OUT

On the Road Again...

2011-12-20T03:12:00.000-08:00

It's been over a week, we've pledged over a thousand dollars. This is quite a milestone, and very impressive. Thank you to everyone who has already helped out, and if you haven't, what the heck are you waiting for? Just kidding.

We have a long way to go, of course. $15,000 is no small amount and right now we have 15 people who've pledged support. If we can multiply that by 10, we are there! Getting the word around is the name of the game and I can't stress enough how important it is, if you know anyone that may be interested in a project like this, to just mention it, send them a link if they seem intrigued, and see what happens.

I know this isn't really as simple as I make it out to be. First, just remembering isn't going to be easy. It won't be on your mind as you're driving to work, you won't think about it when you're talking to your friends, unless something pops up to remind you. I'm asking that you make that little extra effort, try and keep it in your head. Try and remember as you're writing 'thank you's to family for Christmas or Hannukah or for the 'Whatever Holiday You Celebrate Fruitcake'. Just keep it in mind.

This project is bigger than just me. Regardless of what involvement I have in it, it's something that resonates with many, many people. It's something people can point at and go, "See, there are stories about people like me". Submitting it to Outfest is just the first step in that process, but before we can experience any of that, we need to raise this budget.

And so we're back to money. Didn't I post something called "It's All About the Money"? May have been a YouTube video. Point is, well...it is. Unfortunately. But you'll be getting a return on your investment and I can promise it'll be a good one! So, what do you say? Help us out? Keep us in mind? I'd certainly appreciate it. You never know, maybe that one super rich friend of yours decides he just likes this project enough to....

Cheers and Happy Holidays!

Michael Willer

Campaign Trail

2011-12-12T19:22:00.000-08:00

Well, my budget campaign is officially under way, we've been online for about two and a half days and have $885 thus far. The goal is to average $430 a day, and we were doing well for the first couple days, but it's dropped off a bit.

I'm expecting it'll be slow for a week or so, then in the middle/end it'll pick up a lot and we'll reach our goal just in time. Right now I'm spending all my time on Twitter and Facebook trying to advertise without being obnoxious. Reaching someone like Lady Gaga would be amazing because literally 1 tweet of hers would be seen by 18 million people. Pretty impressive.

This will be a short post, just wanted to keep everything current. I'll be working with Tyler and Brett this week to put together a short scene so we can post it on Kickstarter. After that, it's a waiting game (not that I'll be waiting...I'll be campaigning).

So thank you to everyone who's helped us so far, and to those who haven't, what the heck are you waiting for? Come on in and get involved, I promise it'll be more interesting than that Tetris game you've got on pause.

Cheers

Michael Willer

This Week is the Week!

2011-12-06T16:47:00.001-08:00

So a few things have happened, mostly yesterday, and mostly because of one fellow by the name of Alan Dean.

I had a meeting with Alan yesterday. We had been emailing back and forth about the idea of him DPing my project and we sat down to talk about it more seriously up at Hollywood and Highland. He is roughly my age, a couple years older, and graduated from the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University with a BFA in Film Production and an emphasis on cinematography.

Please watch his reel here, it is fantastic (as are the other clips): http://vimeo.com/25327240

We talked about a lot of things (shooting style, cameras, equipment, lighting, the usefulness of shot lists {or lack thereof}) and it was pretty quickly apparent that we are very compatible working personalities. He's already experienced, having shot several independent features and shorts, and his ultimate goal is to shoot studio features for a career, which is awesome as that's just exactly what I want to do.

He also helped me a lot with certain production details, workflow things like getting production insurance in order to have access to better equipment at discounted prices, doing all the location scouting legwork before I get my budget, and just generally getting as much done before my Kickstarter campaign ends as possible.

Which brings me to the most important part of this post: I'm starting my Kickstarter campaign this weekend! Yes, Saturday the 10th SHOULD be the first day the campaign goes live, so I've got some work to do between now and then. I'm going to meet with my actors on Friday and shoot a short video for the introduction, and I'll be finishing up the campaign's page on the Kickstarter website. Here's hoping for a successful campaign!

When you see Alan's reel, you can see how professional this project will look. To break it down, we'll have him, a gaffer, and an assistant camera operator on set, a lighting guy, myself, the actors, and craft services (whatever they may be). All this needs to be paid for, plus location fees, production insurance, and filming permits. So you can see, none of this budget will go to waste.

I hope you're as excited as I am, it's going to be one heck of an experience and I am gearing up for it in a major way. This thing is going to be great.

Cheers,

Michael Willer

Actors and Money, Money and Money

2011-11-22T11:52:00.001-08:00

To make a narrative project you almost always have to have actors. And by almost always, I mean that if you want any sort of public release, you need actors. So it stands to reason that they are the most important thing in the entire process to have.

Wrong. Your budget is the most important thing. Or, more specifically, knowing exactly what kind of budget you need to get the project made, and then somehow obtaining it. Of course, established directors, writers, and producers can get their budget from studios, and in return the studio gets a giant chunk of the money made on the project once it's released.

For the rest of us, there are alternative methods, anything from bake sales to support a $100 investment to starting a Kickstarter campaign to raise $14,000, which is looking like it might be the number I'm going to shoot for. Depends. It depends on how much my Director of Photography will charge daily (and what services that includes), it depends on how much craft services will end up costing, and it depends on how many film permits I have to buy and how many people's apartments I can shoot in for free. It's all wiggle room, but I'm looking to ask for a baseline and then work with that once I have it.

But seriously, as little respect as actors get out here (and trust me, when you talk to a producer, or a director, or pretty much anyone who's not on screen, the actors are the lowest man on the totem pole...unless you're Johnny Depp), I like to be the one who does respect them. If I don't have respect for them, how could they possibly have any for me? Point being, when you meet an actor that out-classes you, you better make sure they have respect for you, otherwise they may walk on your project when it comes time to buckle down.

Tyler Langdon is playing the lead role in my short.

Please, please check out his website (and this isn't an endorsement, it's just me wanting to show off how awesome he is): http://www.tylerlangdon.com/ He is going to be big one day. Trust me on that. I know this because he, at a very young age, already has many, many, many opportunities practically busting his door down, and any actor that has that much work for such high-profile people is going somewhere. It's just how it is. He has 'it', that magnetic charisma that makes him a great leading man, he has exceptional comedic timing, and can also pull off dramatic roles. I know, I'm just spewing at this point, but trust me. I am honored that he even submitted for my project. At this point, I need to do everything I can to make sure he doesn't back out. Now, knowing Tyler a bit, I know he's reliable and takes his work seriously, so I doubt that would ever happen. But still, I won't take that for granted.

I have several of the other roles cast, and in fact, I'm only missing one at this point (smaller, background roles will be filled closer to shooting). Brett Maier is playing the other lead alongside Tyler, and Meghan Tobin is playing one of the supporting members. It's all falling into place nicely, and the best part is that these are all great people to work with. Obviously I haven't done a long haul with them, so things may change a bit, but so far they are all very nice, smart, and passionate about their work and this project. And to me, that's the most important thing. Passion. If my actors feel as strongly about a project as I do, they will put everything they've got into their performance, and assuming I can handle it myself, it'll show on screen. It's all about lining up each little piece, and when it comes time to play your side, you play big. Here's hoping it pays off.

Cheers

Michael Willer

Auditions

2011-11-05T23:55:00.000-07:00

Well, auditions have officially started and it's been an interesting experience. I think one thing I need to keep in mind is that, even though it goes against my personality, I need to be a little more "brutally honest". In an audition you have to try and get their best in a 10 minute time-frame and telling them "great effort" isn't really going to do you any good. You need to be sharp, keep notes, have something to say when their read is over, and be prepared to explain any aspect of your project.

It went pretty well the first day, all things considered. I had someone there to help back me up and keep the process rolling, and who could also read lines while I listened and watched. One thing you MUST keep in mind when observing auditions is that this is never that particular actor's best work. Ever. Half of them are nervous, the other half aren't approaching the part quite right, and the remainder just don't read well. ALL of these problems will be fixed by shooting time.

What you should look for is how easily/quickly they adapt to your direction, how prepared they were when they walked in, and how much effort they put into creating a defined character given their limited access to the script/writer/director. It's more about judging potential than it is actual acting ability. Obviously you're looking for their talent, too, and if you hear someone read and it's just blowing you away then that's a sure sign that they're good, but generally speaking it'll be an okay or decent read.

Give them a few chances! Go through it once to warm up, give direction, record, more direction, so on. If you give them the chance to listen to your feedback and they get to show it they'll loosen up and give you a better audition. I also look for how like-able and friendly the actor is. This is probably more important for smaller "passion projects" as opposed to projects that pay/are union. That said, it goes a long way in my book when two talented actors are standing in front of me and I have to pick one.

Lastly, I'm going to make sure I get back to each of them about whether or not they got the role. It is SO easy to just ignore the ones who aren't chosen, and it's common practice, but it's crappy practice. Obviously this can't realistically be done on huge projects that audition thousands of people, but in my case I can and will do it.

Cheers

Michael Willer

Actors

2011-10-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

I have to say, working with actors is one of the most fun, but also the most intimidating, parts of directing, particularly when you first meet them. When you sit down with script in hand and say, "Okay, let's just do a run-through and see what happens" you're really setting yourself up for either success or failure. So much depends on how well they respond to your methods that you can't just have one approach to getting through to an actor.

After you've made your introductions and you're listening as they (usually nervously) deliver their first read-through, the thing I always keep in mind is this: they're putting themselves out there on the edge of that branch by acting for you. It's a matter of trust, and it's up to you to handle that appropriately. If they deliver something that isn't what you wanted, you need to be able to coax them in the right direction. Being blatant and rude (while advantageous in SOME cases), is almost never the right way to get a sensitive performance.

Think about it this way. Whatever the scene requires them to do, be it cry, or laugh, or scream, it's almost always something they'd never do upon meeting a stranger for the first time. In that, they are trusting you to handle what they give you with respect and care. This is a must. Respect your working actors. If they can trust you, they will give you their heart on a platter.

Once you've settled in a bit with your actors you can start to really dig into their performance and nitpick and iron out all the things that bugged you with their delivery. For me, I tend to focus entirely on vocal delivery first. Once I feel they've gotten that down (and usually this isn't until shooting is about to start, or has started), then I go into the beats of the scene (beats being specific moments where something does OR doesn't happen), then the looks/reactions, etc. I never feel comfortable moving to the latter parts until the inflection has been dealt with, and unless you have a really talented/experienced actor, inflection will be the most finicky thing to play with. For me, if an actor plays a scene a certain way, with a certain attitude, that's fine, and we can try it their way and then my way. But if their inflection doesn't sound natural, I don't care what your approach is I won't let it fly.

I met with my two actors for my Rooftop short two days ago, and they were quite good. They dove into the first reading with enthusiasm and a lot of effort, and I appreciate that. It means they felt strongly enough about the project that they came in with a clear idea of what they wanted to represent their character like. I have a good feeling about them, and once we get into the rehearsals (which are tomorrow, Sunday), we can really see what we'll be capable of. I'm excited to see how this short turns out, and I'm VERY excited to be directing again, if even on a small, 4 page, nothing project. This is what I love to do, and it feels great to be doing it again.

Cheers

Michael Willer

Pre-Pro

2011-10-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

When you have as daunting a task as pre-production on your hands, organization skills and a clear idea of what you want your final product to be like are incredibly important. Good thing I have at least one of these.

I recently contacted a man by the name of Avi Cohen about working on my project with me. He is a cinematographer working in the LA area. This is his website where he has contact info, footage, reels, and more. I really liked his style and if everything pans out with my budget, I'll be able to hire him for our shoot. He and his assistant would be operating my camera/sound equipment, helping set up shots, advising me on the logistics of shoots, and making the movie beautiful. But before I can get them involved, I need something called a shot list.

This is exactly what it sounds like. It's a list of every shot you want to use in your movie, organized by scene (1) and shot (A). So, the first shot you have in scene 1 would be labeled 1A, then 1B, and so on. The great thing about a shot list is it helps you think about your shoot ahead of time and to get your ideas on paper so while you're worrying about all the other logistical nonsense, you can always refer back to that paper where all your ideas are written down.

Essentially, you go through your script scene by scene and divide all your action/dialogue into camera angles. If you have a long conversation with two characters sitting in a diner, you'd likely have a wide shot of the two of them (WS), an over-the-shoulder shot behind each character (OTS), and any stylized shots you might want for specific lines or moments. This process also helps you plan out any overarching stylistic choices you may want to make. It helps to think about your 'bigger picture' at the beginning so you don't have to let it bog you down when you're in the middle of the shoot. So, for instance, I want my main character to be shot from a profile for the first portion of the movie. Because I've thought of it now, I don't have to worry about planning it the day of and trying to figure out what scenes would use this technique and what others wouldn't. This is especially important when (as is usually the case) your shooting schedule doesn't follow the chronological order of your script and everything is mixed together.

Once I've got my shot list finished I'll send it and the script over to Avi for him to look over. If it appeals and he wants to commit to the project, I'm one step closer to having a quality final product. If not, I still have my shot list made and can use it to hire another DP (Director of Photography, or Cinematographer). All of this ties back to my budget, without which I would never be able to hire talented people like Avi. I'm looking to get my Kickstarter campaign going toward the end of November, once I have my actors hired, my own projects posted on Vimeo, and (hopefully) a DP to show off his qualifications. The more compelling reasons I have to show that this is a serious project, the easier it'll be for people to commit their money toward the budget. We'll see how it goes soon enough.

Cheers

Michael Willer

KickstartED

2011-10-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

Well, today is a big day. Today is the day I got approved for my Kickstarter campaign. Now to be fair, I wasn't really doubtful in the first place, but it's just one less thing to worry about. What happens now is I get to create a page for my project where I describe it, my goals, and how much money I need to get it made. I also create a list of rewards for people who give money, as a sort of barter system.

Now that I've got that solidified, I'm going to sit on it a while. I could post it right now and make the campaign 2 months long to maximize my chances of reaching my goal, but statistically, more campaigns that are only 30 days long actually obtain their budget. SO, what I'll do is hold my auditions and cast my project, THEN I'll launch the Kickstarter campaign. As a way of getting people invested in the project I can introduce my actors. This also allows me to wrap my head around every aspect of the campaign, from descriptions to promotions.

I also need to figure out my budget more fully. I know that I'll need a couple filming permits, which don't cost too terribly much, but insurance is another story, and of course, compensation to the locations I use (restaurants, bars, etc). This is where the meat of my budget goes. I'll also need to rent some camera equipment and hire crew members. Some crew may volunteer to work for free, so I'll jump that fence when I get to it, likely not until close to shooting time in January.

As of last night, I solidified an initial audition schedule. I'm auditioning 36 actors for 6 roles over a period of two days. So far a couple have stated they need a reschedule, so I'll work out a separate day to try and get them all in. For the most part, I have a good idea of who I want, but you never know; some people may surprise me, and those are the best.

And that's where I stand. It's going to get exciting in the next few weeks, as I'll be working on 2 shorts, one with a friend of mine, and I'll try and get those posted just as soon as I can. It's so GREAT to be working again!

Cheers!

Michael Willer

To Build Confidence

2011-10-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

As the time for auditions draws nearer, I'm realizing that when I actually have a group of actors that I've chosen standing in front of me, I need to be able to inspire confidence in them. And while this is something that I should be able to do in part simply by how I talk about the project and about their characters, it's also something I need to prove. And the only way I can prove that I'm worth their best efforts is to create something, like a short.

Of course, you need actors to create a short, and for it to be good they have to have confidence in you, etc, etc, and you see the problem. Not to worry, though. The secret here is the script. If you have a script that's actually worth something, it buys you a certain level of commitment from your actors. The rest can be gotten through your directing techniques, through your demeanor, and through your reel.

Right now I don't have much. I have a handful of scripts written, all shorts, and while I like them, I know myself well enough to know that I'm no great writer. Good enough to stand up, but not good enough to run, not without significant help. Which brings up an excellent point: if you're looking to write a script, be it feature or short, and you want it to be the best it can be, show it to people. Lots of people.

The biggest mistake I made when I was working on a 'feature' a couple years ago was that I wrote the script myself and let no one see it. I wanted it to be a secret so people would be surprised when they saw everything on screen. Of course, that also meant that I got no criticisms on it and ultimately, it was garbage. Utter garbage. Find someone whose opinion you trust and ask them to go through it, nit-pick the hell out of everything, tear it apart. For me, when I've stopped thinking about my idea as pure gold and started seeing all the holes in it, that's when I can really dig in and make it what it needs to be. Seeing your project through rose-tinted glasses is easy to do, and will most likely mar the final result.

And all of this, just to say that I'm going to try and get two shorts made in the next month. I'll keep you updated on how those go. They're like supplementary projects to help the big one stay afloat. Hopefully I'll have enough to inspire actors and donations alike. (Think Kickstarter.)

Cheers!

Michael

Holy Casting-Calls, Batman!

2011-10-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

Well I wasn't planning on making this a daily blog, but this is a special occasion. Since last night I've been posting roles on casting websites and just this morning I got confirmation that November 5 and 6 I can hold casting calls at CAZT, a free casting center that helps low-budget productions like mine. They have audition rooms, cameras, and lights that I can use to run my auditions, and it's all scott-free. How cool is that?

But the real reason I'm so excited is this: since posting on two LA websites, LA Casting and CAZT, I've gotten literally dozens of responses from actors about every single role. And it's only been up for a few hours! It's blowing me away and I'm realizing just exactly how many other people there are in this city who are looking for the same thing I am: a break.

There's no major breakthrough here, just me and my euphoric moments. I came to the right freakin' place to do this and I don't regret it for one second. I had originally scheduled a 2 hour casting session on one day, and now I'm moving it up to two 3 hour casting sessions. Here's hoping it all turns out in the end. I can't WAIT to get shooting this thing, even though I know it's a long way off still. And I have a lot of practicing to do.

Which brings me to the second reason I'm posting: I've decided that if I want to prove to people on Kickstarter that I deserve a budget, they need to know I can handle it and that my work is of a certain quality. This means throwing together one or more no-budget productions with my friends here and posting them on Vimeo. It'll also be good practice for my camera skills since I'll most likely be shooting this short myself (though how cool would it be to have a camera man). When I've gotten a start on those I'll get some more details for you, but one thing is for sure: they have to be good. I won't settle for crap, no matter what kind of project I'm working on.

Cheers!

Michael Willer

Kickstarting

2011-10-11T18:48:00.000-07:00

Hello, and welcome to the unofficial blog for Out, a short film-in-the-making about a young man who is forced to come to terms with his sexuality.

I'll be posting updates about my creative process, from writing all the way through post-production and the festival circuit. My goal is to get it accepted into LA's Outfest 2012, but first I have to get it made.

Right now I have a draft 15 pages long and absolutely nothing else. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to get a Kickstarter campaign going to raise a budget and then I can shoot and edit sometime next year. Ideally, I'll have my budget by mid-January, be able to shoot by the end of February, and have the whole thing wrapped up before April.

Since I already have a draft that's pretty close to final, my next step is to figure out my budget. I need to make calls to businesses and small studios around Hollywood to see how much it would cost to shoot there, I need to get an estimate on the cost of craft services and the length of the shooting schedule, and I need to figure out how much I'm going to need to spend on equipment rentals.

I already have some good leads, starting with Lacy Street Studios, as well as a helpful .gov website that lists businesses and locations in California that can be used to shoot. But before I even break into that, I want to cast this thing. My friends have given my a ton of great, FREE resources to get auditions and casting rolling, so that shouldn't be too hard. In the mean time, I'll work on figuring out what locations/studios I'm going to use, and how much it'll all cost.

And that's where I'm at. It's a huge, daunting task ahead of me to get this started, but if I don't jump on it now it'll never get done. Stick around and I'll update regularly, perhaps once a week, or as needed.

Cheers!

Michael Willer