Coming out of the Indy Filmmaking Closet

Damn it! I’m trying to get blogging going. We’re moving towards launching our Kickstarter campaign to fund our next film, EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL IS FAR AWAY. Okay, so we’re trying to make this filmmaking experience interactive. Meaning, we’re letting people both observe and participate in our process of making a movie.  [Speaking of interaction, please vote for your favorite Callers, movie poster, to help us decide.]

Just to let you know, one of my big concerns in life is closing what I call the loop in independent filmmaking. Meaning, I’ve worked for many years making films, both experimental and more traditional feature films and I know how to make movies. I’ve even figured out ways to fund my own films through developing land in Taos, NM. But, to be truthful I haven’t found a way to consistently get my films out into the marketing distribution arena’s and really make my money back on each film. I’m part of what I describe as the gladiator school of indy filmmaking. Now what does this mean you may ask yourselves? It means that almost all independent filmmakers slave away to make their films, but when it comes time to get them out into the world of marketing/distribution/exhibition it turns into a frustrating morass of what I call “Alice’s Tea Party”. But, I’m getting off the gladiator metaphor. It’s also like being a slave/gladiator. If you don’t get the ‘home run’ deal where a mini-major distributor comes in and buys your movie outright and gives you some significant money up front, you then fall into what I call the ‘shark pool’ of distribution. Meaning, all the second level distributor’s expect you to throw your film into the distribution/gladiator’s arena and good luck ever seeing a penny from them after they sign you up. If you are a filmmaker who’s run into this problem please respond to this blog. I’m toying with putting together my own distribution company. Possibly a co-op type of deal. I mean it feels like all of us with films are frustrated with how the hell do you not only get your film seen in the marketplace, but how do you make your money back on it?

So, let me ramble about my marketing experiences…I have a significant mini-library of films I’ve made over the past 35 years (god I hate admitting how long I’ve been hacking at films). I have a few mini-cults of fans for different films I’ve done. Within the English Literature crowd, I’m somewhat known for <a href=”http://www.taoslandandfilm.com/independent-films/Good-Country-People-Flannery-O-Connor-film-adaptation”>adapting Flannery O’Connor’s short story GOOD COUNTRY PEOPLE</a>. Some people will think this is the best work I’ve done. And some professor’s within the university literature community consider this film the best adaptation of a short story they’ve seen. My frail ego wants to say it is probably the best adaptation of any of Flannery O’Connors works and that would include John Huston’s WISE BLOOD. Here’s a clip from Good Country People on our YouTube channel and hopefully Paul has put up some of the old reviews. [Paul: No. Not yet Jeff. Shooting to have GCP page by eod.] I recently was invited to a Flannery O’Connor Conference in Milledgeville, GA to show GCP and talk about the making of the movie. Hopefully, we’ll put up a clip of my rambling about the details of making this film.

This blogging makes me feel like Philip K. Dick writing his epic elegy diatribe. So, I’m gong to stop here and break up these blogs into things that are shorter than novello’s.