League Of S.T.EA.M.-Q+A with Nick Baumann and Trip Hope

About the League of S.T.E.A.M.

The League of S.T.E.A.M. is a talented group of artists, performers, and inventors who take their audience back to a time of intrepid adventures, bridging the gap between the supernatural and the scientific; they are monster hunters from the Victorian era. The group is best known for their award-winning web series The Adventures of the League of S.T.E.A.M., which chronicles the group’s comedic monster-hunting misadventures. The League of S.T.E.A.M. specializes in interactive entertainment, performing with a fusion of fantastic technology, interactive demonstrations, and theatrical trickery, and their live events showcase a mesmerizing array of fully functional gadgets and props meticulously designed to enchant and entertain audiences of all ages. Their mission is to create unforgettable entertainment, telling their stories through a unique mix of interactive live shows, a popular web series, audio podcasts, and interactive fan club, and more.

Official Web Site: www.leagueofsteam.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LeagueofSTEAM

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/LeagueOfSTEAM

SteamGeeks Podcast: http://www.steamgeekspodcast.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeagueOfSTEAM

Why was the “League of S.T.E.A.M.” created?

Nick: The League was created as a way to focus the creative energy many of us had stored up and needed a project to focus our talents on. The four original creators started a loose idea of the League 4-5 years ago as a costume group for a large Masquerade party. From there we got asked to come other parties and eventually started getting hired to entertain crowds at various events. Other friends from various parts of my life then joined and we grew from there and began to focus our ideas in actual shows and then the web series!

Trip: The League of S.T.E.A.M. has always been a passion project. It was created by artists who wanted to create awesome costumes for an amazing masquerade ball in Hollywood called The Labyrinth of Jareth. Our founders, Nick Baumann, Robin Blackburn, and James Lavrakas, along with others – had the idea to attend this big event as steampunk ghostbusters. The men went with ghosts hunting packs fashioned in a steampunk homage to The Ghostbusters proton packs and the ladies of the group went in historically accurate Rococo & Victorian style glowing etherial ball gowns. The spectacle was a huge hit at Labyrinth and The League of S.T.E.A.M. was born. We started getting requests to dress up for events. Many of us are in the entertainment industry, so expanding into a web series and an entertainment troupe that does live shows was an organic process for us.

What is the casting process like?

Nick: We have so many options to explore and stories to tell with our current 11 characters that the League itself is not adding characters at this time. However for our web series, either we write certain parts for friends and actors we know would be great for the part or we find actor friends that we think will fit a part well.

Trip: The casting process for The League of S.T.E.A.M. itself was a group of creative friends and artists joining together. We feel very fortunate that within our group we’ve got professional prop fabricators, costumers, leather workers, craftsmen, sculptors and filmmakers. We were truly blessed in how we just came together with a shared love for steampunk and outrageously fun projects.

As far as casting for the web series goes, any cast member outside of The League are usually friends, acquaintances, or people within the steampunk and geek-centric community. We were very fortunate to have connections with Doug Jones (Hellboy, Falling Skies), Grant Imahara (Mythbusters), Robin Thorsen (The Guild) and Lisa Foiles (All That), all of whom guest starred in Season 2. We also had an open casting call for many cameo roles – we sent this out to the steampunk community and our friends and fans. More than 75 of them can be seen in our episodes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oBWgbDrGmo

What was it like working with Panic At The Disco?

Nick: Pretty cool! They are a great group of guys, super friendly and very talented. The production crew they work with is top-notch and very professional and run a great efficient set.

Trip: An absolute pleasure!

What is the key to a successful Kickstarter campaign?

Trip: Getting friends, family, and community involved. Generally your Kickstarter campaign is only going to be as successful as the community you can reach out to – unless you’re incredibly fortunate enough to have a product that has instant mass appeal. We’ve tried to enlist all our fans and the steampunk community. We’ve encouraged them to share on social media and to donate. We’ve asked all our steampunk artist & musician friends to donate awesome rewards. And rewards are important. You want to make your backers feel like not only are they contributing to a cool project, but they are going to get something tangible that they will enjoy. I also think it’s cool to offer your backers exclusive behind-the-scenes content that no one else will get to see…and that’s what we’re offering. Even if someone only donates $1, they’ll get to see what we’re up to as we create Season 3.

How is season 3 going to be different?

Trip: Season 3 will have new adventures, new story lines, it will introduce new characters and monsters, there will be cool new gadgets and costumes, new locations – we hope to really raise the bar across the board!

How do the live shows differ from the web series and podcasts?

Nick: Podcast is very casual just us as the real people and artist chatting. The web series is the stories of the characters on their adventures and within their world. Live shows give the audience a chance to interact with the League and learn up close and personal about the gadgets and gear - see, touch and feel them work! We have various live shows we can do, some are stage shows the audience can watch and come on stage and join in but my favorite is when we are down in and interacting with the audience in our walk around bits. We can wander the crowd and get into all sorts of shenanigans!



Trip: Live shows bring the audience into our world! They get to interact with our monster hunting gadgets, our cast, and sometimes even the monsters! We bring people up on stage to act out their favorite monsters and they can experience getting caught with our net gun. We shock willing ‘victims’ with our shock prod, which is powered by baby electric eels. We do fun and exciting skits – such as a Tesla vs. Edison boxing match – to determine who is the king of electricity.

What’s been the most interesting fan interaction?

Nick: Well…one of my favorite was last year at the World Steam Expo. A man and his family visited for the first time to any Steampunk event - they had not even dressed up yet…to be honest, it was Dad's birthday and I think the family liked Steampunk but mostly all went along to the Expo for the Dad. In any case, he was super excited to run into me in the vendor hall and proceeded to shout out, loudly, all weekend, every time he saw us, “How excited am I!”, “It's the League of STEAM!”…it was very cute, something you might expect from a child, he was filled with that child like wonder and delight, it was very genuine! That night at a big dance party we hoisted him up in the air in a chair and sung and danced with him for his birthday…that was memorable.

Trip: We’ve had a lot & I think the coolest interactions have been when we meet our fans and they become our friends at conventions. However, we did recently have a fun experience with a fan at Dragon Con who we brought up on stage to act out his favorite monster. He was dressed up as The Joker and began preaching like an corrupt televangelist – he had the entire audience in an uproar of laughter & we netted him and had to drag him off stage. He was quite hilarious!

Describe each League member in one word?

Trip:

Nick Baumann – (Crackitus Potts) – Madcap-Genius

Robin Blackburn – (Lady Ameliorette Potts) – Empathic

Sheyne Fleisher – (Ellie Copperbottom) – Social-Butterfly

Glenn Freund – (Coyote) – Jack-of-all-Trades

Andrew Fogel – (Baron von Fogel) – Master-of-Details

Trip Hope – (Albert Able, Esq./Executive Producer) – Friendly-Workaholic

Russell Isler – (Thaddeus / Zed, The Zombie Butler) – Brewmaster

Duane Matthews – (Jasper Mooney) – Wise-Wordsmith

Katherine Walsh – (Katherine Blackmore) – Crafty

Conrad Wright Jr – (Sir Conrad Wright III) – Lovable-Goof-ball

Is there anything you’d like to add?

Trip: We LOVE you for donating to our cause & we’re grateful to you for being an Associate Producer!

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A Message from The League of S.T.E.A.M. -

Our Kickstarter project is OVER! Thanks to your generous contributions of fans, friends, and family - we raised $30,842 - 123% of our goal, and enough to let us bring you more of our monster hunting adventures, including a musical episode AND a rock monster!

To everyone who donated, shared the link, or offered us encouragement - THANK YOU! We couldn't do this without your help, and we're eternally grateful for your support.

You can check out the kickstarter project for Season 3 here:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/leagueofsteam/adventures-of-the-league-of-steam-season-three

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Thanks so much for doing the interview Nick and Trip. I look forward to season 3. I hope the league comes to Boston at some point. I'd LOVE to see a live show.

Actor/Director Lee Wilkof

Lee Wilkof was born and raised in Canton, Ohio and attended The University of Cincinnati. He originated the roles of Sam Byck in Assassins and Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, later earning a Tony Award nomination for the 2000 revival of Kiss Me, Kate. Lee appeared as The Wizard in the San Francisco production of Wicked, a role in which he previously played on the First National Tour of the show, and has appeared in numerous television series (Ally McBeal, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The West Wing, Hart to Hart among many others) and films ( School Of Rock, Private Parts, The Grey Zone, This Boy's Life). Lee currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife, painter Connie Grappo, and their dog Floyd. Their daughter Perrie, a pastry chef, currently resides in Columbus, Ohio.

Please visit www.kickstartLee.com to learn about Lee's latest project "No Pay Nudity"

What is "No Pay Nudity" about?

No Pay Nudity is about Lester Rosenthal, aka Lawrence Rose, middle-aged actor living in New York City. Divorced, and estranged from his daughter and his father, he’s almost finished, both financially and emotionally. He relies on the support of his other actor friends, Herschel, Andrea, and Stephen who face down their own demons with lots of hope, a little alcohol, and tons of humor. On the verge of packing it all in, Lester returns to his hometown in Ohio to play The Fool in King Lear where he reconnects with himself and what’s important to him as a son, a dad, a friend, and an actor.

Why did you decide to make this film?

I decided to make the film because it's a story I know about. Part of it is my desire for an audience to see beyond celebrity and stardom which has poisoned our culture. But what really motivated me was coming to terms myself with what defines success. Winston Churchill defined success as "moving from one disappointment to the next without losing enthusiasm."

What was the casting process like?

My casting process was calling up my friends, or if I didn't know a particular actor, finding someone who did and sending the script to them. Whenever we went through an agent, we never heard from them again. A film like ours, with a small budget has no incentive for an agent. But if we got the script into the actor's hand, they always responded positively, always with tremendous enthusiasm, because actors relate to our script, regardless of where they are in their careers. Because it's about yearning. All actors yearn. Everybody yearns.

Why did you choose Kickstarter to finance the film?

I hired a lawyer, created an LLC, and put together a business plan hoping to get investors for our film. Frankly, very few folks responded. Maybe because I'm a first time director. Kickstarter was getting a lot of attention and i like the idea of it, and decided to try it that way. I'm deep into it, and find it an emotional roller coaster, but incredibly exhilarating, and am extremely moved by friends' and strangers' incredible generosity.

How will your background as an actor help you as a director for "No Pay Nudity"?

I've been on film sets, and television sets for nearly 40 years. I'm comfortable in that environment. I am extremely collaborative and realize i have serious limitations when it comes to the technical aspects of filmmaking. So I will rely on a strong crew. But i feel very comfortable talking to actors and have fairly good communication skills. That's where my experience as an actor will be very valuable.

Has Broadway changed over the years?

Broadway has changed along with our culture. Spectacle shows are more popular. And a show without a "star" is almost unheard of. Often these stars come from television or film, and often these stars have very little stage experience. That's the biggest change I've seen. Also audiences have changed. Theater to a lot of people is like a trip to Disneyland. It changes my experience as an actor acting for them.

If you could play any role what would it be?

Specifically I have always wanted to play Tevye in Fiddler on The Roof. Also would like to play Willy Lowman in Death of a Salesman. Love playing lowlifes, hillbillies, outlaws. People on the fringes. love that.

Do you have any advice for aspiring actors or directors?

To the aspiring actor I suggest if one is doing it to become a "star" that's a mistake. Becoming an actor is a process. It deserves work and paying dues and training and then practice. I cant' speak to aspiring directors except to probably do that for the right reasons, because you want to tell a story. It's not about "you," it's about the audience either as an actor or a director.

Do you have any favorite independent films?

I love so many independent films…a few come to mind…Welcome to The Dollhouse, Mean Streets, Stranger Than Paradise…so many directors of note in the late 20th century Martin Scorcese, David Lynch, Todd Solondz, Quentin Tarentino…their early films were independent. Incredibly vital, brave, and unique. I will steal from them if I am fortunate enough to make No Pay, Nudity. I'm not ashamed to admit it.

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Thank you Lee for doing this interview. I wish you all the best with "No Pay Nudity" and future projects.

Practical FX Artist Alec Gillis

Alec Gillis was born in Orange County, California. At the end of a childhood spent devouring sci-fi and special effects movies like the original Planet of the Apes, he found work at Roger Corman's New World Pictures in 1980. There, he worked along side future genre notables such as Gale Anne Hurd, Robert and Dennis Skotak, Rob Bottin and James Cameron. By 1983 he had finished UCLA film school and began working for famed makeup artist Tom Savini on Friday the 13th Part 4: The Final Chapter.

In 1985 he met Creature Legend Stan Winston and worked on Invaders From Mars, Aliens, Predator, Leviathan, and Monster Squad, among others. In 1988, along with Tom Woodruff, Jr. Alec formed Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc. Their first feature film was Tremors, followed by Alien 3 (Oscar nomination), Death Becomes Her (Oscar win), Mortal Kombat, Jumanji, Starship Troopers (Oscar nomination) , The Santa Clause franchise, the Spider-Man franchise, the Alien vs. Predator franchise, Wolverine: Origins, X-Men: First Class, The Thing (2011).

Alec is also a 3 times published author, and his pictorial sci-fi book, which James has called, 'a visual masterpiece', has been optioned by MGM. He has directed numerous short films, Second Units, Creature Units and has written many scripts including the science fiction epic The Seventh Tear, currently in pre-pre-production.

He is the father of 4 daughters and lives in Los Angeles, California.

Why did you create Amalgamated Dynamics Inc?

Tom and I had worked for Stan Winston for a while, and when he decided to direct he stopped taking jobs. His plan was that we'd only work on his movies. That would have been fine if we were really busy, but there just were far less opportunities suddenly, and we were sad not to be working with people like Cameron and Zemeckis anymore. Stan was extremely loyal and he was keeping a handfull of us on payroll despite having no jobs. we thought maybe we'd get off his payroll and strike out on our own.

What is "HARBINGER DOWN" about?

On one level, it's about the crew of an Alaskan trawler trapped with a creature on board. On another level it's about giving fans an experience they felt they didn't get with THE THING (2011). On yet another it's to show the world that Practical FX still have a valid place in modern filmmaking.

Why use practical effects?

There's a tangible, visceral, intimate, tactile quality to practical FX. If you know how to design, build and direct it, it can be unbelievably impactful and emotionally satisfying. It's also 3 to 6 times cheaper than digital. This isn't about wanting to suppress digital FX, it's about standing up for our art form.

How did you get such a great team together?

The crew of ADI has been honed and built over 25 years. The Harbinger Down team of the Skotaks and Pat mcClung are guys I started with at Corman's over 30 years ago. They're guys I looked up to. Guys that taught me a lot of tricks. Taught me an appreciation for in-camera FX. And they're our friends!

What do you want your legacy to be?

There's way too much yet to be done to talk about legacies!

What makes your Kickstarter different from others?

Well, we're not the above-the-line Hollywood bigshots who have lots of traditional options. We're struggling artists. We have an art to save. Hopefully people see something worth saving when they watch the pitch vid.

What are some of the perks of the campaign?

Some of the prizes are blast. The death scene where you get to keep your dead body  We have miniatures for sale, an awesome pice of prop Soviet space wreckage, creatures of various sizes, your own death effect, and of course all the standard stuff like script copies, downloads. Oh, and Lance H. will do a recorded message for you too!

What movies inspired you to make the film?

ALIEN and Carpenter's THE THING. Twin pillars of sci-fi horror!

How does it feel to win an award?

Stan Winston used to call them bowling trophies. Still. being a good bowler is cool!

What's one thing you wish you could tell your younger self?

Lose the center part in the hair. Oh, and don't rely on the studios to make your dreams come true. Savior self!

Will you talk about any shenanigans you've seen while working on a production?

Check out our youtube channel!

A Video's worth 1000 words! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP5Kq4DG0kU&list=UUbhiVDWG8wgg3v9cuH6DqEA&index=6

Is there anything you'd like to add?

Support Harbinger Down! Do it for the monsters!

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Thank You Alec for doing the interview. I wish everybody on the Harbinger Down team all the best.

Filmmakers Ian and Esh Nelms

Writer/ directors Ian and Eshom Nelms are two brothers from California's central valley, who grew up with napalm sunsets and miles of endless farmland. They built raced-out Volkswagens, team-roped with their Dad and on hot summer days, tubed the St John's River. It's this upbringing that inspired the backdrop of their latest feature film, "Lost on Purpose."

What is "Lost On Purpose" about?

It’s really about where we grew up and the people who live there, but this synopsis will probably give people the best sense of what to expect.

“Fueled by gin and pure determination, Elizabeth James struggles to keep her dairy farm from being swallowed up by the region’s domineering co-op. To help with the workload, she’s hired five renegade ranch hands. Together they fight for love, pride, family, and their vanishing way of life.”

What was it like growing up with so much farmland around you?

It was nice, actually.  It’s definitely a slower paced lifestyle, but it really is a place filled with some of the hardest working people on the planet.  Farms and crops are 24/7 jobs, and they’re pretty thankless professions.  We really wanted to highlight that lifestyle and bring some awareness to it!

Why choose to self distribute the film?

There were quite a few reasons, but mainly we wanted to present the film a certain way and the distributors we spoke with wanted to present it in a very different way.  One example: they wanted to put a cast member on the cover who was only in the movie for 3 minutes and act as if she was the lead, because she won an Oscar last year.  We understand it, they’re out to make as much money as possible, and of course money is nice, but we want the film released in the same spirit it was made.  It’s a love letter to our hometown and we want to preserve that integrity.  Changing the title to make it appear in a VOD queue earlier, and slapping faces on the cover to mislead viewers into thinking it’s a different type of film just doesn’t fly with us.

What are the pros and cons of working with your brother?

Lol.  That’s a great question.  Some people can’t work with their siblings, but fortunately we have pretty similar taste.  All of our battles are fought and decided in the writing room.  When we step out to shoot, we’re 99% in sync with what we want to see.  I’d say the biggest pros are that we can bounce ideas off each other and motivate each other.  The biggest cons, maybe that every idea you come up with doesn’t get put into the material, but that’s not always a bad thing.  Some of those ideas were probably crap, and needed to be tossed.  We feel pretty lucky to be able to work together.  When we both like an idea, then we know it’s probably a pretty good one.

Why use Kickstarter?

Kickstarter gave us a unique opportunity to reach out to people and present our ideas and passions for the project. We looked at a few other options, and for us, Kickstarter had the best format.  We like the all or nothing mentality, it definitely parallels making film and art. There’s no half-ass in creating, you can’t fail anyone but yourself, so why should fund-raising be any different.

Why do you think your campaign was successful?

We’d like to think it’s because the film is interesting and exciting, and that people are galvanized by personal stories with a lot of heart.  We’re sure there are quite a few people that feel that way, but we also know plenty of people who just really wanted some cool signed schwag.  Lol.  Honestly, it’s probably a combination of the two.  I think the people who backed us really feel a kinship with the story and us as filmmakers, and want to support a passion project and get some cool rewards in the process.

What was the casting process like?

It was a teeter-totter.  We’d get a cast member, then a little more financing, then back and forth until it was fully cast and funded.  James Lafferty was the first person to come on board.  He read the script and said he was “in.”  We started raising funds the next day.  It was pretty carefully cast.  We really believe that if you get the right person in the roll, then half the work is done, and we can’t say enough about the people we worked with.  They all stepped up to the plate for pennies on the dollar and just swung for the bleachers.

How did you pick your crew for the film?

The key positions were pretty homegrown.  Johnny Derango was a producer on the film and the DP.  We’ve known Johnny for about ten years, and he brought in a great camera, lights, and grip crew.  Michelle Lang was our set producer.  She did a lot of the heavy lifting during production and found a lot of our other key crew members. Our amazing production designer, Nathan Carden, was suggested to us by another filmmaker friend of ours.  Catherine Velosa, costume designer, came from our hometown.  She was a friend of a friend and mainly worked in theatre, and she came on set and just fit like a glove.  My Mom was the caterer, cooking 3 meals a day for 30 people.  It was pretty intense, but by the end we all really felt like a family.

Were there any on set shenanigans?

Sure, I mean, we stuck 5 guys in a house with an endless liquor supply.  It was definitely a recipe for shenanigans.  We wanted to give the guys a real feeling of what it would be like to have a ranch hand lifestyle and they definitely made a go at it.  Lol!

Can you recommend indie films and/or campaigns to check out?

A friend of ours, Dan Prostak, who worked his tail off on “LOST ON PURPOSE” is doing an Inidegogo campaign for his short film, “UNDER A BLACK VEIL,” it’s a psychological thriller.  Very driven, talented guy.  I say definitely check it out!  Overall, personally, we’re really excited about this time in film.  There’s never been a better time to create or release a film on your own.  The production value that can be achieved on a low budget is just astounding, and the ability to reach and deliver a film to an audience has never been more readily at our fingertips.

Is there anything you'd like to add?

The musicians we worked with on the film were just incredible.  Bands, “ALL THE REAL GIRLS” led by Peter Donovan and “LOST ON PURPOSE” (who’s name band leader, Will Vanderwyden, graciously allowed us to borrow for the film) were amazing collaborators.  We wrote scenes to music they’d already created and they wrote songs to scenes we’d written.  It was a very inspirational process.  We’re just fortunate enough to be friends with Peter and Will.  They’re some of the first people we met after moving to Los Angeles, and we’ve been friends and working together ever since.  We’d encourage anyone excited about good music to seek out their other albums and websites.  Such talented guys!

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Thanks for doing the interview guys. I look forward to seeing "Lost On Purpose" when it comes to a theater near me.

Producer Nadia Bassett

Hailing from South Africa, Nadia Bassett married Canadian actor Rick Howland and now lives in Toronto.  With over a decade of experience in running her own event production company TLATSOI (The Long And The Short Of It), her skills translate well in the film industry and Nadia successfully produced her first award winning short, “Underwritten” in 2011.

“Underwritten” was made for the international competition, the 48 Hour Film Project.  As they put it, “A wild and sleepless weekend in which you and a team make a movie - write, shoot, edit and score it - in just 48 hours. On Friday night, you get a character, a prop, a line of dialogue and a genre, all to include in your movie. 48 hours later, the movie must be complete. Then it screens at a local theater the next week.”

Nadia passionately supports the movement to bring PWD (Persons With Disabilities) to the fore in film and television – both behind and in front of the camera.  She believes that stereotyping PWD serves nobody, and she strives to make entertaining and captivating work that present new ways for audiences to think about PWD.  There are wonderfully talented directors, producers, editors, actors, animation artists, etc. that are PWD and anyone who ignores these individuals, is missing a truly special experience – it's a privilege I have had and I cherish. “I want the projects I work on (story, acting and the filmmaking) to be so outstanding that the disability becomes invisible to agents, casting directors, distributors, broadcasters and eventually viewers.  It will be a brave few that support the inclusion of PWD in film and television, but I look forward to sharing the ride with them, one project at a time.”

You can follow Nadia on Twitter @virtuallynormal

What is "Underwritten" about?

In this heartfelt award winning western heist romantic comedy short film, a rich railway owner schools his naive son in insurance when a porter is accidentally kidnapped during a train robbery by an unwitting employee and his persuasive wife. It's a happy ending for all but one.

Th rules and structure of the 48 Hour Film Project meant we had to use four elements provided by the organisers in our film.  It had to be a Western or Musical featuring a character named Chrispian Woods (a Passenger Attendant/Porter) and the mandatory prop was a magnifying glass, and somewhere in the film we had to use the line of dialogue "What's your recommendation?".   Some would think that having to include mandatory elements is too restrictive, but for a competition with a tight turnaround time, it actually provides great boundaries.

Why did you want to do a "48 Hour Film Project"?

For years preceding the making of “Underwritten” Rick and his friends had been talking about making movies, and I had over 15 years of production experience.  So when I arrived in Canada from South Africa, I ambushed them and just signed us up for the competition. It was a “put your money where your mouth is” challenge.

There were many reasons not to do it but I’m a firm believer that in all aspects of life, if you don’t just do it when an opportunity arises, you may never do it and then you have to live with regrets.  We really had nothing to lose except sleep which is overrated anyway.

I also felt strongly that making a film this way would be a make or break experience.  We all thought we wanted to make films and were talented enough to do it, but could we actually?  This competition tests your skills and endurance without the pressure of budget, time and resources so it was an ideal experiment.  And fortunately for us, it was affirming.

What is the independent film scene like where you live?

In Toronto, Canada it’s vibrant! There are many gutsy filmmakers here that are passionate about their art and are finding non-traditional ways to raise funds, rope in friends and get their films made.  I take my hat off to anyone with that drive and resilience.  In South Africa it’s probably even more exciting as even though South African filmmakers face many more challenges, they are able to find ways to and use their initiative to harness the energy of Africa and its peoples to make outstanding films.

What does it feel like when your film wins awards?

It feels really good, and it’s a real motivation for doing more!  I think being recognised by peers and audiences is very important (if not critical) to creative people.  On the other hand, the competitive perfectionist in me cringed at the minor imperfections and although I wanted the overall award and a screening at Cannes, this wasn’t the film that would take us there.  I know that when a film I produce get’s to Cannes, it’ll be the perfect film and the perfect timing.

What's it like to work with Bernie Henry and Stephen Simeon?

Bernie and Stephen are extremely generous and talented people – it was a treat to work with them.

Stephen (our cinematographer) has had many years of experience in photography and also DIY which meant that when he came on board, he naturally built a camera jib right?! Well he did, and it worked – check out the sweet action in our opening shots and the “Oh Boy Pie” scene.  The beautiful lighting in the film was Stephen’s touch, and it has received compliments from professional DOPs.

Bernie (our editor) is a true artist – a musician, an actor, a videographer, a writer and an editor.  Editing is at the tail-end of filmmaking and often carries the most pressure, Bernie handled it, and us, really well even when the power went out and he lost some edits, he regained composure after some choice words, and got straight back on the horse.  It was also great watching him and Anita Beaty work on scoring and editing the film together as they calmly managed to ignore the intensity of the looming deadline.

What's it like working with Rick Howland?

Is that a trick question?   Rick was Underwritten’s co-writer and director and also my husband and best friend.  I knew going in that there were risks to working with family and friends on a project like this, but I honestly believed that we all needed a creative shove and that we were solid enough to withstand the blows.  Rick and I differ which is probably what makes it work so well, he is the vision engine that drives creativity and excites people and I am the analytical risk assessing do-er that makes those sometimes crazy ideas and people all come together.

Rick was really supportive and not a diva at all, he listened and gave input and never took any guidance, suggestions or critique personally.  He worked hard at balancing the director’s vision with the producer’s constraints.

On a personal level, I was impressed by the quality of this film – I thought it would be good, but was really blown away by the quality of the final product.  That success is attributed to everyone involved.

What is the key to a successful "48 Hour Film Project"?

Planning!  I needed to know exactly how the weekend would run so I could plan and put everything in place to make it as enjoyable and stress free as possible which would ultimately give us the best chance of success. My questions were, how long would it take to write a script, what resources would we need, who was available and willing to be on the team, what technical equipment would we need, what risks and challenges would we potentially face, etc.  So the best way was to do some dry runs. We had the production, writing, editing, camera and directing team (i.e. the 4 of us) come together to do a dry run.  We pulled 4 fictitious elements from a hat and wrote a script, did a story board and drafted a props and cast list.  We realised that if we didn’t put deadlines to each element, any delays would have a knock on affect and put the editor under pressure.

We sourced some shooting locations and actors ahead of time and had them on standby so we could craft the script to what we had available.

The dry run exercise was really valuable as we made decisions on roles and responsibilities and those carried through to the actual competition weekend so everyone was clear on their contribution.

In addition to the planning and our talented creative team, the fact that we had access to a phenomenal cast and crew that were so generous with their time, for free, made it that much easier to make the film.

What independent film should everyone see (besides "Underwritten")?

"Sex After Kids" of course.  And follow Jeremy LaLonde on twitter @LaLondeJeremy, he’s a real treat.

Searching For Sugar Man – not only is it a great film with a subject close to my heart, but the fact that they ran out of funds and didn’t give up makes it a must-support film.  Read the amazing story at http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/2013-oscars/malik-bendjelloul-talks-oscar-nominated-movie-searching-sugar-013547675.html

How was being a producer on "Sex After Kids" different from being a producer on "Underwritten"?

Very different!  My credit on "Sex After Kids" is an “honorary” one – as the film was crowd funded, those that contributed a certain amount were credited as Associate Producer.  Jeremy LaLonde is one of those gutsy filmmakers and supporting his projects is investing in Independent Film as a whole. It’s important for all Indie filmmakers to support one another, there’s plenty of room for everyone in the industry – and the more Canadian filmmakers make it here and internationally, the better for us all.

Is there anything you'd like to add?

I would recommend entering the 48 Hour Film Project to anyone starting out in film, or those of us who need a fresh kick in the pants.  It’s a weekend you will never forget!

I would also like to thank those bloggers and journalists and new media supporters who discuss and promote Indie Film/Filmmakers, it’s sincerely appreciated so keep it up.

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Thank you so much for doing the interview Nadia.  I really appreciate your passion for independent film.

Producer MICHAEL BROCKHOFF

MICHAEL BROCKHOFF is a non-fiction producer with hundreds of hours of programming to his credit. He has a unique talent for solving creative and logistical challenges while pushing the quality of the content and production values beyond the expected parameters. Michael has been instrumental in expanding the programming slate of many production companies and creating shows for networks like TLC and National Geographic Wild.

Photos by Kevin Kane

[gallery type="slideshow" ids="3281,3280,3282,3283,3284"]



 

Why did you decide to make the documentary "Bronies: The Extremely
  Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony"?



When I found out about this group of fans called Bronies, I was fascinated. I wanted to know why adults, and adult men in particular are fans of a show made for little girls. I knew the general public would also be fascinated and thought a documentary could offer them insight to the phenomena.

Why was the title changed from "Brony Con: The Documentary"?

As our crowdfunding campaign became successful, we expanded the scope from just the East coast BronyCon convention to Brony conventions and Bronies around the world. The title "Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony" is more inclusive and indicative of what the viewer will see in the documentary.

How did Tara Strong, Lauren Faust and John de Lancie become involved
with the project?

John de Lancie was my entry into the Brony world. I've known John for years. He was telling me about voicing the character Discord and how he found out about the Bronies. I suggested that we create the documentary and everything started from there. John was able to bring Tara Strong and Lauren Faust on board which was great since John and I were just being introduced to the fandom and Tara and Lauren had then involved all along.

Why do you think the show "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic"
appeals to adults?

There are a number of reasons adults love the show. They seem to appreciate the modern animation style and fully developed characters. One thing we discussed in the documentary is the fact that the messages you find in the show about friendship and how to be a good friend is something anyone of any age can appreciate and use.


How did making your other documentaries prepare you to make this one?

My background is in non-fiction television which can be a different than feature-length documentary film making. I was able to bring skills to the project that helped us make the film faster than most independent documentaries without compromising quality.

Why use Kickstarter to fund the documentary?

Rather than asking a third party financier or network to take a chance on an unknown subject, we thought Bronies themselves would like the idea of the documentary. The support was overwhelming and a great luxury that not all filmmakers have.

What do you say to people who criticize the "My Little Pony" fandom
and/or the documentary itself?

For those who criticize the fandom, I would ask them to first watch the documentary. The film will give you an understanding of why the fandom exists and what it's about. I would argue that society needs the messages of the show and it's a great thing that it's being embraced by a the fans. For those that criticize the documentary, I would ask them to keep in mind that a film can not be all things to all people. We set out to explain the phenomena of adult men who like My Little Pony and that is something we did in an entertaining and respectful way.

Do you have a favorite pony?

I tend to like Pinkie Pie the most. Of the main six ponies, she is the silly fun one and she makes me laugh every time I see a clip of her.


Is there anything you'd like to add?

For those who want to see the film, head over to bronydoc.com were we have a number of options from digital download to Blu-Ray and DVD discs.

[caption id="attachment_3290" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Photo Credit: BronyCon: The Documentary via Kickstarter[/caption]

=============================================================================

Thanks for doing the interview Michael. I'm very new to the fandom. I've only seen a few episodes. I think the show fun for all ages. I'm going to watch the documentary ASAP. I think Rainbow Dash is my favorite pony.

Filmmaker J.S. Mayank

With an MFA in Film Production from Loyola Marymount University, and a Masters in Communication and film from Wake Forest University, British-Indian filmmaker J S Mayank lives the life of a Hollywood screenwriter, pitching his own ideas and reworking others’ work.

His first sci-fi feature – SLATE earned him a spot on the BLOODLIST, and he was invited by Robert DeNiro to the prestigious 2010 Tribeca All Access Program for his feature script - MARATHON. Most recently, his script for EMIT won a Grand Prize, winning him a trip to Sundance (2012) where a table-read of it was performed.

For his directorial debut, Mayank was granted an opportunity by the band Radiohead to create a concept music video for their song WEIRD FISHES/ARPEGGI. He's currently doing the film festival circuit with his short film EMIT, starring veteran TV actor Jack Coleman (Heroes, The Office). He resides in Los Angeles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcJqMafK_9g

LINKS:

1) IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3270768/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

2) Radiohead Music video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKsWH6x7HUo

3) EMIT Table Read Clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDiHoip1Fms

What is "EMIT" about?

EMIT is a sci-fi short film about a world where time flows backwards. In this movie,
an old man looks forward to greeting his wife for the first time, as her body’s
exhumed from the ground, taken to the morgue, and eventually the hospital, where
she takes her first breath. We juxtapose this moment of joy, with the man’s 7-year-
old granddaughter contemplating her looming mortality.



Why use Kickstarter to fund your film?

Kickstarter is an incredible resource to independent filmmakers. Not only is a
fantastic way to get funding from like-minded people, it also helps get the word out
for your projects, before they even exist.

Why do you think your campaign was successful?

Preparation, subject matter, and people’s love for sci-fi. Going into the Kickstarter
campaign, my team and I were very confident that our story was somewhat unique,
and that it had a built-in “hook” for sci-fi fans. Beyond that, my producers and I went
to great lengths to do as much work (put together a teaser, do storyboards, talk
about the rest of our team etc.) as we could, before launching our campaign. We
wanted people to know that they were giving their money to someone who had a
plan.

Is there a message in the film?

I’d like to think so. To me, all great science fiction strives to say something, to
examine a philosophical aspect, or bring new light to something we deem very
ordinary. Keeping in line with the great tradition of the TWILIGHT ZONE, I
constructed EMIT to be a short glimpse into a world where time flows backwards.
While the film has its moments of levity, by and large, to me – this is a very bleak
world. It’s a world of predetermination… one that lacks choice. You wake up,
and you’re told your name, introduced to your husband and children, assigned a
profession, etc. That’s not a very happy world. So I hope people watch this movie,
and think – our lives aren’t so bad. If we want to change something, we can actually
do it. We can try for a new career, or move halfway across the world.

Would you ever act in one of your films?

Oh, God no! Trust me. Nobody wants to see me in front of the camera! I’m very
happy having my worlds represented in the (waaaaaay more) capable hands of my
actors.

How has film school influenced you?

Film school was a great place for me to experiment. Having come to film school with
virtually no technical knowledge (I had more of a writing background), I was very
fascinated by cameras, lighting equipment, editing software etc. And while I still
don’t pride myself as too skilled in any of those departments, I have enough of an
understanding, and more importantly, an appreciation for what’s required in each of
those disciplines, that it helps me as a storyteller.

Beyond that, film school was also where I met most of my collaborators. To me, that
is the biggest reason for going to a film school. You meet like-minded, incredibly
talented people, who push you to be better. What more can one ask for?

Had you seen "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" before you started
writing the film?

I first had the idea for EMIT in 2006, when the movie didn’t exist. I hadn’t read the
original story either. However, when I officially wrote the first draft of the script (in
late 2010), I had seen the movie. To be quite honest, beyond the aging backwards
aspect, I really don’t see much other similarities in the two concepts.

What was it like working with Jon Chesson, Jesse Morrison, Maxx
Burman, Alexandra Creswick, and Antonio Lepore?

I’ll go by each department:

Jesse and Alex, my indomitable producer and co-producer respectively, were the
foundation of this movie. Without them, EMIT would not have happened. I had the
story and concept in my mind, but it was their unending support and championing
my vision, that led to us making EMIT. Jesse worked tirelessly, every day, for over
a year with me, and was the main hands-on producer. From location scouting, to
hiring crew, to rolling up his sleeves and doing craft-services if needed, Jesse did it
all. Alex was my consigliore at every step, solving problems left and right, keeping
me sane, and always talking me into remaining true to my vision. Together, they
were the perfectly balanced producing team I could have asked for.

Maxx and Jon are incredible VFX artists, and in my mind, in a league of their own.
From the first moment that I talked to Maxx about my vision for the movie, to the
day when Jon delivered all the final VFX shots to me, I had nothing but the best time
imaginable working with them. They are brilliant technicians, but also, gifted artists.
What they did in terms of visual effects in helping me create the world of EMIT, was
nothing short of magic. And being a relatively new director, I certainly learned a lot
from them about how to construct shots, how to talk to VFX artists so as to get them
the most flexibility, yet give them precise directions, and how best to handle the
work-flow in a VFX driven shoot. I had a blast working with them, and hope to get
another opportunity to do so, very soon in the near future.

Antonio Lepore is a consummate storyteller. He just happens to do so via music. A
brilliant musician, and an absolutely stellar collaborator, Antonio brought a level
of music to this film that was both seamless and yet haunting. As Antonio likes to
say: “If you notice the score, I didn’t do my job.” And that’s what’s so great about
his music for this movie – it fits so perfectly with all the scenes. It helps bring out
the eerie and unsettling qualities in some parts, while showcasing the beautiful and
moving moments in other scenes, without us paying attention to them. Antonio
composes music for the movie, for the story – he isn’t flashy just for the sake of it.
That kind of finesse and restraint, is the mark of competence far beyond his year, I
believe.

I would just love to talk about a few more people. I had the unquestioned support of two very important people – Kevin Chu and Anantshree Chaturvedi – my Executive producers. They were there at every step when we needed them, and I honestly couldn’t have made EMIT without either of them.

Two other key collaborators who helped me set the look of this film, were my
Production Designer – Derrick Hinman and my Costume Designer – Mandy Mitchell.
Both of them worked hand-in-hand on making the world feel authentic, yet askew.
Derrick did a phenomenal job with some very clever production design. He helped
me bring to life some very subtle things, like a TGI-Monday’s advertisement, or a
museum gallery banner that went from Sep 2013-Feb 2012. And while Mandy didn’t
have a lot of flashy costumes to pick out (we were trying to go for verisimilitude in
terms of clothing), she added little touches to each person’s wardrobe that made it
memorable to me – especially with Katelyn’s broach that was a timepiece.

And most of all, I have to thank one of my most key collaborators… my partner in
crime, my editor – Mark Sult. In terms of actually making the film, I think I spent the
most time with Mark, sitting at the edit bay, talking about the story, the characters,
the world, the themes, and the broad strokes ideas. It was so amazing to work with
someone who shared my filmmaking sensibilities yet didn’t necessarily look at
everything from the same perspective. He judged every cut in terms of story, not
continuity. As a director, I couldn’t ask for more.

Have would you live your life if time moved backwards?

Not very happily, I can tell you that much. As a storyteller, I live for invention,
imagination, and uncertainty. In the world of EMIT, everything is predetermined. I
would be very very sad, and most likely, out of a job.



Why did you decide to cast Jack Coleman, James Keane, and Katelyn Hunter?

I had been a fan of Jack Coleman’s for a long time. HEROES was such a great show,
and his character in particular was so interesting. What Jack brought to that role,
was so incredibly fascinating. When I first started talking to my casting director (the
amazing Jeremy Gordon, CSA), he mentioned Jack as a possibility, and I immediately
perked up. There were no second options. I asked if he could get the script to Jack,
and once he read it, the rest, as they say, is history…

James “Jimmy” Keane was another actor recommended to me by Jeremy. I watched
Jimmy’s demo reel, and immediately recognized him from an episode of MAD MEN. I
asked if I could have dinner with him to go over the concept, before offering him the
role. We sat down for a meal, and as he regaled me stories about convincing Francis
Ford Coppola to give him his first role (Apocalypse Now), or auditioning for Steven
Spielberg (for Close Encounters of the Third Kind), he did so with a childlike glint in
his eyes. I knew then that he was my character!

Katelyn Hunter was one of hundreds of little girls we auditioned for the part. She
was the only child who came into the room wearing glasses (she does so in real life),
and once I saw her perform, I just knew… I had to cast this little girl. She had a sense
of wisdom in her eyes – like she’s lived a life. And I went with my gut. Thankfully,
she turned in an absolutely riveting performance that still gives me Goosebumps
every time I watch the movie… (And that’s not easy, considering I’ve seen my own
film over a thousand times now).

How have you previous films influenced the way you approached
making "EMIT"?

With every film you make, you learn what works, but more importantly, what
doesn’t. Having made short films before, I knew I wanted to do something on a
grander scale with this one. My big priorities were – working with more seasoned
actors and creating a world (by really playing with VFX). I think I’ve grown
tremendously as a filmmaker over the course of the past year, and look forward to
learning more as I continue my journey.

Is the Arri Alexa the best camera out there?

Not having worked with every single camera out there, I don’t know if I can say so
without question. But it’s pretty darn stellar! Besides, I defer to all camera related
questions to my incredible cinematographer – Patrick Meade Jones. He made my
movie look better than I had ever imagined.

Is there anything you'd like to add?

In closing, I’d like to thank you for this opportunity to help me spread the word
about EMIT.

===================================================================================================================================================

Thanks for doing the interview J.S.  I hope you will consider  submitting "EMIT" to the 2014 Boston Sci Fi Film Festival.  Please let the cast and crew know that I would love to interview them as well.

Ben Of "Ornana Films"

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/64493407 w=500&h=281]

Why did you create "Ornana Films"?

Ornana started as an umbrella to make films under as a group of friends. Really, that is what it still is. We’ve all known each other for years and have become trusted collaborators through working on each other’s projects.

What is the current project you are working on?

We just self-released our first feature, euphonia, after premiering it at SxSw this March. It is available for free on Vimeo. We are working on putting together a little fall tour for the film to screen at film programs and be able to talk to students about the film, and how it was made.

We are also a year into production on a new hand-drawn animated short, Confusion Through Sand. It is story of modern desert warfare, done on gorgeous recycled paper. We are hoping to have it finished in time for next year’s festival season, as long as we don’t have to take any shortcuts in production or post-production. We believe deeply that you only make each film once, and you have to take that opportunity to do everything for it. Not that you can make something “perfect”—but I can’t imagine watching your own film and wishing you had worked a little harder.

How does it feel when your films win an award?

We always feel appreciative. When someone gives you an award, they’ve watched your work and had a genuine connection to the film. Making films is a little like driving at night, recognition can be a nice sign that you’re going in the right direction. I think it is the connection though, that is most satisfying. I deeply appreciate anyone who takes their time to give something we made a careful watch.

Where do you see independent film going in the future?

The digital world is a little like the wild west, but with no gold rush. I think there are going to be a lot of heroes and a handful of villains to come out of this transition. First hand, I’ve seen tremendous, hard-working, talented filmmakers that are creating staggering work. In the last year, I’ve cried more times in the movie theater watching small independent films (These Birds Walk, Call Me Kuchu, In the Family…) then I have the rest of my life combined.

The issue is how do we make sure these amazing creators can have viable, sustaining careers. There are plenty of great folks working on that problem too—new projects like Simple Machine and Elevision, as well as more established groups working on progress like Vimeo and everything involving Ted Hope. I think there is a lot of opportunity in the new independent film landscape, but we need to figure out monetization and how we can scale it. I hope these changes bring a lot more artistic freedom for the filmmakers and that we can narrow the gap between ourselves and the audience, make theses changes in community. Cultivating and growing the platforms will be as much of a challenge as building them. It will be all of our responsibility as filmmakers, media, and audience members to create the independent film world that we want to see.

What do you want people to take away after they watch your films?

On the wall at our office I put up a quote by the Portuguese poet Machado, “Wanderer—there is no path; the path is made by walking.” I think that message is in all of our films. If someone can walk out of euphonia and feel inspired to go home and do something genuine (in whatever their own polymath form is), then we have added into the positive feedback loop of creative inspiration. I just hope people can watch our films and want to create a path for themselves.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for doing the interview Ben.  I applaud you and the Ornana crew for releasing euphonia for free. It's great that anyone, and everyone can see this film.

The Creators Of Indie Fantasy Film "Harmion"

Please explain exactly what your film "Harmion" is about.

ADAM: Harmion is set in a fictional mythical world about a father who goes on a journey to find a cure for his dying son. He's an ex-soldier who is suffering from not just physical scars, but emotional ones as well. As a result he struggles to fit back in to his family life at the farm. The journey is an excuse for him to leave but also a proving ground for him to
come to terms with his demons.

  What is your opinion on crowdfunding?

ADAM: Crowdfunding has been a revelation for us. It connects the creatives directly with the audience, which allows the quality control to be upfront. The buzz about crowdfunding is very exciting and it's just one of the those new things to come out of social media but I think we are in for some big surprises with crowdfunding in the coming years.

  What makes a crowdfunding campaign successful?

RICH: There's no formula, I guess ultimately people have to believe in what you're doing and believe that YOU believe in it! Ultimately if you're passionate and working hard to get something off the ground people will respond to that. If you take a lazy approach without really thinking about what you're doing or why you think you need money straight from your fans or audience then perhaps it's not going to happen. It's good to communicate with your backers and actually you will find inspiration through them by learning about their own stories and creativity.

Are you fans of the TV show "Doctor Who"?

RICH: Well, I worked on it some years back so maybe it's not good for me to say? I will tell you that Blink is the best episode I have seen to date and Carey Mulligan is a large percentage of the reason why. It was a buzz being on set with her and thinking to myself she's definitely destined for bigger things. Next thing you know she's in Hollywood. I'll leave it at that!

How is your film different from other films in the fantasy genre?

ADAM: I guess the difference comes from the characters, which are obviously unique in this story. Everything we are trying to do is driven by our lead character, Tritan and so the realism and the fantasy of the film are inspired by that characters journey. Some of the best fantasy stories I know are the simple stories and not the imminent world ending ones. It's all down to taste ultimately but we're concentrating on a select group of characters in this much larger world but as a result the story is identifiable, we hope!

Why did you decide to shoot the film in Wales?

RICH: We met in Wales when working on the original short about 8 years ago and the Brecon Beacons were just up the road. One look around there and I was sold! It was actually Chris Wright, our fight choreographer for the promo who showed me around to begin with. I met Chris in a medical testing trial when I was raising money to shoot the short film. I then jumped off a rock in the mountains to show Chris how the action was going to play out for one particular scene and busted my ankle. It was a long walk back to the car! Bit of a tangent, but Wales is beautiful and I love the language, history, and the folk tales of the Mabinogion. It all just came together there really. I grew up in Brighton so not really much chance to make a medieval period film in my youth. (you'd struggle to even shoot the 70's there now!)

  How did making your previous film "In This Room" prepare you to make  "Harmion"?

RICH: 'In This Room' started out as an experiment. I'd made about 50 short films by this point but not really Directed a long form project for a while and so it just fell together. I never expected to win any awards for it or anything but I guess for a micro budget film it turned out pretty well as we swept up an award in Greece last year! The great thing was just concentrating on the performance and the story so that probably gave me a kick up the ass as far as Harmion is concerned. I work a fair bit as a Cinematographer, which I love and will continue to do but I have a few stories that are bursting to get out of me and Harmion is one of those.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

ADAM: Being successfully funded for our development on kickstarter with 8 days of our campaign left to go is an amazing feeling and we've had some great support for this film so that really inspires me with confidence to continue pushing to get it made.

This is the link to kickstarter:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/harmionmovie/harmion-independent-fantasy-feature-film

========================================================================

Thanks guys for doing the interview. I hope I'll get the chance to see the completed film. Also, seeing the sights in Wales is on my bucket list. "Blink" is one of my all time favorite "Doctor Who" episodes.

Filmmaker Jo Custer

Jo is a New Orleans film community writer / director / producer, a playwright and theatre director, a journalist, a photographer, an actress and a scrappy cab driver.Since 2009 Jo has been whittling away at a short story collection as Jules Alder. In 2010 The History Press published her personal essay, Chopsticks, in the journal collection Western Pennsylvania Reflections: Stories from the Alleghenies to Lake Erie. 
Jo’s 19 minute neo-noir film HOTCAKES (2012) represents the first of the “Short Stack Series,” a set of short film challenges the director has identified for herself en route to making her first feature. SONUVABITCH, the second entry in the series and a comedic Western about the illusion of the American Cowboy spirit, has been cast and crewed and is now pending funding on Kickstarter.Jo holds a B.A. in Journalism from the Pennsylvania State University and hopes to someday make a documentary as an environmental and social justice advocate. Her “Cab Fare” writing entries can be followed by subscribing to her blog, by following her  ‏@Sonuvab or via the #cabfare hashtag or by adding her on Facebook.

What is the current project you are working on?

Sonuvabitch, a postmodern Western about what I consider to be the last real cowboy theme on earth -- the loss of independence with the loss of the frontier. Frank Hooey wants to be a real Old West cowboy, but he's too much of a fuck-up to pull anything off and even if he were, he can't.

Ain't that a sonuvabitch?

Why did you decide to make a trilogy?

It's about challenges. Independent filmmakers can get so pigeon-holed by cost concerns that I wanted to focus on what I felt like I really needed to learn before I made that first feature. So I chose a trilogy with shifting characters and protagonists so that the writing wouldn't become too dependent upon existing properties, but left room for development and greater understanding of costuming, set design & ensemble directing.

Where can people watch "Hotcakes"?

Vimeo. Here's the link: https://vimeo.com/42000706

What is your opinion on crowdfunding?

It's a lot of work for one person, so I recommend getting a tech savvy team who is up on their social media skills, for sure. But it's totally worth the effort, even if it means educating your team first. As a filmmaker currently based in Louisiana, this is a challenge, but not going into debt to fund a film and having a captive audience when you release outweighs those hardships, certainly. Angel investors can and will come later. For now, crowdfunding.

How has making "Hotcakes" prepared you to make "Sonuvabitch"?

This time around, I've learned to avoid the sand traps. No hiring crew members without vetting them first. No writing parts for actors who won't be dedicated or hard working enough to show up to an audition. No backbending to make a location work when there will almost certainly be a better one around the corner. You have to learn what to take on faith and what to be totalitarian about. I now fire people who aren't dedicated. The work is too hard for half-assedness and it brings the bar down on everyone else's work when others don't manage their time or lose heart. Also, while I was glad to shoot Hotcakes New Wave style, I don't think I'd ever like to shoot again without solid pre-production. It's too maddening in post.

What is the indie film scene like in Louisiana?

Too industry-dependent right now. A fair amount of us see that and get what that means, especially since the tax credit has been threatened, and we're working on making it stronger.

What is your favorite western?

I'm a fan of so many. In the modern era, probably Unforgiven. In the days of yore, probably Stagecoach or Yojimbo, if you'll count Yojimbo. I do.

What is the casting process like?

I definitely prefer to have a dedicated casting director to deal with all the confusion and personalities. I'm more of the show up on the day and decide who I like then type. I don't spend hours gazing at head shots, though I do like to look at resumes. I sort of go on my gut sense of talent, my aftertaste on their handshake and what their resumes tell me about them. We have a lot of hustlers in this town who like to splash their names everywhere but aren't necessarily team players. I'm wary of that. Louisiana is a very wild place, not unlike the Old West. With the tax credits bringing so many studio films into town, the whole place has a goldrush vibe to it. Avoiding hustlers is priority number one some days.

When & where are you choosing to release "Sonuvabitch"?

We wanted to release it over Labor Day weekend here in New Orleans and just keep showing it for weeks and months. But if we don't make the goal on Kickstarter by Sunday night, we'll have to push that back.

Is there anything you'd like to add?

Just that you're a peach for fitting me in. I know you're busy, John. Thank you for your time and attention.

=========================================================================

Thanks for doing the interview Jo. You're a classy lady and I'd be happy to interview you again when you ready to make the conclusion to the trilogy. All The Best.

Filmmaker John Shackleton

 John co-wrote and Produced PANIC BUTTON and now WE ARE MONSTERS, which he will also direct. John has directed a number of short films and TV documentaries. Broadcasters include BBC1&2, ITV, Channel 4, Discovery, Sky One, Sky Sports, Extreme Sports Channel, S4C, MTV & CNBC. Short films include BALANCE, ONE OF THE CROWD, FIXED PENALTY, SLEEP TRACKS and GHOSTS OF ABERCWMBOI.

Follow @MovieMogulLtd to keep up with John's latest projects.

Why did you decide to create Movie Mogul Ltd?

I was a freelance producer/director in Cardiff when I hit upon the idea of creating a ‘community generated film fund’. This was before filmmaking had entered the crowd-sourcing arena in the early days of Sellaband. MM was set-up on the back of a Technium award to help pilot the idea. Movie Mogul Fund (MMF), garnered much press interest and support, but sadly failed to generate sufficient funds to take the winning film into production. This was a film called RETREAT, which later went into production on a much higher budget with Cillian Murphy, Thandie Newton & Jamie Bell.

MMF’s commercial failure cost me personally and facing bankruptcy, I was forced to review the direction of my company. Re-aligning my own personal filmmaking career with the objectives of MM, and with the help of a modest injection of private equity, MM became a film production company. The business plan was simple – to make commercially oriented feature films for the lowest possible price point. Everything turned around with PANIC BUTTON.

How has the horror genre changed since you started your company?

The Horror genre is becoming increasingly hard to categorise. There are so many sub, sub-genres and widely differing takes on exactly what constitutes horror that just about anything within the low-budget realm with the odd scare, token reference, or splash of blood seems to qualify nowadays. This is a good thing, you only have to look at the diverse range of emerging films that Film4 Frightfest showcase each year to understand that horror is more a place where you can have fun and let your imagination run riot - without fear of too many reprisals!

What is the current project you are working on?

Our next film is a Sci-Fi / Action movie called WE ARE MONSTERS. It nods to many of the horror sub genres, such as vampires, werewolves, alien invasion, mutants, survivalist, but it is also a hearty rites of passage of tale with a pertinent hook, surrounding the difficult financial times in which we now find ourselves.

How did making "Panic Button" prepare you for making "We Are Monsters"?

Panic Button was always a very ambitious, concept-driven project. With the exception of making TV programmes and numerous short films, making PB was my first personal opportunity to test the theory behind filmmaking, and to see if I really did have a grasp over what it takes to make a commercially successful film.

It wasn’t a simple or straightforward process by any stretch, but as a company, myself and producer Gareth I Davies took great reassurance from the fact that the company knowledge and business approach wasn’t too far off the mark, and we chalked the rest up to experience. This gave us confidence as a company to remain concept driven and to keep punching hard above our weight, safe in the knowledge that provided we have the passion project – we can and will make great things happen.

Why do you think the crowdfunding goal for WAM was tripled?

I guess it was kind of inevitable that at some point MM should have a dabble in crowd-funding, now that it has become more established as a viable, alternative means of audience building and fundraising. The truth is that nobody knows or fully understands the mechanics of crowdfunding - who exactly is backing and why? So it’s very much a ‘spray and pray’ tactic that you must undertake, staying on your toes and reacting as you go, it’s hard work for sure.

We actually ran two campaigns – the first was very optimistic with a £100k target. Using the Kickstarter ‘all or nothing’ platform really added to the stress of the 60 day campaign, which closed at around £35k – meaning we received absolutely nothing, despite the masses of support and interest WE ARE MONSTERS garnered. The toughest aspect of this is that the project then carries an ‘unsuccessful’ stigma, which feels counter-productive to all PR efforts!

We rebooted with a sure-fire strategy for success, with a 30-day campaign and a £5k target – which we smashed within 24 hours. We raised a further £5k over the next 27 days, and the final £5k came in largely within the very exciting final 24hrs. We clearly lost the interest of several of our early backers, but 300% funded did wonders for the films image, not least company morale. It wasn’t just the people and project however, a lot of the campaign success  was attributable to the relentless efforts of our campaign/social media manager - Justin Tagg.

Why do some campaigns fail?

Most campaigns succeed when they can appeal directly to an existing fanbase, take Veronica Mars or the BBC Micro Elite video game reboot as prime examples. Most independent films seeking finance however, are new and (hopefully) original ideas, so they have to work a lot harder to convince people to take a punt of them.

Named cast and crew of course can help with this, but not always to huge effect. The old saying that people invest in people is proving to be very true, so filmmakers who cower behind glossy showreels are less likely to find crowdfunding success than those who really put themselves out there and try to infect others with their genuine passion for their project. This is counter-intuitive to many of us, who made a firm decision to stand BEHIND the camera (many with good reason) a long time ago. Unfortunately it’s all part of the process now, so this is no time to be shy!

How did Doug Jones and Maisie Williams become attached to the film?

We’ve taken a conventional approach to casting and have a wonderful agency in Jeremy Zimmermann’s, who love to embrace a bit of lateral thinking as we do. So both Doug Jones and Maisie Williams responded brilliantly to the screenplay and the key antagonist and protagonist roles respectively offered to them. We’re really thrilled to have them onboard, and we have more cast members shaping up now too. WE ARE MONSTERS is becoming a very exciting property!

What is the independent film industry like where you live?

There’s a thriving independent film scene going on in Cardiff right now, and people just seem to be going out there and getting on with it. A few years ago this wasn’t so much the case but the indie ‘get out there and do it’ ethos seems to be riding strong now. You only need to attend nights like Cardiff Mini Film Festival to see how popular the scene is.

Who are your favorite up and coming filmmakers?

Gareth Evans is a really exciting talent to watch, THE RAID just blew me away. In the US, Evan Glodell and the BELLFLOWER guys I find exciting too.

But there’s so much UK talent out there at the moment struggling to break out of their local film scenes that it’s difficult to point at anyone in particular, safe to say that we’re living in exciting times where more and more filmmakers can, and do come from nowhere and achieve a decent level of commercial success.

That’s mainly why we got the short film challenge ‘666 Short Cuts To Hell’ off the ground with Horror Channel and Frightfest. There’s £6,666 prize money up for grabs, Horror Channel, Frighfest and professional jury exposure and a mentorship with us here at Movie Mogul to be won.  www.shortcutstohell.com

Filmmaking competitions like these can be a real leveler that help so many people progress in their careers - not just the competition winners. We’re all very interested to see if this will introduce even more sub-genres to the world of horror too, mix things up and murky the waters that bit more!

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Thanks for doing the interview John. I look forward to seeing WAM.  Let me know if WAM and the Movie Mogul crew ever come to Boston.

Actress Libby Pierson

[caption id="attachment_3068" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Libby Pierson-Photo by Clyde Blunt[/caption]

Libby has a real passion for writing and acting--for storytelling in general.  Love of the craft bought her to Los Angeles to attend The American Musical and Dramatic Academy.  Her mantra has always been that hard work and persistence pay dividends in time.

Her other interests include fashion, modeling, reading, French New Wave cinema, supporting independent movie theaters, and walking.

Click on the links below to find out more about Libby:

http://www.libbypierson.com/

http://www.blondunderwater.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/libbyapierso

What is the current project you are working on?

I'm working on a short script that I'm adapting from a Chekhov play. Also, I just worked on a Cold War Kids music video for the song "Miracle Mile" which should be coming out in the next month or so.

How do you define success?

Making the life one has the reality one wants it to be.

How do you handle rejection?

I try to remember that it's not personal, move on, and focus on the next thing.

Did you always want to be an actress?

Yes, it was always my favorite daydream as a child.

 What inspired you to become an actress?

Definitely classic films and reenacting them with my friends.

 What is the best thing about being one?

Having a reason to be someone else for a little bit.

 What is the worst thing about being one?

Rejection.  Ageism.

 Who is is your favorite actress?

Carey Mulligan, Michelle Williams, Kristen Wiig, Marilyn Monroe, Tuesday Welds

 How has your life changed since you became an actress?

I have a better understanding of who I am because of acting.

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

Don't be scared to do your own projects.

What do you like to do besides acting?

Write, read, troll blogs, watch old movies in theaters.

Have you had any other jobs before you decided to become an actress?

I'm also a make-up artist.

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

Breathless, The Misfits, Some Like It Hot, A Woman Is A Woman, Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, The Royal Tenebaums, Community, Awake, How I Met Your Mother, 90210, Annie Hall, Chinatown, The Virgin Suicides.

 How would you describe the film "scene" where you live?

I live in Los Angeles so it's everywhere, ranging from the largest scales to the smallest units of independent artistry.

How has social media changed the independent film industry?

It's much easier to get the word out about one's projects.  On the other hand, you have to enhance your marketing skills--be good at updating, communicating, and having finished products to show.

How does independent film differ from the mainstream?

It can be more creative and open-minded.  People are freer to be strange.

 If you could go back in time and see and film being made. Which film
would it be and why?

There are SO many I would choose but if I had to pick one it would be The Misfits.

Do you believe in life on other planets?

haha most definitely

 What is your opinion on movie remakes and sequels?

I'm not really wild about remakes..Why would you want to recreate magic over and over? If someone has executed a movie beautifully already, leave it alone and think of something new.

What is your opinion on book to movie adaptions?

If it's adapted well, go for it.

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Thanks for a wonderful interview Libby.  I wish you all the best with your script. I'll be sure to check out Cold War Kids video for "Miracle Mile." If you get a chance check out an episode of "Doctor Who" called "Blink". It features a great performance (IMHO) by Carey Mulligan.