interesting interview and or need to be highlighted then contact me by leaving a comment or through google plus and I promise to get back to you.


 

The Stray, Interview Part 1

 


Film maker Tom Ford (not that Tom Ford) has responded to my interview request. Keep in mind that this project is nearing the end of a crowdfunding campaign so if you can please take a moment to visit their indiegogo page and donate what you can. Remember at Indiegogo your film get what ever is donated toward the goal. While at Kickstarter it is usually an all or you get nothing proposition.


First, Tom Ford on the writing of the film.
I'll start with the obvious (you've heard it 100 times) "it's all
about the story"... because it's true.

Start there. If you're past that point already and have a so - so story,
go back to step 1. Story. 50,000 features made each year, most of those
don't have a great story. If you start with a great story that people will
want to watch, you move to the head of that pack and your chances for
success get a lot better. And THAT'S the way to begin.

You also have a very good chance of gathering a better team, better actors
and crew, that will actually show-up when you need them, because they believe
in the project too. Did I just refer to a great story again, I think I did.
I wrote The Stray. I like horror films but always felt they needed
to be more. I believe The Stray is. It is more appropriately a psychological
Horror and it has a real love story woven within the complicated layers.
Great characters that we follow through generations in the reincarnate
drams, with great suspense and action. Only thing missing is Zombies
and I want to make it clear, I have nothing against the dead walking
around and making movies it is simply that I wanted something different
and they are already in every other movie!

On Making the Movie.

We are making The Stray for less than most features spend on Craft Services, and it is challenging but that is where Crowd-Funding and Indie become so powerful together. Indie Film Making has always been a crowd funded model because it is customary for everyone to put so much of themselves and their own resources into the project. It's because they really believe in what they are doing, love the work (endless hours) and they keep their eyes focused on the potential of the finished product. They certainly are not in it for the money.


On paying the Cast and Crew:

Those who will work for free…

Pay them something. Be open and honest about what you have and then pay them at least a token, even if it hurts, especially if it hurts. Pay out with the right attitude and I believe it will all come back to you. Karma, pay it forward, whatever. Believe and others will believe. And make it very clear that you know it's not even close to what they deserve, but at least pay for their gas.

This will go along way.

It's about respect. Respect yourself, the project and the team and it will be appreciated in ways that you can actually see. They want this too, it's a stepping stone for everyone involved. Keep that in mind, remind your cast and crew of this and treat your project like you believe it. Do a good
job. Every scene either increases in value from the previous scene or is
compromised by it. Every scene counts. Scenes that don't count don't
belong in (you've got it) a great story.

On Preparation:

Prepare.

Lack of money requires more preparation on your part for everything you
do. Ducks in a row cost a lot less than mayhem. Don't count on good luck
but rather, prepare for Murphy's law. Preparation. Think through and
prepare for as much as possible and then, be flexible enough to go where
the situations you encounter take you. It's digital media. If everything
goes wrong shoot that too. You may get something extraordinary.
Don't lose sight of the story and maybe you have to write-off a "bad day" but at
least you don't have to pay for film and processing. Se what you got, use
what you can, be true to the story, yourself and the team and move on.

You are what you do.

The day is made by what you do. Nothing is realized by what you say or
could have done. Bad days are the perfect blue-print for what not to do the
next day. That's suddenly a very valuable tool.

Good effort inspires good people.

You are the inspiration for the team. They will, in turn, rise to the occasion and become your inspiration. So, keep your eyes and mind open to them. None of us can be great all the time. But the beauty of making a great film is that it takes more than you. It takes a team. If you've got a good team and you stay alert and open to their flashes of genius, welcome that into the production. If you shut everyone else out of "your vision" then all your moments of "less than genius" have nothing to cover them. Combine all the great, creative, cooperative efforts of the team and everyone suddenly looks better and the production will benefit substantially.

Valuable Tools:

I did interviews with cast and crew members once they became familiar with the story. Then I edited these and they became a valuable tool for attracting Investors (fund-raising) and they also strengthen the confidence of your cast and crew. But most of all, they really helped me. I learned from "their" take on everything. I learned a lot. You can watch my cast and crew interviews on the Indiegogo page for The Stray (near the bottom) here:
http://igg.me/at/TheStrayTheMovie/x/1065093

Trailers and teasers, today, are a cart before the horse scenario. We make
them first, before we film the actual movie because we need them to help
attract financing. THEY are a valuable tool, treat them like it as you create
them. They are also a story, make it a good one. I don't like to give
away the feature's story in a trailer but I want to convey the feel of the
story. I write my trailers to say the same or similar thing in a different
way. Write out your trailer stories and make certain they are what you
want. Trailers that "just happen" look like it.

I kill two birds with one stone sometimes. When I think I have the right
actor for any role, I like to shoot a screen test. The proof, after all,
is in the doing. So I choose a scene that I will want for a trailer. I
prepare and ask and expect my actors to prepare and learn their parts
(Their preparation speaks volumes about how they will work for you in the production.)
Then I shoot it as best I can, understanding the limitations. I find out who can actually
do the part and, if I've done a good job, I have a scene for my trailer.

No money for sets, make-up or crew? Think it through. Extract the best
parts of what you want to shoot. Move in, because a closer shot requires
less set design. Cull the best parts and concentrate on those. Trailers
are commonly clips of very short duration in rapid succession and you can
use that to your advantage.

Edit, edit, edit. Cut the trailer well. It is going to speak for you on and make that "First Impression" you don't get a second chance on. And they need to address every level to people who know nothing about you. The story your Trailer tells about your ability to bring a production together is an unforgiving one. Never underestimate the trailer. Make it great on its own because that is the way it will be seen and considered.

Okay that I it for part one of this two part interview. Part Two will be posted tomorrow. Please take a moment to share this post with a friend and to stumble us on Stumbleupon.

Crowdfunding And The Stray

Crowdfunding and The Stray

Normally I would put this content up on my crowdfunding page, but the campaign only has six days left as I am writing this and since the cast and crew did a great thirty minute interview about the project I felt it was too good to pass up. First take a look at the trailer for The Stray.   I hope to do a Q&A with the filmmaker because this is a blog dedicated to digital film making. Most of the readers here want to know the how and why and with what part of the film making process. I could guess the cameras being used, but why guess when I will get the answers sooner or later. We do get a behind the scenes look at the camera rig (around minute 15). Okay here is the cast and crew interviews. You can visit their Indiegogo campaign page at this link. http://igg.me/at/TheStrayTheMovie That will be it for today. Please take a moment to check out their crowd funding page at indiegogo, it is pretty impressive. Just remember that if you can not afford to contribute to a campaign then use social media to spread the world about it. We are low or micro budget film makers and we need to help each other out.

Digital Film Making, BTS

    Digital Film Making, BTS

I find a great deal of inspiration from watching other film makers working behind the scenes on their projects. You get to see that it really is work. A lot of trial and error and no one gets it right all the time.

   The teaching part of this digital film making post will largely be in the form of videos for the simple reason that this is about the behind the scenes aspects of filmmaking. Many film makers have included behind the scenes stuff on the dvd releases of their films. The difference between what you get with a Hollywood film’s BTS and what I hope to offer today is that you will be getting an idea of the stopping and starting that is a large part of film making. First up is a look behind the scenes of the movie Stab 6. If you are familiar with the Scream series of films then the film inside a film Stab should be familiar as well. The Stab series has become very popular on Youtube. If you are ever in the mood for a good old fashion slasher film you could do a lot worst than checking out a few of the movies in the series.   The things I like about the next behind the scenes video is that their is no dialogue, just like in the short film that it is about. Which is a great idea if you can pull it off. One of the big problems with dslr shooting is the how to record quality audio and the with what should you record said audio. Shooting a sort of silent film or at least sections of your film that require no sound except that of a sound track can really speed up the film making process. Also I love how they are just going out their and shooting. Using mostly what is available to get the shoot instead of blowing money on unnecessary equipment. Also they are using the micro budget’s film maker’s best friend, the monopod. The monopod can be used in place of a standard tripod and when collapsed it can stand in for a pistol grip. You can even get away with using it as a camera boom. You can get a good monopod for about twenty dollars online. The last one I am going to show you is the making of the Evil In the Hills. I picked this one because I believe that this micro budget film maker is really good. David Ryan Keith is the writer director. I wish I could show you the behind the scenes of his feature film Attack of the Herbals, I have seen it, but it is not available to be posted. When making his feature film he did what we micro budget film makers are suppose to do, he got himself a Canon dslr, some friends and shoot a feature. He did not let the lack of money or professional actors stop him. He went from short films to a feature. Please take a moment to stumble us on stumbleupon, add us to your google plus and to tell a friend about this post. Word of mouth is the fastest way to grow a blog. Thank you for visiting.

Fan Films, Joker Rising Interview

  Fan Film, Joker Rising Interview

I promised that I would try to get an interview with the maker of a fan film and
Alek Gearhart the writer/ director of the fan film Joker Rising has agreed to answer a few
questions about his film. Before the interview begins I would again like to remind you guys
that Alek is running two crowd funding campaigns for this movie. One at Indiegogo and the other at Kickstarter. So please take a moment to visit kickstarter at
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/834459535/joker-origins-film-dc-batman-universe and or the indiegogo campaign at http://igg.me/p/399595

In the world of crowd funding every dollar counts and as little as a dollar can make you part of a special project. If indie film makers do not support each other then we will always be at the mercy of the big studios. If you can not donate money, then share a campaign through what
ever social media that you use. Stumble it, post it on your google plus, use twitter. Telling a few
friends about a crowd funding campaign can help more sometimes than making a donation yourself. You never know. Okay, lets get to the interview.


Thank you for your time Alek. This will be basic question and answer style.

Most of the fan films from the Batman universe seem to be based upon
Batman or Darkwing with an occasional Cat Woman short thrown in, but you
decided to go back to the beginning with the Joker. Was this a choice because he has
been over looked or because he is the character that you are most interested in?

-The idea for this Joker film came from looking at the sadness that seemed to be in the Joker's eyes, especially in Heath Ledger's version. Like there was something horrible that happened to him to make him go the way he did. In this we are elaborating on that. Another idea that inspired this was the idea that he might not have been funny in the first place but was driven to it somehow. Also you hit the nail on the head. The Joker has been overlooked as a lead character and even in The Killing Joke we don't really get to know much about him. Every villain should have his day.


You also decided to included the very popular character of Harley Quin in the film.
How big a part does this character play in the film?


-She is very much the glue of the story. The both of them are societies outcasts so really they only have each other. She is a prostitute in this working for a pimp named "Riddles". She is easily the most important supporting character in the film. Another important character not seen in the teaser is Black Mask who also provides a very important piece to the puzzle of the Joker's origins.

There are the comic books, the graphic novels, the movies and the animated series to
look to draw from. When writing the script did you use them as a guideline or is this
going to be something new?

-No, I drew mostly from other films and books like Drive, The Departed, Blood Meridian and Shame. This is from a criminal's point of view so we want it to really feel like you are in the underbelly of Gotham.


Since the reader of this blog are interested in the film making process let’s talk about the
making of the movie.


The first question that comes up from other film makers is what kind of camera did you
use on the trailer and will you be using it to shoot the feature?


-We used a Sony Nex 100 UK for the trailer and will use it for the film as well. Great for anything at night and looks a bit more like film.

The sound is great, what did you use to record it?


-The sound is recorded with the mic that came with the camera. No boom was used for that teaser. The only alteration was that a high pass filter was added in final cut.


I have read comments about your cast and how great they are. One of the hardest parts of indie film making is finding actors who can handle the basics yet alone lift your production to another level. How did you find your cast?

-The cast was really a pleasant surprise. My partner on this project, Manuel Eduardo Ramirez and I had a one day casting call and almost immediatly great talent started to come in. Katie Young, who plays Harley, blew us away as soon as she walked in. At the end of the day tho we didn't think we we're going to find a guy who could pull off Joker and him before he turns into the Joker but right at the end Dylan Hobbs walked in and stole the show. A few other actors have come aboard later who we knew or heard about through friends. Ski Carr will play Black Mask, Dominic Marsell will play Riddles and Manuel Ramirez, who is also the guy who got gunned down in the street in the teaser will play Killer Croc or just Croc in this. God was looking out for us.

 
Last film making question before we get to crowd funding. Who inspires you? For me
it is Takashi Miike who does every kind of movie under the sun and does them well.
Who is it that you hope to be compared to or mentioned in the same breath with someday?


I am inspired by filmmakers like Terrance Malick, Chuan Lu (for City of Life and Death a film that everyone should watch), Steven Spielberg, Nicolas Winding Refn, and Alfonso Cuaron. Mainly Terrance Malick. Also inspired greatly by the 2004-2009 show Battlestar Galactica for taking something that is usually campy and grounding it in reality.


You are crowdfunding on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Do you have links to these campaigns?


-We are doing both at the moment.
Indie go go is
http://igg.me/p/399595
Kickstarter
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/834459535/joker-origins-film-dc-batman-universe

Are you determined to make this film whether you reach your goals or not?

-
The film will be made, it will just be a bit harder without help. But once it is done regardless of how we got there it will be something to behold.


When is production going to start and how many days do you plan to shoot?

- We start in June and plan on going for 2 weeks.

Any final words?

-We hope that this movie will usher in a new era of fan films and even comic book films that will surpass just action or sci-fi and enter into the realm of character pieces and hard dramas like the Place Beyond the Pines and Crash.

Digital Film Making, The Fan Film

Digital Filmmaking, Fan Films

Many of us became film makers because we are fans of a series or a movie that we wanted to be a part of in some way. Perhaps the show ended before its time and we wished to finish it our way or the universe that the movie built had room for many more stories. The king of the fan film universe is Star Wars.

 You could build an online network that showed nothing, but Star Wars short films and that network would not run out of content for days. I am not going to pick the best Star Wars fan film, this Sith lord does not look forward to being hunting down by angry Jedi knights (although if Ahsoka wants to turn to the dark side I am here for her). What I am going to do is look at the one that has done best in the world of crowd funding and that is the Pink 5 series of short films. These short digital comedy films show that if you find a compelling character, do quality special effects and build a loyal following the sky is the limit for how popular your films can become.  Understand that fan films can not generate you money directly. You can not sell them. However they can generate money indirectly through building a name and following. You can use the fan base that a fan film can create to market your original digital production. Have you seen the spin off fan films from the Scream series. The Stab movies. Look at fan films also as a way to limit your options in a good way. Having to create a world that has strict rules will focus your work. Making a fan film will make you have to do the most important thing as a film maker. You will have to establish a reality. The fan film has to establish the world the characters exist in before it can alter or subvert that world. There are many great films based upon the batman universe. Below is a video from a kickstarter campaign. They have the modest goal of 1,000 dollars. Some of us know that this amount can go a long way when making a micro budget film. If you like the trailer please take a moment to visit their kickstarter page and even if you can not afford to donate tell someone about their project. There will come a day when most of us will find ourselves running a kickstarter or indiegogo campaign. Down the road we are going to get into how to run a successful campaign. Okay why not look at your favorite movie or series and shoot something based upon it. Even if all you use is your iPhone. The great thing about fan films is that they are fun to shoot. They maybe the most fun because there is not pressure to make money with them. It is just shooting something you love and having a good time doing it. At least that is the way it should work. That is it for this post. I am going to try to get an interview with someone who has done a fan film to understand the process more. I would like you guys to check out my crowd funding page. I have added three new campaigns that I find interesting. Thank you for visiting. Please take a moment to share this post with someone and to stumble us on stumbleupon. Here is a fun bonus fan animated film.

Canon Hv20 Feature film (Throwback) Part 3

The third part of my interview with Travis Bain is ready. I would like to first than him again for the time that he has given me and the information that he has shared. Digital filmmaking is a process. No one is born a filmmaker. There are born painters and singers, but film making is a learned skilled. Sure there are those with more talent for the game than others, but I believe that hard work and the willingness to keep trying again and again is what will get most of us from the planning, to the page, to the set, to the screen.

The lesson that you need to take from the making of Throwback and other filmmakers that we will be introduced to over the next year or so is that you do not need a boat load of money to be a film maker. You can make a micro budget film with a few thousand dollars. I have been told that features have been made for less than a thousand dollars. It is mostly a matter of deciding to do it and not giving up until the film is finished. Do not let any excuse stop you. It is okay to slow down and make sure that you are not going too fast or making mistakes along the way, but do not stop until your digital feature film is done.


Okay The third and final art of the Canon Hv 20 interview.


First I forgot to ask about sound last time. What did you use to record sound. Did you go with an add-on mic or did you record external sound and sync later?

For most of the movie, I just recorded audio straight into my Canon HV20 with a Rode Video Mic mounted on the camera. Rode is an Australian company and they make excellent microphones at reasonable prices. I’d highly recommend their products to any indie filmmaker, especially those on a tight budget. Their Video Mic is a very directional, compact shotgun mic which has provided me with very clear location audio. In a handful of situations, though, we found ourselves filming in noisy locations due to gushing river water, so on those occasions we recorded backup audio into a second Canon camera (an XHA1) using wireless lavalier microphones. I'm hoping to use wireless lavs all the way through my next feature, in conjunction with the Rode Video Mic. That way, I can either just use the best audio source in post or blend the two together. We didn't use a boom swinger on “Throwback” because we couldn't afford one, so it just seemed quicker and easier to just stick the mic on the camera and operate it myself. There'll be a little bit of wind noise to remove in post, but not a whole lot because we used a furry "dead cat" windsock on the mic throughout the shoot, which attenuated most of the location wind. I think we've done pretty well considering that the entire movie, except for one scene, was shot outdoors. The audio is remarkably clean, although I do want to use wireless lavs more on my next feature, and maybe a digital field recorder as well. There are some cool ones out now which record a safety track that's about 20db lower than your main track, so if there's a sudden audio spike like an actor suddenly yelling out a line at the top of their lungs, you can use the safety track rather than your clipped main track. Luckily we didn't have too many cases of that on this film. Whenever I knew an actor was about to shout, I'd simply lower the recording levels so they wouldn't clip. That's one of the reasons I shot the movie on the Canon HV20 and not a DSLR - you have full manual control over your audio levels. We'll probably only have to re-record a small handful of lines to replace ones tainted by background noise. Otherwise, about 95% of the dialogue you'll hear in the movie is the original dialogue. I always prefer to use the original dialogue if possible, because you can never truly replicate the actor's performance later on. When they're on location and in the moment, that's when you usually get the best material. I never used headphones to monitor sound on location, I just watched the audio levels on the LCD screen and made sure nothing clipped. I’m using some good-quality Sennheiser monitoring headphones in post, although lately I’ve mainly been using them to rock out to Led Zeppelin while I cut action scenes. “Achilles’ Last Stand” is great for keeping you awake and motivated at 2am. I’ll do the sound mix later when the picture edit’s locked off. It’s important to use proper monitoring headphones for your sound mix because consumer headphones that are made for iPods and so forth usually boost the bass and do other funky things to your audio, so they don’t give you an accurate reproduction of your soundtrack.

The subject of post production is overlooked by many first time film makers thinking that they will cross that bridge when they come to it. Did you have post in mind before you started filming?

Absolutely. You have to have a post-production plan in place before you even shoot a frame of footage. You have to set up your workflow in advance and practice good media management otherwise post is going to be a haphazard mess. In a way, a movie isn’t made during production, it’s made in post, so it’s crucial to start planning your post strategy even at the script stage. For example, knowing that we were going to film “Throwback” almost entirely outdoors, I deliberately wrote the script to have as little dialogue as possible. From the outset, I wanted to tell the story visually rather than through endless chitchat. They are called motion pictures, after all. My opinion is that if you want to watch actors talk for two hours, go to a play or a Tarantino film. Otherwise, I’m in the Hitchcock camp: I believe in telling the story visually, with camera angles, action and montage, and defining your characters by their behaviours rather than boring exposition. There have been a number of recent Bigfoot movies where the characters blather on about their relationships and their emotional issues. Nothing sucks the life out of a horror movie faster. I went in the opposite direction—I wrote “Throwback” to be a lean, economical, fast-paced suspense thriller with an action beat every five to ten minutes. With minimal dialogue, your sound mix is easier because you can build your soundtrack from the ground up with a mixture of canned and foley effects. There is character development in “Throwback”, don’t get me wrong, but like “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, we get to know the characters along the way, as we get swept along by the action. Having minimal dialogue also helps your movie’s chances in non-English speaking countries.

Do you get others involved in producing the final product? Do you outsource sound work or the soundtrack?

On this film and my last, “Scratched”, I’ve followed the early-Robert Rodriguez model of pretty much doing everything myself. When you’re on a tight budget, the best person to do post-production on your film is yourself. You are your own best possible employee. You know that you’re always going to turn up, never slack off or call in sick. You’ll work for free, and work tirelessly because you feel passionate about the project. Plus you know the material intimately, so you never have to say “I want it done this way.” On my future films, as the budgets increase, I would love to delegate more tasks to people who know more about these things than I do, but right now, I’m dong all the post on “Throwback” single-handedly. I haven’t outsourced anything as yet, apart from my animated production company logo and a couple of CG smoke shots. As Rodriguez has always said, it’s great if you can be both creative and technical at the same time, because it’s really empowering. Best case scenario is that we get picked up by a distributor and some money becomes available for a professional sound mix in a proper facility. But until that happens, I’m just trying to do the best job I can on my home system.

What about audio effects?

The vast majority of the sound effects in “Throwback” are coming from Sound Dogs, a great US company you can buy sound effects from one by one, which to me makes more sense than spending thousands of dollars on a huge sound effects library you might only ever use a fraction of. So I’m mostly using Sound Dogs, but if I need a basic sound effect like a simple splash of water or something, I’ll just foley it myself and save money.

When making a horror movie there are a lot of little things that have to be done in post. Did you plan on that ahead of time?

Yes. There were a few shots where we knew there'd have to be a digital effect added later, so we'd film it in such a way that when the effect is added, it’ll blend perfectly with the background plate. You’ve got to plan ahead with your audio, too, by recording ambient sound you can use later to fill in any gaps in the soundtrack.

Do you plan on test screening the rough cut before doing your final cut or will it be straight to final cut?

I generally try to avoid showing people rough cuts unless they’re within my “inner circle.” When I screen my work, I prefer it to be as complete as it can possibly be so it's as close to my vision as possible. I don't want people to see a half-baked version of my film and judge it based on that. When people start seeing the movie at preview screenings in a few months’ time, they’ll be seeing something extremely close to my final cut.

I do not know what distribution is like in your country, but the options have grown here in North America. For a micro budget film many of us look to Video of Demand (VOD) and itunes rather than considering theatrical release. Did you have distribution in mind before you started production?

Definitely. The whole reason for making a genre film in the first pace, apart from the fact that I love them and they’re fun, is because they’re the easiest types of films to find distribution. Horror movies sell well, and they probably always will, because there’s a huge market for them, so it was kind of no-brainer to make one as my second feature. I found out the hard way, from making my first feature “Scratched”, that modest little comedy-dramas shot on Mini DV with unknown actors have basically zero chance of finding a distributor.

What are the distribution plans?

The first phase of our strategy is to hit the film festivals. We want “Throwback” to tour the film festival circuit and be seen by audiences and generate buzz. Film festivals offer great exposure, so that’s our first port of call. We’ve already had interest from two of the world’s biggest ones, which is really cool. After a few festival screenings, if the movie is received well, we hope to be in a position to sign with a sales agent, who can then pick up “Throwback” and run with it, and hopefully help us sell it to some distributors around the world. I’d love to be able to sell the film to every major territory around the world. It’s a very Australian film but its also got universal appeal as an action/adventure story, and because it doesn’t have too much dialogue, it would be quite straightforward to subtitle or dub for foreign territories. A theatrical release would be a dream come true but we’re realistic about our chances. It’s very expensive to release films theatrically. Sometimes even movies with well-known stars go straight to video, or if they do go to cinemas, they only make a few thousand bucks. To be honest, I’d be more than happy just to see “Throwback” released on DVD and Blu-ray. A multi-platform release would be ideal. VOD is an interesting new market, but I don’t want to limit the film’s chances to just that market. I think the vast majority of people still prefer to watch movies at home on DVD o Blu-ray, so in that regard, I would love to see “Throwback” end up on shelves in places like Blockbuster and Target. Our 1080p imagery is going to look beautiful on the average HDTV. With the success of Fincher’s Netflix series “House of Cards”, I think VOD is a promising new outlet for long-form TV series, and I myself am very interested in getting into mini-series down the track, but for feature films, I don’t think cinemas or optical discs are going anywhere just yet. People love to watch big movies on big screens, plus going to the cinema is a fun social experience. As long as morons with mobile phones don’t spoil it.

What is next?

I’m developing a slate of projects for different budget levels. So if “Throwback” is a success and someone offers me a million dollars to make a movie, I have a script we can do for a million, or if they offer me five million, I have one we can do for five million. It’s a bit of a mixed bag. One is kind of action/horror inspired by Lovecraft, another is action/sci–fi and another one is a remake of a classic adventure story. By the same token, if someone offers me some other project to do, I’d definitely consider it. There are also novels I’d love to adapt, like Richard Preston’s “The Cobra Event.” I’d love to remake John Boorman’s film “Hell in the Pacific.” Even a big-screen version of an ’80s TV show, like “Battlestar Galactica” or “Knight Rider” would be great fun. What film I make next will depend entirely on how much money’s available and who’s willing to back me. But I’ll be aiming for the stars, so even if I fall short, I might still hit the moon.

Do you plan on specializing in one genre?

No, I want to mix things up like Kubrick or Fincher or Danny Boyle. I'd love to bounce around different genres. I'm very keen to do action, sci-fi, fantasy, crime, horror and blends of those genres like action-comedy and that sort of thing. I want to take my films to conventions like Comic Con and mingle with my fellow geeks!

You know once you do a horror film or sci-fi it is hard not to be classified as a horror film maker. Ridley Scott has done almost every type of film, but people hear his name and think Alien or Blade Runner first. The only film maker that I am aware of who ever managed not to be classified as a type was the great Robert Wise. He did everything from The Day the Earth Stood Still, Run Silent Run Deep, West Side Story, The Haunting to Star Trek. Is it possible to do any type of film you wish? Or do you look forward to being the master of a genre?

I think if you get enough clout you can do any movie you want, but even then it’s not always guaranteed. Apparently Michael Bay, one of the world’s most successful filmmakers, had to make the third Transformers movie so he could do his own personal project, “Pain & Gain.” You’d think a guy like that would be able to just pick any project he wanted, but I guess not. Even in Hollywood, money’s tight these days. Mind you, though, I don’t have any deep desire to do un-commercial, experimental films anyway. At this point I just want to make a variety of genre films right now, whether it be horror, sci-fi, action, fantasy or some sort of hybrid. That’s what I love about John Carpenter’s career—he’s never gone and made a boring Thomas Hardy adaptation or whatever, he’s jumped around between horror, sci-fi and kept it fresh. I remember seeing “Big Trouble in Little China in 1986” and thinking, “Wow, what is this?” And I’m sure people felt the same way when they first saw “Halloween” in 1978. As for “The Thing”, well, people just didn’t know what the hell to make of that back in 1982. It was ahead of its time. So yeah, if I can make another genre film after “Throwback”, I’ll be extremely happy. There are lots of new HD cameras out that I want to test. I don’t even care if I can’t afford an Alexa or a RED, I’d be happy to shoot my next movie on a Panasonic GH3 or the new Blackmagic Design 4K camera. If I can shoot cool shit and get paid for it, that’s all that matters to me.

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