Lena Makes A Movie

LOOKING FOR A PRODUCER

If you’ve ever noticed, films often have several producers. They have different roles. We won’t get into them all now, but usually there’s one who is more behind the scenes making the calls to the higher-ups because they’re awesome and connected and everyone knows and loves them (we have that one already), there’s one down and dirty one who devotes half their year to the film or more, and there could be others.

So, we are looking to add a producer. But what kind should we get?

• We could get an experienced producer, one who has sold several films in our budget range and made a profit. That way, they have a wealth of experience and have already learned all they need to know. The problem? These producers are probably now swamped, and while they have the track record, they may not be able to devote the needed time to your project anymore. 
• We could get an up and coming producer. Maybe they haven’t sold a film for $3M yet, but they are smart. They will get the film done, and done well. For all these films you’ve seen sold at Sundance this year, many of course were from producers who didn’t have a huge track record. 

So there we are. There are great examples of success stories for both. No doubt having Forest Whitaker producing helped the potential of Fruitvale, but a filmmaker friend I know,successfully sold his film Valley of Saints and navigated Sundance with a producer who had more intelligence than necessarily a track record.

WHERE AND HOW TO LOOK

• Look for producers who have done films in a similar budget range and similar genre or focus (for instance, maybe they like character driven films like yours). Do they only focus on thriller and yours is a comedy? Maybe not the best person to approach
• Search for for similar films at Cannes, Sundance, SXSW etc and contact accordingly
• Find producers going to American Film Market, Cannes, etc. I know somebody who went to Cannes, contacted dozens of producers in advance, and arranged meetings when he went
• Ask around.

So right now — we are approaching both types of producers. A mentor of mine told me that for every 12 producers you contact, maybe one will actually ask to read your script. So far we’re batting 1 out of 7, so I guess that’s good!

Got a stellar producer you’d recommend? Contact me. Otherwise, will keep everyone updated!

MARTIN SCORSESE’S STORYBOARDS 

I saw these and got excited. I’m happy mine aren’t the only storyboards that look like junior high drawings. These are some of Scorsese’s drawings for his film, TAXI DRIVER. 

Martin Scorsese is awesome.

To see the full story from Open Culture, click HERE.

This has to be one of the coolest charts, summarizing filming tax incentives by state. Save it, use it, maximize your budget!

Click HERE to see the map.

Map found via FilmmakerIQ.com

Just emailed Aamir Khan. Okay, no, his secretary. We want him for a quicker, but iconic role of the film, that will only require about two days of shooting for him. Man, the guy is loosely related to me sort of (enough that we’ve had lunch together — too bad I wasn’t making a movie then!!), but he’s just so crazy busy! Talk show (India’s soon to be Oprah), movies, producing. Figure it’s worth a shot though.

Whether a film’s budget to be $10K, $500K, $2-3, and maybe even $5 - we have to keep budget in mind as we develop your script. How does that affect the final product? Well, it’s not all bad.

Sure, it would be cool to have a scene with explosions, or that big food fight we had in mind at the end of the wedding scene. But can we afford it?

If somebody really wanted to maximize their budget, they’d only have one or two locations, only a few actors (or less). Then, you’d have something like Buried, or Primer. Movies that made a lot of money, and the first which nabbed a big actor.

But, for the rest of us, we have to just try to restrict where we can. This would include things like:

• No, or very few, special effects. 
• Minimize locations
• Avoid expensive locations, like a full football stadium (even a high school one), or a mall
• Don’t do a period piece
• Avoid scenes that require far too many extras
• Remember that even a single speaking part means paying that actor SAG (Screen Actors Guilder) rates
• Avoid kids. They require on-set tutors, limited shooting hours
• Avoid dogs and animals. They may not listen to you, they take long to shoot, they require trainers and people to come in and certify that they aren’t being harmed, etc.
• Avoid car crashes and the like
• Don’t anticipate that you can get a songwriter to let you use the writers to “November Rain” so that your characters can all rock out in it during a certain scene

Those are just a few. But on the good side, such limitations force writers to get to the heart of the story, to really explore their characters. Anyone remember how cool a simple story like Lars and the Real Girl was? Plus, it had Ryan Gosling for all you fans who came late to the party.

So what about us? Having worked on films myself, and music videos and the like for some time, I was able to keep in mind most of these when writing my script.

The problem? I didn’t follow most of them. But heck, if you’re crazy enough, you can get it done. 

Can you help us accomplish some of our crazy ambitions? Click HERE to help!

Whether a film’s budget to be $10K, $500K, $2-3, and maybe even $5 - we have to keep budget in mind as we develop your script. How does that affect the final product? Well, it’s not all bad.

Sure, it would be cool to have a scene with explosions, or that big food fight we had in mind at the end of the wedding scene. But can we afford it?

If somebody really wanted to maximize their budget, they’d only have one or two locations, only a few actors (or less). Then, you’d have something like Buried, or Primer. Movies that made a lot of money, and the first which nabbed a big actor.

But, for the rest of us, we have to just try to restrict where we can. This would include things like:

• No, or very few, special effects. 
• Minimize locations
• Avoid expensive locations, like a full football stadium (even a high school one), or a mall
• Don’t do a period piece
• Avoid scenes that require far too many extras
• Remember that even a single speaking part means paying that actor SAG (Screen Actors Guilder) rates
• Avoid kids. They require on-set tutors, limited shooting hours
• Avoid dogs and animals. They may not listen to you, they take long to shoot, they require trainers and people to come in and certify that they aren’t being harmed, etc.
• Avoid car crashes and the like
• Don’t anticipate that you can get a songwriter to let you use the writers to “November Rain” so that your characters can all rock out in it during a certain scene

Those are just a few. But on the good side, such limitations force writers to get to the heart of the story, to really explore their characters. Anyone remember how cool a simple story like Lars and the Real Girl was? Plus, it had Ryan Gosling for all you fans who came late to the party.

So what about us? Having worked on films myself, and music videos and the like for some time, I was able to keep in mind most of these when writing my script.

The problem? I didn’t follow most of them. But heck, if you’re crazy enough, you can get it done. 

Can you help us accomplish some of our crazy ambitions? Click HERE to help!

So, I haven’t posted in a while. What have I been doing?

First, I was polishing the script. That’s hard to do while on the Internet. But other than that, I’ve also been applying to various grants and labs. Many of the labs and programs have cultivated some of the most successful independent films (like “Blue Valentine,” photo above, that went through “Emerging Storytellers”). Working on a film? Note these in your calendar for next year:

1. Film Independent Fast Track 

2. Project Catalyst (for Asian films or filmmakers)

3. Project Involve (for filmmakers representing “diversity”)

4. Emerging Storytellers 

5. Sundance Screenwriters Lab (everyone knows this one…)

More to come…!