Northern California Screenwriters & Filmmakers Expo and Pitch Fest

So excited for the Northern California Screenwriters and Filmmakers Expo this weekend.  Great line up of industry peeps to learn from and network with:

On both Friday, March 26th and Saturday, 27th, there will be classes and presentations by oscar-winning screenwriter, Bobby Moresco (Crash, Million Dollar Baby); acting teacher and coach, Howard Fine (Fine on Acting); acting teacher and coach, Scott Sedita (The Eight Characters of Comedy), advertising genius, Tony Seiniger, (Star Wars, Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Field of Dreams, Dances with Wolves, and over 1,500 iconic movies); and many other heavy-hitting industry insiders... including my good friend and mentor James Dalessandro, author of 1906: A Novel and screenwriter of 1906, which is being produced by Pixar.

And this is what I'm polishing my script and honing my pitch skills for - getting in front of those industry peeps!

On Sunday, March 28th, after a brief welcome speech by Napa’s Mayor, Jill Techel, there will be a pitch fest where attendees can pitch their scripts, projects, and headshots to Hollywood agents, producers, and studio executives.

In addition, at 4pm on Friday evening, March 26th, a wine-tasting event will be held where attendees can mingle, make connections, and sample fabulous Napa Valley wines. (Must be 21 to participate.)

Fingers crossed!!

Cinequest Wrap-up

It's been a marvelous eleven days of indie film and Maverick meet-ups.  Highlights included an evening with Deepak Chopra and a Day of the Writer with Lew Hunter and other eminent writers discussing the art of writing comedy.  While the opening night's film The Good Heart was enjoyable, at a budget of $3.8 million, it doesn't fall into my personal category of truly indie... So, here are my picks for the best indie films I saw this week... while recognizing that there may have been a few notable flicks that I failed to see:

The Road to Sangam was truly wonderful in its storytelling of how a Muslim man uses Gandhi's peaceful methods to bring his community together.

Another indie from India, Semshook tells the story of Tenzin, a Tibetan born and raised in India, who hops on his motorcycle and embarks on a quest to find his identity and discover the beauty of his homeland.

Cost of A Soul tells the tale of two Iraqi vets who return to their hometown Philadelphia and are drawn into a vicious circle of violence.

Anyone You Want from Scottish filmmaker Campbell Graham tells the story of a couple exploring a life of fantasy until they come up against and have to deal with each other's reality.

Krews tells the story of two high-class cons who get caught in the drug and gang world of L.A.'s Watts neighborhood... full of twists!

And, here's a shout out to British filmmaker Beryl Richards for her short Perfect World.

Congratulations to one and all.  I will look forward to seeing your films in my local theater and on DVD at the video store!  Or, maybe, on demand on Zillions.tv:)

And tonight... it's off to the closing night awards announcement and a final Maverick's meet-up... I am going to miss my family of new-found filmmaker friends... until the next festival! 

And to close, in the words of Deepak Chopra, "Science is an expression of our mind. Art is an expression of the soul. Great art is more than an expression of the soul, it's an expression of a higher consciousness."

Go indie filmmakers!!!

To Screen or Not to Screen...

Sufficient time has passed with no word from our would-be 'distributor' that I feel I can comment on their proposition without being accused of libel, and, in fact, I'm not going to mention the company's name.  So here's the deal:

First of all, my connections in the film biz said outright, "it's a scam."  Never pay for representation! 

I might add that they were asking for $25,000, which is double what it cost us in hard cash to make Mismo.  Of course, the scammers didn't know that, and if anything good came out of this it's that they said Mismo looks like a $300,000 production.

I was still willing to pursue the "opportunity," so I did the due diligence, which initially means Google.  The word "scam" was associated with the company in several blog/article mentions and my experience was recited virtually verbatim.  But, in fairness, I still thought that if it got me traction or industry connections, it still had potential... assuming, of course, that they would do what they said they would i.e. screen Mismo with an after party at Cannes.  I thought that could be worth $25k.

So the next time they called, I asked for references of people they'd worked with in the past.  And therein lies the rub.  They would not (could not?) supply any names.  I continued to get the hard -- though extremely slick -- sell, pressuring me to make a decision.  I said that my partners and I don't do things in a hurry and no decision would be made without proper checking...

And I've not heard from them since.  Except, I did get an email from an intern apologizing for "the delay," explaining that they had to deal with a catastrophe caused by the rain collapsing the roof of the Regency Cinema where their film festival was traditionally held.

Under the Distributor's Gun...

Ooh… so exciting to wake up to a phone call from New York with an exotic accent telling you that they “love” your movie and want to represent it!  Los Angeles Premiere with hip after party… ditto in New York… a screening at Cannes Film Festival also with after party, industry peeps, gorgeous people… an article in a renowned indie film quarterly… a pr pro assigned to your personally…

Enough to make one’s head spin!

Right up until the price tag is mentioned... Uh oh.

And then the need to decide quickly!  Double uh oh.

It took us three years to make Mismo because we did everything to the highest standard possible within our meager budget.  Even when we thought there was no way we’d be able to afford something – such as professional color correction – we did our due diligence, explored all options, and found a way to make it happen.  Ditto with our ADR, editing, score, soundtrack, and sound mix.  And that was just in post.  During editing, we worked diligently and intelligently, filling any pauses due to vacations, etc., by conducting focus groups.  When it came to creating our second trailer, we sought audience opinions and held brainstorm sessions.

So, it’s not likely that we’re about to pony up thousands of dollars for the vanity of having a screening and party at Cannes unless we’ve done our due diligence and can guarantee that we’re spending our money wisely.

Right now the jury is out.  Stay tuned!

a visceral creation...

on my way back to san francisco from northern nevada... to spend time with my family... there was a snow storm on highway 80... just outside of truckee... cal trans required drivers to install chains... the snow was coming down... just under 30 degrees...

my first impression when the 'chain control' sign was posted was 'oh shit, i don't want to do that...'... but the beauty about the situatiion was that i didn't have a choice if i wanted to get to san francisco... put on the chains or else park your car and watch it snow...

i got out and put my chains on... turned out to be great... the task forced me to go from thinking to doing... a much healthier disposition for a guy who thinks too much already... and while putting on the chains... and feeling the cold against my face.. and my hands starting to go numb... i was awash in physical embodiment... when i was done... and jumped in the car to take off... i felt alive...

i need to be physically engaged with my environment to feel alive... tapping a story's energy is dependent on whether i have tapped my own personal energy... my stories are stale otherwise...
my body's story comes first... the body's aliveness... then i'm excited to get back to the desk and write...

it's a dialectic between the world of motion... the natural world... the body in that world... and the cognizing world... the world of the pen... the world of the computer... this piece of mental before me...

interestingly enough.... independent filmmaking is a physically engaging endeavor... your body has to respond to the natural world.... location scouting... for instance... sometimes you voyage into caves.. basements.... rooftops... you name it.. you go... just to see if the space will work for your scene...

then on set... you make physical-based decisions especially if you are shooting outside... you are dealing with the elements... wind screws up sound... the sun moves... and sometimes... it rains...

i can still remember shooting the rooftop scene in mismo... rachel and jorge... it drizzled the entire shoot... forcing us to deal with issues you wouldn't if it was nice outside... just keeping the lens dry was a test... but heck... we only had the place for one afternoon... either get it done... or it does you...

and that is true of life.. in general... i guess to... either do life... or have it done to you...

so to all the visceral moments in my life... i salute you... for you help me feel the rapture... enough so that i can feel creative...

Same Town... Different View

In other words.... Mismo... pero diferentes.

At the end of the year I had planned for a three month sojourn in Oklahoma City... where I could spend quality time with my friend Hattie as well as knuckle down to do some serious writing.

When Hattie (who plays the contractor in Mismo) decided to leave San Francisco two years ago, I drove across country with her and helped her get reacquainted with her home town.  We enjoyed going out in search of what we deemed civilization... yoga studios, organic produce, wine bars, gay nightlife... any nightlife!  While we never found one vibrant hub that offered all, we had a swell time exploring and Hattie assures me that she has since discovered plenty of cool people doing interesting things.  I was really looking forward to the change of scenery and had already reached out to fellow indie filmmakers who I was looking forward to hooking up with.  Alas...

What's that saying about what happens while you are busy making plans?  Oh, yeah, life happens, and to quote the Scottish Bard who's birthday is coming up, January 25th, "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men Gang aft agley" , which is another way of saying, here I am still in San Francisco, albeit across town enjoying a different view.

A snapshot taken on one of my neighborhood jaunts... looks like the Haight, feels like the Haight... except it's North Beach.

And for your viewing pleasure a souvenir of our road trip from 2 years ago:

Tips for Conducting Auditions

Be Open to Surprise
As you scan photos of potential actors for ‘the look’ that you want, keep your mind open to meeting someone who might not meet your criterion but who intrigues you in some way.   Several of Mismo’s cast was a result of following our curiosity.

Actors are People too
As indie filmmakers, we like to run happy sets in which everyone feels valued.  Set the stage with your audition process by giving the person time to settle their nerves before you put them through their paces.  Not everyone can jump right into a When Harry Met Sally orgasm.

Be Prepared
Have a plan for how you propose to elicit the characteristics and emotions required for the role.  For each of our characters we were looking for diametrically opposite qualities that exemplified their public and private persona: Toni, the cold calculating psychologist by day became the femme fatale at night; Mitch, the spiritual artist in public was uptight and obsessive-compulsive in private; Anjelica was kind and loving, but also tempestuous and extremely sensual.

Be Flexible
If the actor is not giving you what you want, try another tack… and another.   Sometimes it’s in the way you phrase things - help the actor understand what you're looking for.  Perhaps you’ll improve your own communication skills and become a better director.

Push
Don’t be afraid to push the actor - for the most part, they are looking for meaty and challenging roles.  It’s also how you’ll discover boundaries, if they exist, and whether the person is right for the part.  Gino loves to describe oddball scenarios followed by “Would you comfortable with this?”  Often it’s meant as a joke, but can reveal a lot.  It’s how we developed the character of our gallery owner, Rene.  Unfortunately, as we made decisions about pacing and the core of Mismo’s story, the role of Rene was dramatically cut.

Be Professional
It’s a job interview, even if there's no pay involved.  Thank the person for their interest and their time.  Let them know when they can expect to hear from you and who will be the contact.  While the person might not be right for this role, they might be perfect for another down the road, in this movie or another.  We met a “damn fine actress” who we didn’t feel was the right fit for the role of Bella.  As we advanced in our process, we needed someone for the senator’s wife and she was willing to play the smaller role (and proved her point!)

Remember to Laugh
Making movies is supposed to be fun!