Florida/Georgia Filmmakers alert

Post by **jaxshooter** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 4:04 pm

I'm a cinematographer based in Jacksonville,Florida.I've got some very doable projects in mind,some decent scripts which can be pulled off on limited budgets.Please see my post on the Bain of Indie Filmmaking for my thoughts on the state of local indie filmmakers.

I'm not a producer or director and have no real desire to be.I've been really frustrated lately by what I've seen from local wannabes with aspirations and egos that exceed their budgets and abilities.There are a few and I stress very few in this area that have manged to pull off some projects that aren't painful to sit through,so that has given me some hope that all is not lost.

I'm seeking a competent producer/director who is in need of a DoP who is experienced with film and video and willing to work on a deferred payment basis in order to get some feature experience.

I've been in the industry almost 30 years,my primary experience is TV news,documetaries,commercials and industrials.I currently work fior a local news station and have access to Beta SX gear.

Post by **Evan Kubota** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 8:55 pm

Check mandy.com... I don't think this board gets very much 'industry' traffic. You could also try crewing on some of the student films in Orlando/Tampa but they're almost guaranteed to be the "local wannabes" that you describe ;)

Why not direct yourself? If you have the script and the equipment...

From what I've seen at the low low budget level there aren't many productions that are 'legitimate' enough to hire a working DP, even for deferred (free). Really small scale stuff, the director is also the DP and producer and editor, etc. (like my projects) or take a few steps up and you're at 'independent features.' The kind of moderate scale short filmmaking you describe is probably not active in this area. Good luck though.

Post by **jaxshooter** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 10:33 pm

Evan Kubota wrote: Why not direct yourself? If you have the script and the equipment...

Good luck though.

Thanks I could probably pull it off,I have before on industrials and commercials,but the business end,the financing and such is NOT my field of expertise.It's not really what stokes me as I'm an image man.I can work with the wannabe types,IF they are willing to take a good,hard,objective look at their dreams and realize the realities of what can and cannot be done on limited budgets.

I understand the realities of indie productions and how folks be their own DP's,editors and such,hell,even Victor Nunez acts as his own cam op(but he uses a DP for lighting and an AC for mag loading and focus pulling),but even they must be able to realize the value of someone who will take that responsibility for a temporarily free basis.It's just dealing with the egos I can't stand.

Post by **Evan Kubota** » Sun Feb 19, 2006 5:35 am

I basically agree. Unfortunately I love cameras and cinematography way too much for anyone else to operate on my own productions ;)

Post by **Nigel** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 2:08 am

Mandy is good....But it will really only point to No-Pay gigs.

The best thing to do is latch onto a Director or Producer so that when they get projects you will get a call.

Most big projects will have a DP on board pretty early. And, if they have money they will have a quiver of DPs to pick from--More than likely.

Good Luck

Post by **jaxshooter** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 2:14 am

Nigel wrote:
The best thing to do is latch onto a Director or Producer so that when they get projects you will get a call.

Good Luck

Yeah I know the score on the folks with money.They have their own DP's.I posted this in hopes a virtual unknown would contact me and be willing to take a chance.

Mandy's good,but it's really difficult to find folks near my town.

Post by **Nigel** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 4:00 am

What I am saying is that you need to knock on their door....

For a virtual unkonown to find you isn't going to happen since you are virtually unkown yourself.

Good Luck

Post by **jaxshooter** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 5:10 pm

Nigel wrote:What I am saying is that you need to knock on their door....

For a virtual unkonown to find you isn't going to happen since you are virtually unkown yourself.

Good Luck

Well,yeah,I would just like to know where those doors are.The biggest obstacle is that there doesn't seem to be a middle ground filmmaker.They either serve as their own DP/cam op/editor/bottle washer or they have at least a 6 or 7 figure budget and they hire someone with some kind of track record.

Post by **Nigel** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 6:31 pm

Then build a track record.

List yourself with the Florida Film Board. More than likely they publish a book that directors and producers will get if they want to shoot in FLA.

You work for a TV station, Right?? How did you get that job?? It is the same thing you need to sniff around and see what is going on in your area.

I can't speak for FLA but when I was living in AThens GA there were some things going on in Atlanta.

http://www.imagefv.org/

Good Luck

Post by **jaxshooter** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 10:40 pm

Do you have a link to them?Thanks.

Post by **flatwood** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 6:03 pm

After years of pitching my treatments and scripts to H'wood I finally got some feedback from someone close in the industry out there and he flew in last October to south Georgia and spent four or five days working with me on an idea set in the present and in the mid 1800s. Now, just a few days ago, Martin Sheen, his brother and daughter and another several people were close in to my AO scouting around some of the same locations. Coincidence??? Cosmos???

My "friend" in H'wood thinks I can pull at least this first film off myself. That the idea is not a multi million dollar blockbuster and would appeal to a more narrow audience than major H'wood is looking for.

The shooting budget is very small, $50k which is tight. My script is about 83 minutes. Ive been doing low budget music and corp video on 16mm for $1k to $2k a minute (film, camera, processing, digitizing, etc and I keep whats left if anything). Once I get moved and settled in I will go into the pre production phase and hope to start some BG shooting in the fall.

We watched Craig Brewer in Memphis do Poor and Hungry for $20k and parlay that into Hustle and FLow. If you saw the Oscars, you saw the theme song from H&F get the Oscar. I don't understand it but I watched it in wonder.

Brewer's daddy encouraged Craig to produce P&H himself with a video camera. When Craigs dad died he left him $20k and his grandfather's house in Memphis so he moived from California to Tennessee and went to work on the "film" used loosly since it was shot on video.

P&H is compelling both in the acting and the story. I think it was a little long, but thats just me. Craigs proven he has both talent and feel and can get it done. He shot P&H on hi8 and edited it on a PC using Premiere 4.2. He turned it B&W for effect. The IFC bought it for more than he spent I understand.

Post by **jaxshooter** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 9:58 pm

flatwood wrote:
My "friend" in H'wood thinks I can pull at least this first film off myself. That the idea is not a multi million dollar blockbuster and would appeal to a more narrow audience than major H'wood is looking for.

That doesn't really matter, the piece could still sell and do quite well.I have some friends locally who have done a couple of urban comedy stuff and have made their investments back and then some.I have another friend who did an independent film with a Christian theme and sold it through that market.He's also a musician, did all of his own music in the film and used it as a springboard for his music publishing business.

Post by **flatwood** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 6:20 pm

jaxshooter wrote: That doesn't really matter, the piece could still sell and do quite well. I have some friends locally who have done a couple of urban comedy stuff and have made their investments back and then some.

Thanks, Jax, that's encouraging.

Post by **Nigel** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 4:42 pm

Why didn't you have an NDA when this guy came out and helped you with your script??

Good Luck

Post by **flatwood** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 5:00 pm

Nigel wrote:Why didn't you have an NDA when this guy came out and helped you with your script??

Most all my work for the past three decades has been work for hire so it wasnt something that I thought about at the time. I wish Id talked to you first. I need to come up with one I realize now.

Are you still in Georgia or did you manage to escape??? Im just in the process of moving back here after 40 years on the run.