DIY Film Distribution

One of the biggest questions we get at the DIY Film Fest is "How can I get my film distributed?"

Believing in the do it yourself philosophy, doesn't mean that you can't make a living doing it yourself.  And part of making a living is making sure that your film gets in front of your audience.

But here are a few tried and true methods of self distribution.

1. Use a distribution platform to sell your film.   At the DIY Film Fest we're happy to be sponsored by FilmHub (formerly Kinonation) a successful digital film distribution company.   The process is fairly simple; once you've finished your film and are looking for distribution, you sign up with their film company at Film Hub and follow their instructions on how to upload your film.  They do the rest.

(One of the perks of our film festival is that the winners of each category are invited to distribute their film through FilmHub to their various entities that they sell the film through (saving the filmmaker the time and effort to try and contact each of those companies individually).

2. Use a direct distribution entity like Amazon.com.   Amazon places your film on their searchable site, and it's easy to link your blog or your film to their company.  They insist that films a subtitle track so that they can have them subtitle (or use one of their subtitling bots) but it's a way of offering a film worldwide.  They have a minimum for how much it costs to view the film, and generally they set the film's price.  But it's a way of submitting your film for direct distribution. (The amount of money your receive would be higher than going through an aggregator like Film Hub, but again, it might be easier to have one entity distribute it across all platforms.)

3. Youtube Filmmaker's account.  If you have at least 1000 subscriber's to your youtube account, you can charge a fee for people to view your content. Once you've attained the magic number of 1000 subscribers, you can offer you content worldwide and charge any fee that you think the market will bear for your film. 

4. Adsense. If you've signed up for adsense through Youtube, and are approved, you make money based on how many views (or minutes) people view your content. The move views you receive, the higher your paycheck.

4. Vimeo on Demand.  Vimeo is now offering to allow filmmakers to sell their content online for a $20 per month fee. The advantage here is that the first month is free, and while you're building viewership, you can also be putting up clips or trailers on your filmmaker account at youtube, vimeo and other places.

5. Itunes. Follow this link for a list of all the aggregators who work with Itunes. (And you'll find FilmHub as well.)  Itunes insists that their aggregators process your video and follow their guidelines, so if you want your content on itunes, you have to use an aggegator.  

The second most important item to focus on in your search for DIY distribution, is marketing and promotion.  If you can afford a promoter or marketer that you trust, that's the easiest way to go, as they will know the ins and outs of the marekt you're trying to crack.  But if you want to be a DIY promotion and marketing exec yourself - then the best way to do that is to research the field.

Look up other films that you might have paid attention to, or that you think are similar to yours.  See what kinds of methods others have used in social media.  We assume that by the time you're going into distribution, you've already exhausted the film festival route, but perhaps your title is so unique that it needs to be seen directly by the audience its intended for.

Find out where that audience is.  Is it online?  Is it part of a community? Is it something that you could advertise in a college newspaper, or in some other outlet that reaches your target audience?  (One filmmaker we know said "Most of my titles only play in prison, so it's hard to market that audience.  But I'm happy to know that they're trapped somewhere being forced to watch it."  We hope he was kidding.)

We live in a world where you can sell directly to your audience - you can market things directly to those people who would like to see them.  It's a matter of figuring out where your audience might be, and how to reach them.  It's best done in the hands of professionals, but if you're not financially able to reach out to those individuals, then the only thing you must rely on in your own intuition and ability to wave the flag for your film.

When all is said and done, no one cares more about your film than you do.  (Hopefully) So that makes you the best candidate to see it across the finish line.

And don't forget to thank us in your Oscar speech.

-- The DIY Film Fest team.

The List of Finalists for the 2017 Film Festival!

First we'd like to thank all the filmmakers who have submitted their films to the DIY Film Fest!

Looking for the right shot.

We do our best at the DIY Film Fest to honor films from across the globe that embody the spirit of the festival - just picking up a camera and filming something that moves them.

Each year, we get submissions from across the globe, and this year was no different.  We have entries from Lebanon, Iran, India, Bulgaria, Guatemala and Nepal - from New York to California and all points between. It's thrilling to see the depth and breadth of the stories submitted.

High fins all around.

2017 DIY FILM FINALISTS

FEATURE FILM:

"Waiting on Mary" - Comedy
Directed by Corey Horton. “An actor in denial of his recent divorce retreats into the persona of a colonial scout and explores his new futuristic landscape.” 

"Come to the Show" - Comedy
Directed by Jigmae Baer “A couple of bored punks decide to go on a crime spree in New York's underground art scene and accidentally summon a demon.” 

"Confidence of a Tall Man" - Drama
Directed by Michael McCallum. "On the 50th Anniversary of his father's failing business, Tommy has a lot on the line. He's hoping to get interested parties to take it off of his hands."

SHORT FILM:

"Monster Monster"
Directed by Kuan-Fu Lin. "While building models, a nerd, Gary, accidentally spills toxic glue on his favorite T-Rex with disastrous results.”  

"Cooties!"
Directed by Lizze Gordon. "Circle, circle. Dot, dot. Don't forget your Cooties shot."

"Greetings from Tinseltown"
Directed by Joe Warren. "In Hollywood, a junkie looking for his next fix and a stoner Uber driver explore the grimy underbelly of the iconic American neighborhood."

"Thirst"
Directed by James Durham. "In a post-apocalyptic world where every drop of water could be their last, a young girl and her uncle struggle to survive against all odds."

"Thank you Lisa"
Directed by Roy Arwas. "Lisa follows her terminally ill mother through her last day and has to come to terms with her decision to help her mother end her life by physician's assisted suicide."

DOCUMENTARY

"Cycle of Change" 
Directed by Sarah Frei. "Moved by the lack of opportunity for women and youth in her community Reina, a young woman from El Salvador ventures to Guatemala to study pedal-power technology in hopes of finding her life purpose and changing the lives of the people in her community."

"Save Gangamaya" 
Directed by Gopal Shivakoti   "A mother and father in Nepal go on a hunger strike to get justice for the murder of their son.  The authorities don’t want to investigate, but the death of his father forces them to investigate.  When their efforts flag, Ms. Gangamaya Adhikari goes back on hunger stike, determined to follow her husband as local media and leaders try to talk her out of her protest.

"Rami"
Directed by Hassan Fouad. Documentary shot in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. "A handicapped refugee establishes a sports club in the Buss Refugee camp where he trains three generations of footballers, some of them who have become stars in the Lebanese football league." 


ANIMATED FILM

"2 Guineas"
Directed by Brett Guida, Albert Oppedisano
"Two skinny guinea pigs prove they have what it takes to climb up the ranks of the mafia underworld." 

"Birdman" 
Directed by Yixing Li, Yixuan Luo (Maisie)   
"A young man dreams of flying with his own wings. He builds a cottage, studies birds, repeatedly jumps off a cliff with artificial wings. But his last jump brings an unexpected result.


"The Grid: Zombie Outlet Maul"
Directed by Linda Andersson. "Electrical devices come to life after a nuclear power plant explosion." 

STUDENT FILMS

"A New Promise" 
Directed by Christina Dodge. "A young woman makes a innocent mistake while trying to navigate the process of figuring out what is best for her."

"An Ancient Problem and a Young Man" 
Directed by Yixing Li.  "A young man confronts with the old question 'Why and how should one live?' He struggles to find the answer.  

"Human Sexuality" 
Directed by Vivian Zingleman  "An infatuated college student recounts his awkward love story to his best friend."   

"Zaar" 
Directed by Ibrahim Nada "A suicide bomber enters a diner to blow himself up but as he listens and interacts with the innocent people around him, he begins to question his decision."

WORLD CINEMA

"Ants" 
Directed by Stoyan Nikolaev (Bulgaria) "He is 64-year-old gipsy, she is 74. In a Black sea village they met at old age for a long and happy life."

"Phantasmagaoria"
Directed by Baha Jamali (Iran)  "A man breaks up with his girlfriend, then experiences what might have happened had he spoken differently."

"Day Off" 
Directed by Aidin Pedari (Iran). "A young pizza delivery man takes a day off to go out with his dying dog, then he faces surrealistic and poetic moments around him."

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THE FINALISTS!

This year, our 14th year as a festival, we've made the decision to go entirely online with submissions and honoring the filmmakers. In lieu of a year-end-party that was difficult, if not impossible to gather filmmakers from across the globe, all winning entries will be featured online, and if possible, the trailer or winning films itself (if the filmmaker desires) will be posted. We will also explore the story of how their winning film came into being. (Their "acceptance speech" will be excerpted in the online description of the films.)  

We will be asking winning filmmakers who should be thanked in public, but also the story of how their film came into being - as sometimes that story can be as fascinating as the film itself.  By having the filmmakers share their story - the way they would at any podium - gives everyone a chance to experience and share in the thanks and credit of those who helped make the film. It's an unusual solution to the age old question of how to honor do-it-yourself filmmakers in a do-it-yourself fashion. 

Prize winners will be announced soon or by the end of the month. Their individual replies (acceptance speeches/stories) will be edited and posted along with the results as well. (Depending on the editing process).

As in previous fests, the prize winners will be awarded editing software from Pinnacle Editing Systems (an excellent beginning editing software that is easy to use, and if the filmmakers want to donate their software to a school or another filmmaker, they have the option to do so). (As noted below, Pinnacle is not a "sponsor" of the festival, and is not involved with the choice of finalists. However, they generously donate their software for us to distribute to the winning entries.) All Winning films are eligible for distribution through our sponsor KinoNation and all winning films will receive a suitable-for-framing winner's certificate.  

Again, thanks for submitting to the festival, and we wish you the best of luck with your film and your career. If you're film didn't make the finalists, it's likely because of the crowded entry in its field, but there are many outlets, many festivals, and we encourage filmmakers to seek them out as well. We encourage everyone to take up their camera and begin to document/tell a story that moves you, that comes from the heart, that can move other hearts and minds as well.

Congratulations to all the DIY Filmmakers out there!

 Just a note from the DIY Film Fest that all the films have been entered, all aboard that's coming aboard, and now we're going through the usual process of arm wrestling, shouting matches and other forms of debate over the films that have been entered. Stay tuned to this space for the Finalists in the various categories, which will be announced as soon as possible.

  But more importantly, congratulations to all of you filmmakers who have taken your vision, your passion, your sense of humor and translated it to film. Whether it be in the form of a documentary, in the form of animation, with actors being serious or being funny - then editing the film, putting on titles, and finding its way out to film festivals... now is the time to say congratulations!  

In the infamous meme words of Shia LaB "Just Do It." 

Shia LaBeouf "Just Do It" Motivational Speech

 

Well... congratulations. You've done it!

We're proud of our sponsor KinoNation, who offers a bonafide digital distribution deal to all of the winning films - you can visit their website at KinoNation.com, an excellent resource to help the filmmakers navigate the waters of the various distribution place that are online; they insure your film is formatted properly as per the various specifications, and their payment schedules and percentages are really good - the best we've come across in the industry.

KinoNation's Roger Jackson, sponsor of the DIY Film Fest

Some of the platforms that KinoNation has agreements with; Hulu, Amazon Instant Video, Vimeo on Demand, MGo, Infinity, Streampix, Viewster Reel, Feed, Hulu Plus, Indiereign, Snagfilms, Fandor, Roku, Cineclick, Docurama, Cinecliq, Neovod.

We have entries in this year's batch from across the globe, from Iran, Romania, India, France, Great Britain, Australia, Canada as well as students across the United States, filmmakers across the US of all backgrounds and stripes.  It's nearly impossible to say why a film does well at one festival over another (else studios would always be successful - and at best they're 50% - the equivalent of flipping a coin) - but suffice to say what we've learned here at the DIY Film Fest is that it's always more about content than delivery.

It's always more about heart than the package it comes in.

And also in terms of PACKAGES - we have to thank Pinnacle Editing Systems - which has been so generous to offer our winning filmmakers editing packages for their future films.  

These editing systems are used worldwide, they've got codecs from their time with Avid, before moving on to Corel - they make great editing software for the Prosumer or the Amateur filmmaker who wants to take a step up in their editing system.

We thank them for providing these prizes for the festival for a number of years. So many we can't agree on how long it's been. Perhaps five years.  Thank you Pinnacle!!!

You can't judge a book by its cover - which in terms of film means seeing the heart and passion behind telling a story, versus the slickness of the telling, the visuals or the overall production quality - however, when a film shows up that combines all those qualities - great story telling, heart, and an eye for seeing humanity in a new way - then those are the films that resonate.

The DIY Film Fest is proud to feature those films that might be overlooked by other festivals - they might not have name actors - but they have heart and grit and feature great actors that are on their way up, or that haven't ventured away from home.  

That being said, sometimes great actors do show up in these films, doing a part they haven't been asked to do in the past, or doing something that might be a bit outside their wheelhouse.

During our 15 year history, the DIY Film Fest has taken over AFI for a weekend and shown films, we've screened them at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, in outdoor venues, in indoor nightclubs, we've shown them online as well as in front of crowds. We've shown them at the famous Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, site of the first Oscars, and we've shown them in a funky nightclub in Silverlake.  Every year is different, but the essence remains the same - films that are about people, about humanity, made with individuality.

2015 Venue in Silverlake

Just a small note of gratitude for those filmmakers who have put so much time and effort into their creative endeavors.  We at the DIY Film Fest are fond of the quote that came from French avant garde filmmaker Jean Cocteau - "When the cost of filmmaking is as much as a pencil and a piece of paper, then you'll find true art."

That rings true in the DIY Filmmaker's experience.

2015 Festival Awards

 

A wee bit o' fun.

Stay tuned.

 

Step by Step process on how to use Create Space to make DVDs of your film...

Now and then we like to share info to the Do It Yourself filmmaker about how to market and sell your film, after you've won all the awards and accolades of course!

Celebrate every step of the way!

So let's say you've finished your epic, and you'd like to offer it online as a streaming video. Or you just want to be able to send everyone you ever met a copy.  Here's how!

Well, first things first, you contact our sponsor KinoNation.com and ask them to rep your film.. and they'll get it onto all the major platforms and start sending you checks.

But let's say you'd like to make physical shrink wrapped DVDs of your film, and you're busy tracking everyone's address that you've ever met....

Consoling a filmmaker for forgetting to get addresses of everyone they ever met.

Well, recently we saw this advice from someone who's used CreateSpace to successfully market and sell their film.  We asked them "what's the step by step process?"  In the interests of helping people to figure out a way to make some money on the side streaming or selling their film (it's up to you how well you can market, publicize or otherwise get your film into people's view), here's one person's advice:



(We have no connection to Amazon or CreateSpace - we just love to pass along good information for independent filmmakers.)

Winning!

How to Create a DVD via Create Space

1. Create an account at Create Space (now owned by Amazon.com).  

2. Click on “Add a New Title.”

3. Let them know if it’s a book or DVD.

4. Follow their instructions on how to submit materials.

5. Design a cover for the DVD using their template (or have someone design a DVD cover and submit it as per their formats).  Make sure you follow their instructions as to the size of the JPEG for the DVD, they have a few different sizes required; they can all be the same photograph if necessary.

6. Add copy to the front and back covers of the Template so people can easily identify what it is from the cover alone.

7. Fill out the various places where they ask about the DVD – these are going to be listed on Amazon, so make sure they let the audience know what it is, and why they should have it.

8. Upload the JPEGs to the website and approve the making of the cover.  They’ll ask if you have a UPC code for your DVD – I’m pretty sure they’ll either sell you one, or it’s easy to obtain one.  (Same goes for the books, they’ll supply you with one, or you can supply them with your own, an ISBN is required for books.  The downside to using theirs is that you can’t resell that same title to another entity, the upside is that it doesn’t cost anything.  I’ve used both, no real complaints.)

9. Price the DVD accordingly – they’ll suggest a price, you can put whatever you like, there is a minimum amount – but check into other titles that are like your DVD and see what they’re selling for.

10. Follow their instructions where to send a copy of your film to their offices so they can upload it.  You need to follow their instructions clearly as to what the format is – HD or DV, or what the size of the MPEG might be.  Generally, if you can fit all the media onto one standard 4.7 MB DVD, they can as well. 

11. When the DVD is ready, they’ll send you an email asking you to proof the finished product.  I think the first one is free, the ensuing copies cost wholesale.

12. Once you’ve looked at and approved the DVD it goes onto the Amazon site, and they price it according to their other titles.  There are 3 options, streaming it, downloading it, and purchase of a DVD. You must own all rights to the material depicted, the music, permission from all who appear on it, etc.

13. You can order as many DVDs as you want wholesale – you just return to the main page of Create Space and next to your title, click on “order copies.”  There’s credit card and shipping info to fill out, but it’s relatively simple.  Once you’ve got the title listed, you can also sign up for their “extended sales” options, which allows them to sell your product with a markup, so wholesalers can purchase it directly with a link you give to them.

14. You can also purchase DVDs and have them shipped elsewhere – a book wholesaler for example, or some other venue – in order to do that, you click on “Order copies” and put in new shipping information.

15. When you’re done your film is available for sale online everywhere amazon exists. People without American credit cards can’t watch the film overseas, as Amazon requires US bank info. But copy the “store link” and put it on your website, and when the listing appears on Amazon a few days or weeks later, make sure everyone you know has a link.  You can offer an option to contact you for international sales. 

That's it! And then "Bob's your uncle" you'll be selling them like hotcakes, or holding them like hotcakes and tossing them out to your friends and fans.

The DIY Film Festival Gala 2015

THE DIY FILM FESTIVAL GALA

The 2015 DIY Film Fest had a full house in Silver Lake at the Lyric Theater on Hyperion Avenue on March 6th.

The DIY cafe/theater in Hollywood

The Lyric Theater is a great setting for the DIY Film Festival, as everything that goes on within its walls is created, produced and put together by those who rent the space.  Appetizers and drinks were served to the crowd, which included all age groups, all aspects of filmmakers, from child actors to film distributors.

A mixed-aged audience on hand for some excellent films.
DIY Convention's and DIY Film Fest co-founder Bruce Haring in black.

Rich Martini DIY Fest co-founder

DIY Film Festival co-founder Richard Martini introduced the filmmakers as well as their winning shorts and animated films.  Clips were shown of the feature length films and trailers of the other winning entries. 

Dash Arnott and Jillian Armanante of "Kittens In a Cage" which won Best Comedy Feature

Film Director Jillian Armanante introduced members of her crew, including producer Dash Arnott who was joined by actors Rebecca Mozo and Erin Anderson.  Jillian spoke of the journey her film has taken, from inception to screen and how it's currently an ongoing online series. Their film won BEST FEATURE COMEDY.

The winner for BEST DIRECTOR and BEST FILM was Camille Delamarre, for his entry "LAST CALL" and intense look at the last moments of a US GI who has stepped on a land mine.

A message from Best Film Producer and Star of "Last Call" David Atrakchi came in from Paris. Camille is directing a feature film, the reboot of the "Transporter" series, and David sent a text from Paris that the festival had "made his day."

Billy Redieck, Jeremy McGovern of "Sweet Dreams"

Producer and Director of BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY "Sweet Dreams" Director Billy Redieck and writer Jeremy McGovern told the story behind their winning film. They went off to film the unlikely story of two brothers trying to break the world record of ice cream flavors, only to see all their film equipment stolen.  They dusted themselves off and stayed with their story, just as the two crazy brothers stayed with her mission, which was successful in making the most ice cream flavors in Guinness Book History.

Trent Dion Soto Director of "Among the Discarded"

Artist Trent Dion Solo told the powerful story of how a year earlier he had come out to Los Angeles, and begun his film which was based on a simple premise.  What would it be like to arrive in LA with only a toothbrush and a gopro camera and live on the streets of LA for a month?  He found a home in skid row, and as he put it, his desire to make a change resulted in the people of the street changing him. His film won the JURY PRIZE BEST DOCUMENTARY.

Riley and Jimmy

Young filmmakers Riley Beres and Jimmy Deschler accepted an award for "Hope For Their Own: An LA Story." It also deals with the subject of homelessness in Los Angeles, and examined it from the aspect of average families who are forced into homelessness for a variety of economic reasons, and how they're trying to cope.  17 year old Riley is still in high school, and this was her first award as a filmmaker. Their film won BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY.

Terra Forbes spoke on behalf of "Buffalo"

Michael McCallum's sister Terra spoke about how her brother had been using their father as a bit actor for a number of films, and finally got him to star in the best dramatic feature "Buffalo" the story of an aging cab driver who tries to reconcile his path and journey with a new driver he's supposed to train.  Weather prevented father and son from making the ceremony, but their presence was felt. "Buffalo" won BEST DRAMATIC FEATURE.

The team behind "Kevin, Take Two"

Alex Wroten spoke of the genesis of his film "Kevin, Take Two," making it as part of the "five minute film festival."  Film examines what it would be like if you could come back from the future and alter the past.  It's one in a clever style, and the starring actor Steven Krimmel (pictured above) was on hand to explain how he did the "split screen" dialog having a conversation with himself. His film won BEST COMEDIC SHORT.


Finally, Roger Jackson from Kinonation.com, an online distribution company spoke of how all the winning films are eligible for digital distribution with his company. Roger mentioned how impressed he was with their work, and how not to devalue their efforts by taking whatever first deal is offered to them; their work as artists continues on in trying to get their work into the world.  He pointed out that the world market has opened up considerably because of the Internet, and what might be popular in Eastern Europe or Asia, might have a completely different audience than expected.

Roger Jackson of Kinonation.com

All winning films are eligible for distribution from Kinonation.com and received editing software packages from Pinnacle Systems, a Division of Corel Inc.  

Thank you Pinnacle and Kinonation!!! 

Various pix:

Riley Beres and Tren Dion Soto - both made films about LA streets.

Rebecca Mozo in "Kittens in a Cage"

"Sweet Dream" filmmakers

Tyne Daly in a cameo in "Kittens in a Cage"

Fest Goers

Filmmakers of "Among The Discarded" Producer/Editor Joshua Dragge, Director Trent Dion Soto

Congratulations to all the filmmakers!!!!

The Deadline Approacheth

Hope all you DIY Filmmakers had a fantastic New Year celebration.  Welcome to 2015!!!!!

Or maybe you were bent over your edit bay, suffering over that last edit in time to get your film out to the festival circuit....

Our DIY FILM FESTIVAL deadline is fast approaching!!!!!  We will be accepting films postmarked by Feb. 14th, Valentine's Day, which is a Saturday this year.  We will announce the finalists soon after, and the gala will be in early March to announce the winners. If you're a FINALIST you will be NOTIFIED ASAP!



  Pinnacle Editing software, is again offering editing software as prizes to the award winning films, their software is an excellent tool for the DIY Filmmaker, and Kinonation is offering distribution for the winning films; they have an excellent distribution model for the DIY film.


So hurry!  Time to get your entry into withoutabox.com and into the mail!!!

Filmmakers sad to have missed the deadline for the film fest....

 






Meanwhile....

Was just reading about the journey of film director Jonathan Demme in the latest DGA magazine (written by Rob Feld) who began his career working for prolific move producer Roger Corman...  and how he went from a DIY Film Director to a studio maven.... and back.

BRAINWASHED: Demme directs a scene from The Manchurian Candidate. When you have someone like Denzel Washington, Demme says, you want to do close-ups. (Photo: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures)

Here are some excerpts from his interview in the DGA Magazine: 

ROB FELD: Looking at how you first got started making movies, it’s nothing you could have planned.

JONATHAN DEMME: It’s true. My dream was to be a veterinarian, but I flunked out of chemistry. I was an obsessive film buff and completely broke. When I went home to Miami and resumed working in animal hospitals, I found a little paper needing a film critic. I couldn’t have been happier and I then had the opportunity to become a publicist. Now I was inside the movie industry, meeting amazing people, and I didn’t want to do anything else—until I got a call to be Roger Corman’s unit publicist. 

On my first meeting with him, he said, ‘You write good production notes. You’re hired as the publicist, and listen, do you know how to write a script?’ I went, ‘Yeah, sure.’ It wasn’t like a dream come true. It was just an extraordinary thing. So Roger buys the script and says, ‘Jonathan, you would probably be a good producer. You can produce it.’ And, again, I never had any dreams of producing movies.

Q: And how did that lead you to directing?
A: Later on we made The Hot Box [1972]in the Philippines and encountered monsoons. We went way behind schedule and it became necessary to have a second unit, so I became the second unit director to shoot these battle scenes. What the hell? I went out to shoot and fell instantly in love with directing. And Roger gave me an opportunity to direct. He said, write a women’s prison movie, which was Caged Heat. I never had dreams of doing that sort of thing, either. To be a publicist in the movie business was as good as it gets.

Q: What were some of the things you picked up from the Corman playbook?
A: I’ll never forget having my directorial one-hour luncheon at a spaghetti joint on Sunset Boulevard, around the corner from New World Pictures, where Roger gave me all the rules. There were a number of things that struck me hard. He said you have to think in terms of the human eyeball at all times. It’s a visual medium and our eyes are what keep our brains engaged in the movie. 

If you start boring the eye, then the brain will get bored. So try to get a variety of angles and not fall into the same kinds of angles and compositions scene after scene. Try to have different close-ups for every scene. Whenever you’ve got the motivation, move the camera, because the human eye loves that element of surprise. Where are we going? What are we going to see next? That’s before the brain even gets involved.

He also said you don’t have to do a lot of fancy moving, either. Roger felt that the best shot in cinema is dollying slowly down a hallway toward a closed door. You can’t beat that shot. I’ve done it a million times and it’s always great—the introduction of Dr. Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. It signals that something important is going to happen on the other side of that door. It may be a surprise party or it may be Linda Blair in The Exorcist.

Q: Can you remember the first film where you did a camera move and went, ‘Oh, that really works’?
A: Totally. Caged Heat, the first movie I directed. I had a 20-day schedule, not knowing what the hell I was doing, thinking, ‘Are we really going to take the time to set up a dolly shot?’ But [cinematographer] Tak [Fujimoto] and I set up this elaborate dolly shot to introduce all the women confined in the cellblock. We gave everyone a little business and, to me, it seemed as great as anything in Doctor Zhivago.
......

Q: Even from your earliest films you were getting strong performances. How has your method of working with actors evolved?
A: At a certain point a giant light bulb goes off in a new director’s head, if they weren’t smart enough to get it from the outside, which I wasn’t. The actors have been preparing for tomorrow’s scene, so not only should I not come tell them where to sit and when to stand up to go get the water, I should just shut up and trust that this wonderful actor I’ve cast is going to bring fabulous stuff. The beauty of shooting digital is that you can say, ‘On this next take, let’s just do four straight runs; we won’t come in and touch you up. I’m not going to say anything.’ 

I’ve seen it happen so many times; no one is going to have a better idea for Meryl Streep or Anne Hathaway on their next take than Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. They’ve just done it, now give them a chance to do it again. After three or four runs you just see what starts happening, and if I have any requests, then I can make them. That to me is the great breakthrough in technology, giving the actors an opportunity to do these repeated shots unencumbered by cut, makeup, little adjustments, all that stuff.

Q: But you are having discussions with the actors beforehand?
A: The part gets offered to them and we meet and talk about the script. The one thing I want to know for sure is, ‘Is there anything in here that you’re not comfortable with, that you don’t buy, or do you feel it’s missing something?’ Because that’s when we have to figure out if we’re on the same wavelength. I make a deal with actors: You will try anything I request, whether you think it’s good, bad, or ugly, and I will always make sure that you never leave a scene feeling you didn’t get a chance to have what you wanted to do captured on film. 

I don’t think there’s any right or wrong, just what ultimately works best for the story scene by scene. Sometimes people will say, ‘Oh, I love the performance you got out of so and so.’ I didn’t get anything out of anybody. I encouraged, I protected, I helped create an open, positive atmosphere where the actors know that we are all there to support and capture the magic they create. I hopefully tossed in a couple of good ideas, but that’s their performance.
.....

Q: How do you decide when to use more subjective POV shots instead of over-the-shoulder shots?
A: The most powerful shot of all is when you put the viewer right in the shoes of one of the characters so that they are seeing exactly what the character is seeing and, ideally, having the same response that the character is having because they’re so identified with them. How do you get into that POV shot? We’ve discovered you have to have tight over-the-shoulders in order to get there invisibly. 

Of course, you don’t want your audience to realize your actors are staring into the camera. You want them to be so immersed in the moment that it’s their reality, so you need that tight, tight over the shoulder to get in and out of the subjective camera. We felt like that shot was made for The Silence of the Lambs because, in their confrontations with each other, Dr. Lecter [Anthony Hopkins] and Clarice [Jodie Foster] are going deep inside each other’s heads. The more you back off and loosen the over-the-shoulders, you’re just moving away from the goal of the intensity of the sequence, becoming more and more objective. I love pushing the subjective side of things whenever possible for the viewer.

Q: How does that apply to the shot where you introduce Hannibal Lecter?
A: Again, that’s from Corman’s dollying down a hallway. We dollied down a cellblock to reveal this guy standing there. We knew we were going to push the POV aspect of things in every scene that Jodie was in because she’s the one that we’re going to identify with. In our shot list, our close-ups were always super tight, over and into the lens. 

And we knew that whatever she did, whatever walk she took, we’d have a moving POV there. We’d have a record of everything she saw throughout the course of the story. We could go to her point of view whenever we wanted, would have the matching shot to tie us in with it, and we would have the overs to get us into that delicious little duet of POVs.

Q: So, when do you shoot what we’re seeing and when do you shoot what we’re feeling?
A: The feeling part is super important, isn’t it? So it really becomes a question of how do we translate what we want the feeling to be through what we see? Very often that brings us back to the character’s face and what they’re presented with in the moment, their POV of things. I knew the end of The Silence of the Lambs would work great, when Buffalo Bill runs away from Clarice in the dark, because a lot of it was like the endless variations on dollying down the hallway to the closed door. 

We’re dollying through this scary basement and there’s so many doors. If you’ve got Jodie Foster or Meryl Streep or Denzel Washington, you really love those close-ups of them. So what about a close-up where they’re looking at the audience and the audience now sees what they’re seeing? POV is just so vital. I’m surprised it isn’t used more often.
....

Q: How much of a practical business head do you need to have as a director?
A: Corman always says that a director has to be 40 percent artist and 60 percent businessman, and then he’ll quickly point out that 40 percent is a strong percentage. I really think that’s true. I’ve made documentaries that I shot myself, on my own little cameras. When I’m doing that, I can do anything I want because I’m paying for it. 

But as soon as you take a job as a director and someone’s going to entrust you with a certain amount of money, your job is to give them their money’s worth and more. Whether it’s $171,000 for Caged Heat or huge amounts, it’s our job to justify that investment. That’s a profound responsibility. Now, you need to unleash your artistry inside of that, but part of the 60 percent means lining up a cast that’s going to be extraordinary, getting the best crew imaginable, making sure that the script is as strong as it possibly can be. These are all business decisions on a certain level. 

And I think that’s fine. You may have to fire people sometimes, just to keep things going in the best possible way. Charlie Okun, when he was my AD, once encouraged me to kick a writer off set because he was complaining to the actors about how a scene was going. That put me in touch more than ever before with the tremendous responsibility I had as a director, and it made me realize a director might have to be ruthless sometimes for the sake of the picture.....

DIY Wishing You Happy Holidaze

This post is like the old holiday ornaments that are stuffed in the closet... it's that time of the year to dust them off and hang them on the tree, put them in the window, light the candles, do whatever it is that puts you in a better mood.  The world is a complicated place, and your camera is something you can pick up and use to change the world... so don't hesitate to do so...  meanwhile, here's some sound advice from a previous post.. reposted like an old ornament.........



We at the DIY Film Festival wish y'all a wonderful holiday season.

DIY Santa

We're getting closer to the deadline for submissions - and we will be announcing the finalists in February for the awards ceremony in March.

First, sit back and congratulate yourself for having finished your film!  Not everyone does that.  Many folks want to start a film and never get around to it.  So you've won that battle.  And now that you've done all that work and have started to submit it to festivals worldwide, also consider the most logical and best ways to market your film, as well as to consider how to distribute your film.

We here at the DIY Film Festival are fans of do it yourself distribution as well.  If you've entered it into festivals and gotten great feedback from friends and the viewing public, all the better. But if you want to find your audience online, there's no better way to do that than doing it yourself.

One method we've seen work is to:

1. Consider creating a method for distribution through Amazon.com - they're the largest online retailer, and posting your film on their website is a logical way to do reach people you never considered reaching.  How to do that? Easy.  Use Createspace.com - they're the aggregator for Amazon, don't charge you anything to create and build your own catalog.  You follow their easy instructions, submit your film in the way required, submit your artwork to their easy to design covers, and within a few days you could be looking at a sample copy of your film.

Once the film is on their site, it automatically becomes linked to Amazon.  Then make sure all your friends check out your film, and if possible get them to write a review of what they thought of the film. It's a way of building interest.

Also, the film automatically is offered as a DVD, as a streaming video and a download on demand. Amazon keeps a percentage of the money collected, but it's worth checking into.

2. Consider putting your film onto itunes.com - another giant retailer.  However, it's a bit harder to do so, as you must go through an aggregator to get them interested in your film.  And the aggregator has to be able to format the film in the way that apple will accept it - and sometimes they will charge money to do so.  However, KinoNation.com offers a simple and easy alternative - they will format and put your film onto all the major outlets, and retain a percentage of what the film earns.

3. Then its up to you to consider how to create public awareness and interest.  That would be offering your film to colleges and universities to review, getting yourself onto radio shows or television outlets, or having public screenings at your local library - which usually cost very little to do.  The only thing preventing the filmmaker from creating their own tsunami of publicity is themselves.  So get to work!

And good luck with all your festival entries, including ours!

Monty Python wants you to have Holiday Fun