Film Courage

FIND Filmmaker Forum ’10 by David Branin

2010-11-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

Karen Worden and I had the privilege of attending Film Independent’s Filmmaker Forum for the second straight year. It’s easy to think that this would be a rehash of last year’s event, but Film Independent is not in the Hollywood remake business. To their credit they put on a first class event that provides attendees with cutting edge and relevant information for today’s marketplace. This has quickly become one of our favorite events of the year.

This year we attended these panels ‘Evaluate Your Project for Today’s Marketplace,’ ‘Take Advantage of Domestic and Foreign Tax Incentives,’ ‘Realize Your Vision On a Budget: Production Case Studies,’ ‘Genre Films: Case Studies,’ ‘It’s Your Turn to Pitch: Packaging and Financing Clinic,’ ‘Your Marketing Toolkit,’ & ‘Piracy: The Real Cost of Free.’ Here's the full schedule with all of the panelists http://empower.filmindependent.org/schedule/

What resonated with me this year? Let’s go into it.

1) I hate to start off by shining the light on something like this but it is something I cannot get out of my head. Without giving away the person’s name (you will have to research it), there was one panelist who pointed out that he is currently receiving unemployment checks. No big deal, right? Except that his $3 million film made $20 million at the box office opening weekend. When are these kinds of stories going to go away? All together the film made close to $60 million worldwide and the filmmaker hasn’t received a dime. It’s hard enough to make it as a filmmaker as it is, I’m not saying you have to make the filmmaker a millionaire but if you make a $3 million film and it makes that much money, shouldn’t there be enough of a kickback where you can avoid unemployment checks?

2) One carryover from last year, ‘Drama’ is still not an attractive word when selling your film. Do everything in your power to label your film anything but drama. And I am sure many would argue to make anything but a drama.

3) Film Commissions (I love what Karen wrote much better than what I had written - link)

4) Actor star power. There will always be stars, but there is a shift happening. Stars aren’t shining so bright these days. Do not think that just because you have a star in your film that it’s success is guaranteed. One panelist asked, "Who is a a movie star right now?" Once you get beyond those first ten names on the tip of your tongue, it is something to ponder.

5) Another note on actors. Now is a great time to aim high in casting. Many of these talented actors want to act. There are less opportunities for an abundance of actors. Go after the top names on your wish list, but as one panelist cautioned, make sure the project is ready to be put in front of their eyes.

6) Theatrical is becoming less important for smaller films. They can be too much a sinkhole. Don’t be sad. In the Filmmaker Forum manual handed out to each attendee, one film with a production budget of $900,000 has made almost $2 million in VOD sales as opposed to $100,000 theatrically. That’s a startling differential. Especially when you factor in how much money was probably spent to make that $100,000.

7) Don’t sign anything without a lawyer. (refer back to #1)

Karen Worden, Peter Ong Lim, David Branin

8) Day and Date. I wrote about this in my last blog. Matt Dentler talked a little about Ed Burns and his current release of NICE GUY JOHNNY where Ed has foregone theatrical release. He went to say that right now Ed is able to heavily promote this idea of ‘day and date’ because it is still fresh. He says in two years that will no longer be the case. My opinion is that I wouldn't be surprised to see ‘day and date’ will become the standard by this time next year.

9) Have you ever talked to a distributor before you made your film? Have you pitched your project to buyers to see what the current market may bear for your project? This is what Effie T. Brown did before making her latest film THE INHERITANCE. She got a price from distributors and she made sure that her production didn’t go over that price. It’s not a foolproof method, but how many first time filmmakers could have saved heart ache if they took this approach?

10) As I listened to producer Dean Zanuck tell the story of why a significant investor contributed to GET LOW, I couldn’t help but think of crowd-funding, just on a grander scale. Did the investor want guaranteed enormous returns? Well, that wouldn’t hurt, but he ended up investing money so that he could have a round of golf with stars Bill Murray and Lucas Black. It’s all about experiences that we can give to those who want to support us and our work.

11) Want to build an audience for your film? Identify niche groups that correspond with your film's subject matter, then seek out existing groups who service that audience. Do you do this the week before your World Premiere? No, it was emphasized to build these relationships before you roll cameras. Get these groups involved with your film right away and engage with them. Get them involved in the process and nurture the relationship. You will have advocates that will become invaluable when the time comes for you to release your film.

12) Two memorable quotes from Matt Dentler “Piracy is a scapegoat for a film that under performs” and “The DVD boom was an anomaly. It’s never going back, at least not anytime soon.”

13) The main take away from this year’s Forum is this, ‘Make Your Film at the Right Price.‘ Just because you make a film for $1 million doesn’t mean that your film is worth $1 million. You may want to take the advice of Joe Drake, head of Lionsgate, who shared these words in his keynote address, “Develop something that has extraordinary market demand, in which your contribution is essential.”

FIND Filmmaker Forum ’10 by Karen Worden

2010-11-02T22:07:00.000-07:00

David Branin and I had the great fortune of attending the 2010 Film Independent Filmmaker Forum at the Directors Guild in Hollywood. As with last year, the weekend went by with us wishing we had one more day listening to panels speak on everything from piracy to Nine Inch Nails Trent Reznor’s business model. I measured how a year’s time had broadened my prospective on filmmaking. I tested myself to see if the information from the panelists was easier or harder to understand than last year. Attending the Forum made me realize I am a little fish in a big pond. It made me think back to a former sadistic colleague of mine who gleefully reminded me “you don’t even know what you don’t know.”

In prior discussions at other events and on his blogs, producer Ted Hope has reminded us that the world is a different place since 2008. The fragments of the global economy and our prior consumption habits have yet to shake themselves out. In keeping with this theme, the general consensus of the panelist was that none of us are certain where the film industry is headed. As one panelist mentioned, this paradigm shift is both scary and exciting at the same time.

Although David and I did not catch Joe Drake’s (Lionsgate) opening Forum address in person, I watched video footage of the speech on Youtube. Mr. Drake reminded the audience of author Malcolm Gladwell’s (Outliers, The Tipping Point) much talked about 10,000 hours of hard work to achieve mastery at something. Drake revealed his own journey taking 10 to 12 years. Drake commented that if you weren’t willing to commit endless hours to this pursuit, you might as well leave the event and find what is worth your time. Among the many other pieces of practical advice he gave, “If you want to see which films sell, visit your local Wal-Mart.” Also worth noting was “It’s not enough to have a dream. You have to have a plan.”

Some other interesting concepts that resonated with me during the Forum were:

1). Friendsourcing: Wendy Cohen, Manager of Community and Alliances at Participant Media discussed this interesting concept that is somewhat lost in the wake of crowdfunding, Twitter, and constant pitching (which I have been guilty of). She introduced ‘friendsourcing’ as gathering people in your network as friends, not just as bodies to sell to. She advised keeping people updated on your projects and making them feel a part of your work. Telling individuals in your network about your successes, without asking anything from them. Hopefully, everyone on your e-mail list takes this the right way.

2). Taking Great Stills: An idea that seems like a no-brainer amongst a crowd of filmmakers was hammered through numerous times. Many panelists stressed the importance of taking great stills while on the set. They mentioned that many times this is neglected in various ways. Sometimes directors think they can slow down footage frame by frame in order to pick a few great shots, but this does not always work. Other times photos are taken on set, but they don’t convey the right message. They advised planning out where and when you want photos taken, similar to micromanaging your photographer in order to get the right shots. On the flipside, the panelist also warned against inundating your site or blog with too many photos, which might overwhelm a potential audience.

3). Perception’s Everything: “When it comes to attracting funding for a film and name talent, it’s a real smoke and mirrors act” says Dean Zanuck of Get Low and Road to Perdition. You have to convince investors that you have name actors in the project, and you have to convince name actors that you have money behind the film. You need both. And it’s difficult to obtain one without the other. Dean also added that every project is a new opportunity. Each film you’re involved with brings new people, new places, new relationships, and even new problems.

4). Relying on The Gatekeepers: Force yourself into the public. With the Internet, you don’t need the studios to do this, as one panelist said. Additionally, you can never really trust that a studio will promote your film as much as you can.

5). Utilize Film Commissions: Many filmmakers do themselves a disservice by foregoing film commissions. As panelist Han Fraikin, Commissioner at Quebec Film Council explained, Film Commissions are conduits. They not only advise filmmakers to prevent them from getting tickets or even arrested. They can help filmmakers obtain better rates on goods and services. Think (possible) free office space post real estate meltdown, police escorts, free location scouting, and cheaper hotel rates.

Karen Worden, Peter Ong Lim, David Branin

6). How Many “No’s” Til You Get to the Center of The Tootsie Pop? Producer Dean Zanuck reminds us “Start with the rock solid belief in yourself. Ninety-nine percent of the time the answer from people about your project will be ‘no.’ But you will just have to keep going. Over time you will find people who believe in your work.”

7). Can We Be Too Indie For Our Own Good? “We all want to exist in this industry, no matter how independent we are. It’s a matter of getting your work out their regardless.” Explains Easier With Practice’s Kyle Patrick Alvarez, who won the 2010 Sprit Award Someone To Watch designation.

8). The Voices in Kevin Costner’s Head: “The great hurdle lies in once you’ve finished the film, then what?” says Shelby Stone of Lackawanna Blues and Life Support. There’s been much debate about what many call the Field of Dreams Approach (building it and they will come). Ask someone with a film set to show in a city outside their hometown and they’ll probably have an opinion.

9). Analysis Paralysis: Mike Masnick of Techdirt and Floor64 asks “Are we over thinking the business model? Do people think if a movie is going to be on DVD in a few weeks, why watch it in theaters? Movie going is a social experience. Similar to the concept-you can eat dinner at home, but people still go to restaurants.”

10). Mike Masnick also reminded us that water is something we can get for free but we still pay 2 to 5 dollars a bottle for it. With piracy - films may be available for free but we may still purchase them. It’s our job to make it a premium that people want to pay for. “We are all in the water bottle business.”

11). Last But Not Least: Parting words from Dean Zanuck - If you sign your name to anything, get an attorney to review it, even if it’s your friend’s dad.

Today is the day for you to watch 'Night Before the Wedding.'

2010-10-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

It has been 3 months since I have been able to make it back to this page. The subject of my previous post, 'efficiency,' is certainly still on my mind. I cannot say that I have it figured out yet. In the 3 months that have now passed, I have found myself with increasing responsibilities. And over the past month, I have begun to free up my schedule as best as I can so that I can be more productive.

It certainly helps that we are down to just two more Film Courage Interactives to close out the year. Our next one is this Monday and our last one this year will be on November 29th.

I am back here writing today for three reasons.

Number 1, our film Night Before the Wedding is officially now available on DVD, and it is also available for Online Rentals through a new platform entitled Dynamo Player.

(This is my last video blog while driving, hope you enjoy)

Number 2, we are hosting a LIVE ONLINE Q&A and DISCUSSION this Friday October 22nd at 7pm PST for those who have already seen the film and who would like to interact with us. It is our way of giving back to those who are supporting what we do. This is something we are really looking forward to doing and we hope a few folks show up to have some fun with us. I will be joined by Karen Worden, Gregor Collins, John Keating, James Anthony McQuillan and other members of the cast and crew. We will be using a LIVE video stream and you will be able to write in questions that we will answer. It's an experiment on our part, and if we can get some folks to show up it will be worth it. To join us, just visit www.nightbeforethewedding.com a little before 7pm PST this Friday!

Number 3, I wanted to give something back to you. I want to give you something more than coming here to read my promotion.

I have been quiet recently. I have spent more time listening and learning. It really is staggering how much information is available to us on a daily basis.

Knowing that, I am not sure if this has been said elsewhere, but I will say it very clearly here. We have reached the time for the majority of films to be utilize the 'DAY AND DATE' distribution strategy. From this point forward, I believe you are acting foolishly if you are not ready to fully deliver your film the same date that it premieres theatrically.

This is especially true if you are a micro-budget film. Currently with 'Night Before the Wedding' we can see now that we have lost a lot of momentum over the past year. Despite playing in a handful of Film Festivals and close to a dozen cities all together we find ourselves looking to build up interest again as we release our film into the home marekt. This is certainly not an easy proposition. It is getting trickier and harder to get people's attention. I highly recommend you view this Woodstock Film Festival panel discussion on distribution which features Ted Hope, John Sloss & Ed Burns.

(One of the best panels I have seen in a long time)

Distribution Panel, Woodstock Film Festival 2010 from BEA Submitter on Vimeo.

I find it very telling that Ed Burns latest film Nice Guy Johnny was made for $25,000 and that he has decided to 'Day and Date' the film. I believe it tells you all you need to know about the current marketplace if someone of Mr. Burns stature is making a film at this budget level, that he is bypassing a theatrical run, and he is looking to monetize it on as many platforms all at once.

Bottom line, you and I are not Ed Burns. (unless Ed, himself comes across this blog.) You can say whatever you want to say about Ed's films. Yes I am aware that he released his previous film directly on iTunes.

In my case, I will not release my second film, Goodbye Promise until it is ready for a 'Day and Date' release. Over the past year it has gotten tougher for the standard window release. My advice to those following in my path is to not just finish your film, but you now have to go beyond that and deliver your film to all platforms on your premiere date.

As we move into 2011, what was once considered experimentation will become the standard.

Efficiency

2010-07-06T16:46:00.000-07:00

It has been harder and harder for me to share my thoughts and experiences with you from the confines of this blog. That is why I am forcing myself to make the time right now to put down a few words.

I believe what I am going through these days is what all creatives are going through. We are simply overwhelmed.

There has been so much that has been racing through my mind, so much that I have wanted to share here. Yet, I have been pulled into too many directions regarding too many projects. By no means am I pointing any fingers. I believe everything I am doing is out of necessity. Though on many days it is hard to know if I am moving in the right direction or not.

My current circumstances have me thinking more and more about efficiency. This past Sunday and Monday (July 4th & 5th) were the first two days that Karen and I have had in a long time where we didn't have to race around to be somewhere. We actually had a little down time where there were less demands on our shoulders. I had almost forgotten what that was like. (With less pressure on us, we were actually quite productive.)

In the today's world, the pressures, the responsibilities, and the demands all seem to increase daily. It is tough to keep up with it all. Everyone wants more, yet they give less.

Racing thought, There have been so many advances in the last 3 years and the masses are oblivious to the opportunities in front of us. For the first time ever, no matter what your passion the cost of entry is virtually zero. And on the other side, the cost of distribution is also virtually zero. This mainly due to the ever increasing power of the internet and the tools available. Never before have we seen this. This is unfreakingbelievable. 50 years ago, people dreamed for the opportunities that are in front of us right now. This really is a pivotal time.

We are going to see more and more people who follow their passions and create a sustainable living for themselves. They might not be millionaires, but they are going to be able to do what they love and they are going to earn a very respectable income doing what they love.

Back to Efficiency. While I have been quiet here in this format, I have been working steadily to put myself in a position to open up revenue streams for my creative efforts. These efforts include identifying and assembling a team of go-getters who are talented, creative, passionate, humble, and intelligent. Of course I am blessed to have my dearest Karen Worden who is at the heart of it all. She really is the heartbeat. She doesn't get the recognition she deserves. So here in this space, I would like to shine a little light on her. She is amazing.

If you are going to carve out a career for yourself pursuing your passions, you will be best suited with a strong team around you. Though he is getting absolutely thrashed right now, LeBron James understands the power of surrounding yourself with those who compliment your talents and can push you to new heights. We view Shaquille O'Neal a lot differently today because he fled Orlando where he may have never won a championship. (I can literally feel the heat right now just for writing those few lines.)

In terms of my team needs, I dream of the day where we have a full time assistant editor who can handle web videos and behind the scenes stuff. I also dream of a full-time graphic designer. I do want to thank Filmmaker Julian Tancredi who has been excellent in helping us finalize the artwork for our NBTW DVD cover. One day maybe we will even have an assistant, that would really help with efficiency.

Where am I right now? As you can see above, we are literally in the final stages of finalizing our Night Before the Wedding DVD. I was with DVD Author / Filmmaker Cory Reeder all day yesterday delivering assets and conceptualizing the menu. Believe we have a simple yet dynamic menu that suits our current needs perfectly. The last step is to now find our DVD manufacturer. We are only going to run off 300 copies in our first run. It really feels great to be in these final stages and to be so close to delivering the film to those who have waited a long time. The other news surrounding the film is that we will be screening it in New York City on Friday September 24th.

The focus has been with NBTW for the last few weeks to get this work done. Shortly my focus will turn back to Goodbye Promise where our editor Aric Lewis has been shaping the rough cut. My days will require watching dailies over and over again and working with Aric to figure out the spine of this film.

In addition to all the work required on the two project above. Karen and I have been extremely busy with our Film Courage radio show. I am really excited about some things we have on deck for the show. We really have some tremendous guests scheduled and our listener ship has been on the rise with more and more folks discovering the show overseas.

Our Film Courage Interactive series at the Downtown Independent is now booked up through February. We have had so much demand that we have added a date in September and are awaiting confirmation on a second date in October. We have seen the event grow from average attendance of 40-50 for our first four events to an average of over 100 at our last two. We certainly hope we can maintain that kind of momentum. We are really proud to have partnered with Producer John Paul Rice (One Hour Fantasy Girl). 50% of the box office for our July 26th event is going to the Downtown Women's Center. It's an event we are really looking forward to. In addition to OHFG, we will also be featuring the works of Julie Keck, Jessica King, Suzy Benfatto & Shawna Baca.

We have a couple of other projects in the works that I cannot mention until they are further along. Now you can see why I have efficiency on my mind.

My question to you, how do you stay efficient?

(Though I understand if you prefer to discuss 'The Decision.' For the first time ever, we got Gary Vaynerchuk to respond to us. Here is what he wrote us about LeBron.)

My Kickstarter Experience: The Good, Bad, and Ugly by Joey Daoud

2010-07-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

I read this posting by Filmmaker Joey Daoud back on May 27th, 2010. Didn't realize he had given me permission to repost it. I believe it is worth the read, so I have included it as mandatory reading in my Crowd Funding Cheat Sheet. Joey blogs frequently at his site Coffee and Celluoid and I recommend that you become a regular reader.

Thank you Joey, for allowing me to share your posting here.

My Kickstarter Experience: The Good, Bad, and Ugly
by Joey Daoud

It’s four days before the deadline for my Kickstarter project reaches its end. I’m only about a third of the way to my $9000 goal – a seemingly impossible feat.

A few hours later the goal is reached! So sudden? Anti-climactic? I know.

Now I wish I could say I received a miracle flood of donations in the 11th hour, or a mysterious backer stumbled on the project and became very interested. But no, it came from a phone call I made asking for an emergency bailout.

A few days later I wrote a check repaying this money. This is my Kickstarter experience.

So this post is not going to be pretty and inspirational, like Miao Wang raising $10,000 to go to SXSW (half of which came from one donor), or Driven raising $25,000, $12,000 of which they raised in the last four days.

Instead it might be a hard hitting dose of reality, but I think it’ll balance out the more popular success stories that you read that actually make you think this stuff is easy. And at the end are some things I learned that you can take away and learn from.

(Some backstory: I made a Kickstarter project to fund my feature documentary Bots High, which follows high school robotics teams built combat robots)

The Good

Now please don’t get me wrong, I’m still a huge fan of Kickstarter. I think the main thing to takeaway is it’s a tool, not a magical source of funding.

The best thing about having the project is it gave me a hard deadline, and forced me to do stuff I’ve been meaning to do for a while.

So I created the project. Within an hour I got a $25 pledge from a stranger. Yay, hopeful start! I posted the link on all my social networks, and got a good response, mostly from people invovled in the documentary and friends. But then it stalled.

I’m at about $600 and suddenly $9000 seems like a ridiculous ammount. So I started doing what I had been meaning to do – I emailed blogs. Tons of them.

I emailed anything to do with robots, science, technology, teaching. I created a press area on the site so they could grab photos, videos, and logos easily. I got a good response.

A few popular robotics sites wrote about the film, and RSS subscribers went from a handful to a couple hundred. So awareness of the film definitely went way up. Plus I created connections with blogs (and kept a spreadsheet of everyone I contacted, over 100 different sites), which will definitely come in handy once the film is done.

The Bad

Despite the good writeups on various sites, and increased traffic and subscribers, none of that really converted into donations.

Funding was still stalled around $600. I’ve read studies that people are more likely to give if the funding goal is closer to being reached, rather than really low. So I put in $1500 to bring the level to over $2000. Not exactly close to the goal, but at least it was something in the four digits.¹

My marketing campaign continued, and I feel like the awareness was great. I emailed all my mailing lists. A few weeks before the deadline I was the Kickstarter Project of the Day. The project was written about in the Miami New Times Blog (mainly because I was using Kickstarter).

So while awareness was great, that still didn’t convert into donations.

But you know what did work? Credible referrals. A super nice and famous robot builder that I met when he came to Miami wrote about my project on a robot forum. I got a few good donations from that, just because his opinion had a lot of weight and he liked the project.

The Ugly

You already know where this is going. It was a few days before the deadline and aside from a miracle I didn’t see anyway that I was going to reach the goal. I didn’t want to lose all the pledges I already had. Plus I couldn’t have an email going out to everyone saying the project wasn’t successful. I always said from the start that success or not, this is happening, it just depends how much hair I’m going to pull out and stress over.

So I called a relative and got bailed out. Not pretty. Not glorious. Not the ending I was hoping for (I could have used that money, especially now that I got rejected from the Tribeca Gucci Grant).

Epilogue

I learned a lot from this experience, and I think I know where I went wrong and what I can do better in the future (and what you can learn from my experience).

Larger Established Fan Base: Sure, I have a few hundred Fans on Facebook and picked up more fans while marketing the project, but this is my first film and I don’t have anywhere near Kevin Kelly’s 1,000 True Fans. It’s also harder to build a fan base and raise money in the early stages of a project, before you have something to show and spread. That’s why there’s so many finishing grants – they want to put their money on something that has a high chance of seeing completion.

People like a sure thing (preferably a completed thing): So I just touched on this, but it’s a tougher sell for a film in pre-pro or production. A lot of this stems from my short doc/experiment You 2.0. I had been pre-selling DVDs for a few months for $9.99. Got a few buys – I think 30 or so. Then when the DVD was actually done and I raised the price to $14.99, I got tons of orders. People weren’t willing to gamble on a pre-sale. They were fine paying more for a sure thing. So if you’re trying to raise funds while you’re in development or production, you just have to work that much harder to sell it to donors.²

Be a Hustler or Find Someone Who Is: So by my standards, I hustled more than I ever have before. But that clearly wasn’t enough, and I should have found someone who is a born hustler to get in touch with more blogs and groups to promote the film (Jon Reiss talks about this, though it relates more to booking films in theaters. Either way, if you’re not a hustler, find someone who is).

Get on a high profile blog: This is pretty elusive and I might as well have put “Create a Smash Hit Viral Video,” but it’s worth mentioning. If I were to have gotten Fluffy on fire or some other video on Boing Boing or Gizmodo, I would have been set.

Going back to You 2.0, I’m not actively promoting it and pay zero for advertising, yet I get a few sales a week. Most of that is coming from two Lifehacker write-ups – one of a video of a guy talking about his office, and the other about a program I had developed (and there’s also an article I wrote on another popular blog about creating that program solely to drum up traffic). That’s how powerful these big aggregating sites are.

Goal Amount: As far as the whole post on the True Cost of a Kickstarter Project, I still stand behind the issues brought up there. But I might add to throw in a dose of reality. I probably should have set the goal lower, maybe $5,000. After all, more can always be raised (Like Diaspora, which is nearly 1800% over their goal. Insanity! A NY Times article does help. And Signal vs. Noise has an interesting explanation as to why people are giving to them.)

—–

I hope you found this useful. On a positive note, that survey I did that graphed behavior patterns of Kickstarter backers was spot on – all the donations I got pretty much matched the graph.

I’m curious to hear other Kickstarter stories that might not have ended so well, as well as other tips or things learned from fundraising. Leave them in the comments!

Goodbye Promise UPDATE 6/22/10

2010-07-03T12:08:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, it is easiest for us to provide this video update rather than other forms. It is raw and gritty. It was important for us to get something to you.

If you would like us to consider bringing 'Goodbye Promise' to your city, please visit
http://www.openindie.com/film/goodbye-promise
and 'Request' to see it.

You can also connect with us on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/goodbyepromise

as well as on Twitter
http://www.twitter.com/goodbyepromise

David Branin's CROWD-FUNDING CHEAT SHEET

2010-05-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

2 weeks ago, we reached our all or nothing fundraising goal of raising $15,000 in 52 days. Thanks to 227 amazing backers, we ended up 108% funded with $16,203 in Post-Production monies for our film Goodbye Promise. As I crunch the numbers I see that 85% of contributions were $50 or less. I have had a number of folks approach me for advice on how we did it. I thought it would be best capture some of my ideas, principles, and lessons learned in one place for all to benefit.

....At long last, here are some of my thoughts on Crowd-Funding. I wish I had read this before I started my campaign. It isn’t meant as an absolute list but I am hoping there is enough here to help you in your efforts. You can take ‘em or leave ‘em.

1) Believe in your project, LOVE your project.
2) There are NO short-cuts
3) Your work begins BEFORE you launch your campaign
4) Begin your campaign on a Monday, End it on a Friday (via Karen)
5) Personal Incentives and Combatting Piracy
6) Your campaign is more than your campaign video
7) Set an obtainable goal within a proper timeframe
8) Varying your message, Use your creativity
9) Audience Building
10) The exposure from your campaign is more valuable than the amount of money you raise
11) TWITTER
12) The Kickstarter Effect
14) Your work doesn’t end when your campaign ends

1) Believe in your project, LOVE your project. It starts with love. If you do not believe and if you do not love your project, stop. Your lack of love will be seen in every step of your campaign. We are motivated by someone’s love, dedication, and passion to reach their goal. If you do not love your project, you are not going to put in the effort levels nor the creative punch needed to reach your goal. If you cannot get excited about your own project, why should I?

2) There are NO short-cuts. Really if I could, this would be my only rule and I would repeat it 10 times. The moment you launch your crowd-funding campaign it becomes a full-time job. It’s not something you dabble with on the weekends. If you are not prepared, of if you are not in a situation to put in the work, then do not launch your campaign. Crowd-funding gives you the opportunity to raise a good sum of money from your supporters before your project is completed. Do not take that for granted. It is a privilege.

Here is what I fear, we are going to see a number of folks diving blindly into a Crowd-Funding campaign expecting miracles and magic to happen for them just because their idea is “the most unique thing the world has ever seen.” When these campaigns fail, we are going to hear things like, “it’s oversaturated,” “I would have succeeded if I got in earlier,” “they were lucky”etc. Or maybe they will be honest and admit that it is a lot work, much of which they were not prepared for nor willing to put in. Let me say it one last time, there are NO short-cuts. Keep reading for specifics on the work that has to be put in.

3) Your work begins BEFORE you launch your campaign. PART 1) It’s just common sense. In filmmaking terms think pre-production. A crowd-funding campaign needs the same amount of time, planning, and attention to detail. I believe you must really approach your campaign in the same manner you would approach your film. Pre-Campaign, Campaign, Post-Campaign and beyond where you continue to engage and nurture your audience.

I am seeing a number of folks skipping the Pre-Campaign, throwing together half-hearted campaigns and launching them. You should have an idea of what you are going to do with your campaign before you launch it. The more prepared you are beforehand, the easier it will be to make in-game adjustments. Even if you are not able to execute everything you would like, at least you have options rather than grasping at straws.

You should research other successful campaigns. What ideas can you borrow? What methods can you expand on? How can you be different? What do you blatantly have to borrow because it is effective?

Here are five items I always recommend.

Listen to this interview with Lance Weiler and Kickstarter Co-Founder Yancey Strickler
http://workbookproject.com/blog/2009/10/08/kickstarter/

Read this Q&A on Gregory Bayne’s campaign for his film Jens Pulver / Driven
http://blog.kickstarter.com/post/367095749/success-story-jens-pulver-driven

Read these lessons directly from Gary King regarding his campaign for How Do You Write a Joe Schermann Song
http://grking.com/blog/index.php/2010/06/11/lessons-learned-in-the-land-of-crowdfunding-2/

Quick Tips from Marinell Montales & John Trigonis from their CERISE campaign.
http://ventriloqui.posterous.com/q-tip-quick-tip-for-indie-filmmakers-crowdfun

Good, The Bad, The Ugly by Joey Daoud about his campaign for BOTS HIGH.
http://coffeeandcelluloid.com/2010/05/18/my-kickstarter-experience-the-good-bad-and-ugly/

Continue reading the rest of this blog. : )

PART 2) What have you done prior to your campaign to build and nurture your audience? I believe this aspect cannot be underestimated. In my case, I have been working on building a support system for many years now. I wasn’t solely relying on a crowd-funding campaign to find my audience. (It was certainly interesting to see who in my network supported the project. I was surprised by some folks who did not contribute. But that was made up for and overshadowed by those who actually did contribute.)

Those who have put the time in and have nurtured their roots are the ones who going to make bearing fruit look painless. People may look at what I have done and say, I can do that. Let me assure you, I have put a lot of work in the preceded the launch of our Kickstarter campaign. On a surface level, I may have made it look easy. It was not, it took tremendous effort from a large group of people for us to reach our goal.

4) Personal Incentives and Combatting Piracy. If you read nothing else of what I write here, don’t leave before you read this section.

Personal incentives are the future. This is what makes crowd-funding great. These crowd-funding campaigns have forced us to personalize & incentivize our work and it is powerful! More and more content is being shoved into the marketplace everyday. And everyday people are craving more than content. They are craving personal interaction.

PERSONAL is vital to crowd-funding. Personal is what makes it go. If your campaign is slowing down... if you are having trouble finding new backers. The answer is to push personal interaction and conversation.

Most people have not caught onto this concept. They know it is the most effective way to achieve results, but they are not willing to put in the work. This is why there are NO short-cuts. You are going to have to get into one-on-one conversations. You are going to have to thank people individually. As I write this, Filmmaker Gary King who just successfully raised $30,000 for his film ‘How Do You Write a Joe Schermann Song’ just personally thanked me on the Schermann Facebook page. He has 239 people to thank all together. It is no accident that Gary succeeded at his campaign.

The more personal you can make your incentives, the better off you will be in your campaign. I know making it too personal can be time consuming. You have to plan and measure out what you know you can handle. I had a lot of people saying they really wanted one of my apple pies and that I should set the incentive price lower. But I know it takes me a few hours to make my pies from scratch. The more time it takes you to fulfill your reward, the higher up the incentive ladder it goes.

On a bit of a tangent, when I think of personal incentives and crowd-funding, it leads me to thinking about piracy. Fears are rampant about piracy and bit-torrenting. Part of the solution the way I see it is that personal incentives can off-set piracy. Not on the mass level, but certainly on the micro-budget level. It is easy to rip-off content. But there is no way you can pirate personal incentives and personal experience. When I send backer Paul Borgonia a personal video message, that experience cannot be pirated.

With crowd-funding not only are you offering personal interaction, you are receiving money before your content has been created. You cannot beat getting money up front for your project. Half the battle for indie filmmakers is to simply get their films paid for. With the system flooded with shady distribution deals and crooked middle men, going right to your fans is a step in the right direction.

5) Your campaign is more than your campaign video. First and foremost, do not launch a campaign if you do not have a campaign video to go with it. That is a general rule. Of course some projects may succeed without a campaign video but it will not be the norm.

Your video may be so dynamic that it fuels a successful campaign. Once again, I believe that will be rare happenstance. It is going to take more work than your video alone. I cannot tell you how campaigns I come across where all the effort has gone into the campaign video and nothing else. That’s not going to cut it.

6) Set an obtainable goal within a proper timeframe. $10,000 is a whole heck of a lot of money to crowd-fund. In most cases you are going to need 100+ backers to reach that amount. It is no easy task. In my case, I believed we could raise $15,000. I knew it was going to take 200+ backers and I was up to the challenge. Half-way through our campaign, despite all the work we were putting in, I realized we were in way over our heads.

Here are my general guidelines.

$5000 or less. 30-45 Days.

Between $5000 and $10,000. 35-55 Days.

Between $10,000 and $20,000. 45-75 Days.

$20,000+ 75-120 Days.

Everyone has different circumstances and I understand that. I would recommend being a little conservative in the amount you are trying to raise. We could have used a little more money, but I honestly assessed the audience that I thought we had and set what I thought was a fair amount.

One thing to keep in mind, on Kickstarter if you do not raise all of the money, you will not see any of the money you raised. I do not think this should be feared, I believe in the power of all or nothing which is why I went with Kickstarter.

What I want to add to that is that once you reach you goal, if time remains you can continue to raise money. So although you may need more money that your goal, something to take into consideration is to set a lower amount then work your campaign hard to drive it above and beyond the goal amount. I have seen campaigns reach as high as 390% funding. Just because your goal is $5000, doesn’t mean you cannot raise $10,000.

**I am not as familiar with IndieGogo. I know they have now instituted a deadline. From what I understand, every contribution that comes in goes to the artist whether they reach their goal or not. If that is the case, what can work here is to aim higher. Shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you will end up among the stars philosophy. There is less risk because you keep whatever money you are able to raise. For the right people with the right projects, a higher goal on IndieGogo may prove to be the way to go. Just remember, there are no short-cuts. You will have quite a workload on your hands.

7) Begin your campaign on a Monday, End it on a Friday (via Karen). Most people are on their computers from Monday through Friday and less so on the weekends. You can get the most bang for your buck by beginning your campaign on a Monday. You will reach more people at the beginning of the week. This can help you build momentum at the start of your campaign. Something Karen noticed with our campaign is that we would see a good number of backers on Fridays. Why is that? Because Friday is payday. End your campaign on payday. Also, keep in mind less folks will be on their computers over the weekend.

8) Varying your Message, Use your creativity. In a Crowd-Funding campaign, it becomes very difficult to avoid, “Hey, give me money.” I can’t lie, often that’s exactly what your message will be. This isn’t a bad thing, being direct can help you draw in new backers.

Though we certainly did our share of that, we also worked hard to draw people to our campaign in other ways. This is where creativity and your love for your project rise to the surface. In our case, before we launched our campaign, I knew another way to draw people into our campaign was with video interviews with the cast and crew. Instead of saying, “give me money” it was “take a look at this interview with a cast member or crew member.”

Each project is unique and that makes each campaign unique. I believe when you are in your Pre-Campaign phase is when you should be identifying the various ways you are going to reach your audience.

One of the simplest and most effective ways to find new backers is to go overboard thanking your previous backers. That is a win-win. Your backers feel appreciated and new backers will be attracted by your personal touch. Be sincere and do not overdo it.

The key is to continually hit people in new ways. When I think of creativity I think of the campaign put together for ‘Cerise’ by John T. Trigonis and Marinell Montales. They enticed their backers to supply them photos holding signs that say ‘I support Cerise.’ Check out this photo gallery http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=18181&id=111843642159327 One of the Cerise incentives was a personal poem from John where he ‘immortalized your name in verse.’ Here is the one he did for us.

You can see why John and Marinell lead a successful campaign on IndieGogo. These personal touches and creativity provide you different ways to vary your message. They are tools you can use to draw people into your campaign and build your audience.

9) Audience Builder. Middle-men beware! Crowd-funding puts you in direct contact with your audience. I had written about the advantages of Kickstarter in this blog back on February 2nd. http://filmcourage.blogspot.com/2010/02/kickstarter-is-game-changer.html This was before we had launched our campaign.

What can I add now in the aftermath of our campaign? One of the first thoughts that comes to mind... Is there really a better way to build an audience than through a Crowd-Funding campaign? If there are ways, there are not many.

A good number of indie filmmakers are learning that marketing your film begins when you are in pre-production. Basically, as soon as you are 100% committed to making and delivering your film, you should begin marketing it.

With that in mind, it is really tough to beat building pre-buzz for your film while raising money for it AT THE SAME TIME. An analogy I hate to use but comes to mind is when someone wages money on a sports team. Whether they are a fan or not, the fact that money is involved means that person is now invested in the outcome. If you get your audience to back your film before it’s completed, they are going to stick with you all the way to the end.

Another lesson I learned from our campaign is that a Crowd-Funding campaign is much more of an audience builder than I believed it could be going in. In our case, we attracted 227 backers but our reach was much larger than that. Our campaign reached thousands upon thousands of people. This leads me to the next topic.

10) The exposure from your campaign is more valuable than the amount of money you raise. - We raised over $16,000 as you know. But I believe we created more than $16,000 worth of exposure and marketing with our campaign. How can you put a price tag on the amount of buzz we have been able to generate? We were featured on Wayne Clingman's Indy Film Wisconsin, Danny Lacey’s The Filmmaker’s Journey, Officially Plugged In, an upcoming online magazine, and Student Filmmaker Magazine. We also have more interviews forthcoming.

But I believe what is more powerful than this press is the amount of Facebook posting, Tweets, Emails, etc. that we received. What would it have cost us to manifest the overall buzz that we have created?

The focus of running a crowd-funding campaign is on each individual backer. Now that I am able to step away from that a little, I can see the impact beyond our 227 backers. I am being contacted by folks all over the world.

I have also been contacted by a few production companies who have touched base with me. Sort of a meet and greet. They want to know more about me and my upcoming projects.

11) TWITTER - For months I hated Twitter. I did not understand how to use it and I had no clue to it’s power. Then Karen and I did an interview on the Film Snobbery LIVE show with Nic Baisley and Jerry Cavallaro. After our interview we spent another couple of hours chatting away with these two film fanatics. In that conversation, Nic mentioned that he really hadn’t spent any money marketing his site and that almost all of his audience was built through Twitter. When I heard Nic share that information, I realized I needed to learn how to use this tool.

In the months since, I have learned how to use Twitter effectively. Thank God! A good number of our contributions came directly because of Twitter. I would estimate out of 227 backers that 50+ were because of Twitter. In our last two nights of our campaign, we got 14 backers through Twitter courtesy of ‘Sleep Strikes’ initiated by Gary King, Phil Holbrook, Jerry Cavallaro, Marinell Montales, Lord Pancreas, John Paul Rice, Brian Durkin and others.

In my mind, if you are going to begin a crowd-funding campaign, you should be up and running on twitter 1-3 months ahead of time. You are being stubborn and foolish if you continue to ignore the power of this tool. There is a ton of information online that you can search that can help you understand the Twitterverse and how you can use it. Get on it.

12) The Kickstarter Effect - With 6 Days left in our campaign we were barely past 50% funding. We had raised $7935 supported by 129 backers. We still needed $7065 to reach our end goal. Time was dwindling fast. I was already receiving a steady stream of concerned emails at that point. “I am concerned you are not going to make it,” “What is your back-up plan? Do you have a back-up plan?” A couple of weeks before that, when things were stagnant I remember getting into a conversation with Gregor. A lot of people we knew had already contributed to our campaign and we weren’t sure where the upcoming pledges were going to come from. And he asked me directly, “Who else is going to back this project?” My answer didn’t do much to reassure him. I said, “I do not know.... but it is going to happen.”

We ended up raising $8270 in those last 6 days to reach 108% funding. This doesn’t happen automatically. You have to work extremely hard throughout your campaign and especially in those closing days to experience the magic of the Kickstarter Effect. You see, I had studied Kickstarter before I launched my campaign. I was aware of the U-shape support the majority of campaigns will receive. That means there is typically strong support at the launch of your campaign, then it quiets down in the middle, before a flurry of support at the end.

Another important tidbit regarding Kickstarter is that campaigns that reach 25% funding have a 90% chance of success. I believe there are several factors that contribute to that statistic. One is that if you show enough determination to see your project through that far, you are going to put in the effort to carry it all the way. Another reason is that typically you gain enough supporters and key influencers to help you reach more people. It can be looked at as a tipping point or critical mass. One last reason I will share is that it puts you in a position for a key backer/investor with a large sum of money to come to the rescue if need be.

What I noticed with our campaign is that the first 50 to 60% of our backers, for the most part were directly tied to someone in our film. It was in the last 40 to 50% where strangers were jumping on board. That’s where it became much tougher to track where the pledge was coming from. I was correct when I said, “I do not know... but it is going to happen.” It is still hard to believe.

14) Your work doesn’t end when your campaign ends. I am already hearing murmurs of disgruntled backers from other Crowd-Funding campaigns. “I contributed a lot of money and I didn’t even get one thank you.” Every amount you receive from each of your backers is a lot of money to them. We give in the proportion of money that we have. The fact that someone put their money into your project means something and it means something to them. I do not take this lightly and I do not take it for granted. My mindset is to do my best to give back more than what is promised in our incentives. That way, in some sense, each of our backers will feel like they got more than their money’s worth.

This digs me in the hole in regards to my time. But I believe that is part of the trade-off in a Crowd-Funding situation and it is a deal I am willing to make. It is my mission to follow up with each of our 227 backers in as many ways as I can. It is my mission to deliver on our incentives in a reasonable period of time. There is no way around it. It’s a lot of work. But it is work that is fun and it is rewarding. Since our campaign has ended, I have begun emailing backers individually and thanking them. I have begun a reverse countdown on our Facebook Page where I thank each backer one by one. Gregor and I are recording personal video thank yous and have been emailing them. Karen and I have been thanking backers on our Film Courage radio show. I am excited to make my first two apple pies which will be delivered this weekend.

I am not looking at this crowd-funding campaign as a short-term solution. “Hey, thanks everybody for your money” and then disappear. I am looking at this for the long-term. Someone who contributed $1 to this campaign may end up buying the DVD when it is ready or maybe they contribute $100 if I do another campaign. If you are looking at your fan base / supporters for the long-term then you can see how every dollar really does matter.

I am overjoyed with everyone who contributed to our campaign to help make it happen. My only regret is that I am not able to get back to all of our backers fast enough.

BONUS INSIGHTS for my faithful readers

A) Is it too late to Crowd-Fund? No. In my opinion, this is just getting started. I believe we will see a number of campaigns come up short, and people will panic. We all have a different network. Your audience is not my audience. We may have audience members who overlap but your fans are your fans. For this reason, I believe there is room for success for everyone. It’s not going to happen magically. I believe you need to take to heart what I am writing about in this blog.

Something to keep in mind. The general public doesn’t really understand Kickstarter, IndieGogo and other crowd-funding sites. In our case, not only were we trying to raise money, we were also educating the people we were reaching. A lot of effort went into not just raising money, but explaining to folks how Kickstarter works, answering questions, etc.

As we see more success stories which help to build the crowd-funding communities, you will have less leg work to put in. Doesn’t mean it is going to be any easier for you to reach you goal... okay maybe just a tad bit easier.

The idea of crowd-funding is here to stay. Fueled by the power of incentives and interaction with your fan base. We crave to share in these experiences. And as mentioned above, this becomes one of the best ways to combat piracy. I believe we will see more and more folks showing the courage to launch their own campaigns. Something I haven’t really touched on yet is that crowd-funding allows you to help and support other artists directly. It allows artists to give directly to you. Giving is a spiritual principle. It is rewarding and empowering.

B) The Power of 7. It is going to take TEAM FUNDING in order to CROWD-FUND. The present and future of crowd-funding is to have a team of people behind your campaign. I worked hard within my team of people to get 7 of us really behind the campaign. It came in spurts, but it never really manifested. Thankfully we attracted a number of influential folks who helped push us over the top in reaching our goal.

If I do crowd-fund again, it will be with a team of 7 or more dedicated people behind it. The power of 7 committed and dedicated team members can achieve extraordinary results. There is more I would like to write about this subject, but really it carries me into another blog.

C) Two ideas that I didn’t implement with my campaign that I would love to do. I didn’t get a chance to do these two ideas but I believe they can be effective.

1) Host a LIVE event. Whether it be a launch party for the launch of your campaign or whether it comes in the middle. I believe a LIVE event with a theme tied into your project is a way to really generate further excitement around your campaign. Have a computer or laptop ready to receive contributions. There is a lot you can do with this.

2) Telethon. Not my idea, but makes total sense. This one from filmmaker Danny Lacey (http://dannylaceyfilm.blogspot.com/2010/04/i-must-be-mad-another-crazy-fund.html) who is crowd-funding for his film ‘Love Like Hers.’

I hope this blog assists you in your Crowd-Funding efforts. I would love to hear your comments, insights and reactions. Please share.

If these tips help you reach your Crowd-Funding goal, I hope that you will take the time to email me at filmcourage@gmail.com to share your success story.

Now I must get back to my backers and to making movies. : )

Fan Funded Sucess!!! Dream made reality by You!

2010-04-29T23:40:00.000-07:00

What does it look like to have a Fan Funded Film? In my case it would have not have happened without these 227 amazing Backers & Supporters. In 52 Days, this group rallied around our film 'Goodbye Promise' and helped us reach 108% Funding.

My sincerest gratitude to each of these believers. Each of you have impacted my life in a dramatic way. I am going to write more about this campaign soon. For now, I want to shine the light on these deserving 'Goodbye Promise' Contributors.

Gary King - http://grking.com/blog/
Paul Borgonia
Sheri Candler - http://www.shericandler.com/
Roger M. Richards - http://www.sarajevoroses.com/
Kiowa Winans & Jamin Winans - http://www.doubleedgefilms.com/
Greg Goldman
Andrea Shreeman - http://www.shree.tv
Len Cordova - http://www.LenCordova.com
Brian Durkin - http://www.takingthelastshot.blogspot.com/
Philip Calderone - http://manhatermovie.com/
Bill Houskeeper - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2567223/
Janet Caliri - http://www.sightforsound.com/
Nick Murphy - http://www.pizzaandbullets.com
Ai Loon
Susan Williamson - http://www.threetuxedosfilms.com/
Mike Hedge - http://mikehedge.com/
Nathan Cole - http://www.thewaterholemovie.com/
Erika Benites - http://www.imdb.com/
Owen Thomas - http://www.owenthomas.org/
Melissa Darpino
Peter Bernhard Altmann
Sally Outlaw - www.peerbackers.com
Kevin Deen
Matt Anderson - www.filmforgestudios.com
Marcella Selbach - http://twitter.com/movieangel
Cassandra M. Bellantoni
Gia Milani
Chad Davis
Jeff Kinney - www.jjkinney.com
Thomas Corkran
Patrick Mosher
Joe Lessard
Todd Cattell
Phoebe Owens - http://superphoebe.com
Dina Bekerovich
Michele Simmons
Paul Barrett
Jenn Page
Mary Callahan
Elias Daughdrill - http://www.bit.ly/aVaCQ0
Paul J. Gitschner
Kieran Masterton - http://openindie.com/
Joseph F. Alexandre - http://www.indiegogo.com/Warriors-of-the-Discotheque-The-Starck-Club-Documentary
Ben Hicks - www.kidsgofreemovie.com
Alex Luster - http://shooteditsleep.com
Robert Babish - http://robertbabish.com/
Mark Stolaroff - http://www.nobudgetfilmschool.com/
Chuck Westfield - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3658430/
Karen Zumsteg
Mike Merell - http://www.desertvows.com/
Adam Young
Ralph Greco aka RGreco2009 - http://twitter.com/RGreco2009
Joseph Williamson - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2006513/
Johanna Park
D.R. Edmonds - http://twitter.com/DivineRight78
Suzy Noel Benfatto
Nic Baisley of FilmSnobbery - http://filmsnobbery.com/
Kaylee Turbeville - www.kayleeturbeville.blogspot.com
Michelle Saunders
Clark Arroyo - http://twitter.com/clarkarroyo
Giju John
Brian Erzen of Erzen Design
Dee Marie - http://www.sonsofavalon.com
Joe Gold - www.goldcapfilms.com
John Wayne Bosley of JB Movies - http://www.jbmovies.com/
Phil Seneker
Christian Collins
Ho Sau-on
Matthew Prater
Paul Collins - www.amertrust.com
Matt Gough
Julie Keck & Jessica King - http://kingisafink.com/
Margie Crain
John Paul Rice - http://www.NoRestrictionsEnt.com
Andie Redwine - www.paradiserecovered.com
Tom Vaughan
Tony Mouleart
Amy Hamilton
David Zaugh - www.zaughphotography.com
Sean Hackett
Arthur Vincie
Stacy Carolan
Brian Ronalds & Dean Matthew Ronalds aka Ronalds Brothers
Monika Persson
David ‘Choogie’ Morales
Stacey Ann Shevlin
Chris Cain McKalpain - http://twitter.com/kalpain
Dennis Peters
Craig Welzbacher
Nicole Snapp-Holloway - www.impeccabletastesokc.com
Joseph Primm - http://primmsplace.blogspot.com
Steve Nguyen - http://www.scnbenstein.com/
Christina Rose
Phil Holbrook - www.creativejinx.com
Juan Salazar
Gregory Bayne - www.thislovelymachine.com
Kathy Orrico
Aundrea Klines
Michael Palombo - http://fansoffilm.com
Angie Palmer - http://skyepublicrelations.com
Stuart and Susie Foote - http://writersblock-susie.blogspot.com/
Nickolas Potocic
Karla Salgado
Tom Gostomski - http://www.t2bcleaningservices.com/
Lara Ertl
Greg Phelan - www.gregphelan.com
4D4Films (Will & Valerie Wittstruck) - 4D4Films.com
Craig Ouellette - www.SOTMmovie.com
David Baker - http://www.missionx.co.uk/
Autumn Macdonald
Christopher Guckenberger
Jenna Edwards
Paula Ayala
Jayne Hickman
Altmann Family
Jerry Cavallaro - http://www.stucklikechucktoo.com/
Mark Chavez
Dennis Richardson - www.linkedin.com/in/dennisrichardson
Nick Carroll
Sal Vernali
Ernie Gonzalez
Linda Dailey
Ale Provenzano
Ryan Patterson - www.rpbodyworks.com
Bridget Stokes
Kim Garland - http://www.kgarland.com
Brendon Fogle
Marinell Montales - http://ventriloqui.posterous.com/
WORKING CLASS FILMS - www.workingclassfilms.com
Beverly Marshall
Veronica Shay
Kevin K. Shah - http://sabipictures.com/
Lizette Corral
John T. Trigonis - www.cerisemovie.com
Vincent Ly
Scott Mossman
Keith Palmer
Raffi Asdourian
Robert Hammond - http://cbdemille.com
John Keating - thejohnkeating.com
Celeste Nadauld - www.twitter.com/celestenadauld
Carrie Fisher-Pascual - www.planetzaya.com
Mario I. Erosa
Eme Ikwuakor
Jordan White - www.jordanallenmusic.com
S Lane Porter - www.snapthought.com
Saskia Wilson-Brown - http://www.saskiawilsonbrown.com
Michelle Cowell Roebuck
Andrew Bichler - www.infobitsystems.com
Carmen Perez - www.carmenperez.net
Darrell Womack - www.DarrellWomack.com
Lara Scheunemann
Anne Lundgren
Betty Navas - www.myspace.com/bettynavas
Marion Kerr - www.goldenearringsmovie.com
Lisa Vandever
Rob Wagner - www.westmont.edu
Ryan Koo
Jenmovies
Mike Pasley - http://www.steviewondershow.com/
Daniel Menahem - www.thewaterholemovie.com
Miguel
Sarah Hanley-Butler - http://www.twitter.com/SarahHanleyB
Fiona Horrigan - www.fionahorrigan.com
Ryan Falcheck - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3131365/
Longlost Pictures - http://www.longlostpictures.com/
Danny Lacey - www.dannylaceyfilm.co.uk
André Hedetoft - http://www.andrehedetoft.com
Jake Stetler - http://nosanctuarymovie.com/
Lance Conatser
Spring Productions (Jonathan Lieberman) - http://www.springproductions.com/
Nora Zerillo
Wally Marzano-Lesnevich - www.worldofwally.com
Bill Elverman
Ryan Wehner - http://www.steviewondershow.com/
Alain Aguilar
Anne Renton - http://www.theperfectfamilymovie.com
Kevin Riepl
Sherry "Cosmo" Cummings - http://twitter.com/cosmosherry
Jeff Burke
Devin Watson
Hugh Guiney - http://www.nospoon.tv
Emily Millay Haddad - http://www.circlesoffireproductions.com
John T. Woods - www.johntwoods.com
Michael John Schofield
Susan Schofield - http://www.latalkradio.com/Bipolar.php
Andretti Dante - www.indiegogo.com/book-of-1000-deaths
VK Shah
Dolly Moloney
Kevin Kilkenny
Schneider
Hans Burnett
Jennifer Lynn O'Hara - www.jenniferlynnjacobs.com
Frantz Durand
Sally Miller Outlaw - www.peerbackers.com
Larry Wilson - http://www.twitter.com/bergnj
Joshua Zain - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Joshua-Zain/327937907224
Mandy Hubert - http://twitter.com/machubert
Michael Rodriguez
Marcia B
Carlos Kuttler
Greg Stitt - http://www.gregstitt.com/
Jennifer Haldane - www.JenniferHaldane.CAbionline.com
The Madman - the.madmanproject.com
Christopher James Lum - http://warholiansuperstar.com/
Eric Damon Walters
Rikki Sisneros
Denise Aldelia Ward
Tod Lancaster - facebook.com/shootingapril
Valerian Zamel
Sean Gillane - www.seangillane.com
Carly Eckerle Beebe - http://twitter.com/carlyoof
Miles Maker - http://twitter.com/milesmaker
FilmSchoolDatabase.com - www.filmschooldatabase.com
Zak Forsman - http://sabipictures.com/
Neil Raymond
Todd Terwilliger
Lorie Marsh
Sam Wieland - www.myspace.com/bentelbowproductions
Kimberly Campbell
Mark Lund - http://www.marklundtv.com
Tony Riccio - http://eliteadventuretours.com
Susana Ribeirao-Marczak
Jason Gladstone
Davan Holt
Daniel Sol - http://www.HollyShorts.com
Jonas Studer - http://www.steviewondershow.com/
Richard Cardona - www.FilmmakerinLA.com
David Ratonyi
Amit
Cheryl Petty - http://www.twitter.com/cherpetty

THE KICKSTARTER EFFECT by Gary King

2010-04-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

I am not the only one in the throes of a Kickstarter Campaign. Close friend and super supportive Filmmaker Gary King (this week's guest 4/4/10 on Film Courage) has impressively raised over $16,000 (out of $30,000) with 17 days to go for his next film How Do You Write a Joe Schermann Song. Gary was kind enough to pass on this article that he wrote one month ago about Kickstarter. He is someone I admire, he is as tenacious as anyone I know in the world of filmmaking and he was the first person to get behind my campaign for Goodbye Promise. I am privileged to share with you this guest blog by Gary King.

THE KICKSTARTER EFFECT (originally posted at multi-hyphenate on Feb 25th, 2010)

by Gary King. Follow me on Twitter.

Have you made -- or ever wanted to make a feature film? How far did you (or would you) go in order to get it done?

One of the most common questions I get asked is how did I finance my feature films NEW YORK LATELY and WHAT'S UP LOVELY. While there is not one true approach, the answer always makes me reflect on how crazy I possibly am in being a filmmaker.

Would you be willing to quit your well-paying corporate day job and move to New York City? Would you be willing to cash out your 401K to finance your first feature film? Would you be willing to spend over an entire year (or longer) seeing a project through from start to finish? If your answer is "yes" to those questions, then put on this straight jacket my friend and please join me in my padded cell.

Unfortunately for most of us, we are not lucky enough to self-finance every single film project (nor would some want to). So in order to make the films we want, we must seek financing from an outside source. In today's climate, even major studios are having trouble funding pictures unless the project is an established franchise or already has a built-in audience. They take safer risks, whereas we indie filmmakers are still the true risk takers. But where does that leave us if we know that our film fits into more of a niche and is not intended for the masses at the cineplex? Thankfully filmmakers like this are still getting movies made and it's inspiring to see. How are they managing to do it? The answer is crowdfunding.

Crowd-whata-who? That's the response I usually get from people who are not familiar with the term.

According to Wikipedia:

"Crowdfunding describes the collective cooperation, attention and trust by people who network and pool their money together, usually via the Internet, in order to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations."

So basically we've seen this in action already for various causes (typically political or humanitarian campaigns) -- but never has it been so popular with the indie film community until recently.

Right now, there are two prevalent services (IndieGoGo and Kickstarter) that assist filmmakers with crowdfunding. Both lead to the same question people ask over and over again (including myself): which one?

IndieGoGo and Kickstarter have the same intentions, but just different executions. I suggest researching both to see which fits your needs. But my initial response is "why not both?" In fact, I plan to use both sites eventually.

However, for my indie film musical HOW DO YOU WRITE A JOE SCHERMANN SONG I chose Kickstarter for two main reasons. The first is what has been coined the "Kickstarter Effect" where the implemented deadline gives a sense of urgency around the project and utilizes game theory to create an almost gambling atmosphere for people to generate interest and ideally financial contributions. And secondly the basic layout of the website design gave me more flexibility in terms of how I wanted to present the information about the film.

"SCHERMANN SONG" centers around the theater and Broadway realm of New York City. It deals with the struggle of artistic integrity vs. doing what others want you do to in order to be successful and examines how careers can affect personal relationships through unspoken competition. And the fun part is the song and dance numbers will be a mixture of both reality and fantasy sequences.

Now thankfully, the budget I'm trying to raise is nowhere close to what a full-fledged union cast/crew production would entail as that would be hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars needed depending on its scope. So for all intents and purposes, most people using the sites are dealing with micro-budgets (a casual search found the largest campaign around $50K).
But what crowdfunding does is take the investor equation out of making films. One no longer has to worry about the return-on-investment or making money back to recoup costs. Although I'm sure the majority of filmmakers do want to turn a profit with their film, it is not a looming cloud above their heads. In fact, crowdfunding is more attune to a PBS pldege drive where "thank you" gifts are offered in return for the donation -- in a sense the person contributing to the project is pre-ordering certain goods that will be ready when the film is completed.
This platform frees up the filmmaker to really make the film he or she wants - and to know there is audience demand for it. It is actually a mind-blowing concept and liberating to know that you can get a film made this way. Even if the crowdfunding concept was around for a while, these sites have polished the system and has given legitimacy to it. Projects are getting funded every day.

The most challenging part comes once you have chosen which site to use: the fundraising campaign. I can only write about my experience thus far as I have approximately two more months to hopefully raise the full amount needed ($30K) to make HOW DO YOU WRITE A JOE SCHERMANN SONG. I plan on returning (if Tyler wants me back) to contribute an update on the campaign with any learning lessons to share mid-way through. So it seems that this is just a prologue to this topic in which there will be an epilogue later down the road.

The outcome is yet to be determined, but I really believe in this project for various reasons. The first being my complete adoration for the genre. I think it will be very interesting to explore the hybrid of intimate storytelling within the musical realm. And second, these types are films are rarely made at the indie level and people are hungry for them. We just have to find our audience which is part of the campaign's goal. And we're doing it -- so far so good.

Hello to Goodbye by Brian Durkin

2010-03-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

It is guest blog week here on this Film Courage blog. I am really proud to introduce you to a close friend and colleague. He started his own blog on March 10th, entitled "Taking The Last Shot." His talent level is through the roof. If you are a fan of this blog, I highly recommend you also follow his blog. It is possible that you may have already come across the following blog in other places as I posted it on Facebook and Twitter. In case you have not, hoping you will enjoy this guest blog by Brian Durkin.

Hello to Goodbye

Guest Blog by Brian Durkin

This past fall I was asked by a close friend, director David Branin, to take a part in an indie feature he was planning to shoot around the Los Angeles area. The concept surrounds a man, played by Gregor Collins, who has reached the end of his seven year promise to "make it" and travels around LA to say good bye to those he has known and loved over the course of his efforts.

It was an idea close to my heart because I had experienced it. Not only from the perspective of the person thinking of hanging em up, but from the view point of the man who had had to say goodbye and let so many friends and loved ones go as they took that drive out of town.

I've thought of that drive "back east." I think of it vividly as the inverse of the drive "Out West." It's hard for us as we get older to remember the energy we had at that waking age of the early twenties. All promise and spark and fire. The world was going to be glittering sapphires on the bottoms of our conquering feet. Things were easier, decisions a bit quicker...the consequences seemed small...and anything bad, surmountable and laughable. What could happen? Like young marines told to take that hill, we were going to take it. No matter what career we decided to pursue, we felt this conquering, bright eyed belief.

And so it was on my drive out West. The sun was out there setting on the land that held a future I saw so clearly. Everything was set. I even had my inspirational mix tape planned out...a tape...cough...pencil at the ready in case any re-spooling was needed. Zepplin's "Going to California" was cued up first. Then Petty's "Running Down a Dream." If you give your self five minutes and a chug of cliche, you can probably conjure up ten more of those songs. They were obvious, I was obvious...but man did they work and wow did I believe.

The first shot of the Mississippi, the impossible horrifying claustrophobic flat of the Mid West, the relief of the Rockies, the Roadrunner cartoon Buttes and rock formations of Utah. All leading to the bursting green video game freeways of LA. I wasn't even sure where I would live and it didn't matter. I had hope.

This film "Goodbye Promise" is about the other end of that necessary hope, a hope we all had that is the engine that turns a better world. The other end fills the eyes with a haunted quality, something Gregor Collins brings in spades. The other end tests belief. The other end makes a person question every decision, beginning with the first one...the decision to believe in the big dream.

I believe this film will act as medicine. To anyone, anywhere, who is in the midst of their career, their lives, their dream...to those maybe wondering if that dream has faded, this film demands you question if you should give up or find a new. This film lays out in stark terms the consequence of walking away and urges you to take another look at the costs of one more shot.
Are you committed? Committed to living your best life? In every respect? Committed to your loved ones? Committed to your health? Committed to bringing your best everyday?
If you are reading this I think you are or are finding your way back to that place, back to a grounded and directed rebirth of your first "waking" energies.

I'd like to ask you to visit "Goodbye Promise" on Facebook or follow the link to their Kickstarter campaign.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1231856438/goodbye-promise-an-exploratory-feature-film

Take a look, take a listen. This film represents the effort of many folks giving it their all and the filmmakers David Branin and Gregor Collins could use some encouragement, maybe just by you becoming a fan, leaving a note or donating a few dollars to help them finish the project through KickStarter.

'True Game Changers and What Indies Can Learn From Them' by John Wayne Bosley

2010-03-16T14:07:00.000-07:00

One of my objectives is to open up the dialogue here on this Film Courage Blog. I am certainly not the only one on a filmmaking journey. Over the past year, I have been very fortunate to connect with a good number of fellow Filmmakers. Not only have I connected with them, but I have learned from their lessons and insights. For many months I have been meaning to feature writings of those who's wisdom I value. This was on my new year's resolution blog (but as you may know, I have attacked this new year with such fervor that I never finished that blog *smile*)

I have seen Producer Ted Hope and others taking this approach of featuring guest bloggers. I believe we will see it become a more common occurrence. Whether or not it happens elsewhere, you will certainly see it here.

I am proud to introduce you to Filmmaker John Wayne Bosley as my first guest blogger. Hhas so often provided me tremendous commentary on Facebook and even here on this blog. John's work includes the film 'Amnesia: The Allan Carter Saga' & the upcoming 'The House.' John is also Founder of Reb Fest.

John has been kind enough to write this blog for us.

True Game Changers and What Indies Can Learn From Them
Guest Blog Post By John Wayne Bosley

Many Indie filmmakers claim that the game changers in the film biz are things like kickstarter, indiegogo, openindie, VOD or even social media, but these are just tools. It's not the tools that change the game, but what you do with them. When we look at cinema history, we need to see things that truly changed cinema and had a long-term impact on the business. Below are a few examples. They are not an exhaustive list but just examples:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Snow White was the first full-length animation film ever created. At that time in cinema history it was considered too expensive to create a full-length animated film and Disney had only a hand full of trained animators at his small studio. What Disney came up with was an innovative process that is now known as "keyframing" (editing, compositing, sound and animation programs now use this technique). The idea was that the master artist would be parternered with one or two apprentice artists for a scene. The master artist would draw the "key frame" and the apprentice or two would draw the less prioritized frames. For instance, in a sequence with a character jumping, the master artist would draw the actual frame where the character jumped while the apprentices would draw the before and after jump frames. By creating scenes in this manner, Disney was able to complete the film

"Snow White was one of only two animated films to rank in the American Film Institute's list of the 100 greatest American films of all time in 1997 (the other being Disney's Fantasia), ranking number 49. It achieved a higher ranking (#34) in the list's 2007 update, this time being the only traditionally animated film on the list. The following year AFI would name the film as the greatest American animated film of all time." (from Wikipedia)

The Planet of the Apes, and Beneath the Planet of the Apes 1968, 1970

Arthur P. Jacobs, former agent for Marilyn Monroe, after his success in producing What a Way to Go!, was given a two picture deal with Twentieth Century Fox. He pitched to them Doctor Doolittle, which was produced and then The Planet of the Apes. Fox was apprehensive of doing Apes because the original script called for a futuristic world with elaborate sets. Jacobs had more scripts written, which eventually had a more primitive world of the apes, which cut down on the budget while still keeping the essence of the story. However, the one main problem the film had was the makeup. Up until this time prosthetic makeup looked cheesy and unrealistic. Instead of giving up Jacobs searched for someone who could pull off the effect. Jacobs found his answer in John Chambers who created a new way of doing prosthetic makeup. Instead of making one piece of prosthetic for a face, he created it in pieces so that they moved. Actors were taught to over act with their face to create more motion in the mask.

"John Chambers had actually tested the ape makeup some time earlier, in the TV series Lost in Space (1965-1968) (another 20th Century Fox production at the time). In one episode, Dr. Smith (Jonathan Harris) and Major West are imprisoned along with an ape-like alien. (from wikipedia)

Jacobs was given a small budget to have John Chambers create a test screening of the makeup and act out a scene. The executives at Fox were finally convinced and the production was underway on a 5 million dollar budget.

The final scene in the film Heston finds the statue of Liberty, half-submerged in the beach sand. The first few shots are created with in-camera tricks with a smaller statue, shot down in such a way to seem bigger. However, the last final shot, a pull-back to reveal Heston's character and the statue, is created by using compositing.

The sequel to the film was made for less than the 5 million that Planet of the Apes was made for. The human characters Brent and Nova enter a post-nuclear-apocalyptic New York City. How did they do that? CGI? No, computer animation wasn't around to create this effect. Instead, the production had people photograph important buildings in New York City, then use a razor blade to cut and deform the buildings to create matte paintings. By doing this, they were able to give the impression that the characters were indeed in this city of the future.

Star Wars IV: A New Hope (1977)

George Lucas was given around a 10 million dollar budget to create his epic space opera. A careful study of the film a viewer can see that the vast majority of it is actually shot in interiors. The death star interiors are intentionally simplistic and shot in such a way so that the audience can never truly tell how many people inhibit the setting. Lucas utilizes the use of matte paintings and model miniatures throughout the film, especially in the death star. The soldiers being masked is a great advantage to the production because they would only need about a dozen extras dressed up as Stormtroopers to pull off the scenes.

Simple composting images like the iconic shot of Luke looking out at the desert of Tatooine with the two suns in the background are simplistic to create, but give it more character.

The Lord of the Rings (2001, 2002, 2003)

To shoot all three movies that make up The Lord of the Rings is an epic accomplishment, but to shoot all three at the same time is even bigger. How can a director pull that all off by himself? He doesn't. Peter Jackson brought on other directors to work with him. He would delegate to each one exactly what he wanted. He would shoot his scene while other scenes were being shot, simultaneously. By doing this, the epic was simplified in the production.

How does he pull off making the huge crowd scenes in the battles? All these CGI-based characters have to have personalities, they interact, battle each other. To do this with each character would be too time consuming. Weta Digital created a solution: make a new animation program called Massive.

El Mariachi (1992)

Yes, I put an Indie, micro-budget film, in this list. Why? Why does this film stand out? Many other filmmakers make films for around $7,000 dollars. 1.) He shot on film stock for $7,000 and it wasn't a film shot in interiors with people standing around talking the whole time, 2.) He utilizes a ton of muzzle flashes and bullet hits throughout the film as characters shoot each other, 3.) It was made in 1992! (nothing under that description was being made in 1992)

Now Rodriguez did break some laws on pyrotechnic issues. You're supposed to have a licensed pyrotech doing the effects. You can mame or kill someone if you do these effects wrong. He actually bruised the actors that were in the film. I've seen photage of people who've been injured by handmade squibs (small explosives used for bullet hits). I would never use squibs now. We have animation and compositing for that.

The point is that Rodriguez made something that defied conventional wisdom and he did it in 2 weeks of shooting with non-actors, with non-conventional lighting and a limited budget. How does he do this? He creates a shot list and a style that cuts down on time. Did I mention the size of his crew? One. Himself.

Calling Cards and Satellites

-Calling Cards

When someone sees your film, it makes a statement about what you can make and make to expect next. Like a business card, what do you want your identity to be? You film is your chance to make a statement. Make the one you want to be remembered for.

-Satellites:

Think about each film like launching a satellite into space and keeping it orbiting around the earth. In order to do this a satellite needs to be big enough to stay in orbit and it also needs to go high enough to break the stratosphere. Many films, sadly never make it high enough in impact to be remembered or even noticed at all.

The main focus people have in the Indie film business is the marketing/distribution side. In recent years, Indie filmmakers have complained because the distribution process has left them out in the cold. However, maybe we're focusing on the wrong thing. If you create an innovative, bold, courageous project than the statement it makes will draw people to see your project. Why did people go to see AVATAR when it first came out in theaters? Because of the trailer? Because it was in 3D or IMAX? No, because it was all you heard about it. You want your project to be so great that people can't shut up about it!

The usual slogan I hear with Indies is: cheap, fast, quick. Hollywood is trying to "Up It's Game" and we run with cheap, fast, quick? Supposedly the digital revolution came out in the last decade, yet if the results for Indies aren't revolutonary filmmaking than it's just an upgrade. We should feel empowered by the digital revolution to go out and make the film you want to, not the one you assume you have to.

The usual response I get is: Indies can't do effects. First it's not about effects, but about being innovative. Finding ways to beat the odds. Doing more with less. Second, why can't they do effects? People assume that if Indies do effects that it will look cheesy and unrealistic. That's not true. If you put the right amount of time and care into the effects as you do with the rest of the film they can be realistic.

When I screened my feature film, The Allan Carter Saga Part I: AMNESIA, no one ever left theater saying, "I love the skyreplacement!" because you're not suppose to realize I replaced the blue skies with cloudy skies. Or people coming out of the theater saying, "great matte backgrounds", that would be kind of an odd compliment. The audience is suppose to think that everything was shot in camera. If I got any criticism on AMNESIA it was never the effects. The only effects people thought were in the film was the color design and the helicopters (and the helicopters aren't CGI, well, not entirely). My point is that it is possible!

If Hollywood is "Up-ing Their Game" we need to as well. Even better, we need to knock their socks off! The truth is the magic of revolutionary filmmaking is just inches from our hands with each project we envision. All we have to do is "push the envelope", to grab that thing that is beyond our reach. We need to be bold, daring, defy gravity and change the status quo. The truth is we are only restricted by the limits of our imaginations. It's time for change, it's time for a revolution!

For more on John's work, please visit www.JBMovies.com

Strength In Numbers

2010-03-10T15:30:00.000-08:00

The title above refers to what is going through my mind regarding our current Goodbye Promise Kickstarter Campaign. Before I get to those thoughts, I would like to share some exciting things happening for Karen and I.

Some of you may be aware that two years ago we wrote up a list of goals that we have on our refrigerator. I am almost ashamed to admit that the majority of them have not been crossed off. It has been that way for two years. Just as embarrassed I am by what I just wrote, I am just as proud to say that we have now been able to cross of two of our goals (we actually cross them out & then write SUCCESS!) in the last few weeks.

When we originally wrote the list, we had just returned from San Diego. We wanted to return, so we wrote down that we wanted to spend another weekend there. Two years later and we have still not yet been back. That changes in two weeks. We have been asked to speak as Panelists at the San Diego Indie Fest on Saturday March 27th from 10:30am to 11:15am. We will be joined by Jenn Page from LuminaveFilms.com & Matt Jarbo from FlashYourShorts.com. We have never really imagined being panelists so this is quite an honor for us. The panel is on Marketing Your Film. Karen and I will be representing 'Dealing with the Media.'

Back to the goal list. We also wrote down that we wanted to attend the Film Independent Spirit Awards as invitees. We applied for media credentials a few months ago and we were approved several weeks ago. This past Friday our dream came true. We arrived early and watched the red carpet arrivals before being led up to the Press Tent upstairs. We broke away from the Press Tent to the Cabana Tent next door where there was a food buffet and a bar. We had a nice meal before returning to the Press Tent where we decided to sit right up front. We were just a few feet away from all of the night's Award Winners who came to speak to the press.

What really floors me about these two goals is they are directly related to our Film Courage radio show. Yet we wrote these goals down well over a year before we ever thought about doing a show. This is just another example of the mystical forces of the universe at work. What do we learn? 1) It doesn't always happen when we want it to happen. (God's time, not our time) 2) Write your goals down (magical things can happen for you.)

As of the time of this writing, we are 10 days into our Kickstarter Campaign for Goodbye Promise. We have been blessed so far with 32 Backers who have pledged a total of $1931. Our end goal is to raise at least $15,000 by April 22nd, 2010. We have 41 days left. The way Kickstarter works is that it is ALL or NOTHING. We either raise at least $15,000 by our deadline or we will not see any of the money.

One thing interesting that is happening is the number of folks who are backing the project, then saying they wish they could 'pledge' more. In addition, I believe there are a good number of folks who have yet to 'pledge' because they are embarrassed to contribute an amount less than $5. My response to that is that no one should feel embarrassed by any amount they are able to pledge. Your $1 pledge may lead to a $20 pledge or a $100 pledge. Your pledge may generate a chain reaction to future pledges.

I liken this effect to a bartender who is working hard, serving drink after drink to a long line of people. Yet no one has tipped her. Then one gracious fellow puts a one dollar bill on the bar. The woman behind that fellow sees the gesture and pulls out money from her purse to also tip the bartender. This leads to a steady stream of tips for the hard-working bartender.

A Kickstarter campaign is reliant on this same kind of energy. Our campaign gains momentum when several people 'pledge' on the same day. There is Strength in Numbers. Strength in the Number of Backers who support our project. The higher the number of our Backers, the easier it becomes for others to believe in our project and also contribute.

Another great feature about Kickstarter is you have the right to adjust your pledge amount. You can pledge $1 now and any time before the deadline you can raise the amount. Also, in case you are not aware, no money is taken from your account unless the project reaches it's fundraising goal. We will only receive the money from our Backers if we reach $15,000 by April 22nd, 201o and money is not taken from their accounts until after the clock strikes zero.

This blog would not be complete if I did not thank all of the Backers we have gained since my last blog entry. Thank you for believing and supporting our little film. I am so incredibly grateful to each of you! Mike Hedge, Nathan Cole, Erika Benites, Melissa Darpino, Owen Thomas, Peter Bernhard Altmann, Sally Outlaw, Kevin Deen, Matt Anderson, Marcella Selbach, Cassandra M. Bellantoni, Gia Milani, Chad Davis, Jeff Kinney, Thomas Corkran, Patrick Mosher, Joe Lessard, Todd Cattell & Phoebe Owens.

I Want to Contribute to the GOODBYE PROMISE Kickstarter Campaign

Goodbye Promise on Facebook
Goodbye Promise on Twitter

Project Launch: Goodbye Promise on Kickstarter

2010-03-03T16:38:00.000-08:00

I know some of you have been anticipating my foray into the world of Crowd Funding. Well, that time is now here! I can't help but think of the analogy that Lance Weiler used on this past week's Film Courage radio show about being on the end of a diving board and diving into risk. He wasn't referring to a Kickstarter campaign but I believe the reference is appropriate in this case.

I have officially jumped off the diving board. Though as of right now, I cannot say whether I am going to hit pavement or be welcomed by a pool of bliss.

In my days leading up to our launch I found myself over analyzing every detail. This campaign means so much to me for where I am right now with my career. I have more eyeballs watching me than ever before. Though it is welcome and necessary, it also adds a new layer of pressure.

My original plan was to launch a 45 day Kickstarter campaign, which would land us right around an end date of April 15th. My thinking was that we could use the tax deadline for additional promotion. In the end, I agreed with Karen and a few others that folks will be too engrossed with their state of affairs and taxes. So we added 7 extra days to the campaign. For those of you getting a refund this year....

We are now a few days into our campaign and the early support has been thrilling. In our first two days online we attracted 12 backers. We are now up to 15 backers and we are almost 5% funded. Our end goal is to raise at least $15,000 by April 22nd, 2010.

For those of you not aware, reaching 25% in a Kickstarter campaign is a critical benchmark. Of all of the projects that Kickstarter has had in it's brief history, those projects which can reach the 25% mark have a 90% chance of success. So the sooner we can reach $3750, the more confident I will be. There is no contribution that is too small. That is why the lowest contribution amount is $1. If that is all you have to contribute, we do not take that lightly. You would be just as important to us as every other backer. Most indie filmmakers could make a living if everyone contributed just $1 for their work.

As promised amongst the incentives we have listed for the campaign... I would like to take this opportunity to thank these individuals for their pioneering support of Goodbye Promise and our vision. I cannot tell you how much it means that each of you would be so generous with your contributions and that you have shown your support in these early stages. I thank Gary King, Paul Borgonia, Sheri Candler, Roger Richards, Kiowa & Jamin Winans, Greg Goldman, Andrea Shreeman, Len Cordova, Brian Durkin, Phillip Calderone, Bill Houskeeper, Janet Caliri, Nicholas James Murphy, ai loon, & Susan Williamson.

I am hoping that many of you will help us with this campaign by helping to spread the word any way you can. Person to person, on the phone, email, facebook, twitter, etc. Help us meet our end goal so that true independent film can have another hero. We need more examples, we need more heroes. And for those who support me, I want you to know that a successful campaign here puts me in a position to begin laying the groundwork for my next feature film which I would love to shoot this year. It is a pure comedy that is going to be bananas.

For those of you who have yet to stop by our Kickstarter Campaign page for Goodbye Pomise, here is the link. Please click on the video so that you can witness the 'Inspirational Teaser Trailer' to the film.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1231856438/goodbye-promise-an-exploratory-feature-film

I look forward to sharing updates on our progress in the upcoming weeks. We are going to begin rolling out video interviews with members of the cast and crew involved in the project very soon. If you have any ideas or suggestions on outlets or ways we can get the word out on our project, please send them my way.

Almost Time To Kickstart...

2010-02-24T01:30:00.000-08:00

It has been quite a thrill for me to see so many of you respond to my last several blog posts. Believe I have gained over 20 followers in the last two weeks which is quite a jump for me. For this I certainly thank you.

What I am loving the most is not my writing, but rather your commentary. Your insights and discussions are incredibly valuable to me. I would like to thank King is a Fink, Sheri Candler, Phil Holbrook, Dee Marie, Thomas Corkran, David P. Baker, Anessa, Miles Maker, Steve Lustgarten, Mark Harris, Gregory Bayne, John Bosley, Phil Calderone, Darrell Kiedo, Ben Hicks, Mattson Tomlin, Julio Ponce Palmieri, & Ester Brym.

I haven’t publicly updated you on what has happened with Kickstarter. After I had written my Kickstarter blog, I had about 10 people hit me up offering invitations. The wild part of it was that one of those 10 was the CTO of Kickstarter offering me a personal invitation. I received the email just hours after I posted my blog. That blew me away. Shows that these guys are on their game.

Now comes the scary part for me. I am getting closer to launching our Kickstarter campaign. Whether I can reach my fundraising goal or not, this campaign will have a major impact on my life. A lot of what I have done over the past year has been concentrated on building an audience. (It has been quite a while since I have worked on a script or worked to develop my story ideas. Not that I do not have them *smile*) The energy I have put into audience building now gets put to the test. A successful campaign would be one of my life’s proudest achievements. That may sound over dramatic to some, but I am not joking. I do not take this lightly. This is more than a dollar amount, it is discovering who my supporters are. Discovering who my audience is and whether I even have an audience. You are crucial to my survival. And I need your advice.

My objective is to raise $15,000 in less than 45 days. This is certainly not an amount I can raise on my own. I am going to need a lot of support. I am also prepared to put in the work.

The campaign is for my 2nd feature film entitled Goodbye Promise. This is a passion project conceived by myself and Actor/Producer Gregor Collins. The film’s subject matter is one we believe is universal for all aspiring artists. One that many artists deal with on a daily basis. The idea that we may never achieve our dream and that we should move onto more realistic and practical means for survival. Only the select few get to live out their dreams, right? ; )

We will share more about the project within the context of our Kickstarter Campaign. Before we launch this campaign, which is going to include a Teaser Trailer, I need your help. I am seeking any input/ideas/suggestions from you on what you would like from me and potentially members of the cast & crew.

For those of you familiar with Kickstarter, you are aware that the site is fueled by incentives which the project creator awards supporters of each campaign. What incentives would entice you to contribute to our campaign? Or what do you believe would entice others to contribute?

Our Incentive Levels are going to be:

$1
$10
$25
$50
$100
$250
$500
$1000
$2500
$5000

You input will not only serve me, but it will also help fuel creativity from those who also aspire to create their own crowd-funding campaigns.

Here are a few of my ideas. Please let me know what level you believe these rewards would fall into and whether any of them should be eliminated.

-Your name mentioned in this blog
-Your name mentioned on the Film Courage Radio Show
-Your film/business/project promoted on this blog
-Your film/business/project promoted on the Film Courage Radio Show
-Your film/business/project promoted through our Film Courage Twitter (10 tweets)
-A personal video message from myself or a member of the cast
-For those in the Los Angeles area, one of my home-made apple pies. They take me about two hours to make. Delicious and dangerous.
-DVD copy of the final film before it becomes widely available
-Have original video you submit included in bonus features on DVD
-Opportunity to edit one of the film’s scenes

Would you like any of these incentives? What else would you like? Please let me know.

Am I... 'A Dream Crusher?'

2010-02-18T17:29:00.000-08:00

I am currently working on a blog about my upcoming Kickstarter campaign. But there is something else that has been on my mind for the last few days. I wanted to quickly write about it here as I am hoping that you can offer your opinion as well as your insights and related stories.

A filmmaker sent me an email asking advice on raising money for his first feature film. Though I am hardly the person to answer this question. I was humbled by his inquiry so I took the time to reply with a list of ideas and suggestions. My key point was one we all know, there is no one way. He hadn't given me his budget, so I couldn't get into specifics.

In my mind I was thinking it was probably for a lower budgeted film, under 100K. He then responded to my message with more details surrounding his film and that his budget was going to be at least $300,000. That doesn't include all of post-production and everything that comes after.

I would like to keep this one brief. But please allow to highlight some things.

1) This $300,000+ film will be this filmmaker's 1st feature film.
2) This filmmaker has a small/limited audience.
3) The post production will be extensive with compositing, matte paintings, CG airships, etc…

Once I received the details and the budget range, I informed the filmmaker that I believe before he makes this film, he should first focus on a smaller film that he can make while also building his audience.

My belief is that no filmmaker should make their first feature for more than 100K. Unless you have studio support. Or if you know some money folks who don't care whether the money is made back or not. Your movie being made is worth more to them than the money.

I believe in everyone making their film. But I am a bigger believer in making your film with the resources you have in front of you. Expand and outwork those same resources. I believe the majority of filmmakers overextend themselves on their first feature film. They find themselves straddled with debt, or are unable to recoup their money for their investors, etc.

There are so many filmmakers who are much more talented than me who no longer make films because they took on too much too soon.

There is so much I can write about here, but I would like to turn it over to you. Even if you don't have time to answer all of these, perhaps you can just give me a number for #2.

1) What would be your advice to this filmmaker?

2) What should the budget range be for a filmmaker's 1st feature film?

3) Am I... 'A Dream Crusher?'

Enlighten me.

The Lesson We Can All Learn From Tom Cruise's Tweet

2010-02-13T20:57:00.000-08:00

Karen and I received quite a jolt yesterday. While checking our @FilmCourage Twitter, I saw a Tweet from @TomCruise. My first thought was who is this impostor pretending to be Tom? I clicked on the page for more information. From there I saw that it was a verified account with over 400,000 Followers. Now while I do not believe it was Tom himself, but rather someone who works as a social media strategist for his brand. I was still puzzled by why Tom Cruise would tweet about our small radio show.

Thanks to Filmmaker Gary King for this screen capture

There is a great lesson we can learn from what many would consider a miniscule gesture on Tom’s part. Before I write my thoughts, please allow me to share this story which will help me illustrate my point.

The Difference Between Heaven and Hell.

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said,

‘Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.’

The Lord led the holy man to two doors.

He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water.

The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.

The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.

The Lord said, ‘You have seen Hell.’

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.

The holy man said, ‘I don’t understand.’

‘It is simple,’ said the Lord. ‘It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.’

I have long been a fan of this story. I am almost embarrassed to return to my ideas as I just love this anecdote so much.

Let’s break down Tom Cruise and his Twitter account. How effective would he be if all he did was Twitter about himself and his projects? Sure he would reach his hardcore fans but it doesn’t take long for this method to get stale. Even diehard fans will get tired of it.

Being wise, Tom Cruise doesn’t make it all about himself. Or at least his social media strategist is wise enough to not make it all about Tom. You would be surprised how many people (celebrities and unknowns) always make their promotions, tweets, messages, etc. all about themselves. I wonder how many of you reading this blog fall into this category. Are you an independent filmmaker, artist, business person who doesn’t back the work of your peers, the work of your community? As we learn in the spiritual example above, this path will leave you famished and miserable.

On the other side of the coin, let’s look at what Tom Cruise receives because he takes one minute to Tweet about an unknown radio show. He has received countless tweets and retweets from the Film Courage network. Think of all of the exposure he has gotten in our circles. I have told my share of people about this Tom Cruise tweet while others have brought it up to me wanting to hear more about it. All this attention goes back to Tom Cruise. It has also forced me to write this blog which will also be circulated in the Twitter universe. Look at all the goodwill he has received because of his one minute gesture.

The lesson that Tom Cruise reminds us about.

Promote others and you promote yourself.

I would like to include some additional thoughts.

You want to know what is better than promoting your own work? When others promote your work for you. How does this happen? It happens when you spend as much time promoting others as you do promoting yourself. (Look at Tom’s Twitter and you will see that he spends more time tweeting about others than he does his own work) This is a concept I find myself embracing more and more everyday. And what am I discovering? There are more and more people spreading the word of my projects.

This is a monster concept that I do not see enough of. This is a core principle that independent filmmakers need to embrace. We need to build our collective audience, build the appetite for smaller films and we will see more independent filmmakers reach sustainability.

There are parameters to this principle. You must be genuine and you must care. Do not promote work that you do not genuinely care about.

This is a magical concept and it will be magical for you. I could list countless examples of how this principle has impacted me. But I would rather hear of your stories and how this concept has worked for you. Please share.

Lastly,

Let’s test the magic of this idea. Let’s get the guy who inspired this blog to guest on Film Courage. His next film Knight and Day releases on July 2nd, 2010. No reason to believe that he cannot appear on our show in the weeks prior to that date.

I know this is an insane idea and I know we have a 1% chance of making it happen. It is likely to fail. It's not practical for perhaps the biggest brand acting has ever seen to appear on our radio show. Or is it? Would you view it as a positive for Tom Cruise to come on a show like Film Courage?

We are not building Film COURAGE to be meek. We would like to push the boundaries of what is possible. We do our show so we can learn and we do it so we can inspire others.

We have no way of making this happen alone. The only way Tom Cruise will come on our show is if we make it happen collectively. Will you help campaign for us? Tom’s appearance on our show would not just be a victory for Karen and I. It would be a victory for independent film, a victory for the underdog, and a victory for you. All the while proving the value of promoting others. All you have to do is Tweet (and retweet) @TomCruise that he needs to appear on Film Courage to discuss acting, how he has built his career, and Knight and Day. Use the hash tag #moviedreams. You can also Tweet this blog.

PS - Do not mean to harass you Tom, but you have sparked a fire with your Tweet. Very few have thrived in this industry at your level. There is so much we can all gain from you. We can be reached at filmcourage@gmail.com

Kickstarter is a Game Changer

2010-02-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

For any new reader to my blog, I welcome you. For those of you returning, thank you for coming back. I have gotten an overwhelming response to my previous blog which I really wasn’t anticipating. Though certainly exhilarating. I do not believe what I am writing is revolutionary. It is just my take on things from the shoes that I am in, while sitting here typing on a computer in Sunland, CA.

We are all looking for answers to how we can sustain our film careers. This posting and my previous one represent some of my answers. (I didn’t cover Merchandise which is a major part of the equation, George Lucas was way ahead of his time. I also recommend what Filmmamker Zeke Zelker has written over at the New Breed.)

I am really excited about what I have for you today, so I am hoping you take the time to read it all the way through. This is really what I wanted to get to in my last blog but I couldn’t fit it all into one posting.

For those of you just tuning in, this is a follow up to my previous blog “Build The Audience and The Movie Will Come.” I ended that blog with this statement “...and it is something that I now believe becomes essential for every independent filmmaker before they make their next film.”

In that posting I also stated The Game Has Changed. We are all well aware of that.

Let’s go!

Kickstarter is here and it is a Big-Time Game Changer. (If you are not familiar with Kickstarter please visit Kickstarter.com) Your life and my life as an independent filmmaker is no longer the same. From here on out it is imperative that every independent film begin a Kickstarter campaign. I do not believe we have yet wrapped our minds around the power of this new tool.

(By the way, I do not have a Kickstarter invitation and I would like one, please help me.)

I will be admit that I have been skeptical of Kickstarter as I didn’t see it for the Tool that it really is. I also admit that I can be foolish. I am working on identifying tools that can help me earlier and earlier. I should have caught this earlier. If you are wondering why I am not including IndieGogo...? (I know there have been many others also...) Well, I believe KickStarter has perfected Crowdfunding (My brief explanation of why KS over IGG is located near the end of this post). Please allow me to elaborate as I have some valuable insights I would like to share.

Let me start with some of my story and then I will bring it back to Kickstarter.

I recently asked myself how can I sustain myself with my filmmaking. This is what everyone is asking themselves isn’t it? We are terrified by the current distribution model.

To bring you up to speed as to where I stand. My first feature film Night Before the Wedding is currently screening semi-theatrically in select cities in the US and we are working on finalizing the DVD before we release it in June. This project has thousands of dollars that we need to recoup. I have seen no money from the film and it will be some time before I do.

In addition to that, I am also juggling my second feature film (Goodbye Promise) which is designed to be another ultra-low budget film. Originally I was going to edit this second feature to save on money. This is no longer the best option as I do not have the time that is required.

Here is the bottom line for me right now. NBTW will eventually make it’s money back. It may take a year, it may take two but the investment will be recouped. With Goodbye Promise, I am in a position where I will have to take on an additional $15,000 to make the film. This is money I know I can make back but this additional debt is something I would love to avoid.

Let me add that it is a long, long journey recouping investment money in the independent film world. It doesn’t matter whether that money comes from investors or from credit cards or wherever else. It is money that needs to be repaid. That means that it will most likely be years before any money comes back into my pockets. I cannot sustain myself this way. (I can easily go off on a tangent here about distributors, middle men, self-distribution, etc. but it will take me too far off the path of what I where I would like to go with this blog.)

The answer for me right now might be an answer for you. Instead of turning to investors who believe in my vision at a price, or creditors who only care about my credit rating and their interest payments...

The Answer is that if the money came right from my audience, if it came from my fanbase in the form of a pledge/donation in advance...because they care about me, or the actors in my film, or the subject matter...this is my answer. This is Kickstarter.

I am not saying this is revolutionary. What is revolutionary is that there are now enough tools in place which make Kickstarter a viable and powerful tool. The way that Facebook and Twitter have connected us in real time...along with many other tools we have access to, we can really embrace the power of Kickstarter. These tools were not in place 2 years ago.

In my case, if I raised $15,000 through Kickstarter, it would literally be a miracle for me. This not only would allow me complete my film, but once it is completed it is paid for by my audience, so any monies generated from that point forward become a revenue stream that will help me sustain my life as a filmmaker. I do not have to spend another My life would be forever be changed.

We tried to raise the production budget for NBTW through fundraisers and through Pre-Order DVD sales. We attempted to get our fans to support our film before we made it. We did have some success and we were able to raise funds this way, but no where near what was eventually required to make the film. We really could have used Kickstarter 2 years ago. Though I didn’t have the audience I now have and I didn’t have the tools I now have either.

I am not done yet. Please stay with me here as I am going to drive home why a Kickstarter campaign is imperative for all indie filmmakers.

Going back to my last blog and the idea, Build Your Audience and the Movie Will Come. I believe this idea will continue to emerge as a law for filmmakers who survive this new world.

It is easy for me to say “build your audience first.” But how do we measure our audience? What is the gauge? When we will know it’s time to make our film?  
Two Points about Kickstarter.

Number 1) Kickstarter is an Audience Barometer. It will let you know how hot your idea is with your audience. It doesn’t judge. It doesn’t hold any punches and it isn’t going to blow any smoke at you. It is black and white. You are either going to raise money for your film or you are not. It is going to give you a fair barometer of your current audience. You either have an audience or you do not. At the end of your campaign you will know the current pulse of where you stand with your fanbase.

You can ask Filmmaker Gregory Bayne how powerful this tool is. He reached his goal of $25,000 (actually raised $27,210) in just 20 days to continue his production of JENS PULVER / DRIVEN http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gregorybayne/jens-pulver-driven-a-documentary-film-about-a-le?pos=1&ref=popular Gregory’s story is just as inspiring as the content of his film. He used Twitter, Facebook, and Kickstarter in synergy and raised $27,000 in 20 days. This is astounding to me.

Whether or not we reach our fundraising goal through this site, it allows us to measure the current marketplace for our film. On one level we gauge our audience, on another level we gauge the interest in our film’s content. Do we have the right ingredients? Is it a winning combination? Are we selling our project in the right way. Are we putting enough energy and work into it? Does our idea reach beyond our immediate friends and family?

You see, even in failure of reaching our fundraising goal, we obtain incredibly valuable information. For instance, what if your goal was to raise $50,000 in 90 days and after 90 days you raised $500. What would this tell you about your current audience and the public’s interest in your film? You would learn that your reach isn’t as big as you think it is. What you believe is a $50,000 film is proving itself not to be. Your work is cut out for you. You are not ready to make this film, even though you may think you are.

On the flip side, where does Gregory Bayne stand now? He now knows that he is working on a film that an audience wants to see. He has a brand new support system and a new level of awareness towards his film that did not exist before his Kickstarter campaign. It helped him build an early audience.

Number 2) Kickstarter is an Audience Builder. Whether you reach your fundraising goal or not. You have created awareness in your film. Those of you who have supported a Kickstarter campaign might be able to relate to the magical underdog force that goes with it. Just as rooting for an underdog becomes emotional...for a Kickstarter project you believe in, you find yourself following along and doing all you can to help it succeed. Imagine if it was your project creating this energy and synergy amongst those who believe in you, your talents and subject matter. In the end you will have built a positive, supportive community base for your film. Folks who want to be involved. These same folks are likely to become advocates for you and your team as you move forward.

There is a lot more I can write. I did not cover it all, though I feel like I have rambled enough. I do not want to discourage anyone who may not have a successful Kickstarter campaign. If you come up short on your goal. At least you will have an idea of where you stand. Learn from the process and use the information to evaluate what level of film you should make. (Do not dive into a $500,000 film if you cannot raise $1000 through your current audience) I also realize that you can build your audience as you make your film and that a leap of faith will be required. Overall, I believe Kickstarter is a tool that allows us to be smarter about these decisions.

Lastly, in case you are wondering, Kickstarter is not paying me. I have had no contact with them. And the reason I prefer Kickstarter over IndieGogo is because you cannot beat the power of a deadline. There are not too many motivators more powerful than a deadline. Hopefully someone will send me a Kickstarter invitation. As soon as I can, I am going to set up a Kickstarter campaign for Goodbye Promise. From there I will find out what kind of audience we have. I have no idea whether or not we can raise $15,000 but it is certainly a challenge I am up for.

Okay, one last thing. I know my current project is a tiny one. Do not laugh or make fun of me. I guarantee right here, right now that we will see a Filmmaker raise six figures for their next project through Kickstarter this year. I do not have that audience yet, but there are Filmmakers who do...

Conversation on "Build The Audience and The Movie Will Come"

2010-02-02T13:52:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize my last blog would reach so many folks. It has stirred up a lot of conversation as well as activity on Twitter and postings on other sites. Because there was great dialogue stirred from it. I would like to republish the commentary here where it is not buried. Besides for those that took so much time to share their insight, I would like to reward you. Thank you for sharing your commentary, it is really helpful for me and I hope for others.

Before I do so, I would like to thank the following folks on Twitter who shared the posting @Maria_56 @giamilani @iscamedia @ClaireLWasmund @kingisafink @jokeandbiagio @Migg @mediakaleid @ahedetoft @DesertVows @grking @norestrictions @davidspies @philontilt @StripedSocksPro @CitygateFilms @seanjvincent @FilmSpecific @adamchapnick @nicolasmladinic @Gulfi @Lenscapper1 Apologies to those that I certainly missed.

From Jenn Page, "great stuff and excellent timing for me. thx for putting this out."

From Craig Wilson, "It is funny to me, how only a handful of indie filmmakers give this thought process any consideration at all. One would think, it is obvious? But alas, I am wrong. Thanks for spreading this info David, may it inspire and influence the minds that will shape indie cinema in the future."

From Ben Hicks, "Some good points here but your key example of Robert Rodriguez (although inspiring) I feel is no longer relevant in terms of something we can compare ourselves to. I'll admit it takes this kind of spirit but it also reflects how much easier it was to get money for your films before the explosion of digital filmmaking. Robert Rodriguez knew he could sell his film on straight to the Spanish home video market for $25,000 but I'll bet you that today the Spanish home video market would pay much much less simply because there is more content to choose from. I bet that they would pay so much less that Robert Rodriguez might not have even gotten enough to pay off his film.

This is the problem we're all in now. No one is paying us for our work even though there is a big demand for it and in some cases are being seen hundreds of thousands of times in a matter of days.

The system is broken (sorry for the plug) but we're working on a new platform to try and fix all these problems that filmmakers face in order to sustain.

you can check out what we're working on at www.fandependentfilms.com"

My response to Ben, "Great to have your comment Ben. I am certainly excited to see what you have coming with FanDependentFilms.

With Robert Rodriguez, I know that market option is no longer viable. I reference it because I believe his mentality is key. Too many filmmakers are only thinking about how they are raising money for one feature film, rather than a series of films. It is no easy task to make money off of one film. If you are going to sustain yourself, it is going to take more than one film. I believe this perspective is essential. Common sense, yes, but as I look around the landscape of independent cinema I do not see enough of this mentality."

From Mark Harris, "Yep, it's really come into focus this past six months with THE LOST CHILDREN. Originally supposed to have been shot and edited by now, but we started absorbing all of this stuff and put the breaks on, and re-focused on audience building. Which will continue through production this spring, until the film's release in 2011, and beyond. But now I'm extremely happy we have a whole year to do this stuff, before the movie comes out."

From John W. Bosley, "My favorite line from FIELD OF DEAMS is from James Earl Jones' charecter. He said, "I'm going to beat you with this crowbar until you go away." For some reason every time we heard that line it made us laugh. Ok, I'm weird. But there's a point to bringing up that quote. Costner's charecter pursues connecting with Jones's charecter because it is needed to fullfil the goal. My new perpective on the film biz is that it's not REALLY about storytelling/filmmaking it's about cultivating relationships that are needed to for you to make your film. You could make the greatest film in the world but without key relationships you'll end up with a film sitting on your shelf gaining dust.

My father once pointed out to me the story of Tom Sawyer having to white wash the fence. I have pointed this story out to tons of people when it comes to filmmaking and building your career. I believe how it is applied is the key to your success in the biz.

Tom is told to paint the fence. This is his goal/project. But instead of complaining or even asking for help he instead greates a sense of "implied value" that draws the attention of his friends. By the end everyone is paying him to paint the fence for him.

My point: create some implied value right of the begining about your project. Find a simple, cost effective way that you can express who you are as a unique artist, draw in people and they will want to work with you because their inspired by the beauty of your artistry. And you don't have to break the bank in order to do it. This is what I am doing with The House: http://www.thehousefilmproject.com"

From Sheri Candler, "great post David. I hope you don't mind that I am NOT picking you apart. And I love everyone else's comments too. The audience building mentality is finally catching on!! YAY! and about David Baker's comment, he is right. This is going to be so much more work than just making the film. Many would be filmmakers will turn back and the field will not be as crowded as it is now. Guaranteed! Those who have an audience and continually cultivate it and feed it with interesting content will be the survivors."

From Darrell Kiedo, "Okay, I for one think Robert Rodriguez (inspiring and viable today), the market has and always will be evolving, now same as when Robert Rodriguez produced his film that inspired soo many of us. Look, the studio's and powers that be have been trying to pay as less for more since Charlie Chaplin, and in talking to many Producers from Monster to Big Fat Greek Wedding (which were also independents by the way Nobody knows what a movie can achieve - we put the puzzle together and yeah market it, audience in mind, but 2010 has and is producing it's own Oprah effect in regards to the internet, social media and a world wide presence. I am producing a micro-budget movie and I am expecting a large following with the cast/story/ studio pickup(hopefully)/underground/ viral/ and web-based marketing. We'll see what happens but I think you guys are selling the market place short. Yeah, it's changed but it's always changing - We as filmmakers, actors, creators, live adapt & grow. We (the Dawn) shortened title, have a multi-international cast, two cities, A star-less but extremely talented cast, one of the best Independent production teams and Four Countries represented in this film. The possibilities are endless. Anyway that's my rant - It boils down to hard work which is why I'm up at 4:30am starting my day with this blog. The next 6 hours trying to raise money, the 4 after that with talent for film, the 3 after that connecting with more investors and potential sponsors. Sleep? Maybe after the Premiere.

(From Darrell Kiedo: Actor/Screenwriter, "Before The First Dawn" based on the Book "The Black Actors Guide To Not Working In Hollywood" by same available via Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble Bookstore or xlibris.com. Co-Produced with Glimpse of Dreams LLC. Producer Richard Jacob: 202-812-9906 Fax 866-593-7941 rjacob@glimpseofdreams.com for more info."

And finally David Baker. I am going to bolden one section here that really stands out to me in his commentary. I couldn't agree more with David's point.

"I think its paramount that we know our audience, who they are, where they are, how we will get to them cheapy or for free, before you even write your first scene.

I never really did that with my current film Mission X, as it was made for nothing as a knee jerk reaction to losing £500,000 for a horror film.

However, I knew my personal aspect to the story would still have to get an audience. But I also knew with hard work, in worst case, I could find my audience on thousands of military sites like airsofters, paintbllers, and other war movie lover groups.

Got the corman attitude of making a personal film, but wrapped in a genre. Just like horror that is easy to find groups of people, as so many horrors have been done. And of course it makes sense to do a sequel I had etc etc.

For my next film, Death Movie, the one I lost the £500,000 on. I got that money from the distribution proposal, not the script. The investors never even saw the script. They saw a simple pitch, and a mobile-drive-in roadshow concept, which will also partner with a lot of brands to do screenings this year.

My point is, I could NEVER even be inclined to write a movie, without knowing who my audience is, and how I will get to them. It is kind weird because for years after my first film, the problem was “How do I make the movie” Then “How do I distribute the content"

The distribution itself, is not really a major problem now as we know. At least to kick start yourself career on the first ladder. Now the problem is, how to I get those precise “eyeballs” to see my work for no money, or very little.

So every project I write now, has always had a brain storming session about how I get to my audience before I write. If I dont pull off the Mission remake, I will do a micro budget sequel, and sell it to the audience for the first.

And the 2nd one will have more viral wild action vidoes, so it might turn the first film into a prequel.

Anyway. I agree with your blog. I dont even think the future is about our films anymore, in terms of how we build a career, its from all the other potential revene streams that can spin off from it.

I hear a lot of filmmakers so desperate to make their first film, and I just know they are going to be in so much distress when they realise the REAL world in this biz. A world that really is only for the truly passionate, and 7 days a week until you die dedicated.

We all think we work hard, I thought I did on my first industry funded and distributed film, but damm, that was a slacker ride compared to the time I put it now, and I will have to keep this up until I die if I want this as a career.

On an upbeat note. I see it as a GREAT! Time. I can see the future. Its tough, but it should be to make a career out of a job like this. And agree that its not about the back slapping attitude of “I made a movie” Filmmakers need to be industrious. Get a bit of the Rodrguez attitude of cranking your talent out there, building a personal brand.

On a final note. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, and many other pioneers had a vision, when there was really nothing to invisage. A crazy vision they realised and made happen.

My point. If filmakers cant see the amazing opportunties ahead of us, then they should not be in this biz, as I hear too much downbeat stuff. But yes, agree, too many are living in lala land about the practical realities. Filmmaking is only one half.

Ok, too much yakety yaking from me. I'm off!

Love your blog, film courage, and I have no doubt I will love your movie too when I get to see it.

Cheers

David"

Build The Audience and The Movie Will Come

2010-02-01T14:40:00.000-08:00

We all know the ‘Field of Dreams’ mantra..."If you build it, he will come" (often misquoted as "If you build it, they will come") Most artists and industries have operated off this philosophy for years and most continue to do so. We, the independent filmmaker, are no different. We blindly have faith that if we make our movie the audience will be there waiting.

Today’s market is saturated with filmmaking hopefuls. Thousands of films are sent off to the top film festivals each year, with filmmakers praying for acceptance and recognition. These festivals have served as the key gatekeepers in the film business for the last two decades. The festival machine has fueled the careers of our predecessors.

The game has changed.

Everywhere I turn, everyone is trying to figure out what the new business model is going to be. All of my peers are talking and writing about this everyday. How are we as independent filmmakers going to sustain ourselves. How do we carve out a career. This is something I certainly ponder everyday.

There is so much being written about this from various sources on a daily basis that it is hard for me to keep up. I believe I have some useful and practical ideas that will be helpful to you.

The answers and the tools are right in front of us. With the right mindset we will see more filmmakers with sustainable careers. Before I continue, I should note that I make ultra low-budget films which I believe is the starting ground for all us.

The staple of what I am writing about here is the subject of this post. If you are looking to enter this game and sustain yourself from this point forward you must focus on...

Building Your Audience Before You Make Your Film.

So many filmmakers will go out and raise money for a six figure film ($100,000 or more) without a clear cut audience to turn to once the film is completed. It may work for a minute few but for the majority this is suicide.

It is getting easier and easier to build an audience online through blogs, video blogs, audio podcasts, short videos, web series, twitter, facebook, youtube, etc. I am not going to go into how to build an audience. For the purposes of this blog, I will say simply that there are numerous resources at your disposal and that it is essential for you engage in conversation with your supporters. If you are not building your audience/network/support system/fans/followers etc. you will get left behind by those who are. This isn't something you can dabble in, it is something to work on everyday.

Let me touch on another idea I believe should be part of your mindset, then I will come back to a tool that serves as a gauge to your fanbase. This tool will show you if have been effective in building your audience. It will show you if you have support for your film before you make your it.

Do Not Focus On Making Your First Feature Film, Focus On Making Your First 5 Feature Films.

The leap from short films to a feature film is dramatic. I, for one, have experienced the difference and it is significant. I know many filmmakers who have yet to make this leap. I believe most filmmakers become so consumed on making their first feature that they lose sight of the bigger picture. I certainly fall into this category myself, though I am working my way through it.

Despite the challenges of making a feature film. If you are going to have a sustainable career you cannot put all of your might into your first film. You will find yourself trapped.

Think about how you are going to finance and recoup the money on your first five feature films. I am not speaking in wishful terms. Let me repeat that, you should be thinking about how you are going to finance and recoup the money on your first five feature films. You should be thinking the way Robert Rodriguez was 19 years ago. There are so many brilliant aspects to his book Rebel Without a Crew. It is easy to get seduced by his story of writing his film in a laboratory, then going down to Mexico to film his movie for $7000. If you go back and read the book, studying his mindset and his career path you will see that he would have had a film career with or without Hollywood.

His plan was not to start with one feature, but with a trilogy of action films. Each one to be bigger than the last. His plan was to make the first for less than $10,000 yet carry the value of a $100,000 film. He knew his market was the Spanish home video market and that in a worst case scenario he would be able to sell the film for $25,000. This would net him $15,000 profit. He would then take that money and make the next film better. You get the idea.

Two examples of filmmakers using this philosophy today are Dale Stelly and Joe Swanberg. They are making films for a specific audience. They are making their films cheaply so that their money is recouped. Each film improves upon the last while they build their audience film by film. They both have a film career.

With all this talk of sustainability, I asked myself, what would it take right now for me to make films that open up a revenue stream for me going forward. My first feature Night Before the Wedding has a ways to go before it breaks even. Let alone making me money and creating a viable revenue stream. Meanwhile it is stress on my shoulders and my wallet.

I can say that NBTW will eventually break even and will be a revenue stream for us. Though it is going to take more time, more energy, and more work. I just have to continue to ride the course.

Having said that, there is hope for me on my next film, Goodbye Promise. I have an opportunity with GP that I didn't have with NBTW. I am going to lay this out in my next blog.

Here are my final thoughts for this blog...

I have the answer for what would be huge for me sustaining my career from this point forward. It is also something that would help me gauge the fan support I currently have. It is something that many filmmakers are already taking advantage of...and it is something that I now believe becomes essential for every independent filmmaker before they make their next film.

Follow Up to the 1st Film Courage Interactive

2010-01-29T14:19:00.000-08:00

I must keep this one brief as I can because I have much more to write beyond this blog. Though I feel it is necessary to have a short write-up on our first Film Courage Interactive.

The whole night would not have been possible without the support of the Downtown Independent which is establishing itself as the best independent movie theater in Los Angeles. If you need to screen your film for one night, there is no better place. Thank you Jim, Vivian and Ivan for welcoming us into your state of the art venue.

Karen and I arrived about 6pm. I videorecorded her filling out the sandwich board and placing it outside. After that, once folks started arriving...there was never another free moment where I could get the camera out again. Forgive me. So I have a whopping 30 seconds of video to share with you in the near future.

On that note, I am anxiously awaiting a small batch of event photos that were taken by Carl Mahoney of www.StudioMahoney.com. Cannot wait to see them and share them with you.

We are grateful that Filmmaker Jake Barsha and Producer/Actor Stuart Bennett were kind enough to exhibit their film EUGENE. It exceeded the our expectations. It was great to see the rarely seen director's cut that Jake decided would be more appropriate fit for the night.

I believe we had over 15 Filmmakers come out in support which is a great start for us. Some of the names off the top of my head include Jake Barsha, John Dentino, Brian Ronalds, Dean Ronalds, Greg Seki, Laura Russo, Gregor Collins, Stuart Bennett, Ryan Reyes, Mike Palsey, Nathan Cole, Justin Winters, Phil Calderone, Aaron Caine & Craig Ouelette.

We mingled in the lobby area for a bit, then inside the theater Karen and I introduced the event and turned it over John Dentino (Illusion Travels by Boxcar) who introduced Jake Barsha's EUGENE to the audience. Our aim with this is to build up the independent film community. So we are having fellow filmmakers introduce the night's film. In this case John introduced Jake's film.

We screened the trailer to Mike Pasley's STEVIE WONDERSHOW, which will screen at our next Interactive on 2/22/10, immediately followed by EUGENE.

That was followed by an insightful Q&A with Jake Barsha, Stuart Bennett and Ryan Reyes. Jake surprised me in his willingness to be candid and vulnerable in front of the audience. From there we took a break. Many who attended had to leave. We managed to wrangle about 20 to 25 folks who joined us back in the theater for the 'interactive' session which is something I was excited to get started. Turns out it was the perfect amount for this first gathering. We went around the room, had everyone introduce themselves, share their current projects, and reveal a current obstacle or challenge that is keeping them from getting to the next level.

Some were resistant to this and maybe felt awkward. Yet most warmed to the idea quickly which led to great honesty and sincerity between us. After the last person introduced themselves, we went back around the room and had each person point out something another had said that they connected with or touched them in a unique way. It got us all away from ourselves to caring for others in the room. This can be a rare feat in LA (with so many having their own agendas). It was amazing for me to experience and watch unfold. Karen jokes that it is Filmmaker Therapy and she isn't too far off. My goal is to get into deeper discussions on the business as the event evolves.

In the end, we are thrilled with the foundation we have in place. We would like for this monthly event to serve as an extension of our radio show. To be a place in Los Angeles where filmmakers come together each month to support our own. A place that plays it's part in inspiring, enlightening, motivating and connecting us all.

Going from 'Live' Radio Show to 'Live' Event

2010-01-21T12:51:00.000-08:00

Things have not come fast nor easy as I begin this new decade. Free time has been hard to come by. I have started two blogs since my last entry and I have been unable to finish off either. Seems silly to now post a new year's resolution-esque blog.

My thoughts and energies have been concentrated on opening up revenue streams which will allow me sustain myself. This long-lasting drought of revenue streams is now going to get some much needed water. It would be great if the water came pouring in the way it is right now on Los Angeles. (For the first time ever, I saw at least a dozen cars pulled over within a quarter mile of one another on the 405 last night. Los Angeles folks do not know how to drive in the rain. Or should I say they do not know how to drive period? )

I would like to mention that John Keating, Gregor Collins, Richard Jacob, Michael Shaun Sandy, Thomas Corkran and myself had a great time at the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema where Night Before the Wedding was showcased. Idyllwild is a gem of a town. We were embraced with open arms by the many gracious locals. I certainly want to thank Stephen Savage, Julia Countryman, Ashley and Traci for being such wonderful hosts. And a special thanks to Filmmaker Phil Calderone who made it all possible for us.

Thomas Corkran, David Branin, Michael Shaun Sandy, Gregor Collins, John Keating

To see all of our Idyllwild photos, please click HERE

Our next screening of Night Before the Wedding is going to be on Thursday February 11th in Orlando, Florida at the Enzian Theater. Please visit www.NightBeforeTheWedding for details.

Lastly, Karen and I are extremely excited to announce what we are calling the Film Courage Interactive which is set to be a monthly event at the Downtown Independent in Los Angeles. We believe it will serve as an extension to our show and provide us the opportunity to bring filmmakers together on a consistent basis. Our aim is to build up the appetite for smaller films along with building up the community itself. Karen and I feel grateful that we are in a good position to unite filmmakers and that is what we intend to do. I believe the event will be inspiring for many and I envision a new synergy will come out of it that is desperately needed. This is something that is certainly going to evolve over time. That makes it quite thrilling.

The Downtown Independent

The plan is host the Film Courage Interactive the last Monday of each month. Our first one is this Monday January 25th at the Downtown Independent (which is a gorgeous venue) from 7pm to 11pm. The event will showcase an independent feature film, Q&A with the filmmaker, and then a group meet & greet with various indie heads.

The first film we are going to showcase is Jake Barsha's EUGENE. For more information you can visit either page below.

Facebook Event Page

Downtown Independent Event Page

2009-12-28T18:03:00.001-08:00

This interview with Acting Coach Barry Papick sparkles with passion http://ping.fm/xnnVJ

Goodbye Promise

2009-11-24T22:39:00.000-08:00

A tale of two lives. That is the struggle of being an independent filmmaker. On the surface everything looks Lobster, with closer observation you will find Tuna Fish.

It is an insane world to live day in and day out as one who makes films outside of the studio system. It is also a terrifying and lonely place. I know my plight is no different than the thousands of actors, writers, musicians who flood the vast corners of Los Angeles and beyond. But this isn't the blog of those thousands of folks, it is my blog. And here I will share my realities, hopes, hardships and triumphs.

I can't help but think of the Film Courage interview with In Search of a Midnight Kiss Director Alex Holdridge where he says "In LA there is so much pressure put on this perception of your success that people do not open up about how scared they are about money." (Here is a quick video/audio clip of this quote http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQpdssJOD5Q)

Another moment that captures this perfectly is when I shared the Red Carpet recently with an Actor from a prominent independent film. He said the whole experience was surreal because he has never been so broke. Yet here he was being interviewed, having his picture taken. It is all so glamorous.

I have spoken to dozens upon dozens of filmmakers over the past year and I have learned that yes they have made a film but they haven't necessarily made a living off of that film. Forget the living, they haven't even made anywhere near one year's salary.

The common perception is that anyone who makes a film has to be making money. In a few cases they are, but in most they are not. In my case, I have not made one dollar for Night Before the Wedding. Though, I should point out that the film is in the very early stages of making it's money back. I will not see any money until the film is paid in full. That of course is a great motivator for me to keep pushing and promoting it. Though it will very likely be quite some time before any money is put directly into my pocket or bank account. In the meantime it is an uncertain journey ahead. These present circumstances have me questioning what I am doing with my life.

All this leads me to my next film project. What am I to do? I have a finished feature film, but it is not paid for and I have made no money from it. On top of it, we all hear the screams and shouts that indie film is dead. Distribution models are collapsing, the economy still hasn't recovered, and getting money to make a film is as tough as it's ever been. Just in case you are on the fence about what the pundits say, allow me to clearly state that INDIE FILM WILL NEVER DIE! I could go on a side rant about this alone which would cover a full blog but I want to stay focused here.

I have chosen to not allow the circumstances around me to prevent me from growing as a storyteller. I have decided to embrace my current situation and go and make a film anyway. I will just embrace all of the current challenges and infuse them into my story.

Like I said, my path ahead is uncertain. I do not know if I can cross the threshold to become one who earns a living through my filmmaking. This through-line leads me to the idea for my next film. The lead character will be at a crossroads with his life's dreams.

I do not have time to write a full screenplay right now, so it will be an improv-based project that will rely on the talents of actors along with my story instincts and of course some creative editing.

The thing that makes this go is that I have my own camera. Though it is not an expensive one. I will once again use what I have...which is key. I own an HV30 so that is what I will shoot on. If I didn't have a camera, and I was determined, then I would borrow one.

I do not have money to pay a crew or for production equipment. So that means I will shoot it myself as a one man crew and I will embrace natural lighting.

I do not expect to 'wow' folks with this film. It will serve as an experimental, exploratory film that is certain to teach me a lot. I would rather keep working on films within my means than sit around waiting, talking about my next project.

With that, here is a test poster for the project that features Actor Gregor Collins. It is certainly not the final poster. Would love your feedback. What do you like about it? What do you dislike? What story do you see? What images come to mind? Is there anything you would do to improve it? Thanks in advance.

A New Way To Connect With and Build Your Audience

2009-11-10T23:43:00.000-08:00

Building an Audience/Connecting with an Audience has been a hot topic for not just me but the entire movie industry. Guess what, I have something fun to share with you.

As you may be aware, Night Before the Wedding just screened in Columbus, Ohio. It was a screening that I knew I would not be able to attend. When brainstorming on the phone with our Social Media Manager, Angie Palmer of Skye Public Relations months before our screening, one idea I had was to do a 'Live' Q&A through my computer. We weren't sure if we could pull it off, get the proper permissions, etc. but it was something I really wanted to do.

Thank goodness that Angie is so resourceful and amazing at what she does. And thanks to some gracious folks at the Arena Grand Movie Theater in Columbus, the Mid-Ohio Filmmakers Association and again to Angie's dedication, we were able to test and eventually execute a 'Live' Skype Q&A from Los Angeles to Columbus following the screening.

I am not sure how often this has been done. I imagine plenty of times. For whatever reason I just haven't seen it implemented after a movie screening. Thanks to Actor Kevin Deen flying out to Columbus and documenting his whole experience, I now have the power to share with you what it was like for us to Connect with our Columbus Audience.

Immediately following our screening, I was projected onto the theater screen along with Filmmakers Gregor Collins, A.J. Rickert-Epstein, and Actor Michael Shaun Sandy. Although we were staring at a black computer screen, it was just a fun and fantastic experience to know that we were being seen and heard inside a movie theater a thousand miles away. Okay, I admit it was a little odd from our side of the equation. We had no idea how many stayed for the Q&A, or whether it was having any impact.

It wasn't until I was able to watch the footage that Kevin Deen shot that I realized just how powerful our Q&A had been. For you filmmakers wondering how you can connect, build, and grow your audience. The evidence can be seen clearly in this video. I believe this will be a big part of the present and future for ALL independent filmmakers. It is a no-brainer. It's something that smaller films which are screening in one theater at a time can accommodate with enough planning and effort. It gives smaller films a huge advantage over our blockbuster counterparts. Karen and I just went to see A Serious Man, but the reality of the Coen Brothers popping up on the screen right after the credits role and having a chance to ask them questions about their film just isn't going to happen.

I found out later that our Columbus crowd absolutely loved the interaction we had with them. None of them had ever experienced this before. It endeared them to us and to our film. We are now hoping to duplicate this with our next screening December 3rd in Washington D.C and beyond.

Please share your thoughts, ideas and reactions.

Piracy, Is it a good thing??? (Jamin Winans INK illegally downloaded 100,000 times in 48 hours)

2009-11-08T17:46:00.000-08:00

I was absolutely stunned this morning to find out that Jamin Winans and Kiowa Winans INK was illegally downloaded via bit torrent sites like Pirate Bay (INK was the #1 downloaded film ahead of major Hollywood releases) over 100,000 times.

We just had Jamin and Kiowa on our Film Courage radio show this past week. Their interview has shattered all records for our show from most listens, most downloads, and most page views. All of this in it's first week online. I believe it is a MUST listen. It is an in-depth case study on the money it took to make INK, their decision to retain the rights to their film and self-distribute and even highlights their deals with Blockbuster and Netflix.

Here is the interview: Jamin Winans and Kio wa Winans on Film Courage

So now, just two days away from wide-release on NOVEMBER 10th, 2009, on iTunes, Amazon, Netflix, Blockbuster (they even have Region 0 DVD's where it can be seen anywhere in the world) the pirates come thieving.

INK packs the house at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on June 10th, 2009

This news has been sinking in all day. On one side it absolutely infuriates me and on the other I am completely overjoyed. I was on the phone with Jamin about 2 or 3 weeks ago and we talked about piracy and bit torrents. We know there is nothing we can do about it. To combat piracy, Jamin and Kiowa have done all they can to make INK available through all major outlets as fast as they humanly could. There is no major studio behind this release. As a matter of fact, if you listen to our interview with Jamin and Kiowa, you will hear them say that up until November 10th all DVD orders are being handled by them right from their house. This is their dedication to get their film out to their fans as soon as they can. I can tell you this, Jamin never imagined that his film would be so popular as to be the #1 illegally downloaded movie anywhere. He was obviously concerned about it being pirated but this is absolutely insane.

I am not a part of any bit torrent sites, so I am not familiar. How common is it for an Independently financed, independently made, and independently distributed film like INK to be in such demand through piracy??? Can you share with me any other specific examples? Is INK in unique territory? Is it just the INK phenomenon?

In our phone conversation, I was telling Jamin that I believe INK is going to be huge when it hits DVD. I never suspected this and I know that Jamin and Kiowa have to both be floored, both positively and negatively.

100,000 legal downloads is enough to instantly take Jamin and Kiowa out of debt. They would be able to pay back their investors which is something they are adamant about. This would immediately send them into the black. For those of you who are not aware, Jamin and Kiowa spent at least a year in pre-production, 80 days in production, almost two years in post-production, and almost a year semi-theatrically distributing the film across the country.

They have now received the ultimate validation on their work. Screw all the distributors and gatekeepers who said no to 'INK.' As a matter of fact Kiowa just wrote a great blog about this very thing on their DoubleEdgeFilms.blogspot site. It is one of the best film blogs out there. If you go back to the first blog and read through, you can be right in the passenger seat with them from the beginning of their the distribution journey.

I just want to urge all of you to see INK, but do it right way. I want to see Jamin and Kiowa Winans continue to make films. Let's support them in a way that enables them to do just that. Buy the film from their site http://www.doubleedgefilms.com/ where they offer an amazing package of an autographed DVD/Blu Ray, T-shirt and Poster for $34.99, or you can get INK from Amazon, Blockbuster, Netflix, or iTunes.

There has been tremendous discussion on piracy happening at the INK Facebook Fan Page
(The least some of you who illegally downloaded the film can do is 'Become a Fan')

So what do you think, is Piracy a good thing? Is it going to help Jamin and Kiowa more that they have received all of this 'free advertising?' Is this the best thing that could have happened to them? How does it make you feel?

My Film Courage Blog featured on 'Film Independent' website

2009-11-06T12:02:00.000-08:00

The biggest thing to ever happen to my blog happened several weeks ago after the FIND Filmmaker Forum that Karen and I attended. On a whim, I stayed up late that night to write my thoughts about the weekend seminar.

To my surprise, I ended up being contacted by the folks of www.FilmIndependent.org who sought permission to republish my blog. Of course I jumped at the opportunity. Not only did they republish this blog in their Blog section, I found out later that they also had my name on the homepage of their site. This is certainly a big thrill for me. It's a huge leap for me as I continue to fight my way out of obscurity.

Here is the link to my recent blog on the Filmmaker Forum on the Film Independent Website
http://www.filmindependent.org/content/forum-blog-writer-director-david-branin-reviews-filmmaker-forum

Paranormal Activity - The 100 Million Dollar Movie

2009-11-06T11:02:00.000-08:00

(Note - I began writing this blog a few weeks ago and meanwhile Paranormal Activity has taken the box office by storm. Going to see if I can iron out some of my thoughts on this modern day phenomenon and finally post it albeit weeks too late.)

Paranormal Activity popped up on my radar in early to mid-September. Initially I was aware of it, but I just kind of observed it from a far. Thrillers and horror films are not usually in my palate. I respect the genre, it's just not one that draws me in.

What's funny was that around the time that Paranormal Activity was floating in my subconscious, I had a great ghost story exchange with a few friends. Every so often, I seem to get into these conversations where everyone starts telling 'real-life' ghost stories. On this occasion my mind was slowly churning on a naturally based ghost movie. Not horror, but thriller. Actually similar to what Paranormal turned out to be. Who knows, maybe a scary thriller I will one day tackle.

Well, just as these ideas were lightly floating in my head, I finally decided to investigate Paranormal Activity further. As I began to investigate Paranormal, I could already see that it to had some tremendous word of mouth already in place. I told Karen that day that I wanted to bring the filmmakers on our Film Courage radio show as soon as possible. I said if we can get them on, we will conform to their schedule. I had a sense from what I was seeing that this movie could do very well. I thought it would perform better than indie sensation Humpday which made $400,000 in limited release. Keep in mind, I came across this movie before it began it's theatrical run. Everyone I was telling about the film had never heard of it.

And now look what it has done. The right movie at the right time with the right marketing strategy. It is amazing that it sat on the shelf for 2 or 3 years before being resurrected this fall.

When I first saw the trailer I thought it was clever. It's not the first time I have seen audience reactions, lines of people, commentaries, etc.

As I sat back and reflected on the trailer and it's impact on me, I wasn't thinking about the film's content. For whatever reason, I was thinking of a roller coaster.

How often have you seen that? A movie experience that is more like boarding and riding a roller coaster than seeing a movie. I will explain. Most often, movies are made as a passive experience for the movie-goer. They are allowed to peer in the window glass of the movie screen, to observe, to be shown other worlds and other ways of life. It is rare that a movie not only allows you to look in through this magical window, but puts you into the world of the story and allows you to participate. I believe this is a function that is underutilized in the grand world of cinema. This interactive ingredient of Paranormal Activity to me is the backbone of it's success. This gives it a word-o-mouth edge that most films do not have no matter what the budget. It is the secret that makes Paranormal Activity not just a movie to see, but to experience. The same way we do not someone to tell us what it was like to ride on some colossal roller coaster. We want to experience it first hand ourselves.

It certainly helps that a horror film can have the anxiety and adrenaline build-up we often face before boarding a roller-coaster. We anticipate a unique thrilling experience.

I believe we are going to see quite a few 'copycat' ideas and films attempting to capitalize on what they believe to be the Paranormal Activity formula. If they are wise, they will be cognizant of the 'roller coaster' appeal that was marketed and delivered by PA.

On another note, because my instincts were correct and because we acted so fast, we were able to book the Executive Producer (the director is unavailable as he is shooting his next film) of Paranormal Activity on an upcoming show of Film Courage (November 22nd). Can't wait for this one! Going to be an early Thanksgiving gift to all of us.

If you have any questions you would like to ask the Executive Producer of Paranormal Activity, please leave a comment with this blog, or email us at FilmCourage@Gmail.com, or interact with us 'live' on November 22nd via Twitter (@filmcourage).

FIND Filmmaker Forum ' 09

2009-10-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

I really feel blessed to have had the opportunity to attend this past weekend's FIND Filmmaker Forum. The event was packed with great panel discussions. I was able to attend "Following the Money Trail," "Sweet and Low Budget," "Cultivating Your Audience," "Has the Dust Settled," "The International Market Place," and "New Uses for Film Festivals." Here's the full schedule with all of the panelists http://www.filmindependent.org/empower/schedule_and_topics2009.php

The forum certainly has my mind stimulated. I would love to be able to attend an event like this every month. To be able to soak up the ideas, to stretch my mind...

I will admit that the environment is intimidating. I was exposed to a lot of bright and passionate people. These folks love film. They live and breathe the business of film. Each night I returned home feeling somewhat inadequate. It can actually be kind of depressing. It is fierce and it is competitive. Maybe I should say ultra-competitive. The film business is not for the feint of heart. At the same time it is inspiring to see so many people who live and die the film business.

With that, let me put together a few of my insights gathered and/or crystalized from this weekend.

1) Make no mistake, this is the film business. Very little talk of making artistic films. The collective mindset was on creative, original works that make money.

2) "Drama" is not an attractive word when selling your film. Of course they still sell, but if you can be creative in categorizing your film...and not using the word drama, you may be better off.

3) This next point is something I mentioned on my Film Courage radio show this morning. I've always had it in the back of my mind that I would have to chase down distributors, gatekeepers, key decision makers at studios, etc. There was kind of a throw-away comment by one of the panelists where he stated that without you really hunting them down, at some point key decision makers will see your film. It was just something that really stood out to me. The film world is really a small community. Movers and shakers in the industry love film and they all know their business. Bottom line, don't worry about the critical people seeing your film. If it is a stand-out film and if you focus on getting it to your audience, eventually the machine will find you.

4) The decline of the US economy and the decline in the DVD market means less money to talent as costs are slashed. Actors are seeing their salaries reduced.

5) Self-distribution is not viewed as an ugly step-child. In many cases, it offers the best opportunity for lower budgeted films to make their money back.

6) Right now the 2 million dollar to 10 million dollar picture is dead. In most cases, there is not a viable way to make this money back in today's market.

7) Lots of buzzing about "Paranormal Activity." Not so much the film itself, just the marketing and buzz swirling around it right now.

8) There is certainly a break in the film distribution model. Everyone is trying to figure out what the new model is going to be. There are so many factors that go into this. Piracy, windows of time from theatrical to VOD to DVD, amount of films in marketplace, social networking, Netflix, TV, etc.

9) Newspapers are in big trouble. How long will it be before Movie Studios stop paying for full page movie ads in newspapers? With the shift from newspaper reading to the internet, does it make sense to dump money into the costly newspaper ads? By the way, those Full Page movie ads are a significant part of any newspaper company's budget.

10) Thumb factor. We are entering a new era where many movies can be made or broken through a twitter posting or text message seconds after walking out of a screening. That's pretty scary.

11) It was wild to hear Director Arin Crumley touch upon what I was writing in my last blog. The idea that many of us independent filmmakers could sustain ourselves with an audience/fan base of 1000 people. In my last blog I wrote that I am working on building a fan base of 7500. Of course my goal is higher than 1000 but the core idea is the same. Of course I have no where near 1000 fans so maybe I should start there first. : )

12) My Film Courage radio show has yet to make an impact in the independent world. Not one person came up to either Karen and I regarding our show. Though this isn't anything to complain about. Though on the bright side, our show is gaining in popularity. We are currently averaging over 500 page visits per week. This is a nice jump from averaging 50 page visits a week when we started.

13) Lastly I want to leave you with the main thought I take away. To me the main through-line to the whole weekend is that it comes down to identifying and building your audience. Underneath it all, no matter which part of filmmaking you are talking about, it boils down to audience. Who's going to see the film, how are they going to see it, why are they going to see it?

I would love to get some of your reactions to some of the points I have posted here. Do you have anything to add? Anything you disagree with?

How To Build Your Audience

2009-09-29T22:33:00.000-07:00

Fellow filmmaker and friend Gary King wrote a great article this past week for New Breed which is a spin-off from Workbook Project where a collective of uber smart and talented filmmakers share insights and experiences from the front lines of independent filmmaking.

It is a site I check in with as often as I can. It is a great way to get a pulse of the latest happenings from those who are in the heat of battle...fighting the same filmmaking fight I am.

Gary's latest entry is entitled "Find Your Audience So They Can Find You." In my mind, there is no tougher hurdle in the world of independent film than finding your audience. We do not have a mega-budget of millions of dollars for Television Advertising, Radio Spots, Full Page Newspaper Ads, Billboards, etc. In Gary's article he is getting a discussion going on what steps an independent filmmaker can take to overcome our greatest challenge.

Screening of Gary King's New York Lately

The truth is that this is no easy task. This dilemma is the one that causes me the most sweat and equity. It is this skyscraper of an obstacle that makes me question myself the most. Whether it be my intellect, my talent, my art, my passion, or my love.

As a storyteller, as a writer, as a filmmaker, as an artist...I can say that it starts with me. I am trying to please myself first. To tell a story, to make a film...that would entertain me. Then beyond that, I want my work to connect with an audience. I seek to be validated. To have another person react to my work. They do not have to love it, they do not have to sing my praises.

Really what I am working towards is for others to discover my work and to have it leave an everlasting imprint. I want my work to affect my audience to their core...where from that moment forward they will come back for more. Whether it is that film, a new film, or an older one.

For years now I have made films and I have worked on building an audience. From firsthand experience, I can say that on most days it just feels insurmountable. All these years, all the time and all the energy and I have built a very modest audience. Please allow me to say that I wouldn't trade you for anything. To those few of you who are loyal readers of this blog I am graciously grateful. To those of you who are champions of my work I owe so much. Thank you. I am hoping you will be there to see my work grow and evolve.

I know why so many various artists ease on their passion towards their art. Why so many filmmakers stop making films. I believe it has less to do with the creation of art, with the actual making of a film. It has to do with finding one's audience. To satisfy that inter-personal connection we crave as humans. It is the fuel we must have to survive as artists.

I believe only in rare circumstances can an artist live a normal healthy life, and be okay with their art never connecting with their fellow people. It is late and maybe I haven't put enough thought into, but I welcome you to contradict this point I am making.

I am trying to imagine the stage performer who is perfectly content playing to an empty house, the athlete who doesn't care about displaying their physical gifts and talents to a jam packed arena, and the happy filmmaker who spends two years meticulously crafting a film just to watch it alone in his/her basement.

This leads me to my personal task at hand. What is the current audience I am trying to build? Is it millions of folks? Maybe someday, but not right now.

Do you want to know how many people I have in my 'dream' audience? 'Dream' referring to the amount of peeps that can help set me free. Maybe not set me free, but I would be ecstatic to reach. I have an exact number. A goal that I am trying to attain. Without putting any judgement on it, I am going to write 7500. This is something I realized on a train ride up to Santa Barbara to see Jamin Winans film INK. As I stared out the window and watched the moving landscape scroll by, contemplating my life as a filmmaker. It hit me that I do not necessarily need millions of people to see my work.

With my film, Night Before the Wedding, my goal is to reach 7500 people. If we can do that, then the film will be a success. Whether or not we can do that, I do not know. This is what I am striving towards. Whether it is achievable or not, I can simply say that I haven't gotten there yet. So I will continue to be creative. I will continue with my passion. I will continue until I surpass 7500. And I hope you will be here as I do.

I have quite a few ideas on building an audience. Some secrets I would love to share with you. Though this information is premature as I do not even have an audience of 7500 people yet. Perhaps one day soon.

Having said that, here is my final thought for you. The only ideas that matter are the ones you execute.

I love the discussion...

2009-09-22T22:33:00.000-07:00

It looks like this little blog of mine is gaining in popularity. Though comments may often be scarce, I am seeing signs that quite a few folks come across these words.

So often I have written here without the slightest murmur. It's as if I am talking into a CB radio, sitting back and praying for someone, anyone to answer back. I guess it shows that if you can hold steady with an idea, somehow hold onto one's belief system, that maybe with enough effort you can make an impact. Just maybe you can be heard.

I am grateful to not be alone. There is a certain sense of comfort to know that these words are not wasted. At the same time, as I write these words, I have to block out the fact that you will actually read them. I am really just trying to dive deep into my mind, or maybe my soul, and find a way to have these thoughts pour out in an honest and truthful way. A way that I can learn and benefit from. And in the back of my mind, ideally for you to benefit.

I know I am not always clear in my thinking, in my ideas, and in this blog. With all this in mind, I first want to touch on my last blog entitled 'With Rejection Comes Fuel.'

It is certainly true that this latest rejection (referenced in the previous blog) stung. I just want to point out that by no means am I putting all my eggs in the festival basket. My stance is that the
festivals are nice and they can be a tremendous asset to filmmakers. They can help us with credibility and raising our reputations. Though, through my own due diligence and conversations with one filmmaker after another, I have learned just how political the festival landscape is right now. I am not going to wait around for anyone's approval. I came to that conclusion many months ago. Me and my crew are going to organize our own screenings. (If you want to help coordinate a screening with me, please do not hesitate to contact me) I am not going to chase the festival circuit. If anything, I am going to make them chase me. It is my responsibility to build the audience for my films. If there are festivals out there who want to ally with us, then we will kindly promote them with all of our might. We may see that happen a few times in the upcoming months. If it doesn't happen, it will not break us.

Here was the response from Double Edge Films to my last blog which I agree with one hundred percent.

We could go on for days and days about festivals but you have to remember that the quality of your film is not measured by the number of festivals you get into. This is a huge area where filmmakers fall down and feel bad about their projects - don't give into it. You are exactly right in that likely a good deal of films don't even get watched and it's often a "I know someone" game.

We're in a new time where you can pretty much bypass the festival circuit all together if you're willing to put in the hard work to get your own theatrical screenings. If there are some festivals out there that want to show your film, then of course you send it in because the end goal is having the film get watched. Just keep in mind that it is possible to bypass all of the "gatekeepers" in this business and go direct to the audience. Emerging film clubs like the Annapolis Pretentious Film Society and others are also coming onto the scene. My point is - there are so many other options out there these days so don't spend two minutes feeling bad about festivals!

It was then great to see CFalls piggyback those words

Getting into the festivals and getting a distributor is not our goal, it's getting people to watch the movie via theatre, DVD or download.Also, It's not so good to be a festival-type film. Look at any Sundance schedule and tell me how many movies you've heard of. There are two main benefits to festivals--getting audience feedback (and it's really tough to get honest feedback vs polite comments), and having a fun ego boost. Both are nice but don't serve the ultimate goal.Didn't get into bigger ones? Fine. Screen at smaller ones, get your quotable comments, awards if you're lucky, then move on and get to your audience.

Producer Paul J. Alessi with Karen and I outside the Film Courage Studio

And I love this comment from David (@indiemoviemaker) from my recent Film Courage Radio Show interview with Producer Paul J. Alessi on the subject of 'Deliverables'

Hi,

Love the show but the deliverables spot frustrated me. I have 2 features to my credit now. Sure, "Deliverbales" are so important if you are selling to a distributor. The route I took with my first film required all that and it was in the budget, but 99% of filmmakers get shafted by distributors these days, so the new diy approach is the no brainer route now.

Sure, you still need to make sure you have contracts, clearances, watch what you are doing when you are making the film, but in most cases now you are not delivering to a distributor in the diy route. No, sorry, you should not being going that route as its not smart unless you have the next "blair witch"

My point. I got put off so many times with my second film because partner says we cant go ahead without film unless we get another 100k for all this other stuff. So I lost three years of my life trying to raise more money.
I done my own thing, shot the movie with nothing, I am doing diy, and the movie is heading for profit direct to an audience without any distributors.
And most important of all, I am getting noticed by the industry for the next projects. Point is, "Action" is the most important thing in this business, and anything that stops that is a negative force.

The worst that can happen is your left with a movie you cant sell, but you can show to the industry what you can do, as long as you make it cheap enough without investors.

There is enough reasons in this biz for people not to "move". This interview could stop others that are new to the biz from moving.

I get his point, if you are doing a film for distributors, but at the start, it should be just get the movie made with diy in mind
cheers

David
@indiemoviemaker (on Twitter)

I wholeheartedly agree with what David is saying here. I believe all independent filmmakers should begin with the strategy of self-distribution. Though I must say that I believe it is crucial for filmmakers to make themselves fully aware of 'Deliverables.' It's something so many of us are in the dark about and it was something Karen and I wanted to shed light on.

Once again, I hope you benefit from these words. And just as importantly, I want you to know that I benefit greatly when you participate in this dialogue. I love the discussion.

With Rejection Comes Fuel

2009-09-15T00:17:00.000-07:00

I probably shouldn't write this latest blog. I have been advised against writing about any more film festival rejections. And you know what? In this instance, I do not care. This blog is an opportunity for me to get my feelings out and at the same time provide you a glimpse into my world.

This latest rejection stings a little too much for me not to write about it. And if you are reading this and you begin to believe that my film must not be any good, then so be it.

This latest rejection causes my thoughts to race in various directions. My first thoughts are to question my talents and my film. Maybe it just isn't that good. That is despite it's sold-out world premiere and enthusiastic audience. Maybe those around me prefer to lie to me rather than tell me the truth?

I could be delusional.

My thoughts then drift to whether my film is a film festival film? This I am not so sure of. Whether it is or it isn't, I believe it is worthy. I expect acceptances, not rejections.

Then I begin to remind myself of why I am not actively pursuing the festival route. Getting into a few more festivals would be a wonderful bonus, but it is not a top priority for me. Though I suspect that NBTW will play its share of festivals before it is all said and done.

I would like to be higher on the festival circuit, but as I talk with more and more filmmakers I learn that it is not a battle I really am going to invest in. So far, the festivals have shown that they do not need me. So I must show that I can move forward without them. Eventually our worlds may merge or I may just discover a brighter path on my own.

I am not bitter about this. I have just come to learn about the realities of film festivals. There are certain facts that we filmmakers must face when it comes to festivals. One is that your film may never even get put in a DVD player. This is a more common occurrence than you may think. Another fact is that those connected to festivals are the ones being accepted. I can tell you almost every filmmaker I speak to about their festival premiere tells me that they knew the festival organizers. By the way, I am no exception, it is true in my case as well. The bottom line is the percentage of 'cold' feature submissions that get into festivals, especially the larger ones, is extremely tiny and in many cases, 5 percent or less. If you disagree with me, I would love to hear your argument.

Other thoughts that go through my mind have to do with marketing and promotion. Anytime a festival rejects me, I think about all the promotion I would have done to push the screening and the festival. I view it as a loss for the festival. Though, as I mentioned, these festivals are doing fine without me.

Believe it or not, buried underneath this rejection is great news. The wonderful news actually came before the rejection. For those of you who follow NBTW on Facebook, you are already aware that very soon we will be announcing details of our first screening outside of Los Angeles. The film will screen in Ohio in October. I send a big thank you to Angie Palmer of Skye Public Relations for arranging this upcoming screening.

Also I am gearing up for my second feature film entitled Goodbye Promise. So I will not be pushing one film, I will be pushing two. My hope is that the two films will feed off of one another and together they will help me expand my fan base.

Lastly I just want to give a quick shout out to Filmmaker Jamin Winans who I had the great privilege to hook up with on his visit to Los Angeles this past Friday night. He was in town, in celebration of his film INK receiving a theatrical run in LA courtesy of the Sunset Laemmle 5. Congrats Jamin and Kiowa and your whole team behind INK. You have certainly earned it.

Fans Taking INK to the Next Level

2009-09-04T17:43:00.000-07:00

There is an extraordinary thing happening in the world of independent film right now. A new model for independent film distribution is emerging. Of course this has been evolving for some time now. Yet there is one story that hits very close to home for me.

As I am trying to figure out what to do with my first feature, Night Before the Wedding. I have had my eyes on the developments of Jamin Winans, Kiowa Winans, and the cast/crew of the indie phenomenon INK. I believe this passionate and courageous filmmaking couple and their team is at the forefront of where indie film is going.

I have gotten to know Jamin and Kiowa fairly well, as they have gotten to know Karen and I. This synergy has carried over to the casts of our respective films. INK cast members had a strong presence at our NBTW World Premiere last month. That love has been reciprocated by my NBTW cast members, many of whom have seen INK twice.

It's hard for me to understand why in the collaborative world of filmmaking that so many involved in independent film are so selfish. Most are out for themselves. You see few examples of independent artists championing and curating the works of others in the same shoes. The reality is that making it in indie filmmaking is so difficult, so strenuous, and so back-breaking. You would think that we independent filmmakers would know better when it came to marketing and promotion. You would think that we would know that we cannot make it alone.

That is something I have come to realize and that is why you have witnessed me reach out and connect with filmmakers like Jamin and Kiowa. Like Gary King, Paul J. Alessi, A.J. Rickert-Epstein, Jeff Grace, Steve Nguyen, Laura Russo, Rich Mbariket and a slew of others. Learning from them has been invaluable to me as I attempt to seek out the best path for my film career.

Having said that, if you are a filmmaker, I encourage you to not only promote your work, but promote the work of other independent filmmakers who's work you love and admire. Make connections with other filmmakers. On a very small scale, I have seen the results of my efforts in promoting INK. Some people have even gotten confused and thought the film was mine. (Jamin and Kiowa would probably argue with you that I am being too modest with the impact I have had. : )

What is that you say? You have no time? Well, if you have time to promote your own work, you can easily take a few moments and promote the work of another. Retweet a message on Twitter. Post a trailer on your Facebook page. Email a link to some friends. Encourage others to see the film in the theater or on dvd.

And if you are afraid that you will just be wasting your time. Please know that I have experienced an amazing return on 'investment' from my effort in promoting the work of others. I am often amazed by the generosity, as well as the lengths other filmmakers have put in for me during these early stages of promoting NBTW.

It is so easy for me to get a little off-track. This blog began because I wanted to highlight the current path of INK. It is one that I encourage you to learn more about and study. Fortunately, Jamin just wrote an amazing blog where he recaps his distribution strategies and why he has made some of the choices he has made. I believe this is a must-read, especially if you are a frequent reader of this blog. So, without further delay...

Fans Take INK to the Next Level

PS - Their blog is one of the best ones out there. Subscribe today.

PPS - And even bigger news, INK earns a theatrical run in Los Angeles beginning Friday September 11th. Jamin will be on hand for a Q&A that same night at the 10:15pm showing. I cannot recommend the film any higher. I truly hope you have the opportunity to see it in a movie theater.

Birthday Blog

2009-08-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

I am celebrating my birthday today. Honestly, for many years I have not been into my birthday. I tend to keep it low key. I am content keeping it small. I guess you can say I am in a better place right now, so I am being a little more open with it this year. My friend Paul J. Alessi wanted to reward me for helping him out with his recent Los Angeles so he set up an encore screening of Night Before the Wedding which sold out it's World Premiere at HollyShorts on August 11th.

The screening that Paul set up for me just happens to fall on my birthday. So it makes tonight's bonus screening that much more special. Everything before and after our NBTW World Premiere has been a big blur. There is a lot I am involved with right now so it is difficult for me to keep up.

Cast and Crew from Night Before the Wedding

Let me start with the World Premiere which I have not been able to write about. We were thrilled to have such a successful event. Tickets sold out the day of the screening. It ended up being standing room only in the back of the theater. It was an extraordinary night. The turn-out and support that we got was such a thrill for me, the cast, and the crew. We were each touched by those who joined us on that night. It is a great start for us and our small film.

The crowd was into the film itself as well. There was a lot of laughter and at the very end, the audience really seemed to connect with the messages of the film. There is this one part of the film that I always believed would go over well in front of a larger audience. My intuition proved to be true as many in the theater will literally broke into applause as that scene came to a close. That provided me with a memory that I will long remember. Something that occurred to me a couple of days after the screening was that I have never had so many people come out and see my work. Although I often wonder if anything I do ever has an impact, this was some form of proof that interest in my work is growing. I am certainly thankful for that.

Living out here in Los Angeles can be difficult. There are so many distractions and the grind and cost of living here do in a lot of people. In that vein, the birth of my second feature is now in the works. In the last few weeks, not only have I been preparing for the NBTW World Premiere, I have also been in Pre-Production on Goodbye Promise which is going to be an experimental, exploratory, improvisational film that I am working on with Actor/Producer Gregor Collins. It's the story of a man who hasn't been able to fulfill his dream and is less than 7 days away from calling it quits.

The inspiration behind 'Goodbye Promise' is that I don't know what is going to happen with Nigth Before the Wedding or with anything I am doing. I certainly have my self-doubts that I battle on a daily basis. I want to explore some of these thoughts and inner conversations I have with myself. The constant struggle of what the heck am I doing here.

We have just finished with casting which has it's share of awe, fun and awkwardness. I am feeling good about the casting decisions we have made and I am looking forward to keeping the creative energy flowing. Another aspect of 'Goodbye Promise' that I haven't touched on is that part of the idea is to have a scaled down production. There will be no crew and no lighting. Just me, my actors and a camera. It is going to be a challenge for me, one that I am certainly nervous about. There is potential for this project to be something that really strikes a chord with it's audience and at the same time it can be a total disaster. There is no script. Like I said, this is not going to be easy. No matter how it turns out, it is going to be a valuable learning experience for me and one that I will grow from.

The rest of the year is going to be busy. Most of which I am going to spend editing. Karen and I are having a great time doing our 'Film Courage' radio show on LA Talk Radio where we interview other filmmakers. It has been such an education for me. Every week I am able to pick the brains of those making a career for themselves in film. If you are a filmmaker or someone involved in film, I certainly encourage you to listen.

To make things even crazier, Karen and I are also planning to Create and Executive Produce a reality-based Web Series that should be fun.

I am doing my best to stay as active as I can and to keep putting things out there. In recent weeks, Karen and I have been covered by 'Behind the 4th Wall,' have been interviewed by 'Steve Nguyen Flip HD,' interviewed by 'BiPolar Nation' and featured inside of Studio City Lifestyle Magazine.

This is the first time I have kept so many things going that it is hard for me to keep up with promotion. I just feel that urgency and a sense that it is do or die time for me. I hope with this kind of action that things will begin paying off.

With that, I am off to celebrate at least for one night. Be back with you soon.

The Night Before...Night Before the Wedding

2009-08-11T00:25:00.000-07:00

This blog wouldn't be much of a blog if I didn't write my thoughts on the eve of the World Premiere of my debut feature film. And with that, I begin writing this at 12:27am. Let me calculate that for us. If I am not mistaken, I am now 19 hours away from standing in front of what I hope will be a sold-out crowd at the Sunset Laemmle 5. It is certainly a scary proposition, though an exciting one to be sure.

I was on the phone today with several of my actors. Half-jokingly Frantz Durand told me he was going to throw up. Michael Shaun Sandy, who is one of the biggest and most intimidating actors you will find, confided to me that he is nervous, yet thrilled. Karen and I interviewed Actors Johnny Giordano and Chad Davis on our radio show yesterday where they were both candid about their acting journey's. Both admitted how hard it is for them to watch themselves on-screen. This is a common sentiment amongst all the actors I know. They have a very hard time watching themselves on screen.

With that in mind, I am a little uncomfortable finally releasing Night Before the Wedding to the public. It is unlike anything I have done. Those who know me closely will very likely be shocked by the film's content which could easily be summed up as a cross between me and Howard Stern. As I wrote the script and as I went through the process of making this film, I have often found it hard to believe that I was the one responsible for bringing this thing to life.

Overall I am feeling pretty good. This is an exciting time for me and I am doing my best to cherish it. Believe me, I went through years of feeling I didn't have what it takes to make a feature film. Years of struggle and self-doubt. Not that the struggle or doubt has gone away. It hasn't, yet these days I keep myself busier than ever before. Also I have really focused in on the things that I need to do. My mind is constantly gravitating towards the bigger picture and what I have to do to get there.

I really feel like this past year has been a do-or-die time period for me. Kind of a put-up or shut up situation. That has caused me to accelerate my efforts. It is part of the energy behind Karen and I beginning our Film Courage radio show on LA Talk Radio. It is also in that spirit that I have been in Pre-Production on my second feature film, Goodbye Promise, even before my first one has screened. I am actually jumping into the casting process shortly after the World Premiere of NBTW. I anticipate being able to begin filming in September. If everything stays on schedule, I very well may have what I call an Inspirational Trailer online in late September or early October. Will certainly keep you up to date on those developments.

Let's rewind back to me walking the Red Carpet at Opening Night of HollyShorts, which if you read my previous blog, you would know was my first time having such an experience. It certainly wasn't what I anticipated, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a blast. We started out in this massive line waiting to get on the carpet. I was joined by cast members Karen Worden, John Keating, Mopreme Shakur, Sarah Ronaghi, and Gregor Collins. All of us except Mopreme were making our first trip into this kind of spotlight. Finally we got near the carpet. We all watched Ben Lyons being interviewed by E!. Then next thing you know I turn to talk to someone, look back and Gregor was being interviewed by E! and moments later he is pulling Mopreme into the interview. After that we were all on the carpet, amidst the chaos, not knowing what was going to happen next. From what I had heard, we would walk across the carpet and the various media outlets would select us if they were interested in interviewing us.

On this night, the carpet was too crowded to simply walk through. We quickly observed that if we were going to be interviewed by any of the press on this night, we were going to have to initiate it. Thankfully Gregor, was up to the task. All in all, we ended up with 6 video interviews, from E! to Indie Express to Naturally Savvy TV. As we got into it, it wasn't surprising that we had to hustle on that Red Carpet. When isn't it a hustle? I do want to make special mention of Lara Berman from Indie Express. She had done her research and was already familiar with Night Before the Wedding, which was a joyous surprise for all of us. She conducted a great interview as well. Check it out below.

Hollyshorts 2009 Red Carpet Part 2 from Indie Express on Vimeo.

That brings us back to this morning where I planned on spending a majority of my day hunting for a Blu-ray export for tomorrow's screening. Previously, I spent about a week investigating an HD Cam export. Trying to work out deals and barter arrangements but no one would bite. The standard HD Cam was out of our price range. All the post-houses I contacted were stubborn and wouldn't budge on their prices. Then, I found out on Friday that Blu-ray was another option and would be in our price range.

Then a miracle happened, as Gregor worked the phones, he contacted Dave Rosen of Absolute Post. Dave wasn't able to take us on under such short notice, but he referred us to Salem Rabadi of New Generation Media Services (http://www.newgenmediasrvcs.com/) who was willing to work with us and our budget! Salem came to our rescue and provided us an HD Cam export a day before our World Premiere. Here I was getting nervous about being stuck screening on DVD because we weren't able to make any magic happen. In addition, DVD's are more prone to have problems. Salem was super cool and our savior. I plan to thank him and Dave tomorrow night in addition to this space. So now we will screen on glorious HD Cam.

I have never seen my work screen at a legitimate movie theater. I am certainly going to grow as a Filmmaker tomorrow night watching my work on the big screen, especially the fact that it will be on HD Cam. Thank you again Salem.

As this blog comes to a close, there is one last thing on my mind. And that is of the outpouring of love happening. I feel the love as I ready for bed for the night. Outside my circle I am not sure how much awareness there is of the Night Before the Wedding screenings tomorrow. I can say that within my circle the support has been phenomenal. Whether it's friends from the east coast calling me to tell me they wish they were here, letting me know they are here in spirit...to those locally who have already bought their tickets and cannot wait to come out and see the film. Let me shout out to David Mullin, Neil D'Monte, Sal Vernali, Johanna Park, David Spaltro, Gary King, Jamin and Kiowa Winans, Scott Mossman, Robert Katrini, Steve Kreiztin, Bryan Carter, Benjamin Pratt, Angie Palmer, David Estes, Darrell Womack, Sam and Dina Hasson, Parrish Gocha, Matthew Prater, Chris Kelly, Eme Ikwuakor, Jessica Duffy, and Brian Durkin to name a few. We have sold more than half the tickets for the 7:30pm showing, and we have a ways to go on the 9:45pm showtime. My hope is that we will sell-out the 7:30pm which will then force late arrivals to buy the 9:45pm tickets so that we can have two strong showings. Please wish me luck.

On the Eve of HollyShorts (What I Have in Common With Demi Moore, Eli Roth and Kirsten Dunst)

2009-08-05T23:52:00.000-07:00

The Opening Night of HollyShorts 2009 is set to be another fantastic extravaganza. The film festival has grown tremendously in just 5 years. Festival organizers Theo Dumont, Daniel Sol, and Erica Sardarian work on the festival year round and it shows in its development.

Tomorrow is going to mark my first appearance on the Red Carpet. It is quite a surreal thing for me. Honestly, I could easily do without walking the Red Carpet. It doesn't matter to me the way it does to so many people who seek fame. What I seek is to be a working director. To earn my living through the films that I make.

The truth is that no one knows who I am. So as long as people do not know me and do not know my work, when a Red Carpet opportunity comes along I am going to seize it. I am going to embrace the experience, have fun and live it up. I want Night Before the Wedding to succeed and we will not have a better opportunity to promote than what we will face tomorrow night. All the major media outlets will be on hand. Though they are there to interview Demi Moore, Kirsten Dunst, Eli Roth, Jason Biggs, Jennifer Love Hewitt, not David Branin. Though that is nothing for me to be concerned with now. As I said, I am just going to go out and have some fun and soak it all in.

The hardest part so far was decided what to wear on such an occasion. Karen loves HollyShorts and she wants us to get really dressed up. In my mind, I am thinking it is going to be hot, so I wanted to dress a little more casual. Guess what happened? I bought a new suit today. If you can guess how much I spent on my suit today (if I didn't already tell you : ), I'll send you a Free DVD Copy of my short film Shoot-Out.

I am not sure what shirt I am going to wear with it, that's one of my main tasks for tomorrow. Guess you will know when photos begin popping up online.

I have been juggling various NBTW pitches and ideas in my head. I am trying to anticipate some questions that may be asked. Of course it could get really embarrassing if no one wants to interview us, so I do not want to get too far ahead of myself. Though I have to be prepared just in case.

I hope to have a whole new batch of red carpet photos and stories from the to share with you very soon. Wish me luck.

Immersed in Fog

2009-07-28T23:36:00.000-07:00

I was a wreck today. Maybe not a wreck, but it was certainly one of those days where I battle my own demons and insecurities. A day where I question myself. Where my inner voice screams out, "What the hell are you doing with your life?"

Things are not bad in my life. I am however feeling stressed. I am overwhelmed. So often there are a million things I want to get done on any particular day. And then I get stuck on one minor task or another. You can guess the rest.

Today is one of those days. I sit here at night and I feel unaccomplished. I would love to only report the exciting and glamorous things that are happening as I move forward. It is not my intention to bring you down. At the same time, I need this as an outlet, a release. Maybe you will find some kind of comfort to know of my struggle. So I write these thoughts. I am attempting to find truth in my journey. To get out of my head and just let words pour out from my soul. When we can do that is when the real magic happens. I am not sure if I have ever reached that pinnacle here in my blog, though it has happened in my scripts.

This reminds me of 'The Right to Write' by Julia Cameron. A book I read years ago, where she advocates 'Morning Pages.' Simply allowing yourself to write in a stream of consciousness without any censoring first thing in the morning.

With everything I work on, it feels like it takes a mountainous effort just to build a mole hill. Seriously, most days seem to have no effect on the bigger picture. Somehow, I have to block it out and keep finding a way to move forward. And when one way is closed off, to find another way. I choose to have hope and faith, even if it doesn't make any sense.

Our tickets to Night Before the Wedding went on sale two weeks ago. Now with two weeks until the World Premiere, we have sold 55 combined tickets for our two screenings. The theater holds 198, so in two screeings we have 396 total seats to fill. That means we have sold about 14% of what we need to. I am hoping we will see a significant rise in the next week. Tickets are only $10, there is no service charge if folks order online. Each screening will feature a Q&A with the cast and crew and be moderated by Mark Stolaroff, founder of No Budget Film School. Also, let me announce here that I am going to give away free dvd copies of my film 'Shoot-Out' to those who sign onto our mailing list. I know it is going to be a fun night.

I have been purposely avoiding watching NBTW so that I can watch it with fresh eyes and hopefully with a full audience on August 11th. It's an experience I will cherish. For years, I have been deep down in the struggle. Immersed in fog, I wasn't sure if I could ever finish a feature film. I would doubt myself daily. You can say I have had many days like the one I had today. Maybe, just maybe, it is almost time for the sun to break through...

Jubilation Vs. Anguish

2009-07-15T15:07:00.000-07:00

I know things have been quiet here on the Blog front. It actually pains me that I have not been able to write here as often as I would like. I had jotted down a few ideas that I hoped would turn into blogs, yet those never manifested.

Here is an update on my first feature film, Night Before the Wedding.

It is set to World Premiere at the Sunset Laemmle 5 at 7:30pm and 9:45pm on Tuesday August 11th. Of course this is a day I am extremely excited about, and at the same time I am petrified.

My purpose in making Night Before the Wedding was not just to make my first feature film. I wanted to create an entertaining movie with it's share of surprises. A film if done right, would get people talking. The challenge was to do it with limited resources and one location. Another focus was to deliver a film that would feature some fun characters and top-notch acting. And at the end of the day, I wanted to display how much I have learned as a writer and as a director.

Making this film has been the most grueling and demanding project I have ever taken on. The challenges and hurdles never seem to end. It is the degree of difficulty that makes me appreciate and respect the task of completing a feature film. I am proud of what I have been able to create. Yet film is a collaboration. I am so grateful to the team I have in place. All of my producers, all of the crew, and my hard-working cast. And everyone who has helped over the past year, I thank you. Completing this film would have been impossible without your contributions.

Now just over the horizon in less than one month, an audience of more than 10 people will see the film (I hope). There is pressure to fill the theater. Will there be enough interest? Do people really want to see this film? Will they pay to see it? What if no one shows?

Our aim is to sell out both screenings. Can we make that happen? How do we get people to come out?

Beyond getting people to the see the film, the fear is how will the audience respond? Will they react favorably to the film? Will they tell their friends to see it? Are they going to bad mouth it? Who's going to Twitter and Facebook their friends about it? Will they say anything at all?

I try to block this stuff out of my mind and just stay focused. Deep down my belief is that most will enjoy the film. I know there will be detractors and those who trash the film. Being criticized is nothing new to me. I am ready for the criticism.

The priority is just to keep making people aware of August 11th and getting them to come out and see the film. What happens from there is what happens.

Though in the back of my mind, I must admit that I wonder if my life can change. Am I close to getting paid to make films rather than paying to make them? Will Night Before the Wedding put me on that path or will I be exposed as someone who doesn't have what it takes. That is where my true fear lies. That is why I hope we can get you and your friends to come out and see our film. That is why I hope it will resonate with you as a human being. Maybe I will be blessed with the opportunity to make more films and build a fan base of people who want to see them.

Thank you for accompanying me on this journey. I should have ticket information where you can buy your tickets in the next couple of days. I leave you with this World Premiere promo video that I shot with Actor/Producer Gregor Collins.

Night Before the Wedding to be 1st Full-Length Feature Premiered at HollyShorts

2009-07-08T11:44:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

NIGHT BEFORE THE WEDDING TO BE 1ST FULL-LENGTH FEATURE PREMIERED AT HOLLYSHORTS

"The truth is that, ultra-indie or not, Branin's Night Before the Wedding is a complex and deep work that easily transcends any initial impressions its subject matter might give."
J.C. Macek III, World's Greatest Critic

"David's ability to direct a group in a totally real and naturalist way was daunting. It reminded me a great deal of Robert Altman."
Jamin Winans - Director, INK, 11:59, Spin

Hollywood, CA (July 8th, 2009)— After many months of great anticipation, the racy and funny film NIGHT BEFORE THE WEDDING will finally make its world premiere. The setting in which it is doing so has many talking, as NBTW becomes the first full-length feature to ever premiere at the prestigious HollyShorts Film Festival (HSFF), a festival that, as its name suggests, is traditionally where the biggest short films in the world premiere.

“Hollyshorts has chosen to screen Branin’s gem of an independent film as a way to begin the process of showcasing our alumni growth, as Branin is a past Hollyshorts award winner, along with showcasing our growth as a festival to look out for” stated Theo Dumont, co-founder of HSFF. NIGHT BEFORE THE WEDDING will screen on August 11 at Laemmle Sunset 5 as part of the week-long events of the festival “I have long believed that NBTW would play best in front of a ‘live’ audience. Now that idea will be put to the test. I am so honored and humbled to be presented with this opportunity by HollyShorts, Theo Dumont, and Daniel Sol. Tuesday August 11th is going to be a night that I am going to cherish.” says David Branin, the film’s director.

The buzz around the film revolves around the topic of the film itself. NIGHT BEFORE THE WEDDING portrays a realistic look into what occurs at a bachelor party and how the celebration of a man’s “last night of freedom” can ultimately become the demise of his beginning. Film reviews have commented how this film has been able to set aside the “indie” judgment and make its way to the viewer’s eyes as a movie of great thought, superb plotline and strong realism. It is with that realism in mind that Branin decided to cast La’rin Lane, a real life porn star, as herself. The cast also includes John Keating, Gregor Collins, Christopher Guckenberger, Mopreme Shakur, Sarah Ronaghi, Kevin Deen, Chad Davis, Johnny Giordani and Kristen Sullivan.

For more information on the film please visit www.nightbeforethewedding.com

The 5th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival will be held Aug 6-13 in Hollywood, CA. For detailed schedule of events, tickets, location, or more information, please visit www.hollyshorts.com

Press Contact: 22 Entertainment
Isandra Gonzalez
isandra@22entertainment.net
818.668.4718

###

To Blog Or Not To Blog?

2009-06-16T09:49:00.000-07:00

I apologize to my faithful followers and readers. In these recent weeks it has been harder for me to keep up with the various forces I have in my life. I have jotted down a few ideas for Blog Posts that I have not been able to fully write yet, and then new things keep happening and I find myself falling further behind.

Night Before the Wedding is just about done. We put in the final sound mix a couple weeks ago. I am going to finalize the ending credits today (just have to verify and add some new names along with some logos.)

The most exciting news that has happened that I haven't been able to report is that the Official Website for Night Before the Wedding is now 'Live.' Please visit the site and 'click' around if you haven't already done so.

Night Before the Wedding Official Site http://www.nightbeforethewedding.com/

All the thanks in the world go to Web Designer and Online Consultant Wendy Shepherd of StudioMatrix.com. Wendy got the site done in 1 week while entertaining family visiting from out of town. She is tremendous and a pleasure to work with.

The other exciting news is that we have finally been able to release the Official Trailer for NBTW. Now you can finally have your first glimpse of what we have been working on all this time. For the trailer we must thank Filmmaker A.J. Rickert-Epstein.

Night Before the Wedding is set to World Premiere in a Double Feature presentation courtesy of the HollyShorts Film Festival on August 11th at the Sunset Laemmle 5 located in West Hollywood, CA. Showtimes 7pm and 9:30pm. Ticket information should be available soon. I will keep you posted.

Things have been exciting on the Film Courage Radio Show front. We have some great guests coming your way in Filmmaker Steve Nguyen, Actor/Producer Jeff Grace, Filmmaker Lynn Shelton, Actor Johnny 'Roastbeef' Williams, Filmmakers from 'The Cove', and Actor Clifton Collins, Jr. just to name a few. There is so much happening with the show that we have created a new blog just to that. It is more likely to be updated by my lovely co-host Karen Worden. Believe this is my first time promoting it. We are hoping to get it up to speed and bring you behind the scenes with everything happening related to the show.

Film Courage Radio Show Blog http://filmcourageradioshow.blogspot.com/

Glad I was able to squeeze out this blog. There is a lot more I want to be able to share with you and will do so as soon as I can. I will leave you with one last bit of news that I am now in Pre-Production on a new Exploratory, Experimental, Improv Feature Film entitled Goodbye Promise that I am making with Actor/Producer Gregor Collins. For the latest info on this new project, please visit our Facebook Fan Page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Goodbye-Promise/83737838211?v=wall&viewas=1619390513

You Are Invited to a Special Screening of Jamin Winans' Latest Feature Film:

2009-05-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

7:30PM Showtime

Director, Crew and Cast Q&A to Follow

Egyptian Theatre

6712 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028

BUY YOUR TICKETS EARLY AT FANDANGO:
http://www.fandango.com/egyptiantheatre_aaofx/theaterpage?date=6/10/2009

Jamin Winans’ INK is an intricately woven distorted time drama set among a "Snow White meets Nine Inch Nails" original score and highly unique visuals. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to see INK at American Cinematheque!

Winans’ urban fantasy film debuted at the 2009 Santa Barbara International Film Festival to rave reviews.

His short film, SPIN, has shown in over 80 film festivals and has won over 40 awards.

INK Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C5I1SavGyA

http://www.doubleedgefilms.com/

What others are saying:

"If you want to see something you've never seen before, INK is a must-see film." - Copernicus, Ain't it Cool News
http://www.aintitcool.com/?q=node/39874

"Epic in nature...it's a film that can stop your heart both with its story and with its look." - Cole Abaius, Film School Rejects

“Winans manages to morph the mundane and familiar into something utterly otherworldly, evoking the teeming atmosphere and dark imagination of everything from Terry Gilliam’s Brazil to Darren Aronofsky’s Pi.” – The Onion, Denver Decider

“Visually stunning…” – Santa Barbara Independent

Announcing the World Premiere of Night Before the Wedding

2009-05-11T16:46:00.000-07:00

Night Before the Wedding is making it's way to the big screen on Tuesday, August 11th 2009 at the Laemmle Sunset 5 located on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. There will be two screenings, 7pm and 9:30pm. We must thank HollyShorts Festival Organizers Theo Dumont and Daniel Sol for sponsoring this special night.

Lock in the day now and we will let you know as soon as tickets become available. If you would like to be on the inside and get emailed ticket information before we release it publicly, please send us an email to nightbeforethewedding@gmail.com with the Subject: August 11th Ticket Info.

Night Before the Wedding is produced by Richard A. Jacob, Gregor Collins, Rose Coleman, Isandra Gonzalez, David Branin and Daniel Sol.

NBTW is written and directed by David Branin. It stars John Keating, Gregor Collins, Johnny Giordano, Sarah Ronaghi, La'Rin Lane, Kevin Deen, Chad Davis, Frantz Durand, James Anthony McQuillan, Zane Patterson, Kristen Sullivan, Christopher Guckenberger, Rhomeyn Johnson, Michael Shaun Sandy, Daniel Sol, Mopreme Shakur and Susan Boughton.

We just finished the Official Trailer this week. We hope to have that online very soon so you can see exactly what is coming your way.

For more on NBTW, please visit http://www.nightbeforethewedding.com/
You can also 'Become a Fan' on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Night-Before-the-Wedding/41419346181?ref=mf

How Do I Deal With Failure?

2009-05-10T23:06:00.000-07:00

Before I get into the meat of this post, please allow me to thank my latest two 'Followers' Double Edge Films (Jamin and Kiowa Winans) and Coastal.

Failure fuels me. Rejection sharpens my focus. It would probably be wiser of me to not reveal what I am about to write...and yet I must. For this blog to work, I cannot only share the best of times, I must share all of my setbacks.

After I submitted to the Los Angeles Film Festival a few months ago, I continued my research and realized we were dead in the water. For a festival as big as the LA Film Festival, they hardly take any feature films like Night Before the Wedding. One with a modest budget and no big 'names' attached. But more importantly than all that is that we had no connetions, no direct ties to the gatekeepers at LAFF.

Bottom line was that unless we made connections quick, there was no way we were getting into that festival. We made the attempt, though not enough to make a dent, and of course we received our rejection notice.

But I had a backup plan. Submit to another festival that prides itself on discovering true indie gems. I am not in the mood to name this festival by name in this post. You can scroll down below to previous posts for those details.

Well certainly this indie festival would be one that we would get into. We even had two filmmakers contact the festival and put in a good word on our behalf. Another filmmaker who got his films into a handful of the Top Festivals bluntly said Night Before the Wedding was 'too good' for this indie festival.

As you have already suspected, we did not get into this indie festival either. That makes my film 0 for 3 on the festival path. What do you do when you strike out on Plans A, B, and C? Does it sting? Sure. Does it hurt? Yeah. Does it stop me? Absolutely not.

On one side, I wonder if my film is a 'festival film.' I wonder if it has too much profanity? There is a small part that wonders if my film is good enough.

Then there is the other side of me that probes deeper. Once again I ask myself, did they even watch the film? That doesn't last for too long, then my mind moves onto the politics.

And as I speak to more and more filmmakers, I cannot tell you how many times they tell me, the reason why I got into this festival or that festival is because I knew somebody. The part that pisses me off the most is the $30 to $100 entry fee to submit my film to these festivals. I can handle the rejections. I cannot handle blowing money in addition to essentially someone telling me that my film isn't good enough for their audience. That's money I would rather put into advertising.

For the time being, I am done with Festivals. I know I have a film that people want to see. The question is how many people? Well it is time to find out. In my next post, it is time to unveil the World Premiere of Night Before the Wedding.

We will do it on our own. We will show these Festivals who passed over our film exactly what we can do or maybe what we cannot do. I am tired of being passed over by these festivals. This is the film business and it is time for us to do some business. I do not want to wait around, playing the waiting game for these festivals.

My way to deal with failure? To not dwell on it. To keep my mind focused on what I can do. And to keep taking action.

It is my hope that you want to still see Night Before the Wedding despite these rejections. It is my hope to still have your faith and support.

LA Film Festival Rejection (Night Before the Wedding)

2009-05-02T10:45:00.000-07:00

I awoke this morning to find this message in my mailbox...

Dear Filmmaker:

Thank you for the opportunity to preview your film. We appreciated seeing your work, but I am sorry to tell you that it has not been selected for the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival.

Our selection process is very competitive, and many wonderful and deserving productions will not be included in this year's program. We wish you success with the film and hope you will keep us informed about your future projects.

Thanks again for your interest in the Los Angeles Film Festival.

Best regards,

Rachel Rosen
Director of Programming

I cannot say that I do not care. Yet I started to anticipate this news shortly after submitting. That feeling I had was the reason why in addition to the LA Film Festival, I submitted NBTW to Dances With Films, which doesn't have the prestige of the LA Film Festival but it prides itself on being an independent film festival for true independent films.

The way I take this current rejection is that me and my team simply could not connect ourselves with key decision makers at the LA Film Festival. And if you are not connected with these 'big name festivals', the likelihood of your film getting accepted drops considerably.

I have certainly learned from this rejection coupled with the rejection from the SXSW Film Festival. I am sure the day will come when one of my films gets into one of these 'big name festivals.' The bottom line is that these festivals do not break me. My end goal is to get the masses to see my film(s). Whether my films play at the festivals or not, isn't going to stop me from doing what I have to do to get people to see my work.

My view is that the current state of independent film has become too dependent on these film festivals. We have become too dependent on whether this small pool of festival judges approve our work. I am working on changing that. I am working on building my audience with or without the help of any festival I submit to.

With that, I should hear word from Dances With Films in the next couple of days. Other than that, I am done with the local Festivals. Any festivals after DWF will be outside of the Los Angeles area.

(Underneath this news, there is a silver lining. NBTW will be screening in Los Angeles in August. Going to wait on this festival news to clear, then update you with more details)

Film Courage Radio now on YouTube!!!

2009-05-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

I have now started a 'Film Courage' Radio Show You Tube page. The aim is to provide a 'snippet' of each week's show mixed in with some still photography. This will help you put more of a visual on what each guest is saying.

Our first version of this with HollyShorts C0-Founders Daniel Sol and Theo Dumont is now online. Would love your feedback.

For full interview, visit
http://www.latalkradio.com/Film.php
http://filmcourage.podbean.com/
LA Talk Radio's 'Film Courage' hosted by David Branin and Karen Worden
Film Interview that Inspire, now also available for full download on iTunes.

HOLLYSHORTS ON THE RADIO! Fest Organizers Theo Dumont and Daniel Sol break news about their Webisode submission launch. To submit your Webisode or Short Film to HollyShorts, visit http://www.hollyshorts.com/ today!

Sickness

2009-04-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

I have been battling sickness for the past week. Though it is not the swine flu, it certainly has me operating way under 100 percent.

Cast and Crew of Knuckle Draggers attending the Newport Beach Film Festival

I had been anticipating going to Paul J. Alessi's World Premiere of Knuckle Draggers down at the Newport Beach Film Festival. And when the time came, I could barely move. It really angers me that I was not able to attend the screening.

Somehow Karen and I were able to do our Film Courage Radio Show the day before. Turned out to be a compelling interview with Filmmaker Jose Zambrano Cassella who called in from his home-base near Orlando, Florida. Our show is now available on iTunes where it is easy to subscribe. You can also listen to it here, http://filmcourage.podbean.com/2009/04/27/film-courage-interview-with-filmmaker-jose-zambrano-cassella/

(We have some great guests booked in the upcoming weeks. Filmmaker Dale Stelly, Filmmaker Joseph F. Alexandre, Filmmaker Gary King, and Filmmakers Jamin and Kiowa Winans)

Things have quieted down some, though that does not mean my work has stopped. In the next two weeks or so, we will receive notification from the Los Angeles Film Festival and Dances With Films (two LA based film festivals) on whether Night Before the Wedding was accepted.

In the meantime, I helped my close friend Brian Durkin on a short film of his entitled, Mind Over Matter Man. I am also helping him on his second short film which we will be filming in the next couple of days.

I am also contemplating an Exploratory, Experimental, Improv Feature Film.

Radio Interview with Actor/Producer Paul J. Alessi

2009-04-20T23:42:00.000-07:00

These last couple of weeks have certainly been active for me. Ideally, we will have our website to Night Before the Wedding revamped very soon. In addition we are hoping to unveil our Official Trailer for NBTW. I am so thankful for the efforts of our Website Designer David Cosgrove and our Trailer Editor A.J. Rickert-Epstein.

While that is being worked on, I have been connecting with Filmmakers from all over the country. My brand new radio venture, Film Courage with David Branin and Karen Worden is off to a great start. The show is already booked with guests for quite a while. A huge goal with the show is for each interview to be loaded with information. Nuts and bolts info that benefits all of us.

Karen and I were very excited to bring Actor/Producer Paul J. Alessi into the studio this past Sunday. Paul doesn't hold back any punches. I do not know too many people who are as genuine and generous as Paul. This upcoming Sunday, April 26th, Paul's feature film Knuckle Draggers will make it's World Premiere at the Newport Beach Film Festival. Karen and I bought our tickets a few weeks ago and cannot wait to get down there.

Here is a link to Paul's Interview, Film Courage Interviews Paul J. Alessi

My First Radio Show Available Online

2009-04-13T22:05:00.000-07:00

If you want an inside look at what goes on behind the scenes at one of the fastest rising Film Festivals in the U.S., you are going to be interested in my first Film Courage Radio Show interview which is co-hosted by Karen Worden.

Karen Worden, David Branin, Daniel Sol, and Theo Dumont

HollyShorts Film Festival Co-Founders and Co-Directors Theo Dumont and Daniel Sol joined us inside LA Talk Radio Studios for an intimate chat about how they started HollyShorts, who watches the films they receive, an alternative way to get your film into their festival, and they broke news of a new Webisode launch to be judged by the creators of the Webisode sensation Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Hear all that and more.

http://www.latalkradio.com/Film.php

I'm also going to try and build a community where we all discuss topics that arise during each show. Would love to see us all grow and learn together.

http://www.filmcourage.proboards.com

It's pretty easy to sign up. Literally takes about 30 seconds.

This first show was a lot of fun. There was so much more I wanted to cover with Daniel and Theo. In this case 50 minutes wasn't enough time. Will very likely bring them back on when it is closer to the festival which is in August.

Meanwhile I am busy lining up future guests. This upcoming week, Karen and I will be joined by Actor/Producer Paul J. Alessi. I am also back and forth with a lot of active and talented filmmakers who are interested in talking about their craft and projects with us.

I am also trying to get the show up on iTunes. That is an essential part of building our audience. I hope to have that figured out as soon as possible.

Announcing the Film Courage Radio Show

2009-04-10T20:21:00.000-07:00

For the first time since my college years, I will be returning to the radio airwaves. This time it is going to take on a different dimension. The details follow.

This Film Courage Blog is about my personal filmmaking journey. The Film Courage Radio Show on LA Talk Radio.com will be Co-Hosted by my beautiful and talented life-partner Karen Worden.

Our radio show is going to focus on other Filmmakers and their journeys and experiences. Whether they be Producers, Writers, Actors, etc. my aim is to in depth

Here’s the show’s synopsis.

Film Interviews that Inspire. Hosts David Branin & Karen Worden explore the psychology and passion of filmmakers in their dealings with rejection, adversity, and the criticism they face on a daily basis. With the help of Film Courage, you will discover how filmmakers hone their craft, where they devote their time and why.

Of course making a film is only half of this courageous battle. Aside from discussing how their films were made, Film Courage also addresses how these filmmakers find their audience. It’s all covered from Film Festivals to Theatrical to DVD and Digital Distribution.

Listen Live Sundays at 11:00AM (PST) at http://www.latalkradio.com/Film.php

The Film Courage Guarantee – You will learn something from each show even if you aren’t a fellow filmmaker, because this show gets to the heart of the journey, at the process we all go through no matter what your passion. We invite you to join us.

Contact Information: For any questions, comments, bookings, advertising, business opportunities, and/or collaborations, David Branin and Karen Worden can be reached at filmcourage@gmail.com

Join the Film Courage Radio Show Message Board, please visit http://www.filmcourage.proboards.com/ to sign up and share your thoughts and reactions.

Are you on Facebook? Become a Fan!

Update - 4/1/09

2009-04-01T13:54:00.000-07:00

Don't worry, I do not have the time to joke around. So no April Fool's in this posting.

Wanted to take a few moments and provide you with an overall update as things are certainly getting busier for me and it is not about to slow down.

First off let me send a shout out to Paul J. Alessi for signing up as my latest 'Follower'.

Another great way to Follow this blog is through Facebook. Just log in, visit this site http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/film_courage/, and click on 'Become a Fan.'

Actors Gregor Collins and John Keating in Night Before the Wedding

I also just added a bunch of new Screenshots of Night Before the Wedding to the Facebook Fanpage. If you like what you see, please Become a Fan of my film as well.

Onto business. I have a meeting scheduled for this Friday to meet with Filmmaker A.J. Rickert-Epstein who is cutting the Official Trailer to Night Before the Wedding.

I am also in touch with David Cosgrove of David Cosgrove Los Angeles Web Design who is redesigning www.nightbeforethewedding.com for us. It is going to be an exciting day when we have our new website 'live' along with the Official Trailer to NBTW.

Filmmaker Jamin Winans continues with a slew of great news surrounding his second feature, INK. Check out this out, 'Ink' Featurette by NBC News Kirk Montgomery.

I may have some exciting news myself. Going to find out more on Friday. Hope to share this news with you very soon.

And lastly, I may be up and running on an Experimental/Exploratory Feature Film in the near future. And as I said above, I am not joking around.

World's Greatest Critic Reviews 'Night Before the Wedding'

2009-03-30T22:21:00.000-07:00

I have slowly begun to receive feedback on my just completed first feature film, Night Before the Wedding. It has gone out to selected industry folks and the initial response has been positive and supportive.

With some of the feedback, I am trying to figure out the best way to making it public. Just know that we have some very encouraging feedback that will be making it's way to your eyes soon.

I can say that I am thrilled to share this 1st review of Night Before the Wedding from J.C. Macek III otherwise known as the World's Greatest Critic. I still remember our exchange from a few years ago when I submitted my short film, Shoot-Out, to him for his feedback. His reply was essentially, if your film is no good, I am not afraid to tell you so. Send your film at your own risk. Needless to say, he loved Shoot-Out and provided me an amazing review. He also loved my short film, Honey I'm Home.

As I mailed off a copy of Night Before the Wedding, I really had no gauge how he would respond to this latest effort. I figured with how he responded to my two previous films, the odds were in my favor, but you never know. I was nervous. Even as some positive feedback has come in, I still get nervous each time I send the DVD off to someone new.

I believe that is all the suspense I would like to build in this post. I can say that J.C. had some very strong things to say about NBTW. He was quite complimentary. Here are two snippets.

"The truth is that, ultra-indie or not, Branin's third film (and first full-length feature) is a complex and deep work that easily transcends any initial impressions its subject matter might give."

"Branin has written and directed a very smart and subtle film that shows he can make an engrossing and memorable movie."

I certainly encourage you to read the full review. If you do, know that it does contain a few spoilers. Overall the film received 4/5 Stars and J.C. was impressed yet again.

World's Greatest Critic Reviews Night Before the Wedding

The Power of Attraction

2009-03-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

In my previous blog, I asked, "Can your life change in one night?"

And exactly one night later, a great change has occurred in my life that has me charged. After months and months of 'wanting' a web designer to come in and revamp www.nightbeforethewedding.com, I made it my top priority.

I had to step up my efforts, get more aggressive, and get the word out. And of course, nothing happened. Well, that's not totally true, but I still had no web designer. Then my mind began drifting back to...can I really turn this thing around. It wasn't just about going out and bringing in any web designer, it was also about finding the right match.

I was stubborn, yet determined to not give in. I decided to hold true to my belief that what we focus on expands. That we can use the Law of Attraction (from Wikipedia - A more modern consensus among New Thought thinkers is that the Law of Attraction says people's thoughts (both conscious and unconscious) dictate the reality of their lives, whether or not they're aware of it. Essentially "if you really want something and truly believe it's possible, you'll get it", but putting a lot of attention and thought onto something you don't want means you'll probably get that too.) to manifest what we are committed to in our lives.

And just like a character from a Darrell Womack screenplay, I used my superpowers because obviously this idea of attracting what we want into our lives is something that ordinary folk do not have the ability to do.

Or maybe there is something to it, because literally the night after I posted my blog (Can you change your life in one night?) I got a message from David Cosgrove (David Cosgrove Los Angeles Web Design) that he is going to redesign our Night Before the Wedding Website.

I am thrilled and at the same time stunned by the correlation of these events. What do you think? Is there such thing as this 'Law of Attraction?' Do you have any stories like this that you can share?

Can Your Life Change In One Night?

2009-03-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

Or should I say, can my life change in one night? That is a question that has emerged in my head as I return home this evening from a night out at the movies. I imagine this idea has been floating around in my head for some while, and now it rises to the top of my consciousness.

Today wasn't the easiest of days for me. Spent most of my time trying to focus on preparing my taxes. I say to myself one of these days I will truly have a grasp of the most important things I need to know regarding taxes. I tell myself that I will one day have my own tax people who will handle these affairs for me. Or maybe it is just one person, regardless it will be someone I can trust.

Another portion of my day was emptiness. To understand this portion of my day is to understand the previous day where I spent hours in attack mode. Emailing and on the phone. Yesterday was one of those days where on the next day, I expect results to varying degrees. And instead today I got silence. A mostly quiet day where nothing was generated from all the energy I expended yesterday.

Usually on days like today, I will double on my efforts. If I am not getting results, I stay at it until I do. No such luxury today as my taxes have taken precedence. Yet is on days like this where I certainly question whether I can change my life. When it takes extraordinary efforts to achieve below ordinary results. I question what I am doing and why I am doing this? How has life brought me to Los Angeles pursuing a film career? Do I really have what it takes to break through?

I think of the interview I held with fellow Filmmaker Jamin Winans over at FilmSynergy. Let me pull the question and answer right now.

(My question) Often times in the independent movie world, we see a filmmaker make his first feature film, then we never hear from him again. What is your reaction to that?

(Jamin's response) More power to them. Filmmaking is a horrible endeavor with varying degrees of pain and humiliation. The glamorous perception of filmmaking is nothing like reality, especially indie filmmaking. It requires unreal perseverance and huge sacrifices. I think a lot of filmmakers just realize they would rather actually live life than go through that process again. If I didn’t feel so compelled to keep going no matter what the cost, I would easily walk away and do something else.

Jamin sums it up wonderfully here. His answer here has stuck with me for months. Jamin has begun to break through some walls in his life (LA, UTA and the NRA) and I could not be happier for him. It is the result of years of dedication, determination and perserverance.

This idea of life changing in one night or in one day is actually one of the theme's in my film Night Before the Wedding. It is a powerful concept. It is at the backbone of that story and it is certainly not the first time nor the last that I will use it.

I do not have a declaration or answer at this time. It is just something that is on my mind. Can we change our life in one night?

Hunting for a Web Designer

2009-03-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

For a few months now I have made substandard attempts to find a new Web Designer for http://www.nightbeforethewedding.com/

Well, now it has gotten more urgent, so as in basketball...I am putting on the Full Court Press. Looking to turn momentum in our favor.

I have to find someone who is a talented Web Designer that is willing to work in a barter arrangement where me and my team promote the heck out of their services and they provide us a sleek, attractive, functional website.

We have a filmmaker now working on the Official Trailer. (More to come on him soon) We also have our fair share of press that is soon going to be making it's way back to us.

With that, we are actively hunting for a Web Designer. I am certainly amping up my efforts. I have been in contact with a few in the past couple of months who have flaked on me. So now I am going to stay on it until this comes to fruition. Will keep you posted on my progress.

Night Before the Wedding Official Trailer Coming Soon!

2009-03-21T01:34:00.000-07:00

My day today included meeting with a Filmmaker who has agreed to cut the Official Trailer for Night Before the Wedding.

This is something I am certainly excited about. The 'Teaser Trailer' we have online was something I wanted to do because it was off the beaten path, was inexpensive to shoot and could be done quickly. I will admit though that it does not fully reflect at all what has become of the final film. I was told today that the Teaser Trailer plays more like Best in Show or Waiting for Guffman. If that is the kind of film you have been anticipating, you are going to be disappointed.

Night Before the Wedding is a full fledged scripted feature that is a great blend of comedy and drama. (And in the not too distant future I should have some reviews that back up that sentiment.)

Movie Trailers are incredibly exciting vehicles in the movie business. To know that within the next few weeks the NBTW Trailer is being worked on gets me pretty pumped up. Trailers are vital to any film's success. No tool is a greater selling instrument. I am excited because many of you who may have been following this film, really haven't been able to gauge what this film is all about. Like I said, the 'Teaser Trailer' doesn't quite do it. Maybe you have seen the Screenshots I have just added online but though they bring you closer, they still not tell the whole story.

I cannot wait!

Go Out and Fight For It

2009-03-18T23:33:00.000-07:00

It is late now as I begin this post. I will be awake at 5 in the morning for work, yet I choose to go without sleep to see if I can crystalize some thoughts that are bubbling inside of my head. If I do not write this now, it may never be written...

This is tough. I have literally started six different thoughts, erased them and I am instead choosing to make you aware of me starting and stopping.

I want to share with you a younger, much more naive David Branin. Though at the same time driven, ambitious and a quietly confident. I want to share with you a goal of mine that is now more secret than it is public. And in my younger days it is possible that the reverse was true.

Life has it's ways of humbling us all. If you are undecided on what you aim to do with your life, that can be a miserable place to be. Especially if you strive to make a difference in this world. And at the same time, just because you believe you know what you want and you commit to it, doesn't mean what you want is going to come easy. That kind of reiterates what I wrote about in my post about Wanting Vs. Committing. It's so easy to want something. It is in that transition to fully committing to something where we discover how challenging life can be. And as we are tested what emerges is how bad do we really want it. Of course most will stop themselves.

Writing this makes me think of a saying I acquired from Les Brown that I had memorized for years. I may not have it word for word, but this is pretty close.

If you want something bad enough to go out and fight for it. To work day and night for it. To give up your time, your peace and sleep for it. And all that you dream and scheme is about it. And life seems useless and worthless without it. And if you gladly sweat for it and fret for it and plan for it. And lose all your terror of the opposition for it. And if you simply go after that thing that you want with all of your capacity, strength and sagacity. Faith, hope, and confidence and stern for tenacity. If neither cold poverty, famish, or cold sickness or pain of body and brain can keep you away from that thing that you want!!! If darker than grim, you besiege and beset it, with the help of God you’ll get it!!!!

You read that and you clearly get that he isn't just speaking about wanting something, he is talking about tenacious commitment. I am very likely going to have to print this out and have this on my wall. What I love about Les Brown is that he delivers the above passage with such force. All these years later, I can still hear his voice booming inside my head.

Now are you ready for my secret? Or what has become my secret. When I started out on this journey to pursue a film career, it wasn't purely for money or for fame. At my core my goal was to impact millions upon millions of people. I wanted to positively impact the lives of more than a million people. This goal of mine is still inside my heart though I am not as verbal about it anymore. As I wrote above, life has it's ways of humbling us all.

The optimist I have trained myself to be believes this goal can come to pass in my lifetime. Even if it doesn't (as I write this I have 6 'Followers', so there is much work to be done) it provides me the ultimate goal to shoot for.

I see how precious life is. I see how fragile and vulnerable it can be. And as I do, it charges me to do more. To live and love courageously.

Night Before the Wedding SCREENSHOTS

2009-03-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

Tequila shots (screenshot from Night Before the Wedding)

Have your first look at Night Before the Wedding.

I finally had the chance to pull various screenshots. Didn't want to do this before Color Correction had occurred. Though I must admit, somehow in the transition, these photos are slightly darker than what you will see in the film.

The full Gallery of photos are available on our Facebook Fan Page. You do not have to be a member of Facebook to view the photos. Though if you are a member of Facebook, please take the extra moment and 'Become a Fan.'

Direct link - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Night-Before-the-Wedding/41419346181?ref=nf

My Radio Appearance on LA Talk Radio!

2009-03-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

I had a Call-In Talk Radio Show for 3 years when I was in college. And for the first time since I did my last show, I once again appeared on the radio...to promote Night Before the Wedding.

I wasn't alone. Also appearing with me were my fiance Karen Worden and Actor/Producer Gregor Collins. We had a blast. The show is called In the Can hosted by Kip Brown on LA Talk Radio.

Kip was positive in his reaction to the film. As a matter of fact, he sent us this quote today.

"Night Before the Wedding is a funny film with a great cast and a storyline that is FULL of surprises"
Kip Brown, Radio Host LA Talk Radio's In the Can

I didn't quite say everything I wanted to say and I certainly stumbled here and there. I still loved it though. There is a part of me that would love to be back hosting a radio show. If I could find some sponsors to help support my show, it is something I would definitely do.

In the meantime, hope you enjoy listening to this interview and finding out a little more about my story and hearing about Night Before the Wedding.

Here is the link - http://www.latalkradio.com/Kip.php
(Click on the show from March 14th, 2009)

Would love to hear what you think.

Wanting VS Committing

2009-03-12T10:02:00.000-07:00

If you have a few minutes, what I am going to write in this post CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE. It is not usually my approach to say such things but this is a very powerful concept. I have a clarity I wish I had years ago. I am going to share it with you now as long as you are willing to read this all the way through.

Understanding the difference between WANTING something and COMMITTING to something will take you to a higher level of enlightenment. With such knowledge you can transform your life in ways you have yet to imagine. Or you can choose to stay exactly where you are at.

I am not proclaiming to be a self-help guru. You may be reading this with your defenses all the way up. I cannot blame you. I am not here to trick you in any way or sell you something you do not need. This blog is all about me sharing openly what I am learning on my journey. So with that, please breathe patiently and allow me to share some of my story, some of my experience as it relates to this idea of WANTING VS COMMITTING.

We all WANT things don't we? A new car, a house, to make a feature film, to having a million dollars... Think about the things you WANT in your life. I am sure you can come up with a grand list of things you WANT. Seriously, I want you to really think about the things you WANT in your life. Take as long as you need. It is important for you to at think of at least one thing that you WANT.

Hold that image in your head of that thing you WANT.

Let me tell you about something I WANTED since the year 1998. My WANT was to make a feature film. Out of nowhere I came up with an idea for a feature film. I shared this idea with 3 of my closest friends and with their help began writing a screenplay. The four of us even moved to Los Angeles to see through this dream of making that feature film...

Now let's go back to that thing that you WANT. How do you feel about it? Can you visualize it? How bad do you WANT it? Bad enough you can taste it? Do you WANT it more than anything in the world?

Now let me tell you the truth, whatever this thing is that you WANT, so bad that you can taste it...YOU WILL NEVER HAVE IN YOUR LIFE.

Let me say it again, you will never have that thing you WANT in your life. You will go on WANTING that thing forever. WANTING something is exactly that...the state of dreaming or wishing for something. When you WANT something that is exactly what you get, the force of WANTING it.

Wait a minute, what about that WANT that I had, that feature film that I moved to Los Angeles to make. To date, it has never come to pass. Eleven years later and it still has not been made. It was something I conceived. And I believed I could achieve it. But that was not enough.

In the Fall of 2007 I was tired of another year passing without me making my first feature film. Why couldn't I get over the hump? The good news was I closer than I had ever been, having finally getting over a personal hurdle to complete a feature screenplay on my own. My story took a couple of unusual twists (summed up in my second blog post ever here on Film Courage) and then the most extraordinary thing happened.

It's the decision that changed my life and by grasping this wisdom, it can positively affect your life. I decided I was going to make my first feature film.

But we all make decision don't we? People decide to quit smoking, to lose weight, to become millionaires. How effective are these decisions we make?

A decision by itself is important but it is not enough. You must COMMIT to the decisions you make. You must COMMIT to those things you truly want to bring into your life.

In the Fall of 2007 when I made the decision to make my first feature film, it was different than the decisions I made before that. With that decision, I COMMITTED to seeing my film through no matter what.

You want to know something, if I didn't make that COMMITMENT I would never have completed, Night Before the Wedding. Again, I would not have completed my first feature film if I did not COMMIT to completing it.

I took absolute responsibility for this project. When I decided I was going to make 'Night', I made it very clear with myself that I was going to see it through no matter what obstacles presented themselves to me. And no matter how many people I got involved in this project, I wasn't going to rely on anyone else to make this film for me. Though I couldn't make my movie alone, I certainly couldn't make it without COMMITTING.

No longer was WANTING to make a feature film acceptable for me. I COMMITTED to making Night Before the Wedding. Believe me it has not been easy. At no point have things really gone easily or smoothly. Throughout the entire process it has been putting out one fire or another. One defeat or another. There seems to be a never ending assortment of complications. All in all it has been the most consuming and challenging endeavor I have ever taken on. And just because it is now completed, doesn't mean the obstacles have gone away.

To COMMIT to something is to do whatever it takes, to devote yourself entirely until it comes to pass. That's what it takes. I know it is not an easy thing to do. When you truly want something you will COMMIT to it.

So if you are wondering why you cannot bring into your life the things that you WANT, ask yourself if you are fully COMMITTED.

Welcome to my newest 'Followers'

2009-03-12T09:53:00.000-07:00

To Ambrebalte, HollyShorts, and Susan Boughton, I welcome you to my Film Courage Blog! Thank you for your interest and support. May our lives be enriched in this process. I always welcome your commentary and/or feedback.

If you are not yet a 'Follower' and would like to be one, you can find the sign in area by scrolling down just a bit. You will see the space in the right hand column.