Filmmaker Christopher Grimes

Christopher Grimes and Leigh Cavich-Grimes started 5414 Productions in 2008 with the goal of building a small, independent production company focused exclusively on documentaries that deal with complex issues in public policy from both a macro and micro perspective.  5414 Productions is co-located in Chicago and Washington D.C.

With experience in both government and politics as well as a Master's degree in Public Policy & Administration from Northwestern University, Christopher brings a unique set of real world and research skills to his directorial debut, A Second Knock at the Door, 5414 Productions' first feature-length documentary.





What is the current project you are working on?

A. 

A couple of months ago we completed our production company's first feature-length documentary, "A Second Knock at the Door."  I have been working on ASKATD for over two years and it tells the story of military families dealing with the loss of loved ones to friendly fire.  This documentary explores several key incidents in which the families of the fallen were forced to embark on a quest for the truth after the Army attempted to bury the true cause of death within the "fog of war."

For ASKATD we travelled the United States talking with the families of soldiers killed by friendly fire, military experts at the US Army War College, and members of the press including Barton Gellman, Contributing Editor at Large of Time magazine.  The documentary is going to premiere at Vegas CineFest this August and then we plan on having a robust screening schedule across the United States this fall and winter.

Did you always want to be a filmmaker?

A.

I have always been fascinated with the complexity and relationship of public policy, government, and the general public.  While I did participate in some filmmaking endeavors (screenwriting & producing) in my early 20s, I ultimately decided to focus on teaching political science and history at community colleges and working on political campaigns.  It did not take me long to realize what I most enjoyed about teaching was making public policy, through the use of real world examples, interesting to 18 year olds.  Ultimately that discovery lead me back to documentary filmmaking.  At the end of the day, a good doc is bringing public policy to life for a much broader audience and if I kept 18 year olds interested for two+ hours, I figured I had the ability to make a decent film.

What inspired you to become filmmaker?

A.

Basically two people.  The first was Joe Reno.  He has been involved in the filmmaking game for 20+ years and encouraged me in the early 2000s to join him on a few projects and then ultimately helped convince me to take on the challenge of turning a Master's thesis on friendly fire into a feature-length documentary.  Joe is a Producer on ASKATD and has always been available for advice, opinions, and support right from the beginning of the process.

The second is Charles Ferguson, director of both "No End in Sight" and "Inside Job."  While I have never met Mr. Ferguson, I loved both of his documentaries and respect his journey from professor to director.  When I saw the outstanding job he did with "No End in Sight," it gave me the confidence to take on the same challenge.  While I would never compare myself to him, he is producing work that not only inspires, but also convinces me that the public is interested in complex examinations of topics related to public policy.

What is the best thing about being one?

A.

The creative process.  A film is self-contained.  You basically see the whole path of life from birth until the end when you take on the challenge of making a film.  At the beginning of the process, I think you have certain expectations of where you will end, but you really have no idea.  This is especially true with documentaries.  You will get certain people that will agree to sit down with you and you will be disappointed that some will not.  Some interviews will go well and some will not.  Ultimately, all of these things mean you are forced to be flexible and more importantly creative.  I really enjoy that part of the process.  We are just beginning the research into a new project and it is so exciting to start down a road in which we have now idea were where we will end up.

What is the worst thing about being one?

A.

You may hear this a lot, but the hardest thing for me is raising the money for a project.  Most of our projects require a good bit of travel and that can get expensive, but I think if you really believe in a project and people are convinced that you will see it through to the end, it really is not as hard as people may think.

In terms of making a documentary, money can never be the excuse for NOT getting in the game.  You may not be able to travel the country for interviews, but interesting people and topics are all around you.  Everyone has a story to tell, so find a topic with a local flavor, put an ad in Craigslist for a person with a decent camera that is looking for experience (thus will work for free), set up some interviews, and start making a documentary.  Everything will probably go wrong the first time, but who cares, you are learning the process and the next one will be the big break!

In the new world of crowding funding (We raised over $6000 for post-production expenses on ASKATD), you have even more tools to get you where you want to be.  As an example, check out the crowd-funding campaign that our collaborating partners on ASKATD, Julie Keck and Jessica King (www.kingisafink.com) & Phil Holbrook came up with for their movie, Tilt, on Kickstarter. People will support good projects with creative crowd-funding campaigns, so get started.

What is one piece of advice you can give to someone who also wants to make it in the movie business?

A. 

Collaboration.  When you get in a room with people that you trust and who also believe in the project, it can be an amazing experience.  It is not easy to agree on cutting locations, interviews, or early in the process, whole concepts/ideas, but when you decide to collaborate with other filmmakers you are explicitly trusting their judgement (and they are trusting you) over the course of the process.  As much as you may love an interview, if the rest of the team doesn't really agree, it is probably in your best interests to make the cut.  If you are not willing to trust their judgement then either you are not a very good collaborator or you are working with the wrong people.

What are some of your favorite American films? Foreign films? Television shows?

A.

Since I have been watching a lot of documentaries the past few years…outside of David Simon's superb work on The Wire and Treme, these are my favorites: Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, No End in Sight, When the Levees Broke, Inside Job, Murderball, Capturing the Friedmans, Man on Wire, The Trials of Darryl Hunt, The Fog of War, Lake of Fire, and Spellbound. 

How has social media changed the independent film industry?

A. 

I have a lot of friends involved in independent filmmaking and a few simply refuse to get in the social media game.  I think that it a huge mistake!  Almost any successful career is built on connections and I think this is particularly true with independent films.  In the past, I am not sure that there really existed a "place" where one could find people independent filmmakers across the country.  Social media, and Twitter in particular, has totally changed the dynamics of independent filmmaking.  I think some people fail to realize that connections can move way beyond tweeting each other.  We were introduced to our collaborators on ASKATD, Jessica King and Julie Keck of King is a Fink, on twitter around October of 2010 and in less then a month we are all traveling to Las Vegas for the world premiere of the film!  This was a real, durable, and fantastic connection that ultimately made ASKATD a much better film.  Get involved!  It is well worth the time and effort.

What's your favorite movie quote and why?

A. 

"I coulda been a contender." - On the Waterfront (1954)  The only way to live without regret is to take your shot.  If you want to be a filmmaker then make a damn film.  In my mind it is the only way to really learn the process.

Thanks Chris for doing the interview. I will be sure to spread the word about your film "A Second Knock at the Door."