Gavin Michael Booth is a producer, editor and director who’s known for his indie horror film The Scarehouse. “The Scarehouse” was distributed by NBC/Universal (USA) and D Films (Canada) in early 2015 with international releasing starting August 2015. The Scarehouse was funded in part by Telefilm Canada and the film won Best Feature at the New York City Horror Film Festival in 2014.
Booth has worked with some of the top entertainers in the music industry including Music Videos and documentary projects for Eminem’s D-12, Third Eye Blind, The Tea Party, Our Lady Peace, Vanessa Carlton and The Afters.
In our interview Gavin talks about his extensive career and how he used to sneak into concerts that led to a career in music videos, feature films and more. He’s insightful, creative and has a ton of experience. Future filmmakers won’t want to miss this interview.
Born and raised in Ontario near the border of Detroit Michigan
Joe throws Gavin a curve ball when he asks about a childhood film “Indiana Jones & The Lost Remote Control”
Gavin talks about delivering newspapers to save up for his first camera so he can shoot movies with his friends
All of us reminisce over old school gear like Gavin’s first Fisher Price camera
Although he wanted to attend film school he couldn’t afford to come to the United States and ended up at WalMart to save up
After getting a hernia on the job, he started doing wedding videos and commercial work which took off and never looked back
Learning from Your First Film
“Leaving Town” was co-written and co-directed by Gavin with another amateur filmmaker
“Your first film might not be the best thing, it might not even be a watchable thing but it’s a thing you finished.”
He learned how to work with the different personalities and crew on set, what it means to be a director and be a producer.
After that first film you realize if you want to be a filmmaker or if you want to just dream about being a filmmaker.
“There are people that want to make films and there are people that want to be filmmakers.”
Check out Gavin’s recommended video called “I made a movie. It stunk.” by filmmaker Austin Mcconnell.
Making Music Videos Was His Big Break
Gavin has an intimate history with bands like Third Eye Blind
Living on the border of Detroit, they had all the good rock concerts
He’d make a fake media card and say he was part of the local media
Sometimes he’d be allowed to film the first three songs and sometimes he’d work up the courage to ask for an interview
That started the trend of breaking into more performances
Third Eye Blind never found out until years later but they loved his work nonetheless which led to more opportunities in the music business
Gavin produced the documentary for Vanessa Carlton on the making of her latest album
[bctt tweet=”If you’re not really breaking the law, if you’re not really causing anybody trouble the worst they can do is say no.” username=”hecklerkaneinc”]
Gavin’s latest music video, Where’s My Love for Syml has almost 8 million views!!
Shooting the World’s First Live Movie
Anyone with a cell phone can be their own broadcast network
Gavin had an idea for a found footage live event using Periscope and never tell the audience its fake
Fifteen is about a serial killer who is using Periscope video streaming app to film his grizzly murders live
The idea was to do something fun that was never done before
We are back from the American Film Market in sunny Santa Monica, California where we spent three days learning, pitching and meeting the film industries biggest players from around the world. The American Film Market hosts one of the industries biggest events for film makers, screenwriters and distributors. We also interviewed 8 film industry heavy hitters.
Our #1 tip for success at the American Film Market is preparation. Setup your meetings in advance, don’t wait for the last minute to schedule them because the likelihood of getting into a meeting without an appointment is very low. Even if you have an appointment the odds of it being on time may dwindle the later you wait to make that meeting. Not only do you have to prepared to schedule meetings with buyers and distributors, you have to be prepared with your pitch. You need to be professional and have a plan and understand why your film may be saleable and even more importantly what aspects of your film may not be saleable.
Tip #2 for success at the American Film Market is having a completed project. Nobody wants to hear about your concept or idea. Everyone has ideas. Distributors won’t even touch you if you don’t have a completed production. Screenwriters need completed scripts. Networking and building relationships take time. If you’re a first time filmmaker, nobody is going to hand you a check after a 15 minute pitch meeting. If they do, we’d love to hear about it on our podcast!
Interviews at the American Film Market
Pilar Alessandra
Creator of On The Page Script Consultation Company. Pilar is the director of the screenwriting and TV writing program On the Page®, host of the popular On the Page Podcast and author of the top-selling book “The Coffee Break Screenwriter. She was at AFM as the moderator of the Pitch Conference for the 2nd year in a row. The Pitch Conference at AFM was eye opening to us. If you’re a screenwriter her podcast is invaluable.
We submitted our pitch for Seymour the Unfortunate Vampire and while we weren’t selected to pitch live, we learned how to craft and deliver a pitch for the meetings we were about to take.
Alex Ferrari
Filmmaker and Creator of Indie Film Hustle. Alex shares what he’s learned over the years as a writer, director, producer and post production/VFX supervisor. We were excited to finally meet Alex in person after having him as a guest on our podcast. Alex was more than generous with his time and shared a ton of insights with us. Look for his interview with AFM Director Jonathan Wolf on Indie Film Hustle.
Jason is a Los Angeles based movie distribution executive specializing in direct to consumer distribution strategies. He is the Vice President of Worldwide Sales at Distribber. Jason is also the founder of Filmmaking Stuff, a professional resource for independent filmmakers and provides tips on screenwriting, producing, crowdfunding, directing, movie marketing and film distribution.
Branscombe Richmond
A Native American actor, stuntman and singer most known for his role in Renegade with Lorenzo Lamas. Branscombe stands at 6′ 3″ and has been on the receiving end of the fists of Arnold Schwarzenegger in Commando (1985), gotten pummeled by Carl Weathers in Action Jackson (1988) and tangled with Steven Seagal in Hard to Kill (1990). At the American Film Market we saw a different while he was there to represent the Southern Kentucky Film Commission.
The most fun about meeting Branscombe is that he is long time friends with Marshall Teague who was on our show as well. Check out our Interview with Marshall Teague.
Susan Yang
General Manager of Shanghai Pusheng Translation Co. Susan was there as a translator helping a producer navigate the film market.
Paul Ayre
Paul has been writing and creating comedy for 15 years now and has worked with some of the biggest names in comedy – including Jeff Goldblum, SketchShe and toured with The Umbilical Brothers through Germany, Denmark, Austria, Slovenia and Sweden. He won the biggest prize in webseries history: $70,000 for The Justice Lease in which he acted, wrote and produced. We caught up with Paul at the pitch conference where he delivered one of the most animated pitches at the AFM. Check out his work at http://severecomedy.com
Sean Crayne
Sean was another dynamic presenter at the AFM Pitch Conference where he asked the audience “Would you kill for fame?” For more on Sean and his film Twisted check out https://www.twistedthefilm.com/home. Sean also organized an indie horror filmmaker meetup on Saturday night which was a great place to meet other like minded filmmakers.
Mike Lippert
Michael Lippert is an Ontario-based Writer/Director/Producer. He was at the AFM shopping his debut feature film called Expecting. Mike had a great story to share about how managed to get Lloyd Kaufman to do a cameo in his film.
Mark Belasco
Mark is the Vice President of Sales & Acquisition at Adler & Associates Entertainment. They pride themselves on being a true indie company, one with a risk-taking spirit and an unbiased eye for new talent from around the globe. If you’re an indie filmmaker looking for distribution and a true partner we recommend a conversation with Adler & Associates Entertainment.
Share Your American Film Market Experiences
If you’ve attended the American Film Market and want to share your story, tell us in the comments. If you have questions about AFM and whether or not its right for you give us a shout on Twitter or Facebook and we will answer anything you want to know!
Have a question for our guests on this episode of the Imperfect Podcast? Leave it in the comments and we’ll make sure they answer it for you.
This week’s guest on the Imperfect Podcast is opera singer and actor Derrick Davis. Derrick is currently starring in The North American Tour of The Phantom of the Opera as The Phantom. The grueling pace of a touring Broadway actor is no joke. Derrick shared his journey with us including the intense audition process it takes to land a role on Broadway. Having been hand selected by Andew Lloyd Weber himself Derrick remains humble to his roots and is so thankful for the wonderful fans that have supported him along the way.
Other roles for Derrick Davis include the Broadway production of Disney’s The Lion King understudying the roles of Mufasa and Scar as well playing Mufasa in the National Touring company of The Lion King and the Las Vegas production. Derrick has 2 albums available online, “A Christmas Journey” featuring holiday favorites and his all original project “Life Music.”
Derrick’s parents were born in Panama and he was born in New York.
Family, God, school and sleep were the norm for his childhood.
Joe and Derrick reminisce about auditioning together at CW Post College.
After college he struggled with deciding whether to work in musical theater or opera or do something else completely.
Landing The Role of Mufasa in The Lion King
Quote: “Nothing in this industry is straight forward.”
Auditioning is grueling but the more he does it the more he understands the necessity of it.
The producers need to make sure they have people with stamina, drive and determination to get over all the hurdles the industry presents you.
By the time Derrick auditioned for the Las Vegas production it had become wildly popular and a much bigger production.
Derrick had 8 call backs and interviews before landing the role and each call back was between 5-10 days.
He recounts almost giving it all up before getting the call that he landed the role of Mufasa.
Auditioning for a Broadway Role
For Lion King there were 100s of people you’re competing against.
You get a sense of how you feel you did when you leave the audition but you never what they’re getting on their side of the table.
Derrick has learned that rejection may not be them rejecting you but rejecting the scenario.
Height, race and other factors all play into whether or not you may get a role.
“Part of the responsibility of our job is to audition. Whether you get it or not you’re going to continue to audition anyway.”
A low point for Derrick
Out of college Derrick auditioned feverishly but he never knew auditioning itself was a craft.
In a show you have 2 hours and if you make a mistake you have time to fix it.
In an audition you have 30 seconds to get in and out of the room and convince them you can do 2 hours.
“I wasn’t good at auditioning, I was good at performing.”
The rejection got to Derrick and he stopped auditioning for over 5 years. He took days jobs as a bank teller and real estate agent.
“When I realized that there was nothing else I wanted to do I had to accept rejection was going to be part of that.”
Favorite Roles
Mufasa because it was his first major role.
Scar because at the time it was so difficult and against his own character.
Phantom is a dream come true. It was the first musical his parents took him to.
“It’s a complete full circle to be able to stand on a stage and do for other generations what was done for me.”
“Phantom of the Opera is a beast”
Phantom of the opera is international unlike Lion King that started on Broadway.
The audition process was instantly intense. He had his first audition and his first call back was that night.
After days of auditions he walked into the audition center and there was a full camera crew with three cameras and lighting. They had to record it to send it back to Andrew Lloyd Weber.
“They were looking for something so specific and it was in those moments where I had to figure out what it was and create in my body instantly to prove not only could I perform the role but I was malleable.”
Life on the road
The ensemble is incredibly tight because they spend a lot of time together on and off stage.
The phantom is a very lonely track and he was warned about it from the beginning.
His dressing room is away from everybody.
He has to arrive 45 minutes earlier than everyone else because of the makeup process.
Everyone has left while he’s still taking his makeup off.
Being on the road has been a challenge but also find himself again.
The Fans
Derrick loves his fans. He’s had fans get on a plane to give him a gift.
Like people that love The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the fans of Phantom come dressed to shows.
The Applause
The only socially appropriate reaction to tell someone you appreciate their performance is applause.
“I don’t do it for the applause or for that instant gratification but I do like it because it’s the dynamic of live theater. I couldn’t do it without a live audience.”
Derrick the Song Writer
Derrick says he’ll never stop writing songs.
His music is very personally and he gets shy even talking about it.
His style is very eclectic but his next project will be a bit more cohesive.
Joe and Sal discuss their favorite indie horror movies to watch on Halloween. We may catch some flack for what’s included as a true indie horror movie. Companies such as Lions Gate are known for their big budget horrors. They hardest part for us was only being able to choose 5! We also find out Joe’s obsession with Bruce Campbell may be cause for concern.
All we can say in advance about the list is that Sal and Joe only agreed on two movies but not where they belong on the list. From classics to modern terror, let us know what horror movies you love or who’s picks you disagree with.
Sal’s Top 5 Indie Horror Movies
#5. Hush – Released in 2016 by Intrepid Pictures. Directed by Mike Flanagan.
Hush was an official selection at the SXSW Film Festival and it won Best Director at the iHorror Awards and Best Independent Film at the Rando Hatton Classic Horror Awards. After losing her hearing as a teenager, author Maddie Young (Kate Siegel) lives a life of utter isolation and becomes the prey of a psychotic masked killer. This movie is an intense game of cat and mouse as Maddie fights to survive the night! If you want an intense thrill ride that will leave you breathless, watch Hush!
Watch Hush the Movie
#4. The Blair Witch Project – Released in 1999 by Artisan Pictures. Directed by Eduardo Sanchez & Daniel Myrick.
There is no doubt this film deserves a spot on the list and was a pioneer of the found footage genre. It cleaned up at the box office and won many awards from Cannes Film Festival to the Razzie Awards. Let’s just say The Blair Witch Project isn’t for everyone but it definitely brings the terror. I’d personally stay clear of the sequel made in 2016.
In case you haven’t seen this classic here’s the synopsis. Presented as a straightforward documentary, the film opens with a title card explaining that in 1994, three students went into the Maryland back woods to do a film project on the Blair Witch incidents. These kids were never seen again, and the film you are about to see is from their recovered equipment, found in the woods a year later.
Watch The Blair Witch Project
#3. Halloween – Released in 1978 by Compass International Pictures. Directed by John Carpenter.
Made for an estimated $300,000, John Carpenter’s Halloween doesn’t need much introduction from us. In 1978 a psychotic killer was born, none other than Michael Myers. This movie is likely at the top of many horror best of lists and has been scaring the pants of audiences for decades! It won a number of awards and set the bar for what thriller horror movies should be. Plus, Jamie Lee Curtis!
Watch Halloween
#2. Shaun of the Dead – Released in 2004 by Focus Features. Directed by Edgar Wright.
Horror comedy is something that’s near and dear to our hearts. This isn’t going to give you the fright and fear of other horror movie classics but Shaun of the Dead holds it place in history as one the all time greatest. It won two awards for Best Screenplay and grossed over $13 million dollars at the box office. If you’re a fan of Evil Dead, Zombieland or other horror comedy classics, go watch Shaun of the Dead. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Watch Shaun of the Dead
#1 Saw – Released in 2004 by Lions Gate. Directed by James Wan.
Saw marks the directorial debut of James Wan and spawned a new type of horror thriller killer named Jigsaw. Mind bending psychological death machines haunted our nightmares. the Saw franchise of horror is still alive and well today with its latest release called Jigsaw. It combines the best elements of psychological thriller with a slasher film. It won a number of awards including Best Screenplay and took 3rd place at the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards.
Watch Saw Directed by James Wan
Joe’s Top 5 Indie Horror Movies
#5. Nosferatu – Released in 1922. Directed by F.W. Murnau.
Black and white, silent films are not what one may think of when it comes to horror movies. To completely understand the genre we must first understand and appreciate where it all began. The performance of actor Max Schreck as the vampire set the bar for all vampire portrayals to come.
Watch Nosferatu
#4. The Blair Witch Project – Released in 1999 by Artisan Pictures. Directed by Eduardo Sanchez & Daniel Myrick.
The found footage classic landed in the same spot on the countdown for both of us. Is the Blair Witch real? At the time, that was a question that was being legitimately asked. Now that the thrill is gone, reboots and sequels haven’t held as much sparkle with audiences. What the directors accomplished with the original film was a major achievement. Shot for a measly $60,000 this horror movie scared the dollars out of many wallets to the tune of $248 million dollars!
If you’re desperate for a thrill here’s the underwhelming Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2
#3. Evil Dead – Released in 1981 by Newline Cinema. Directed by Sam Raimi.
Who can argue with Evil Dead? What’s not to love? Shot for $350,000, Bruce Campbell and the directorial feature debut of Sam Raimi it has all the elements of a zombie movie you could ask for and more. Arguably, more people fell in love with Evil Dead 2 which is rare for any sequel but Joe loves his classics and you have to give him kudos for making sure Evil Dead got their props. Now if we could only get Bruce Campbell on our podcast! Which do you like better? Evil Dead or Evil Dead 2?
Watch Evil Dead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72nlQp9xe5o
#2. Texas Chainsaw Massacre – Released in 1974 by Bryanston Pictures. Directed by Tobe Hooper.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre was a game changer in the slasher horror movie genre. Leatherface and his thirst for human flesh paved the way for horror legends and psycho killers including Michael Myers, Jigsaw, Jason, Freddy and many others we didn’t get to include in our list. If you’ve missed out on this classic, you’re missing out. Period.
Watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs3981DoINw
#1. Halloween – Released in 1978 by Compass International Pictures. Directed by John Carpenter.
Halloween is the classic horror movie that has been the inspiration for many horror filmmakers. Already mentioned in Sal’s list, I don’t think anyone can argue putting Halloween in the top spot. As discussed on the podcast, we’ve both watched the Rob Zombie Halloween remake and think he did a phenomenal job capture the horror and nuance of this psychological slasher thriller. I’ve been a big fan of Rob Zombie’s film work and The Devil’s Rejects is one of the films that got an honorable mention from Sal.
Cupids is the latest comedy short film from Angelo Calarco. Cupids is currently on its festival run and was recently featured at the Soho International Film Festival and will be in New York again at the Gold Coast Film Festival. We discuss the challenges of filming dialogue with 4 people on screen and how to not make it feel boring. Angelo has a unique perspective using visuals and sound, crossing from fantasy to reality to keep the audience engaged.
Angelo Calarco is an Italian freelance Producer/Director living in London operating under the name of Beware Of The Dog Films. His career started as a comedy writer and an award winning stand-up comedian. Angelo moved to London in 2010 and learned the art of filmmaking by working as a Production Assistant, Marketing Assistant, Assistant Producer and Assistant Script Editor for several Film Production companies in London such as JetSet Films, Wo-Ho! Productions and One Eyed Dog Films while also experimenting with his own passion projects.
This week’s guest is your humble host, Alex Ferrari, known for his film making blog and podcast Indie Film Hustle. With his 20 years of experience in the industry Alex dishes the straight line on making it in the film business. He shared his experiences with us as a film maker, making the rounds at every film festival imaginable and why film festivals may or may not be a good idea for film makers. This year he put his money where is his mouth is and shot the micro budget feature film This is Meg starring Jill-Michelle Melean who also co-wrote the film with Alex.
Indie Film Hustle Roots And Why Alex Started the Popular Film Making Blog
Alex talks about escaping Miami to Hollywood and cutting his teeth as an editor. Remember what cutting ¾” tape was like?
He talks about running garage sales as early as the age of 10 and walking around with a wad of cash
Listening, watching, reading for a year Alex studied the business of an online business, creating content and SEO
His rise was quick his content on Indie Film Hustle was resonating because Alex wasn’t afraid to tell filmmakers the truth.
Providing value is his number 1 priority because he was tired of seeing filmmakers get beat up and ripped off in the film industry.
Where do You Find Time To Create That Much Content?
Alex admits he has 150 unpublished blog articles and 50 videos just waiting!
“There’s a lot of time in the day”
Over the course of 2 years he’s learned how to process all of the content efficiently. Alex says he can put together a podcast in 2 to 2.5 hours.
If he didn’t have a family, Indie Film Hustle might be even be bigger.
Alex puts in 10 to 12 hours a day and rarely works weekends. When he does work, Alex says he’s efficient. He stops every day at 6:30.
Ask most high achieving entrepreneurs and they’ll admit what Alex did to us. He says, “I feel like I’m a slacker, I feel like I’m not doing enough. I feel like I could do better, like I could do more.”
How Do You Feel About Film Festivals For Film Makers?
Alex has been to every film festival you can imagine totally upwards of 500 festivals including Sundance.
Quote: “If you’ve never gone through the experience, it’s magical. The first time you go to a festival and see your film projected, it’s the most amazing thing ever.”
When do you that 500 times and spend a lot of money you realize what its worth.
Alex doesn’t like the cost to many film festivals and feels like they are ripping off the film makers.
After spending $1000 on 35 film festivals he learned how to get into festivals for free and his movie Broken ended up in 150.
If you live in a small town, do it every year because it’s the only place you are going to connect with other local filmmakers, producers & investors.
Watch the Interview with Alex Ferrari on YouTube:
Sundance Film Festival: Alex recounts his experience
His first time at Sundance he had just finished Broken and walked around with a laptop asking people if they wanted to watch a movie
Sundance was like Disneyland. He would just take pictures with every celebrity he could.
Name dropping time!!
What is your opinion of The American Film Market?
This is Meg is going to be screened at The American Film Market
Alex has been to AFM once before but this is the first time he’s heading upstairs with the big boys.
Right now AFM is still the way to do international sales. It’s all about relationships.
Quote: “You can sense that energy when somebody comes up to you and they just want to take and suck from you.”
The bottom line is give more than you get.
Where did the concept for your feature film This is Meg start?
Find out what a scriptment is and why film makers use them.
Alex was tired of waiting for permission to make his first feature film.
He called his co-producer Jill-Michelle Melean and said, “I wanna make a movie and we are gonna do it this way and this is story I want to tell. I wanna tell your story as a comic and actress who is not 21 anymore and who’s been a little famous but is not a household name and what it’s like for you.”
1 week later Jill had a scriptment for This is Meg, 3 days later they locked up the cast and were shooting a few weeks later. This is Meg was shot in 8 days total over 6 weeks.
Alex talks about how much he loved the process because he put absolutely no pressure on himself about the outcome of the film. And never even shot more than 6 to 8 hours.
This is Meg was the most effortless project he’s ever been involved in.
What the trailer for This Is Meg
What was the distribution plan for This is Meg?
Alex admits This is Meg is a dramedy that’s may not be for everyone.
We have wonderful actors that you’ll recognize but we have no bankable stars.
I created a lot of content around the process of making it so I’d be able to sell it to my audience which brings in revenue.
I made a relationship with Distribber to be able to self-distribute the film which can now be seen on Hulu, iTunes, Amazon, YouTube, Google Play & Vudu.
Oddly enough, it sold to China, South Africa and have a pending UK deal. Little by little it’s made some money and was a great proof of concept.
If you don’t have an audience there’s no point in self-distributing with something like Distribber.
Alex made a movie within the resources that he had. A lot of filmmakers become too ambitious too early.
Talking to Brimstone, you can see how important his personal brand has been to his success and what it takes to make it as a diverse entertainer. Brimstone is an actor, pro wrestler and Long Island radio personality that has been responsible for his own success as an entertainer for over three decades. He’s been called a Renaissance man by many, but is more accurately described as a well-seasoned entertainer and entertainment entrepreneur. We had some laughs discussing his roots dating back to an appearance on Sesame Street and relived some memories as a musician right here on Long Island.
Brimstone is the co-founder, President, and CEO of Hound Comics, Inc. (Hound Entertainment Group), that launched a comic book series, Brimstone and The Borderhounds that went worldwide via Barnes & Noble, B.Dalton, BN.com, and Amazon.
You can listen to Brimstone on The Grindhouse Radio, a pop culture talk-based podcast and series that is currently syndicated on eighteen digital & terrestrial radio networks (including iHeartRadio & Google Play Radio) with a listenership of between 3.5 – 4 million weekly worldwide.
Quote: “You have to be in the industry touring for a couple of years. After a couple of years you know if you really have the heart to be in entertainment. Even though you need the money, you know its not about the money.”
Little Brim Lands on Sesame Street (7m )
Brimstone discusses his appearance on Sesame Street and his personal story about being traumatized by Big Bird and Snuffleupagus.
Family Entertainment (10m)
We debate whether there is entertainment worth watching as a family anymore.
His love of beating the drums may have had something to do with his career as a wrestler.
While working for the Long Island Voice, Brimstone meets the Iron Sheik and Bret the Hitman Heart and the rest is history
Quote: “It doesn’t matter how many people you’re getting up in front of, you’re always going to have those butterflies.”
Radio Personality on Grindhouse Radio (20m30s)
It was always something I wanted to do but wasn’t sure how I was going to do it.
Catch Grindhouse Radio on iHeartRadio every Thursday night at 7pm EST.
Brimstone talks about how his audience crossed over from his days in music, wrestling and more
Quote: “I’m not into people that disrespect others. I’m an open book, I wear my heart on my sleeve, I’m a good guy and I help people. If you can’t help yourself and don’t want to help yourself, I don’t have time for you.”
Sales, Marketing, Personal Branding & Entrepreneurship (28m20s)
Brim talks about how growing up in not so great neighborhood on Long Island motivated him to be successful.
Quote: “Back then you had to sell yourself because you didn’t have the internet to sell you.”
Check out his mobile game Forza Infernis on iOS & Android
This week’s guest is Bill Ostroff, the First Glance Film Festival Director who tells us how indie film festivals have evolved in the past 20 years. Bill shares his insights on festival submission trends, storytelling, camera technology and most importantly marketing. First Glance Films is the creator of the hashtag #SupportIndieFilm that has engaged and united thousands of indie film makers around the world.
William Ostroff, the FirstGlance Film Festival’s creator and director, is a Producer, Independent Media Consultant and DGA Assistant Director who has worked on over 100 film and television productions. He graduated from Temple University in 1993 with a degree in film and video and has since worked with major studios such as Disney, Warner Bros, Universal, Dreamworks, and Paramount on feature films and television series.
As the FirstGlance Film Festival Director, he has produced 37 film festivals to date, has watched over 20,000 indie films and is hands on with programming and decision making of all aspects of the Film Festivals. In 2013, he created the World’s Largest Traveling Comic Con Film Festival, which has screened genre indie films to over 5 million attendees over the 1st fours year in 2 countries, with plans of taking this concept global.
When did you start the First Glance Film Festival?
This is our 20th in Philadelphia. We’ve been doing this since 1996. I wanted to work in movies and I had started the film festival right out of college. When I moved to Los Angeles to make movies I said I’d try to keep the Philly thing going and I did and then I was in LA and said we may as well do one here too.
How has the film festival evolved since you started the First Glance Film Festival?
When we first started it, we would screen on projectors that would run reels of celluloid. Having to mail those back and forth would be very expensive. We would cut and paste our program, literally, cut and paste with Elmers glue and tape. We actually advertised in newspaper and when we started we were pretty much the only independent film festival in Philadelphia. There was no one else here. At the time there was the Festival of World cinema which turned into the Philadephia Film Festival. It’s funny to me because the Philadelphia Film Festival says its 25 years old but it’s not. It’s only 5 years old because it used to be the Festival of World Cinema which forced us to change our name.
I don’t think people really get confused between us and them. We are the Slamdance to Sundance. We are the separate indie arm and don’t get mistaken. It would be nice if a big sponsor would.
Where has the First Glance Film Festival progressed to?
It used to be interesting because every year I’d have to go to IKEA to add to the shelves for the VHS collection. Then the VHS collection turned into the DVD collection. Now almost the entire screening is on a thumb drive. Between DCP’s and thumb drives I figure in the next couple of years we will figure out to stream directly to the projectors. The problem is because we’re an indie film festival we don’t always use state of the art venues. We try to use venues that have great screens and sound but may not be up to snuff with major corporations.
How did you come up with the idea for First Glance Film Festival?
When I was at Temple University I started a theater company with three friends of mine and I was kinda the behind the scenes guy saying we should do something film. I started brainstorming and looking at the film festivals that were around. Sundance was always one that I wanted to go to or have my film in and then Slamdance came. I said to myself I need to come up with something that has a feel like Slamdance or Sundance so we don’t just call ourselves the Philadelphia International Independent Film Festival of America. In my mind and most filmmakers know, the longer the title of the film festival, probably the smaller the venue or they don’t actually exist.
I had a couple of films in school and tended to make things more commercial than the professor wanted. I always seemed to lose out to the slow motion opening of the petal of a flower. You know I’d really like to show my stuff to people instead of classmates. The venue we were showing musical theater in was an underground space. I just decided I have 3 short films I’d like to show and put ads in the newspaper and made flyers and we ended up with about 30 films. This way I didn’t feel like it was my film festival it was their film festival. We screened for 3 nights and I thought that was going to be it.
People started calling and emailing and asking and we continued. I’ve kept continuing now 20 years later. As of next week I’ll have produced 37 film festivals and watched 18,000+ films. As a festival director I have and will always watch every single entry. I also have a screening committee I pull together. If it gets by me then I drop it into their boxes and have them watch a percentage of the films and grade them.
One of the things we do different. I want my screeners to take their jobs seriously. I don’t drop 100s of hours of film on them. They may watch 15 to 20 hours of film over 2 months. It’s not their job. The pre-screening committee and myself do nominations in a whole bunch of categories and we actually do them. Speaking of Film Freeway there are lots of scam festivals that will take your money. It may only be a $5 entry fee but they aren’t really watching your film and then you get an award for Best Costume Design and you’re like huh?
How has marketing the First Glance Film Festival changed?
One of the things I’ve always realized was we are not a huge film festival. We are a weekend independent film festival. Social media has been huge for us. I’ve learned how to use social media quite well including Twitter and Facebook. It’s not only how we cultivate filmmakers but we also teach them how to market. If you ask any of our alumni filmmakers, from the time of acceptance we will get to them and say here’s some of the things you need to do to market your film. People aren’t going to come to your film if they don’t know it exists. I want to educate people. A lot of filmmakers aren’t very good at marketing.
My goal when I was a filmmaker was I yes I want to have a film festival, I want to show my film but I want as many people to see it as possible. How do I make that happen? Before the internet the only way you could do that was call or invite people, make flyers or postcards. What I did was as I was learning Facebook and Twitter I would create a Facebook event and invite everyone. It was us working really hard doing it ourselves.
As we started to grow I knew if I could educate the filmmakers to use Twitter 1/10th as well as I do then they’ll be able to promote. Even if they can’t get people to First Glance if that’s their first showing, by the time they finish their festival circuit they’ll have full rooms and will have their audience. It’s one of the few ways you can build an audience without really spending. You have to spend time but you can build an audience.
When I came up with the idea #SupportIndieFilm hashtag this is when I noticed hashtags were sort of came into being. I noticed big companies like Pepsi using it. I need something to bring the community together to understand indie film is not the kind of indie film Hollywood is talking about made for $25 million and distributed by Sony Classics. LaLa Land is not an independent film.
We threw the hashtag out there and used it every single day. We have thousands of followers that have tagged #SupportIndieFilm in their profiles that use it every day. On average #SupportIndieFilm reaches 15 to 25 million people a day. In the last couple of years I’ve noticed big names starting to use it and companies starting to notice. I think we are on the cusp of something happening. There’s a lot of true indie filmmakers that are making them for $100k to $200k that would sell it to break even. These big giant 20 screen multiplexes and walk in any day and only find 5 people. If these megaplexes would open up one of their screens to someone like me I could put a new project on their screen every day.
What do you look for when screening independent film submissions?
Look at our alumni films on YouTube and watch the trailers. You’ll see a wide variety of content across genres. I’ve always been someone that enjoys all types of entertainment. I look at things for the production value, acting, sound, cinematography. A lot of people will ask if only accept film shot in a certain medium and it’s not about that. It’s about the storytelling. It could be shot on an iPhone and if the story is good and the acting is good and the sound is decent then there is no real criteria other than will an audience enjoy this film in some way. Will you laugh, will you cry, is this a great short film or cutest animation I’ve seen. Is this web series different or original?
When you have a finite amount of time to program it’s hard. I don’t think a lot of people have the knowledge I have. Watching the amount of film I have, I have an eye for it now. I get it, every filmmaker wants to be in a film festival. That’s why film festivals keep popping up left and right. Eventually your film will end up somewhere. Will it end up in First Glance? I don’t know. It depends on the other entries that come in and do we have the time? If it’s a 7 minute short film, it may be a better opportunity. If it’s a 109 minute feature film, it better be good. When we screen, we never screen just one film. We screen a program.
Do you see any trends in film festival submissions?
It’s cyclical. Because technology has made things easier and affordable, I think we are seeing more SciFi and Horror. We are seeing things that are extraordinarily topical. Back in the day when you would shoot on film and edit, if it’s an indie film it could be 2 to 3 years old before it went to festival. We are finding a lot of interesting voices and filmmaking. People are using all types of instruments to shoot.
We even get people who say they’d like to show their Virtual Reality film at the festival and we don’t have the capability to make that happen yet. The theater we are in isn’t going to be able to provide 200 headsets. We tried to do 3D a few years ago and it just didn’t pan out. It’s a hard process and I think VR is in that same position. I couldn’t even watch that Hardcore Henry that came out a few years ago.
Every year it changes depending on the mood of the country. It’s interesting to me. The genre stuff is great and the production value seems amazing and they’ll go after the production value and special fx but the acting is subpar. As a filmmaker and festival director, one of the main things they should look at is getting the right actors before they shoot. If you have to postpone a bit, unless your grandmother is Jane Fonda don’t cast your grandmother in your movie. I understand with time and money but with the magic of editing, you don’t have to shoot grandma at the same time.
I think the trend is also people want to use the most high tech cameras and that doesn’t matter either. I’m looking at the story and I don’t mind if it’s gritty when it calls for it. I’m not dead set on a certain criteria for anything. I can pretty much enjoy anything. If it gets by me it goes to the screeners for the nominations and we go from there. As a backup we usually do a short online contest that runs for 30 days to give the opportunity to other filmmakers and the winner premiers at the next First Glance Film Festival.
Cinematographer, Valentina Caniglia has worked on over 60 film productions, documentaries, music videos commercial work and more. She is known for her work on the film “The Stand” where her astonishing lighting and camera work caught the attention of American Cinematographer magazine which featured an exclusive article in March 2017 issue.
As a DP (Director of Photography). Valentina is the real deal and brings her positive attitude to her work and life. We discussed the challenges of shooting on location in Palestine to being snowed in in New Jersey. Her eye for coloring and lighting are what makes Valentina’s work unique and why she’s won so many awards. As a female cinematographer her journey to success has not be so easy.
“Pomegranates and Myrrh” winner of the Golden Dagger for Best Cinematography, premiered in USA at Sundance film Festival and received the Audience Award at Doha Tribeca Film Festival handed out by Robert De Niro. “Madeline’s Oil” was the winner of the Best Cinematography award at the Louisiana International Film festival.
“I always adapt at filming each project with versatile visual style that best translates each story’s unique concept into breathtaking moving images that unravel the characters’ state of mind throughout the progression of the storytelling. Cinematography represents a concept of beauty that stands beyond the aesthetic aspects, something more intense that supports, follows and enhances the story where the camera can capture and show the transparency and the awareness of visuals drawn by the emotions.” – Valentina Caniglia
Where did you catch the filmmaking bug?
In reality, my father wanted to be a Director so I took a lot of inspiration from him. Then I realized his dream became mine.
Is film school in Italy difficult to get accepted to?
I didn’t go to film school in Italy. I came to New York after London and majored in film at New York University.
What filmmakers inspire you?
I think it was mostly paintings coming from a country where art is important. There was a lot of influence when I saw these paintings in Italy and all over Europe. I realized I wanted to be a cinematography because I wanted to work with lighting. I wanted to recreate what these artists were doing on the canvas.
How did the film Blindness include your love of art?
Blindness was interesting because it was about a woman who was losing her sight. We had to tell the story with visuals and not many words. The camera was capturing what she was seeing but not very well. It was a long journey because I had to see beyond what we see normally. What I said to the director was sometimes what you don’t see is more powerful than what you do.
I like European film because isn’t a lot of dialogue and there’s more visuals. It’s also nice to see how independent films are being done in the United States as well.
What is your relationship with the lighting crew?
When I decided I wanted to be a DP (director of photography) I made a point to meet all the lighting rental businesses and owners. I knew I really cared about lighting so I wanted to explore how I could get them to give me what I needed and also new equipment that’s becoming available.
It’s also important to say you don’t need a lot of light, you just need the right light to make it work.
How much interaction do you have with the director on set?
We do a lot in pre-production where the director will tell me what he or she wants in terms of mood and movements. I anticipate and interpret what they want while reading the script and translate the words into visuals. I write my notes and compare each scene and character. Sometimes I give each character a color to identify them because I see their personality.
It’s a visual way to tell the story and the director how I see it. During pre-production they have the final say and that’s when they’ll let me know if they like my idea or maybe need to go another way. It’s important to listen to what the director wants.
How important is still photography for setting up your film shoot?
It’s actually very important because I like to capture the moment. Things may look very well lit but sometimes I just observe what’s around me and I just snap it. It depends on the situation as well. If I shoot a documentary I like go and explore right in the moment. To be honest, I’m coming from a culture where everything can be done in the moment and I’m not afraid of that. Basically we live day by day and I like to take this approach to film as well.
Maybe in that moment even though you do a lot of pre-production, it may not work the way you and the director thought. You have to be ready to have a plan B, plan C, and plan D as well. Maybe the actor doesn’t want to do certain things so you just have to come up with an idea.
I shot a movie in Palenstine behind the wall. In a place like that where theres a lot of bombing, I realized to get the story out there you have to think in the moment.
What was the most challenging shoot you had to film?
Every shoot you do is not really difficult because you love what you do. One of the most challenging was definitely another Palestinian film. Not because of the crew but because of the situation. I shot a movie in Italy that was complicated because we shot in Sicily and difficult to get to the location. I shot another movie all in New York called Without Grace that just opened. It was a small crew with an emmy nominated actress Ann Dowd. We shot in Jersey during the winter and it snowed like crazy and couldn’t move it so we were blocked in the apartment we were shooting in. We had to just stop and go home and come back in two days because we couldn’t put up lights or do anything
I always translate the worst into the best. It’s survival. You have a lot of support and never give up because you want to make something good. Even if you have a big budget, it’s not going to be any easier. The producer may be afraid to take more risks.
What award did Madeline’s Oil win at the Louisiana Film Festival?
Madeline’s Oil was a period piece about slavery and racial discrimination. I loved it because we shot all over the fields and in the mud and every swamp in Louisiana after the hurricane. In that moment you will see people were all united including the actors. It’s challenging because you really have to deal with what you have at that time even though we had a bigger budget. The film won Best Cinematography at the Louisiana Film Festival. I’m very happy about it and love Louisiana.
I actually shot another film in Louisiana called The Stand. It was interesting because it was all shot on a bus and there was a terrorist attack with Christians and Muslims all together. They had to make it look like they were all the same people. We shot in Louisiana where it was supposed to look like West Africa. Big fields with dirt roads. I really relied on natural light and worked a lot with mirrors.
I say it was easy but it really was not. Buses are wider in the United States so I thought I could put up a light but I didn’t count on every seat being occupied. I couldn’t put up any light whatsoever and the windows were small. I actually put the mirror on the ceiling creating triangles of light using what I had.
You have to worry when you see the faces of your Gapher, your Key Grip and First AC go pale and they don’t actually know how to tell you the problem. When you see that you start to see there is a problem.
What challenges did you face breaking into the industry?
As a woman cinematographer it’s difficult to break in because especially when I started in 1998, I was one of the few DP’s around. Every time I was on set I was the only woman on set. I had discrimination but I didn’t have much because I also had a lot of people that believed in me and supported me. I’m bothered by women who don’t support each other as men do.
I used to have a big shirt over my shoulder but I’m a boxer and they didn’t know. A lot of women would start to panic wondering if I could do it. If you train it’s not about the strength it’s about the power you have from your legs as well.
What is your go to camera?
I think it really depends on the project. I can’t always say I want to use a particular camera. I do prefer the Alexa. My work is not all the same. Every story calls for a different cinematography style. You have to go with the story. You can use any camera really, it’s about the story.
I shot a TV pilot with Joseph Sikora. I thought I wanted to shoot with an Alexa but I did some tests and showed the director how it looked with a Red anamorphic lense and we just liked that much better.
What is your new film Amytal Therapy about?
The short film I just directed and DP called The Amytal Therapy. It’s about a woman who has a double identity looking for the murderer of a companion.
She’s a psychiatrist, living in New York that spies on her own patients, though the security cameras she’s personally installed in their homes. She knows what they do. She knows what they want. She knows how to stop them.
The good thing is if I wanted to put someone in the darkness I didn’t have to turn around and ask someone. The bad thing is I didn’t have a companion. I really did miss the collaboration between directory and cinematographer though. It’s amazing because you have someone who covers your back. I think my next move I want to continue to be a DP (Director of Photography).
Director, writer, producer, cinematographer this week’s guest has done it all. Dimi Nakov is a filmmaker’s filmmaker. This New Zealander is making a big splash in the indie film community. Dimi is a multi award winning filmmaker with a diverse body of work.
Talking to Dimi couldn’t have been a better way to kick off our next season of interviews. He runs a popular Facebook group called the FilmMakers Generation Next. He’s filled with tons of inspiration. We talked about mental health and film making and his body of work that started in music videos. We hope you enjoy the interview with Dimi as much as we did and learn more about seizing your opportunities for yourself. Listen for free or read the show notes below.
Where did your passion for filmmaking come from?
I didn’t realize it until later but I got involved with photographer when I was young. My grandfather was a mathematics teacher but also conducted photography workshops for his older students. I studied with him for 1 or 2 years sneaking into his workshops during the early 1990’s. Photography was still manual and gave me a Zenit camera that belonged to my dad.
I used to take photos of my sister and brother and process them in the dark room. What was amazing that you don’t see with digital, just like animation the photo paper starts changing color and becomes this picture I took months ago. It’s unreal. Those experiences stuck with me.
Photograhy didn’t stick and I went on to appreciate movies with Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris and when I moved to New Zealand I studied film and television at the University of Auckland. 2 years I didn’t even finish the undergrad degree. I was a B student and to graduate with a degree you have to have better marks. I have trouble reading big passages and was much more prone to read things like comics.
After that I decided to go to South Seas Film & Television School where I had to choose between documentaries and drama. I chose documentary because it fit with my personality and I’m able to get my subjects to relax and open up with conversation.
How did you transition to music videos?
Before I moved to Czech Republic I was a DJ in Bulgaria for years. I love music. I’m not a musician but I love rhythm and music. When I was in New Zealand and finished school doing odd jobs as a production assistant or cable operator I decided to do music videos because they are fun and quick to produce. If the rhythm of the music grabs me most times I’ll be willing to do it for free. Plus it helped build my portfolio with diverse work.
Where did the idea for FilmMakers Generartion Next (FGN Inc.) Come From?
I finished film school in late 2008 and I didn’t know anybody except my classmates so I created a group to keep in touch. My idea was that there was always going to be a next generation of filmmakers. Almost a decade later it’s probably one of the top 5 independent film making groups on Facebook with almost 40k members.
FGN Inc Mission Statement: We Support EQUALITY, DIVERSITY & MENTAL HEALTH in Film/TV Industry & Beyond. ?#SupportIndieFilm FOR A POSITIVE FUTURE. Changing The World One Message At a Time.
How did you develop your mission statement for FGN Inc?
That wasn’t the idea from the start. It only happened only in the last year and a half. I was going through a rough patch personally, some projects were just stuck and I know that I’m capable of more and nothing was happening. Some people may think this message is overstated but it’s very important, especially for mental health.
Mental health is the first thing that will determine your level of creativity and productivity. If your mental health declines, creativity and productivity declines. It’s equation doesn’t break or lie. It’s something that determines our quality of life personally and professionally. Originally I started collecting quotes to motivate myself, to not get into the dangerous wheel of self-doubt and fear which is suffocating and difficult to get out of.
The quotes started piling up after a year and a half I decided to create an Instagram account to only post quotes. That was the kickstart to creating the blog that’s for a positive future. Only quotes was good but it’s not enough.
I wasn’t a prolific writer and reader so I always had that fear that my writing wasn’t good enough. In my early stages I only directed and produced. Even if the story was by me, somebody else wrote because I thought it just wouldn’t be good enough, or laughable. I decided to find somebody and get together to start writing because there are so many ideas I have especially in the topic of SciFi where I want to explore the human condition , the technology that surrounds us. The good and the bad side of the interactions with that technology and artificial intelligence.
I’m a director and want to pursue directing first and foremost. I teamed up with another passionate storyteller and actress Jean M. Who also felt she wanted to develop her screenwriting skills while pursuing acting. So together we started pushing each other forward. Like anything in life there is no straight path. We want to master the writing in a genre that we feel passionate about which will ensure our longevity in producing when we are not getting paid for it.
What is the system of writing you developed?
As an exercise we take existing intellectual property, Spiderman for example, where you take the main characters and what they do, the genre and a brief synopsis. Then you take it all and flip it upside down. If it’s a male character you make them female. If the character is younger you make them older. If it’s SciFi you make it a horror or a comedy. When we are turning projects upside down like we try to choose project we can turn into a SciFi. We generate ideas this way and determine which ones we want to make and work on it for a few months without even chasing a page count.
To make it even more interesting, I go on my cell phone on IMDB and pick a list of movies. I scroll down and just push my finger and choose where it stops just like Wheel of Fortune. We have over 20 ideas at the moment. Ideas are everywhere around us and you just have to seize the opportunity.
That’s another reason I created FGN, because I was asking for opportunities from others and I wasn’t creating them myself. I decided to create opportunities for myself and stop asking for permission or waiting for somebody else to see the potential in me. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t ask or be shy about. There’s so many talented people out there willing to help but you shouldn’t be waiting for it.
What was your experience at the Cannes Film Festival like?
Blind Side was a short film that depicts mental and physical abuse that happens behind closed doors in middle class environments. A young girl and her mom who is divorced finds a new man in her life that is sinister and bad. That’s where things start to go wrong and there’s nothing anyone can do unless the victim finds a way to speak out. Mental and physical abuse victims think they will be able to fix the problem before they may speak because they fear embarrassment or worse.
We created the film that was accepted to Cannes Film Festival. I was lucky enough to have friends and family that helped me get there for the duration of the festival. I know there wouldn’t be many options at that stage of my career. It was surreal seeing all the filmmakers and
I came home with many business cards and pamphlets and attended all the workshops. A few months before, you need to start communicating with people setting up meetings and workshops. I was busy every day from morning until night. I didn’t have time to party at all.
What is your movie ARA about ?
ARA is a very interesting project. Actually I started writing in 2012 and shooting some footage in 2013 with no budget. I tried to finish it in post-production but there are a lot of VFX. We are now looking for ways to get it finished. I encourage film makers not to listen to the little fears in the back of their mind.
I really believe in the story. A smart film maker would not make a feature with so many VFX as their first feature. Obviously I’m not one of those smart film makers so that’s why I’m stuck with it?
How do you feel about AR in film making?
You can imagine how I feel what I was thinking to be in the movie is actually happening 4 years later. We can feel these things and are very lucky. Imagination is one of the perks we have as a species. All of us have the talent of creativity and storytelling. It’s just nurturing it.
