First
off, tell readers about yourself and your involvement in film!
I
have been involved with independent film since my high school days, where
I was lucky enough to take video production classes, drama and fine art,
all of which later helped me enormously with being a hands-on indie filmmaker. Since then I have been working in the Seattle independent film
scene in a variety of roles: producer, writer, director, editor, colorist,
script consultant, and all around helping hand. In December of 2008 I shot
my first short film as writer/director Spider as a
portfolio piece, did the post production in 2009 and then took it to
festivals. Spider opened up a lot of doors for me, and that
was when I began getting paid for my work. Right now I am excited to be in
production on my first feature length film, Grayport which
really expands upon the noir-thriller tone of Spider and takes
things to another level.
You are presently making an effort to build funds for a film,
Grayport?
Yes,
we are currently in the process of crowd funding the budget for the film
on Kickstarter through friends, fans and community support.
And you will serve as director of this for certain?
Writer/Director/Executive
Producer, yes.
How are fundraising efforts going?
We
are currently at 70% of our goal, with 5 days until the deadline, working
hard to make it happen and very grateful for the support we've received so
far!
Is this a unique approach or have others gone this route before
to raise funds?
Things
are really changing in the film landscape for independent movies right
now. Not only has the cost of equipment dropped significantly to
democratize the process, but the recent advent of crowd funding online has
made it possible for anyone who attracts an audience to get their movie
made. It's become a very popular option for independent filmmakers who
are not connected to Hollywood or big-time investors.
Do you have a web page for potential contributors to visit?
Visit
this link to see our teaser trailer, get exclusive backer rewards, or
share it with friends and help us spread the word! It's also easy to find
by searching Grayport in Google.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/843610842/grayport-noir-murder-mystery-feature-film
Do you are also have a web page concerning the film?
The
best place to find myself, the actors and the crew hanging out online is
our Facebook fan page. I'm there almost every evening interacting with our
fans and supporters, and it's a lot of fun.
https://www.facebook.com/ GRAYPORT
What's the plot... for what you can give away, of this film?
Grayport is a noir-style crime thriller, and a classic underdog story with a moral
core. Set in the fictional small town of Grayport, the hero (Frank
Blakely) is a penniless journalist working at a failing newspaper, who
sacrifices everything to find the truth about the mayor's murder. With
indomitable spirit and courage through the twists and turns of the plot,
he brings a group of ruthless villains to justice who have bought, bribed
and conspired their way to the top.
You clearly have faith in the product.
If
you don't believe in what you're doing as an artist, you shouldn't be
doing it.
If everything goes as planned, what are your goals? When should,
for example, this film be done?
In
independent no-budget filmmaking, you have to be flexible with schedules,
because you never know what you're going to run up against. Right now I'm
focusing on putting the horse before the cart, and that means doing
everything I can to make sure our fundraising is successful by the
deadline. Then, once we know what the budget is going to be, we can begin
to estimate a shooting and post-production schedule.
Are there many positions for cast and crew left
unfilled yet?
There
are still a number of smaller roles waiting to be filled, as well as all
the female roles, big and small, to be cast. There are also a few spots
left on the crew as well, and we're always happy to have an extra hand on
set.
Anything you would like to add concerning the movie?
Grayport is remarkable for being created entirely with local cast, crew and
locations - perhaps the first feature length film ever to do so on the
Washington coast, and with no budget to speak of. I believe that by
working together, and having the support of the community and our fans
online, we can make an amazing film we can all be proud of.
Closing comments?
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Because
we need community support to make this extremely low-budget independent
film a reality, we are accepting pledges from fans and supporters our
Kickstarter.com under Grayport. Kickstarter is an online crowd
funding platform, which is "all-or-nothing". We need a minimum
of $7500 for basic film equipment costs pledged by 8pm December 21st, or
the thousands we gave raised so far are canceled by the website. At
the time of this writing, we are 70% funded, with $5,301 in pledges raised
so far and 5 days to go in our campaign.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/843610842/grayport-noir-murder-mystery-feature-film
The
entire Grayport team and I are determined to inspire, engage and
encourage fellow artists and film lovers, and show what's possible if we
think big and have a strong, positive artistic vision. So far we've
already done amazing things - from the story to casting, to securing
locations... now we need your help in the final days of our fundraising to
make it all possible. I'd like to personally invite everyone to be a part
of our team, and join in the behind-the-scenes experience of Grayport. By becoming one of our backers, you will see your
name in the credits of the film, and get exclusive access to tons of
special content as a thank-you for supporting us!
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