Archives October 2017

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.

Watch Halloween Directed by Rob Zombie

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3elMmW5i1tI

BONUS! Watch our Short Horror Film TWiSTED

 

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.

Watch Cupids on Amazon

Cupids Short Film Cast & Crew

• Director: Angelo Calarco
• Writer: Nick Grills
• Starring Jenny Delisle, Tiernan Douieb, Michelle Fahrenheim & Daniel Knight
• Logline: Two cupids must team up to face one of the greatest challenges of modern times: getting two strangers to talk to each other!

Interview Highlights with Angelo Calarco

Angelo’s Background

• Angelo moved to London specifically to learn how to read and write English to gain an international audience.
• He was writing scripts before making films until he opened his own production company.
• After 10 years of stand-up comedy, filmmaking has always been the end goal of his artistic dreams.
• Angelo’s idols include comedic filmmakers Mel Brooks and Woody Allen.

Producing Cupids The Short Film

• Angelo contacted writer Nick Grills after originally hearing the idea 3 years prior at a script writing meeting.
• The script was still available and they adapted the script to Angelo’s point of view and went from there
• “I respect so much the work of a writer and I didn’t want to make big changes.”

Directing Cupids – The Challenge

• The story was written as a very static scene.
• The dialogue rotates around the table with 4 characters that speak a lot.
• Most of the comedy comes from the dialogue and the problem was how to make it visually interesting.
• Angelo studied the genre of the film including comedy and fantasy.
• Using cinematography and sound, Angelo created two worlds in the same place.
• Jumping between the two worlds is what makes the scene dynamic.

Look for Cupids at the Gold Coast Film Festival November 11^th at 4:30pm EST

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?

• Watch This is Meg on Amazon
• 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.

What did you shoot This is Meg on?

• Blackmagic Cinema 2.5k https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/855879-REG/Blackmagic_Design_BMD_CINECAM26KEF_Cinema_Camera.html
• Mastered in 1080p (you do not need to master in 4k)
• Edited on Davinci Resolve https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/

Indie Film Hustle Episode Recommendations

• Making a Micro Budget Film That Cracks iTunes’s Top 3 with Julian Galea
• Watch Love to Paradise on Amazon
• How to Make 250K Indie Film Look Like $25 Million Blockbuster with Gaelan Connell
• Watch Blood Sand and Gold on Amazon

Watch The Director’s Series on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtBderQpMjs&list=PLHw-MoPtkleeOcuaZAXVNHOh5M5EfWLaW

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.

Keep up with Brimstone on Twitter @entrancetohell and look for him as Hagar in our upcoming web series Seymour the Unfortunate Vampire.

Brimstone Interview Highlights:

The Long Island Music Scene (2m55s)

• 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.
• Brimstone recommends iCarly.

Brimstone the Wrestler (12m50s)

• 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

 Catch up with Brimstone: 2017 – Appearances

 

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.

Submit Your Film to First Glance Film Festival: http://firstglancefilms.com

Follow First Glance Films on Twitter: http://twitter.com/firstglancefilm

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?

Don’t Miss The First Glance Filmmaker Roundtable with Dave Bullis

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.