Lena Makes A Movie

LOOKING FOR A PRODUCER If you’ve ever noticed, films often...

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:35:49 -0400

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!

Reblog if you follow back. Over 7 Million Notes!

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:25:14 -0400

Sure why not. Wanna see what goes into making my movie, from development all the way to distribution? What goes into making a lot of movies in general? Follow me. Fun times.

MARTIN SCORSESE’S STORYBOARDS I saw these and got...

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:31:08 -0400

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...

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:01:14 -0400

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...

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:18:50 -0400

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.

Salaam Lena, I just wanna say you're amazing, your blog is very helpful, and I wish you the best of luck on your project! As a high school student who is now graduating, I know I want to do something in film, but I have no idea what I'm good at (writing, directing, etc). Any tips for what I should do?

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:06:11 -0400

Sorry, I didn’t realize when this came in! I hope it wasn’t long ago.

If you’re just graduating high school now, you have time to decide. This sounds lame - but your best bet right now to see what you are good at is to start making some short films. Write them and direct them. You will see what it is that you prefer doing. Maybe after all of that you will realize you actually prefer editing or something! Once you’ve done that, maybe try sending the videos to film festivals, or post them online. See how they do. That will not only tell you what you like doing, but what you’re good at. After college, you can apply to film schools and by then hopefully you’ll know what you want to do.

Whether a film’s budget to be $10K, $500K, $2-3, and maybe...

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:58:29 -0400

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...

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:55:20 -0400

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?

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

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...

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:51:23 -0400

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…!

The Godfather Wars

Wed, 01 May 2013 17:49:58 -0400

The Godfather Wars:

Mark Seal recalls how a clash of Hollywood sharks, Mafia kingpins, and cinematic geniuses shaped the Hollywood masterpiece.

This article is fascinating.

We aren’t actively casting right now, but sometimes you...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:14:00 -0400

We aren’t actively casting right now, but sometimes you have to take opportunities.

This past weekend, Kunal Nayyar, of TV’s hit show The Big Bang Theory, was at the Indian Film Festival in LA. As somebody on a popular show and who makes literally hundreds of thousands of dollars per episode, we were worried we wouldn’t get through to him. But, luckily enough, we had a great friend bring us to his area before the panel, introduce us, and we talked for a bit. We were able to speak to him for some time, tell him about the movie, and we just sent him the script a bit ago for him and his manager to read. Good vibes and prayers appreciated!

Even if he is interested, we know certain things can get in the way. For one, even before we got to The Tiger Hunter movie, he mentioned that he really only has one or two available months during our needed window, so scheduling could be a conflict. That said, we’ll see how it goes. While most know Kunal from the show, we believe he’s going to be even more known in the coming years. He’s very talented (obviously that’s why we want him), and has just started filming Dr. Cabbie, a feature by Salman Khan’s company currently being filmed in Canada. The role (like ours) is very different from his personality in Big Bang, and we know he has the capability to stretch even more.

On another note, the festival was good as well. We were always able to meet and speak to Hannah Simone from New Girl, and several others.

HELP US AFFORD ACTORS LIKE KUNAL NAYYAR FOR OUR FILM! Click here for ways to support THE TIGER HUNTER movie!

One of the first mistakes younger filmmakers make is to not pay...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:12:47 -0400

One of the first mistakes younger filmmakers make is to not pay enough attention to getting good sound on their film.

Let’s say you have an amazing location — somehow, somebody in town has allowed you to use their secret underground chemical lab for your shoot. Great. You can now shoot your own version of Breaking Bad on a budget where Skyler doesn’t exist. Happy days.

Then, you get into the lab, have it all set up, have the most cinematic shots possible…but while the actors are giving an amazing performance, you hear a RUMBLING. Why? You neglected to research and find out that the lab is underneath a train track, and the train goes by every 30 minutes.

For many filmmakers, this means they will have to ADR (Additional Dialogue Recording), wherein actors have to return to re-record their dialogue, trying to match it to either a projector or looped audio. Yes, big studios do this very often, but many smaller projects do it for the wrong reasons, and then also end up frequently ADR-ing most of their film.

The solution? Get a sound person who is experienced, and actually PAY ATTENTION to them. And research the location with this in mind. I have been on a set many times where the sound person is grumbling in the corner, because nobody is listening to him or her repeatedly say, “This sound will be unusable.”

Shooting indoors? Make sure you can control when the air goes on and off. Pay attention to when workers come outside. Are you near an airport? Does the school nearby have recess at certain times of the day? These are all factors to consider.

Or, budget a heck of a lot for ADR and make all your actors come back.

Want our film to happen? We are in need of support! Just click here to help

For anyone who has done it already, the festival circuit costs...

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 18:42:20 -0400

For anyone who has done it already, the festival circuit costs money. So, it’s best to keep in mind what festival deadlines are ahead for your film if you want to sell it.

The list below shows the major festivals considered acquisition festivals, where buyers generally attend most.

APRIL 17 - 28, 2013
Tribeca - http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival
Submissions deadline: 2013 festival Deadline has passed - most likely final deadlines will be in December of 2013 for 2014 festival

MAY 15 - 26, 2013
Cannes - http://www.festival-cannes.fr
Submissions deadline: 2013 Deadline has passed, most likely sometime in early March of 2014.

JUNE 13 - 23, 2013
Los Angeles - June 2013- http://www.lafilmfest.com
Submissions deadline: 2013 deadline has passed, most likely sometime in January and February 2014

AUGUST 9 - SEPTEMBER 2, 2013
Telluride - http://www.telluridefilmfestival.org Feature film submissions deadline: July 15, 2013

AUGUST 28 - SEPTEMBER 7, 2013
Venice - http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/70th-festival/ Submissions deadline is June 21, 2013.

SEPTEMBER 5-15, 2013
Toronto - http://tiff.net
Submission deadlines vary within April and May. For more info visit: http://tiff.net/thefestival/ submissions

JANUARY 2014
Sundance - http://www.sundance.org/festival/
Submissions deadline: 2013 festival has passed - most likely deadlines for 2014 festival will be in August and September of 2013, although dates have not been announced yet

JANUARY 2014
Slamdance - http://slamdance.com
Submissions deadline: 2013 festival has passed - most likely deadlines for 2014 festival will be in October and November 2013

FEBRUARY 2014
Berlin - http://www.berlinale.de
Submissions deadline: 2013 festival has passed - most likely deadline for 2014 festival will be in October of 2013

MARCH 2014
SXSW - http://sxsw.com
Submissions deadline: 2013 festival Deadline has passed - most likely deadlines for 2014 festival will be in October and November, 2013.

Dates and deadlines courtesy of FilmSpecific.com . Enroll in one of their seminars for great info and courses.

Want our film to happen? We are in need of support! Just click here to help

setfirefilms: The Ever Brilliant Boyle

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 21:05:03 -0400

setfirefilms:

The Ever Brilliant Boyle

In speaking to investors who aren’t as familiar with this...

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 17:03:00 -0400

In speaking to investors who aren’t as familiar with this range of films, I often have to explain: there is an entire business operating on films that are neither dirt-cheap budgets, nor are they films with Tom Cruise. I know people with entire companies that operate on films with budgets ranging from $500K-$8 M, and they are making films we’ve heard about, and turning a profit each year off of their total slate of films.

To give you an idea (and for the filmmakers out there to stay updated on essential information), an idea of what films (many with budgets like mine) are selling for this year at Sundance:

Kill Your Darlings, starring Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe. $2 M.

Lovelace, starring Amanda Seyfried as the famous adult film star of the 1972 box-office phenomenon Deep Throat. $3 M.

Don Jon’s Addiction, written, directed, and starring Joseph Gordan-Levitt so obviously that already has some leverage. $4 M.

The Way, Way Back. Coming of age comedy starring Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell. $9.75 M.

Austenland, a comedy starring Keri Russell about a resort where everyone behaves as if they are in a Jane Austen novel $2 M.

Fruitvale, about the last day in the life of a man who was killed at a San Francisco subway station on new Year’s Eve. $2 M.

The Spectacular Now, about a romance between an outgoing high schooler and his shy classmate. Low seven figures.

Concussion, about a lesbian housewife who begins to lead a double life. Low seven figures.

We Are What We Are, a horror film about a family of cannibals. Low seven figures.

And that’s just a few of them. For those who follow the numbers each year, what does that mean? Film sales are going up slowly. These things often go in waves, so hopefully this means (especially by the time our film is on the market!) it will continue to go up a bit in the next year or two.

Some more info:

Sundance recap

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So, we’ve been busy. Mostly, we are in a bit of a race as...

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:00:47 -0400

So, we’ve been busy. Mostly, we are in a bit of a race as we are trying to crew up mostly in terms of adding another producer and finding out line producer — some of the most important positions.

What does the race entail? We, of course, want a producer with experience — one of those producers “to watch for” as covered in places like Variety. So, we spent a long time researching producers with aims and budgets similar to ours. Are we looking for George Lucas to produce? No. But the ones we are looking for are also inundated with requests as they are people to look out.

To give you an idea, there are a fair amount of films, made from anywhere from $500K to $3 million, that are made beautifully, and make a profit as well. The producers who can make that magic happen are who we are looking for, and it’s best to realize that world exists (most people seem to only think there is DIY filmmaking, and there’s Spielberg). To give you an idea, there are people like the Duplass Brothers and Stephanie Langhoff, who just produced Safety Not Guaranteed. Have you not heard of it? No matter - because it did its job. Make for $750K, it sold for north of $2 million…and, the director was just tapped to direct Jurassic Park 4. Then we have people like David Grace, who produced Celeste & Jesse Forever, also made for about $800K and picked up for a similar amount. These are producers who know what they are doing…and we are now in a bit of a race to try to get to talented producers like them before they are (probably quickly) approached by others. We just contacted a producer we are interested in (we don’t want to say who — don’t steal our producer!)…so wish us luck!

Are you benefiting at all from the blog or just want to support our project?

We are in need of support! Just click here to help.

Some of you may have already read Pixar’s 22 Rules of...

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:35:02 -0400

Some of you may have already read Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling posted widely recently. It’s worth a read, and The New Yorker also posted an interesting perspective on it.

Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling .

The Problem with Processed Storytelling - The New Yorker

We are polishing up a scene that has a bike cop. Anyone want to...

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:28:36 -0400

We are polishing up a scene that has a bike cop. Anyone want to contribute some humor? Unleash some gripes or make fun of some bike cops? Unfortunately the cop is not pulling anyone over, so we can’t do the typical joke where the bike chases a car or can’t really pull him over…

Yes, yes…it’s kinda mean. It’s a comedy…

Leave comments below or message me!

"That monologue takes up two-eighths of a page"

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:57:00 -0400

““That monologue takes up two-eighths of a page””

- Fun fact: scenes are measured in eighths and you don’t reduce fractions. This means you really say “two-eighths” instead of “one-quarter”

We have a short car scene, and all of what that entails goes...

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:33:28 -0400

We have a short car scene, and all of what that entails goes into our revised budget that we are working on now. Ours doesn’t have epic car crashes, but what happens if it did? Or had a chase or crash?

Read a pretty good article today that explains, for those who aren’t familiar, some of the gear and such involved for filming on cars. Check it out below:

Link