Comments on: Los Angeles Won’t Make Your Movie! http://followmyfilm.com/2010/06/01/los-angeles-wont-make-your-movie/ Fri, 07 Jan 2011 20:47:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: My First Year Coming to a Close « Follow My Film http://followmyfilm.com/2010/06/01/los-angeles-wont-make-your-movie/#comment-716 My First Year Coming to a Close « Follow My Film Tue, 21 Dec 2010 09:02:20 +0000 http://followmyfilm.com/?p=1133#comment-716 [...] post which received the most feedback was Los Angeles Won’t Make Your Movie, which brings the deceptive nature of my hometown to light.  Many commented and affirmed my [...] [...] post which received the most feedback was Los Angeles Won’t Make Your Movie, which brings the deceptive nature of my hometown to light.  Many commented and affirmed my [...]

]]> By: Paradise Recovered « Follow My Film http://followmyfilm.com/2010/06/01/los-angeles-wont-make-your-movie/#comment-647 Paradise Recovered « Follow My Film Wed, 01 Dec 2010 08:11:19 +0000 http://followmyfilm.com/?p=1133#comment-647 [...] Finally, watching Paradise Recovered last night was encouraging in itself.  With a tiny budget, Redwine and Wood made a fantastic film chock-full of professionalism.  Rather than produce a film beyond their means, they embraced their limitations and made the most with what they had.  With connections in Indiana, much of the film was shot there, giving the film an incredibly tangible touch of authenticity.  Indiana locals embraced their production and welcomed them, affirming my thoughts regarding film production in Los Angeles. [...] [...] Finally, watching Paradise Recovered last night was encouraging in itself.  With a tiny budget, Redwine and Wood made a fantastic film chock-full of professionalism.  Rather than produce a film beyond their means, they embraced their limitations and made the most with what they had.  With connections in Indiana, much of the film was shot there, giving the film an incredibly tangible touch of authenticity.  Indiana locals embraced their production and welcomed them, affirming my thoughts regarding film production in Los Angeles. [...]

]]> By: Mark Stolaroff http://followmyfilm.com/2010/06/01/los-angeles-wont-make-your-movie/#comment-621 Mark Stolaroff Thu, 18 Nov 2010 01:40:17 +0000 http://followmyfilm.com/?p=1133#comment-621 Hey Drew, this sounds like a recipe for success and the kind of thing I would encourage in my classes. I f you can find a small group of talented and similarly motivated folks in your hometown, you've the beginnings of a great no-budget film. I hear you on the onscreen talent. One idea is to craft a film around the use of non-actors. Develop a story around interesting people, let them play themselves, and develop a methodology that allows you to capture great, natural performances from these people. It's been done numerous times with great success ("George Washington", "Raising Victor Vargas," Craig Brewer's "The Poor & Hungry" immediately come to mind). Best of luck to you guys there in the Breadbasket, or Heartland, or whatever they're calling it these days! Hey Drew, this sounds like a recipe for success and the kind of thing I would encourage in my classes. I f you can find a small group of talented and similarly motivated folks in your hometown, you’ve the beginnings of a great no-budget film. I hear you on the onscreen talent. One idea is to craft a film around the use of non-actors. Develop a story around interesting people, let them play themselves, and develop a methodology that allows you to capture great, natural performances from these people. It’s been done numerous times with great success (“George Washington”, “Raising Victor Vargas,” Craig Brewer’s “The Poor & Hungry” immediately come to mind). Best of luck to you guys there in the Breadbasket, or Heartland, or whatever they’re calling it these days!

]]> By: Christopher http://followmyfilm.com/2010/06/01/los-angeles-wont-make-your-movie/#comment-620 Christopher Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:20:59 +0000 http://followmyfilm.com/?p=1133#comment-620 Great comment, Drew! Once again, another great example of the hometown coming through... Wow!!! Great comment, Drew! Once again, another great example of the hometown coming through… Wow!!!

]]> By: drew hall http://followmyfilm.com/2010/06/01/los-angeles-wont-make-your-movie/#comment-619 drew hall Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:25:00 +0000 http://followmyfilm.com/?p=1133#comment-619 Great post and you are spot on. I live and operate mostly in the Midwest - fly over country, as some have called it. There are some major advantages - most locations are FREE. Most street closures are FREE. You can even get food donated for FREE. You may have to train crew, but there are surprisingly enough pockets of very talented and vetted technicians. Here in Columbia, Mo we have an amazing DP who graduated with his masters from AFI - and honestly...it shows. He's got a great eye. So far we've helped produce two features, one of which sold at TIFF, the other is in post. We have just completed principal on a short film that has over 300 vfx shots. The VFX super is being pursued by some of the LA houses, but like living close to his family. The aforementioned is not meant to be a braggadocios, but instead an agreeable act of defiance against the stereotype. The one and biggest challenge we will all face outside of LA - onscreen talent. It's just harder to find. Extra's...sheesh...people don't care about filmmaking here - hence the free locations and street closings. Principal talent may need to be imported from one of the coasts. Either way - its about balance. It's about the quality of life, not the quality in it. Enjoy what you do, not the mystique behind it. Great post and you are spot on. I live and operate mostly in the Midwest – fly over country, as some have called it. There are some major advantages – most locations are FREE. Most street closures are FREE. You can even get food donated for FREE. You may have to train crew, but there are surprisingly enough pockets of very talented and vetted technicians. Here in Columbia, Mo we have an amazing DP who graduated with his masters from AFI – and honestly…it shows. He’s got a great eye. So far we’ve helped produce two features, one of which sold at TIFF, the other is in post. We have just completed principal on a short film that has over 300 vfx shots. The VFX super is being pursued by some of the LA houses, but like living close to his family. The aforementioned is not meant to be a braggadocios, but instead an agreeable act of defiance against the stereotype. The one and biggest challenge we will all face outside of LA – onscreen talent. It’s just harder to find. Extra’s…sheesh…people don’t care about filmmaking here – hence the free locations and street closings. Principal talent may need to be imported from one of the coasts. Either way – its about balance. It’s about the quality of life, not the quality in it. Enjoy what you do, not the mystique behind it.

]]> By: Christopher http://followmyfilm.com/2010/06/01/los-angeles-wont-make-your-movie/#comment-258 Christopher Thu, 10 Jun 2010 21:09:13 +0000 http://followmyfilm.com/?p=1133#comment-258 Thanks for the comment, Jose! Definitely keep in touch and consider me an LA contact. I understand what you mean about the benefits in LA. I agree, there are a lot; however, for beginners, I feel the benefits are generally outnumbered by the challenges and distractions. My co-producer will be script supervising for us, though I will keep you in mind for the future. Keep in-touch! Thanks for the comment, Jose! Definitely keep in touch and consider me an LA contact. I understand what you mean about the benefits in LA. I agree, there are a lot; however, for beginners, I feel the benefits are generally outnumbered by the challenges and distractions.

My co-producer will be script supervising for us, though I will keep you in mind for the future. Keep in-touch!

]]> By: Jose http://followmyfilm.com/2010/06/01/los-angeles-wont-make-your-movie/#comment-257 Jose Thu, 10 Jun 2010 20:42:46 +0000 http://followmyfilm.com/?p=1133#comment-257 I really enjoyed your essay, eventhough I find myself on the other end of the equation. My girlfriend and I have been thinking about making the move for years but now it's a certainty since she's secured a job. It's hard though, trying to make films in small towns that dont have the resources of big cities. And forget trying to make a living, unless you hop from Boom town to Boom town (Baton Rouge this year). In any event, I am looking to make more contacts in LA. Do you need a Script Supervisor for your August shoot? I really enjoyed your essay, eventhough I find myself on the other end of the equation. My girlfriend and I have been thinking about making the move for years but now it’s a certainty since she’s secured a job. It’s hard though, trying to make films in small towns that dont have the resources of big cities. And forget trying to make a living, unless you hop from Boom town to Boom town (Baton Rouge this year). In any event, I am looking to make more contacts in LA. Do you need a Script Supervisor for your August shoot?

]]> By: Christopher http://followmyfilm.com/2010/06/01/los-angeles-wont-make-your-movie/#comment-250 Christopher Mon, 07 Jun 2010 18:01:45 +0000 http://followmyfilm.com/?p=1133#comment-250 Thank you for the comment, Mark. It's always great to be affirmed by someone from the "trenches." As for the insulted producers regarding freebies, what about all those office and production "interns" reading scripts for free and making Starbucks runs for free? Give me a break. Thank you for the comment, Mark. It’s always great to be affirmed by someone from the “trenches.” As for the insulted producers regarding freebies, what about all those office and production “interns” reading scripts for free and making Starbucks runs for free? Give me a break.

]]> By: Mark Stolaroff http://followmyfilm.com/2010/06/01/los-angeles-wont-make-your-movie/#comment-249 Mark Stolaroff Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:08:50 +0000 http://followmyfilm.com/?p=1133#comment-249 Hey Chris, this is all absolutely true and is the kind of stuff I try to stress in my No Budget Film School classes, (and is in fact, expressed on the entry page of my website, with the "Hollywon't" postcard--similar to your "Ur Not Welcome" sign). This city is sooo not no-budget filmmaking friendly, from the permit offices to the location owners (and their agents), and as you say, to all the people who for some reason get so upset when you suggest that you're not going to pay people to work on your film. A perfect place to find this kind of attitude is on the LA Producers Group Yahoo site. So many "professionals" who get pissed off when you try to get something for free. Yeah, I get it. You worked your way up and now you don't want to be taken advantage of by a slimy producer. But to those folks I say, great, don't do it, why would you? But don't forget that there are plenty of new folks just starting out that need the experience and the contacts. And as for slimy producers, yeah, I've never paid much to the crew on my films, but I've never been paid myself and I've self-financed the films and risked (and lost) my own money. It should be clear to these people that I'm not doing it for the money. I'm trying to get something made that I can be proud of and that everyone involved can be proud of. Certainly, the folks I've worked with understand that, and so I've been fortunate to work with some incredible people who busted their ass for little or no money. I'm happy to say that those folks never felt like I was taking advantage of them and that now I can't afford them anymore, since they worked their way up and can now command a high day rate. The haters need to chill! And of course, it's so true about Sundance. They don't want your derivative stories set in LA. They want to see locations that haven't been captured on film and the stories that come out of those places. They don't have to be big stories, just honest and rarely told. Fortunately, those places are usually happy to have you, so you don't have to have a filming permit, don't have to pay location owners, or police and fire, and generally everyone benefits. Hey Chris, this is all absolutely true and is the kind of stuff I try to stress in my No Budget Film School classes, (and is in fact, expressed on the entry page of my website, with the “Hollywon’t” postcard–similar to your “Ur Not Welcome” sign). This city is sooo not no-budget filmmaking friendly, from the permit offices to the location owners (and their agents), and as you say, to all the people who for some reason get so upset when you suggest that you’re not going to pay people to work on your film. A perfect place to find this kind of attitude is on the LA Producers Group Yahoo site. So many “professionals” who get pissed off when you try to get something for free. Yeah, I get it. You worked your way up and now you don’t want to be taken advantage of by a slimy producer. But to those folks I say, great, don’t do it, why would you? But don’t forget that there are plenty of new folks just starting out that need the experience and the contacts. And as for slimy producers, yeah, I’ve never paid much to the crew on my films, but I’ve never been paid myself and I’ve self-financed the films and risked (and lost) my own money. It should be clear to these people that I’m not doing it for the money. I’m trying to get something made that I can be proud of and that everyone involved can be proud of. Certainly, the folks I’ve worked with understand that, and so I’ve been fortunate to work with some incredible people who busted their ass for little or no money. I’m happy to say that those folks never felt like I was taking advantage of them and that now I can’t afford them anymore, since they worked their way up and can now command a high day rate. The haters need to chill!

And of course, it’s so true about Sundance. They don’t want your derivative stories set in LA. They want to see locations that haven’t been captured on film and the stories that come out of those places. They don’t have to be big stories, just honest and rarely told. Fortunately, those places are usually happy to have you, so you don’t have to have a filming permit, don’t have to pay location owners, or police and fire, and generally everyone benefits.

]]> By: Christopher http://followmyfilm.com/2010/06/01/los-angeles-wont-make-your-movie/#comment-248 Christopher Sat, 05 Jun 2010 14:30:57 +0000 http://followmyfilm.com/?p=1133#comment-248 Wow, thank you so much for the comment, Laura. I'm so happy that you were able to make your film! And thank you so much for the Illinois welcome :) I love the way you put it: home court advantage! Wow, thank you so much for the comment, Laura. I’m so happy that you were able to make your film! And thank you so much for the Illinois welcome :) I love the way you put it: home court advantage!

]]> By: Laura Z http://followmyfilm.com/2010/06/01/los-angeles-wont-make-your-movie/#comment-247 Laura Z Sat, 05 Jun 2010 05:14:09 +0000 http://followmyfilm.com/?p=1133#comment-247 Christopher, I'm a friend of the wonderful and amazing Helen Kim, who I met, incidentally, when I lived in LA about 7 years ago. I also, incidentally, came to the same conclusion as you've expressed in your blog, and I moved home and made a documentary. And I know that if I had stayed in LA, I never ever ever would have ever made a documentary let alone a film. So I think that your thesis about the home court advantage is dead on. I throughly enjoyed your blog post. Lots of luck to you in making your movie. Please feel free to come to IL where we have many small towns that you don't need permits to film in. Christopher,

I’m a friend of the wonderful and amazing Helen Kim, who I met, incidentally, when I lived in LA about 7 years ago. I also, incidentally, came to the same conclusion as you’ve expressed in your blog, and I moved home and made a documentary. And I know that if I had stayed in LA, I never ever ever would have ever made a documentary let alone a film. So I think that your thesis about the home court advantage is dead on. I throughly enjoyed your blog post. Lots of luck to you in making your movie. Please feel free to come to IL where we have many small towns that you don’t need permits to film in.

]]> By: Christopher http://followmyfilm.com/2010/06/01/los-angeles-wont-make-your-movie/#comment-246 Christopher Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:18:02 +0000 http://followmyfilm.com/?p=1133#comment-246 Thanks, Harut. I'd say Yes and yes to point your thoughts. Of course, LA helps a lot in more conventional ways, e.g., studios, major lighting needs, etc., however, for micro-budget folks like me, well, you know.... Thanks, Harut. I’d say Yes and yes to point your thoughts. Of course, LA helps a lot in more conventional ways, e.g., studios, major lighting needs, etc., however, for micro-budget folks like me, well, you know….

]]> By: Harut Akopyan http://followmyfilm.com/2010/06/01/los-angeles-wont-make-your-movie/#comment-245 Harut Akopyan Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:50:10 +0000 http://followmyfilm.com/?p=1133#comment-245 I really like this post. I've often wondered if I move to a smaller town and make a film, would I A) have it easier? and B)get more attention from fests? Harut I really like this post. I’ve often wondered if I move to a smaller town and make a film, would I A) have it easier? and B)get more attention from fests?

Harut

]]> By: Christopher http://followmyfilm.com/2010/06/01/los-angeles-wont-make-your-movie/#comment-244 Christopher Tue, 01 Jun 2010 23:03:53 +0000 http://followmyfilm.com/?p=1133#comment-244 Thank, Chuck. Yes, I agree: it does relate to many, many other professions folks come to LA in pursuit of.... Thank, Chuck. Yes, I agree: it does relate to many, many other professions folks come to LA in pursuit of….

]]> By: Chuck Norton http://followmyfilm.com/2010/06/01/los-angeles-wont-make-your-movie/#comment-242 Chuck Norton Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:36:27 +0000 http://followmyfilm.com/?p=1133#comment-242 Great post bro. This could be said for SO MANY disciplines in la. Great post bro. This could be said for SO MANY disciplines in la.

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