The Cheerful Subversive's Guide to Independent Filmmaking

From Preproduction to Festivals and Distribution
1. Auflage 2016
ISBN: 978-1-138-18513-5
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 230 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 590 g

In The Cheerful Subversive’s Guide to Independent Filmmaking, celebrated Slamdance Film Festival co-founder Dan Mirvish offers a rich exploration of the process and culture of making low-budget, independent films. Once labelled a "cheerful subversive" by The New York Times, Mirvish shares his unfiltered pragmatic approach to scriptwriting, casting, directing, producing, managing a crew, post-production, navigating the film festival circuit, distributing your film, dealing with piracy and building a career. Readers will learn how to game the Hollywood system to their advantage, get their films accepted by respected festivals without going broke, and utilize a broad range of media and tactics to promote and distribute their work. A companion website features behind-the-scenes interviews and footage from Dan’s films, and much more.

Learn everything you need to know to make, promote, and distribute your independent films, with time-tested lessons and practical advice on scriptwriting, casting and directing A-list actors, financing, producing, managing a crew, editing in post, creating visual effects on a budget, and successuflly navigating the film festival circuit

Find out what it takes to become a true "cheerful subversive" and adopt new and innovative approaches to producing your films, discover hidden loopholes in the Hollywood system and festival scene, take advantage of a broad range of media formats to promote and distribute your indie films, and generally make bold moves in service of your creative work, all while staying flexible enough to pivot at a moment’s notice

An extensive companion website features in-depth interviews with filmmakers, more than an hour of behind-the-scenes footage from Dan Mirvish’s films, festival resources, and much more

Autoren/Hrsg.

Mirvish, Dan

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Theater- und Filmwissenschaft | Andere Darstellende Künste Filmwissenschaft, Fernsehen, Radio Filmproduktion, Filmtechnik
• Geisteswissenschaften Kunst Kunstformen, Kunsthandwerk Installations-, Aktions-, Computer- und Videokunst

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Dedication
Acknowledgments
Preface

Section A. – Getting Started

Write a Brilliant Script!
***Poem: On Strike
Umm, What to Write?
Adapt or Die
You're No Genius
You're in Good Company
Playing Around with George Clooney’s Happy Ending
Books are Just Screenplays with Adjectives.
Develop Relationship with Original Author
Use Their Experience to Your Benefit
Connect with the Material
Don't Call it "Opening Up"
Location, Location, Location.
Editing; Macro and Micro.
Putting the "Move" in "Movies"
Use Your Source Material's Pedigree
Don't Apologize for Your Source Material
Try This On For Size: Improvise!
Buying a Script on the Open Market
Choose a Castable Script
Lawyer Up!
Chain of Title Isn't Just an R&B Song
Mining for Gold: Discovering the Lost Jules Feiffer Script
***NameDropper Sidebar: Robert Altman
There's No Business Like a Show Business Plan
Project Summary
Project History
Key Production Team
Synopsis
Director’s Statement
Casting
Why Support Independent Film?
Product Integration & Branded Sponsorship
Financing Options
Budget Considerations/Options
Distribution Potential
Distribution Scenarios
Contact Info
Disclaimer
Remember, It's a Visual Medium
Storyboard
Lookbook
Pitch Cinema
Subtitles
*** Sidebar: Famous Director Kickstarter Campaigns
Takin’ Care of Business
Rin-TIN-TIN
Putting the Love in LLC!
Wonderful Waterfalls
Making Sure You’re Not a Flimmaker
Registering with the State
The New Pizza King of Omaha
EDGAR, EDGAR, Give Me Your Answer Do
Boiler Rooms and Shriners
Casting Your Banker
Hey Buddy, Can You Paradigm?
***Poem: Crowdfund This

Staff Up: Your First Round of Collaborators
Producing a Producer
Interns and a Clean Garage
Terrorist Filmmaking
The One-Armed Executioner


Section B. – Shooting the Movie

Casting Your Movie With A-List Actors
Assemble a Team
Aim High
Go to New York
Be Bi-Coastally Curious
Don't Have a List!
Develop Relationships with Agents Yourself
Play the Agency Game
Bait and Switch
Set a Start Date
Make it Real
Magnetic Balls of Iron
Take Advantage of Others' Misfortune
Oh, and What if You Don’t Have Famous Actors?
***Poem: Call Backs
Directing Famous Actors in a Microbudget Film
Cast Well
Rehearse
***Namedropper sidebar: Harold Ramis
Use Rehearsal Wisely
Overlapping Dialogue
***Sidebar: The Sound of Music ***
What’s My Motivation?
Trust Your Scripty
Encourage "Chemistry" Among Your Cast
Behave Like a Big Budget Production
Block Scenes On Set
Use Multiple Takes as Your Coverage
Have Faith in Editing
Say Something to the Actors
Methods to their Madness
Lights, Camera, Cinematographer!
Good vs. Nice
***NameDroppers Sidebar – Rian Johnson
They’re Like Actors with Cameras
It's Who They Know
Putting the "DP" in iDentity Politics
Are They Still Called Films if They’re Digital?
Film’s Zombie Resurgence
***NameDroppers Sidebar – Christopher Nolan & Emma Thomas
Deconstructing the Cult of Galileo
Frankenlens and Mir (vishscopes)
Walt Disney’s Secret Optics Bunker
Time to Shoot!
Does It Take a Video Village to Raise a Film?
Bump Up the Credits
Finding a Crew with Donut Group Therapy
Dress the Part
Group Hug, Safety and Prayer to the Film Gods
Your First-Day Disasters
Hello, My Name is Josh
Find the Goat
Ready, Aim, Fire!
Be Prepared
Two Takes Ahead
***NameDropper Sidebar – Alexander Payne
Arrive Early, Bring Donuts, Wear Tape
Making Your 12-Hour Day
Feeding the Beast
Making an Epic EPK
***NameDropper Sidebar – John Carpenter
Devious Use of the EPKorner
Still the One
Getting Your Kill Shots
Point and Shoot
To Infinity and Behind-the-Scenes
Making Product Placement Work for You
Cash and Carry
Break Down, Go Ahead and Give it To Me
A Clear and Present Necessity
Selling Out, Even if You Don’t Get Paid for It
Killing Two Birds with One Stone
***Poem: The Locavore Filmmaker
Livin’ La Vida Locavore
Keep Your Homebase at Home
Cast Locally (sort of)
Find Locations Close to Home
Drag Your Actors out of Bed
No, Seriously, Keep it Really Close to Home
If You Travel, Hire Locally
Editing, One Pant Leg at a Time
Screw the Environment, Do It for Yourself
***Poem – Hack Attack


Section C. – Post-Production

Editing Like an ACE
Editors Are Like Bass Players
Finding Fresh Eyes
Cut Yourself
***Poem: The Artisanal Filmmaker
Start Strong; Stick Your Landing
Don’t Let Your Post Supervisor Escape To Madagascar
Teasing Out Your Assistants
***NameDropper Sidebar – Jon Bokenkamp
Getting a Little Testy
It’s Not Easy Being Green Screened
Sound and Fury
The Breakfast (Nook) Club
Temp Decomposing
Song Sung Blue



Section D. – Festivals

Toronto, Toschmonto: Time for a Festival Plan "B"
It's Just as Well. Your Film Wasn't Finished!
It's All About Sundance Anyway!
To Get Distribution!
***SideBar: Producer’s Reps vs. Foreign Sales Agents
Don't Buy Into the Premiere Arms Race
Play Them Off Against Each Other
Volume, Volume, Volume
Get Reviews
Meet Your Audience
See the World!
They're "Romantic"
Meet New Money
Get DVD Extras
Meet Other Filmmakers
***Poem: Putting the Festiv Back Into Festival
How to Avoid Going Broke Applying to Film Festivals
Be Selective
Make a Personal Connection to the Festival Programmer
Offer Your Premiere Status
Offer Up Talent
Ask for a Waiver
Don't Ask for a Waiver
Aim Foreign
Mail Smart
Submit Vimeo Links
Hand-Deliver Your DVD
Meet Festival Directors at Other Festivals
Bribes and Blackmail
***SideBar: Top 24 Sundance/Slamdance Rejection Rationalizations
***Poem: We Are Slamdance
How to Start Your Own Film Festival: The Birth of Slamdance
Sundance or Bust
Anarchy in Utah
Prospecting for Screening Rooms
The Birth of IndieWood
***NameDropper Sidebar: Steven Soderbergh
Our Napolean Complex
***NameDropper Sidebar: Marc Forster
Billions and Billions
***Poem: Slamdance at 15

Section E. – Distribution

Sexy Things You Get to Do When You Think Your Film is Finished
Deliverables
E&O Insurance
Repair Relationships
Promote Your Friggin' Movie
DVD Extras
Crowd-Funding Perks
Taxes
Accounting
K-1s
Write Checks
Residuals
Archiving
Escaping Your Distributor
Dissolving Your Entity
Rinse, Repeat
***Poem: Don’t Get Distribution
Aarghh! How to Beat Film Pirates at their Own Game
The Whack-a-Mole Takedowns!
Make Money From the Pirates
The Fakeout!
Using the Pirates to Screw Your Distributor!
Embracing the Pirates!
Slut-Shaming the Advertisers
Make Piracy an Essential Element of your Release Strategy
Use the Pirates to Pimp Your Merch
Use Piracy to Charge for Product Placement
What Operas and Sharknado Can Teach Indie Films
***Poem: Analytic Black Hole
When In Doubt, Create Your Own Oscar
Go Team America!
Big in Germany
A Tree in the Forest
Race to the Academy!
We Wuz Robbed
***Poem: Transmedia Verse
How to Make Money From an Oscar Nomination
The Accountant
How to Become a TV Director and Make it in Hollywood
Recut Your Reel.
Redo Website
Update Your IMDb and Wikipedia Pages
Make a List
Whom to Meet With?
How to Get the Meetings
***NameDroppers Sidebar: Joe and Anthony Russo
Research Their Shows
Research The People
Go Early
The Pre-Meeting Meeting
Check for Breaking News
Do You Take The Water?
Choose Wisely Where to Sit
Wear or Do Something Memorable
Tell Funny Stories About Yourself
***NameDroppers Sidebar – Lynn Shelton
Ask Them Personal Questions
Get Something Out of Each Meeting
The Parking Garage Meeting After the Meeting
***SideBar: The Eight Stages of Success for an Indie Filmmaker

Epilogue
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Dan Mirvish is a director, screenwriter, producer, inventor and author. Mentored by Robert Altman on his first film, Omaha (the movie), Dan co-founded the Slamdance Film Festival. Dan's film Open House forced the Academy Awards® to rewrite their rules, and he also co-wrote the critically-acclaimed novel I Am Martin Eisenstadt. His award-winning film Between Us played in 23 festivals and sold to 144 countries. Dan’s latest film isBernard and Huey, written by the legendary Jules Feiffer. He’s also written for Filmmaker Magazine, Indiewire and The Huffington Post. Dan has a master’s degree in film from USC and has guest lectured at UCLA, NYU, USC, CalArts and many other film schools. Once labelled a "cheerful subversive" by The New York Times, Mirvish was named one ofVariety's Top 50 Creatives to Watch.