What Film Students Want to Know

Melinda Burns is a film student at the University of Iowa. She had an assignment to do an industry report and interview someone. She picked me. Here are her questions and my replies.

1) What is your educational background? What did you focus on in school, and how has it helped you in your career?

I went to University of Illinois High School where the first “new math” course was developed. The government gave the school several million to film our class, so I got to watch every day as a three camera 16mm shoot took place. Didn’t learn much math but I was inspired to learn about filmmaking.

I was always interested in photography and drumming and eventually those skills merged into cinematography and the drumming informed the editing and pacing of my filmmaking.

From there I went to Rochester Institute of Technology and learned the technical side and then to the San Francisco Art Institute where I learned the fine art side and got a MFA in Cinematography. But it was also the sixties and The Summer of Love was in full bloom and I learned a lot of other things too! Filmmaking is more about experiencing life than it is about twiddling knobs.

My student film explored the psyche, supernatural and spirituality. I was also fascinated by German Expressionist films, surrealism, Indian tabla, dreams, Egypt, Zen, Carl Jung, Artaud, Balinese shadow puppetry and Tibetan Buddhism. These things still interest me today and have been the subjects of some of my recent films, books, and travel.

2) What did you do immediately after school? What kinds of jobs did you get into? What did you find was the quickest way to get your name out there?

My student film, “Messages Messages” which I made with partner Steve Arnold became our first hit. We rented a theatre, packed it with 2000 people and got hired then and there to start America’s first Midnight Movie series. Our film was premiered in New York by Salvador Dali which got us huge attention, a slot in the San Francisco International Film Festival and ultimately an invitation to Director’s Fortnight at Cannes. I was 19 when I shot the film. From there I continued for many years making independent shorts and docs, raising private money and finding distribution through 16mm educational distributors. I did all this on days off and after work from menial part time jobs working in law offices as a typist and clerk and freelance photography.

A few months after Star Wars came out we spoofed it with “Hardware Wars”, a thrilling space saga of romance, rebellion, and household appliances. We made the film for $8000 and today it has grossed over $1 million. We got lucky because we picked a film that has become a religion and every time George releases a new Star Wars we re-release Hardware Wars. It is not the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars and we are preparing yet another release. Talk about going back to the well! It’s the most profitable short film of all time I’m told. That got my name out there but Ernie Fosselius (writer/director) is really the brilliance behind the movie. I just shot it and produced it and marketed it for thirty years!

3) The expression, "it all depends on who you know" seems very common to someone on the outside trying to get into the industry. Would you say this is true or false?

True. But that said, you can meet someone and they can “know” you in a few minutes. They also say, “you meet the same people on the way up as you do on the way down, so be nice to everybody.”

4) How did you "break in" to producing and publishing?

I didn’t bother to ask permission. When no one would produce my films, I would. No one would publish my first book, so I borrowed $3,000 and did it myself. Years later the same major publishers who rejected me wanted to buy the company. I had the pleasure of actually seeing a revenge scenario come through: I sent them a copy of their previous rejection letter and said, “no thanks”. Filmmakers need active imaginations.

5) What would you say is the most difficult part of being a producer and publisher? How do you get through these challenges?

Finding great material. It all starts with a great script or a great book proposal and writing sample. Patience furthers. Eventually you develop your sensibilities. You learn script structure and how subtext is vitally important to good work. You look for what moves you and might move others, or in the case of our books, it’s all about what empowers the reader/filmmaker. Our books are only published so that others may benefit from the knowledge and experience shared. With every book we publish we try to improve some aspect of what we do so after working on 100 books and 300 video releases you get better at it. The secret it putting yourself in a position where you can continually have this learning experience through trial and error.

6) One thing I really admire about you is that you took your knowledge about the film industry, and became a publisher of several "how-to" books to help others. When did you first get the idea to do this, and how did you turn that idea into a reality?

Actually the “several books” is nearly 100 books that we’ve published with me writing about eight of them. I never intended to be a publisher. It all happened as I had some success with my early films and wanted to share the experience of how to market and distribute with my colleagues. So I put on seminars. I wrote handouts for the seminars which evolved into the first book. Then, whenever I learned something new, I’d write another book. At that time (1981) there were only a couple of “how to” film or writing books published. Seems unbelievable but that created an opening for us to develop and publish in that genre. Now we rule!

It wasn’t until I had a half dozen books out that I realized I was a real publisher. Then I started to look for gaps in my own knowledge and assumed that was also true for my fellow filmmakers. Turns out that was a winning formula – find a need and fill it. I would never have imagined there were so many ways to slice a “body of knowledge”. Even today we have 20-30 books in development and release 12-15 new books per year. (Come visit www.mwp.com). We’re still slicing and dicing.

7) Do you ever do multiple publishing projects at once? How do you balance your work in publishing with your work in television and film?

Now I only do my own projects so I am able to balance the film/video works with books. When I worked in video or television for others I did the publishing on the side. We are always overlapping book projects. Some take one or two or three years. We have a publishing program and right now we are solidly booked through 2008 and we’re working on 2009. This allows me to go away when I need to for a month or two to work on another project. Or – on the new Tibet film, “The Sacred Sites of the Dalai Lamas” – I spent several hundred hours editing it over the course of a year and half. It’s a matter of priorities. Keep the cash flow coming in and nourish the soul and creative work.

My old friend Buckminster Fuller use to say that the greatest things (redwood tree, great whales, epic novels) have the longest gestation rates. This comforts me because my own feature film set in Bali (“Bali Brothers”) is on its 34th screenplay draft and fifth writer and has taken me well over 15 years to develop to this point. The failing most filmmakers make is that they shoot before their script is fully developed and you can’t make a great film from a weak script. Can’t be done. So I’m confident now that we are ready on this project. Better to do it write and to go for quality in creating something you hope will last a generation or two and not end up in the remainder bin in the video store in 6 months.

8) Are there any publishing projects that stand out in your memory? Any particularly challenging ones?

My favorite story is the discovery of The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler. I was peddling away on an exercise bike in an LA gym when I was told about a memo he’d written to Disney exec Jeffrey Katzenburg when Vogler was a consultant on “Lion King”. The memo articulated mythic structure in screenwriting and was based on Joseph Campbell’s work. I had known Campbell, met him, been to his lectures, read his books, knew his publisher, and had helped another friend launch Campbell’s Hero’s Journey video series. So right away I knew this could potentially be a terrific book. When I got the rough manuscript I found myself writing in the margins, but not notes on the book but ideas for my Bali script. That’s when I knew Vogler’s book would be big – because it was so valuable to me. Sure enough, we’ve sold around 200,000 copies and its been translated into 12 languages. A big hit for any publisher. And all this from a tiny independent publishing house. I live for the end run!

9) Are there upcoming changes in the industry that will affect how you do your job? How will these changes affect a new generation coming into the industry?

I imagine that one day there will be a decent digital book reader, kind of an iPod for books, but maybe not. Something about the feel and smell of books that even the Japanese would have trouble replicating. And certainly video streaming which will evolve into a much more sophisticated form beyond youtube will bring changes. Keep your eyes on joost.tv. Still, it’s not about the form. Special effects didn’t bring us better movies. It didn’t deepen our experience of what it means to be human and if anything it lessened our understanding. So even with all these changes, the principles of good storytelling do not change. We should endeavour to learn the basics and not be seduced by the latest techno-gadgets on the block.

Even with great technology we may miss its potential. For example, DVDs are a terrific format for studying films. In the days I was coming up I had to get my hands on 16mm film prints and run them through a viewer with rewinds to study the cuts. Now all you have to do is slo-mo a DVD. But few students of films watch films in a critical way, even with this great technology. Running a film at full speed with the sound on does not allow you to study all the layers at work. I learn a lot about films when I am on an airplane and watch movies (even bad ones) with the sound off.

I haven’t been too hopeful about the up and coming generation of filmmakers because they focus on style over substance. The ever – hip factor. But then I was at Roger Ebert’s Film Festival last year and all the twenty-something filmmakers were referencing Japanese director Ozu either in the panel discussions or in their films. Ozu is perhaps the most traditional of Japanese filmmakers and popular in Japan and among US film critics. His movies have long slow cuts and are all shot from a static camera at seated meditation height. To have discovered Ozu is quite something as most young filmmakers think film history started with The Matrix. There’s hope yet in the next generation.

10) What is the best advice that you can give someone (like me!) who wants to get into producing as a career?

First relax. If you have a strong intention about being a producer, or cameraman, or writer it will happen in reality. Just do whatever you can each do to contribute to your experience in that area. Plant seeds. Seek out mentors. Get part time jobs. Write spec scripts. These seeds and contacts will grow and in a few years you’ll be able to support yourself in doing what you love and you’d do for free. You’ll have a community of friends who you can help and they will help you. And in a decade or two or three all these seeds will have sprouted and you’ll have an abundance of things that you will have contributed to.

And then I always liked Martin Scorcese’s advice: “Wanna know how to become a director? Start calling yourself a ‘director’”.

"SACRED SITES" is Breaking Out

I am sitting here amazed - watching this little film have a life of its own. People are coming out of the woodwork to see it and to help get it out in the world. Wherever we present it, whether its a film festival or a public screening - people are going out of their way to get it shown.

I've been very surprised by this. I thought we'd have a very small quiet release and over time it would (or would not - like so many) make its way into the world. And its not just Buddhists who are interested. Many ordinary folks are interested in Tibet, the Dalai Lama, and the great masters who acheived enlightenment.

My sense is that the power of these very powerful sacred places carries through the film into the hearts and minds of its audience and changes them (as do the sites themselves). After all, to visit any one of these places in a lifetime would be the dream of many Tibetans.

And so, while I was going to release this film quietly to a small audience now we are in discussions with broadcasters, theater chains, and some showings will be alongside the Dalai Lama's upcoming Spring and Fall tours in many U. S. cities.

Here's where you can see it in the next few months (that I know about):

March 28-30th - The Celtic Film Festival, Isle of Skye

April 13-14 - The 2nd Annual Buddhist Film Festival, Montana

April 21 - The Office of Tibet/Kailash Centre, London

April 19-28th - Atlanta Film Festival

April 28 - The Art Theater, Champaign Illinois

May 3 - Tibet House, New York City

July 6 – Foundation for Tibet, London in celebration of the Dalai Lama’s birthday

July 7 – San Francisco Tibetan Community in celebration of the Dalai Lama’s birthday

June 16-17 - Films on Tibet, The Flushing Library, Flushing New York


A video trailer is on our website:
http://www.mwp.com/films/Sacred%20Sites/sacredsites.php4

and it's also available as a DVD through www.mwp.com and Amazon in the US and through Wisdom Books in the UK.

So marketing genius that I am, I got this one all wrong. Fortunately!!

Onward and upward,

Michael

The Sacred Sites of the Dalai Lamas - New Film

FILMMAKER'S STATEMENT: ABOUT MAKING "SACRED SITES" in TIBET

When Steve Dancz invited me to join him and his meditation teacher Glenn Mullin on a pilgrimage into Central Tibet's most sacred places I was thrilled and knew this would be no ordinary film shoot. I started my research and immediately hit a wall.

China today, and therefore Tibet, operates in something of a grey area when it comes to film making. The New China is an open society, whereas the Old China of a decade ago was highly controlled.

A Chinese government official told us, "Modern China operates on a policy of 'don't ask; don't tell'. If you ask for permission to make a film in Tibet, you probably will run into obstacles. The civil servant on whose desk your application lands will be afraid to say yes, because he fears that some higher-up might dislike something you filmed. The official concluded by adding, "So just discretely shoot your film without seeking permission. But please do not be critical of the Central government. It is a film about a pilgrimage. Keep it that way."

So the strategy was simple. Don't ask. Don't tell. Don't attract attention. Nothing would be set up or staged. Everything would be shot just once – discreetly - with a hand-held tourist camera using whatever lighting existed.

It was fortuitous to have Glenn Mullin as our guide. He has lived in Tibet, speaks many Tibetan dialects, and is friends with the lamas and abbots in every monastery and temple we visited. Most people will never visit these sacred sites. Remarkably, we had unprecedented access to the inner sanctums of dozens of sacred sites where the great masters of the past achieved enlightenment.

For a typical Tibetan – to make offerings in just one of these places would be a dream of a lifetime.

But we did and what we were able to capture - and what I hope you will experience from the film - is the pure energy and living presence of many sacred sites: the raw enthusiasm of the Tibetan pilgrims; the devotion of the monks and nuns to their practice; the timeless beauty of an ancient spiritual tradition and sacred land.

You'll see Tibetans in every walk of life in a joyous effort to rebuild what was so terribly destroyed during the excesses of the so-called Cultural Revolution and the Gang of Four.

The Tibetans are hopeful that their ancient civilization will survive its encounter with modern China. We tried to see Tibet with fresh eyes and capture that hope.


--------------------- Michael Wiese

THE BUSINESS SIDE: From Start-up to Success

Here's an article I wrote for Student Filmmaking Magazine that you may enjoy.


THE BUSINESS SIDE: From Start-up to Success

Most students of film, whether they are in a film school or not, fail to consider the business aspects of filmmaking. It’s something, at least in my case, that I stumbled into. Usually, we all start out simply wanting to make films. We pay for them with our credit cards, savings, money from our day jobs, or friends and family. But eventually we have to face the fact that unless we can make a commercial go of it, we’re not going to be making that second or third film — and certainly a career isn’t in the future.

My own career was jump-started because I got lucky producing a popular and profitable short film. It was titled HARDWARE WARS and was a parody of “Star Wars.” It was called the first “fan” film, although ironically I am not a “Star Wars” fan. I made it with director Ernie Fosselius, really just to poke fun at Hollywood. It cost $5,000 and has returned to our investors and us around $1 million. (hat includes over nearly 28 years marketing and promoting it). What we quickly discovered was that the success of the film came not only because it was funny but also because it had “brand awareness.” It was already a pre-promoted product because of the huge marketing push on “Star Wars.” What other short films can you name that have that kind of tie-in? Very few.

So rule number one on the business side of filmmaking creativity is:

When you make a programming decision, you are automatically making a marketing decision.

This is crucial. When you decide what you will make, you are deciding how well (or how poorly) the film can be marketed. Do you have stars in your film? (This is branding. People come to see their favorite stars.) Is it based on a well-known novel, or song, or true life incident? These things will help elevate the “I-want-to-see-that-film” over and above the vast competition you will have. The more desirable the want-to-see factor, the greater the audience and revenues.

You can choose to ignore adding marketable elements to your film. You can say that it’s “too commercial.” But sooner or later (probably sooner) you’ll realize that no one will fund your films because there isn’t any obvious return on their investment.

Making media whether it is film, DVD, or television is a commercial enterprise. This doesn’t mean you cannot tell the kind of stories that inspire or move audiences, or are about serious issues; it simply means you need to be smart as you design your concept.

The Pitch: budget, audience, genre and appeal

The second rule that may be helpful to you is: When you pitch your project, the marketability needs to be heard by the other person in your presentation. That is, the budget level, the audience, the genre and appeal of the film must all be delivered in a single sentence. (These loglines are very hard to write. I suggest you read Blake Snyder’s fabulous “Save the Cat” book, which explains how to write and pitch high concepts. Blake is a master at this, having sold over 30+ screenplays including one to Spielberg – and yes, he’s one of the authors my company publishes and yes, I am prejudiced. I love that guy!)

For example, here’s the logline (and I admit it, Blake helped) for a film I’ve developed to be shot in Bali:

"A vacation to Bali becomes a journey into the unknown when two brothers with a mysterious past fall in love with a village girl trained in the magic of the jungle."

What does this one line tell us about budget, audience, genre, and appeal?

Bali! That’s far away so the film isn’t going to be ultra cheap, but then again it appears to only have three main characters so this will keep costs down. The audience is going to be mostly males (18-35) who want to see an adventure film (perhaps with magic or supernatural elements?) and there’s the attraction of a love interest. Beach, surf, sex? An island paradise? So there you have it…in one line, all the elements that tell the buyer, investor, distributor, “yes,” I can sell this. I got it. It’s clear, not confusing.

Does this get at the core theme of the movie? No, not really. But it opens the door and does the first job of the pitch: Get interest.

Most filmmakers start telling the story of their film and in a minute or two the eyes of the listener glaze over. Listeners want the instant gratification of ascertaining that the film, DVD, television show is marketable. Of course, later they will want to read the script to see if the expectations of the pitch are really delivered.

Always find an exchange, a win-win.

Business is always about exchange (and creating a win-win for both parties). You can employ this rule in everything you do. As you develop your project there will be many people who help you. They should receive compensation in some form. This may be a lunch, cash, credits, publicity, or points in your project — depending on how much they contributed. It can be small or large based on what they do for the project. Even if they say they will do something for free, be sure to send them a box of chocolates, a thank you note, a CD or DVD. Make sure there is an exchange. You’ll think of something. Maybe there is something you could do for them.

This isn’t necessarily a legal thing; it is simply acknowledging others for their contribution to what you are doing. Of course investors will expect to have their money paid back and receive a share of profits in proportion to their contribution percentage of the budget.

You meet the same people on the way up as on the way down.

It’s simply good business to be courteous and respectful of everyone regardless of their station or apparent power in the media business. Fortunes come and go. They will for you and they will for others. One year you’ll be at the bottom rung on the ladder and the next year you’ll be at the top. Any year you could be on any rung. So kindness and treating people with respect goes a long way. After all, people want to work with people who are enthusiastic, generous, and fun.

Salary versus equity: a balance.

When I started out I was always thrilled to receive royalty checks that came to me as a result of my films being distributed. It was never very much, but it gave me the idea that if I could generate more royalties I wouldn’t have to work a day job. That is, exchange my hours for dollars. I could spend my day hours doing what I liked best: making films.

In the beginning I worked all sorts of other jobs and did my filmmaking after work. Kind of a typist by day, filmmaker by night scenario, until eventually I was working full time in media producing live television, commercials, pay television shows, videos, film, and books.

If you can produce media products and retain the copyright in them, it is possible after many years to have a library of products generating royalties. These royalties can support or partially support you, and ideally, even finance new work. I think that’s where we’d all like to be.

Focus on one area or skill

If there is some subject area or genre that you really like, you’d be well advised to work within those limitations. Yes, we’d all like to be the next Ang Lee who succeeds brilliantly at whatever he seems to touch. But it’s probably more realistic to find an area and get better and better at it so you become the “go-to guy” (or lady). They want documentaries on underwater subjects. They go to you. They want corporate pieces on medical science. They go to you. They want fall down laughing comedies. They go to you. But don’t try to do them all, for when they go, it won’t be to you.

I picked publishing filmmaking books. I started with one that I wrote myself and no one would publish. Then I wrote a few more. Then I got other people to write books for the company. All of the titles were “how-to” filmmaking books. I started this in 1981 and now we are one of the very few publishers in this niche. We almost “own” the niche. We are the go-to guys for film books.

Being entrepreneurial, I’ve tried to publish health books, fiction, humour, and even a book on crop circles. They were good books. All failed miserably. Why? Because I didn’t know the market as well as I know the film book market. We know everyone: the book reviewers, the distribution channels, the foreign buyers, the web sites, the film festivals, the film schools. Everyone. This doesn’t happen overnight. You build those relationships.

You get known for one thing. People are more comfortable with that. I’ve had several careers where I’ve been known for different things. They don’t mix. It confuses people if you do too many things. (It’s like actors who want to become rock stars. Doesn’t work.) So pick something that you really enjoy, that you’d be thrilled to be doing every day for the rest of your life, and success is almost guaranteed. (You simply outlive your competition!)

Buy Low, Sell High

This is common to all businesses. Your costs must be significantly lower than what you expect to receive from sales. I am just completing a feature documentary that I shot in Tibet. Contrary to what most filmmakers passionately believe about their own work, this is not a film for everyone. It is made for a narrow audience: people interested in Tibet, the Dalai Lamas, and Tibetan Buddhism. The good news is that these people can be easily found through magazines, the web, and various organizations. The film will not be marketed to everyone. I spent very little on making the documentary, which will be distributed on DVD. But with a low production budget and low marketing costs, it should be successful over time.

Find multiple revenue streams

What I learned early on through the lessons of “Hardware Wars” is that the more revenue streams you can generate, the greater your profits. Also, one market informs another and provides an additional marketing kick. So if your short plays theatrically – as ours did – people may buy a ticket to see it AND later buy the video. “Hardware Wars” was first popular at film festivals, which built word of mouth. Then it rented and was sold as a non-theatrical 16mm film to schools and libraries. Then it was a laser disk, and then a video. It was distributed in 35mm film, licensed to pay cable, commercial television, PBS, and foreign networks. We sold stock footage. Baseball caps and lunch pails were merchandized. We streamed it on the web. And more recently a DVD loaded with special features was released. This demonstrated to me that you can slice the pie (of your concept) in many different formats and media forms and generate profits from many areas.

Follow the rules. Break the rules. I wish you all great success!

Michael Wiese is a filmmaker, author, and publisher. His most recent book, “Film and Video Budgets”, “The Sacred Sites of the Dalai Lamas” his Tibetan film, and “Hardware Wars” may all be found at www.mwp.com.

Where's Spring?

It's still freezing in Cornwall. The daffodils have arrived but the Spring weather hasn't. It is unbelievably cold so I've been holed up in my international office. The cottage extension is still being built with the first floor concrete blocks in place. Right now they are sawing something so I can't edit sound.

I'm in the final stages of editing and sound mixing THE SACRED SITES OF THE DALAI LAMAS. I'll show some clips from it next month (late April) at Roger Ebert's Film Festival in Champaign Illinois. Roger is so enthusiastic about films and shows films that he feels has been "overlooked", hence the title, THE OVERLOOKED FILM FESTIVAL. I'll also be presenting a free mini-seminar - my only U. S. seminar booked this year - with the exception of a week long seminar at Rockport Maine (The International Film and Television Workshops).

Casting is coming along on the Bali film and there's some interest on the financing front. I don't want to jinx it so no more will be said at the moment. Watch this space.

I attended the London Book Fair a couple of weeks ago. Talk about feeling like a grain of sand on the beach! A huge conference center with booths as far as the eye could see. I met with foreign rights buyers and pitched our line of books. Lots of fun. Every 30 minutes you are looking at someone from another country, adjusting for tastes and language barriers, and pitching. I met with buyers from China, Korea, Japan, Germany, Spain, caught up with my UK book distributors, and heard pitches from authors or agents for new books. I also walked the floor with soft eyes to identify publishing trends in content and technology.

If you haven't yet checked out Google Book do so. This search engine allows you to search the "pages" of books that have been scanned and put into Google's database. We will be putting our books up as soon as we can. This finally allows true browsing of books - akin to the bookstore experience - without the tactile aspect. I'm sure downloading electronic books won't be but a year or two away. Sony has an e-book reader they will be bringing out soon. Kind of an iPod thing where you can have the Library of Congress on your ebook reader (okay I'm exaggerating but you get the idea.)

EAT, SHOOT & LEAVE - an International film seminar covering directing, acting, screenwriting, HD shooting and producing with Mark Travis, Judith Weston, Nick Gordon Smith, Blake Snyder and moí will start in Cornwall on May 9th. Sign ups are brisk so if you are interested you'd better sign up now. It's an extraordinary gathering in an extraordinary setting. Check it out at: http://www.mwp.com/eat.php4

Okay...I've written enough and my guilt for not blogging in so long has diminished. But as my daddy use to say, (or was it my mom?), if you don't have anything to say, don't say it, (or was it if you didn't have anything nice to say?) ;)

See you next time.

Cheers,

Michael

Cornwall Has Stories - Needs Producers

I spent the weekend at the Cornwall Film Festival. In three short years the festival has developed into a wonderful regional event drawing producers, writers and filmmakers from as far away as London and Dublin. There are centerpiece films, like The Constant Gardener and nearly 100 films made by Cornwall-based filmmakers. Most have made one or two short films. I was a presenter for the Cornish film award where the winning proposal and filmmaker receives £5000 in cash and about the same in services to produce a short film in the Cornish language.

While I didn't cast a vote this year as I did in years past, I did sit in on the jury process and saw that most of the filmmakers hadn't a clue about how to prepare a presentation or a pitch. This was a shame because many of the stories they wanted to tell were terrific and original but were not supportable because they didn't have their written and verbal acts together.

I get this feeling that filmmakers are trying to do everything themselves. Just because you have a computer and a DV camera doesn't mean you can do everything despite what Apple and Sony may want us to believe. Because its so easy to get and edit an image, there is a rush into production rather than a careful consideration of how the film/video can be made, a script properly written and rewritten, and a clear notion of what will happen to the piece once it is made.

When I was coming up many of my friends wanted to be producers - wanted to be that driving force that organized creative talent and pulled all the pieces together. It seems Cornwall is long overdue for producers to throw the net over the wonderful talent and stories that can be found here. Anyone up for the challenge?

Sometimes You're Up

Anyone who has tried to make a film knows that it's an emotional roller coaster ride. There are plenty of people along the path that shoot you down and (hopefully) plenty more that pump you up. The path is filled with rejection whether you are a filmmaker, writer, actor or grip.

Part of the exercise of trying to find stability comes with not getting too down when rejected ("its only one opinion"). And not getting too elated when flattered. Both cause blindness and a kind of self-inflicted mental illness. You've got a great project. Down deep you know it. Okay all the wrinkles aren't ironed out but as you go they will be. You're able to solve problems as you go, anticipate needs, and deliver. Why get all worked up? It's a waste of energy. Ninety-eight percent of the time those fears and projected dreams that we entertain will never manifest. So why bother? Deal with what's right in front of you. Return to the present moment.

I just heard from London's top casting agency that they liked my Bali film pitch and will read the script over the weekend. It helps they've been to Bali as well and love it.

So I'm up.

But simultaneously I'm surrounded by the construction (at this stage "destruction") as a cottage extension is being built a few yards from my office. The ground is knee deep in mud, there are granite stones everywhere, (brings new meaning to the word "quarry") and trees were just cut down. (I hate cutting down trees - even dead ones.) There's noise and confusion and chaos and if I focus on it, I can get spun out.

So I don't. I get back to the work at hand. Making those tiny edits. Should I take out two frames or one? Should I start the scene a tad earlier? Hmmmm.

Onward and upward,

Michael

How Does A Great Film Book Get Written?

I just finished reading the manuscript for a new film book we (mwp.com) will release next year called FAST, CHEAP and UNDER CONTROL: Lessons for the Greatest Low Budget Movies of All Time by John Gaspard. (He also wrote one of our current best-sellers DIGITAL FILMMAKING 101). Anyway, it's a great book and so I wrote him to tell him so.


Hi John,

Ken's note reminded me to write to you. First, I don't remember whether I ever wrote you after I read your book all the way through...but its fantastic. This book will be cherished and in much demand from the minute we release it. (From my lips....)

It's really excellent, fun to read, and informative. The 33 sections are well organized and you don't want to stop reading it. (I read it in two sittings.) Great examples from low budget films we all know. Great references. You grabbed all the rings and rang all the bells.

Yesterday I was in the shower and was thinking about your book. (Okay, you've learned my publishing secret!) I was asking myself WHY? your book was so great and I realized that by writing this book you gave yourself an opportunity to study all the low-budget masters and deconstruct their secrets. This is the very information that will help you (and your filmmaker audience) in your own scriptwriting/career/filmmaking.

I always ask myself (being a perpetual student) "what information is lacking?". "What do emerging and professional filmmakers need to know?" And the insight I got is that a book is really successful when the writer has a passion about wanting to find something out and share it. You certainly did this and hence a masterful book.

So...my question to you today is "what's next?" What do you as a filmmaker still need to know, want to find out? What's the book that hasn't yet been written that you'd love to have? Could you write such a book? You are one of our superstar authors (and an indie guru to thousands of digital filmmakers).

Never too early to think about what your next book for 2008 might be!

Cheers and best wishes,

Michael

I invite others to tell me what filmmaking book they'd like to have that hasn't been written!

Over and out,

mw