1 00:00:01,035 --> 00:00:03,003 [melodic flourish] 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 4 00:00:25,197 --> 00:00:27,199 [somber music] 5 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:36,519 I just wanna apologize... 6 00:00:38,728 --> 00:00:43,112 to Mike's mom, and Josh's mom, 7 00:00:43,733 --> 00:00:45,459 and my mom. 8 00:00:49,532 --> 00:00:54,502 I'm so sorry for everything that has happened 9 00:00:57,402 --> 00:01:01,337 because, in spite of what Mike says now, it is my fault. 10 00:01:03,408 --> 00:01:05,755 And it's all because of me that we're here now, 11 00:01:06,928 --> 00:01:11,830 hungry, cold, and hunted. 12 00:01:15,247 --> 00:01:16,869 I'm scared to close my eyes, 13 00:01:18,423 --> 00:01:19,424 I'm scared to open them. 14 00:01:21,426 --> 00:01:24,705 [gasping] 15 00:01:24,739 --> 00:01:26,672 We're gonna die out here. 16 00:01:32,161 --> 00:01:33,403 [Rick] At the point that you were hired, 17 00:01:33,438 --> 00:01:35,785 what exactly did they hire you to do? 18 00:01:35,819 --> 00:01:38,028 They hired me to write the business plan. 19 00:01:38,063 --> 00:01:39,927 [Rick] What was the budget for the film 20 00:01:39,961 --> 00:01:41,273 in your business plan? 21 00:01:41,308 --> 00:01:44,034 The budget in the business plan was $300,000. 22 00:01:44,069 --> 00:01:45,174 [Rick] So let me get this straight, 23 00:01:45,208 --> 00:01:46,623 you're writing a business plan. 24 00:01:46,658 --> 00:01:48,246 -There's no screenplay, -Right. 25 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:50,006 -there's no movie stars, -Right. 26 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:51,870 -there's no name director, -Right. 27 00:01:51,904 --> 00:01:54,666 It's this weird genre, which is mockumentary, 28 00:01:54,700 --> 00:01:59,671 how the heck do you go raise $300,000 on that idea? 29 00:02:00,292 --> 00:02:01,431 Very carefully. 30 00:02:01,466 --> 00:02:04,262 The business plan is the thing that gets people excited 31 00:02:04,296 --> 00:02:06,264 that, why this film is gonna do well. 32 00:02:06,298 --> 00:02:07,644 [Rick] So when you were sitting there, 33 00:02:07,679 --> 00:02:09,336 writing this business plan, 34 00:02:09,370 --> 00:02:11,959 did you think, oh my gosh, "The Blair Witch Project", 35 00:02:11,993 --> 00:02:15,376 this is gonna be the highest grossing independent film, 36 00:02:15,411 --> 00:02:17,620 ever made, the highest return on investment, 37 00:02:17,654 --> 00:02:19,346 or did you think, well, it might work, 38 00:02:19,380 --> 00:02:20,554 what's going through your mind 39 00:02:20,588 --> 00:02:22,590 when you were putting together the business plan? 40 00:02:22,625 --> 00:02:23,695 It might work [laughs]. 41 00:02:23,729 --> 00:02:26,180 One of the things the filmmakers were aiming for 42 00:02:26,215 --> 00:02:29,010 from the beginning was for people to believe 43 00:02:29,045 --> 00:02:31,116 that this was a real story. 44 00:02:31,151 --> 00:02:32,669 And what I said to investors 45 00:02:32,704 --> 00:02:34,982 was that the budget was low enough, 46 00:02:35,016 --> 00:02:39,676 that there was a good chance that they would at least make 47 00:02:39,711 --> 00:02:42,921 their money back because everybody who saw it believed it 48 00:02:42,955 --> 00:02:44,440 was a true story. 49 00:02:44,474 --> 00:02:47,201 Sometimes people will ask me if it was a true story 50 00:02:47,236 --> 00:02:49,134 all these years later, and I will say no. 51 00:02:49,169 --> 00:02:51,205 And they'll say, who are you protecting? 52 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:52,724 [Rick] What was your top projection 53 00:02:52,758 --> 00:02:54,208 for "The Blair Witch Project"? 54 00:02:54,243 --> 00:02:58,212 My projection for the revenue was $23 million worldwide. 55 00:02:58,247 --> 00:02:59,731 [Rick] And what did it do? 56 00:02:59,765 --> 00:03:02,147 $350 Million worldwide. 57 00:03:02,182 --> 00:03:03,700 [Rick] So why would anyone ever hire you 58 00:03:03,735 --> 00:03:04,874 for a business plan? 59 00:03:04,908 --> 00:03:07,670 No. The whole point is that you wanted to make more. 60 00:03:07,704 --> 00:03:09,948 I've always said if I was gonna forecast 61 00:03:09,982 --> 00:03:13,986 they will earn $350 million off a $300,000 film, 62 00:03:14,021 --> 00:03:15,195 they should never hire me. 63 00:03:15,229 --> 00:03:16,782 That would have been insane. 64 00:03:18,025 --> 00:03:22,098 My name is Louise Levison. I'm a film finance consultant, 65 00:03:22,132 --> 00:03:25,377 and I write business plans for independent filmmakers. 66 00:03:25,412 --> 00:03:26,896 [Rick] I don't wanna put words in your mouth, 67 00:03:26,930 --> 00:03:30,727 but in many ways you were one of the architects 68 00:03:30,762 --> 00:03:35,076 of the entire film since there was no script, no star, 69 00:03:35,111 --> 00:03:37,941 and you sat down with a blank piece of paper 70 00:03:37,976 --> 00:03:41,704 and created an entity called "The Blair Witch Project". 71 00:03:41,738 --> 00:03:43,326 There's a lot, that's been written, 72 00:03:43,361 --> 00:03:45,673 what we might call "fake news" or "misinformation" 73 00:03:45,708 --> 00:03:47,054 about the film. 74 00:03:47,088 --> 00:03:49,643 The truth is it was shot on 16 millimeter. 75 00:03:49,677 --> 00:03:51,679 Well it's super eight and 16. 76 00:03:51,714 --> 00:03:54,234 [Rick] Right. So they had like a $300,000 budget. 77 00:03:54,268 --> 00:03:55,338 Yeah. 78 00:03:55,373 --> 00:03:56,684 [Rick] There was something like 89,000 in there, 79 00:03:56,719 --> 00:03:59,204 for the transfer from 16 to 35. 80 00:03:59,239 --> 00:04:00,826 A lot of people thought they just went 81 00:04:00,861 --> 00:04:03,346 and got a video camera, went out in the woods, made a movie, 82 00:04:03,381 --> 00:04:04,623 -I know, yeah. 83 00:04:04,658 --> 00:04:08,213 but that was sort of the big part of the marketing 84 00:04:08,248 --> 00:04:09,732 and the joke. 85 00:04:09,766 --> 00:04:11,734 Which was bumped because I'm over here on the side. 86 00:04:11,768 --> 00:04:13,529 Yeah, I did that. 87 00:04:13,563 --> 00:04:16,014 But over time, the numbers that they said the budget was 88 00:04:16,048 --> 00:04:17,187 has even gotten lower. 89 00:04:17,222 --> 00:04:19,328 So that right now, someone on the internet 90 00:04:19,362 --> 00:04:23,159 is saying that bunch for "The Blair Witch" was $15,000. 91 00:04:23,193 --> 00:04:24,022 I was like, wow. 92 00:04:24,056 --> 00:04:25,265 [Rick] But the truth is, 93 00:04:25,299 --> 00:04:27,922 as innovative as it was in concept, 94 00:04:27,957 --> 00:04:30,131 it was a traditional business plan, 95 00:04:30,166 --> 00:04:31,788 -Right. -a traditional budget, 96 00:04:31,823 --> 00:04:34,860 shot the way films are done traditionally, 97 00:04:34,895 --> 00:04:37,035 -Right -it just pretended not to be. 98 00:04:37,069 --> 00:04:39,313 [Louise] The thing that filmmakers have to remember 99 00:04:39,348 --> 00:04:42,627 is that you have to make something you really care about. 100 00:04:42,661 --> 00:04:46,320 You can't say, well, now horror films make a lot of money 101 00:04:46,355 --> 00:04:47,977 so I'm gonna make a horror film. 102 00:04:48,011 --> 00:04:49,496 It's really hard work. 103 00:04:49,530 --> 00:04:52,015 Even though it looks like, well, they didn't do much. 104 00:04:52,050 --> 00:04:55,122 It's very, very hard work raising the money 105 00:04:55,156 --> 00:04:56,779 and making the film itself. 106 00:04:56,813 --> 00:04:59,195 You really don't wanna be doing that 107 00:04:59,229 --> 00:05:01,301 unless it's something you really care about. 108 00:05:01,335 --> 00:05:03,544 Because if you don't care, 109 00:05:03,579 --> 00:05:05,581 you're gonna be making a lousy film anyway, 110 00:05:05,615 --> 00:05:08,618 no matter what it is and no matter who's in it. 111 00:05:08,653 --> 00:05:10,310 You can have stars in it, 112 00:05:10,344 --> 00:05:12,795 they can't really overcome a really bad film. 113 00:05:12,829 --> 00:05:15,832 [Rick] "The Blair Witch" was a cultural 114 00:05:15,867 --> 00:05:18,456 and media and box office phenomenon. 115 00:05:18,490 --> 00:05:20,630 It was on the cover of Newsweek and Time. 116 00:05:20,665 --> 00:05:21,459 [Louise] Right. 117 00:05:21,493 --> 00:05:22,494 [Rick] And it was made by 118 00:05:22,529 --> 00:05:26,774 five unknown regional filmmakers. 119 00:05:26,809 --> 00:05:28,293 Right. 120 00:05:28,328 --> 00:05:30,951 [Rick] Do you believe, based on your experiences, that today, 121 00:05:30,985 --> 00:05:33,263 the same situation could occur again? 122 00:05:33,298 --> 00:05:34,575 Absolutely. 123 00:05:34,713 --> 00:05:35,714 Absolutely. 124 00:05:37,337 --> 00:05:39,925 -[slate clapping] -[upbeat music] 125 00:05:54,008 --> 00:05:55,596 My name is Scott du Pont. 126 00:05:55,631 --> 00:05:58,634 I'm a professional actor and a film producer. 127 00:05:58,668 --> 00:06:01,775 There's a lot of secrets to raising money for movies. 128 00:06:01,809 --> 00:06:04,122 The first thing I think is you gotta have 129 00:06:04,156 --> 00:06:05,572 the right psychology. 130 00:06:05,606 --> 00:06:08,920 Everyone seems to think that people out there 131 00:06:08,954 --> 00:06:12,233 you're talking to don't want to give you money 132 00:06:12,268 --> 00:06:14,097 for a high risk investment. 133 00:06:14,132 --> 00:06:15,996 I believe it's the opposite. 134 00:06:16,030 --> 00:06:20,276 I believe every single person I talked to actually wants 135 00:06:20,310 --> 00:06:21,726 to give me money. 136 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:25,315 Now, with that said, not everyone is in the position 137 00:06:25,350 --> 00:06:26,662 to give you money. 138 00:06:26,696 --> 00:06:28,146 There might be liquidity factors. 139 00:06:28,180 --> 00:06:29,768 There might be a husband and wife that talk you back, 140 00:06:29,803 --> 00:06:33,876 but I believe you have to talk to every single person 141 00:06:33,910 --> 00:06:34,980 you run into. 142 00:06:35,015 --> 00:06:37,017 I was working on a movie many, many years ago, 143 00:06:37,051 --> 00:06:40,261 an Adam Sandler picture called "The Waterboy". 144 00:06:40,296 --> 00:06:43,368 I'm sitting up in the stands with 5,000 other extras. 145 00:06:43,403 --> 00:06:45,266 I ended up sitting right next to this guy. 146 00:06:45,301 --> 00:06:47,165 He had kind of a grungy T-shirt, 147 00:06:47,199 --> 00:06:49,857 he had some holes in his straw hat, 148 00:06:49,892 --> 00:06:52,515 ended up talking to him 'cause I talk to everyone. 149 00:06:52,550 --> 00:06:54,483 That gentleman, Jeff, 150 00:06:54,517 --> 00:06:57,727 ended up giving me $780,000 151 00:06:57,762 --> 00:06:59,867 for my first feature film. 152 00:06:59,902 --> 00:07:03,526 So, you can never, ever pre-judge anybody. 153 00:07:03,561 --> 00:07:06,149 [upbeat music] 154 00:07:08,186 --> 00:07:10,775 My name is Maggie Phillips Pamplin. 155 00:07:10,809 --> 00:07:14,364 I'm a producer, production designer and artist. 156 00:07:14,399 --> 00:07:15,918 I think the advice that I would give 157 00:07:15,952 --> 00:07:20,198 to a beginning filmmaker is to gather a team around you. 158 00:07:20,232 --> 00:07:23,891 I think there's a misconception that there is one producer 159 00:07:23,926 --> 00:07:26,376 and he or she brings in the money. 160 00:07:26,411 --> 00:07:29,241 People think that they are not the ones to raise the money. 161 00:07:29,276 --> 00:07:30,864 I just think anyone can. 162 00:07:30,898 --> 00:07:34,799 Anyone can have a relation or a friend or acquaintance 163 00:07:34,833 --> 00:07:36,732 or business acquaintance that can come in 164 00:07:36,766 --> 00:07:38,734 and help bring money for an independent film. 165 00:07:38,768 --> 00:07:40,494 And you can be part of a team. 166 00:07:40,529 --> 00:07:42,013 You need more than just yourself. 167 00:07:42,047 --> 00:07:44,256 You need to start gathering people around 168 00:07:44,291 --> 00:07:45,879 and really have everyone pitch in 169 00:07:45,913 --> 00:07:48,226 and have everyone have ownership in that film. 170 00:07:48,433 --> 00:07:49,814 [Scott] This is extremely important. 171 00:07:49,848 --> 00:07:52,817 I've done this in every single one of my 12 plus films 172 00:07:52,851 --> 00:07:54,025 over the last 20 years. 173 00:07:54,059 --> 00:07:57,442 The first thing I do in my production office 174 00:07:57,477 --> 00:07:59,996 is I build what's called "The Wall". 175 00:08:00,031 --> 00:08:02,585 I literally take up an entire wall. 176 00:08:02,620 --> 00:08:05,795 Sometime it's 10, 20, 30 feet wide. 177 00:08:05,830 --> 00:08:10,075 And I write different columns of people that I know. 178 00:08:10,110 --> 00:08:11,836 I start with my family. 179 00:08:11,870 --> 00:08:15,184 In magic marker, write a big column of family members. 180 00:08:15,218 --> 00:08:17,531 I write St. Andrew's people, 181 00:08:17,566 --> 00:08:20,223 I went to high school years ago, cousins. 182 00:08:20,258 --> 00:08:22,950 So you have all these different categories of people. 183 00:08:22,985 --> 00:08:24,883 You start writing down their names 184 00:08:24,918 --> 00:08:27,541 and you never ever pre-judge anyone. 185 00:08:27,576 --> 00:08:30,164 [upbeat music] 186 00:08:39,139 --> 00:08:41,210 My name is Rick Pamplin. 187 00:08:41,244 --> 00:08:44,454 I am a screenwriter and a motion picture director. 188 00:08:44,489 --> 00:08:48,044 I was teaching seminars and I met a very interesting man 189 00:08:48,079 --> 00:08:51,461 that was distributing movies direct on video 190 00:08:51,496 --> 00:08:55,431 to places like Blockbuster and United Artists Pay-Per-View 191 00:08:55,465 --> 00:08:58,020 and Showtime and so I was one of the pioneers. 192 00:08:58,054 --> 00:09:00,022 My very first film "Provoked" 193 00:09:00,056 --> 00:09:02,990 was made under that guaranteed distribution 194 00:09:03,025 --> 00:09:05,337 and under that new methodology 195 00:09:05,372 --> 00:09:06,753 of how to make a motion picture. 196 00:09:06,787 --> 00:09:09,307 I just started telling every single person I knew, 197 00:09:09,341 --> 00:09:11,516 every student, every faculty person, I said, 198 00:09:11,551 --> 00:09:14,519 I'm making my first feature film as a director 199 00:09:14,554 --> 00:09:16,935 and I would like you to invest in it. 200 00:09:16,970 --> 00:09:19,904 And one thing led to another and eventually we raised 201 00:09:19,938 --> 00:09:21,077 the entire budget. 202 00:09:21,112 --> 00:09:23,459 So we made the picture for $115,000 203 00:09:23,493 --> 00:09:26,496 and on the figures that I've seen, 204 00:09:26,531 --> 00:09:29,465 the picture made about a 50 to one payback. 205 00:09:29,499 --> 00:09:32,744 This small little independent film with virtually no names, 206 00:09:32,779 --> 00:09:35,126 which was kind of a feminist diehard. 207 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:36,576 I love making motion pictures, 208 00:09:36,610 --> 00:09:37,749 I love writing, 209 00:09:37,784 --> 00:09:39,302 I love working with talented people, 210 00:09:39,337 --> 00:09:41,684 but I hate the concept of raising money, 211 00:09:41,719 --> 00:09:42,892 asking people for money. 212 00:09:42,927 --> 00:09:45,446 You know, lots of very wealthy people have told me 213 00:09:45,481 --> 00:09:47,379 that you have to get over that fear. 214 00:09:47,414 --> 00:09:50,348 So when I needed to raise larger amounts of money, 215 00:09:50,382 --> 00:09:52,661 I had gotten everybody I knew to invest 216 00:09:52,695 --> 00:09:57,286 so I at times would bring in funders or finders 217 00:09:57,320 --> 00:09:58,839 and pay them a percentage of the money 218 00:09:58,874 --> 00:10:02,049 that they would raise and I've been very successful at that. 219 00:10:02,084 --> 00:10:04,327 And I prefer to work through a producer 220 00:10:04,362 --> 00:10:08,608 or an executive producer who has the skills to raise money. 221 00:10:08,642 --> 00:10:11,093 I think the reason I'm probably successful 222 00:10:11,127 --> 00:10:13,992 in raising money is persistence. 223 00:10:14,027 --> 00:10:17,099 I never ever give up. 224 00:10:17,133 --> 00:10:21,482 And one of the reasons why this producing team 225 00:10:21,517 --> 00:10:23,933 we'd had a lot of trials and tribulations through the years 226 00:10:23,968 --> 00:10:26,211 and a lot of it was totally unfair. 227 00:10:26,246 --> 00:10:31,251 I see this movie as redeeming the partners of this movie. 228 00:10:31,838 --> 00:10:33,253 So I just said, you know, 229 00:10:33,287 --> 00:10:34,772 I'm gonna lock myself into my office. 230 00:10:34,806 --> 00:10:36,325 If it takes two years, 231 00:10:36,359 --> 00:10:38,810 I'm gonna sit there and make over a thousand phone calls, 232 00:10:38,845 --> 00:10:41,364 do a thousand meetings and here we are, 233 00:10:41,399 --> 00:10:42,642 we finally got it funded. 234 00:10:43,850 --> 00:10:46,438 A lot of times when you raise money in a movie, 235 00:10:46,473 --> 00:10:48,509 it gets a little bumpy like this ride 236 00:10:48,544 --> 00:10:51,409 and people think they're going to give you the money. 237 00:10:51,443 --> 00:10:53,791 They sign the contract, and then they aren't able. 238 00:10:53,825 --> 00:10:56,483 You don't decide what order your films are made, 239 00:10:56,517 --> 00:10:58,658 your investors decide in what order 240 00:10:58,692 --> 00:11:00,694 you're going to make your films. 241 00:11:00,729 --> 00:11:03,007 I think there's something really true: 242 00:11:03,041 --> 00:11:06,010 if you get up in the morning 243 00:11:06,044 --> 00:11:07,943 and you think you will just die, 244 00:11:07,977 --> 00:11:10,497 if you can not get out and make your own film 245 00:11:10,531 --> 00:11:11,878 and produce your own film. 246 00:11:11,912 --> 00:11:13,673 If you don't think that every day, 247 00:11:13,707 --> 00:11:15,364 then you might not be a producer. 248 00:11:15,398 --> 00:11:17,159 But if you get up in the morning 249 00:11:17,193 --> 00:11:19,748 and all you're thinking about is how to make a film 250 00:11:19,782 --> 00:11:21,750 and how to get your film out there, 251 00:11:21,784 --> 00:11:24,097 then you're probably a film producer. 252 00:11:24,131 --> 00:11:26,996 I had the great fortune of directing a film 253 00:11:27,031 --> 00:11:30,862 with Ernest Borgnine, Academy Award Winner, living legend, 254 00:11:30,897 --> 00:11:32,761 over 200 motion pictures. 255 00:11:32,795 --> 00:11:36,247 I had group of investors who came to the set, 256 00:11:36,281 --> 00:11:37,558 saw me make the movie, 257 00:11:37,593 --> 00:11:39,353 the movie opened in theaters. 258 00:11:39,388 --> 00:11:40,596 The movie was nominated 259 00:11:40,630 --> 00:11:42,356 on the Ballot for the Directors Guild, 260 00:11:42,391 --> 00:11:45,635 the Academy Awards and people got very excited. 261 00:11:45,670 --> 00:11:48,224 And one of those people was the great artist, Borgnine 262 00:11:48,259 --> 00:11:51,227 who said, kid, you're done making little pictures. 263 00:11:51,262 --> 00:11:52,504 Let's make bigger pictures. 264 00:11:52,539 --> 00:11:54,783 We had all kinds of stars calling us, 265 00:11:54,817 --> 00:11:57,199 knocking on my door at Universal Studios, 266 00:11:57,233 --> 00:11:59,097 wanting to come in and be in my movies. 267 00:11:59,132 --> 00:12:01,375 You know, we really try to communicate with investors. 268 00:12:01,410 --> 00:12:03,067 I try to always be responsive, 269 00:12:03,101 --> 00:12:06,553 but sometimes investors become, you know, abusive. 270 00:12:10,005 --> 00:12:12,870 My son came up with an idea called "Crime Busters", 271 00:12:12,904 --> 00:12:15,527 which was basically little meets the police academy. 272 00:12:15,562 --> 00:12:19,324 So, we designed "Crime Busters" as the most commercial film 273 00:12:19,359 --> 00:12:23,294 I could ever make that would be an instant slam dunk 274 00:12:23,328 --> 00:12:25,261 and we would make the film 275 00:12:25,296 --> 00:12:27,954 and then we would go on to making more artistic films, 276 00:12:27,988 --> 00:12:29,818 more representative of what I wanted make here. 277 00:12:29,852 --> 00:12:33,407 Here I am 10 years later, I've been smeared on the internet. 278 00:12:33,442 --> 00:12:35,478 I've had my life threatened. 279 00:12:35,513 --> 00:12:39,620 I've had people sue me simply because it's taking too long 280 00:12:39,655 --> 00:12:41,622 to raise the production funds. 281 00:12:41,657 --> 00:12:44,936 I had very dark, terrible thoughts, but faith 282 00:12:44,971 --> 00:12:47,732 and a great wife saved my life 283 00:12:47,767 --> 00:12:49,872 and my revenge is making this movie. 284 00:12:50,873 --> 00:12:52,081 I'm not dead. 285 00:12:52,116 --> 00:12:53,738 You haven't destroyed me. 286 00:12:53,773 --> 00:12:55,533 You haven't bankrupted me. 287 00:12:55,567 --> 00:12:57,535 I'm still gonna make "Crime Busters". 288 00:12:57,569 --> 00:12:59,917 I'm still gonna make the other two films 289 00:12:59,951 --> 00:13:01,366 and I'm gonna make this film. 290 00:13:04,542 --> 00:13:08,166 The best people I've ever met at fundraising in my life 291 00:13:08,201 --> 00:13:10,962 are in this motion picture and I'm so thrilled 292 00:13:10,997 --> 00:13:13,309 so I'd rather let them talk about it. 293 00:13:14,863 --> 00:13:17,279 [soft music] 294 00:13:24,976 --> 00:13:28,393 Yeah. I think this is a great business, I mean. 295 00:13:28,428 --> 00:13:30,775 It's full of heartache, 296 00:13:30,810 --> 00:13:34,434 and all those cliche things. 297 00:13:35,987 --> 00:13:38,541 You're gonna get beat up pretty good 298 00:13:38,576 --> 00:13:43,581 but still, it's a wonderful business 299 00:13:44,306 --> 00:13:45,100 because you're... 300 00:13:46,239 --> 00:13:48,862 What are you giving? Joy. 301 00:13:48,897 --> 00:13:53,384 Hopefully a few laughs or hopefully you scare somebody 302 00:13:53,418 --> 00:13:55,731 or whatever the hell you're trying to do 303 00:13:55,765 --> 00:13:56,939 in your picture. 304 00:13:57,975 --> 00:14:00,287 It's a wonderful, wonderful thing. 305 00:14:00,391 --> 00:14:02,082 [Rick] Did you ever try to raise money for films 306 00:14:02,117 --> 00:14:03,290 or did you have to? 307 00:14:03,325 --> 00:14:05,051 No, I never did. 308 00:14:05,085 --> 00:14:07,708 I never liked that idea. 309 00:14:07,743 --> 00:14:09,227 I wouldn't be good at it. 310 00:14:09,262 --> 00:14:12,748 [Rick] What's the secret of getting a project funded? 311 00:14:12,782 --> 00:14:16,510 Is there a secret either in Hollywood or as an independent? 312 00:14:16,545 --> 00:14:21,550 Well, you got a script that is a commercial script. 313 00:14:22,551 --> 00:14:25,278 Commercial in the sense that it's got the things in it 314 00:14:25,312 --> 00:14:29,075 that people wanna go see. 315 00:14:29,109 --> 00:14:32,354 [Rick] What advice would you give to a young director 316 00:14:32,388 --> 00:14:33,355 starting out today? 317 00:14:34,321 --> 00:14:38,670 Find something that's good, 318 00:14:40,672 --> 00:14:41,673 that you believe in, 319 00:14:43,054 --> 00:14:44,435 that you'll fight for. 320 00:14:45,712 --> 00:14:47,438 Don't let them tell you how to make your movie, 321 00:14:47,472 --> 00:14:48,508 you make your movie. 322 00:14:49,889 --> 00:14:51,718 [Rick] Where does Hollywood get their money? 323 00:14:51,752 --> 00:14:54,686 [Louise] Hollywood gets their money from banks. 324 00:14:54,721 --> 00:14:56,171 [Rick] What's your take when people say 325 00:14:56,205 --> 00:14:57,482 that Jews run Hollywood? 326 00:14:58,725 --> 00:15:00,727 Does it offend you? Does it not offend you? 327 00:15:02,694 --> 00:15:05,835 It offends me because if anything goes wrong, 328 00:15:05,870 --> 00:15:07,492 it's like, let's blame the Jews, 329 00:15:07,527 --> 00:15:11,117 which since I've grown up before, it was the original cry. 330 00:15:11,151 --> 00:15:13,809 When anything was going wrong, it's let's blame the Jews. 331 00:15:13,843 --> 00:15:15,397 But I don't think it's... 332 00:15:15,431 --> 00:15:18,745 I think at one time it was true. 333 00:15:18,779 --> 00:15:20,574 I don't think it's so true anymore. 334 00:15:20,609 --> 00:15:22,991 If you look at who all the executives are. 335 00:15:23,025 --> 00:15:25,062 [Rick] Conversely then, is it easier 336 00:15:25,096 --> 00:15:27,996 for a Jewish filmmaker to make a film than-- 337 00:15:28,030 --> 00:15:31,723 No. No. It's a money driven thing. 338 00:15:31,758 --> 00:15:34,450 [Rick] Is it easier for a liberal to make a film 339 00:15:34,485 --> 00:15:35,658 than a non liberal? 340 00:15:35,693 --> 00:15:36,970 No, that's another thing. 341 00:15:37,005 --> 00:15:39,352 You know, oh yeah nobody likes my idea 342 00:15:39,386 --> 00:15:43,183 because those people are liberal. 343 00:15:43,218 --> 00:15:45,392 Now we're talking about Hollywood, 344 00:15:45,427 --> 00:15:46,497 and we're talking about 345 00:15:46,531 --> 00:15:48,430 see, independent's a whole 'nother place. 346 00:15:48,464 --> 00:15:51,951 [Rick] Is it easier as a white male to get a film made? 347 00:15:51,985 --> 00:15:53,676 Probably, yeah. 348 00:15:53,711 --> 00:15:55,023 [Rickie] Harder as a female? 349 00:15:55,057 --> 00:15:55,955 Yeah. 350 00:15:55,989 --> 00:15:57,025 [Rick] Harder as a minority? 351 00:15:57,059 --> 00:15:58,336 Yes, definitely. 352 00:15:58,371 --> 00:15:59,924 [Rick] But I think that's changing. 353 00:15:59,959 --> 00:16:02,168 Yeah. No, I know it is. 354 00:16:02,202 --> 00:16:07,173 And again, it really changes more from people 355 00:16:07,207 --> 00:16:09,416 starting with independent films 356 00:16:09,451 --> 00:16:11,453 because they just need to, 357 00:16:11,487 --> 00:16:13,006 they can start with small films. 358 00:16:13,041 --> 00:16:15,250 They can just find people who believe in their film, 359 00:16:15,284 --> 00:16:17,597 put it together and make a film 360 00:16:17,631 --> 00:16:19,840 and once they're successful, 361 00:16:19,875 --> 00:16:21,635 when you're telling about studios, 362 00:16:21,670 --> 00:16:22,774 then again, they're right, 363 00:16:22,809 --> 00:16:24,017 they don't care who you are 364 00:16:24,052 --> 00:16:25,432 as long as they're gonna make money. 365 00:16:26,123 --> 00:16:28,677 Yeah. I think I know what's commercial 366 00:16:28,711 --> 00:16:31,231 and you may hate that word, 367 00:16:31,266 --> 00:16:36,271 but you have to have a little bit of that sprinkled 368 00:16:38,307 --> 00:16:40,689 around in the screenplay. 369 00:16:40,723 --> 00:16:42,725 [Rick] What do you think of the movies today? 370 00:16:43,899 --> 00:16:44,865 Not much. 371 00:16:45,935 --> 00:16:46,764 [Rick] Why? 372 00:16:47,868 --> 00:16:51,251 Well, I see them trying to be commercial, 373 00:16:53,184 --> 00:16:57,568 trying to, what do we do to make this picture make money? 374 00:16:58,431 --> 00:16:59,328 Well, let's see. 375 00:16:59,363 --> 00:17:01,468 We can have some bare boobs. 376 00:17:01,503 --> 00:17:06,508 We can have...a rape scene 377 00:17:06,542 --> 00:17:09,131 or we could have 378 00:17:09,166 --> 00:17:14,171 a comedian say wisecracks for the whole movie. 379 00:17:15,724 --> 00:17:17,726 My name is Russell Cardinal. 380 00:17:17,760 --> 00:17:19,693 I am a location manager. 381 00:17:19,728 --> 00:17:20,970 Well, I think Los Angeles, 382 00:17:21,005 --> 00:17:24,008 everybody wants to get something for nothing. 383 00:17:25,492 --> 00:17:26,942 You know, when I first went out there, 384 00:17:26,976 --> 00:17:30,670 I went to a lot of potential opportunities out there 385 00:17:30,704 --> 00:17:34,260 and they all expect you to work for free when you're young 386 00:17:34,294 --> 00:17:38,057 or you don't have a, you know, really strong IMDB. 387 00:17:38,781 --> 00:17:41,577 Well, Los Angeles is an expensive place to live. 388 00:17:41,612 --> 00:17:43,579 Very difficult to get around. 389 00:17:43,614 --> 00:17:45,064 Everybody's always late, 390 00:17:45,098 --> 00:17:47,618 very difficult to stay professional out there. 391 00:17:47,652 --> 00:17:50,310 There is a lot of greed and a lot of cutthroat 392 00:17:50,345 --> 00:17:51,691 and stealing of ideas I believe 393 00:17:51,725 --> 00:17:53,451 but there's also the greatest people in the world. 394 00:17:53,486 --> 00:17:56,834 The most talented people behind the scenes 395 00:17:56,868 --> 00:17:57,800 and it's a really great place. 396 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:02,771 I want them to understand that when you go to New York, 397 00:18:04,221 --> 00:18:06,706 whether it's for a year or two years. 398 00:18:06,740 --> 00:18:08,949 Two years, better than one. 399 00:18:10,123 --> 00:18:13,782 And then you go to LA, you're a New York actor. 400 00:18:13,816 --> 00:18:15,163 [Rick] And is it because of the stage work 401 00:18:15,197 --> 00:18:18,614 that they would maybe do off Broadway do stage? 402 00:18:18,649 --> 00:18:22,273 They'll do off Broadway and they'll do... 403 00:18:24,724 --> 00:18:29,108 Also, there's a network with New York actors. 404 00:18:29,142 --> 00:18:30,212 That's very important. 405 00:18:31,938 --> 00:18:33,698 If they don't have any other place, 406 00:18:35,079 --> 00:18:37,392 certainly not in Hollywood. 407 00:18:37,426 --> 00:18:41,568 In Hollywood they're out to, you know, find out 408 00:18:41,603 --> 00:18:45,124 where the next party is or what whatever's going on 409 00:18:45,158 --> 00:18:48,886 but then it's not about the work. 410 00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:51,371 Whereas in New York, it's about the work. 411 00:18:51,406 --> 00:18:53,615 But you still believe they need to go to New York? 412 00:18:53,649 --> 00:18:54,961 I do. 413 00:18:54,995 --> 00:18:57,205 And then from New York to Hollywood? 414 00:18:57,239 --> 00:19:00,829 Yes, the last time I was on Broadway, I was in a play. 415 00:19:02,486 --> 00:19:04,522 It was a good little play. 416 00:19:04,557 --> 00:19:08,595 There were five of us and we were all newcomers. 417 00:19:10,252 --> 00:19:12,427 And I remember Richard Watts said, 418 00:19:12,461 --> 00:19:15,568 "we hope these young people 419 00:19:16,224 --> 00:19:19,434 "don't go to Hollywood." 420 00:19:21,021 --> 00:19:23,196 I left the next day for Hollywood. 421 00:19:24,197 --> 00:19:25,992 [laughing] 422 00:19:26,786 --> 00:19:28,546 [Rick] What is wrong with you? 423 00:19:28,581 --> 00:19:30,997 What possesses you to do this? 424 00:19:31,031 --> 00:19:32,378 You have to do it. 425 00:19:32,412 --> 00:19:34,276 If you wanna be a legitimate film producer, 426 00:19:34,311 --> 00:19:36,796 or if you're a writer and you want, 427 00:19:36,830 --> 00:19:39,247 if you're frustrated with some big studio 428 00:19:39,281 --> 00:19:40,765 picking up your script, 429 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:43,458 if you're a director and you want to direct something, 430 00:19:43,492 --> 00:19:47,807 sooner or later if you or your team of people with you, 431 00:19:47,841 --> 00:19:51,431 don't talk to every single person you run into 432 00:19:51,466 --> 00:19:53,157 or if you don't ask for money, 433 00:19:54,262 --> 00:19:55,849 you're not gonna have any money. 434 00:19:57,265 --> 00:20:00,060 And whether you're a writer, whether you're a director, 435 00:20:00,095 --> 00:20:02,373 whether you're a producer, any end of the business, 436 00:20:02,408 --> 00:20:05,169 if you want your project to get out there, 437 00:20:05,204 --> 00:20:07,171 it's very unlikely that some studio, 438 00:20:07,206 --> 00:20:09,898 oh, we love that script out of the hundreds and hundreds 439 00:20:09,932 --> 00:20:11,555 of scripts we're getting in Hollywood, 440 00:20:11,589 --> 00:20:13,039 we'll just pick yours. 441 00:20:13,073 --> 00:20:15,179 Or if you're a director and you're trying to break through, 442 00:20:15,214 --> 00:20:18,665 the quickest, easiest way to make it, 443 00:20:18,700 --> 00:20:21,806 especially in the independent world, is just talk to people 444 00:20:21,841 --> 00:20:23,118 and get your own money. 445 00:20:23,152 --> 00:20:25,085 I mean, the equipment's a lot smaller, 446 00:20:25,120 --> 00:20:26,535 it's a lot cheaper. 447 00:20:26,570 --> 00:20:28,503 There's all these new platforms. 448 00:20:28,537 --> 00:20:30,953 It's never been easier to distribute, 449 00:20:30,988 --> 00:20:33,197 but it all starts with the money. 450 00:20:33,232 --> 00:20:34,819 If you don't have the money, 451 00:20:34,854 --> 00:20:37,581 there is no movie so it's that simple. 452 00:20:37,615 --> 00:20:40,066 [soft music] 453 00:20:48,005 --> 00:20:51,146 [audience applauding] 454 00:20:52,803 --> 00:20:54,874 So I wanna ask you guys a couple of questions. 455 00:20:54,908 --> 00:20:58,326 How many people here wanna make motion pictures, 456 00:20:58,360 --> 00:20:59,913 make movies? 457 00:20:59,948 --> 00:21:02,675 Okay. How many people wanna write movies, be screenwriters? 458 00:21:02,709 --> 00:21:04,055 Raise your hand. 459 00:21:04,090 --> 00:21:05,574 Screenwriters. 460 00:21:05,609 --> 00:21:09,406 How many people wanna be directors, direct a movie? 461 00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:13,133 How many of you wanna act, be actors? 462 00:21:14,342 --> 00:21:17,828 Okay. Let's talk to you guys about things 463 00:21:17,862 --> 00:21:19,588 that you're interested in. 464 00:21:19,623 --> 00:21:21,349 Hi, I'm Alex Hassig. 465 00:21:21,383 --> 00:21:23,903 Do you think it's important to go to school for acting 466 00:21:23,937 --> 00:21:26,561 or do you think it's easier just to go to school 467 00:21:26,595 --> 00:21:28,735 for something else and then find opportunities 468 00:21:28,770 --> 00:21:30,599 around cities and such? 469 00:21:30,634 --> 00:21:32,083 Great question. 470 00:21:32,118 --> 00:21:34,293 I think when you leave here, wherever you go, undergraduate, 471 00:21:34,327 --> 00:21:37,434 if you wanna study theater acting, I think that's great. 472 00:21:37,468 --> 00:21:38,676 I didn't. 473 00:21:38,711 --> 00:21:40,057 I was actually an economics major. 474 00:21:40,091 --> 00:21:42,370 I fell into my passion for acting later, 475 00:21:42,404 --> 00:21:43,819 but I think whatever you do, 476 00:21:43,854 --> 00:21:47,098 you also need to take some business classes 477 00:21:47,133 --> 00:21:48,410 to take some marketing classes, 478 00:21:48,445 --> 00:21:50,274 to be very, very well-rounded. 479 00:21:50,309 --> 00:21:54,382 I became the busiest, most working actor 480 00:21:54,416 --> 00:21:56,556 in the entire state of Florida. 481 00:21:56,591 --> 00:21:58,144 And I'm not a great actor, 482 00:21:58,178 --> 00:22:01,699 but I knew how to market myself and I knew how to network. 483 00:22:01,734 --> 00:22:04,875 So I think all that stuff is really, really important. 484 00:22:04,909 --> 00:22:05,703 What's your name? 485 00:22:05,738 --> 00:22:06,980 Brendan Asaf. 486 00:22:07,015 --> 00:22:08,948 I was wondering, for a junior director, 487 00:22:08,982 --> 00:22:10,984 what you think might be the best place to start, 488 00:22:11,019 --> 00:22:13,642 for example, would it be a good idea to try directing 489 00:22:13,677 --> 00:22:16,542 in theater before directing and film or television 490 00:22:16,576 --> 00:22:18,544 or are these mediums entirely different 491 00:22:18,578 --> 00:22:19,579 from one another? 492 00:22:19,614 --> 00:22:20,822 Theater and motion pictures 493 00:22:20,856 --> 00:22:22,686 are two different mediums completely. 494 00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:25,274 Number one, you've gotta have a sample of your work, 495 00:22:25,309 --> 00:22:26,517 a student film. 496 00:22:26,552 --> 00:22:27,863 Number two, it helps if you're a writer, 497 00:22:27,898 --> 00:22:29,313 if you have a spec script 498 00:22:29,348 --> 00:22:31,626 and number three, I think assistant directing 499 00:22:31,660 --> 00:22:35,043 is a great way to learn, to get in, 500 00:22:35,077 --> 00:22:37,286 to really learn your craft. 501 00:22:37,321 --> 00:22:38,115 Grace Sodie. 502 00:22:38,149 --> 00:22:39,047 Okay. 503 00:22:39,081 --> 00:22:41,221 So as an aspiring screenwriter, 504 00:22:41,256 --> 00:22:44,190 there's always this fear that you're just rewriting 505 00:22:44,224 --> 00:22:46,123 as you reference the same one story 506 00:22:46,157 --> 00:22:47,745 that's been done over and over again. 507 00:22:47,780 --> 00:22:49,091 How do you overcome that? 508 00:22:49,126 --> 00:22:51,646 I'll tell you one way to avoid it. 509 00:22:51,680 --> 00:22:54,200 I've had people come to me with stories that are essentially 510 00:22:54,234 --> 00:22:55,891 "The Blair Witch in a Submarine", 511 00:22:55,926 --> 00:22:57,514 "The Blair Witch on Mars" 512 00:22:57,548 --> 00:22:59,723 and I keep trying to tell them "The Blair Witch" 513 00:22:59,757 --> 00:23:01,656 has already been made. 514 00:23:01,690 --> 00:23:04,659 You don't wanna remake somebody else's film. 515 00:23:04,693 --> 00:23:07,144 You can learn the format and the technique 516 00:23:07,178 --> 00:23:09,905 in about an hour but you've got to open up your heart. 517 00:23:09,940 --> 00:23:12,149 There's a great quote by an old sports writer 518 00:23:12,183 --> 00:23:13,288 named Red Barber. 519 00:23:13,322 --> 00:23:14,738 He said, writing is easy. 520 00:23:14,772 --> 00:23:17,396 You just take a razor blade and cut open a vein 521 00:23:17,430 --> 00:23:18,776 and bleed on the page. 522 00:23:18,811 --> 00:23:22,435 And having faith is not having any fear. 523 00:23:22,470 --> 00:23:25,438 And you need to be bold as a filmmaker, 524 00:23:25,473 --> 00:23:27,854 you need to say things that other people aren't saying. 525 00:23:27,889 --> 00:23:31,202 If you wanna make a film, almost always 526 00:23:31,237 --> 00:23:33,653 there's some good that somebody wants to do. 527 00:23:33,688 --> 00:23:35,621 Don't get corrupted by the money. 528 00:23:35,655 --> 00:23:39,279 Don't get corrupted by Hollywood or the fake propaganda. 529 00:23:39,314 --> 00:23:40,798 Make that film. 530 00:23:40,833 --> 00:23:43,249 [soft music] 531 00:23:48,081 --> 00:23:49,255 Angela Lodato. 532 00:23:49,289 --> 00:23:51,464 I teach film studies and broadcasting 533 00:23:51,499 --> 00:23:53,466 at Saint Andrew's School. 534 00:23:53,501 --> 00:23:57,781 In film studies what I love to do is analyze film 535 00:23:57,815 --> 00:24:00,853 in ways that students don't think to 536 00:24:00,887 --> 00:24:03,372 in terms of screenwriting, 537 00:24:03,407 --> 00:24:05,340 in terms of music cues, 538 00:24:05,374 --> 00:24:09,655 in terms of what actually puts a film together 539 00:24:09,689 --> 00:24:10,897 in ways that can make 540 00:24:10,932 --> 00:24:14,211 an audience empathize with characters. 541 00:24:14,245 --> 00:24:16,938 Not in terms of what's entertainment, 542 00:24:16,972 --> 00:24:20,113 but in terms of what can actually reach an audience, 543 00:24:20,148 --> 00:24:22,253 what can actually touch an audience? 544 00:24:22,288 --> 00:24:24,911 [Rick] What kind of films to the students talk about 545 00:24:24,946 --> 00:24:26,154 wanting to make? 546 00:24:26,188 --> 00:24:27,673 We watch a lot of dialogue films 547 00:24:27,707 --> 00:24:31,021 and we watch a lot of older films with a slower pace. 548 00:24:31,055 --> 00:24:32,540 Prior to coming in, 549 00:24:32,574 --> 00:24:35,439 all they can think about is action and something 550 00:24:35,474 --> 00:24:37,337 that is pure entertainment. 551 00:24:37,372 --> 00:24:41,134 After taking some of the courses that I teach and learning 552 00:24:41,169 --> 00:24:44,966 how you can touch an audience through deep emotion, 553 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:50,005 they start talking about how to find their own inner voice 554 00:24:50,523 --> 00:24:53,008 and start expressing it in that fashion 555 00:24:53,043 --> 00:24:54,803 rather than just flesh. 556 00:24:54,838 --> 00:24:58,600 Some of them really are appreciating independent films. 557 00:24:58,635 --> 00:25:00,291 And what they like about them 558 00:25:00,326 --> 00:25:02,224 is that they're more accessible. 559 00:25:02,259 --> 00:25:06,125 Particularly if you look at all the female objectification 560 00:25:06,159 --> 00:25:09,024 that has gone on since the beginning of print media 561 00:25:09,059 --> 00:25:11,302 and now of course we're seeing so much of it now 562 00:25:11,337 --> 00:25:13,373 with male objectification. 563 00:25:13,408 --> 00:25:16,135 A lot of them are starting to rebel against it, 564 00:25:16,169 --> 00:25:18,551 which I'm happy to see. 565 00:25:18,586 --> 00:25:21,623 So they're starting to think more about independent films 566 00:25:21,658 --> 00:25:24,074 and by which they can create films 567 00:25:24,108 --> 00:25:27,215 that are using more real people, if you will, 568 00:25:27,249 --> 00:25:29,113 and just reflecting more of human nature 569 00:25:29,148 --> 00:25:30,667 the way it really is. 570 00:25:30,701 --> 00:25:31,909 I'm Ty Hammer. 571 00:25:31,944 --> 00:25:34,498 Does all of your advice and more extreme ideas 572 00:25:34,533 --> 00:25:38,088 also apply to television and all of its respective jobs? 573 00:25:38,122 --> 00:25:39,848 You wanna work in television? 574 00:25:39,883 --> 00:25:40,677 Maybe. 575 00:25:40,711 --> 00:25:41,885 Aim high. 576 00:25:41,919 --> 00:25:43,093 I went to prep school. 577 00:25:43,127 --> 00:25:44,612 I went to this school called Cranbrook. 578 00:25:44,646 --> 00:25:46,786 They always pounded in our heads, aim high aim, high. 579 00:25:46,821 --> 00:25:48,236 Shoot for movies and if you fail, 580 00:25:48,270 --> 00:25:49,306 you can always work in television. 581 00:25:49,340 --> 00:25:50,376 All right. 582 00:25:50,410 --> 00:25:51,584 -Never start in television. -[Louise laughing] 583 00:25:51,619 --> 00:25:52,620 If you start in television, 584 00:25:52,654 --> 00:25:54,138 you're gonna end up I don't know, 585 00:25:54,173 --> 00:25:56,140 selling oranges in the freeway or something. 586 00:25:56,175 --> 00:25:57,383 My name is Nikita. 587 00:25:57,417 --> 00:25:59,074 You mentioned few times writing business plans 588 00:25:59,109 --> 00:26:02,353 for motion pictures and it's an interesting path for me 589 00:26:02,388 --> 00:26:04,045 that I would like to consider. 590 00:26:04,079 --> 00:26:05,943 Is there any advice that you could give me, 591 00:26:05,978 --> 00:26:08,463 what majors to take along with finance or business 592 00:26:08,497 --> 00:26:10,948 that would help me start up? 593 00:26:10,983 --> 00:26:12,916 Finance and business is good. 594 00:26:12,950 --> 00:26:16,851 I worked in other businesses for 20 years 595 00:26:16,885 --> 00:26:19,750 before I got into film and I've been doing this for 30. 596 00:26:19,785 --> 00:26:21,959 So I like to say that I graduated from college 597 00:26:21,994 --> 00:26:24,548 when I was six in case everybody can add. 598 00:26:24,583 --> 00:26:25,929 Yes. Ma'am, what's your name? 599 00:26:25,963 --> 00:26:27,758 I'm Avery Stark. 600 00:26:27,793 --> 00:26:31,175 How do you come up with the ideas for films, characters, 601 00:26:31,210 --> 00:26:34,213 and ideas for issues inside the movie 602 00:26:34,247 --> 00:26:36,008 to make it long enough? 603 00:26:36,042 --> 00:26:37,699 I was hiking up the Hollywood Hills, 604 00:26:37,734 --> 00:26:39,080 with one of my business partners, 605 00:26:39,114 --> 00:26:41,013 a place called Runyon Canyon. 606 00:26:41,047 --> 00:26:43,602 This was, God, probably 10 or 12 years ago. 607 00:26:43,636 --> 00:26:45,086 And we came back down the hill, 608 00:26:45,120 --> 00:26:49,780 in the parking lot there was this brand new Tesla Roadster 609 00:26:49,815 --> 00:26:52,265 and a bunch of us had seen this documentary 610 00:26:52,300 --> 00:26:53,473 a couple of years prior called 611 00:26:53,508 --> 00:26:55,234 "Who Killed the Electric Car?" 612 00:26:55,268 --> 00:26:58,617 which is a really provocative, interesting edgy film. 613 00:26:58,651 --> 00:27:02,379 So we're sitting there, within 10 minutes this guy, 614 00:27:02,413 --> 00:27:03,794 the owner showed up, 615 00:27:03,829 --> 00:27:08,385 he had 30 people crowded around his car asking questions. 616 00:27:08,419 --> 00:27:10,318 "You mean it runs on no gas?" 617 00:27:10,352 --> 00:27:11,146 "How do you plug it in?" 618 00:27:11,181 --> 00:27:12,596 "How far does it go?" 619 00:27:12,631 --> 00:27:14,736 So we got back in our fossil fuel car 620 00:27:14,771 --> 00:27:16,669 and we looked at each other and said, 621 00:27:16,704 --> 00:27:20,535 someone's gotta make a movie about these new cars 622 00:27:20,569 --> 00:27:22,364 that we thought at that point were coming out. 623 00:27:22,399 --> 00:27:23,918 We took a big gamble with our investors 624 00:27:23,952 --> 00:27:28,612 but we had a pretty good inkling that in the next two years, 625 00:27:28,647 --> 00:27:30,683 the market was going to be flooded with electric cars 626 00:27:30,718 --> 00:27:33,341 and thank God every single car company 627 00:27:33,375 --> 00:27:35,274 now has different plugin models. 628 00:27:35,308 --> 00:27:37,621 So that's how that whole documentary came about. 629 00:27:37,656 --> 00:27:39,554 It's just a story that had to be told. 630 00:27:39,588 --> 00:27:41,073 Hi, I'm Jenny Hemmer. 631 00:27:41,107 --> 00:27:43,558 Personally, I want to get into like costuming 632 00:27:43,592 --> 00:27:45,491 and makeup stuff for film and theater. 633 00:27:45,525 --> 00:27:48,183 And do you have any advice on getting my work out there 634 00:27:48,218 --> 00:27:50,013 as a costumer? 635 00:27:50,047 --> 00:27:53,741 Yes. Work on everybody's student films, build your reel, 636 00:27:53,775 --> 00:27:56,571 learn your craft and you'll be very in demand 637 00:27:56,605 --> 00:27:58,677 and I expect to hire you in a couple years. 638 00:27:58,711 --> 00:27:59,505 -Alright. -Thank you. 639 00:27:59,539 --> 00:28:00,989 -My name is Tim Lerr. -Yes, sir. 640 00:28:01,024 --> 00:28:01,990 So in a short summary, 641 00:28:02,025 --> 00:28:03,992 what would you advise on how to make 642 00:28:04,027 --> 00:28:07,409 your potential investor care about your project? 643 00:28:07,444 --> 00:28:10,171 You put together a business plan that shows him 644 00:28:10,205 --> 00:28:11,862 what a wonderful project it is. 645 00:28:11,897 --> 00:28:13,381 Like what would you put in your business plan? 646 00:28:13,415 --> 00:28:15,832 The most important things that are gonna make him care 647 00:28:15,866 --> 00:28:18,110 are gonna be the story, the audience, 648 00:28:18,144 --> 00:28:20,595 and then all those numbers I was talking about 649 00:28:20,629 --> 00:28:22,252 that are at the end. 650 00:28:22,286 --> 00:28:24,150 You have other things you have to put in there 651 00:28:24,185 --> 00:28:26,083 that are just business things. 652 00:28:26,118 --> 00:28:28,741 But basically the story has... 653 00:28:28,776 --> 00:28:31,640 He has to care, or she has to care, about the story. 654 00:28:31,675 --> 00:28:33,366 If they don't care about the story, 655 00:28:33,401 --> 00:28:36,611 then they're not gonna care about the money. 656 00:28:36,645 --> 00:28:38,855 After that then they worry about the money. 657 00:28:38,889 --> 00:28:40,132 You've gotta start with a story 658 00:28:40,166 --> 00:28:42,341 that you're passionate about like Rick said. 659 00:28:42,375 --> 00:28:44,688 And then after that, I really think it's a numbers game. 660 00:28:44,723 --> 00:28:47,035 So getting back to what is the electric car, 661 00:28:47,070 --> 00:28:49,175 I called up hundreds and hundreds of people. 662 00:28:49,210 --> 00:28:50,694 A lot of people said no. 663 00:28:50,729 --> 00:28:53,490 And then I made a phone call to an old fraternity brother. 664 00:28:53,524 --> 00:28:55,147 I went to Rollins College and he said, 665 00:28:55,181 --> 00:28:57,287 wow, you're making a documentary about electric cars? 666 00:28:57,321 --> 00:28:58,598 Next thing you know, he came on board 667 00:28:58,633 --> 00:29:00,048 as the executive producer. 668 00:29:00,083 --> 00:29:02,982 So sometimes it's about just reaching enough people, 669 00:29:03,017 --> 00:29:04,501 it's gonna spark with one person 670 00:29:04,535 --> 00:29:06,606 who puts up most of the money. 671 00:29:06,641 --> 00:29:09,057 [soft music] 672 00:29:09,092 --> 00:29:10,852 I've been teaching here for 26 years 673 00:29:10,887 --> 00:29:13,752 and what I find fascinating is that something happens 674 00:29:13,786 --> 00:29:16,720 to a student when they have a camera in their hand. 675 00:29:16,755 --> 00:29:18,826 They find that they're able to speak in a way 676 00:29:18,860 --> 00:29:20,586 that they never did before. 677 00:29:20,620 --> 00:29:23,865 I had a student once, I'm going back maybe 12 years ago. 678 00:29:23,900 --> 00:29:27,041 Great guy, but he was just always sort of on the wrong side 679 00:29:27,075 --> 00:29:28,559 of the administration, if you will, 680 00:29:28,594 --> 00:29:30,699 in terms of discipline issues. 681 00:29:30,734 --> 00:29:31,942 And we used to talk after school, 682 00:29:31,977 --> 00:29:33,841 and I remember one time I asked him, 683 00:29:33,875 --> 00:29:36,533 can you describe yourself to me? 684 00:29:36,567 --> 00:29:37,810 He couldn't do it. 685 00:29:37,845 --> 00:29:39,363 But I gave him a camera and I said, 686 00:29:39,398 --> 00:29:41,296 could you do it with a camera? 687 00:29:41,331 --> 00:29:43,920 The next day he came back to me with an image 688 00:29:43,954 --> 00:29:45,300 that I still remember. 689 00:29:45,335 --> 00:29:48,096 It was his shadow on the ground. 690 00:29:49,235 --> 00:29:52,721 And he put as half smoke cigarette on it. 691 00:29:52,756 --> 00:29:54,309 He just threw it down. 692 00:29:54,344 --> 00:29:58,003 He stepped on it and he walked away. 693 00:29:59,867 --> 00:30:02,007 Go put that into words. 694 00:30:02,041 --> 00:30:05,458 Do you, tell your students that they can incorporate 695 00:30:05,493 --> 00:30:07,391 -their faith into film? -Yes. 696 00:30:07,426 --> 00:30:09,221 Absolutely, absolutely. 697 00:30:09,255 --> 00:30:13,259 Nothing is off limits if it's deep in your soul 698 00:30:13,294 --> 00:30:16,745 and you want to express it, even just for yourself, 699 00:30:16,780 --> 00:30:20,128 as a catharsis, go right ahead and do it. 700 00:30:20,163 --> 00:30:22,199 Nothing's off limits. 701 00:30:22,234 --> 00:30:25,375 It seems like this would be a really tough time 702 00:30:25,409 --> 00:30:27,826 to be a kid, to be growing up. 703 00:30:27,860 --> 00:30:30,207 And this is kind of a loaded question, 704 00:30:30,242 --> 00:30:32,175 but are the kids all right? 705 00:30:34,763 --> 00:30:37,974 They're facing challenges and situations 706 00:30:38,008 --> 00:30:41,356 that I never experienced in my life. 707 00:30:42,530 --> 00:30:44,428 In terms of whether they're all right, 708 00:30:44,463 --> 00:30:45,774 it's hard to say. 709 00:30:47,259 --> 00:30:50,089 If you take, for example, just even coming to school 710 00:30:50,124 --> 00:30:53,575 and feeling safe in terms of the violence in schools, 711 00:30:53,610 --> 00:30:55,163 the school shootings. 712 00:30:55,198 --> 00:30:58,718 When they talk to me I always just try to be quiet 713 00:30:58,753 --> 00:31:00,410 and still and listen. 714 00:31:00,444 --> 00:31:05,277 And they're expressing anxieties that I never experienced. 715 00:31:05,311 --> 00:31:10,247 So when I hear their choices of music, books, entertainment, 716 00:31:11,386 --> 00:31:13,112 I understand why they're gravitating towards 717 00:31:13,147 --> 00:31:15,528 the harder edgier things. 718 00:31:15,563 --> 00:31:18,290 I think it's expressing what they're feeling inside. 719 00:31:18,324 --> 00:31:19,567 Are they okay? 720 00:31:20,706 --> 00:31:24,123 I think they can be, they just need guidance. 721 00:31:24,158 --> 00:31:26,056 They just need to learn how 722 00:31:26,091 --> 00:31:29,370 and it's finding that still inner voice, 723 00:31:29,404 --> 00:31:31,303 that deep character within them, 724 00:31:31,337 --> 00:31:33,719 whether it be faith in themselves, 725 00:31:33,753 --> 00:31:35,997 faith in a higher power, whatever it is, 726 00:31:36,032 --> 00:31:37,309 they just need guidance. 727 00:31:38,448 --> 00:31:39,794 Hi, I'm Samantha. 728 00:31:39,828 --> 00:31:41,865 And I was just wondering if there were any times 729 00:31:41,900 --> 00:31:45,317 when you felt like giving up and like how you overcame that? 730 00:31:45,351 --> 00:31:48,009 Yes. I've been very depressed at times. 731 00:31:48,044 --> 00:31:49,631 I've lived in my car. 732 00:31:49,666 --> 00:31:50,874 I've been broke. 733 00:31:50,909 --> 00:31:53,083 I've had people slander me on the internet 734 00:31:53,118 --> 00:31:55,465 because when I cast a movie and I audition 735 00:31:55,499 --> 00:31:57,950 a hundred actors and 99, don't get it, 736 00:31:57,985 --> 00:31:59,952 they like to write bad things about me. 737 00:31:59,987 --> 00:32:02,472 I have anonymous people that are jealous of me, 738 00:32:02,506 --> 00:32:06,372 it's very hurtful but I have bigger fish to fry. 739 00:32:06,407 --> 00:32:08,098 I have bigger stories to tell. 740 00:32:08,133 --> 00:32:10,583 And I think that if you look at what happened to Jesus 741 00:32:10,618 --> 00:32:12,482 or what happened to the Gandhi 742 00:32:12,516 --> 00:32:15,071 or what happens to anybody who advocates something 743 00:32:15,105 --> 00:32:17,142 in our society, in our world, 744 00:32:17,176 --> 00:32:20,076 sometimes, you know, they're vilified. 745 00:32:20,110 --> 00:32:21,801 And I just think you have to be strong. 746 00:32:21,836 --> 00:32:23,251 I go through a lot of periods 747 00:32:23,286 --> 00:32:25,944 where just no one wants to do it 748 00:32:25,978 --> 00:32:28,981 and you just really learn to get through it. 749 00:32:29,016 --> 00:32:31,294 A lot of people have mentioned going to Hollywood. 750 00:32:31,328 --> 00:32:33,330 You do not have to go to Hollywood. 751 00:32:33,365 --> 00:32:36,644 There's films being made all over this country 752 00:32:36,678 --> 00:32:38,784 besides other parts of the world 753 00:32:38,818 --> 00:32:40,959 and you can be an actor, you can be a director, 754 00:32:40,993 --> 00:32:42,339 you can be a producer, 755 00:32:42,374 --> 00:32:44,652 you can be in the business I'm in, whatever, 756 00:32:44,686 --> 00:32:46,240 without ever going to Hollywood. 757 00:32:46,274 --> 00:32:48,069 Hi, my name is Colin Vinny 758 00:32:48,104 --> 00:32:49,898 and I am an actor at Saint Andrew's 759 00:32:49,933 --> 00:32:52,660 and I was just wondering where I could go or what I could do 760 00:32:52,694 --> 00:32:54,938 to start transitioning from the high school stage 761 00:32:54,973 --> 00:32:57,699 into more films and more professional things. 762 00:32:57,734 --> 00:33:00,323 I heard that Tom Cruise, when he first started out, 763 00:33:00,357 --> 00:33:04,016 worked on 50 student and short films. 764 00:33:04,051 --> 00:33:06,881 So when I first started I wanted to transition away 765 00:33:06,915 --> 00:33:08,089 from commercials. 766 00:33:08,124 --> 00:33:09,642 Up in Orlando, where I was living 767 00:33:09,677 --> 00:33:11,713 there was eight full-time film schools, 768 00:33:11,748 --> 00:33:14,268 including Full Sail, UCF, Valencia. 769 00:33:14,302 --> 00:33:17,064 I did over 50 student films. 770 00:33:17,098 --> 00:33:18,479 Mostly on the weekends. 771 00:33:18,513 --> 00:33:20,515 So I really wasn't giving up a lot of income 772 00:33:20,550 --> 00:33:22,759 and that's really how I polished my craft. 773 00:33:22,793 --> 00:33:25,451 I had a reel and I got the respect and I was networking 774 00:33:25,486 --> 00:33:27,557 and then from there, that's kind of spring-boarded 775 00:33:27,591 --> 00:33:30,111 my whole film career out of those short films. 776 00:33:30,146 --> 00:33:31,285 Yes, sir, what's your name? 777 00:33:31,319 --> 00:33:32,286 Tristan Moss. 778 00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:34,081 What's your favorite film? 779 00:33:34,115 --> 00:33:35,392 That's too hard to decide. 780 00:33:35,427 --> 00:33:37,118 "Napoleon Dynamite", isn't it? 781 00:33:37,153 --> 00:33:38,085 [audience applauding] 782 00:33:38,119 --> 00:33:39,707 I like that film. 783 00:33:39,741 --> 00:33:42,744 So my question is, I was just wondering like, 784 00:33:42,779 --> 00:33:45,782 if you have a short film what would be the very first thing 785 00:33:45,816 --> 00:33:49,027 that you would do to make your work more well known? 786 00:33:49,061 --> 00:33:52,582 If you can, if it's not too far go to a film festival. 787 00:33:52,616 --> 00:33:54,066 I've gone to Sundance for 30 years 788 00:33:54,101 --> 00:33:56,620 and I keep telling people 789 00:33:56,655 --> 00:33:59,796 now that's a more expensive track to take, 790 00:33:59,830 --> 00:34:02,419 but I learned so much early on. 791 00:34:02,454 --> 00:34:05,491 I was already trying to do what I did, 792 00:34:05,526 --> 00:34:07,459 but nobody knew who I was. 793 00:34:07,493 --> 00:34:10,772 I didn't have a book out and I started going to Sundance 794 00:34:10,807 --> 00:34:12,188 and talking to people. 795 00:34:12,222 --> 00:34:13,430 That's the biggest thing, 796 00:34:13,465 --> 00:34:16,054 is send your film into film festivals 797 00:34:16,088 --> 00:34:19,781 and get the experience of knowing how to do it. 798 00:34:19,816 --> 00:34:20,644 -Ok, thank you. -[Rick] All right. 799 00:34:20,679 --> 00:34:21,473 Thanks so much. 800 00:34:21,507 --> 00:34:22,922 There's somebody else. Yes, sir? 801 00:34:23,095 --> 00:34:24,510 And your name is? 802 00:34:24,545 --> 00:34:25,718 Hi, I'm Will Hagan. 803 00:34:25,753 --> 00:34:27,065 Hi, Will. 804 00:34:27,099 --> 00:34:28,825 I just really wanna know what is yourfavorite movie? 805 00:34:28,859 --> 00:34:30,792 -My favorite movie? -And why? 806 00:34:30,827 --> 00:34:33,795 Well, when I'm really depressed "Citizen Kane", 807 00:34:33,830 --> 00:34:36,281 and when I'm depressed and don't wanna be depressed, 808 00:34:36,315 --> 00:34:38,214 "It's a Wonderful Life". 809 00:34:38,248 --> 00:34:39,870 Those are probably my two favorites. 810 00:34:39,905 --> 00:34:42,839 In the old days there were great role models, 811 00:34:42,873 --> 00:34:44,599 men and women of character 812 00:34:44,634 --> 00:34:47,706 and today it seems more exploitative 813 00:34:47,740 --> 00:34:52,055 and it seems harder to find role models. 814 00:34:52,090 --> 00:34:55,852 Do you see a yearning at all for the kids for that? 815 00:34:55,886 --> 00:34:58,441 Interestingly enough, I do see it when I show them 816 00:34:58,475 --> 00:34:59,821 some of the older films. 817 00:34:59,856 --> 00:35:02,376 They identify with the older films 818 00:35:02,410 --> 00:35:04,585 in a way in which I never thought they would. 819 00:35:04,619 --> 00:35:06,449 And when we have the class discussions, 820 00:35:06,483 --> 00:35:09,107 I hear them identify with the role models, 821 00:35:09,141 --> 00:35:10,591 to which you're referring. 822 00:35:10,625 --> 00:35:12,696 So, yeah, I do. 823 00:35:12,731 --> 00:35:15,285 They may be absent in the present films, 824 00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:16,873 but they now know where to find them 825 00:35:16,907 --> 00:35:18,702 in some of the older films. 826 00:35:18,737 --> 00:35:21,222 Are you hopeful enough and optimistic 827 00:35:21,257 --> 00:35:25,364 that this new generation will create movies 828 00:35:25,399 --> 00:35:30,404 that will provide moral leadership, role models? 829 00:35:30,714 --> 00:35:35,271 I think I'm optimistic in the sense that there is starting to, 830 00:35:35,305 --> 00:35:38,101 I think, be a backlash of all the violence 831 00:35:38,136 --> 00:35:39,033 that they're seeing. 832 00:35:39,067 --> 00:35:41,277 I mean, look today on campus, 833 00:35:41,311 --> 00:35:43,693 we just had a demonstration against the gun violence 834 00:35:43,727 --> 00:35:46,558 that just took place and the school shooting 835 00:35:46,592 --> 00:35:47,800 that happened a little while ago 836 00:35:47,835 --> 00:35:49,906 only 30 minutes away from here. 837 00:35:49,940 --> 00:35:54,117 I think what the kids need to do is not just deal 838 00:35:54,152 --> 00:35:57,707 with the externals networking so on and so forth. 839 00:35:57,741 --> 00:35:59,364 That's wonderful. 840 00:35:59,398 --> 00:36:03,057 I think they need to learn how to develop an inner strength. 841 00:36:03,091 --> 00:36:07,820 They need to learn how to identify with who they are 842 00:36:07,855 --> 00:36:11,548 and that's something that's truly missing in our society 843 00:36:11,583 --> 00:36:14,896 and I think that needs to go hand in hand with the external. 844 00:36:16,346 --> 00:36:17,485 While we're rolling I just wanna say that, 845 00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:20,419 this is an extraordinary experience today. 846 00:36:20,454 --> 00:36:24,665 This school, you really, really went to bat for us. 847 00:36:25,838 --> 00:36:27,495 This might've been the most important interview 848 00:36:27,530 --> 00:36:29,497 we've done in the movie. 849 00:36:29,532 --> 00:36:32,707 I love you, I salute you, 850 00:36:32,742 --> 00:36:35,193 you are a courageous person. 851 00:36:35,227 --> 00:36:36,366 You're a leader. 852 00:36:36,401 --> 00:36:39,231 You're a person of faith and you gave us 853 00:36:39,266 --> 00:36:40,784 a great blessing today. 854 00:36:40,819 --> 00:36:42,614 I wanna thank you. 855 00:36:42,648 --> 00:36:44,719 -[crew applauding] -Thank you. 856 00:36:44,754 --> 00:36:45,755 You're awesome. 857 00:36:45,789 --> 00:36:47,860 Thank you. 858 00:36:47,895 --> 00:36:49,068 Thank you very much. 859 00:36:49,103 --> 00:36:50,622 It's a difficult time to be growing up. 860 00:36:50,656 --> 00:36:52,382 It is, you know it is. 861 00:36:52,417 --> 00:36:55,282 You can see what's going on around you in this community. 862 00:36:56,490 --> 00:36:58,285 You can change a lot of that. 863 00:36:58,319 --> 00:37:00,666 You can do things better. 864 00:37:00,701 --> 00:37:03,704 Do not squander the opportunity you have here. 865 00:37:04,877 --> 00:37:09,157 Soak in every bit of knowledge you can get 866 00:37:09,192 --> 00:37:12,022 from this institution, from your faculty, 867 00:37:12,057 --> 00:37:16,061 from your classmates and realize the power that you have. 868 00:37:17,027 --> 00:37:19,375 Every one of you is significant. 869 00:37:19,409 --> 00:37:22,550 Every one of you is here for some purpose, 870 00:37:22,585 --> 00:37:25,588 a purpose greater than what you may think. 871 00:37:25,622 --> 00:37:27,037 As a kid I went out to Hollywood 872 00:37:27,072 --> 00:37:29,902 and I let Hollywood convince me otherwise 873 00:37:29,937 --> 00:37:32,560 and I learned to play their games. 874 00:37:33,423 --> 00:37:34,735 You don't have to do that. 875 00:37:34,769 --> 00:37:37,358 Make a better world. 876 00:37:37,393 --> 00:37:39,222 God bless you, thank you for coming. 877 00:37:40,327 --> 00:37:43,088 [audience applauding] 878 00:37:43,122 --> 00:37:45,711 [upbeat music] 879 00:38:01,106 --> 00:38:03,488 My name is Nichole Weaver Hanson, 880 00:38:03,522 --> 00:38:07,388 and my occupation is Entertainment Attorney. 881 00:38:07,423 --> 00:38:09,252 First of all, it's a good idea to hire 882 00:38:09,287 --> 00:38:12,462 an entertainment attorney because entertainment attorneys 883 00:38:12,497 --> 00:38:15,569 know the ins and outs of the financial aspects 884 00:38:15,603 --> 00:38:17,709 that are involved with investors. 885 00:38:17,743 --> 00:38:20,539 You have SEC complications to look into, 886 00:38:20,574 --> 00:38:23,266 you have various states with different regulations 887 00:38:23,301 --> 00:38:24,474 to look into. 888 00:38:24,509 --> 00:38:26,649 So it's important to note, to have somebody 889 00:38:26,683 --> 00:38:30,791 who knows the ins and outs and the possible pitfalls 890 00:38:30,825 --> 00:38:34,173 that you can fall into as an investor and as a producer. 891 00:38:34,208 --> 00:38:36,866 Best advice I could give a producer 892 00:38:36,900 --> 00:38:39,489 from an entertainment attorney standpoint 893 00:38:39,524 --> 00:38:41,905 would be to make sure that they have 894 00:38:41,940 --> 00:38:46,358 their contracts written correctly for their investors 895 00:38:46,393 --> 00:38:49,534 to make sure that they have all the state regulations 896 00:38:49,568 --> 00:38:51,639 and the federal regulations taken care of 897 00:38:51,674 --> 00:38:54,884 because there's not just the civil aspect 898 00:38:54,918 --> 00:38:56,748 of somebody's money being taken. 899 00:38:56,782 --> 00:39:00,683 In other words, that you could sue me if I was a producer, 900 00:39:00,717 --> 00:39:04,272 it's also that there are federal issues involved 901 00:39:04,307 --> 00:39:06,965 and you can also have federal charges and state charges 902 00:39:06,999 --> 00:39:08,829 brought against you 903 00:39:08,863 --> 00:39:10,693 if you don't handle film investors money correctly. 904 00:39:10,727 --> 00:39:12,833 My name is Richard Troutman and I go by Rick. 905 00:39:12,867 --> 00:39:15,042 I'm an attorney here in Winter Park, Florida. 906 00:39:15,076 --> 00:39:17,941 And I think so long as the person raising the money 907 00:39:17,976 --> 00:39:21,635 finds people who can understand that language, 908 00:39:21,669 --> 00:39:24,327 that they're probably gonna lose all their money, 909 00:39:24,362 --> 00:39:26,191 they are aware of the high risk 910 00:39:26,225 --> 00:39:28,952 and they signed that document knowing what they're signing, 911 00:39:28,987 --> 00:39:32,093 I can't imagine how the producers of the movie 912 00:39:32,128 --> 00:39:34,889 or the people that raised the money for the movie, 913 00:39:34,924 --> 00:39:36,408 could have any legal liability. 914 00:39:36,443 --> 00:39:39,204 I don't think people that are giving money to a film 915 00:39:39,238 --> 00:39:42,828 really think of it as a business. 916 00:39:42,863 --> 00:39:45,348 I don't think a business plan is that helpful 917 00:39:45,383 --> 00:39:48,386 because I think they realize that it's it's high risk 918 00:39:48,420 --> 00:39:51,423 hopefully with the chance that if it hits, 919 00:39:51,458 --> 00:39:54,150 if it gets popular and people watch it, 920 00:39:54,184 --> 00:39:56,048 then they're gonna make, you know, a lot of money 921 00:39:56,083 --> 00:39:58,672 and they probably shouldn't put more money in it 922 00:39:58,706 --> 00:40:03,090 than they could easily lose and not lose any sleep over it. 923 00:40:03,124 --> 00:40:04,919 My name is Kevin Dinneen 924 00:40:04,954 --> 00:40:07,474 and after graduating from the Wharton School 925 00:40:07,508 --> 00:40:09,717 I spent the majority of my career 926 00:40:09,752 --> 00:40:12,513 as a real estate investor and attorney. 927 00:40:12,548 --> 00:40:14,929 I think a business plan is very important 928 00:40:14,964 --> 00:40:17,863 but I do think it's much more difficult 929 00:40:17,898 --> 00:40:19,417 in the movie business than in others 930 00:40:19,451 --> 00:40:22,489 because I don't think anybody candidly knows 931 00:40:22,523 --> 00:40:25,215 what's gonna catch on and what your gross is gonna be. 932 00:40:25,733 --> 00:40:27,597 You know, I think it's the same as in any investment, 933 00:40:27,632 --> 00:40:30,531 a previous track record and a person who really 934 00:40:30,566 --> 00:40:33,845 has a little consciousness of budget 935 00:40:33,879 --> 00:40:35,433 to keep the costs out of control, 936 00:40:35,467 --> 00:40:37,711 because even a great movie, 937 00:40:37,745 --> 00:40:39,816 if the budget's three times what it's supposed to be, 938 00:40:39,851 --> 00:40:42,232 isn't gonna do much return for the investor. 939 00:40:42,267 --> 00:40:44,062 I think you better have a little fun in it too. 940 00:40:44,096 --> 00:40:46,996 And I think you better sort of believe in the project 941 00:40:47,030 --> 00:40:49,274 and that even if the movie doesn't make a fortunate, 942 00:40:49,308 --> 00:40:50,896 at least you're proud that you were part of it. 943 00:40:50,931 --> 00:40:54,486 [soft, exciting music] 944 00:40:56,592 --> 00:40:58,456 [Rick] Let's talk about Salma Hayek. 945 00:40:58,490 --> 00:41:00,561 How did that come about in "The Prophet"? 946 00:41:00,596 --> 00:41:04,772 Kahlil Gibran was considered one of the most popular poets, 947 00:41:04,807 --> 00:41:07,844 in a sense, behind Shakespeare. 948 00:41:07,879 --> 00:41:09,432 He lived in the Middle East 949 00:41:09,467 --> 00:41:11,020 and then he moved here and taught 950 00:41:11,054 --> 00:41:14,161 and he wrote this book, "The Prophet", 951 00:41:14,195 --> 00:41:17,440 which were essays on life. 952 00:41:17,475 --> 00:41:21,582 And they took this book and decided to make it 953 00:41:21,617 --> 00:41:25,310 into an animated film and had a different animator 954 00:41:25,344 --> 00:41:27,692 animate each chapter in the book 955 00:41:27,726 --> 00:41:29,797 the way they saw that chapter. 956 00:41:29,832 --> 00:41:32,179 It's a terrific film. 957 00:41:32,213 --> 00:41:34,250 It was a fascinating way to do it. 958 00:41:34,284 --> 00:41:37,287 I wrote the business plan and it was a gentleman 959 00:41:37,322 --> 00:41:41,360 who'd been in my UCLA extension class, 960 00:41:41,395 --> 00:41:45,433 who was the executive producer on the film, Will Nex, 961 00:41:45,468 --> 00:41:49,368 who then called me and hired me to do the business plan. 962 00:41:49,403 --> 00:41:51,578 [Rick] And how did Salma Hayek become involved? 963 00:41:51,612 --> 00:41:55,133 She became another executive producer. 964 00:41:55,167 --> 00:41:58,688 She was a fan of Kahlil Gibran's writings 965 00:41:58,723 --> 00:42:02,520 and she helped raise the money for the movie. 966 00:42:02,554 --> 00:42:05,971 You can not even begin to imagine how difficult it was 967 00:42:07,145 --> 00:42:09,906 to try to... 968 00:42:09,941 --> 00:42:11,736 It's a film that breaks all the rules. 969 00:42:15,291 --> 00:42:17,396 [Salma] Yes, there were many times where I said, 970 00:42:18,328 --> 00:42:20,607 what, am I crazy? 971 00:42:21,124 --> 00:42:23,471 What was I thinking? 972 00:42:23,506 --> 00:42:28,511 But whatever happens with the film, every headache, 973 00:42:29,305 --> 00:42:33,240 it's been worth it because I am very proud of the film 974 00:42:33,274 --> 00:42:35,898 and for the people who have seen it. 975 00:42:35,932 --> 00:42:37,796 There's been people who tell me 976 00:42:37,831 --> 00:42:41,697 it is the most inspiring film I've ever seen in my life. 977 00:42:41,731 --> 00:42:43,181 Maybe not for everyone. 978 00:42:43,215 --> 00:42:48,151 Not everybody wants to seek for the best silent side of them 979 00:42:49,601 --> 00:42:52,604 and not everybody wants to remember to be a child. 980 00:42:52,639 --> 00:42:56,228 Not everybody wants to have a moment with themselves 981 00:42:57,644 --> 00:43:02,338 as they have a good time but for the people who do, 982 00:43:03,097 --> 00:43:05,962 there's nothing out there like it. 983 00:43:05,997 --> 00:43:08,033 And this is for them. 984 00:43:08,965 --> 00:43:11,312 [Upbeat, vocal music] 985 00:43:11,347 --> 00:43:12,935 You're gonna be all right. 986 00:43:25,948 --> 00:43:28,571 [Man] My crime, poetry. 987 00:43:28,916 --> 00:43:32,299 As a Lebanese woman, as a Mexican woman. 988 00:43:34,577 --> 00:43:36,614 What's misunderstood in general 989 00:43:38,443 --> 00:43:42,723 is that we have to look at 990 00:43:42,758 --> 00:43:44,829 individuals as individuals. 991 00:43:44,863 --> 00:43:48,798 We have to create art pieces 992 00:43:48,833 --> 00:43:53,320 that make people remind themselves of how precious 993 00:43:53,354 --> 00:43:57,635 we all are and give them the courage to explore 994 00:43:57,669 --> 00:44:02,087 their uniqueness so we can find new ways of thinking, 995 00:44:02,674 --> 00:44:04,538 so we can change the world. 996 00:44:04,572 --> 00:44:09,474 I hope the film makes people curious about their perception 997 00:44:09,992 --> 00:44:12,477 about the Middle Eastern people. 998 00:44:12,511 --> 00:44:14,306 Yeah. And particularly when it comes from you, 999 00:44:14,341 --> 00:44:15,687 because everybody knows you. 1000 00:44:15,722 --> 00:44:17,585 You're well known around the world. 1001 00:44:17,620 --> 00:44:20,278 And so when you come, and I loved it in Cannes, 1002 00:44:20,312 --> 00:44:23,315 you stood up and you said, 1003 00:44:23,350 --> 00:44:25,870 I'm also an Arabic Lebanese actress, 1004 00:44:25,904 --> 00:44:26,940 not only Mexican. 1005 00:44:26,974 --> 00:44:28,217 It's true. 1006 00:44:28,251 --> 00:44:30,944 That means a lot to people to understand 1007 00:44:30,978 --> 00:44:32,704 that even sometimes... 1008 00:44:32,739 --> 00:44:33,567 I'm proud. 1009 00:44:34,499 --> 00:44:36,087 Proud of me. 1010 00:44:36,121 --> 00:44:38,710 [upbeat music] 1011 00:44:42,231 --> 00:44:45,372 Greg Hopner, I'm the founder and CEO 1012 00:44:45,406 --> 00:44:48,409 of the G-Star School of the Arts and G-Star studios. 1013 00:44:48,444 --> 00:44:50,066 [Rick] Let's go back to when you were a producer, 1014 00:44:50,101 --> 00:44:52,517 did you ever invest in a motion picture? 1015 00:44:52,551 --> 00:44:54,174 Yeah, that's how I got into the business. 1016 00:44:54,208 --> 00:44:56,417 I was actually working with Burt Reynolds 1017 00:44:56,452 --> 00:44:57,867 up at the Burt Reynolds Theater 1018 00:44:57,902 --> 00:45:00,801 and I was around a lot of movie stars and I was doing hair. 1019 00:45:00,836 --> 00:45:02,354 I was a hairdresser back then 1020 00:45:02,389 --> 00:45:05,185 and a bunch of people in the movie industry 1021 00:45:05,219 --> 00:45:07,014 were there obviously all the time. 1022 00:45:07,049 --> 00:45:08,809 And they came up to me one day and said, 1023 00:45:08,844 --> 00:45:10,362 do you wanna be a producer on a movie? 1024 00:45:10,397 --> 00:45:11,709 And I said "yeah, great, what do I do?" 1025 00:45:11,743 --> 00:45:13,503 And they said, "well, the producer comes up 1026 00:45:13,538 --> 00:45:14,332 with all the money." 1027 00:45:14,366 --> 00:45:15,782 I said, "oh really?" 1028 00:45:15,816 --> 00:45:17,922 "So you want me to put up money?" 1029 00:45:17,956 --> 00:45:19,233 "Yeah, sure." So I did. 1030 00:45:21,132 --> 00:45:23,237 And I found out later that wasn't true. 1031 00:45:24,998 --> 00:45:27,966 My name is Alistair Hunt. 1032 00:45:28,001 --> 00:45:29,934 I have almost 10 years of film 1033 00:45:29,968 --> 00:45:31,867 and television production experience 1034 00:45:31,901 --> 00:45:34,041 from on-set production assistant 1035 00:45:34,076 --> 00:45:38,218 and a assisting with two or three production companies 1036 00:45:38,252 --> 00:45:40,289 in all aspects of production. 1037 00:45:40,323 --> 00:45:44,603 I am trying to be a independent filmmaker 1038 00:45:44,638 --> 00:45:47,779 and I can tell you that as I have tried to raise funds 1039 00:45:47,814 --> 00:45:50,092 for my projects and colleagues' projects, 1040 00:45:50,126 --> 00:45:53,716 it has been by far the biggest challenge and undertaking 1041 00:45:53,751 --> 00:45:55,925 I've ever considered. 1042 00:45:55,960 --> 00:45:57,237 [Rick] And why is that? 1043 00:45:58,238 --> 00:46:00,723 Rejection [laughs nervously]. 1044 00:46:00,758 --> 00:46:02,898 [Rick] Do you ever regret pursuing 1045 00:46:02,932 --> 00:46:05,970 the motion picture business as a vocation? 1046 00:46:06,004 --> 00:46:08,110 I absolutely don't regret pursuing 1047 00:46:08,144 --> 00:46:12,045 the motion picture industry, the ups and downs, 1048 00:46:12,079 --> 00:46:15,255 the good times, the bad times have been fabulous. 1049 00:46:15,289 --> 00:46:17,878 [upbeat music] 1050 00:46:23,194 --> 00:46:25,230 I'm Jon Zietz, I'm a producer director 1051 00:46:25,265 --> 00:46:27,094 and president of Think Visual Group. 1052 00:46:27,129 --> 00:46:29,200 Almost every project I did in middle school and high school 1053 00:46:29,234 --> 00:46:31,892 was a film, some kind of short. 1054 00:46:31,927 --> 00:46:33,342 So I loved it. 1055 00:46:33,376 --> 00:46:34,377 I knew that's what I wanted to do with my life, 1056 00:46:34,412 --> 00:46:36,276 but, at the same time it needed to be practical 1057 00:46:36,310 --> 00:46:38,450 and I went to the University of Florida 1058 00:46:38,485 --> 00:46:39,831 where I majored in finance. 1059 00:46:39,866 --> 00:46:41,695 I took every film, media studies, 1060 00:46:41,729 --> 00:46:43,179 every film course they had, 1061 00:46:43,214 --> 00:46:45,837 my parents always encouraged me to follow my dreams 1062 00:46:45,872 --> 00:46:47,908 but also have something to fall back on. 1063 00:46:47,943 --> 00:46:50,221 And so, while I was going to school, 1064 00:46:50,255 --> 00:46:52,119 while I was getting that degree, 1065 00:46:52,154 --> 00:46:55,191 I would come home on the weekends, summer breaks 1066 00:46:55,226 --> 00:46:56,986 and work on first a short film 1067 00:46:57,021 --> 00:46:58,677 and eventually a feature length film. 1068 00:46:58,712 --> 00:47:01,370 We created a feature length independent film 1069 00:47:01,404 --> 00:47:02,992 on a $3,000 budget. 1070 00:47:03,027 --> 00:47:04,891 I wrote, produced and directed the movie with a friend 1071 00:47:04,925 --> 00:47:07,272 and fellow filmmaker and that experience ended up 1072 00:47:07,307 --> 00:47:09,309 being the film school that we both never had. 1073 00:47:10,310 --> 00:47:12,036 I like to call it a psychological drama. 1074 00:47:12,070 --> 00:47:14,797 A kid who's in college finds out that his twin brother 1075 00:47:14,832 --> 00:47:17,006 who he always thought was dead and had died 1076 00:47:17,041 --> 00:47:18,870 when he was younger, he's actually still alive. 1077 00:47:18,905 --> 00:47:20,251 There's a lot of twists and turns in there, 1078 00:47:20,285 --> 00:47:21,769 but essentially that's what it is. 1079 00:47:21,804 --> 00:47:24,565 A feature length psychological drama, very independent. 1080 00:47:26,291 --> 00:47:27,189 [Rick] And what happened 1081 00:47:27,223 --> 00:47:30,295 to this $3,000 feature film? 1082 00:47:30,330 --> 00:47:31,987 So we had a big premiere for the film locally 1083 00:47:32,021 --> 00:47:33,402 at Cinema Paradiso. 1084 00:47:33,436 --> 00:47:35,300 It was part of a couple of small film festivals. 1085 00:47:35,335 --> 00:47:38,269 And eventually we actually secured a distribution deal. 1086 00:47:39,857 --> 00:47:42,204 Went through the entire process of packaging it 1087 00:47:42,238 --> 00:47:43,688 and getting it ready for distribution 1088 00:47:43,722 --> 00:47:46,070 only to have about a year later the distribution company 1089 00:47:46,104 --> 00:47:48,037 actually go out of business. 1090 00:47:48,072 --> 00:47:49,280 My name is Sadie Cabrera. 1091 00:47:49,314 --> 00:47:52,835 I'm a co-founder of Think Visual Group and I serve as DP. 1092 00:47:52,870 --> 00:47:54,664 Well, I can trace it back to high school. 1093 00:47:54,699 --> 00:47:58,013 I was in a school where they had a magnet program 1094 00:47:58,047 --> 00:48:00,843 and they had the largest broadcasting studio, 1095 00:48:00,878 --> 00:48:02,603 back in 1996. 1096 00:48:02,638 --> 00:48:04,329 And so my, my background, 1097 00:48:04,364 --> 00:48:06,607 you could say that it was broadcasting. 1098 00:48:06,642 --> 00:48:09,196 And immediately after that one of my teachers hooked me up 1099 00:48:09,231 --> 00:48:10,715 with a company that was... 1100 00:48:10,749 --> 00:48:12,682 They would shoot events, social events. 1101 00:48:12,717 --> 00:48:16,686 I started with that and built basically a business 1102 00:48:16,721 --> 00:48:20,518 or a little bit over 10 years, like 13 years. 1103 00:48:21,657 --> 00:48:24,729 And it was something that, it taught me a lot. 1104 00:48:24,763 --> 00:48:27,318 Eddie and I first met each other in 2001 1105 00:48:27,352 --> 00:48:28,733 and actually the funny thing about it 1106 00:48:28,767 --> 00:48:29,941 is the night that we met, 1107 00:48:29,976 --> 00:48:32,668 we made an award-winning short film. 1108 00:48:32,702 --> 00:48:34,912 And so we worked together on a number of other projects 1109 00:48:34,946 --> 00:48:36,914 through the years but we didn't fully join forces 1110 00:48:36,948 --> 00:48:38,536 until after 2007. 1111 00:48:39,675 --> 00:48:41,884 And ultimately what prompted that was a trip 1112 00:48:41,919 --> 00:48:43,886 that we took to the Grand Canyon. 1113 00:48:43,921 --> 00:48:48,718 What? Wow. if we fall, we die. 1114 00:48:48,753 --> 00:48:50,582 And we just decided that let's take this trip 1115 00:48:50,617 --> 00:48:52,481 and let's try to formulate something 1116 00:48:52,515 --> 00:48:55,691 and come up with the start of what it's gonna take for us 1117 00:48:55,725 --> 00:48:56,934 to fulfill our dreams. 1118 00:48:58,004 --> 00:49:00,592 [upbeat music] 1119 00:49:05,183 --> 00:49:10,188 We, at the time, had very troublesome relationships 1120 00:49:10,395 --> 00:49:13,157 and I think it was almost like a spiritual thing 1121 00:49:13,191 --> 00:49:15,159 that we wanted to go all the way down 1122 00:49:15,193 --> 00:49:17,989 and I guess bury those relationships-- 1123 00:49:18,024 --> 00:49:20,233 [both] Leave them at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. 1124 00:49:20,647 --> 00:49:22,718 December 29th, '07, 1125 00:49:23,891 --> 00:49:27,171 we're inside the Grand Canyon, it's very cold. 1126 00:49:27,205 --> 00:49:31,140 We still have like four and a half miles to go. 1127 00:49:31,175 --> 00:49:33,694 I gotta go back to try to sleep. 1128 00:49:36,697 --> 00:49:37,526 Peace. 1129 00:49:38,906 --> 00:49:40,598 [upbeat music] 1130 00:49:40,632 --> 00:49:42,910 Well, we have that energy, nature, 1131 00:49:42,945 --> 00:49:46,466 -getting spirit accomplished. -Spiritual adventure. 1132 00:49:46,500 --> 00:49:47,985 -It's very spiritual. -Spiritual. 1133 00:49:48,019 --> 00:49:49,572 Very much a rejuvenating trip. 1134 00:49:49,607 --> 00:49:51,264 Exactly what it needs to end the year right. 1135 00:49:51,298 --> 00:49:52,368 [Eddie] End the year, right. 1136 00:49:52,403 --> 00:49:54,922 Look at this scenery. 1137 00:49:56,752 --> 00:49:58,754 Once we were there, we realized it was like, 1138 00:49:58,788 --> 00:50:01,826 look, we both wanna get to the entertainment industry. 1139 00:50:01,860 --> 00:50:03,069 We wanna make films. 1140 00:50:03,103 --> 00:50:04,553 We had a realization there. 1141 00:50:04,587 --> 00:50:06,762 We said, we're gonna leave our past lives behind 1142 00:50:06,796 --> 00:50:09,006 and we are going to concentrate full force 1143 00:50:09,040 --> 00:50:10,145 on how we're going to make it 1144 00:50:10,179 --> 00:50:11,663 into the entertainment industry, 1145 00:50:11,698 --> 00:50:14,183 how we're going to realize our dreams. 1146 00:50:14,218 --> 00:50:17,186 But we also realized we're not going to do it quickly. 1147 00:50:17,221 --> 00:50:18,705 We'd already learned when you try to do something too quick, 1148 00:50:18,739 --> 00:50:20,465 that's typically when you fail. 1149 00:50:20,500 --> 00:50:22,605 We both agreed that it would take us at least a decade 1150 00:50:22,640 --> 00:50:25,332 to transition our company from corporate to entertainment. 1151 00:50:25,367 --> 00:50:26,506 In fact, it has been, 1152 00:50:26,540 --> 00:50:27,748 -10 years now. -10 years, yeah. 1153 00:50:27,783 --> 00:50:29,267 Almost exactly 10 years right now 1154 00:50:29,302 --> 00:50:31,511 and we're finally producing this feature 1155 00:50:31,545 --> 00:50:34,514 which is 15 years after we produced that last one. 1156 00:50:34,548 --> 00:50:35,342 Right. 1157 00:50:38,932 --> 00:50:41,590 My name is Kujaatele Kweli. 1158 00:50:41,624 --> 00:50:44,213 Most of the people in the industry called me Kooge. 1159 00:50:44,248 --> 00:50:46,077 I'm an empowerment educator. 1160 00:50:46,112 --> 00:50:49,080 I'm a producer, I'm a director and I'm a writer. 1161 00:50:49,115 --> 00:50:53,843 Filmmaking is both an art, a science, 1162 00:50:53,878 --> 00:50:56,122 and it's also a business. 1163 00:50:56,156 --> 00:51:00,540 And if you're not prepared to excel in all three areas, 1164 00:51:00,574 --> 00:51:02,059 this isn't the business for you. 1165 00:51:02,093 --> 00:51:03,888 What are they interested in? 1166 00:51:03,922 --> 00:51:06,753 There are people that are interested in 1167 00:51:06,787 --> 00:51:09,514 not eating animals, [chuckles] 1168 00:51:09,549 --> 00:51:11,792 not killing animals and wearing them for clothes. 1169 00:51:11,827 --> 00:51:13,691 There are people that are interested 1170 00:51:13,725 --> 00:51:16,901 in this whole immigration struggle that's taking place. 1171 00:51:16,935 --> 00:51:20,042 There are a lot of people interested in 1172 00:51:20,077 --> 00:51:22,286 various political issues. 1173 00:51:22,320 --> 00:51:24,702 So what you want to do is put together 1174 00:51:24,736 --> 00:51:27,360 a community of interests. 1175 00:51:27,394 --> 00:51:31,329 Number one, I teach that you have to have 1176 00:51:31,364 --> 00:51:33,711 a compelling story. 1177 00:51:33,745 --> 00:51:36,023 Content is king. 1178 00:51:36,058 --> 00:51:40,511 So if you don't have that, it doesn't make any difference 1179 00:51:40,545 --> 00:51:41,581 what you're pitching. 1180 00:51:41,615 --> 00:51:43,203 It's got to be good. 1181 00:51:43,238 --> 00:51:47,000 Then you've got to be able to tell that story well 1182 00:51:47,034 --> 00:51:49,106 or you can have a compelling topic, 1183 00:51:49,140 --> 00:51:51,142 but you don't know how to tell it well. 1184 00:51:51,177 --> 00:51:54,594 And telling it well means telling it visually. 1185 00:51:54,628 --> 00:51:57,528 I had hair salons and I got divorced and it was a mess 1186 00:51:57,562 --> 00:52:00,151 and I had to sell them all off in one thing or another 1187 00:52:00,186 --> 00:52:01,773 and pennies on the dollar 1188 00:52:01,808 --> 00:52:03,948 and I wound up being absolutely broke. 1189 00:52:03,982 --> 00:52:06,916 All I owned, and at that point I had a, 1190 00:52:06,951 --> 00:52:08,435 I don't know if anybody remembers a Geo, 1191 00:52:08,470 --> 00:52:09,919 but it was a little car. 1192 00:52:09,954 --> 00:52:11,162 It was this big. 1193 00:52:11,197 --> 00:52:12,163 Everything I owned fit in the Geo, 1194 00:52:12,198 --> 00:52:14,821 including my clothes, a computer 1195 00:52:14,855 --> 00:52:18,342 and I had a two drawer file cabinet in it also. 1196 00:52:18,376 --> 00:52:21,068 You know, I was just broke and I was cutting hair 1197 00:52:21,103 --> 00:52:23,347 and I thought, well, this is the end of my life. 1198 00:52:23,381 --> 00:52:26,039 I, you know, I'm not making any money, hardly gotten here, 1199 00:52:26,073 --> 00:52:27,351 I don't have any skills. 1200 00:52:28,283 --> 00:52:29,422 What do I do? 1201 00:52:29,456 --> 00:52:32,666 And I, in the middle of the night, 1202 00:52:32,701 --> 00:52:37,084 I woke up and I thought about my son whom I love dearly 1203 00:52:37,119 --> 00:52:38,810 and he's here now with me, 1204 00:52:38,845 --> 00:52:41,123 but he was six years old at the time 1205 00:52:41,158 --> 00:52:44,368 and I wanna do something for him. 1206 00:52:44,402 --> 00:52:47,129 And he loves when we were doing movies, 1207 00:52:47,164 --> 00:52:49,200 he was always on set and he loved running around 1208 00:52:49,235 --> 00:52:50,995 and doing all that kind of stuff. 1209 00:52:51,029 --> 00:52:53,549 So I said, I'll start a small little video program 1210 00:52:53,584 --> 00:52:57,346 for him at least make him happy and I'll call it G-Star 1211 00:52:57,381 --> 00:52:58,554 'cause his name is Gregory. 1212 00:52:58,589 --> 00:53:00,487 So it would be Gregory and then the star 1213 00:53:00,522 --> 00:53:02,282 that would stand for students in the arts. 1214 00:53:02,317 --> 00:53:04,767 I went and started a summer camp 1215 00:53:04,802 --> 00:53:07,770 for middle school students and we turned out 1216 00:53:07,805 --> 00:53:11,222 a little half-hour video cassette format show, 1217 00:53:11,257 --> 00:53:14,881 we finished it and darn if PBS didn't pick it up. 1218 00:53:14,915 --> 00:53:17,504 And that show lasted four years on PBS. 1219 00:53:17,539 --> 00:53:20,818 [Rick] What advice would you give young filmmakers, 1220 00:53:20,852 --> 00:53:24,201 just getting started looking to raise funds for movies? 1221 00:53:25,340 --> 00:53:27,963 I was taught to, don't ask for money. 1222 00:53:29,136 --> 00:53:31,000 If you ask for money you'll get advice, 1223 00:53:31,035 --> 00:53:33,589 you ask for advice, you'll get some money. 1224 00:53:33,624 --> 00:53:36,213 [upbeat music] 1225 00:53:42,909 --> 00:53:44,359 Somebody came up to me and said, 1226 00:53:44,393 --> 00:53:47,016 you should start a school, a charter school literally. 1227 00:53:47,051 --> 00:53:48,846 And I said, what do I want to school for? 1228 00:53:48,880 --> 00:53:50,330 And what's a charter school. 1229 00:53:50,365 --> 00:53:53,264 So anyway, I went down to the school district 1230 00:53:53,299 --> 00:53:54,679 to sign up for this thing 1231 00:53:54,714 --> 00:53:58,476 and they wound up giving me a school. 1232 00:53:58,511 --> 00:54:00,823 And I walked out the door and I had a piece of paper 1233 00:54:00,858 --> 00:54:03,481 and I went, oh, I think I really made a mistake here. 1234 00:54:04,896 --> 00:54:06,553 And six months later, we opened. 1235 00:54:06,588 --> 00:54:08,797 We opened with 156 kids. 1236 00:54:08,831 --> 00:54:11,178 So I knew I was in profit. 1237 00:54:11,213 --> 00:54:13,284 So each year we added more kids and more kids 1238 00:54:13,319 --> 00:54:15,148 and now we have over a thousand here 1239 00:54:16,218 --> 00:54:17,840 and we built our soundstage. 1240 00:54:17,875 --> 00:54:19,394 We started doing other things and it just grew 1241 00:54:19,428 --> 00:54:22,397 into a full regular motion picture studio. 1242 00:54:24,399 --> 00:54:27,264 We wanna change certain things that we see 1243 00:54:27,298 --> 00:54:29,921 that are wrong or not being done right 1244 00:54:29,956 --> 00:54:33,028 and put them in the most beautiful form of art 1245 00:54:33,062 --> 00:54:36,445 that I believe the world has ever seen, which is filmmaking. 1246 00:54:36,480 --> 00:54:38,654 You get to play with all the spectrum of things that, 1247 00:54:38,689 --> 00:54:42,520 you know, from sound, lighting, camera work, 1248 00:54:42,555 --> 00:54:45,178 through all of the different arts that have existed 1249 00:54:45,212 --> 00:54:46,593 and we get to play with them. 1250 00:54:46,628 --> 00:54:48,561 So it it's phenomenal. 1251 00:54:48,595 --> 00:54:51,495 I think there is no end because ultimately I'm hoping that 1252 00:54:51,529 --> 00:54:53,290 the films I make will live on forever 1253 00:54:53,324 --> 00:54:55,084 and that is ultimately my legacy. 1254 00:54:55,119 --> 00:54:57,466 I believe that the power is there in filmmaking 1255 00:54:57,501 --> 00:54:59,123 and in film to do that. 1256 00:54:59,157 --> 00:55:00,780 You can change the world with what we do. 1257 00:55:00,814 --> 00:55:03,369 [upbeat music] 1258 00:55:09,823 --> 00:55:13,068 [upbeat music continues] 1259 00:55:30,775 --> 00:55:32,363 My name is Kim Karel Zink 1260 00:55:32,398 --> 00:55:34,848 and I'm a Senior Account Manager here at Production Hub. 1261 00:55:34,952 --> 00:55:39,094 Production Hub is an online directory at its core. 1262 00:55:39,128 --> 00:55:42,062 We're a global network of local crew and vendors. 1263 00:55:42,097 --> 00:55:45,480 Production Hub is a resource for kind of both sides 1264 00:55:45,514 --> 00:55:47,999 of the supply and demand chain. 1265 00:55:48,034 --> 00:55:51,071 We work with people that are looking for crew, 1266 00:55:51,106 --> 00:55:55,593 vendors, freelancers facilities for any of their production, 1267 00:55:55,628 --> 00:55:58,389 post production live event needs 1268 00:55:58,424 --> 00:55:59,597 and then we work with the people 1269 00:55:59,632 --> 00:56:01,116 that provide those services. 1270 00:56:01,150 --> 00:56:03,498 My tips for people that are trying to finance and get money 1271 00:56:03,532 --> 00:56:05,223 for their own film is to ask. 1272 00:56:05,258 --> 00:56:06,742 If you don't ask you, don't get. 1273 00:56:06,777 --> 00:56:09,573 I think a lot of people passively ask these days. 1274 00:56:09,607 --> 00:56:12,403 I think there are great tools for that with social media 1275 00:56:12,438 --> 00:56:14,060 and Kickstarter and it's wonderful, 1276 00:56:14,094 --> 00:56:17,408 but focus in on specific people and ask them. 1277 00:56:17,443 --> 00:56:18,651 It's just like sales. 1278 00:56:18,685 --> 00:56:20,618 You're trying to sell your product. 1279 00:56:20,653 --> 00:56:22,033 You're trying to sell yourself 1280 00:56:22,068 --> 00:56:24,242 and have people believe in you and invest in you 1281 00:56:24,277 --> 00:56:25,796 and your film and your project. 1282 00:56:25,830 --> 00:56:27,384 So ask them directly. 1283 00:56:27,418 --> 00:56:30,248 If they say, no, that's only going to help you move on 1284 00:56:30,283 --> 00:56:31,698 to the next person. 1285 00:56:31,733 --> 00:56:34,701 So just ask them, just come right out up, you know, 1286 00:56:34,736 --> 00:56:36,462 everyone, call them. 1287 00:56:36,496 --> 00:56:37,428 Pick up a phone and call them. 1288 00:56:37,463 --> 00:56:39,016 If they say no, they say no, 1289 00:56:39,050 --> 00:56:41,363 but it's gonna be very hard for someone to say, no, 1290 00:56:41,398 --> 00:56:43,089 if they've been asked directly. 1291 00:56:43,123 --> 00:56:45,402 People will have no problem ignoring, you know, 1292 00:56:45,436 --> 00:56:46,817 a social post or an email 1293 00:56:46,851 --> 00:56:48,957 but if you pick up the phone and call someone, 1294 00:56:48,991 --> 00:56:51,891 I bet you'll get a yes, I bet you get something. 1295 00:56:51,925 --> 00:56:53,064 My name is Jenelle Jordan. 1296 00:56:53,099 --> 00:56:55,308 I'm a Production Manager at Production Hub. 1297 00:56:55,342 --> 00:56:58,656 We work with folks that call in or, you know, 1298 00:56:58,691 --> 00:57:02,211 fill out our web form and find out their needs, 1299 00:57:02,246 --> 00:57:04,835 their budgets and then help in any part of the process. 1300 00:57:04,869 --> 00:57:07,113 You know, whether it's just finding the cameraman 1301 00:57:07,147 --> 00:57:09,736 and handing off the information or, you know, 1302 00:57:09,771 --> 00:57:14,085 helping out with call sheets or scheduling, 1303 00:57:14,120 --> 00:57:18,262 visits to studios, site visits, event logistics, 1304 00:57:18,296 --> 00:57:19,401 anything like that. 1305 00:57:19,436 --> 00:57:21,230 For filmmakers trying to raise money 1306 00:57:21,265 --> 00:57:24,199 my first go-to, you know, resource 1307 00:57:24,233 --> 00:57:26,304 is always your local government. 1308 00:57:26,339 --> 00:57:31,275 So whether it's a film office or film commissioner 1309 00:57:31,309 --> 00:57:33,139 or your local representatives, you know, 1310 00:57:33,173 --> 00:57:35,382 see if there is any incentives locally. 1311 00:57:35,417 --> 00:57:37,799 If not, you know, start researching grants. 1312 00:57:37,833 --> 00:57:39,283 You'd be surprised by the amount of, 1313 00:57:39,317 --> 00:57:41,492 even small couple thousand dollars grants. 1314 00:57:41,527 --> 00:57:43,943 But that adds up quickly, 1315 00:57:43,977 --> 00:57:45,531 every little bit helps. 1316 00:57:45,565 --> 00:57:49,120 And then, you have great things like GoFundMe, 1317 00:57:49,155 --> 00:57:52,054 philanthropic, different opportunities 1318 00:57:52,089 --> 00:57:54,436 for documentaries and stuff like that. 1319 00:57:54,471 --> 00:57:56,749 So there are a lot of different resources. 1320 00:57:56,783 --> 00:57:58,578 Use your local resources and network 1321 00:57:58,613 --> 00:58:00,407 and build relationships with people. 1322 00:58:00,442 --> 00:58:01,961 Don't try and do everything online. 1323 00:58:01,995 --> 00:58:06,206 Even though we are, a very internet focused world, 1324 00:58:06,241 --> 00:58:08,692 meet people face to face, go to trade shows. 1325 00:58:08,726 --> 00:58:10,417 You never know who you're gonna meet, 1326 00:58:10,452 --> 00:58:11,902 what you're gonna win. 1327 00:58:11,936 --> 00:58:15,077 I've met so many people that win cameras and equipment 1328 00:58:15,112 --> 00:58:17,010 at trade shows because they go in 1329 00:58:17,045 --> 00:58:18,840 and they put their name in and they come back 1330 00:58:18,874 --> 00:58:21,049 and there's a drawing and there you go. 1331 00:58:21,083 --> 00:58:23,154 And support those local organizations. 1332 00:58:23,189 --> 00:58:24,431 They need your support too. 1333 00:58:24,466 --> 00:58:26,364 You don't know how you can help them 1334 00:58:26,399 --> 00:58:27,849 later on down the road. 1335 00:58:27,883 --> 00:58:30,230 There might be people that are looking to do the same thing 1336 00:58:30,265 --> 00:58:32,854 that you're trying to do and meeting up with them, 1337 00:58:32,888 --> 00:58:36,478 collaborating, joining forces that might 1338 00:58:36,513 --> 00:58:39,412 be the secret ingredient to getting you where you want to go 1339 00:58:39,446 --> 00:58:41,794 with your project, with your career as a whole. 1340 00:58:47,696 --> 00:58:50,009 My name is Ken Hickman. 1341 00:58:50,043 --> 00:58:54,082 I have raised millions of dollars for the movies. 1342 00:58:54,116 --> 00:58:56,671 After 20 years in California, 1343 00:58:56,705 --> 00:58:59,777 I knew a lot of the movie people and a lot of the actors 1344 00:58:59,812 --> 00:59:02,504 and a lot of the producers I ran with them. 1345 00:59:02,539 --> 00:59:06,957 I would never invest in a movie. 1346 00:59:06,991 --> 00:59:08,924 Last thing I would ever do. 1347 00:59:08,959 --> 00:59:13,619 I moved to Orlando to expand our insurance company 1348 00:59:13,653 --> 00:59:16,518 and I met some fellows from Universal. 1349 00:59:16,553 --> 00:59:19,797 They kept after me for about a year to invest in a movie 1350 00:59:19,832 --> 00:59:24,181 and I just wouldn't have anything to do with that. 1351 00:59:24,215 --> 00:59:28,219 But we became good friends and after about a year, 1352 00:59:28,254 --> 00:59:31,464 I went home one night and I told my wife, I said, 1353 00:59:31,498 --> 00:59:33,259 these guys are different. 1354 00:59:33,293 --> 00:59:36,158 They have a passion I've never seen before 1355 00:59:36,193 --> 00:59:38,367 for the movie business. 1356 00:59:38,402 --> 00:59:41,370 And I said, I'm gonna take a small plunge. 1357 00:59:42,233 --> 00:59:46,237 And I did during a premier. 1358 00:59:46,272 --> 00:59:50,241 I was so impressed, again, 1359 00:59:50,276 --> 00:59:52,036 with the drive and the passion 1360 00:59:52,071 --> 00:59:54,280 and the professionalism. 1361 00:59:54,314 --> 00:59:57,076 And they asked me to help them out to raise some money 1362 00:59:57,110 --> 00:59:59,803 and I got involved. 1363 01:00:01,287 --> 01:00:05,878 We had some successes and 20 years later, still involved. 1364 01:00:07,051 --> 01:00:09,329 Well, basically I've raised a lot of money. 1365 01:00:09,364 --> 01:00:12,298 Primarily I've raised money from either the federal 1366 01:00:12,332 --> 01:00:13,230 or the local government. 1367 01:00:13,264 --> 01:00:15,025 I've raised money, for example, 1368 01:00:15,059 --> 01:00:17,683 from the Department of Justice, 1369 01:00:17,717 --> 01:00:20,755 for anti-drug prevention campaigns, 1370 01:00:20,789 --> 01:00:22,688 from their Orlando Tech Health department, 1371 01:00:22,722 --> 01:00:25,104 for teenage pregnancy prevention. 1372 01:00:25,138 --> 01:00:29,833 I raised money from foundations for a documentary series 1373 01:00:31,386 --> 01:00:35,252 on resident ownership of public housing. 1374 01:00:35,286 --> 01:00:39,739 Most students and people want to go get money from, is the 1375 01:00:39,774 --> 01:00:42,121 actual worst place to get money from. 1376 01:00:42,155 --> 01:00:43,916 And that is people in the industry, 1377 01:00:43,950 --> 01:00:45,918 people in Hollywood, they don't have money. 1378 01:00:45,952 --> 01:00:48,161 They may have contacts but they're not gonna put money 1379 01:00:48,196 --> 01:00:49,473 into your project. 1380 01:00:49,507 --> 01:00:51,682 Oddly enough, the place to get money 1381 01:00:51,717 --> 01:00:54,547 is from people that don't have luxury jobs 1382 01:00:54,581 --> 01:00:56,273 in the entertainment business. 1383 01:00:56,307 --> 01:01:00,967 Most investors honestly come from your friends 1384 01:01:01,002 --> 01:01:02,486 and associates. 1385 01:01:02,520 --> 01:01:05,869 Essentially, this is the key to raising money. 1386 01:01:05,903 --> 01:01:08,872 First, you establish relationships, 1387 01:01:10,321 --> 01:01:13,877 and then you ask people that you have relationships 1388 01:01:13,911 --> 01:01:15,119 for money. 1389 01:01:15,154 --> 01:01:18,122 See, opportunities are plentiful. 1390 01:01:18,157 --> 01:01:20,193 Money is plentiful. 1391 01:01:20,228 --> 01:01:22,886 Relationships are rare. 1392 01:01:22,920 --> 01:01:26,268 I'm Jeanette Bliss, and I'm a realtor. 1393 01:01:26,303 --> 01:01:30,410 I'm Tom bliss and I am also a realtor. 1394 01:01:30,445 --> 01:01:32,067 [Rick] How would you characterize 1395 01:01:32,102 --> 01:01:36,451 the whole business of fundraising for movies? 1396 01:01:36,485 --> 01:01:39,626 I would look at it as more of an opportunity 1397 01:01:39,661 --> 01:01:43,078 to invest money and be sure that they understand 1398 01:01:43,113 --> 01:01:45,702 the rules of the game. 1399 01:01:45,736 --> 01:01:48,843 [Rick] Is different selling a piece of real estate 1400 01:01:48,877 --> 01:01:51,846 versus selling someone an interest in a movie? 1401 01:01:51,880 --> 01:01:53,330 I don't think so. 1402 01:01:53,364 --> 01:01:56,609 Everybody's got a hot button and you need to find it, 1403 01:01:56,643 --> 01:01:59,819 whether it's real estate or a investment into a movie. 1404 01:01:59,854 --> 01:02:02,132 Different things, turn different people on 1405 01:02:02,166 --> 01:02:04,755 and you need to read the people and find that out. 1406 01:02:04,790 --> 01:02:06,584 This film industry, as you well know, 1407 01:02:06,619 --> 01:02:09,760 is extremely different and could be difficult. 1408 01:02:09,795 --> 01:02:12,694 Raising money for a film is not easy. 1409 01:02:12,729 --> 01:02:14,454 It's one thing to find the money, 1410 01:02:14,489 --> 01:02:16,284 it's another thing to get the check. 1411 01:02:16,318 --> 01:02:21,323 They think, movie stars and the industry itself 1412 01:02:22,324 --> 01:02:26,570 being wild and unpredictable and some success 1413 01:02:26,604 --> 01:02:29,159 and they know big names that are going to be successful 1414 01:02:29,193 --> 01:02:34,095 so I think if you had somebody very successful 1415 01:02:34,129 --> 01:02:36,097 that would walk in and be in a movie 1416 01:02:36,131 --> 01:02:39,272 you'd probably have more response 1417 01:02:39,307 --> 01:02:41,965 but yeah, in general, they roll their eyes. 1418 01:02:41,999 --> 01:02:44,208 [Rick] Most people think Hollywood or filmmaking 1419 01:02:44,243 --> 01:02:47,004 is a big con game and they're like, 1420 01:02:47,039 --> 01:02:48,730 "ah, I don't want anything to do with it." 1421 01:02:48,765 --> 01:02:49,593 Why is that? 1422 01:02:51,353 --> 01:02:54,563 There's a lot of evidence out there that, uh... 1423 01:02:56,220 --> 01:02:57,463 they're right, 1424 01:02:58,015 --> 01:02:59,568 in a lot of cases. 1425 01:02:59,603 --> 01:03:03,020 How many movies, uh, 1426 01:03:03,055 --> 01:03:05,920 big movies have been made, 1427 01:03:05,954 --> 01:03:08,612 where the investor didn't get one dime back? 1428 01:03:08,715 --> 01:03:12,202 I've never brought an investor in, to my knowledge 1429 01:03:12,236 --> 01:03:13,824 that I don't say, look, 1430 01:03:13,859 --> 01:03:18,242 if you can't afford to lose $10,000 on a card game 1431 01:03:18,277 --> 01:03:22,453 in Las Vegas in a night's time, don't invest in a movie. 1432 01:03:22,488 --> 01:03:24,317 And there was no sense of trying to sell somebody 1433 01:03:24,352 --> 01:03:26,664 a black suit if came in to buy a white suit. 1434 01:03:26,699 --> 01:03:29,288 So you've got to really evaluate who you're talking to. 1435 01:03:29,322 --> 01:03:31,635 And you're right, the international buyer 1436 01:03:31,669 --> 01:03:33,119 is totally different. 1437 01:03:33,154 --> 01:03:37,848 Their motives, their goals, the way they communicate, 1438 01:03:37,883 --> 01:03:40,230 their aggressiveness, they're totally different 1439 01:03:40,264 --> 01:03:42,784 than your domestic investor. 1440 01:03:42,819 --> 01:03:44,855 One reason why we've been so successful 1441 01:03:44,890 --> 01:03:48,790 is that we have come across honest and we are honest. 1442 01:03:48,825 --> 01:03:50,585 That's very important. 1443 01:03:50,619 --> 01:03:53,588 Just don't tell the investor what he wants to hear. 1444 01:03:53,622 --> 01:03:55,003 Tell him the facts. 1445 01:03:55,038 --> 01:03:58,075 And I have found out something over the years, 1446 01:03:58,110 --> 01:03:59,905 nothing happens overnight. 1447 01:04:01,354 --> 01:04:04,219 If you don't have patience you're probably gonna be 1448 01:04:04,254 --> 01:04:06,739 in a lot of trouble and it's never gonna happen. 1449 01:04:06,773 --> 01:04:11,709 Some of the greatest movies ever made take 10, 20, 30 years 1450 01:04:12,779 --> 01:04:14,540 to get on the big screen. 1451 01:04:16,335 --> 01:04:18,958 And you can have, uh, 1452 01:04:18,993 --> 01:04:25,516 13 signed contracts for all the money, 1453 01:04:25,689 --> 01:04:28,174 13 different times 1454 01:04:28,209 --> 01:04:33,214 and all of a sudden there's a real estate crunch. 1455 01:04:33,904 --> 01:04:37,390 All of a sudden there's a stock market crash. 1456 01:04:37,425 --> 01:04:40,083 All of a sudden, one of your key investors 1457 01:04:40,117 --> 01:04:43,914 or two or three of them pass away. 1458 01:04:44,777 --> 01:04:47,884 You've just got to stick to it and make sure it happens. 1459 01:04:49,057 --> 01:04:50,610 And you can't ever give up. 1460 01:04:56,478 --> 01:04:59,654 [soft music] 1461 01:04:59,688 --> 01:05:01,690 I'm Chuck Elderd, Film Commissioner, 1462 01:05:01,725 --> 01:05:02,933 Palm Beach, County, Florida. 1463 01:05:02,968 --> 01:05:05,280 Well, the first thing we do is attract filmmakers 1464 01:05:05,315 --> 01:05:06,799 to an area. 1465 01:05:06,833 --> 01:05:09,284 So it's an invitation for filmmakers to come and shoot 1466 01:05:09,319 --> 01:05:10,803 in that jurisdiction. 1467 01:05:10,837 --> 01:05:13,840 We also make it extremely easy for filmmakers to shoot 1468 01:05:13,875 --> 01:05:15,773 because we tell them where they can shoot, 1469 01:05:15,808 --> 01:05:17,154 most of all, where they can't shoot 1470 01:05:17,189 --> 01:05:19,363 because they may fall in love with a location 1471 01:05:19,398 --> 01:05:20,571 and all of a sudden they find out 1472 01:05:20,606 --> 01:05:22,228 they can't use that location. 1473 01:05:22,263 --> 01:05:25,024 And then we are responsible for helping them do two things, 1474 01:05:25,059 --> 01:05:27,544 stay on time and stay on budget. 1475 01:05:27,578 --> 01:05:29,442 We are part of the production crew 1476 01:05:29,477 --> 01:05:31,341 and that's the first thing we look at. 1477 01:05:31,375 --> 01:05:33,964 And when we take that responsibility, 1478 01:05:33,999 --> 01:05:36,001 it's not just when you come here and shoot, 1479 01:05:36,035 --> 01:05:38,279 it's when we talk to you on the telephone and we say, 1480 01:05:38,313 --> 01:05:40,177 we have your location or we don't. 1481 01:05:40,212 --> 01:05:42,317 We have wonderful shorelines. 1482 01:05:42,352 --> 01:05:43,801 We have wonderful other locations. 1483 01:05:43,836 --> 01:05:46,632 And we have 2,000 square miles of gorgeous locations. 1484 01:05:46,666 --> 01:05:49,290 All of this is the kind of location you wanna shoot in 1485 01:05:49,324 --> 01:05:50,981 if it matches your script 1486 01:05:51,016 --> 01:05:53,708 because then you have to have the cooperation 1487 01:05:53,742 --> 01:05:56,607 and that is what the film commission is here to do. 1488 01:05:56,642 --> 01:05:58,437 All of the services that you're looking for 1489 01:05:58,471 --> 01:06:00,715 we can help you provide on your budget. 1490 01:06:01,164 --> 01:06:02,268 Hi, I'm Christy Andreoni 1491 01:06:02,303 --> 01:06:03,718 and I'm the Production Director 1492 01:06:03,752 --> 01:06:06,169 with the Palm Beach County Film and Television Commission. 1493 01:06:06,203 --> 01:06:07,549 First starting out in the industry, 1494 01:06:07,584 --> 01:06:09,620 I had no idea that film commissions existed 1495 01:06:09,655 --> 01:06:10,967 and I didn't know that government 1496 01:06:11,001 --> 01:06:12,382 got involved in the industry. 1497 01:06:12,416 --> 01:06:13,797 But the more I was exposed to it, 1498 01:06:13,831 --> 01:06:15,972 the more I saw how beneficial it can be 1499 01:06:16,006 --> 01:06:18,146 when you're an independent filmmaker or otherwise 1500 01:06:18,181 --> 01:06:19,941 because you have a place to go 1501 01:06:19,976 --> 01:06:21,667 in no matter what community you visit 1502 01:06:21,701 --> 01:06:24,773 where you can get all expert information on locations, 1503 01:06:24,808 --> 01:06:26,568 on what kind of regulations there are, 1504 01:06:26,603 --> 01:06:28,674 on what kind of permits might be needed 1505 01:06:28,708 --> 01:06:30,227 and what kind of crew is there, 1506 01:06:30,262 --> 01:06:31,746 on what kind of catering companies 1507 01:06:31,780 --> 01:06:33,472 might be best to work with. 1508 01:06:33,506 --> 01:06:34,956 How do you talk to filmmakers 1509 01:06:34,991 --> 01:06:37,476 as a state that currently doesn't have incentives? 1510 01:06:37,510 --> 01:06:38,822 The message back to filmmakers, 1511 01:06:38,856 --> 01:06:40,582 especially young filmmakers is, 1512 01:06:40,617 --> 01:06:43,137 sometimes those incentives that you hear about 1513 01:06:43,171 --> 01:06:45,277 the motion pictures getting are more difficult 1514 01:06:45,311 --> 01:06:48,073 to handle on your budget because the incentives 1515 01:06:48,107 --> 01:06:50,282 comes with responsibilities. 1516 01:06:50,316 --> 01:06:51,973 They call them deliverables. 1517 01:06:52,008 --> 01:06:53,457 So if you're gonna get an incentive, 1518 01:06:53,492 --> 01:06:56,529 you wanna know what is the criteria for using that? 1519 01:06:56,564 --> 01:06:59,463 And maybe it doesn't fit into your script or your budget. 1520 01:06:59,498 --> 01:07:00,947 There is no free money. 1521 01:07:00,982 --> 01:07:03,295 The money comes with responsibilities. 1522 01:07:03,329 --> 01:07:05,607 The money comes with red tape 1523 01:07:05,642 --> 01:07:08,196 that you may not want to be involved in 1524 01:07:08,231 --> 01:07:10,509 and only experience will tell you that. 1525 01:07:10,543 --> 01:07:13,270 What we have to do in the absence of the incentive 1526 01:07:13,305 --> 01:07:15,652 is make everything else better than anything else 1527 01:07:15,686 --> 01:07:16,825 they're gonna find. 1528 01:07:16,860 --> 01:07:18,413 With Florida, that kind of comes naturally 1529 01:07:18,448 --> 01:07:20,795 because there's such a diversity of locations, 1530 01:07:20,829 --> 01:07:22,279 sunny year round weather. 1531 01:07:22,314 --> 01:07:24,661 What we have to do beyond that is really offer 1532 01:07:24,695 --> 01:07:26,490 the best service we possibly can. 1533 01:07:26,525 --> 01:07:29,079 So that's having a staff available 24/7 1534 01:07:29,114 --> 01:07:30,460 to address their concerns, 1535 01:07:30,494 --> 01:07:32,462 that's being actively involved 1536 01:07:32,496 --> 01:07:34,291 with location scouting process to make sure 1537 01:07:34,326 --> 01:07:35,810 that they come here and film. 1538 01:07:35,844 --> 01:07:38,537 And all we can do is make sure that every other aspect 1539 01:07:38,571 --> 01:07:42,575 of production here is the most ideal it can possibly be. 1540 01:07:42,610 --> 01:07:44,819 When you're filming in these major production hubs 1541 01:07:44,853 --> 01:07:46,821 in LA or New York you're not gonna have 1542 01:07:46,855 --> 01:07:49,272 some of the barriers here that you have there. 1543 01:07:49,306 --> 01:07:51,998 We wouldn't be a film commission without Burt Reynolds. 1544 01:07:52,033 --> 01:07:55,001 I'm very fond of Burt and I'm always impressed 1545 01:07:55,036 --> 01:07:57,901 with how much he cares about the young people 1546 01:07:57,935 --> 01:07:59,385 in our community. 1547 01:07:59,420 --> 01:08:02,112 Once a year we have him in the student showcase for films. 1548 01:08:02,147 --> 01:08:05,115 He gives a grant to young students here 1549 01:08:05,150 --> 01:08:07,255 that meet with him and interview with him 1550 01:08:07,290 --> 01:08:09,671 and he's still teaching well into his 80s 1551 01:08:09,706 --> 01:08:11,156 as well as still acting. 1552 01:08:11,190 --> 01:08:15,367 So we're proud to call Burt Reynolds our favorite son. 1553 01:08:15,401 --> 01:08:17,852 [Rick] What advice would you give a filmmaker 1554 01:08:17,886 --> 01:08:19,129 looking for funding? 1555 01:08:19,164 --> 01:08:21,338 Have a really good story. 1556 01:08:22,443 --> 01:08:25,929 There are a lot of projects that may sound 1557 01:08:25,963 --> 01:08:29,622 like they're really good to you. 1558 01:08:29,657 --> 01:08:31,728 They may even look good on paper 1559 01:08:31,762 --> 01:08:34,455 but we are in the entertainment business, and storytelling 1560 01:08:34,489 --> 01:08:36,042 is first and foremost. 1561 01:08:36,077 --> 01:08:38,631 So know that you can tell that story. 1562 01:08:38,666 --> 01:08:41,117 When you start throwing in the locations 1563 01:08:41,151 --> 01:08:43,671 and the attachments know that you can get the money to pay 1564 01:08:43,705 --> 01:08:46,708 for that story to be told to where it is entertaining. 1565 01:08:46,743 --> 01:08:50,850 The rest of it is do your homework, research. 1566 01:08:50,885 --> 01:08:53,025 A potential film investor wants to know 1567 01:08:53,059 --> 01:08:54,613 you have your ducks in a row. 1568 01:08:54,647 --> 01:08:58,168 That you know that your film is gone to shoot from A to Z. 1569 01:08:58,203 --> 01:08:59,928 Not only is the permit important, 1570 01:08:59,963 --> 01:09:02,517 your investor's gonna wanna know you're gonna have insurance 1571 01:09:02,552 --> 01:09:03,898 and you're gonna get permits 1572 01:09:03,932 --> 01:09:05,279 and under what circumstances 1573 01:09:05,313 --> 01:09:07,004 you're going to do those things. 1574 01:09:07,039 --> 01:09:09,731 You cannot take a shortcut in making a film 1575 01:09:09,766 --> 01:09:12,182 and think you can do it without permits and insurance. 1576 01:09:12,217 --> 01:09:14,150 And that's the bottom line to getting the confidence 1577 01:09:14,184 --> 01:09:15,012 of a financier. 1578 01:09:24,229 --> 01:09:26,507 My name is P.J Marks and I'm an investor. 1579 01:09:26,541 --> 01:09:28,612 I actually have worked on several movies. 1580 01:09:28,647 --> 01:09:30,166 One of the ones I worked on was called "Meatballs 4" 1581 01:09:30,200 --> 01:09:31,374 and it was a water ski movie 1582 01:09:31,408 --> 01:09:33,548 and I was the water ski coordinator. 1583 01:09:33,583 --> 01:09:35,240 [Rick] And how did you get that job? 1584 01:09:35,274 --> 01:09:37,103 I was actually working at SeaWorld at the time 1585 01:09:37,138 --> 01:09:40,037 and I intercepted a phone call and kind of stole it. 1586 01:09:40,072 --> 01:09:42,868 And then I've also worked on one that I produced. 1587 01:09:42,902 --> 01:09:44,628 It was a wakeboarding instructional DVD 1588 01:09:44,663 --> 01:09:46,112 called "The Book DVD". 1589 01:09:46,147 --> 01:09:48,184 They owned a Wakeboard Camp at the time and all my students 1590 01:09:48,218 --> 01:09:50,841 were asking for a wakeboarding instructional DVD 1591 01:09:50,876 --> 01:09:52,326 and there really wasn't a good one at the time 1592 01:09:52,360 --> 01:09:53,879 so I got together with a couple of friends of mine 1593 01:09:53,913 --> 01:09:55,605 and we put it together and I put up the money 1594 01:09:55,639 --> 01:09:57,089 and it did really well. 1595 01:09:57,123 --> 01:09:59,402 I think we got about a 38 times return on my investment. 1596 01:09:59,436 --> 01:10:01,680 My name is John English 1597 01:10:01,714 --> 01:10:04,234 and I'm a retired government worker. 1598 01:10:04,269 --> 01:10:06,685 [Rick] Have you ever invested in a motion picture? 1599 01:10:06,719 --> 01:10:07,927 Oh yes. 1600 01:10:07,962 --> 01:10:11,690 I started out small and when I learned 1601 01:10:11,724 --> 01:10:13,588 what I was doing somewhat, 1602 01:10:13,623 --> 01:10:16,108 then I started moving on to bigger projects. 1603 01:10:16,142 --> 01:10:18,766 I was very reluctant at first. 1604 01:10:18,800 --> 01:10:21,424 What type of financial return do you expect 1605 01:10:21,458 --> 01:10:23,771 to see on a movie you invest in? 1606 01:10:23,805 --> 01:10:26,843 Well, I hope to see my initial investment 1607 01:10:26,877 --> 01:10:29,708 or at least two and a half times the investment 1608 01:10:29,742 --> 01:10:32,262 then royalty checks every 90 days. 1609 01:10:32,297 --> 01:10:33,229 [Rick] Oh, excuse me. 1610 01:10:33,263 --> 01:10:34,299 Scott has walking in on the set. 1611 01:10:34,333 --> 01:10:36,232 Scott, what's going on? 1612 01:10:36,266 --> 01:10:37,612 John, I wanna thank you 1613 01:10:37,647 --> 01:10:40,132 for being one of my most loyal investors 1614 01:10:40,166 --> 01:10:41,409 over the past 10 years 1615 01:10:42,928 --> 01:10:44,861 and instead of mailing the checks, here's a few checks. 1616 01:10:44,895 --> 01:10:46,138 So open them up if you want. 1617 01:10:46,172 --> 01:10:48,002 Okay, sure will. 1618 01:10:49,245 --> 01:10:52,455 Okay. I love it every 90 days when this happens. 1619 01:10:52,489 --> 01:10:54,319 There's approximately three checks there. 1620 01:10:54,353 --> 01:10:56,355 Well, there's one I'm very happy with. 1621 01:10:58,288 --> 01:11:01,084 There's another one I'm very happy with. 1622 01:11:01,118 --> 01:11:03,189 So out of the three, I'm really happy. 1623 01:11:03,224 --> 01:11:06,986 One's a smaller one but I've expected that over the years 1624 01:11:07,021 --> 01:11:08,436 for it to diminish. 1625 01:11:08,471 --> 01:11:10,438 I have never actually invested in a movie before. 1626 01:11:10,473 --> 01:11:11,922 This is my first chance. 1627 01:11:11,957 --> 01:11:14,684 I knew some of the people involved who were great people 1628 01:11:14,718 --> 01:11:17,928 and I thought it was an interesting diversification 1629 01:11:17,963 --> 01:11:19,309 of investments. 1630 01:11:19,344 --> 01:11:21,863 What turns you on about investing in a movie? 1631 01:11:21,898 --> 01:11:24,314 The fact that a there can be potentially 1632 01:11:24,349 --> 01:11:27,455 a very high return in a short period of time 1633 01:11:27,490 --> 01:11:30,251 but I think it's counter cyclical to real estate 1634 01:11:30,286 --> 01:11:32,633 and the stock market and other investments. 1635 01:11:32,667 --> 01:11:34,117 My name is Carl Blesione. 1636 01:11:34,151 --> 01:11:36,015 My occupation is I'm a dentist. 1637 01:11:36,050 --> 01:11:38,259 [Rick] Have you ever invested in a motion picture? 1638 01:11:38,294 --> 01:11:39,536 Never. 1639 01:11:39,571 --> 01:11:41,366 [Rick] What turns you on about investing 1640 01:11:41,400 --> 01:11:42,608 in a movie? 1641 01:11:42,643 --> 01:11:44,023 Well, first of all, you wanna make money, 1642 01:11:45,197 --> 01:11:46,163 that's number one. 1643 01:11:46,198 --> 01:11:47,406 Number two, turning you on, 1644 01:11:47,441 --> 01:11:48,683 listen, I like getting in front of the camera 1645 01:11:48,718 --> 01:11:50,651 so if I could be part of something like that 1646 01:11:50,685 --> 01:11:52,963 to exude the passion and the excitement of it, 1647 01:11:52,998 --> 01:11:54,068 that turns me on too. 1648 01:11:58,003 --> 01:12:00,730 My name is David Mackey and I'm an actor. 1649 01:12:00,764 --> 01:12:05,355 The phone call that Scott made to me regarding this film 1650 01:12:05,390 --> 01:12:06,943 just came out of the blue 1651 01:12:09,394 --> 01:12:11,982 and I listened to his remarks, his pitch, 1652 01:12:13,674 --> 01:12:14,778 and after just chatting with him 1653 01:12:14,813 --> 01:12:17,367 for a good 10 minutes or so, 1654 01:12:19,404 --> 01:12:23,684 I felt very strongly that I needed to be a part of the film. 1655 01:12:27,481 --> 01:12:29,310 The way I got involved in this was, 1656 01:12:29,345 --> 01:12:30,794 I think you saw a post that I made, 1657 01:12:30,829 --> 01:12:32,589 that I was looking for something to invest in 1658 01:12:32,624 --> 01:12:35,212 and you sent me some things and I was kind of interested, 1659 01:12:35,247 --> 01:12:37,042 but it never really clicked until I talked to you 1660 01:12:37,076 --> 01:12:39,355 on the phone because when I started asking you questions 1661 01:12:39,389 --> 01:12:41,218 about this, you had all the answers. 1662 01:12:41,253 --> 01:12:42,530 There was no stumbling. 1663 01:12:42,565 --> 01:12:43,980 There was no I'll get back to you. 1664 01:12:44,014 --> 01:12:45,361 There was no BS. 1665 01:12:45,395 --> 01:12:46,879 Every time I asked a question, 1666 01:12:46,914 --> 01:12:48,502 the answer was right there right away. 1667 01:12:48,536 --> 01:12:52,298 I have a natural tendency to like to help my friends 1668 01:12:52,333 --> 01:12:54,300 and to help pretty much all people. 1669 01:12:54,335 --> 01:12:56,682 I do that in my law practice and in my life. 1670 01:12:56,717 --> 01:12:58,097 So when I received the call 1671 01:12:58,132 --> 01:13:00,237 that there was just a certain amount of money needed 1672 01:13:00,272 --> 01:13:04,587 to break escrow, it was a really easy decision for me 1673 01:13:04,621 --> 01:13:07,452 because the film sounded like a great idea. 1674 01:13:07,486 --> 01:13:12,388 So between the friendship and the need that was apparent 1675 01:13:14,010 --> 01:13:15,218 at that particular time, 1676 01:13:15,252 --> 01:13:17,565 it was an easy decision for me. 1677 01:13:17,600 --> 01:13:21,535 [Scott] All right. I got one more question for you. 1678 01:13:21,569 --> 01:13:24,089 I'll just preface by saying we're gonna be friends 1679 01:13:24,123 --> 01:13:25,262 no matter what. 1680 01:13:25,297 --> 01:13:26,402 Okay. 1681 01:13:26,436 --> 01:13:28,369 So I'm just gonna throw this out there. 1682 01:13:28,404 --> 01:13:33,029 We need like three or four more $5,000 shares 1683 01:13:33,063 --> 01:13:34,340 for our marketing budget. 1684 01:13:34,824 --> 01:13:37,551 Would you like to put in another one or two shares? 1685 01:13:37,585 --> 01:13:39,069 I'll put in one more share. 1686 01:13:40,519 --> 01:13:41,520 We get that on camera? 1687 01:13:41,555 --> 01:13:43,591 [Mark laughs] 1688 01:13:43,626 --> 01:13:46,422 Casey Tennyson, I'm a writer, I'm an author, 1689 01:13:46,456 --> 01:13:50,667 I'm a book publisher and I own an ad agency. 1690 01:13:50,702 --> 01:13:52,497 Invest in something you're going to have fun with 1691 01:13:52,531 --> 01:13:54,222 and something that you like, 1692 01:13:54,257 --> 01:13:56,086 in a topic that you're interested in 1693 01:13:56,121 --> 01:13:58,123 because then you become a better investor 1694 01:13:58,157 --> 01:14:00,815 because then you're gonna be excited about it, 1695 01:14:00,850 --> 01:14:02,368 you're gonna help promote it 1696 01:14:02,403 --> 01:14:04,957 and really word of mouth and networking 1697 01:14:04,992 --> 01:14:07,235 is all part of a marketing mix. 1698 01:14:07,270 --> 01:14:09,997 Was one of the reasons that you invested in this film 1699 01:14:10,031 --> 01:14:13,483 that you could promote your own writing and your own books? 1700 01:14:13,518 --> 01:14:14,657 Yes, of course. 1701 01:14:14,691 --> 01:14:18,039 So, my books, my novels, again, 1702 01:14:18,074 --> 01:14:19,972 were always written with the intent 1703 01:14:20,007 --> 01:14:21,871 of making them into films 1704 01:14:21,905 --> 01:14:24,977 and so this film just ties in perfectly 1705 01:14:25,012 --> 01:14:26,945 with what I'm already doing in the world 1706 01:14:26,979 --> 01:14:29,292 and I can't wait to write an article about it. 1707 01:14:29,326 --> 01:14:30,604 Thanks for including me. 1708 01:14:30,638 --> 01:14:32,122 I'm excited to be a part of it. 1709 01:14:32,157 --> 01:14:34,331 [Rick] What the hell are you doing here? 1710 01:14:34,366 --> 01:14:38,681 Man, I am excited, Barb we're investing in a movie. 1711 01:14:38,715 --> 01:14:39,785 It's exciting. 1712 01:14:39,820 --> 01:14:40,890 [Rick] Is this the first movie 1713 01:14:40,924 --> 01:14:42,512 you've ever invested in? 1714 01:14:42,547 --> 01:14:44,203 Yes, absolutely. 1715 01:14:44,238 --> 01:14:46,930 [Rick] Why did you invest in thismovie? 1716 01:14:46,965 --> 01:14:49,139 We were approached by a friend 1717 01:14:49,174 --> 01:14:50,589 who we have a lot of faith in, 1718 01:14:50,624 --> 01:14:53,212 I was intrigued by the magic of movie making 1719 01:14:53,247 --> 01:14:56,388 and wanted to see the set and what it was all about. 1720 01:14:56,422 --> 01:14:59,046 For me as a business person and a practical person 1721 01:14:59,080 --> 01:15:00,634 it was a win-win. 1722 01:15:00,668 --> 01:15:04,810 Here's an opportunity to help move another friend 1723 01:15:04,845 --> 01:15:07,641 along in his career and have a potential to capitalize on 1724 01:15:07,675 --> 01:15:11,265 their experiences and also to help promote 1725 01:15:11,299 --> 01:15:12,438 what we care about. 1726 01:15:12,473 --> 01:15:14,786 It's helping other people with their health 1727 01:15:14,820 --> 01:15:18,928 and eventually a lifestyle of a retirement residual income. 1728 01:15:20,757 --> 01:15:23,449 [upbeat music] 1729 01:15:26,107 --> 01:15:27,212 Oh, it's so great to be here. 1730 01:15:27,246 --> 01:15:29,766 My name is Bob Bell and this is my beautiful wife-- 1731 01:15:29,801 --> 01:15:31,009 [Barbara] Barbara Bell. 1732 01:15:31,043 --> 01:15:33,563 And you know the feeling you have just before Christmas, 1733 01:15:33,598 --> 01:15:36,117 just that excitement and anticipation of, you know, 1734 01:15:36,152 --> 01:15:38,430 there's something really special right behind the door. 1735 01:15:38,464 --> 01:15:40,397 That's the way Barbara and I feel about 1736 01:15:40,432 --> 01:15:42,296 what we're sharing here today. 1737 01:15:42,330 --> 01:15:44,332 I was introduced to Valentus by a friend 1738 01:15:44,367 --> 01:15:45,713 that I knew 30 years ago. 1739 01:15:45,748 --> 01:15:47,715 They told me about a product. 1740 01:15:47,750 --> 01:15:50,269 Jenny Craig meets Starbucks, oh my gosh, 1741 01:15:50,304 --> 01:15:53,272 a weight loss coffee, my energy level's great 1742 01:15:53,307 --> 01:15:54,860 and so we just had to share it. 1743 01:15:54,895 --> 01:15:57,000 And by sharing it, we're helping other people. 1744 01:15:57,035 --> 01:15:59,831 The latest part we came out with was the hot chocolate, 1745 01:15:59,865 --> 01:16:01,591 which is really exciting 1746 01:16:01,626 --> 01:16:03,282 because who doesn't wanna lose weight 1747 01:16:03,317 --> 01:16:04,801 while drinking hot chocolate? 1748 01:16:04,836 --> 01:16:07,804 We have these beverages that you just add to powder to it 1749 01:16:07,839 --> 01:16:11,497 all natural, no GMOs and it helps your body function better. 1750 01:16:11,532 --> 01:16:14,639 So if you wanna learn more about this, go to our website, 1751 01:16:14,673 --> 01:16:18,539 www.youseeresults.com. 1752 01:16:18,574 --> 01:16:19,989 Barbara and I look forward to meeting you 1753 01:16:20,023 --> 01:16:22,647 and helping you meet all your health and wellness needs. 1754 01:16:22,681 --> 01:16:23,579 Thank you so much. 1755 01:16:25,028 --> 01:16:27,168 [applause] 1756 01:16:27,583 --> 01:16:28,894 Well, to be honest, being the biggest investor 1757 01:16:28,929 --> 01:16:30,171 is a little nerve wracking. 1758 01:16:30,206 --> 01:16:32,173 I mean, this is my first big project 1759 01:16:32,208 --> 01:16:33,692 and I'm really rolling the dice, 1760 01:16:33,727 --> 01:16:35,694 but now that I'm here and I'm meeting everybody 1761 01:16:35,729 --> 01:16:37,144 and I'm seeing what's going on every day, 1762 01:16:37,178 --> 01:16:39,318 I'm starting to feel more comfortable with it. 1763 01:16:39,353 --> 01:16:41,251 Well, one thing I realized about this project 1764 01:16:41,286 --> 01:16:43,357 is the enormous amount of pre-production. 1765 01:16:43,391 --> 01:16:46,463 I think that's something that's really overlooked. 1766 01:16:46,498 --> 01:16:49,708 The planning that goes into it is probably more important 1767 01:16:49,743 --> 01:16:51,158 than the actual production itself 1768 01:16:51,192 --> 01:16:52,884 because that's not gonna happen 1769 01:16:52,918 --> 01:16:54,368 if everything's not laid out right. 1770 01:16:54,402 --> 01:16:56,197 And I was really blown away by the amount of work 1771 01:16:56,232 --> 01:16:58,303 that everyone's put into it beforehand. 1772 01:16:58,337 --> 01:17:01,513 There's a track record, there's a history. 1773 01:17:01,547 --> 01:17:03,688 and all of these things make you feel more comfortable 1774 01:17:03,722 --> 01:17:04,999 as an investor. 1775 01:17:05,034 --> 01:17:08,278 [Rick] Valentas, we took money to put them 1776 01:17:08,313 --> 01:17:11,834 in the movie and to promote their product, you know, 1777 01:17:11,868 --> 01:17:13,836 and I loved them, they're great. 1778 01:17:13,870 --> 01:17:16,528 But do you think we in any way hurt 1779 01:17:16,562 --> 01:17:20,532 the integrity of this film by taking money from them 1780 01:17:20,566 --> 01:17:22,741 even though we'll disclose it in the credits? 1781 01:17:22,776 --> 01:17:26,745 I think any other movie, yes it could be compromising. 1782 01:17:26,780 --> 01:17:29,230 I think in this particular movie, 1783 01:17:29,265 --> 01:17:31,716 'cause the whole movie is about film financing. 1784 01:17:31,750 --> 01:17:36,548 The whole point of this movie is to show and empower people 1785 01:17:36,582 --> 01:17:40,138 how they can raise money for their movie. 1786 01:17:40,172 --> 01:17:43,244 Well, Bob Bell, I've known for 35, 40 years. 1787 01:17:43,279 --> 01:17:44,901 One of my best friends. 1788 01:17:44,936 --> 01:17:49,699 I called him up, there's no secret that every single person 1789 01:17:49,734 --> 01:17:52,460 that we talked to, if they had any interest, 1790 01:17:52,495 --> 01:17:54,014 they could possibly be in the movie. 1791 01:17:54,048 --> 01:17:57,051 And we got a lot of the investors in the movie. 1792 01:17:57,086 --> 01:18:01,193 So in Bob's case, we knew he had this great product 1793 01:18:01,228 --> 01:18:02,505 that he's passionate about. 1794 01:18:02,539 --> 01:18:05,232 I said, Bob, if you put in a little extra money, 1795 01:18:05,266 --> 01:18:08,718 we can actually put your product, 1796 01:18:08,753 --> 01:18:11,376 not only mention that you're a Valentus representative, 1797 01:18:11,410 --> 01:18:13,827 but we can actually put your products, show your products 1798 01:18:13,861 --> 01:18:15,069 in the movie. 1799 01:18:15,104 --> 01:18:16,588 [Rick] I just think it will be criticized 1800 01:18:16,622 --> 01:18:18,832 by some people that we lost the integrity of the movie 1801 01:18:18,866 --> 01:18:20,419 by doing it. 1802 01:18:20,454 --> 01:18:22,974 And you know, as a filmmaker, you'll always want purity. 1803 01:18:23,008 --> 01:18:25,701 I always want integrity. 1804 01:18:25,735 --> 01:18:27,185 They're wonderful people. 1805 01:18:27,219 --> 01:18:29,256 I know nothing about the product, 1806 01:18:29,290 --> 01:18:31,879 but it's just odd that we did it. 1807 01:18:31,914 --> 01:18:34,088 But I do think it's an interesting example 1808 01:18:34,123 --> 01:18:36,435 and you should have got a hell of a lot more money 1809 01:18:36,470 --> 01:18:37,367 than we got from him. 1810 01:18:37,402 --> 01:18:38,714 He got a hell of a deal. [laughs] 1811 01:18:40,819 --> 01:18:43,684 [upbeat piano music] 1812 01:19:12,126 --> 01:19:14,094 [audience applauding] 1813 01:19:14,128 --> 01:19:15,923 My name is Donovan Parker. 1814 01:19:15,958 --> 01:19:16,752 Welcome. 1815 01:19:16,786 --> 01:19:17,994 Thank you. 1816 01:19:18,029 --> 01:19:22,240 I wrote a script based on Christopher Dudus Coke. 1817 01:19:22,274 --> 01:19:23,689 It's an interesting story. 1818 01:19:23,724 --> 01:19:25,139 Everyone love it. 1819 01:19:25,174 --> 01:19:30,075 I want to know about the financing of that project. 1820 01:19:30,110 --> 01:19:34,562 I love writing and I want a connection to make it happen. 1821 01:19:35,115 --> 01:19:37,738 My suggestion is when they're trying to raise money 1822 01:19:37,773 --> 01:19:40,465 and they need to put together a business plan, 1823 01:19:40,499 --> 01:19:44,538 they first perhaps find a producer to work with. 1824 01:19:44,572 --> 01:19:47,161 If you're lucky, also a director to work with. 1825 01:19:47,196 --> 01:19:49,474 I think it's really all about networking. 1826 01:19:49,508 --> 01:19:51,545 You never know if you learn that skill 1827 01:19:51,579 --> 01:19:53,512 of just meeting people and talking people, 1828 01:19:53,547 --> 01:19:56,343 you never know who you could meet, 1829 01:19:56,377 --> 01:19:59,311 that can take your screenplay, get excited about it, 1830 01:19:59,346 --> 01:20:03,384 and help you finance it or help you take it to a studio. 1831 01:20:03,419 --> 01:20:05,697 Palmer Edward, and I'm a screenwriter. 1832 01:20:05,731 --> 01:20:06,836 I've written a script. 1833 01:20:06,871 --> 01:20:09,011 I'm an award winning screenwriter. 1834 01:20:09,045 --> 01:20:10,702 I've won awards and you know, just film festivals 1835 01:20:10,736 --> 01:20:11,876 and things like that. It's small stuff, 1836 01:20:11,910 --> 01:20:13,429 but I'm trying to write 1837 01:20:13,463 --> 01:20:16,501 between one and $5 million low budget. 1838 01:20:16,535 --> 01:20:20,229 Any advice in what I could do to keep it that angle 1839 01:20:20,263 --> 01:20:22,369 and make sure I don't go past. 1840 01:20:22,403 --> 01:20:23,991 I'm gonna say if you've written eight screenplays, 1841 01:20:24,026 --> 01:20:25,544 you haven't sold one, 1842 01:20:25,579 --> 01:20:27,167 you're doing something wrong. 1843 01:20:27,201 --> 01:20:29,583 So what you need to do is go back and figure out 1844 01:20:29,617 --> 01:20:31,274 what's the flaw in the material. 1845 01:20:31,309 --> 01:20:32,758 When I taught screenwriting, 1846 01:20:32,793 --> 01:20:35,209 I used to teach an introductory class and a workshop class. 1847 01:20:35,244 --> 01:20:39,869 We sold about 65 movie scripts out of my classes 1848 01:20:39,904 --> 01:20:42,699 in the years that I taught, which was unbelievable. 1849 01:20:42,734 --> 01:20:45,461 Some of those movies got made like "Closet Land". 1850 01:20:45,495 --> 01:20:48,222 The Steven Seagal movie, "Hard to Kill" got made. 1851 01:20:48,257 --> 01:20:51,847 What happened in my classes was the first 10 ideas 1852 01:20:51,881 --> 01:20:54,884 that every screenwriter had never sold. 1853 01:20:54,919 --> 01:20:56,610 So I used to tell them you have to come up 1854 01:20:56,644 --> 01:20:58,612 with a hundred ideas. 1855 01:20:58,646 --> 01:21:00,994 So I made all of my writers come up 1856 01:21:01,028 --> 01:21:03,168 with a hundred movie ideas. 1857 01:21:03,203 --> 01:21:07,379 Almost every one of the 65 or so scripts that sold 1858 01:21:07,414 --> 01:21:09,761 was above number 75. 1859 01:21:09,795 --> 01:21:14,007 It was the last 25 that you finally figure out 1860 01:21:14,041 --> 01:21:15,284 what you wanna say. 1861 01:21:15,318 --> 01:21:17,527 You wanna figure out what your story is. 1862 01:21:17,562 --> 01:21:20,876 And what I think you need to do is come up 1863 01:21:20,910 --> 01:21:24,465 with a hundred great ideas. 1864 01:21:24,500 --> 01:21:28,124 When I used to go to the studios to pitch ideas, 1865 01:21:28,159 --> 01:21:30,506 and I went to most of the major studios, 1866 01:21:30,540 --> 01:21:32,749 the studio executives would say to me, 1867 01:21:32,784 --> 01:21:34,475 "tell me a story I've never heard." 1868 01:21:34,510 --> 01:21:36,063 -[Louise] Yeah. -[Rick] "Dazzle me." 1869 01:21:36,098 --> 01:21:39,342 And one studio executive said to me one time, 1870 01:21:39,377 --> 01:21:42,828 I hear dozens of pitches every day. 1871 01:21:42,863 --> 01:21:44,451 And he said, when I go to bed at night 1872 01:21:44,485 --> 01:21:46,522 and I put my head on the pillow, 1873 01:21:47,385 --> 01:21:50,940 it's the idea that I think of I call the next day and I buy. 1874 01:21:50,975 --> 01:21:53,046 You've got to create an idea that's so unique, 1875 01:21:53,080 --> 01:21:55,945 so original, so compelling 1876 01:21:55,980 --> 01:21:59,742 that someone is willing to go raise money for it 1877 01:21:59,776 --> 01:22:03,159 or write you a check for it or make that film. 1878 01:22:03,194 --> 01:22:06,128 And you're competing against everybody. 1879 01:22:06,162 --> 01:22:09,096 You're competing against me, Steven Spielberg, 1880 01:22:09,131 --> 01:22:11,616 you're competing with "The Blair Witch" guys. 1881 01:22:11,650 --> 01:22:13,652 You're competing with the smartest, 1882 01:22:13,687 --> 01:22:15,620 most creative people in the world 1883 01:22:15,654 --> 01:22:18,243 and you've got to come up with something better, unique 1884 01:22:18,278 --> 01:22:19,520 and original 1885 01:22:19,555 --> 01:22:21,626 That's interesting, but you're the second person 1886 01:22:21,660 --> 01:22:24,249 that gave me the advice about the a hundred concept. 1887 01:22:24,284 --> 01:22:25,319 Who's that other person? 1888 01:22:25,354 --> 01:22:26,976 A guy out in Hollywood. 1889 01:22:27,011 --> 01:22:28,426 That's a genius. 1890 01:22:28,460 --> 01:22:31,774 If you don't have a fire in your belly to tell those stories 1891 01:22:31,808 --> 01:22:34,259 and to cram those stories down someone's throat, 1892 01:22:34,294 --> 01:22:36,192 to make money people look at them 1893 01:22:36,227 --> 01:22:37,366 and to pay attention to them, 1894 01:22:37,400 --> 01:22:39,057 they're not gonna get paid. 1895 01:22:39,092 --> 01:22:41,646 So my thing is, get in touch with your passion. 1896 01:22:41,680 --> 01:22:44,683 And I think the people that make great films 1897 01:22:44,718 --> 01:22:47,548 have a sense of outrage, a sense of anger 1898 01:22:47,583 --> 01:22:51,035 and that drives them to create great art. 1899 01:22:51,069 --> 01:22:54,279 And we live in a society today, in my opinion, 1900 01:22:54,314 --> 01:22:56,040 where it's getting harder and harder 1901 01:22:56,074 --> 01:22:57,662 to be an original person. 1902 01:22:57,696 --> 01:22:59,077 You're penalized. 1903 01:22:59,112 --> 01:23:02,011 You know, my favorite filmmaker is Stanley Kubrick 1904 01:23:02,046 --> 01:23:04,600 and Stanley Kubrick went out, made all these great movies 1905 01:23:04,634 --> 01:23:07,603 and warned us about letting everybody become a number 1906 01:23:07,637 --> 01:23:10,882 and losing our humanity and machines taking over 1907 01:23:10,916 --> 01:23:15,024 and everything that Kubrick projected in those movies 1908 01:23:15,059 --> 01:23:16,853 is coming true. 1909 01:23:16,888 --> 01:23:19,718 Look at what's happening in our society and in the world. 1910 01:23:19,753 --> 01:23:22,514 And so art will save us. 1911 01:23:22,549 --> 01:23:24,689 Politics will not save us. 1912 01:23:24,723 --> 01:23:26,622 Media will not save us. 1913 01:23:28,003 --> 01:23:31,903 And art has the capability because it opens people's minds, 1914 01:23:31,937 --> 01:23:35,493 it changes opinions, and it influences people. 1915 01:23:35,527 --> 01:23:37,184 -Thank you. -[Rick] That's my answer. 1916 01:23:38,289 --> 01:23:40,808 [soft music] 1917 01:23:49,403 --> 01:23:51,233 Hi. My name is Laura Faye. 1918 01:23:51,267 --> 01:23:56,272 I'm a writer and I wrote a book about Muslims in America 1919 01:23:57,342 --> 01:24:00,207 based on my own experience as a teacher. 1920 01:24:00,242 --> 01:24:01,726 I have a couple of questions. 1921 01:24:01,760 --> 01:24:04,729 One would be how to get it made into a screenplay. 1922 01:24:04,763 --> 01:24:07,145 You made a point earlier about there are other people 1923 01:24:07,180 --> 01:24:10,735 who create and then there are the people who have control. 1924 01:24:10,769 --> 01:24:13,255 I wanted to know if you could speak to that a little more 1925 01:24:13,289 --> 01:24:15,602 and how do you have both? 1926 01:24:15,636 --> 01:24:18,708 Because one of my fears about making this into a film 1927 01:24:18,743 --> 01:24:20,469 is obviously losing control. 1928 01:24:20,503 --> 01:24:23,817 First thing I would recommend is make it a published book. 1929 01:24:23,851 --> 01:24:26,406 Even if you go on and do it through Amazon, 1930 01:24:26,440 --> 01:24:30,444 just to control a copyright and to have content control. 1931 01:24:30,479 --> 01:24:34,172 It is treacherous when you have original literary material 1932 01:24:34,207 --> 01:24:37,555 and you don't want someone to steal it or dilute it 1933 01:24:37,589 --> 01:24:39,108 or rip it off. 1934 01:24:39,143 --> 01:24:40,730 I would get the book published 1935 01:24:40,765 --> 01:24:42,560 because then you're in control. 1936 01:24:42,594 --> 01:24:47,565 Almost every book published in the world is read by somebody 1937 01:24:47,599 --> 01:24:49,394 who wants to make a movie of it. 1938 01:24:49,429 --> 01:24:51,120 In other words, they're looking for that product. 1939 01:24:51,155 --> 01:24:52,639 You'd be shocked. 1940 01:24:52,673 --> 01:24:55,435 One thing that appeals to me and what you just said, 1941 01:24:55,469 --> 01:24:57,057 and there's a shortcut. 1942 01:24:57,092 --> 01:25:02,097 You go to a star to play the character in the memoir 1943 01:25:03,512 --> 01:25:06,653 and let's just pick, you know, who would be a good example? 1944 01:25:06,687 --> 01:25:07,895 Reese Witherspoon. 1945 01:25:07,930 --> 01:25:10,139 Reese Witherspoon, perfect example. 1946 01:25:10,174 --> 01:25:11,727 Reese Witherspoon has her own company 1947 01:25:11,761 --> 01:25:15,524 and she makes great movies and she might wanna play 1948 01:25:15,558 --> 01:25:18,906 that character or she might wanna call one of her friends 1949 01:25:18,941 --> 01:25:20,943 and now you're kind of on a fast track. 1950 01:25:20,977 --> 01:25:23,808 Whenever you can get a movie star attached 1951 01:25:23,842 --> 01:25:27,708 to your literary property, you're now in the fast track. 1952 01:25:27,743 --> 01:25:29,296 You're like in the turbo lane 1953 01:25:29,331 --> 01:25:31,712 and it always makes everything go faster. 1954 01:25:31,747 --> 01:25:34,681 It's harder to maintain control, 1955 01:25:34,715 --> 01:25:36,821 but if you publish the book, 1956 01:25:36,855 --> 01:25:39,375 they're gonna respect you a lot more 1957 01:25:39,410 --> 01:25:41,619 and you're gonna be able to remain part of 1958 01:25:41,653 --> 01:25:43,068 the creative process. 1959 01:25:43,103 --> 01:25:45,623 What happens is, when you write a screenplay 1960 01:25:45,657 --> 01:25:48,143 and you're just trying to sell it, 1961 01:25:48,177 --> 01:25:49,592 you have no creative control. 1962 01:25:49,627 --> 01:25:52,388 Like in your case, they're just gonna throw money at you 1963 01:25:52,423 --> 01:25:55,288 and they're gonna tell you to get lost, right? 1964 01:25:55,322 --> 01:25:58,463 And so, you know, that's fun for awhile, 1965 01:25:58,498 --> 01:26:01,017 but then it's like selling your children. 1966 01:26:01,052 --> 01:26:02,674 You really don't like doing it. 1967 01:26:02,709 --> 01:26:05,332 You know, when I first sold scripts... 1968 01:26:06,506 --> 01:26:08,715 You're right, I don't know your children. 1969 01:26:10,579 --> 01:26:11,890 You are correct. 1970 01:26:11,925 --> 01:26:13,064 Thank you. 1971 01:26:13,098 --> 01:26:14,997 Thank you for asking. I appreciate it. 1972 01:26:15,031 --> 01:26:17,620 Hi, my name is Gabrielle A. Paris. 1973 01:26:17,655 --> 01:26:20,658 I'm an actress and a student of Mr. Burt Reynolds. 1974 01:26:20,692 --> 01:26:22,211 So the thing that you're talking about 1975 01:26:22,246 --> 01:26:24,040 with the whole producing and the actresses 1976 01:26:24,075 --> 01:26:25,525 and they want the good parts, 1977 01:26:25,559 --> 01:26:28,942 I've had a really hard time with that in terms of quality 1978 01:26:28,976 --> 01:26:30,944 and just, you know, I had to really learn like, 1979 01:26:30,978 --> 01:26:31,910 who's the sound guy? 1980 01:26:31,945 --> 01:26:33,671 Who's this guy? 1981 01:26:33,705 --> 01:26:35,638 Who's the AD you know, what type of camera 1982 01:26:35,673 --> 01:26:36,915 we're using, is it 4k? 1983 01:26:36,950 --> 01:26:38,158 All the good stuff, is it a good editor? 1984 01:26:38,193 --> 01:26:39,539 So I had to learn the back end of it. 1985 01:26:39,573 --> 01:26:43,646 So I just recently had somebody write just a short film 1986 01:26:43,681 --> 01:26:45,372 and I played the lead in it. 1987 01:26:45,407 --> 01:26:47,340 I produced this, I co-produced it 1988 01:26:47,374 --> 01:26:49,652 but I didn't put my name down as a producer on it. 1989 01:26:49,687 --> 01:26:51,585 You didn't put your name on it? 1990 01:26:51,620 --> 01:26:52,828 Not as a producer 1991 01:26:52,862 --> 01:26:55,313 because I was talking to another producer 1992 01:26:55,348 --> 01:26:57,660 and I was like, I'm producing my first short film. 1993 01:26:57,695 --> 01:27:00,180 He's like, well, that kind of makes you look bad. 1994 01:27:00,215 --> 01:27:01,112 If you produce your own films. 1995 01:27:01,146 --> 01:27:02,838 I don't think it hurts at all. 1996 01:27:02,872 --> 01:27:03,873 No. 1997 01:27:03,908 --> 01:27:05,358 It says that you're motivated. 1998 01:27:05,392 --> 01:27:07,843 It says that you're willing to put yourself out there. 1999 01:27:07,877 --> 01:27:09,810 I think you're to be commended for it. 2000 01:27:09,845 --> 01:27:11,571 I a hundred percent agree with Louise. 2001 01:27:11,605 --> 01:27:13,228 Yeah, I totally. 2002 01:27:13,262 --> 01:27:14,263 You're a actor and a producer. 2003 01:27:14,298 --> 01:27:15,437 Yeah. So I totally agree, 2004 01:27:15,471 --> 01:27:16,990 you should have your name on as a producer as well. 2005 01:27:17,024 --> 01:27:18,992 So go back and fix those credits if you want. 2006 01:27:19,026 --> 01:27:21,512 One of the first short films I did, 2007 01:27:21,546 --> 01:27:23,859 very, very little money, $5,000. 2008 01:27:23,893 --> 01:27:25,101 It was a pretty beefy short. 2009 01:27:25,136 --> 01:27:27,311 Ended up being 29, 30 minutes 2010 01:27:27,345 --> 01:27:31,004 and we got a lot of local press with different people 2011 01:27:31,038 --> 01:27:32,419 that were attached to the film. 2012 01:27:32,454 --> 01:27:34,870 Just little pieces of press however we could 2013 01:27:34,904 --> 01:27:36,975 then we started taking it to festivals. 2014 01:27:37,010 --> 01:27:39,254 We got really lucky, won first place 2015 01:27:39,288 --> 01:27:41,566 at the New York International Film Festival 2016 01:27:41,601 --> 01:27:44,638 and because of this buzz that we started developing 2017 01:27:44,673 --> 01:27:46,778 from these festivals, 2018 01:27:46,813 --> 01:27:50,299 that's what ended us getting a million dollars 2019 01:27:50,334 --> 01:27:54,027 to make the feature version of that short. 2020 01:27:54,061 --> 01:27:55,200 That was where I was-- 2021 01:27:55,235 --> 01:27:57,479 So if it starts playing well in festivals, 2022 01:27:57,513 --> 01:28:00,275 promote it as much as you can, you know, 2023 01:28:00,309 --> 01:28:02,691 it might be expandable into a feature. 2024 01:28:02,725 --> 01:28:06,246 Lot of feature films you've seen over the years started out 2025 01:28:06,281 --> 01:28:07,074 as a short film. 2026 01:28:07,109 --> 01:28:08,524 It's very strange. 2027 01:28:08,559 --> 01:28:11,527 Sometimes it just takes one person for you to connect with. 2028 01:28:11,562 --> 01:28:12,839 You're gonna be successful 2029 01:28:12,873 --> 01:28:14,496 just because you're doing that. 2030 01:28:14,530 --> 01:28:17,188 See, 99% of the people never do anything. 2031 01:28:17,222 --> 01:28:18,534 They just talk about it. 2032 01:28:18,569 --> 01:28:19,570 Right. 2033 01:28:19,604 --> 01:28:22,297 [ominous music] 2034 01:28:26,577 --> 01:28:29,096 [soft music] 2035 01:28:32,307 --> 01:28:35,413 I'm passionate about self-expression art. 2036 01:28:35,448 --> 01:28:39,555 I write and I was making a movie when I was in Michigan. 2037 01:28:39,590 --> 01:28:42,247 It was about the struggles of... 2038 01:28:42,282 --> 01:28:45,630 It was about a couple cool cats going through a rough breeze 2039 01:28:45,665 --> 01:28:46,804 at a hard time, really. 2040 01:28:46,838 --> 01:28:48,081 But it-- 2041 01:28:48,115 --> 01:28:49,565 Wait a minute. Say it again, couple of what? 2042 01:28:49,600 --> 01:28:52,016 Cool cats going through a rough breeze at a hard time. 2043 01:28:52,050 --> 01:28:54,363 And I was making this movie and the idea 2044 01:28:54,398 --> 01:28:57,815 was to make it sort of a musical and add the poetry into it 2045 01:28:57,849 --> 01:29:01,197 but it was about two people who I met through my job 2046 01:29:01,232 --> 01:29:02,613 and Lansing up there. 2047 01:29:02,647 --> 01:29:04,546 They're a homeless couple trying to get back on their feet, 2048 01:29:04,580 --> 01:29:06,651 who had their six kids taken away. 2049 01:29:06,686 --> 01:29:08,895 And I thought their story needed to be told 2050 01:29:08,929 --> 01:29:13,244 and I got really into, very passionate about it. 2051 01:29:13,278 --> 01:29:16,868 It was a no budget movie, not a low budget. 2052 01:29:16,903 --> 01:29:20,389 It was, I love it, but it's okay. 2053 01:29:20,424 --> 01:29:23,254 It's not 4k, It's more like "no K" 2054 01:29:23,288 --> 01:29:26,050 but it's way too long right now 2055 01:29:26,084 --> 01:29:27,983 it's like, I don't know, three hours 2056 01:29:28,017 --> 01:29:29,433 and I don't even know what to cut out, 2057 01:29:29,467 --> 01:29:31,469 but I definitely know it needs more but I'm not there 2058 01:29:31,504 --> 01:29:33,057 so I can't really finish it, 2059 01:29:33,091 --> 01:29:34,714 but I'm kind of trying to cut it together still 2060 01:29:34,748 --> 01:29:35,749 when I have time. 2061 01:29:35,784 --> 01:29:36,681 What else do I have to say? 2062 01:29:36,716 --> 01:29:37,717 I have a question for you. 2063 01:29:37,751 --> 01:29:40,340 Oh yeah, will you fund my movie? 2064 01:29:42,791 --> 01:29:45,380 I will potentially invest in it but I won't fund it. 2065 01:29:45,414 --> 01:29:47,243 And the key is to finish it. 2066 01:29:47,278 --> 01:29:49,694 No matter how good or bad it is, finish it. 2067 01:29:49,729 --> 01:29:51,972 Like this guy right here with the eight screenplays, 2068 01:29:52,007 --> 01:29:54,561 no, I give a lot of respect to this guy. 2069 01:29:54,596 --> 01:29:55,769 He's finished a screenplay. 2070 01:29:55,804 --> 01:30:00,084 He will be a motion picture screenwriter 2071 01:30:00,118 --> 01:30:01,223 in this lifetime. 2072 01:30:01,257 --> 01:30:03,052 You've already started and committed, 2073 01:30:03,087 --> 01:30:05,158 but you got to have stick to it-ness. 2074 01:30:05,192 --> 01:30:08,057 You've gotta get obsessed with one project, 2075 01:30:08,092 --> 01:30:11,129 get a project that you can't sleep at night 2076 01:30:11,164 --> 01:30:13,408 'cause you're thinking about and finish it no matter what. 2077 01:30:13,442 --> 01:30:15,168 I don't care if it's bad, 2078 01:30:15,202 --> 01:30:17,481 sometimes it's okay to make a bad film 2079 01:30:17,515 --> 01:30:20,311 to figure out what you did wrong to go make a good film. 2080 01:30:20,345 --> 01:30:22,244 I applaud you for asking that question. 2081 01:30:22,278 --> 01:30:23,556 Will you fund my movie? 2082 01:30:23,590 --> 01:30:26,628 Because a lot of people just are afraid 2083 01:30:26,662 --> 01:30:28,043 to ask that question. 2084 01:30:28,077 --> 01:30:32,323 So really get focused, really figure out a game plan 2085 01:30:32,357 --> 01:30:34,705 to finish this movie and just have that persistence. 2086 01:30:34,739 --> 01:30:38,191 A quote by one of my favorite indie directors, 2087 01:30:38,225 --> 01:30:39,779 John Salzi, said, 2088 01:30:39,813 --> 01:30:42,229 "Raising money for a movie is like hitchhiking. 2089 01:30:42,264 --> 01:30:43,576 It could be the first ride. 2090 01:30:43,610 --> 01:30:45,129 It could be the thousandth, 2091 01:30:45,163 --> 01:30:47,476 but you have to stay out there with your thumb out 2092 01:30:47,511 --> 01:30:50,445 and be patient and you also have to know 2093 01:30:50,479 --> 01:30:52,861 when not to get into the car." 2094 01:30:52,895 --> 01:30:55,829 I wanna leave you just with one little secret 2095 01:30:55,864 --> 01:30:58,487 that I've never shared with any group before in my life. 2096 01:30:58,522 --> 01:31:01,870 I firmly believe you have to pick up the phone 2097 01:31:01,904 --> 01:31:03,388 and call somebody. 2098 01:31:03,423 --> 01:31:05,632 Whether it's an idea, whether you're looking for money, 2099 01:31:05,667 --> 01:31:09,498 I believe that's the truly the best way 2100 01:31:09,533 --> 01:31:10,844 to further your career. 2101 01:31:10,879 --> 01:31:12,984 So here's the secret and you're kind of breaking 2102 01:31:13,019 --> 01:31:14,192 the rules a little bit. 2103 01:31:15,366 --> 01:31:16,988 Here's exactly what a friend of mine did. 2104 01:31:17,023 --> 01:31:19,094 If you go on some of these social media sites, 2105 01:31:19,128 --> 01:31:21,337 if you do not mask the phone number, 2106 01:31:21,372 --> 01:31:23,305 sometimes you can click and find the phone number, 2107 01:31:23,339 --> 01:31:25,756 but more often than not, you can't find the phone number. 2108 01:31:25,790 --> 01:31:27,240 Sometimes you can Google. 2109 01:31:27,274 --> 01:31:28,828 It's a little bit easier to us 2110 01:31:28,862 --> 01:31:31,520 but it's still pretty tough to find people's phone numbers. 2111 01:31:31,555 --> 01:31:34,627 So this individual, who's a producer in Hollywood, 2112 01:31:34,661 --> 01:31:37,422 he posted an all his social media sites. 2113 01:31:37,457 --> 01:31:42,462 Oh, I just lost my phone and all my contact information. 2114 01:31:43,601 --> 01:31:47,329 Will you please DM me your cell phone number. 2115 01:31:47,363 --> 01:31:51,195 Within two or three days, he got about 400 phone numbers. 2116 01:31:51,229 --> 01:31:56,165 By the end of the year, he had his next feature film funded. 2117 01:31:56,200 --> 01:31:57,512 So a little trick. 2118 01:31:59,375 --> 01:32:01,826 If you happen to lose your phone, 2119 01:32:01,861 --> 01:32:03,966 there's a way to get a lot of phone numbers 2120 01:32:04,001 --> 01:32:06,451 and just reach out whatever you're trying to do. 2121 01:32:06,486 --> 01:32:07,901 I wish you all the best. 2122 01:32:07,936 --> 01:32:10,525 I thank you deeply for coming tonight. 2123 01:32:10,559 --> 01:32:12,319 I hope you learned something from this 2124 01:32:12,354 --> 01:32:14,183 and I appreciate you all being in my movie. 2125 01:32:14,218 --> 01:32:15,460 Thank you very much. 2126 01:32:15,495 --> 01:32:18,636 [audience applauding] 2127 01:32:22,502 --> 01:32:24,987 [soft music] 2128 01:33:00,160 --> 01:33:03,198 So here's the thing, Ken, as we're wrapping up this film. 2129 01:33:03,232 --> 01:33:07,271 we wanna pitch you to come on as executive producer 2130 01:33:07,305 --> 01:33:08,790 on our next film. 2131 01:33:08,824 --> 01:33:11,378 Scott, Maggie, and I wanna talk to you tonight 2132 01:33:11,413 --> 01:33:12,966 about you coming on board. 2133 01:33:13,001 --> 01:33:15,072 This is the last night of filming 2134 01:33:15,106 --> 01:33:20,111 and we want to do another film in this budget range. 2135 01:33:20,802 --> 01:33:25,289 And we've got a very creative idea 2136 01:33:25,323 --> 01:33:29,155 that's never been done before that we believe can be done 2137 01:33:29,189 --> 01:33:32,986 for the same exact budget we just did this documentary. 2138 01:33:33,021 --> 01:33:34,436 And I wanna know what it's gonna take 2139 01:33:34,470 --> 01:33:35,402 to get you to commit to being 2140 01:33:35,437 --> 01:33:37,128 the executive producer on that. 2141 01:33:38,336 --> 01:33:42,202 [Scott] I think if we can shoot for June 1st as a target, 2142 01:33:42,237 --> 01:33:43,859 never promise any investor anything, 2143 01:33:43,894 --> 01:33:47,483 but that would be the targeted delivery date 2144 01:33:47,518 --> 01:33:48,968 for all the funds. 2145 01:33:49,002 --> 01:33:50,486 And if that went well, we could shoot this summer 2146 01:33:50,521 --> 01:33:55,491 and still catch a late Sundance entry. 2147 01:33:55,837 --> 01:33:57,735 Now, if we miss that target by a month 2148 01:33:57,770 --> 01:33:59,254 or two or three months, 2149 01:33:59,288 --> 01:34:01,532 we can still shoot at the end of the year, either way. 2150 01:34:01,566 --> 01:34:04,052 -[inspiring music] -[dialogue fading out] 2151 01:34:32,183 --> 01:34:36,084 [Rick] Y ou have the power to make the movie you wanna make, 2152 01:34:36,118 --> 01:34:37,430 the way you wanna make it. 2153 01:34:37,464 --> 01:34:40,605 Don't squander the great opportunity you have. 2154 01:34:40,640 --> 01:34:42,469 Empower yourself, 2155 01:34:42,504 --> 01:34:45,956 make the things that you want in your life 2156 01:34:45,990 --> 01:34:47,923 and make a better world. 2157 01:34:47,958 --> 01:34:49,718 Make a better world. 2158 01:34:50,719 --> 01:34:52,825 God bless you, thank you for coming. 2159 01:34:52,859 --> 01:34:56,000 -[audience applauding] -[soft music] 2160 01:35:01,488 --> 01:35:04,146 [upbeat music] 2161 01:35:17,988 --> 01:35:20,093 [Rick] What question should I have asked you 2162 01:35:20,128 --> 01:35:21,405 that I didn't? 2163 01:35:21,439 --> 01:35:23,890 [Burt laughs] 2164 01:35:23,925 --> 01:35:25,789 I can't think of a single one. 2165 01:35:26,755 --> 01:35:27,687 [Rick laughs] 2166 01:35:27,722 --> 01:35:29,033 [Rick] You're too nice. 2167 01:35:29,309 --> 01:35:32,588 [upbeat music] 2168 01:35:52,229 --> 01:35:53,057 [Rick] There were lots of actors 2169 01:35:53,092 --> 01:35:54,956 when I was in Hollywood imitating you, 2170 01:35:54,990 --> 01:35:56,095 but your personality, 2171 01:35:56,129 --> 01:35:57,786 and your range, 2172 01:35:57,821 --> 01:36:00,513 I think you're one of the most underrated actors ever 2173 01:36:00,547 --> 01:36:01,686 in the history of cinema. 2174 01:36:01,721 --> 01:36:03,343 To go and do "Deliverance", 2175 01:36:03,378 --> 01:36:05,380 then go do "Smokey and the Bandit", 2176 01:36:05,414 --> 01:36:10,005 to do the films and the prolific number of films you made, 2177 01:36:10,040 --> 01:36:12,180 you directed, you produced. 2178 01:36:12,214 --> 01:36:14,769 I mean, it's an extraordinary achievement. 2179 01:36:14,803 --> 01:36:15,700 What was the secret? 2180 01:36:15,735 --> 01:36:16,598 Was there a secret? 2181 01:36:16,632 --> 01:36:17,530 Was it hard work? 2182 01:36:17,564 --> 01:36:19,152 Was it you learned your craft? 2183 01:36:19,187 --> 01:36:21,914 Was it the force of your personality? 2184 01:36:21,948 --> 01:36:23,260 Is this question too long? 2185 01:36:26,332 --> 01:36:28,368 Thank you, first of all. 2186 01:36:29,473 --> 01:36:31,302 I never had a problem... 2187 01:36:32,165 --> 01:36:38,309 going into the darkest place to go, 2188 01:36:39,034 --> 01:36:40,484 the hardest place to go. 2189 01:36:41,865 --> 01:36:46,179 You know, you can't try to be anybody, just be yourself. 2190 01:36:47,422 --> 01:36:49,527 [upbeat music] 2191 01:37:05,889 --> 01:37:08,857 [Rick] But you also produced, how did you get the money? 2192 01:37:08,892 --> 01:37:10,583 Because when I was in Hollywood, people said, 2193 01:37:10,617 --> 01:37:13,172 "Burt Reynolds can film the yellow pages and we'll fund it." 2194 01:37:13,206 --> 01:37:15,208 In other words, if you wanted to read the yellow pages, 2195 01:37:15,243 --> 01:37:16,727 the studios would have backed you. 2196 01:37:16,761 --> 01:37:19,523 Is that true or did you just pick up the phone and say, 2197 01:37:19,557 --> 01:37:22,595 hey, I wanna do this or somebody brought you a project? 2198 01:37:22,629 --> 01:37:24,562 I haven't tried the yellow pages yet. 2199 01:37:28,463 --> 01:37:31,121 [upbeat music] 2200 01:37:46,412 --> 01:37:49,104 So many films, so much diversity, 2201 01:37:49,139 --> 01:37:52,176 so many great pictures. 2202 01:37:52,211 --> 01:37:56,456 I just think my gosh, you've been part of America, 2203 01:37:56,491 --> 01:37:58,148 you and John Wayne. 2204 01:37:58,182 --> 01:38:00,840 It's like, if there was a Mount Rushmore of actors, 2205 01:38:00,875 --> 01:38:04,188 if you will look at the box office and the popularity, 2206 01:38:04,223 --> 01:38:06,639 it's you and John Wayne, those are the numbers. 2207 01:38:06,673 --> 01:38:08,986 I mean, that's an extraordinary accomplishment. 2208 01:38:09,021 --> 01:38:10,539 I hope you like John Wayne. 2209 01:38:11,402 --> 01:38:14,060 [crew clapping] 2210 01:38:16,718 --> 01:38:19,445 Yeah. I love Duke and I love this work. 2211 01:38:19,479 --> 01:38:22,137 [upbeat music] 2212 01:38:35,771 --> 01:38:36,669 [Rick] Did you ever have, 2213 01:38:36,703 --> 01:38:37,877 when you were directing people, 2214 01:38:37,912 --> 01:38:38,774 try to tell you how to make a movie? 2215 01:38:38,809 --> 01:38:40,328 Oh yeah. 2216 01:38:40,362 --> 01:38:44,504 And I tell them how to make a couple of other things. 2217 01:38:45,609 --> 01:38:47,197 [Rick] Might've been a knuckle sandwich 2218 01:38:47,231 --> 01:38:47,922 in some of those. 2219 01:38:48,232 --> 01:38:49,716 It was something like that, yeah. 2220 01:38:49,751 --> 01:38:52,409 [upbeat music] 2221 01:39:24,717 --> 01:39:26,926 [Rick] What's the secret of getting 2222 01:39:26,961 --> 01:39:28,376 a project funded? 2223 01:39:28,410 --> 01:39:31,206 Is there a secret either in Hollywood or as an independent? 2224 01:39:31,241 --> 01:39:36,246 Well, you got a script that is a commercial script. 2225 01:39:37,005 --> 01:39:39,766 Commercial in the sense that it's got the things in it 2226 01:39:39,801 --> 01:39:43,736 that people wanna go see. 2227 01:39:43,770 --> 01:39:46,601 I mean, I don't know, what's the hottest movie today, 2228 01:39:47,774 --> 01:39:48,775 you know? 2229 01:39:48,810 --> 01:39:49,673 [Man] "Black Panther" 2230 01:39:49,707 --> 01:39:51,675 "Black Panther", yeah. 2231 01:39:51,709 --> 01:39:52,779 [Rick] "Black Panther's" 2232 01:39:52,814 --> 01:39:54,195 what you just said earlier 2233 01:39:54,229 --> 01:39:56,300 but it's something people haven't seen before. 2234 01:39:56,335 --> 01:39:59,614 -It's overdue, it's overdue. -[Rick] Exactly. 2235 01:40:01,029 --> 01:40:04,481 That an African-American has not had the lead in a movie 2236 01:40:04,515 --> 01:40:07,242 playing an action-adventure hero, 2237 01:40:07,277 --> 01:40:12,282 is ludicrous. And this is what? 2238 01:40:12,903 --> 01:40:14,008 2000 and what? 2239 01:40:15,802 --> 01:40:17,287 [Rick] Let's say 19 by the time this film, 2240 01:40:17,321 --> 01:40:18,736 this film comes out. No, I'm just teasing. 2241 01:40:20,911 --> 01:40:23,741 No. In "Wonder Woman", same story. 2242 01:40:23,776 --> 01:40:24,604 Same thing. 2243 01:40:25,985 --> 01:40:28,643 [upbeat music] 2244 01:40:45,729 --> 01:40:47,144 [Rick] One of the highlights of my life, 2245 01:40:47,179 --> 01:40:48,973 to do this interview with you. 2246 01:40:49,008 --> 01:40:51,631 You are an absolute national treasure 2247 01:40:51,666 --> 01:40:52,598 for this country, Mr. Reynolds. 2248 01:40:52,632 --> 01:40:53,840 Thank you, sir. 2249 01:40:53,875 --> 01:40:54,841 -God bless you. -[crew clapping] 2250 01:40:54,876 --> 01:40:58,776 -Thank you. Thank You. -[crew clapping] 2251 01:41:04,851 --> 01:41:08,096 You're very kind, very, very kind. 2252 01:41:08,131 --> 01:41:09,787 Easy to to talk to. 2253 01:41:09,822 --> 01:41:10,892 God bless you. 2254 01:41:12,894 --> 01:41:15,621 [ominous music]