1
00:00:01,035 --> 00:00:03,003
[melodic flourish]

2
00:00:25,197 --> 00:00:27,199
[somber music]

3
00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:36,519
I just wanna apologize...

4
00:00:38,728 --> 00:00:43,112
to Mike's mom,
and Josh's mom,

5
00:00:43,733 --> 00:00:45,459
and my mom.

6
00:00:49,532 --> 00:00:54,502
I'm so sorry for everything
that has happened

7
00:00:57,402 --> 00:01:01,337
because, in spite of what
Mike says now, it is my fault.

8
00:01:03,408 --> 00:01:05,755
And it's all because of
me that we're here now,

9
00:01:06,928 --> 00:01:11,830
hungry, cold, and hunted.

10
00:01:15,247 --> 00:01:16,869
I'm scared to close my eyes,

11
00:01:18,423 --> 00:01:19,424
I'm scared to open them.

12
00:01:21,426 --> 00:01:24,705
[gasping]

13
00:01:24,739 --> 00:01:26,672
We're gonna die out here.

14
00:01:32,161 --> 00:01:33,403
[Rick] At the point
that you were hired,

15
00:01:33,438 --> 00:01:35,785
what exactly did
they hire you to do?

16
00:01:35,819 --> 00:01:38,028
They hired me to write
the business plan.

17
00:01:38,063 --> 00:01:39,927
[Rick] What was the
budget for the film

18
00:01:39,961 --> 00:01:41,273
in your business plan?

19
00:01:41,308 --> 00:01:44,034
The budget in the
business plan was $300,000.

20
00:01:44,069 --> 00:01:45,174
[Rick] So let me
get this straight,

21
00:01:45,208 --> 00:01:46,623
you're writing a business plan.

22
00:01:46,658 --> 00:01:48,246
-There's no screenplay,
-Right.

23
00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:50,006
-there's no movie stars,
-Right.

24
00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:51,870
-there's no name director,
-Right.

25
00:01:51,904 --> 00:01:54,666
It's this weird genre,
which is mockumentary,

26
00:01:54,700 --> 00:01:59,671
how the heck do you go
raise $300,000 on that idea?

27
00:02:00,292 --> 00:02:01,431
Very carefully.

28
00:02:01,466 --> 00:02:04,262
The business plan is the
thing that gets people excited

29
00:02:04,296 --> 00:02:06,264
that, why this film
is gonna do well.

30
00:02:06,298 --> 00:02:07,644
[Rick] So when you
were sitting there,

31
00:02:07,679 --> 00:02:09,336
writing this business plan,

32
00:02:09,370 --> 00:02:11,959
did you think, oh my gosh,
"The Blair Witch Project",

33
00:02:11,993 --> 00:02:15,376
this is gonna be the highest
grossing independent film,

34
00:02:15,411 --> 00:02:17,620
ever made, the highest
return on investment,

35
00:02:17,654 --> 00:02:19,346
or did you think,
well, it might work,

36
00:02:19,380 --> 00:02:20,554
what's going through your mind

37
00:02:20,588 --> 00:02:22,590
when you were putting
together the business plan?

38
00:02:22,625 --> 00:02:23,695
It might work [laughs].

39
00:02:23,729 --> 00:02:26,180
One of the things the
filmmakers were aiming for

40
00:02:26,215 --> 00:02:29,010
from the beginning was
for people to believe

41
00:02:29,045 --> 00:02:31,116
that this was a real story.

42
00:02:31,151 --> 00:02:32,669
And what I said to investors

43
00:02:32,704 --> 00:02:34,982
was that the budget
was low enough,

44
00:02:35,016 --> 00:02:39,676
that there was a good chance
that they would at least make

45
00:02:39,711 --> 00:02:42,921
their money back because
everybody who saw it believed it

46
00:02:42,955 --> 00:02:44,440
was a true story.

47
00:02:44,474 --> 00:02:47,201
Sometimes people will ask
me if it was a true story

48
00:02:47,236 --> 00:02:49,134
all these years later,
and I will say no.

49
00:02:49,169 --> 00:02:51,205
And they'll say, who
are you protecting?

50
00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:52,724
[Rick] What was
your top projection

51
00:02:52,758 --> 00:02:54,208
for "The Blair Witch Project"?

52
00:02:54,243 --> 00:02:58,212
My projection for the revenue
was $23 million worldwide.

53
00:02:58,247 --> 00:02:59,731
[Rick] And what did it do?

54
00:02:59,765 --> 00:03:02,147
$350 Million worldwide.

55
00:03:02,182 --> 00:03:03,700
[Rick] So why would
anyone ever hire you

56
00:03:03,735 --> 00:03:04,874
for a business plan?

57
00:03:04,908 --> 00:03:07,670
No. The whole point is that
you wanted to make more.

58
00:03:07,704 --> 00:03:09,948
I've always said if
I was gonna forecast

59
00:03:09,982 --> 00:03:13,986
they will earn $350 million
off a $300,000 film,

60
00:03:14,021 --> 00:03:15,195
they should never hire me.

61
00:03:15,229 --> 00:03:16,782
That would have been insane.

62
00:03:18,025 --> 00:03:22,098
My name is Louise Levison. I'm
a film finance consultant,

63
00:03:22,132 --> 00:03:25,377
and I write business plans
for independent filmmakers.

64
00:03:25,412 --> 00:03:26,896
[Rick] I don't wanna
put words in your mouth,

65
00:03:26,930 --> 00:03:30,727
but in many ways you were
one of the architects

66
00:03:30,762 --> 00:03:35,076
of the entire film since
there was no script, no star,

67
00:03:35,111 --> 00:03:37,941
and you sat down with
a blank piece of paper

68
00:03:37,976 --> 00:03:41,704
and created an entity called
"The Blair Witch Project".

69
00:03:41,738 --> 00:03:43,326
There's a lot,
that's been written,

70
00:03:43,361 --> 00:03:45,673
what we might call "fake
news" or "misinformation"

71
00:03:45,708 --> 00:03:47,054
about the film.

72
00:03:47,088 --> 00:03:49,643
The truth is it was
shot on 16 millimeter.

73
00:03:49,677 --> 00:03:51,679
Well it's super eight and 16.

74
00:03:51,714 --> 00:03:54,234
[Rick] Right. So they had
like a $300,000 budget.

75
00:03:54,268 --> 00:03:55,338
Yeah.

76
00:03:55,373 --> 00:03:56,684
[Rick] There was something
like 89,000 in there,

77
00:03:56,719 --> 00:03:59,204
for the transfer from 16 to 35.

78
00:03:59,239 --> 00:04:00,826
A lot of people
thought they just went

79
00:04:00,861 --> 00:04:03,346
and got a video camera, went
out in the woods, made a movie,

80
00:04:03,381 --> 00:04:04,623
-I know, yeah.

81
00:04:04,658 --> 00:04:08,213
but that was sort of the
big part of the marketing

82
00:04:08,248 --> 00:04:09,732
and the joke.

83
00:04:09,766 --> 00:04:11,734
Which was bumped because
I'm over here on the side.

84
00:04:11,768 --> 00:04:13,529
Yeah, I did that.

85
00:04:13,563 --> 00:04:16,014
But over time, the numbers
that they said the budget was

86
00:04:16,048 --> 00:04:17,187
has even gotten lower.

87
00:04:17,222 --> 00:04:19,328
So that right now,
someone on the internet

88
00:04:19,362 --> 00:04:23,159
is saying that bunch for "The
Blair Witch" was $15,000.

89
00:04:23,193 --> 00:04:24,022
I was like, wow.

90
00:04:24,056 --> 00:04:25,265
[Rick] But the truth is,

91
00:04:25,299 --> 00:04:27,922
as innovative as
it was in concept,

92
00:04:27,957 --> 00:04:30,131
it was a traditional
business plan,

93
00:04:30,166 --> 00:04:31,788
-Right.
-a traditional budget,

94
00:04:31,823 --> 00:04:34,860
shot the way films are
done traditionally,

95
00:04:34,895 --> 00:04:37,035
-Right
-it just pretended not to be.

96
00:04:37,069 --> 00:04:39,313
[Louise] The thing that
filmmakers have to remember

97
00:04:39,348 --> 00:04:42,627
is that you have to make
something you really care about.

98
00:04:42,661 --> 00:04:46,320
You can't say, well, now horror
films make a lot of money

99
00:04:46,355 --> 00:04:47,977
so I'm gonna make a horror film.

100
00:04:48,011 --> 00:04:49,496
It's really hard work.

101
00:04:49,530 --> 00:04:52,015
Even though it looks like,
well, they didn't do much.

102
00:04:52,050 --> 00:04:55,122
It's very, very hard
work raising the money

103
00:04:55,156 --> 00:04:56,779
and making the film itself.

104
00:04:56,813 --> 00:04:59,195
You really don't
wanna be doing that

105
00:04:59,229 --> 00:05:01,301
unless it's something
you really care about.

106
00:05:01,335 --> 00:05:03,544
Because if you don't care,

107
00:05:03,579 --> 00:05:05,581
you're gonna be making
a lousy film anyway,

108
00:05:05,615 --> 00:05:08,618
no matter what it is and
no matter who's in it.

109
00:05:08,653 --> 00:05:10,310
You can have stars in it,

110
00:05:10,344 --> 00:05:12,795
they can't really overcome
a really bad film.

111
00:05:12,829 --> 00:05:15,832
[Rick] "The Blair
Witch" was a cultural

112
00:05:15,867 --> 00:05:18,456
and media and box
office phenomenon.

113
00:05:18,490 --> 00:05:20,630
It was on the cover
of Newsweek and Time.

114
00:05:20,665 --> 00:05:21,459
[Louise] Right.

115
00:05:21,493 --> 00:05:22,494
[Rick] And it was made by

116
00:05:22,529 --> 00:05:26,774
five unknown
regional filmmakers.

117
00:05:26,809 --> 00:05:28,293
Right.

118
00:05:28,328 --> 00:05:30,951
[Rick] Do you believe, based
on your experiences, that today,

119
00:05:30,985 --> 00:05:33,263
the same situation
could occur again?

120
00:05:33,298 --> 00:05:34,575
Absolutely.

121
00:05:34,713 --> 00:05:35,714
Absolutely.

122
00:05:37,337 --> 00:05:39,925
-[slate clapping]
-[upbeat music]

123
00:05:54,008 --> 00:05:55,596
My name is Scott du Pont.

124
00:05:55,631 --> 00:05:58,634
I'm a professional actor
and a film producer.

125
00:05:58,668 --> 00:06:01,775
There's a lot of secrets to
raising money for movies.

126
00:06:01,809 --> 00:06:04,122
The first thing I
think is you gotta have

127
00:06:04,156 --> 00:06:05,572
the right psychology.

128
00:06:05,606 --> 00:06:08,920
Everyone seems to think
that people out there

129
00:06:08,954 --> 00:06:12,233
you're talking to don't
want to give you money

130
00:06:12,268 --> 00:06:14,097
for a high risk investment.

131
00:06:14,132 --> 00:06:15,996
I believe it's the opposite.

132
00:06:16,030 --> 00:06:20,276
I believe every single person
I talked to actually wants

133
00:06:20,310 --> 00:06:21,726
to give me money.

134
00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:25,315
Now, with that said, not
everyone is in the position

135
00:06:25,350 --> 00:06:26,662
to give you money.

136
00:06:26,696 --> 00:06:28,146
There might be
liquidity factors.

137
00:06:28,180 --> 00:06:29,768
There might be a husband
and wife that talk you back,

138
00:06:29,803 --> 00:06:33,876
but I believe you have to
talk to every single person

139
00:06:33,910 --> 00:06:34,980
you run into.

140
00:06:35,015 --> 00:06:37,017
I was working on a movie
many, many years ago,

141
00:06:37,051 --> 00:06:40,261
an Adam Sandler picture
called "The Waterboy".

142
00:06:40,296 --> 00:06:43,368
I'm sitting up in the stands
with 5,000 other extras.

143
00:06:43,403 --> 00:06:45,266
I ended up sitting
right next to this guy.

144
00:06:45,301 --> 00:06:47,165
He had kind of a grungy T-shirt,

145
00:06:47,199 --> 00:06:49,857
he had some holes
in his straw hat,

146
00:06:49,892 --> 00:06:52,515
ended up talking to him
'cause I talk to everyone.

147
00:06:52,550 --> 00:06:54,483
That gentleman, Jeff,

148
00:06:54,517 --> 00:06:57,727
ended up giving me $780,000

149
00:06:57,762 --> 00:06:59,867
for my first feature film.

150
00:06:59,902 --> 00:07:03,526
So, you can never,
ever pre-judge anybody.

151
00:07:03,561 --> 00:07:06,149
[upbeat music]

152
00:07:08,186 --> 00:07:10,775
My name is Maggie
Phillips Pamplin.

153
00:07:10,809 --> 00:07:14,364
I'm a producer, production
designer and artist.

154
00:07:14,399 --> 00:07:15,918
I think the advice
that I would give

155
00:07:15,952 --> 00:07:20,198
to a beginning filmmaker is
to gather a team around you.

156
00:07:20,232 --> 00:07:23,891
I think there's a misconception
that there is one producer

157
00:07:23,926 --> 00:07:26,376
and he or she
brings in the money.

158
00:07:26,411 --> 00:07:29,241
People think that they are not
the ones to raise the money.

159
00:07:29,276 --> 00:07:30,864
I just think anyone can.

160
00:07:30,898 --> 00:07:34,799
Anyone can have a relation
or a friend or acquaintance

161
00:07:34,833 --> 00:07:36,732
or business acquaintance
that can come in

162
00:07:36,766 --> 00:07:38,734
and help bring money
for an independent film.

163
00:07:38,768 --> 00:07:40,494
And you can be part of a team.

164
00:07:40,529 --> 00:07:42,013
You need more than
just yourself.

165
00:07:42,047 --> 00:07:44,256
You need to start
gathering people around

166
00:07:44,291 --> 00:07:45,879
and really have
everyone pitch in

167
00:07:45,913 --> 00:07:48,226
and have everyone have
ownership in that film.

168
00:07:48,433 --> 00:07:49,814
[Scott] This is
extremely important.

169
00:07:49,848 --> 00:07:52,817
I've done this in every
single one of my 12 plus films

170
00:07:52,851 --> 00:07:54,025
over the last 20 years.

171
00:07:54,059 --> 00:07:57,442
The first thing I do
in my production office

172
00:07:57,477 --> 00:07:59,996
is I build what's
called "The Wall".

173
00:08:00,031 --> 00:08:02,585
I literally take
up an entire wall.

174
00:08:02,620 --> 00:08:05,795
Sometime it's 10,
20, 30 feet wide.

175
00:08:05,830 --> 00:08:10,075
And I write different columns
of people that I know.

176
00:08:10,110 --> 00:08:11,836
I start with my family.

177
00:08:11,870 --> 00:08:15,184
In magic marker, write a big
column of family members.

178
00:08:15,218 --> 00:08:17,531
I write St. Andrew's people,

179
00:08:17,566 --> 00:08:20,223
I went to high school
years ago, cousins.

180
00:08:20,258 --> 00:08:22,950
So you have all these
different categories of people.

181
00:08:22,985 --> 00:08:24,883
You start writing
down their names

182
00:08:24,918 --> 00:08:27,541
and you never ever
pre-judge anyone.

183
00:08:27,576 --> 00:08:30,164
[upbeat music]

184
00:08:39,139 --> 00:08:41,210
My name is Rick Pamplin.

185
00:08:41,244 --> 00:08:44,454
I am a screenwriter and a
motion picture director.

186
00:08:44,489 --> 00:08:48,044
I was teaching seminars and
I met a very interesting man

187
00:08:48,079 --> 00:08:51,461
that was distributing
movies direct on video

188
00:08:51,496 --> 00:08:55,431
to places like Blockbuster and
United Artists Pay-Per-View

189
00:08:55,465 --> 00:08:58,020
and Showtime and so I
was one of the pioneers.

190
00:08:58,054 --> 00:09:00,022
My very first film "Provoked"

191
00:09:00,056 --> 00:09:02,990
was made under that
guaranteed distribution

192
00:09:03,025 --> 00:09:05,337
and under that new methodology

193
00:09:05,372 --> 00:09:06,753
of how to make a motion picture.

194
00:09:06,787 --> 00:09:09,307
I just started telling
every single person I knew,

195
00:09:09,341 --> 00:09:11,516
every student, every
faculty person, I said,

196
00:09:11,551 --> 00:09:14,519
I'm making my first
feature film as a director

197
00:09:14,554 --> 00:09:16,935
and I would like
you to invest in it.

198
00:09:16,970 --> 00:09:19,904
And one thing led to another
and eventually we raised

199
00:09:19,938 --> 00:09:21,077
the entire budget.

200
00:09:21,112 --> 00:09:23,459
So we made the
picture for $115,000

201
00:09:23,493 --> 00:09:26,496
and on the figures
that I've seen,

202
00:09:26,531 --> 00:09:29,465
the picture made about
a 50 to one payback.

203
00:09:29,499 --> 00:09:32,744
This small little independent
film with virtually no names,

204
00:09:32,779 --> 00:09:35,126
which was kind of
a feminist diehard.

205
00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:36,576
I love making motion pictures,

206
00:09:36,610 --> 00:09:37,749
I love writing,

207
00:09:37,784 --> 00:09:39,302
I love working with
talented people,

208
00:09:39,337 --> 00:09:41,684
but I hate the concept
of raising money,

209
00:09:41,719 --> 00:09:42,892
asking people for money.

210
00:09:42,927 --> 00:09:45,446
You know, lots of very wealthy
people have told me

211
00:09:45,481 --> 00:09:47,379
that you have to
get over that fear.

212
00:09:47,414 --> 00:09:50,348
So when I needed to raise
larger amounts of money,

213
00:09:50,382 --> 00:09:52,661
I had gotten everybody
I knew to invest

214
00:09:52,695 --> 00:09:57,286
so I at times would bring
in funders or finders

215
00:09:57,320 --> 00:09:58,839
and pay them a
percentage of the money

216
00:09:58,874 --> 00:10:02,049
that they would raise and I've
been very successful at that.

217
00:10:02,084 --> 00:10:04,327
And I prefer to work
through a producer

218
00:10:04,362 --> 00:10:08,608
or an executive producer who
has the skills to raise money.

219
00:10:08,642 --> 00:10:11,093
I think the reason I'm
probably successful

220
00:10:11,127 --> 00:10:13,992
in raising money
is persistence.

221
00:10:14,027 --> 00:10:17,099
I never ever give up.

222
00:10:17,133 --> 00:10:21,482
And one of the reasons
why this producing team

223
00:10:21,517 --> 00:10:23,933
we'd had a lot of trials and
tribulations through the years

224
00:10:23,968 --> 00:10:26,211
and a lot of it
was totally unfair.

225
00:10:26,246 --> 00:10:31,251
I see this movie as redeeming
the partners of this movie.

226
00:10:31,838 --> 00:10:33,253
So I just said, you know,

227
00:10:33,287 --> 00:10:34,772
I'm gonna lock myself
into my office.

228
00:10:34,806 --> 00:10:36,325
If it takes two years,

229
00:10:36,359 --> 00:10:38,810
I'm gonna sit there and make
over a thousand phone calls,

230
00:10:38,845 --> 00:10:41,364
do a thousand meetings
and here we are,

231
00:10:41,399 --> 00:10:42,642
we finally got it funded.

232
00:10:43,850 --> 00:10:46,438
A lot of times when you
raise money in a movie,

233
00:10:46,473 --> 00:10:48,509
it gets a little
bumpy like this ride

234
00:10:48,544 --> 00:10:51,409
and people think they're
going to give you the money.

235
00:10:51,443 --> 00:10:53,791
They sign the contract,
and then they aren't able.

236
00:10:53,825 --> 00:10:56,483
You don't decide what
order your films are made,

237
00:10:56,517 --> 00:10:58,658
your investors
decide in what order

238
00:10:58,692 --> 00:11:00,694
you're going to make your films.

239
00:11:00,729 --> 00:11:03,007
I think there's
something really true:

240
00:11:03,041 --> 00:11:06,010
if you get up in the morning

241
00:11:06,044 --> 00:11:07,943
and you think you will just die,

242
00:11:07,977 --> 00:11:10,497
if you can not get out
and make your own film

243
00:11:10,531 --> 00:11:11,878
and produce your own film.

244
00:11:11,912 --> 00:11:13,673
If you don't think
that every day,

245
00:11:13,707 --> 00:11:15,364
then you might
not be a producer.

246
00:11:15,398 --> 00:11:17,159
But if you get up in the morning

247
00:11:17,193 --> 00:11:19,748
and all you're thinking
about is how to make a film

248
00:11:19,782 --> 00:11:21,750
and how to get your
film out there,

249
00:11:21,784 --> 00:11:24,097
then you're probably
a film producer.

250
00:11:24,131 --> 00:11:26,996
I had the great fortune
of directing a film

251
00:11:27,031 --> 00:11:30,862
with Ernest Borgnine, Academy
Award Winner, living legend,

252
00:11:30,897 --> 00:11:32,761
over 200 motion pictures.

253
00:11:32,795 --> 00:11:36,247
I had group of investors
who came to the set,

254
00:11:36,281 --> 00:11:37,558
saw me make the movie,

255
00:11:37,593 --> 00:11:39,353
the movie opened in theaters.

256
00:11:39,388 --> 00:11:40,596
The movie was nominated

257
00:11:40,630 --> 00:11:42,356
on the Ballot for
the Directors Guild,

258
00:11:42,391 --> 00:11:45,635
the Academy Awards and
people got very excited.

259
00:11:45,670 --> 00:11:48,224
And one of those people was
the great artist, Borgnine

260
00:11:48,259 --> 00:11:51,227
who said, kid, you're done
making little pictures.

261
00:11:51,262 --> 00:11:52,504
Let's make bigger pictures.

262
00:11:52,539 --> 00:11:54,783
We had all kinds of
stars calling us,

263
00:11:54,817 --> 00:11:57,199
knocking on my door
at Universal Studios,

264
00:11:57,233 --> 00:11:59,097
wanting to come in
and be in my movies.

265
00:11:59,132 --> 00:12:01,375
You know, we really try to
communicate with investors.

266
00:12:01,410 --> 00:12:03,067
I try to always be responsive,

267
00:12:03,101 --> 00:12:06,553
but sometimes investors
become, you know, abusive.

268
00:12:10,005 --> 00:12:12,870
My son came up with an idea
called "Crime Busters",

269
00:12:12,904 --> 00:12:15,527
which was basically little
meets the police academy.

270
00:12:15,562 --> 00:12:19,324
So, we designed "Crime Busters"
as the most commercial film

271
00:12:19,359 --> 00:12:23,294
I could ever make that would
be an instant slam dunk

272
00:12:23,328 --> 00:12:25,261
and we would make the film

273
00:12:25,296 --> 00:12:27,954
and then we would go on to
making more artistic films,

274
00:12:27,988 --> 00:12:29,818
more representative of
what I wanted make here.

275
00:12:29,852 --> 00:12:33,407
Here I am 10 years later, I've
been smeared on the internet.

276
00:12:33,442 --> 00:12:35,478
I've had my life threatened.

277
00:12:35,513 --> 00:12:39,620
I've had people sue me simply
because it's taking too long

278
00:12:39,655 --> 00:12:41,622
to raise the production funds.

279
00:12:41,657 --> 00:12:44,936
I had very dark, terrible
thoughts, but faith

280
00:12:44,971 --> 00:12:47,732
and a great wife saved my life

281
00:12:47,767 --> 00:12:49,872
and my revenge is
making this movie.

282
00:12:50,873 --> 00:12:52,081
I'm not dead.

283
00:12:52,116 --> 00:12:53,738
You haven't destroyed me.

284
00:12:53,773 --> 00:12:55,533
You haven't bankrupted me.

285
00:12:55,567 --> 00:12:57,535
I'm still gonna make
"Crime Busters".

286
00:12:57,569 --> 00:12:59,917
I'm still gonna make
the other two films

287
00:12:59,951 --> 00:13:01,366
and I'm gonna make this film.

288
00:13:04,542 --> 00:13:08,166
The best people I've ever
met at fundraising in my life

289
00:13:08,201 --> 00:13:10,962
are in this motion picture
and I'm so thrilled

290
00:13:10,997 --> 00:13:13,309
so I'd rather let
them talk about it.

291
00:13:14,863 --> 00:13:17,279
[soft music]

292
00:13:24,976 --> 00:13:28,393
Yeah. I think this
is a great business, I mean.

293
00:13:28,428 --> 00:13:30,775
It's full of heartache,

294
00:13:30,810 --> 00:13:34,434
and all those cliche things.

295
00:13:35,987 --> 00:13:38,541
You're gonna get
beat up pretty good

296
00:13:38,576 --> 00:13:43,581
but still, it's a
wonderful business

297
00:13:44,306 --> 00:13:45,100
because you're...

298
00:13:46,239 --> 00:13:48,862
What are you giving? Joy.

299
00:13:48,897 --> 00:13:53,384
Hopefully a few laughs or
hopefully you scare somebody

300
00:13:53,418 --> 00:13:55,731
or whatever the hell
you're trying to do

301
00:13:55,765 --> 00:13:56,939
in your picture.

302
00:13:57,975 --> 00:14:00,287
It's a wonderful,
wonderful thing.

303
00:14:00,391 --> 00:14:02,082
[Rick] Did you ever try
to raise money for films

304
00:14:02,117 --> 00:14:03,290
or did you have to?

305
00:14:03,325 --> 00:14:05,051
No, I never did.

306
00:14:05,085 --> 00:14:07,708
I never liked that idea.

307
00:14:07,743 --> 00:14:09,227
I wouldn't be good at it.

308
00:14:09,262 --> 00:14:12,748
[Rick] What's the secret of
getting a project funded?

309
00:14:12,782 --> 00:14:16,510
Is there a secret either in
Hollywood or as an independent?

310
00:14:16,545 --> 00:14:21,550
Well, you got a script that
is a commercial script.

311
00:14:22,551 --> 00:14:25,278
Commercial in the sense that
it's got the things in it

312
00:14:25,312 --> 00:14:29,075
that people wanna go see.

313
00:14:29,109 --> 00:14:32,354
[Rick] What advice would
you give to a young director

314
00:14:32,388 --> 00:14:33,355
starting out today?

315
00:14:34,321 --> 00:14:38,670
Find something that's good,

316
00:14:40,672 --> 00:14:41,673
that you believe in,

317
00:14:43,054 --> 00:14:44,435
that you'll fight for.

318
00:14:45,712 --> 00:14:47,438
Don't let them tell you
how to make your movie,

319
00:14:47,472 --> 00:14:48,508
you make your movie.

320
00:14:49,889 --> 00:14:51,718
[Rick] Where does
Hollywood get their money?

321
00:14:51,752 --> 00:14:54,686
[Louise] Hollywood gets their
money from banks.

322
00:14:54,721 --> 00:14:56,171
[Rick] What's your
take when people say

323
00:14:56,205 --> 00:14:57,482
that Jews run Hollywood?

324
00:14:58,725 --> 00:15:00,727
Does it offend you?
Does it not offend you?

325
00:15:02,694 --> 00:15:05,835
It offends me because
if anything goes wrong,

326
00:15:05,870 --> 00:15:07,492
it's like, let's blame the Jews,

327
00:15:07,527 --> 00:15:11,117
which since I've grown up
before, it was the original cry.

328
00:15:11,151 --> 00:15:13,809
When anything was going wrong,
it's let's blame the Jews.

329
00:15:13,843 --> 00:15:15,397
But I don't think it's...

330
00:15:15,431 --> 00:15:18,745
I think at one time it was true.

331
00:15:18,779 --> 00:15:20,574
I don't think it's
so true anymore.

332
00:15:20,609 --> 00:15:22,991
If you look at who all
the executives are.

333
00:15:23,025 --> 00:15:25,062
[Rick] Conversely
then, is it easier

334
00:15:25,096 --> 00:15:27,996
for a Jewish filmmaker
to make a film than--

335
00:15:28,030 --> 00:15:31,723
No. No. It's a
money driven thing.

336
00:15:31,758 --> 00:15:34,450
[Rick] Is it easier for
a liberal to make a film

337
00:15:34,485 --> 00:15:35,658
than a non liberal?

338
00:15:35,693 --> 00:15:36,970
No, that's another thing.

339
00:15:37,005 --> 00:15:39,352
You know, oh yeah
nobody likes my idea

340
00:15:39,386 --> 00:15:43,183
because those
people are liberal.

341
00:15:43,218 --> 00:15:45,392
Now we're talking
about Hollywood,

342
00:15:45,427 --> 00:15:46,497
and we're talking about

343
00:15:46,531 --> 00:15:48,430
see, independent's
a whole 'nother place.

344
00:15:48,464 --> 00:15:51,951
[Rick] Is it easier as a
white male to get a film made?

345
00:15:51,985 --> 00:15:53,676
Probably, yeah.

346
00:15:53,711 --> 00:15:55,023
[Rickie] Harder as a female?

347
00:15:55,057 --> 00:15:55,955
Yeah.

348
00:15:55,989 --> 00:15:57,025
[Rick] Harder as a minority?

349
00:15:57,059 --> 00:15:58,336
Yes, definitely.

350
00:15:58,371 --> 00:15:59,924
[Rick] But I think
that's changing.

351
00:15:59,959 --> 00:16:02,168
Yeah. No, I know it is.

352
00:16:02,202 --> 00:16:07,173
And again, it really
changes more from people

353
00:16:07,207 --> 00:16:09,416
starting with independent films

354
00:16:09,451 --> 00:16:11,453
because they just need to,

355
00:16:11,487 --> 00:16:13,006
they can start
with small films.

356
00:16:13,041 --> 00:16:15,250
They can just find people
who believe in their film,

357
00:16:15,284 --> 00:16:17,597
put it together and make a film

358
00:16:17,631 --> 00:16:19,840
and once they're successful,

359
00:16:19,875 --> 00:16:21,635
when you're telling
about studios,

360
00:16:21,670 --> 00:16:22,774
then again, they're right,

361
00:16:22,809 --> 00:16:24,017
they don't care who you are

362
00:16:24,052 --> 00:16:25,432
as long as they're
gonna make money.

363
00:16:26,123 --> 00:16:28,677
Yeah. I think I know
what's commercial

364
00:16:28,711 --> 00:16:31,231
and you may hate that word,

365
00:16:31,266 --> 00:16:36,271
but you have to have a
little bit of that sprinkled

366
00:16:38,307 --> 00:16:40,689
around in the screenplay.

367
00:16:40,723 --> 00:16:42,725
[Rick] What do you think
of the movies today?

368
00:16:43,899 --> 00:16:44,865
Not much.

369
00:16:45,935 --> 00:16:46,764
[Rick] Why?

370
00:16:47,868 --> 00:16:51,251
Well, I see them trying
to be commercial,

371
00:16:53,184 --> 00:16:57,568
trying to, what do we do to
make this picture make money?

372
00:16:58,431 --> 00:16:59,328
Well, let's see.

373
00:16:59,363 --> 00:17:01,468
We can have some bare boobs.

374
00:17:01,503 --> 00:17:06,508
We can have...a rape scene

375
00:17:06,542 --> 00:17:09,131
or we could have

376
00:17:09,166 --> 00:17:14,171
a comedian say wisecracks
for the whole movie.

377
00:17:15,724 --> 00:17:17,726
My name is Russell Cardinal.

378
00:17:17,760 --> 00:17:19,693
I am a location manager.

379
00:17:19,728 --> 00:17:20,970
Well, I think Los Angeles,

380
00:17:21,005 --> 00:17:24,008
everybody wants to get
something for nothing.

381
00:17:25,492 --> 00:17:26,942
You know, when I
first went out there,

382
00:17:26,976 --> 00:17:30,670
I went to a lot of potential
opportunities out there

383
00:17:30,704 --> 00:17:34,260
and they all expect you to
work for free when you're young

384
00:17:34,294 --> 00:17:38,057
or you don't have a, you
know, really strong IMDB.

385
00:17:38,781 --> 00:17:41,577
Well, Los Angeles is an
expensive place to live.

386
00:17:41,612 --> 00:17:43,579
Very difficult to get around.

387
00:17:43,614 --> 00:17:45,064
Everybody's always late,

388
00:17:45,098 --> 00:17:47,618
very difficult to stay
professional out there.

389
00:17:47,652 --> 00:17:50,310
There is a lot of greed
and a lot of cutthroat

390
00:17:50,345 --> 00:17:51,691
and stealing of ideas I believe

391
00:17:51,725 --> 00:17:53,451
but there's also the
greatest people in the world.

392
00:17:53,486 --> 00:17:56,834
The most talented
people behind the scenes

393
00:17:56,868 --> 00:17:57,800
and it's a really great place.

394
00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:02,771
I want them to understand
that when you go to New York,

395
00:18:04,221 --> 00:18:06,706
whether it's for a
year or two years.

396
00:18:06,740 --> 00:18:08,949
Two years, better than one.

397
00:18:10,123 --> 00:18:13,782
And then you go to LA,
you're a New York actor.

398
00:18:13,816 --> 00:18:15,163
[Rick] And is it because
of the stage work

399
00:18:15,197 --> 00:18:18,614
that they would maybe do
off Broadway do stage?

400
00:18:18,649 --> 00:18:22,273
They'll do off Broadway
and they'll do...

401
00:18:24,724 --> 00:18:29,108
Also, there's a network
with New York actors.

402
00:18:29,142 --> 00:18:30,212
That's very important.

403
00:18:31,938 --> 00:18:33,698
If they don't have
any other place,

404
00:18:35,079 --> 00:18:37,392
certainly not in Hollywood.

405
00:18:37,426 --> 00:18:41,568
In Hollywood they're out
to, you know, find out

406
00:18:41,603 --> 00:18:45,124
where the next party is or
what whatever's going on

407
00:18:45,158 --> 00:18:48,886
but then it's not
about the work.

408
00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:51,371
Whereas in New York,
it's about the work.

409
00:18:51,406 --> 00:18:53,615
But you still believe they
need to go to New York?

410
00:18:53,649 --> 00:18:54,961
I do.

411
00:18:54,995 --> 00:18:57,205
And then from New
York to Hollywood?

412
00:18:57,239 --> 00:19:00,829
Yes, the last time I was on
Broadway, I was in a play.

413
00:19:02,486 --> 00:19:04,522
It was a good little play.

414
00:19:04,557 --> 00:19:08,595
There were five of us and
we were all newcomers.

415
00:19:10,252 --> 00:19:12,427
And I remember
Richard Watts said,

416
00:19:12,461 --> 00:19:15,568
"we hope these young people

417
00:19:16,224 --> 00:19:19,434
"don't go to Hollywood."

418
00:19:21,021 --> 00:19:23,196
I left the next
day for Hollywood.

419
00:19:24,197 --> 00:19:25,992
[laughing]

420
00:19:26,786 --> 00:19:28,546
[Rick] What is wrong with you?

421
00:19:28,581 --> 00:19:30,997
What possesses you to do this?

422
00:19:31,031 --> 00:19:32,378
You have to do it.

423
00:19:32,412 --> 00:19:34,276
If you wanna be a
legitimate film producer,

424
00:19:34,311 --> 00:19:36,796
or if you're a
writer and you want,

425
00:19:36,830 --> 00:19:39,247
if you're frustrated
with some big studio

426
00:19:39,281 --> 00:19:40,765
picking up your script,

427
00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:43,458
if you're a director and you
want to direct something,

428
00:19:43,492 --> 00:19:47,807
sooner or later if you or
your team of people with you,

429
00:19:47,841 --> 00:19:51,431
don't talk to every
single person you run into

430
00:19:51,466 --> 00:19:53,157
or if you don't ask for money,

431
00:19:54,262 --> 00:19:55,849
you're not gonna have any money.

432
00:19:57,265 --> 00:20:00,060
And whether you're a writer,
whether you're a director,

433
00:20:00,095 --> 00:20:02,373
whether you're a producer,
any end of the business,

434
00:20:02,408 --> 00:20:05,169
if you want your project
to get out there,

435
00:20:05,204 --> 00:20:07,171
it's very unlikely
that some studio,

436
00:20:07,206 --> 00:20:09,898
oh, we love that script out
of the hundreds and hundreds

437
00:20:09,932 --> 00:20:11,555
of scripts we're
getting in Hollywood,

438
00:20:11,589 --> 00:20:13,039
we'll just pick yours.

439
00:20:13,073 --> 00:20:15,179
Or if you're a director and
you're trying to break through,

440
00:20:15,214 --> 00:20:18,665
the quickest, easiest
way to make it,

441
00:20:18,700 --> 00:20:21,806
especially in the independent
world, is just talk to people

442
00:20:21,841 --> 00:20:23,118
and get your own money.

443
00:20:23,152 --> 00:20:25,085
I mean, the equipment's
a lot smaller,

444
00:20:25,120 --> 00:20:26,535
it's a lot cheaper.

445
00:20:26,570 --> 00:20:28,503
There's all these new platforms.

446
00:20:28,537 --> 00:20:30,953
It's never been
easier to distribute,

447
00:20:30,988 --> 00:20:33,197
but it all starts
with the money.

448
00:20:33,232 --> 00:20:34,819
If you don't have the money,

449
00:20:34,854 --> 00:20:37,581
there is no movie
so it's that simple.

450
00:20:37,615 --> 00:20:40,066
[soft music]

451
00:20:48,005 --> 00:20:51,146
[audience applauding]

452
00:20:52,803 --> 00:20:54,874
So I wanna ask you guys
a couple of questions.

453
00:20:54,908 --> 00:20:58,326
How many people here wanna
make motion pictures,

454
00:20:58,360 --> 00:20:59,913
make movies?

455
00:20:59,948 --> 00:21:02,675
Okay. How many people wanna
write movies, be screenwriters?

456
00:21:02,709 --> 00:21:04,055
Raise your hand.

457
00:21:04,090 --> 00:21:05,574
Screenwriters.

458
00:21:05,609 --> 00:21:09,406
How many people wanna be
directors, direct a movie?

459
00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:13,133
How many of you
wanna act, be actors?

460
00:21:14,342 --> 00:21:17,828
Okay. Let's talk to
you guys about things

461
00:21:17,862 --> 00:21:19,588
that you're interested in.

462
00:21:19,623 --> 00:21:21,349
Hi, I'm Alex Hassig.

463
00:21:21,383 --> 00:21:23,903
Do you think it's important
to go to school for acting

464
00:21:23,937 --> 00:21:26,561
or do you think it's
easier just to go to school

465
00:21:26,595 --> 00:21:28,735
for something else and
then find opportunities

466
00:21:28,770 --> 00:21:30,599
around cities and such?

467
00:21:30,634 --> 00:21:32,083
Great question.

468
00:21:32,118 --> 00:21:34,293
I think when you leave here,
wherever you go, undergraduate,

469
00:21:34,327 --> 00:21:37,434
if you wanna study theater
acting, I think that's great.

470
00:21:37,468 --> 00:21:38,676
I didn't.

471
00:21:38,711 --> 00:21:40,057
I was actually an
economics major.

472
00:21:40,091 --> 00:21:42,370
I fell into my passion
for acting later,

473
00:21:42,404 --> 00:21:43,819
but I think whatever you do,

474
00:21:43,854 --> 00:21:47,098
you also need to take
some business classes

475
00:21:47,133 --> 00:21:48,410
to take some
marketing classes,

476
00:21:48,445 --> 00:21:50,274
to be very, very
well-rounded.

477
00:21:50,309 --> 00:21:54,382
I became the busiest,
most working actor

478
00:21:54,416 --> 00:21:56,556
in the entire
state of Florida.

479
00:21:56,591 --> 00:21:58,144
And I'm not a great actor,

480
00:21:58,178 --> 00:22:01,699
but I knew how to market myself
and I knew how to network.

481
00:22:01,734 --> 00:22:04,875
So I think all that stuff
is really, really important.

482
00:22:04,909 --> 00:22:05,703
What's your name?

483
00:22:05,738 --> 00:22:06,980
Brendan Asaf.

484
00:22:07,015 --> 00:22:08,948
I was wondering, for
a junior director,

485
00:22:08,982 --> 00:22:10,984
what you think might be
the best place to start,

486
00:22:11,019 --> 00:22:13,642
for example, would it be a
good idea to try directing

487
00:22:13,677 --> 00:22:16,542
in theater before directing
and film or television

488
00:22:16,576 --> 00:22:18,544
or are these mediums
entirely different

489
00:22:18,578 --> 00:22:19,579
from one another?

490
00:22:19,614 --> 00:22:20,822
Theater and motion pictures

491
00:22:20,856 --> 00:22:22,686
are two different
mediums completely.

492
00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:25,274
Number one, you've gotta
have a sample of your work,

493
00:22:25,309 --> 00:22:26,517
a student film.

494
00:22:26,552 --> 00:22:27,863
Number two, it helps
if you're a writer,

495
00:22:27,898 --> 00:22:29,313
if you have a spec script

496
00:22:29,348 --> 00:22:31,626
and number three, I
think assistant directing

497
00:22:31,660 --> 00:22:35,043
is a great way to
learn, to get in,

498
00:22:35,077 --> 00:22:37,286
to really learn your craft.

499
00:22:37,321 --> 00:22:38,115
Grace Sodie.

500
00:22:38,149 --> 00:22:39,047
Okay.

501
00:22:39,081 --> 00:22:41,221
So as an aspiring screenwriter,

502
00:22:41,256 --> 00:22:44,190
there's always this fear
that you're just rewriting

503
00:22:44,224 --> 00:22:46,123
as you reference
the same one story

504
00:22:46,157 --> 00:22:47,745
that's been done
over and over again.

505
00:22:47,780 --> 00:22:49,091
How do you overcome that?

506
00:22:49,126 --> 00:22:51,646
I'll tell you one
way to avoid it.

507
00:22:51,680 --> 00:22:54,200
I've had people come to me with
stories that are essentially

508
00:22:54,234 --> 00:22:55,891
"The Blair Witch
in a Submarine",

509
00:22:55,926 --> 00:22:57,514
"The Blair Witch on Mars"

510
00:22:57,548 --> 00:22:59,723
and I keep trying to tell
them "The Blair Witch"

511
00:22:59,757 --> 00:23:01,656
has already been made.

512
00:23:01,690 --> 00:23:04,659
You don't wanna remake
somebody else's film.

513
00:23:04,693 --> 00:23:07,144
You can learn the
format and the technique

514
00:23:07,178 --> 00:23:09,905
in about an hour but you've
got to open up your heart.

515
00:23:09,940 --> 00:23:12,149
There's a great quote
by an old sports writer

516
00:23:12,183 --> 00:23:13,288
named Red Barber.

517
00:23:13,322 --> 00:23:14,738
He said, writing is easy.

518
00:23:14,772 --> 00:23:17,396
You just take a razor
blade and cut open a vein

519
00:23:17,430 --> 00:23:18,776
and bleed on the page.

520
00:23:18,811 --> 00:23:22,435
And having faith is
not having any fear.

521
00:23:22,470 --> 00:23:25,438
And you need to be
bold as a filmmaker,

522
00:23:25,473 --> 00:23:27,854
you need to say things that
other people aren't saying.

523
00:23:27,889 --> 00:23:31,202
If you wanna make a
film, almost always

524
00:23:31,237 --> 00:23:33,653
there's some good that
somebody wants to do.

525
00:23:33,688 --> 00:23:35,621
Don't get corrupted
by the money.

526
00:23:35,655 --> 00:23:39,279
Don't get corrupted by Hollywood
or the fake propaganda.

527
00:23:39,314 --> 00:23:40,798
Make that film.

528
00:23:40,833 --> 00:23:43,249
[soft music]

529
00:23:48,081 --> 00:23:49,255
Angela Lodato.

530
00:23:49,289 --> 00:23:51,464
I teach film studies
and broadcasting

531
00:23:51,499 --> 00:23:53,466
at Saint Andrew's School.

532
00:23:53,501 --> 00:23:57,781
In film studies what I
love to do is analyze film

533
00:23:57,815 --> 00:24:00,853
in ways that students
don't think to

534
00:24:00,887 --> 00:24:03,372
in terms of screenwriting,

535
00:24:03,407 --> 00:24:05,340
in terms of music cues,

536
00:24:05,374 --> 00:24:09,655
in terms of what actually
puts a film together

537
00:24:09,689 --> 00:24:10,897
in ways that can make

538
00:24:10,932 --> 00:24:14,211
an audience empathize
with characters.

539
00:24:14,245 --> 00:24:16,938
Not in terms of
what's entertainment,

540
00:24:16,972 --> 00:24:20,113
but in terms of what can
actually reach an audience,

541
00:24:20,148 --> 00:24:22,253
what can actually
touch an audience?

542
00:24:22,288 --> 00:24:24,911
[Rick] What kind of films
to the students talk about

543
00:24:24,946 --> 00:24:26,154
wanting to make?

544
00:24:26,188 --> 00:24:27,673
We watch a lot of dialogue films

545
00:24:27,707 --> 00:24:31,021
and we watch a lot of older
films with a slower pace.

546
00:24:31,055 --> 00:24:32,540
Prior to coming in,

547
00:24:32,574 --> 00:24:35,439
all they can think about
is action and something

548
00:24:35,474 --> 00:24:37,337
that is pure entertainment.

549
00:24:37,372 --> 00:24:41,134
After taking some of the courses
that I teach and learning

550
00:24:41,169 --> 00:24:44,966
how you can touch an audience
through deep emotion,

551
00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:50,005
they start talking about how
to find their own inner voice

552
00:24:50,523 --> 00:24:53,008
and start expressing
it in that fashion

553
00:24:53,043 --> 00:24:54,803
rather than just flesh.

554
00:24:54,838 --> 00:24:58,600
Some of them really are
appreciating independent films.

555
00:24:58,635 --> 00:25:00,291
And what they like about them

556
00:25:00,326 --> 00:25:02,224
is that they're more accessible.

557
00:25:02,259 --> 00:25:06,125
Particularly if you look at
all the female objectification

558
00:25:06,159 --> 00:25:09,024
that has gone on since the
beginning of print media

559
00:25:09,059 --> 00:25:11,302
and now of course we're
seeing so much of it now

560
00:25:11,337 --> 00:25:13,373
with male objectification.

561
00:25:13,408 --> 00:25:16,135
A lot of them are starting
to rebel against it,

562
00:25:16,169 --> 00:25:18,551
which I'm happy to see.

563
00:25:18,586 --> 00:25:21,623
So they're starting to think
more about independent films

564
00:25:21,658 --> 00:25:24,074
and by which they
can create films

565
00:25:24,108 --> 00:25:27,215
that are using more real
people, if you will,

566
00:25:27,249 --> 00:25:29,113
and just reflecting
more of human nature

567
00:25:29,148 --> 00:25:30,667
the way it really is.

568
00:25:30,701 --> 00:25:31,909
I'm Ty Hammer.

569
00:25:31,944 --> 00:25:34,498
Does all of your advice
and more extreme ideas

570
00:25:34,533 --> 00:25:38,088
also apply to television and
all of its respective jobs?

571
00:25:38,122 --> 00:25:39,848
You wanna work in television?

572
00:25:39,883 --> 00:25:40,677
Maybe.

573
00:25:40,711 --> 00:25:41,885
Aim high.

574
00:25:41,919 --> 00:25:43,093
I went to prep school.

575
00:25:43,127 --> 00:25:44,612
I went to this school
called Cranbrook.

576
00:25:44,646 --> 00:25:46,786
They always pounded in our
heads, aim high aim, high.

577
00:25:46,821 --> 00:25:48,236
Shoot for movies
and if you fail,

578
00:25:48,270 --> 00:25:49,306
you can always
work in television.

579
00:25:49,340 --> 00:25:50,376
All right.

580
00:25:50,410 --> 00:25:51,584
-Never start in television.
-[Louise laughing]

581
00:25:51,619 --> 00:25:52,620
If you start in
television,

582
00:25:52,654 --> 00:25:54,138
you're gonna
end up I don't know,

583
00:25:54,173 --> 00:25:56,140
selling oranges in the
freeway or something.

584
00:25:56,175 --> 00:25:57,383
My name is Nikita.

585
00:25:57,417 --> 00:25:59,074
You mentioned few times
writing business plans

586
00:25:59,109 --> 00:26:02,353
for motion pictures and it's
an interesting path for me

587
00:26:02,388 --> 00:26:04,045
that I would like to consider.

588
00:26:04,079 --> 00:26:05,943
Is there any advice
that you could give me,

589
00:26:05,978 --> 00:26:08,463
what majors to take along
with finance or business

590
00:26:08,497 --> 00:26:10,948
that would help me start up?

591
00:26:10,983 --> 00:26:12,916
Finance and business is good.

592
00:26:12,950 --> 00:26:16,851
I worked in other
businesses for 20 years

593
00:26:16,885 --> 00:26:19,750
before I got into film and
I've been doing this for 30.

594
00:26:19,785 --> 00:26:21,959
So I like to say that I
graduated from college

595
00:26:21,994 --> 00:26:24,548
when I was six in case
everybody can add.

596
00:26:24,583 --> 00:26:25,929
Yes. Ma'am, what's your name?

597
00:26:25,963 --> 00:26:27,758
I'm Avery Stark.

598
00:26:27,793 --> 00:26:31,175
How do you come up with the
ideas for films, characters,

599
00:26:31,210 --> 00:26:34,213
and ideas for issues
inside the movie

600
00:26:34,247 --> 00:26:36,008
to make it long enough?

601
00:26:36,042 --> 00:26:37,699
I was hiking up the
Hollywood Hills,

602
00:26:37,734 --> 00:26:39,080
with one of my
business partners,

603
00:26:39,114 --> 00:26:41,013
a place called
Runyon Canyon.

604
00:26:41,047 --> 00:26:43,602
This was, God, probably
10 or 12 years ago.

605
00:26:43,636 --> 00:26:45,086
And we came back down the hill,

606
00:26:45,120 --> 00:26:49,780
in the parking lot there was
this brand new Tesla Roadster

607
00:26:49,815 --> 00:26:52,265
and a bunch of us had
seen this documentary

608
00:26:52,300 --> 00:26:53,473
a couple of years prior called

609
00:26:53,508 --> 00:26:55,234
"Who Killed the Electric Car?"

610
00:26:55,268 --> 00:26:58,617
which is a really provocative,
interesting edgy film.

611
00:26:58,651 --> 00:27:02,379
So we're sitting there,
within 10 minutes this guy,

612
00:27:02,413 --> 00:27:03,794
the owner showed up,

613
00:27:03,829 --> 00:27:08,385
he had 30 people crowded around
his car asking questions.

614
00:27:08,419 --> 00:27:10,318
"You mean it runs on no gas?"

615
00:27:10,352 --> 00:27:11,146
"How do you plug it in?"

616
00:27:11,181 --> 00:27:12,596
"How far does it go?"

617
00:27:12,631 --> 00:27:14,736
So we got back in
our fossil fuel car

618
00:27:14,771 --> 00:27:16,669
and we looked at
each other and said,

619
00:27:16,704 --> 00:27:20,535
someone's gotta make a
movie about these new cars

620
00:27:20,569 --> 00:27:22,364
that we thought at that
point were coming out.

621
00:27:22,399 --> 00:27:23,918
We took a big gamble
with our investors

622
00:27:23,952 --> 00:27:28,612
but we had a pretty good inkling
that in the next two years,

623
00:27:28,647 --> 00:27:30,683
the market was going to be
flooded with electric cars

624
00:27:30,718 --> 00:27:33,341
and thank God every
single car company

625
00:27:33,375 --> 00:27:35,274
now has different plugin models.

626
00:27:35,308 --> 00:27:37,621
So that's how that whole
documentary came about.

627
00:27:37,656 --> 00:27:39,554
It's just a story that
had to be told.

628
00:27:39,588 --> 00:27:41,073
Hi, I'm Jenny Hemmer.

629
00:27:41,107 --> 00:27:43,558
Personally, I want to
get into like costuming

630
00:27:43,592 --> 00:27:45,491
and makeup stuff for
film and theater.

631
00:27:45,525 --> 00:27:48,183
And do you have any advice
on getting my work out there

632
00:27:48,218 --> 00:27:50,013
as a costumer?

633
00:27:50,047 --> 00:27:53,741
Yes. Work on everybody's
student films, build your reel,

634
00:27:53,775 --> 00:27:56,571
learn your craft and
you'll be very in demand

635
00:27:56,605 --> 00:27:58,677
and I expect to hire you
in a couple years.

636
00:27:58,711 --> 00:27:59,505
-Alright.
-Thank you.

637
00:27:59,539 --> 00:28:00,989
-My name is Tim Lerr.
-Yes, sir.

638
00:28:01,024 --> 00:28:01,990
So in a short summary,

639
00:28:02,025 --> 00:28:03,992
what would you
advise on how to make

640
00:28:04,027 --> 00:28:07,409
your potential investor
care about your project?

641
00:28:07,444 --> 00:28:10,171
You put together a business
plan that shows him

642
00:28:10,205 --> 00:28:11,862
what a wonderful project it is.

643
00:28:11,897 --> 00:28:13,381
Like what would you put
in your business plan?

644
00:28:13,415 --> 00:28:15,832
The most important things
that are gonna make him care

645
00:28:15,866 --> 00:28:18,110
are gonna be the
story, the audience,

646
00:28:18,144 --> 00:28:20,595
and then all those numbers
I was talking about

647
00:28:20,629 --> 00:28:22,252
that are at the end.

648
00:28:22,286 --> 00:28:24,150
You have other things
you have to put in there

649
00:28:24,185 --> 00:28:26,083
that are just business things.

650
00:28:26,118 --> 00:28:28,741
But basically the story has...

651
00:28:28,776 --> 00:28:31,640
He has to care, or she has
to care, about the story.

652
00:28:31,675 --> 00:28:33,366
If they don't care
about the story,

653
00:28:33,401 --> 00:28:36,611
then they're not gonna
care about the money.

654
00:28:36,645 --> 00:28:38,855
After that then they
worry about the money.

655
00:28:38,889 --> 00:28:40,132
You've gotta start with a story

656
00:28:40,166 --> 00:28:42,341
that you're passionate
about like Rick said.

657
00:28:42,375 --> 00:28:44,688
And then after that, I really
think it's a numbers game.

658
00:28:44,723 --> 00:28:47,035
So getting back to what
is the electric car,

659
00:28:47,070 --> 00:28:49,175
I called up hundreds
and hundreds of people.

660
00:28:49,210 --> 00:28:50,694
A lot of people said no.

661
00:28:50,729 --> 00:28:53,490
And then I made a phone call
to an old fraternity brother.

662
00:28:53,524 --> 00:28:55,147
I went to Rollins
College and he said,

663
00:28:55,181 --> 00:28:57,287
wow, you're making a
documentary about electric cars?

664
00:28:57,321 --> 00:28:58,598
Next thing you know,
he came on board

665
00:28:58,633 --> 00:29:00,048
as the executive producer.

666
00:29:00,083 --> 00:29:02,982
So sometimes it's about
just reaching enough people,

667
00:29:03,017 --> 00:29:04,501
it's gonna spark with one person

668
00:29:04,535 --> 00:29:06,606
who puts up most of the money.

669
00:29:06,641 --> 00:29:09,057
[soft music]

670
00:29:09,092 --> 00:29:10,852
I've been teaching
here for 26 years

671
00:29:10,887 --> 00:29:13,752
and what I find fascinating
is that something happens

672
00:29:13,786 --> 00:29:16,720
to a student when they have
a camera in their hand.

673
00:29:16,755 --> 00:29:18,826
They find that they're
able to speak in a way

674
00:29:18,860 --> 00:29:20,586
that they never did before.

675
00:29:20,620 --> 00:29:23,865
I had a student once, I'm
going back maybe 12 years ago.

676
00:29:23,900 --> 00:29:27,041
Great guy, but he was just
always sort of on the wrong side

677
00:29:27,075 --> 00:29:28,559
of the administration,
if you will,

678
00:29:28,594 --> 00:29:30,699
in terms of discipline issues.

679
00:29:30,734 --> 00:29:31,942
And we used to
talk after school,

680
00:29:31,977 --> 00:29:33,841
and I remember one
time I asked him,

681
00:29:33,875 --> 00:29:36,533
can you describe yourself to me?

682
00:29:36,567 --> 00:29:37,810
He couldn't do it.

683
00:29:37,845 --> 00:29:39,363
But I gave him a
camera and I said,

684
00:29:39,398 --> 00:29:41,296
could you do it with a camera?

685
00:29:41,331 --> 00:29:43,920
The next day he came
back to me with an image

686
00:29:43,954 --> 00:29:45,300
that I still remember.

687
00:29:45,335 --> 00:29:48,096
It was his shadow on the ground.

688
00:29:49,235 --> 00:29:52,721
And he put as half
smoke cigarette on it.

689
00:29:52,756 --> 00:29:54,309
He just threw it down.

690
00:29:54,344 --> 00:29:58,003
He stepped on it
and he walked away.

691
00:29:59,867 --> 00:30:02,007
Go put that into words.

692
00:30:02,041 --> 00:30:05,458
Do you, tell your students
that they can incorporate

693
00:30:05,493 --> 00:30:07,391
-their faith into film?
-Yes.

694
00:30:07,426 --> 00:30:09,221
Absolutely, absolutely.

695
00:30:09,255 --> 00:30:13,259
Nothing is off limits if
it's deep in your soul

696
00:30:13,294 --> 00:30:16,745
and you want to express
it, even just for yourself,

697
00:30:16,780 --> 00:30:20,128
as a catharsis, go
right ahead and do it.

698
00:30:20,163 --> 00:30:22,199
Nothing's off limits.

699
00:30:22,234 --> 00:30:25,375
It seems like this would
be a really tough time

700
00:30:25,409 --> 00:30:27,826
to be a kid, to be growing up.

701
00:30:27,860 --> 00:30:30,207
And this is kind of
a loaded question,

702
00:30:30,242 --> 00:30:32,175
but are the kids all right?

703
00:30:34,763 --> 00:30:37,974
They're facing
challenges and situations

704
00:30:38,008 --> 00:30:41,356
that I never
experienced in my life.

705
00:30:42,530 --> 00:30:44,428
In terms of whether
they're all right,

706
00:30:44,463 --> 00:30:45,774
it's hard to say.

707
00:30:47,259 --> 00:30:50,089
If you take, for example,
just even coming to school

708
00:30:50,124 --> 00:30:53,575
and feeling safe in terms
of the violence in schools,

709
00:30:53,610 --> 00:30:55,163
the school shootings.

710
00:30:55,198 --> 00:30:58,718
When they talk to me I
always just try to be quiet

711
00:30:58,753 --> 00:31:00,410
and still and listen.

712
00:31:00,444 --> 00:31:05,277
And they're expressing anxieties
that I never experienced.

713
00:31:05,311 --> 00:31:10,247
So when I hear their choices
of music, books, entertainment,

714
00:31:11,386 --> 00:31:13,112
I understand why they're
gravitating towards

715
00:31:13,147 --> 00:31:15,528
the harder edgier things.

716
00:31:15,563 --> 00:31:18,290
I think it's expressing
what they're feeling inside.

717
00:31:18,324 --> 00:31:19,567
Are they okay?

718
00:31:20,706 --> 00:31:24,123
I think they can be,
they just need guidance.

719
00:31:24,158 --> 00:31:26,056
They just need to learn how

720
00:31:26,091 --> 00:31:29,370
and it's finding that
still inner voice,

721
00:31:29,404 --> 00:31:31,303
that deep character within them,

722
00:31:31,337 --> 00:31:33,719
whether it be faith
in themselves,

723
00:31:33,753 --> 00:31:35,997
faith in a higher
power, whatever it is,

724
00:31:36,032 --> 00:31:37,309
they just need guidance.

725
00:31:38,448 --> 00:31:39,794
Hi, I'm Samantha.

726
00:31:39,828 --> 00:31:41,865
And I was just wondering
if there were any times

727
00:31:41,900 --> 00:31:45,317
when you felt like giving up
and like how you overcame that?

728
00:31:45,351 --> 00:31:48,009
Yes. I've been very
depressed at times.

729
00:31:48,044 --> 00:31:49,631
I've lived in my car.

730
00:31:49,666 --> 00:31:50,874
I've been broke.

731
00:31:50,909 --> 00:31:53,083
I've had people slander
me on the internet

732
00:31:53,118 --> 00:31:55,465
because when I cast a
movie and I audition

733
00:31:55,499 --> 00:31:57,950
a hundred actors and
99, don't get it,

734
00:31:57,985 --> 00:31:59,952
they like to write
bad things about me.

735
00:31:59,987 --> 00:32:02,472
I have anonymous people
that are jealous of me,

736
00:32:02,506 --> 00:32:06,372
it's very hurtful but I
have bigger fish to fry.

737
00:32:06,407 --> 00:32:08,098
I have bigger stories to tell.

738
00:32:08,133 --> 00:32:10,583
And I think that if you look
at what happened to Jesus

739
00:32:10,618 --> 00:32:12,482
or what happened to the Gandhi

740
00:32:12,516 --> 00:32:15,071
or what happens to anybody
who advocates something

741
00:32:15,105 --> 00:32:17,142
in our society, in our world,

742
00:32:17,176 --> 00:32:20,076
sometimes, you know,
they're vilified.

743
00:32:20,110 --> 00:32:21,801
And I just think you
have to be strong.

744
00:32:21,836 --> 00:32:23,251
I go through a lot of periods

745
00:32:23,286 --> 00:32:25,944
where just no one wants to do it

746
00:32:25,978 --> 00:32:28,981
and you just really
learn to get through it.

747
00:32:29,016 --> 00:32:31,294
A lot of people have
mentioned going to Hollywood.

748
00:32:31,328 --> 00:32:33,330
You do not have to
go to Hollywood.

749
00:32:33,365 --> 00:32:36,644
There's films being made
all over this country

750
00:32:36,678 --> 00:32:38,784
besides other parts of the world

751
00:32:38,818 --> 00:32:40,959
and you can be an actor,
you can be a director,

752
00:32:40,993 --> 00:32:42,339
you can be a producer,

753
00:32:42,374 --> 00:32:44,652
you can be in the
business I'm in, whatever,

754
00:32:44,686 --> 00:32:46,240
without ever going to Hollywood.

755
00:32:46,274 --> 00:32:48,069
Hi, my name is Colin Vinny

756
00:32:48,104 --> 00:32:49,898
and I am an actor
at Saint Andrew's

757
00:32:49,933 --> 00:32:52,660
and I was just wondering where
I could go or what I could do

758
00:32:52,694 --> 00:32:54,938
to start transitioning
from the high school stage

759
00:32:54,973 --> 00:32:57,699
into more films and more
professional things.

760
00:32:57,734 --> 00:33:00,323
I heard that Tom Cruise,
when he first started out,

761
00:33:00,357 --> 00:33:04,016
worked on 50 student
and short films.

762
00:33:04,051 --> 00:33:06,881
So when I first started I
wanted to transition away

763
00:33:06,915 --> 00:33:08,089
from commercials.

764
00:33:08,124 --> 00:33:09,642
Up in Orlando,
where I was living

765
00:33:09,677 --> 00:33:11,713
there was eight
full-time film schools,

766
00:33:11,748 --> 00:33:14,268
including Full
Sail, UCF, Valencia.

767
00:33:14,302 --> 00:33:17,064
I did over 50 student films.

768
00:33:17,098 --> 00:33:18,479
Mostly on the weekends.

769
00:33:18,513 --> 00:33:20,515
So I really wasn't
giving up a lot of income

770
00:33:20,550 --> 00:33:22,759
and that's really how
I polished my craft.

771
00:33:22,793 --> 00:33:25,451
I had a reel and I got the
respect and I was networking

772
00:33:25,486 --> 00:33:27,557
and then from there, that's
kind of spring-boarded

773
00:33:27,591 --> 00:33:30,111
my whole film career out
of those short films.

774
00:33:30,146 --> 00:33:31,285
Yes, sir, what's your name?

775
00:33:31,319 --> 00:33:32,286
Tristan Moss.

776
00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:34,081
What's your favorite film?

777
00:33:34,115 --> 00:33:35,392
That's too hard to decide.

778
00:33:35,427 --> 00:33:37,118
"Napoleon Dynamite", isn't it?

779
00:33:37,153 --> 00:33:38,085
[audience applauding]

780
00:33:38,119 --> 00:33:39,707
I like that film.

781
00:33:39,741 --> 00:33:42,744
So my question is, I
was just wondering like,

782
00:33:42,779 --> 00:33:45,782
if you have a short film what
would be the very first thing

783
00:33:45,816 --> 00:33:49,027
that you would do to make
your work more well known?

784
00:33:49,061 --> 00:33:52,582
If you can, if it's not too
far go to a film festival.

785
00:33:52,616 --> 00:33:54,066
I've gone to
Sundance for 30 years

786
00:33:54,101 --> 00:33:56,620
and I keep telling people

787
00:33:56,655 --> 00:33:59,796
now that's a more
expensive track to take,

788
00:33:59,830 --> 00:34:02,419
but I learned so much early on.

789
00:34:02,454 --> 00:34:05,491
I was already trying
to do what I did,

790
00:34:05,526 --> 00:34:07,459
but nobody knew who I was.

791
00:34:07,493 --> 00:34:10,772
I didn't have a book out and
I started going to Sundance

792
00:34:10,807 --> 00:34:12,188
and talking to people.

793
00:34:12,222 --> 00:34:13,430
That's the biggest thing,

794
00:34:13,465 --> 00:34:16,054
is send your film
into film festivals

795
00:34:16,088 --> 00:34:19,781
and get the experience
of knowing how to do it.

796
00:34:19,816 --> 00:34:20,644
-Ok, thank you.
-[Rick] All right.

797
00:34:20,679 --> 00:34:21,473
Thanks so much.

798
00:34:21,507 --> 00:34:22,922
There's somebody else.
Yes, sir?

799
00:34:23,095 --> 00:34:24,510
And your name is?

800
00:34:24,545 --> 00:34:25,718
Hi, I'm Will Hagan.

801
00:34:25,753 --> 00:34:27,065
Hi, Will.

802
00:34:27,099 --> 00:34:28,825
I just really wanna know
what is yourfavorite movie?

803
00:34:28,859 --> 00:34:30,792
-My favorite movie?
-And why?

804
00:34:30,827 --> 00:34:33,795
Well, when I'm really
depressed "Citizen Kane",

805
00:34:33,830 --> 00:34:36,281
and when I'm depressed and
don't wanna be depressed,

806
00:34:36,315 --> 00:34:38,214
"It's a Wonderful Life".

807
00:34:38,248 --> 00:34:39,870
Those are probably
my two favorites.

808
00:34:39,905 --> 00:34:42,839
In the old days there
were great role models,

809
00:34:42,873 --> 00:34:44,599
men and women of character

810
00:34:44,634 --> 00:34:47,706
and today it seems
more exploitative

811
00:34:47,740 --> 00:34:52,055
and it seems harder
to find role models.

812
00:34:52,090 --> 00:34:55,852
Do you see a yearning at
all for the kids for that?

813
00:34:55,886 --> 00:34:58,441
Interestingly enough, I
do see it when I show them

814
00:34:58,475 --> 00:34:59,821
some of the older films.

815
00:34:59,856 --> 00:35:02,376
They identify with
the older films

816
00:35:02,410 --> 00:35:04,585
in a way in which I
never thought they would.

817
00:35:04,619 --> 00:35:06,449
And when we have the
class discussions,

818
00:35:06,483 --> 00:35:09,107
I hear them identify
with the role models,

819
00:35:09,141 --> 00:35:10,591
to which you're referring.

820
00:35:10,625 --> 00:35:12,696
So, yeah, I do.

821
00:35:12,731 --> 00:35:15,285
They may be absent
in the present films,

822
00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:16,873
but they now know
where to find them

823
00:35:16,907 --> 00:35:18,702
in some of the older films.

824
00:35:18,737 --> 00:35:21,222
Are you hopeful
enough and optimistic

825
00:35:21,257 --> 00:35:25,364
that this new generation
will create movies

826
00:35:25,399 --> 00:35:30,404
that will provide moral
leadership, role models?

827
00:35:30,714 --> 00:35:35,271
I think I'm optimistic in the
sense that there is starting to,

828
00:35:35,305 --> 00:35:38,101
I think, be a backlash
of all the violence

829
00:35:38,136 --> 00:35:39,033
that they're seeing.

830
00:35:39,067 --> 00:35:41,277
I mean, look today on campus,

831
00:35:41,311 --> 00:35:43,693
we just had a demonstration
against the gun violence

832
00:35:43,727 --> 00:35:46,558
that just took place
and the school shooting

833
00:35:46,592 --> 00:35:47,800
that happened a
little while ago

834
00:35:47,835 --> 00:35:49,906
only 30 minutes
away from here.

835
00:35:49,940 --> 00:35:54,117
I think what the kids need
to do is not just deal

836
00:35:54,152 --> 00:35:57,707
with the externals networking
so on and so forth.

837
00:35:57,741 --> 00:35:59,364
That's wonderful.

838
00:35:59,398 --> 00:36:03,057
I think they need to learn how
to develop an inner strength.

839
00:36:03,091 --> 00:36:07,820
They need to learn how to
identify with who they are

840
00:36:07,855 --> 00:36:11,548
and that's something that's
truly missing in our society

841
00:36:11,583 --> 00:36:14,896
and I think that needs to go
hand in hand with the external.

842
00:36:16,346 --> 00:36:17,485
While we're rolling I
just wanna say that,

843
00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:20,419
this is an extraordinary
experience today.

844
00:36:20,454 --> 00:36:24,665
This school, you really,
really went to bat for us.

845
00:36:25,838 --> 00:36:27,495
This might've been the
most important interview

846
00:36:27,530 --> 00:36:29,497
we've done in the movie.

847
00:36:29,532 --> 00:36:32,707
I love you, I salute you,

848
00:36:32,742 --> 00:36:35,193
you are a courageous person.

849
00:36:35,227 --> 00:36:36,366
You're a leader.

850
00:36:36,401 --> 00:36:39,231
You're a person of
faith and you gave us

851
00:36:39,266 --> 00:36:40,784
a great blessing today.

852
00:36:40,819 --> 00:36:42,614
I wanna thank you.

853
00:36:42,648 --> 00:36:44,719
-[crew applauding]
-Thank you.

854
00:36:44,754 --> 00:36:45,755
You're awesome.

855
00:36:45,789 --> 00:36:47,860
Thank you.

856
00:36:47,895 --> 00:36:49,068
Thank you very much.

857
00:36:49,103 --> 00:36:50,622
It's a difficult time
to be growing up.

858
00:36:50,656 --> 00:36:52,382
It is, you know it is.

859
00:36:52,417 --> 00:36:55,282
You can see what's going on
around you in this community.

860
00:36:56,490 --> 00:36:58,285
You can change a lot of that.

861
00:36:58,319 --> 00:37:00,666
You can do things better.

862
00:37:00,701 --> 00:37:03,704
Do not squander the
opportunity you have here.

863
00:37:04,877 --> 00:37:09,157
Soak in every bit of
knowledge you can get

864
00:37:09,192 --> 00:37:12,022
from this institution,
from your faculty,

865
00:37:12,057 --> 00:37:16,061
from your classmates and
realize the power that you have.

866
00:37:17,027 --> 00:37:19,375
Every one of you is significant.

867
00:37:19,409 --> 00:37:22,550
Every one of you is
here for some purpose,

868
00:37:22,585 --> 00:37:25,588
a purpose greater than
what you may think.

869
00:37:25,622 --> 00:37:27,037
As a kid I went
out to Hollywood

870
00:37:27,072 --> 00:37:29,902
and I let Hollywood
convince me otherwise

871
00:37:29,937 --> 00:37:32,560
and I learned to
play their games.

872
00:37:33,423 --> 00:37:34,735
You don't have to do that.

873
00:37:34,769 --> 00:37:37,358
Make a better world.

874
00:37:37,393 --> 00:37:39,222
God bless you, thank
you for coming.

875
00:37:40,327 --> 00:37:43,088
[audience applauding]

876
00:37:43,122 --> 00:37:45,711
[upbeat music]

877
00:38:01,106 --> 00:38:03,488
My name is Nichole
Weaver Hanson,

878
00:38:03,522 --> 00:38:07,388
and my occupation is
Entertainment Attorney.

879
00:38:07,423 --> 00:38:09,252
First of all, it's
a good idea to hire

880
00:38:09,287 --> 00:38:12,462
an entertainment attorney
because entertainment attorneys

881
00:38:12,497 --> 00:38:15,569
know the ins and outs
of the financial aspects

882
00:38:15,603 --> 00:38:17,709
that are involved
with investors.

883
00:38:17,743 --> 00:38:20,539
You have SEC complications
to look into,

884
00:38:20,574 --> 00:38:23,266
you have various states
with different regulations

885
00:38:23,301 --> 00:38:24,474
to look into.

886
00:38:24,509 --> 00:38:26,649
So it's important to
note, to have somebody

887
00:38:26,683 --> 00:38:30,791
who knows the ins and outs
and the possible pitfalls

888
00:38:30,825 --> 00:38:34,173
that you can fall into as an
investor and as a producer.

889
00:38:34,208 --> 00:38:36,866
Best advice I could
give a producer

890
00:38:36,900 --> 00:38:39,489
from an entertainment
attorney standpoint

891
00:38:39,524 --> 00:38:41,905
would be to make
sure that they have

892
00:38:41,940 --> 00:38:46,358
their contracts written
correctly for their investors

893
00:38:46,393 --> 00:38:49,534
to make sure that they have
all the state regulations

894
00:38:49,568 --> 00:38:51,639
and the federal
regulations taken care of

895
00:38:51,674 --> 00:38:54,884
because there's not
just the civil aspect

896
00:38:54,918 --> 00:38:56,748
of somebody's
money being taken.

897
00:38:56,782 --> 00:39:00,683
In other words, that you could
sue me if I was a producer,

898
00:39:00,717 --> 00:39:04,272
it's also that there are
federal issues involved

899
00:39:04,307 --> 00:39:06,965
and you can also have federal
charges and state charges

900
00:39:06,999 --> 00:39:08,829
brought against you

901
00:39:08,863 --> 00:39:10,693
if you don't handle film
investors money correctly.

902
00:39:10,727 --> 00:39:12,833
My name is Richard
Troutman and I go by Rick.

903
00:39:12,867 --> 00:39:15,042
I'm an attorney here in
Winter Park, Florida.

904
00:39:15,076 --> 00:39:17,941
And I think so long as the
person raising the money

905
00:39:17,976 --> 00:39:21,635
finds people who can
understand that language,

906
00:39:21,669 --> 00:39:24,327
that they're probably
gonna lose all their money,

907
00:39:24,362 --> 00:39:26,191
they are aware of the high risk

908
00:39:26,225 --> 00:39:28,952
and they signed that document
knowing what they're signing,

909
00:39:28,987 --> 00:39:32,093
I can't imagine how the
producers of the movie

910
00:39:32,128 --> 00:39:34,889
or the people that raised
the money for the movie,

911
00:39:34,924 --> 00:39:36,408
could have any
legal liability.

912
00:39:36,443 --> 00:39:39,204
I don't think people that
are giving money to a film

913
00:39:39,238 --> 00:39:42,828
really think of
it as a business.

914
00:39:42,863 --> 00:39:45,348
I don't think a business
plan is that helpful

915
00:39:45,383 --> 00:39:48,386
because I think they realize
that it's it's high risk

916
00:39:48,420 --> 00:39:51,423
hopefully with the
chance that if it hits,

917
00:39:51,458 --> 00:39:54,150
if it gets popular
and people watch it,

918
00:39:54,184 --> 00:39:56,048
then they're gonna make,
you know, a lot of money

919
00:39:56,083 --> 00:39:58,672
and they probably shouldn't
put more money in it

920
00:39:58,706 --> 00:40:03,090
than they could easily lose
and not lose any sleep over it.

921
00:40:03,124 --> 00:40:04,919
My name is Kevin Dinneen

922
00:40:04,954 --> 00:40:07,474
and after graduating
from the Wharton School

923
00:40:07,508 --> 00:40:09,717
I spent the majority
of my career

924
00:40:09,752 --> 00:40:12,513
as a real estate
investor and attorney.

925
00:40:12,548 --> 00:40:14,929
I think a business
plan is very important

926
00:40:14,964 --> 00:40:17,863
but I do think it's
much more difficult

927
00:40:17,898 --> 00:40:19,417
in the movie business
than in others

928
00:40:19,451 --> 00:40:22,489
because I don't think
anybody candidly knows

929
00:40:22,523 --> 00:40:25,215
what's gonna catch on and
what your gross is gonna be.

930
00:40:25,733 --> 00:40:27,597
You know, I think it's the
same as in any investment,

931
00:40:27,632 --> 00:40:30,531
a previous track record
and a person who really

932
00:40:30,566 --> 00:40:33,845
has a little
consciousness of budget

933
00:40:33,879 --> 00:40:35,433
to keep the costs
out of control,

934
00:40:35,467 --> 00:40:37,711
because even a great movie,

935
00:40:37,745 --> 00:40:39,816
if the budget's three times
what it's supposed to be,

936
00:40:39,851 --> 00:40:42,232
isn't gonna do much
return for the investor.

937
00:40:42,267 --> 00:40:44,062
I think you better have
a little fun in it too.

938
00:40:44,096 --> 00:40:46,996
And I think you better sort
of believe in the project

939
00:40:47,030 --> 00:40:49,274
and that even if the movie
doesn't make a fortunate,

940
00:40:49,308 --> 00:40:50,896
at least you're proud
that you were part of it.

941
00:40:50,931 --> 00:40:54,486
[soft, exciting music]

942
00:40:56,592 --> 00:40:58,456
[Rick] Let's talk
about Salma Hayek.

943
00:40:58,490 --> 00:41:00,561
How did that come
about in "The Prophet"?

944
00:41:00,596 --> 00:41:04,772
Kahlil Gibran was considered
one of the most popular poets,

945
00:41:04,807 --> 00:41:07,844
in a sense, behind
Shakespeare.

946
00:41:07,879 --> 00:41:09,432
He lived in the Middle East

947
00:41:09,467 --> 00:41:11,020
and then he moved
here and taught

948
00:41:11,054 --> 00:41:14,161
and he wrote this
book, "The Prophet",

949
00:41:14,195 --> 00:41:17,440
which were essays on life.

950
00:41:17,475 --> 00:41:21,582
And they took this book
and decided to make it

951
00:41:21,617 --> 00:41:25,310
into an animated film and
had a different animator

952
00:41:25,344 --> 00:41:27,692
animate each
chapter in the book

953
00:41:27,726 --> 00:41:29,797
the way they saw that chapter.

954
00:41:29,832 --> 00:41:32,179
It's a terrific film.

955
00:41:32,213 --> 00:41:34,250
It was a fascinating
way to do it.

956
00:41:34,284 --> 00:41:37,287
I wrote the business plan
and it was a gentleman

957
00:41:37,322 --> 00:41:41,360
who'd been in my
UCLA extension class,

958
00:41:41,395 --> 00:41:45,433
who was the executive producer
on the film, Will Nex,

959
00:41:45,468 --> 00:41:49,368
who then called me and hired
me to do the business plan.

960
00:41:49,403 --> 00:41:51,578
[Rick] And how did Salma
Hayek become involved?

961
00:41:51,612 --> 00:41:55,133
She became another
executive producer.

962
00:41:55,167 --> 00:41:58,688
She was a fan of
Kahlil Gibran's writings

963
00:41:58,723 --> 00:42:02,520
and she helped raise
the money for the movie.

964
00:42:02,554 --> 00:42:05,971
You can not even begin to
imagine how difficult it was

965
00:42:07,145 --> 00:42:09,906
to try to...

966
00:42:09,941 --> 00:42:11,736
It's a film that
breaks all the rules.

967
00:42:15,291 --> 00:42:17,396
[Salma] Yes, there were many
times where I said,

968
00:42:18,328 --> 00:42:20,607
what, am I crazy?

969
00:42:21,124 --> 00:42:23,471
What was I thinking?

970
00:42:23,506 --> 00:42:28,511
But whatever happens with
the film, every headache,

971
00:42:29,305 --> 00:42:33,240
it's been worth it because
I am very proud of the film

972
00:42:33,274 --> 00:42:35,898
and for the people
who have seen it.

973
00:42:35,932 --> 00:42:37,796
There's been
people who tell me

974
00:42:37,831 --> 00:42:41,697
it is the most inspiring film
I've ever seen in my life.

975
00:42:41,731 --> 00:42:43,181
Maybe not for everyone.

976
00:42:43,215 --> 00:42:48,151
Not everybody wants to seek for
the best silent side of them

977
00:42:49,601 --> 00:42:52,604
and not everybody wants
to remember to be a child.

978
00:42:52,639 --> 00:42:56,228
Not everybody wants to have
a moment with themselves

979
00:42:57,644 --> 00:43:02,338
as they have a good time
but for the people who do,

980
00:43:03,097 --> 00:43:05,962
there's nothing
out there like it.

981
00:43:05,997 --> 00:43:08,033
And this is for them.

982
00:43:08,965 --> 00:43:11,312
[Upbeat, vocal music]

983
00:43:11,347 --> 00:43:12,935
You're gonna be all right.

984
00:43:25,948 --> 00:43:28,571
[Man] My crime, poetry.

985
00:43:28,916 --> 00:43:32,299
As a Lebanese woman,
as a Mexican woman.

986
00:43:34,577 --> 00:43:36,614
What's misunderstood
in general

987
00:43:38,443 --> 00:43:42,723
is that we have to look at

988
00:43:42,758 --> 00:43:44,829
individuals as individuals.

989
00:43:44,863 --> 00:43:48,798
We have to create art pieces

990
00:43:48,833 --> 00:43:53,320
that make people remind
themselves of how precious

991
00:43:53,354 --> 00:43:57,635
we all are and give them
the courage to explore

992
00:43:57,669 --> 00:44:02,087
their uniqueness so we can
find new ways of thinking,

993
00:44:02,674 --> 00:44:04,538
so we can change the world.

994
00:44:04,572 --> 00:44:09,474
I hope the film makes people
curious about their perception

995
00:44:09,992 --> 00:44:12,477
about the Middle
Eastern people.

996
00:44:12,511 --> 00:44:14,306
Yeah. And particularly
when it comes from you,

997
00:44:14,341 --> 00:44:15,687
because everybody knows you.

998
00:44:15,722 --> 00:44:17,585
You're well known
around the world.

999
00:44:17,620 --> 00:44:20,278
And so when you come,
and I loved it in Cannes,

1000
00:44:20,312 --> 00:44:23,315
you stood up and you said,

1001
00:44:23,350 --> 00:44:25,870
I'm also an Arabic
Lebanese actress,

1002
00:44:25,904 --> 00:44:26,940
not only Mexican.

1003
00:44:26,974 --> 00:44:28,217
It's true.

1004
00:44:28,251 --> 00:44:30,944
That means a lot to
people to understand

1005
00:44:30,978 --> 00:44:32,704
that even sometimes...

1006
00:44:32,739 --> 00:44:33,567
I'm proud.

1007
00:44:34,499 --> 00:44:36,087
Proud of me.

1008
00:44:36,121 --> 00:44:38,710
[upbeat music]

1009
00:44:42,231 --> 00:44:45,372
Greg Hopner, I'm
the founder and CEO

1010
00:44:45,406 --> 00:44:48,409
of the G-Star School of the
Arts and G-Star studios.

1011
00:44:48,444 --> 00:44:50,066
[Rick] Let's go back to
when you were a producer,

1012
00:44:50,101 --> 00:44:52,517
did you ever invest
in a motion picture?

1013
00:44:52,551 --> 00:44:54,174
Yeah, that's how I
got into the business.

1014
00:44:54,208 --> 00:44:56,417
I was actually working
with Burt Reynolds

1015
00:44:56,452 --> 00:44:57,867
up at the Burt
Reynolds Theater

1016
00:44:57,902 --> 00:45:00,801
and I was around a lot of movie
stars and I was doing hair.

1017
00:45:00,836 --> 00:45:02,354
I was a hairdresser back then

1018
00:45:02,389 --> 00:45:05,185
and a bunch of people
in the movie industry

1019
00:45:05,219 --> 00:45:07,014
were there obviously
all the time.

1020
00:45:07,049 --> 00:45:08,809
And they came up to
me one day and said,

1021
00:45:08,844 --> 00:45:10,362
do you wanna be a
producer on a movie?

1022
00:45:10,397 --> 00:45:11,709
And I said "yeah,
great, what do I do?"

1023
00:45:11,743 --> 00:45:13,503
And they said, "well,
the producer comes up

1024
00:45:13,538 --> 00:45:14,332
with all the money."

1025
00:45:14,366 --> 00:45:15,782
I said, "oh really?"

1026
00:45:15,816 --> 00:45:17,922
"So you want me to
put up money?"

1027
00:45:17,956 --> 00:45:19,233
"Yeah, sure." So I did.

1028
00:45:21,132 --> 00:45:23,237
And I found out later
that wasn't true.

1029
00:45:24,998 --> 00:45:27,966
My name is Alistair Hunt.

1030
00:45:28,001 --> 00:45:29,934
I have almost 10 years of film

1031
00:45:29,968 --> 00:45:31,867
and television
production experience

1032
00:45:31,901 --> 00:45:34,041
from on-set
production assistant

1033
00:45:34,076 --> 00:45:38,218
and a assisting with two or
three production companies

1034
00:45:38,252 --> 00:45:40,289
in all aspects of production.

1035
00:45:40,323 --> 00:45:44,603
I am trying to be a
independent filmmaker

1036
00:45:44,638 --> 00:45:47,779
and I can tell you that as
I have tried to raise funds

1037
00:45:47,814 --> 00:45:50,092
for my projects and
colleagues' projects,

1038
00:45:50,126 --> 00:45:53,716
it has been by far the biggest
challenge and undertaking

1039
00:45:53,751 --> 00:45:55,925
I've ever considered.

1040
00:45:55,960 --> 00:45:57,237
[Rick] And why is that?

1041
00:45:58,238 --> 00:46:00,723
Rejection [laughs nervously].

1042
00:46:00,758 --> 00:46:02,898
[Rick] Do you ever
regret pursuing

1043
00:46:02,932 --> 00:46:05,970
the motion picture
business as a vocation?

1044
00:46:06,004 --> 00:46:08,110
I absolutely don't
regret pursuing

1045
00:46:08,144 --> 00:46:12,045
the motion picture
industry, the ups and downs,

1046
00:46:12,079 --> 00:46:15,255
the good times, the bad
times have been fabulous.

1047
00:46:15,289 --> 00:46:17,878
[upbeat music]

1048
00:46:23,194 --> 00:46:25,230
I'm Jon Zietz, I'm
a producer director

1049
00:46:25,265 --> 00:46:27,094
and president of
Think Visual Group.

1050
00:46:27,129 --> 00:46:29,200
Almost every project I did in
middle school and high school

1051
00:46:29,234 --> 00:46:31,892
was a film, some kind of short.

1052
00:46:31,927 --> 00:46:33,342
So I loved it.

1053
00:46:33,376 --> 00:46:34,377
I knew that's what I
wanted to do with my life,

1054
00:46:34,412 --> 00:46:36,276
but, at the same time it
needed to be practical

1055
00:46:36,310 --> 00:46:38,450
and I went to the
University of Florida

1056
00:46:38,485 --> 00:46:39,831
where I majored in finance.

1057
00:46:39,866 --> 00:46:41,695
I took every film,
media studies,

1058
00:46:41,729 --> 00:46:43,179
every film course they had,

1059
00:46:43,214 --> 00:46:45,837
my parents always encouraged
me to follow my dreams

1060
00:46:45,872 --> 00:46:47,908
but also have something
to fall back on.

1061
00:46:47,943 --> 00:46:50,221
And so, while I was
going to school,

1062
00:46:50,255 --> 00:46:52,119
while I was getting
that degree,

1063
00:46:52,154 --> 00:46:55,191
I would come home on the
weekends, summer breaks

1064
00:46:55,226 --> 00:46:56,986
and work on first a short film

1065
00:46:57,021 --> 00:46:58,677
and eventually a
feature length film.

1066
00:46:58,712 --> 00:47:01,370
We created a feature
length independent film

1067
00:47:01,404 --> 00:47:02,992
on a $3,000 budget.

1068
00:47:03,027 --> 00:47:04,891
I wrote, produced and directed
the movie with a friend

1069
00:47:04,925 --> 00:47:07,272
and fellow filmmaker and
that experience ended up

1070
00:47:07,307 --> 00:47:09,309
being the film school
that we both never had.

1071
00:47:10,310 --> 00:47:12,036
I like to call it a
psychological drama.

1072
00:47:12,070 --> 00:47:14,797
A kid who's in college finds
out that his twin brother

1073
00:47:14,832 --> 00:47:17,006
who he always thought
was dead and had died

1074
00:47:17,041 --> 00:47:18,870
when he was younger, he's
actually still alive.

1075
00:47:18,905 --> 00:47:20,251
There's a lot of twists
and turns in there,

1076
00:47:20,285 --> 00:47:21,769
but essentially
that's what it is.

1077
00:47:21,804 --> 00:47:24,565
A feature length psychological
drama, very independent.

1078
00:47:26,291 --> 00:47:27,189
[Rick] And what happened

1079
00:47:27,223 --> 00:47:30,295
to this $3,000 feature film?

1080
00:47:30,330 --> 00:47:31,987
So we had a big premiere
for the film locally

1081
00:47:32,021 --> 00:47:33,402
at Cinema Paradiso.

1082
00:47:33,436 --> 00:47:35,300
It was part of a couple
of small film festivals.

1083
00:47:35,335 --> 00:47:38,269
And eventually we actually
secured a distribution deal.

1084
00:47:39,857 --> 00:47:42,204
Went through the entire
process of packaging it

1085
00:47:42,238 --> 00:47:43,688
and getting it ready
for distribution

1086
00:47:43,722 --> 00:47:46,070
only to have about a year
later the distribution company

1087
00:47:46,104 --> 00:47:48,037
actually go out of business.

1088
00:47:48,072 --> 00:47:49,280
My name is Sadie Cabrera.

1089
00:47:49,314 --> 00:47:52,835
I'm a co-founder of Think
Visual Group and I serve as DP.

1090
00:47:52,870 --> 00:47:54,664
Well, I can trace it
back to high school.

1091
00:47:54,699 --> 00:47:58,013
I was in a school where
they had a magnet program

1092
00:47:58,047 --> 00:48:00,843
and they had the largest
broadcasting studio,

1093
00:48:00,878 --> 00:48:02,603
back in 1996.

1094
00:48:02,638 --> 00:48:04,329
And so my, my background,

1095
00:48:04,364 --> 00:48:06,607
you could say that
it was broadcasting.

1096
00:48:06,642 --> 00:48:09,196
And immediately after that one
of my teachers hooked me up

1097
00:48:09,231 --> 00:48:10,715
with a company that was...

1098
00:48:10,749 --> 00:48:12,682
They would shoot
events, social events.

1099
00:48:12,717 --> 00:48:16,686
I started with that and
built basically a business

1100
00:48:16,721 --> 00:48:20,518
or a little bit over 10
years, like 13 years.

1101
00:48:21,657 --> 00:48:24,729
And it was something
that, it taught me a lot.

1102
00:48:24,763 --> 00:48:27,318
Eddie and I first met
each other in 2001

1103
00:48:27,352 --> 00:48:28,733
and actually the
funny thing about it

1104
00:48:28,767 --> 00:48:29,941
is the night that we met,

1105
00:48:29,976 --> 00:48:32,668
we made an award-winning
short film.

1106
00:48:32,702 --> 00:48:34,912
And so we worked together on
a number of other projects

1107
00:48:34,946 --> 00:48:36,914
through the years but we
didn't fully join forces

1108
00:48:36,948 --> 00:48:38,536
until after 2007.

1109
00:48:39,675 --> 00:48:41,884
And ultimately what
prompted that was a trip

1110
00:48:41,919 --> 00:48:43,886
that we took to
the Grand Canyon.

1111
00:48:43,921 --> 00:48:48,718
What? Wow. if we fall, we die.

1112
00:48:48,753 --> 00:48:50,582
And we just decided that
let's take this trip

1113
00:48:50,617 --> 00:48:52,481
and let's try to
formulate something

1114
00:48:52,515 --> 00:48:55,691
and come up with the start of
what it's gonna take for us

1115
00:48:55,725 --> 00:48:56,934
to fulfill our dreams.

1116
00:48:58,004 --> 00:49:00,592
[upbeat music]

1117
00:49:05,183 --> 00:49:10,188
We, at the time, had very
troublesome relationships

1118
00:49:10,395 --> 00:49:13,157
and I think it was almost
like a spiritual thing

1119
00:49:13,191 --> 00:49:15,159
that we wanted to
go all the way down

1120
00:49:15,193 --> 00:49:17,989
and I guess bury
those relationships--

1121
00:49:18,024 --> 00:49:20,233
[both] Leave them at the
bottom of the Grand Canyon.

1122
00:49:20,647 --> 00:49:22,718
December 29th, '07,

1123
00:49:23,891 --> 00:49:27,171
we're inside the Grand
Canyon, it's very cold.

1124
00:49:27,205 --> 00:49:31,140
We still have like four
and a half miles to go.

1125
00:49:31,175 --> 00:49:33,694
I gotta go back
to try to sleep.

1126
00:49:36,697 --> 00:49:37,526
Peace.

1127
00:49:38,906 --> 00:49:40,598
[upbeat music]

1128
00:49:40,632 --> 00:49:42,910
Well, we have that
energy, nature,

1129
00:49:42,945 --> 00:49:46,466
-getting spirit accomplished.
-Spiritual adventure.

1130
00:49:46,500 --> 00:49:47,985
-It's very spiritual.
-Spiritual.

1131
00:49:48,019 --> 00:49:49,572
Very much a
rejuvenating trip.

1132
00:49:49,607 --> 00:49:51,264
Exactly what it needs
to end the year right.

1133
00:49:51,298 --> 00:49:52,368
[Eddie] End the year, right.

1134
00:49:52,403 --> 00:49:54,922
Look at this scenery.

1135
00:49:56,752 --> 00:49:58,754
Once we were there, we
realized it was like,

1136
00:49:58,788 --> 00:50:01,826
look, we both wanna get to
the entertainment industry.

1137
00:50:01,860 --> 00:50:03,069
We wanna make films.

1138
00:50:03,103 --> 00:50:04,553
We had a realization there.

1139
00:50:04,587 --> 00:50:06,762
We said, we're gonna leave
our past lives behind

1140
00:50:06,796 --> 00:50:09,006
and we are going to
concentrate full force

1141
00:50:09,040 --> 00:50:10,145
on how we're
going to make it

1142
00:50:10,179 --> 00:50:11,663
into the entertainment
industry,

1143
00:50:11,698 --> 00:50:14,183
how we're going to
realize our dreams.

1144
00:50:14,218 --> 00:50:17,186
But we also realized we're
not going to do it quickly.

1145
00:50:17,221 --> 00:50:18,705
We'd already learned when you
try to do something too quick,

1146
00:50:18,739 --> 00:50:20,465
that's typically when you fail.

1147
00:50:20,500 --> 00:50:22,605
We both agreed that it would
take us at least a decade

1148
00:50:22,640 --> 00:50:25,332
to transition our company from
corporate to entertainment.

1149
00:50:25,367 --> 00:50:26,506
In fact, it has been,

1150
00:50:26,540 --> 00:50:27,748
-10 years now.
-10 years, yeah.

1151
00:50:27,783 --> 00:50:29,267
Almost exactly 10
years right now

1152
00:50:29,302 --> 00:50:31,511
and we're finally
producing this feature

1153
00:50:31,545 --> 00:50:34,514
which is 15 years after
we produced that last one.

1154
00:50:34,548 --> 00:50:35,342
Right.

1155
00:50:38,932 --> 00:50:41,590
My name is Kujaatele Kweli.

1156
00:50:41,624 --> 00:50:44,213
Most of the people in the
industry called me Kooge.

1157
00:50:44,248 --> 00:50:46,077
I'm an empowerment educator.

1158
00:50:46,112 --> 00:50:49,080
I'm a producer, I'm a
director and I'm a writer.

1159
00:50:49,115 --> 00:50:53,843
Filmmaking is both
an art, a science,

1160
00:50:53,878 --> 00:50:56,122
and it's also a business.

1161
00:50:56,156 --> 00:51:00,540
And if you're not prepared
to excel in all three areas,

1162
00:51:00,574 --> 00:51:02,059
this isn't the
business for you.

1163
00:51:02,093 --> 00:51:03,888
What are they interested in?

1164
00:51:03,922 --> 00:51:06,753
There are people that
are interested in

1165
00:51:06,787 --> 00:51:09,514
not eating animals,
[chuckles]

1166
00:51:09,549 --> 00:51:11,792
not killing animals
and wearing them for clothes.

1167
00:51:11,827 --> 00:51:13,691
There are people
that are interested

1168
00:51:13,725 --> 00:51:16,901
in this whole immigration
struggle that's taking place.

1169
00:51:16,935 --> 00:51:20,042
There are a lot of
people interested in

1170
00:51:20,077 --> 00:51:22,286
various political issues.

1171
00:51:22,320 --> 00:51:24,702
So what you want
to do is put together

1172
00:51:24,736 --> 00:51:27,360
a community of interests.

1173
00:51:27,394 --> 00:51:31,329
Number one, I teach
that you have to have

1174
00:51:31,364 --> 00:51:33,711
a compelling story.

1175
00:51:33,745 --> 00:51:36,023
Content is king.

1176
00:51:36,058 --> 00:51:40,511
So if you don't have that, it
doesn't make any difference

1177
00:51:40,545 --> 00:51:41,581
what you're pitching.

1178
00:51:41,615 --> 00:51:43,203
It's got to be good.

1179
00:51:43,238 --> 00:51:47,000
Then you've got to be able
to tell that story well

1180
00:51:47,034 --> 00:51:49,106
or you can have a
compelling topic,

1181
00:51:49,140 --> 00:51:51,142
but you don't know
how to tell it well.

1182
00:51:51,177 --> 00:51:54,594
And telling it well means
telling it visually.

1183
00:51:54,628 --> 00:51:57,528
I had hair salons and I got
divorced and it was a mess

1184
00:51:57,562 --> 00:52:00,151
and I had to sell them all
off in one thing or another

1185
00:52:00,186 --> 00:52:01,773
and pennies on the dollar

1186
00:52:01,808 --> 00:52:03,948
and I wound up being
absolutely broke.

1187
00:52:03,982 --> 00:52:06,916
All I owned, and at
that point I had a,

1188
00:52:06,951 --> 00:52:08,435
I don't know if anybody
remembers a Geo,

1189
00:52:08,470 --> 00:52:09,919
but it was a little car.

1190
00:52:09,954 --> 00:52:11,162
It was this big.

1191
00:52:11,197 --> 00:52:12,163
Everything I owned
fit in the Geo,

1192
00:52:12,198 --> 00:52:14,821
including my clothes, a computer

1193
00:52:14,855 --> 00:52:18,342
and I had a two drawer
file cabinet in it also.

1194
00:52:18,376 --> 00:52:21,068
You know, I was just broke
and I was cutting hair

1195
00:52:21,103 --> 00:52:23,347
and I thought, well, this
is the end of my life.

1196
00:52:23,381 --> 00:52:26,039
I, you know, I'm not making
any money, hardly gotten here,

1197
00:52:26,073 --> 00:52:27,351
I don't have any skills.

1198
00:52:28,283 --> 00:52:29,422
What do I do?

1199
00:52:29,456 --> 00:52:32,666
And I, in the
middle of the night,

1200
00:52:32,701 --> 00:52:37,084
I woke up and I thought about
my son whom I love dearly

1201
00:52:37,119 --> 00:52:38,810
and he's here now with me,

1202
00:52:38,845 --> 00:52:41,123
but he was six years
old at the time

1203
00:52:41,158 --> 00:52:44,368
and I wanna do
something for him.

1204
00:52:44,402 --> 00:52:47,129
And he loves when we
were doing movies,

1205
00:52:47,164 --> 00:52:49,200
he was always on set and
he loved running around

1206
00:52:49,235 --> 00:52:50,995
and doing all that
kind of stuff.

1207
00:52:51,029 --> 00:52:53,549
So I said, I'll start a
small little video program

1208
00:52:53,584 --> 00:52:57,346
for him at least make him
happy and I'll call it G-Star

1209
00:52:57,381 --> 00:52:58,554
'cause his name is Gregory.

1210
00:52:58,589 --> 00:53:00,487
So it would be Gregory
and then the star

1211
00:53:00,522 --> 00:53:02,282
that would stand for
students in the arts.

1212
00:53:02,317 --> 00:53:04,767
I went and started a summer camp

1213
00:53:04,802 --> 00:53:07,770
for middle school
students and we turned out

1214
00:53:07,805 --> 00:53:11,222
a little half-hour video
cassette format show,

1215
00:53:11,257 --> 00:53:14,881
we finished it and darn
if PBS didn't pick it up.

1216
00:53:14,915 --> 00:53:17,504
And that show lasted
four years on PBS.

1217
00:53:17,539 --> 00:53:20,818
[Rick] What advice would
you give young filmmakers,

1218
00:53:20,852 --> 00:53:24,201
just getting started looking
to raise funds for movies?

1219
00:53:25,340 --> 00:53:27,963
I was taught to,
don't ask for money.

1220
00:53:29,136 --> 00:53:31,000
If you ask for money
you'll get advice,

1221
00:53:31,035 --> 00:53:33,589
you ask for advice,
you'll get some money.

1222
00:53:33,624 --> 00:53:36,213
[upbeat music]

1223
00:53:42,909 --> 00:53:44,359
Somebody came up to me and said,

1224
00:53:44,393 --> 00:53:47,016
you should start a school,
a charter school literally.

1225
00:53:47,051 --> 00:53:48,846
And I said, what do
I want to school for?

1226
00:53:48,880 --> 00:53:50,330
And what's a charter school.

1227
00:53:50,365 --> 00:53:53,264
So anyway, I went down
to the school district

1228
00:53:53,299 --> 00:53:54,679
to sign up for this thing

1229
00:53:54,714 --> 00:53:58,476
and they wound up
giving me a school.

1230
00:53:58,511 --> 00:54:00,823
And I walked out the door
and I had a piece of paper

1231
00:54:00,858 --> 00:54:03,481
and I went, oh, I think I
really made a mistake here.

1232
00:54:04,896 --> 00:54:06,553
And six months later, we opened.

1233
00:54:06,588 --> 00:54:08,797
We opened with 156 kids.

1234
00:54:08,831 --> 00:54:11,178
So I knew I was in profit.

1235
00:54:11,213 --> 00:54:13,284
So each year we added
more kids and more kids

1236
00:54:13,319 --> 00:54:15,148
and now we have
over a thousand here

1237
00:54:16,218 --> 00:54:17,840
and we built our soundstage.

1238
00:54:17,875 --> 00:54:19,394
We started doing other
things and it just grew

1239
00:54:19,428 --> 00:54:22,397
into a full regular
motion picture studio.

1240
00:54:24,399 --> 00:54:27,264
We wanna change certain
things that we see

1241
00:54:27,298 --> 00:54:29,921
that are wrong or
not being done right

1242
00:54:29,956 --> 00:54:33,028
and put them in the most
beautiful form of art

1243
00:54:33,062 --> 00:54:36,445
that I believe the world has
ever seen, which is filmmaking.

1244
00:54:36,480 --> 00:54:38,654
You get to play with all
the spectrum of things that,

1245
00:54:38,689 --> 00:54:42,520
you know, from sound,
lighting, camera work,

1246
00:54:42,555 --> 00:54:45,178
through all of the different
arts that have existed

1247
00:54:45,212 --> 00:54:46,593
and we get to play with them.

1248
00:54:46,628 --> 00:54:48,561
So it it's phenomenal.

1249
00:54:48,595 --> 00:54:51,495
I think there is no end because
ultimately I'm hoping that

1250
00:54:51,529 --> 00:54:53,290
the films I make
will live on forever

1251
00:54:53,324 --> 00:54:55,084
and that is
ultimately my legacy.

1252
00:54:55,119 --> 00:54:57,466
I believe that the power
is there in filmmaking

1253
00:54:57,501 --> 00:54:59,123
and in film to do that.

1254
00:54:59,157 --> 00:55:00,780
You can change the
world with what we do.

1255
00:55:00,814 --> 00:55:03,369
[upbeat music]

1256
00:55:09,823 --> 00:55:13,068
[upbeat music continues]

1257
00:55:30,775 --> 00:55:32,363
My name is Kim Karel Zink

1258
00:55:32,398 --> 00:55:34,848
and I'm a Senior Account
Manager here at Production Hub.

1259
00:55:34,952 --> 00:55:39,094
Production Hub is an online
directory at its core.

1260
00:55:39,128 --> 00:55:42,062
We're a global network of
local crew and vendors.

1261
00:55:42,097 --> 00:55:45,480
Production Hub is a resource
for kind of both sides

1262
00:55:45,514 --> 00:55:47,999
of the supply and demand chain.

1263
00:55:48,034 --> 00:55:51,071
We work with people that
are looking for crew,

1264
00:55:51,106 --> 00:55:55,593
vendors, freelancers facilities
for any of their production,

1265
00:55:55,628 --> 00:55:58,389
post production
live event needs

1266
00:55:58,424 --> 00:55:59,597
and then we work
with the people

1267
00:55:59,632 --> 00:56:01,116
that provide those services.

1268
00:56:01,150 --> 00:56:03,498
My tips for people that are
trying to finance and get money

1269
00:56:03,532 --> 00:56:05,223
for their own film is to ask.

1270
00:56:05,258 --> 00:56:06,742
If you don't ask
you, don't get.

1271
00:56:06,777 --> 00:56:09,573
I think a lot of people
passively ask these days.

1272
00:56:09,607 --> 00:56:12,403
I think there are great tools
for that with social media

1273
00:56:12,438 --> 00:56:14,060
and Kickstarter
and it's wonderful,

1274
00:56:14,094 --> 00:56:17,408
but focus in on specific
people and ask them.

1275
00:56:17,443 --> 00:56:18,651
It's just like sales.

1276
00:56:18,685 --> 00:56:20,618
You're trying to
sell your product.

1277
00:56:20,653 --> 00:56:22,033
You're trying to sell yourself

1278
00:56:22,068 --> 00:56:24,242
and have people believe
in you and invest in you

1279
00:56:24,277 --> 00:56:25,796
and your film and your project.

1280
00:56:25,830 --> 00:56:27,384
So ask them directly.

1281
00:56:27,418 --> 00:56:30,248
If they say, no, that's only
going to help you move on

1282
00:56:30,283 --> 00:56:31,698
to the next person.

1283
00:56:31,733 --> 00:56:34,701
So just ask them, just come
right out up, you know,

1284
00:56:34,736 --> 00:56:36,462
everyone, call them.

1285
00:56:36,496 --> 00:56:37,428
Pick up a phone and call them.

1286
00:56:37,463 --> 00:56:39,016
If they say no, they say no,

1287
00:56:39,050 --> 00:56:41,363
but it's gonna be very hard
for someone to say, no,

1288
00:56:41,398 --> 00:56:43,089
if they've been asked directly.

1289
00:56:43,123 --> 00:56:45,402
People will have no
problem ignoring, you know,

1290
00:56:45,436 --> 00:56:46,817
a social post or an email

1291
00:56:46,851 --> 00:56:48,957
but if you pick up the
phone and call someone,

1292
00:56:48,991 --> 00:56:51,891
I bet you'll get a yes,
I bet you get something.

1293
00:56:51,925 --> 00:56:53,064
My name is Jenelle Jordan.

1294
00:56:53,099 --> 00:56:55,308
I'm a Production Manager
at Production Hub.

1295
00:56:55,342 --> 00:56:58,656
We work with folks that
call in or, you know,

1296
00:56:58,691 --> 00:57:02,211
fill out our web form
and find out their needs,

1297
00:57:02,246 --> 00:57:04,835
their budgets and then help
in any part of the process.

1298
00:57:04,869 --> 00:57:07,113
You know, whether it's
just finding the cameraman

1299
00:57:07,147 --> 00:57:09,736
and handing off the
information or, you know,

1300
00:57:09,771 --> 00:57:14,085
helping out with call sheets
or scheduling,

1301
00:57:14,120 --> 00:57:18,262
visits to studios, site visits,
event logistics,

1302
00:57:18,296 --> 00:57:19,401
anything like that.

1303
00:57:19,436 --> 00:57:21,230
For filmmakers
trying to raise money

1304
00:57:21,265 --> 00:57:24,199
my first go-to,
you know, resource

1305
00:57:24,233 --> 00:57:26,304
is always your
local government.

1306
00:57:26,339 --> 00:57:31,275
So whether it's a film
office or film commissioner

1307
00:57:31,309 --> 00:57:33,139
or your local
representatives, you know,

1308
00:57:33,173 --> 00:57:35,382
see if there is any
incentives locally.

1309
00:57:35,417 --> 00:57:37,799
If not, you know, start
researching grants.

1310
00:57:37,833 --> 00:57:39,283
You'd be surprised
by the amount of,

1311
00:57:39,317 --> 00:57:41,492
even small couple
thousand dollars grants.

1312
00:57:41,527 --> 00:57:43,943
But that adds up
quickly,

1313
00:57:43,977 --> 00:57:45,531
every little bit helps.

1314
00:57:45,565 --> 00:57:49,120
And then, you have
great things like GoFundMe,

1315
00:57:49,155 --> 00:57:52,054
philanthropic, different
opportunities

1316
00:57:52,089 --> 00:57:54,436
for documentaries
and stuff like that.

1317
00:57:54,471 --> 00:57:56,749
So there are a lot of
different resources.

1318
00:57:56,783 --> 00:57:58,578
Use your local
resources and network

1319
00:57:58,613 --> 00:58:00,407
and build relationships
with people.

1320
00:58:00,442 --> 00:58:01,961
Don't try and do
everything online.

1321
00:58:01,995 --> 00:58:06,206
Even though we are, a very
internet focused world,

1322
00:58:06,241 --> 00:58:08,692
meet people face to
face, go to trade shows.

1323
00:58:08,726 --> 00:58:10,417
You never know who
you're gonna meet,

1324
00:58:10,452 --> 00:58:11,902
what you're gonna win.

1325
00:58:11,936 --> 00:58:15,077
I've met so many people that
win cameras and equipment

1326
00:58:15,112 --> 00:58:17,010
at trade shows
because they go in

1327
00:58:17,045 --> 00:58:18,840
and they put their name
in and they come back

1328
00:58:18,874 --> 00:58:21,049
and there's a drawing
and there you go.

1329
00:58:21,083 --> 00:58:23,154
And support those
local organizations.

1330
00:58:23,189 --> 00:58:24,431
They need your support too.

1331
00:58:24,466 --> 00:58:26,364
You don't know how
you can help them

1332
00:58:26,399 --> 00:58:27,849
later on down the road.

1333
00:58:27,883 --> 00:58:30,230
There might be people that are
looking to do the same thing

1334
00:58:30,265 --> 00:58:32,854
that you're trying to do
and meeting up with them,

1335
00:58:32,888 --> 00:58:36,478
collaborating, joining
forces that might

1336
00:58:36,513 --> 00:58:39,412
be the secret ingredient to
getting you where you want to go

1337
00:58:39,446 --> 00:58:41,794
with your project, with
your career as a whole.

1338
00:58:47,696 --> 00:58:50,009
My name is Ken Hickman.

1339
00:58:50,043 --> 00:58:54,082
I have raised millions of
dollars for the movies.

1340
00:58:54,116 --> 00:58:56,671
After 20 years in California,

1341
00:58:56,705 --> 00:58:59,777
I knew a lot of the movie
people and a lot of the actors

1342
00:58:59,812 --> 00:59:02,504
and a lot of the
producers I ran with them.

1343
00:59:02,539 --> 00:59:06,957
I would never
invest in a movie.

1344
00:59:06,991 --> 00:59:08,924
Last thing I would ever do.

1345
00:59:08,959 --> 00:59:13,619
I moved to Orlando to
expand our insurance company

1346
00:59:13,653 --> 00:59:16,518
and I met some fellows
from Universal.

1347
00:59:16,553 --> 00:59:19,797
They kept after me for about
a year to invest in a movie

1348
00:59:19,832 --> 00:59:24,181
and I just wouldn't have
anything to do with that.

1349
00:59:24,215 --> 00:59:28,219
But we became good friends
and after about a year,

1350
00:59:28,254 --> 00:59:31,464
I went home one night and
I told my wife, I said,

1351
00:59:31,498 --> 00:59:33,259
these guys are different.

1352
00:59:33,293 --> 00:59:36,158
They have a passion
I've never seen before

1353
00:59:36,193 --> 00:59:38,367
for the movie business.

1354
00:59:38,402 --> 00:59:41,370
And I said, I'm gonna
take a small plunge.

1355
00:59:42,233 --> 00:59:46,237
And I did during a premier.

1356
00:59:46,272 --> 00:59:50,241
I was so impressed, again,

1357
00:59:50,276 --> 00:59:52,036
with the drive and the passion

1358
00:59:52,071 --> 00:59:54,280
and the professionalism.

1359
00:59:54,314 --> 00:59:57,076
And they asked me to help
them out to raise some money

1360
00:59:57,110 --> 00:59:59,803
and I got involved.

1361
01:00:01,287 --> 01:00:05,878
We had some successes and 20
years later, still involved.

1362
01:00:07,051 --> 01:00:09,329
Well, basically I've
raised a lot of money.

1363
01:00:09,364 --> 01:00:12,298
Primarily I've raised money
from either the federal

1364
01:00:12,332 --> 01:00:13,230
or the local government.

1365
01:00:13,264 --> 01:00:15,025
I've raised money, for example,

1366
01:00:15,059 --> 01:00:17,683
from the Department of Justice,

1367
01:00:17,717 --> 01:00:20,755
for anti-drug
prevention campaigns,

1368
01:00:20,789 --> 01:00:22,688
from their Orlando
Tech Health department,

1369
01:00:22,722 --> 01:00:25,104
for teenage
pregnancy prevention.

1370
01:00:25,138 --> 01:00:29,833
I raised money from foundations
for a documentary series

1371
01:00:31,386 --> 01:00:35,252
on resident ownership
of public housing.

1372
01:00:35,286 --> 01:00:39,739
Most students and people want
to go get money from, is the

1373
01:00:39,774 --> 01:00:42,121
actual worst place
to get money from.

1374
01:00:42,155 --> 01:00:43,916
And that is people
in the industry,

1375
01:00:43,950 --> 01:00:45,918
people in Hollywood,
they don't have money.

1376
01:00:45,952 --> 01:00:48,161
They may have contacts but
they're not gonna put money

1377
01:00:48,196 --> 01:00:49,473
into your project.

1378
01:00:49,507 --> 01:00:51,682
Oddly enough, the
place to get money

1379
01:00:51,717 --> 01:00:54,547
is from people that
don't have luxury jobs

1380
01:00:54,581 --> 01:00:56,273
in the entertainment business.

1381
01:00:56,307 --> 01:01:00,967
Most investors honestly
come from your friends

1382
01:01:01,002 --> 01:01:02,486
and associates.

1383
01:01:02,520 --> 01:01:05,869
Essentially, this is the
key to raising money.

1384
01:01:05,903 --> 01:01:08,872
First, you establish
relationships,

1385
01:01:10,321 --> 01:01:13,877
and then you ask people
that you have relationships

1386
01:01:13,911 --> 01:01:15,119
for money.

1387
01:01:15,154 --> 01:01:18,122
See, opportunities
are plentiful.

1388
01:01:18,157 --> 01:01:20,193
Money is plentiful.

1389
01:01:20,228 --> 01:01:22,886
Relationships are rare.

1390
01:01:22,920 --> 01:01:26,268
I'm Jeanette Bliss,
and I'm a realtor.

1391
01:01:26,303 --> 01:01:30,410
I'm Tom bliss and I
am also a realtor.

1392
01:01:30,445 --> 01:01:32,067
[Rick] How would
you characterize

1393
01:01:32,102 --> 01:01:36,451
the whole business of
fundraising for movies?

1394
01:01:36,485 --> 01:01:39,626
I would look at it as
more of an opportunity

1395
01:01:39,661 --> 01:01:43,078
to invest money and be
sure that they understand

1396
01:01:43,113 --> 01:01:45,702
the rules of the game.

1397
01:01:45,736 --> 01:01:48,843
[Rick] Is different selling
a piece of real estate

1398
01:01:48,877 --> 01:01:51,846
versus selling someone
an interest in a movie?

1399
01:01:51,880 --> 01:01:53,330
I don't think so.

1400
01:01:53,364 --> 01:01:56,609
Everybody's got a hot button
and you need to find it,

1401
01:01:56,643 --> 01:01:59,819
whether it's real estate or
a investment into a movie.

1402
01:01:59,854 --> 01:02:02,132
Different things, turn
different people on

1403
01:02:02,166 --> 01:02:04,755
and you need to read the
people and find that out.

1404
01:02:04,790 --> 01:02:06,584
This film industry,
as you well know,

1405
01:02:06,619 --> 01:02:09,760
is extremely different
and could be difficult.

1406
01:02:09,795 --> 01:02:12,694
Raising money for
a film is not easy.

1407
01:02:12,729 --> 01:02:14,454
It's one thing to
find the money,

1408
01:02:14,489 --> 01:02:16,284
it's another thing
to get the check.

1409
01:02:16,318 --> 01:02:21,323
They think, movie stars
and the industry itself

1410
01:02:22,324 --> 01:02:26,570
being wild and unpredictable
and some success

1411
01:02:26,604 --> 01:02:29,159
and they know big names that
are going to be successful

1412
01:02:29,193 --> 01:02:34,095
so I think if you had
somebody very successful

1413
01:02:34,129 --> 01:02:36,097
that would walk in
and be in a movie

1414
01:02:36,131 --> 01:02:39,272
you'd probably
have more response

1415
01:02:39,307 --> 01:02:41,965
but yeah, in general,
they roll their eyes.

1416
01:02:41,999 --> 01:02:44,208
[Rick] Most people think
Hollywood or filmmaking

1417
01:02:44,243 --> 01:02:47,004
is a big con game
and they're like,

1418
01:02:47,039 --> 01:02:48,730
"ah, I don't want
anything to do with it."

1419
01:02:48,765 --> 01:02:49,593
Why is that?

1420
01:02:51,353 --> 01:02:54,563
There's a lot of evidence
out there that, uh...

1421
01:02:56,220 --> 01:02:57,463
they're right,

1422
01:02:58,015 --> 01:02:59,568
in a lot of cases.

1423
01:02:59,603 --> 01:03:03,020
How many movies, uh,

1424
01:03:03,055 --> 01:03:05,920
big movies have been made,

1425
01:03:05,954 --> 01:03:08,612
where the investor
didn't get one dime back?

1426
01:03:08,715 --> 01:03:12,202
I've never brought an
investor in, to my knowledge

1427
01:03:12,236 --> 01:03:13,824
that I don't say, look,

1428
01:03:13,859 --> 01:03:18,242
if you can't afford to
lose $10,000 on a card game

1429
01:03:18,277 --> 01:03:22,453
in Las Vegas in a night's time,
don't invest in a movie.

1430
01:03:22,488 --> 01:03:24,317
And there was no sense of
trying to sell somebody

1431
01:03:24,352 --> 01:03:26,664
a black suit if came
in to buy a white suit.

1432
01:03:26,699 --> 01:03:29,288
So you've got to really
evaluate who you're talking to.

1433
01:03:29,322 --> 01:03:31,635
And you're right, the
international buyer

1434
01:03:31,669 --> 01:03:33,119
is totally different.

1435
01:03:33,154 --> 01:03:37,848
Their motives, their goals,
the way they communicate,

1436
01:03:37,883 --> 01:03:40,230
their aggressiveness,
they're totally different

1437
01:03:40,264 --> 01:03:42,784
than your domestic investor.

1438
01:03:42,819 --> 01:03:44,855
One reason why we've
been so successful

1439
01:03:44,890 --> 01:03:48,790
is that we have come across
honest and we are honest.

1440
01:03:48,825 --> 01:03:50,585
That's very important.

1441
01:03:50,619 --> 01:03:53,588
Just don't tell the investor
what he wants to hear.

1442
01:03:53,622 --> 01:03:55,003
Tell him the facts.

1443
01:03:55,038 --> 01:03:58,075
And I have found out
something over the years,

1444
01:03:58,110 --> 01:03:59,905
nothing happens overnight.

1445
01:04:01,354 --> 01:04:04,219
If you don't have patience
you're probably gonna be

1446
01:04:04,254 --> 01:04:06,739
in a lot of trouble and
it's never gonna happen.

1447
01:04:06,773 --> 01:04:11,709
Some of the greatest movies
ever made take 10, 20, 30 years

1448
01:04:12,779 --> 01:04:14,540
to get on the big screen.

1449
01:04:16,335 --> 01:04:18,958
And you can have, uh,

1450
01:04:18,993 --> 01:04:25,516
13 signed contracts for
all the money,

1451
01:04:25,689 --> 01:04:28,174
13 different times

1452
01:04:28,209 --> 01:04:33,214
and all of a sudden there's
a real estate crunch.

1453
01:04:33,904 --> 01:04:37,390
All of a sudden there's
a stock market crash.

1454
01:04:37,425 --> 01:04:40,083
All of a sudden, one
of your key investors

1455
01:04:40,117 --> 01:04:43,914
or two or three of
them pass away.

1456
01:04:44,777 --> 01:04:47,884
You've just got to stick to
it and make sure it happens.

1457
01:04:49,057 --> 01:04:50,610
And you can't ever give up.

1458
01:04:56,478 --> 01:04:59,654
[soft music]

1459
01:04:59,688 --> 01:05:01,690
I'm Chuck Elderd,
Film Commissioner,

1460
01:05:01,725 --> 01:05:02,933
Palm Beach, County, Florida.

1461
01:05:02,968 --> 01:05:05,280
Well, the first thing we
do is attract filmmakers

1462
01:05:05,315 --> 01:05:06,799
to an area.

1463
01:05:06,833 --> 01:05:09,284
So it's an invitation for
filmmakers to come and shoot

1464
01:05:09,319 --> 01:05:10,803
in that jurisdiction.

1465
01:05:10,837 --> 01:05:13,840
We also make it extremely
easy for filmmakers to shoot

1466
01:05:13,875 --> 01:05:15,773
because we tell them
where they can shoot,

1467
01:05:15,808 --> 01:05:17,154
most of all, where
they can't shoot

1468
01:05:17,189 --> 01:05:19,363
because they may fall
in love with a location

1469
01:05:19,398 --> 01:05:20,571
and all of a sudden
they find out

1470
01:05:20,606 --> 01:05:22,228
they can't use that location.

1471
01:05:22,263 --> 01:05:25,024
And then we are responsible
for helping them do two things,

1472
01:05:25,059 --> 01:05:27,544
stay on time and
stay on budget.

1473
01:05:27,578 --> 01:05:29,442
We are part of the
production crew

1474
01:05:29,477 --> 01:05:31,341
and that's the first
thing we look at.

1475
01:05:31,375 --> 01:05:33,964
And when we take
that responsibility,

1476
01:05:33,999 --> 01:05:36,001
it's not just when you
come here and shoot,

1477
01:05:36,035 --> 01:05:38,279
it's when we talk to you on
the telephone and we say,

1478
01:05:38,313 --> 01:05:40,177
we have your
location or we don't.

1479
01:05:40,212 --> 01:05:42,317
We have wonderful shorelines.

1480
01:05:42,352 --> 01:05:43,801
We have wonderful
other locations.

1481
01:05:43,836 --> 01:05:46,632
And we have 2,000 square
miles of gorgeous locations.

1482
01:05:46,666 --> 01:05:49,290
All of this is the kind of
location you wanna shoot in

1483
01:05:49,324 --> 01:05:50,981
if it matches your script

1484
01:05:51,016 --> 01:05:53,708
because then you have
to have the cooperation

1485
01:05:53,742 --> 01:05:56,607
and that is what the film
commission is here to do.

1486
01:05:56,642 --> 01:05:58,437
All of the services
that you're looking for

1487
01:05:58,471 --> 01:06:00,715
we can help you
provide on your budget.

1488
01:06:01,164 --> 01:06:02,268
Hi, I'm Christy Andreoni

1489
01:06:02,303 --> 01:06:03,718
and I'm the
Production Director

1490
01:06:03,752 --> 01:06:06,169
with the Palm Beach County
Film and Television Commission.

1491
01:06:06,203 --> 01:06:07,549
First starting out
in the industry,

1492
01:06:07,584 --> 01:06:09,620
I had no idea that film
commissions existed

1493
01:06:09,655 --> 01:06:10,967
and I didn't know
that government

1494
01:06:11,001 --> 01:06:12,382
got involved in the industry.

1495
01:06:12,416 --> 01:06:13,797
But the more I
was exposed to it,

1496
01:06:13,831 --> 01:06:15,972
the more I saw how
beneficial it can be

1497
01:06:16,006 --> 01:06:18,146
when you're an independent
filmmaker or otherwise

1498
01:06:18,181 --> 01:06:19,941
because you have a place to go

1499
01:06:19,976 --> 01:06:21,667
in no matter what
community you visit

1500
01:06:21,701 --> 01:06:24,773
where you can get all expert
information on locations,

1501
01:06:24,808 --> 01:06:26,568
on what kind of
regulations there are,

1502
01:06:26,603 --> 01:06:28,674
on what kind of
permits might be needed

1503
01:06:28,708 --> 01:06:30,227
and what kind of crew is there,

1504
01:06:30,262 --> 01:06:31,746
on what kind of
catering companies

1505
01:06:31,780 --> 01:06:33,472
might be best to work with.

1506
01:06:33,506 --> 01:06:34,956
How do you talk to filmmakers

1507
01:06:34,991 --> 01:06:37,476
as a state that currently
doesn't have incentives?

1508
01:06:37,510 --> 01:06:38,822
The message back to filmmakers,

1509
01:06:38,856 --> 01:06:40,582
especially young filmmakers is,

1510
01:06:40,617 --> 01:06:43,137
sometimes those incentives
that you hear about

1511
01:06:43,171 --> 01:06:45,277
the motion pictures
getting are more difficult

1512
01:06:45,311 --> 01:06:48,073
to handle on your budget
because the incentives

1513
01:06:48,107 --> 01:06:50,282
comes with responsibilities.

1514
01:06:50,316 --> 01:06:51,973
They call them deliverables.

1515
01:06:52,008 --> 01:06:53,457
So if you're gonna
get an incentive,

1516
01:06:53,492 --> 01:06:56,529
you wanna know what is the
criteria for using that?

1517
01:06:56,564 --> 01:06:59,463
And maybe it doesn't fit into
your script or your budget.

1518
01:06:59,498 --> 01:07:00,947
There is no free money.

1519
01:07:00,982 --> 01:07:03,295
The money comes with
responsibilities.

1520
01:07:03,329 --> 01:07:05,607
The money comes with red tape

1521
01:07:05,642 --> 01:07:08,196
that you may not want
to be involved in

1522
01:07:08,231 --> 01:07:10,509
and only experience
will tell you that.

1523
01:07:10,543 --> 01:07:13,270
What we have to do in the
absence of the incentive

1524
01:07:13,305 --> 01:07:15,652
is make everything else
better than anything else

1525
01:07:15,686 --> 01:07:16,825
they're gonna find.

1526
01:07:16,860 --> 01:07:18,413
With Florida, that
kind of comes naturally

1527
01:07:18,448 --> 01:07:20,795
because there's such a
diversity of locations,

1528
01:07:20,829 --> 01:07:22,279
sunny year round weather.

1529
01:07:22,314 --> 01:07:24,661
What we have to do beyond
that is really offer

1530
01:07:24,695 --> 01:07:26,490
the best service
we possibly can.

1531
01:07:26,525 --> 01:07:29,079
So that's having a
staff available 24/7

1532
01:07:29,114 --> 01:07:30,460
to address their concerns,

1533
01:07:30,494 --> 01:07:32,462
that's being actively involved

1534
01:07:32,496 --> 01:07:34,291
with location scouting
process to make sure

1535
01:07:34,326 --> 01:07:35,810
that they come here and film.

1536
01:07:35,844 --> 01:07:38,537
And all we can do is make
sure that every other aspect

1537
01:07:38,571 --> 01:07:42,575
of production here is the
most ideal it can possibly be.

1538
01:07:42,610 --> 01:07:44,819
When you're filming in
these major production hubs

1539
01:07:44,853 --> 01:07:46,821
in LA or New York
you're not gonna have

1540
01:07:46,855 --> 01:07:49,272
some of the barriers
here that you have there.

1541
01:07:49,306 --> 01:07:51,998
We wouldn't be a film commission
without Burt Reynolds.

1542
01:07:52,033 --> 01:07:55,001
I'm very fond of Burt
and I'm always impressed

1543
01:07:55,036 --> 01:07:57,901
with how much he cares
about the young people

1544
01:07:57,935 --> 01:07:59,385
in our community.

1545
01:07:59,420 --> 01:08:02,112
Once a year we have him in the
student showcase for films.

1546
01:08:02,147 --> 01:08:05,115
He gives a grant to
young students here

1547
01:08:05,150 --> 01:08:07,255
that meet with him
and interview with him

1548
01:08:07,290 --> 01:08:09,671
and he's still teaching
well into his 80s

1549
01:08:09,706 --> 01:08:11,156
as well as still acting.

1550
01:08:11,190 --> 01:08:15,367
So we're proud to call Burt
Reynolds our favorite son.

1551
01:08:15,401 --> 01:08:17,852
[Rick] What advice would
you give a filmmaker

1552
01:08:17,886 --> 01:08:19,129
looking for funding?

1553
01:08:19,164 --> 01:08:21,338
Have a really good story.

1554
01:08:22,443 --> 01:08:25,929
There are a lot of
projects that may sound

1555
01:08:25,963 --> 01:08:29,622
like they're
really good to you.

1556
01:08:29,657 --> 01:08:31,728
They may even
look good on paper

1557
01:08:31,762 --> 01:08:34,455
but we are in the entertainment
business, and storytelling

1558
01:08:34,489 --> 01:08:36,042
is first and foremost.

1559
01:08:36,077 --> 01:08:38,631
So know that you
can tell that story.

1560
01:08:38,666 --> 01:08:41,117
When you start throwing
in the locations

1561
01:08:41,151 --> 01:08:43,671
and the attachments know that
you can get the money to pay

1562
01:08:43,705 --> 01:08:46,708
for that story to be told
to where it is entertaining.

1563
01:08:46,743 --> 01:08:50,850
The rest of it is do
your homework, research.

1564
01:08:50,885 --> 01:08:53,025
A potential film
investor wants to know

1565
01:08:53,059 --> 01:08:54,613
you have your ducks in a row.

1566
01:08:54,647 --> 01:08:58,168
That you know that your film
is gone to shoot from A to Z.

1567
01:08:58,203 --> 01:08:59,928
Not only is the
permit important,

1568
01:08:59,963 --> 01:09:02,517
your investor's gonna wanna
know you're gonna have insurance

1569
01:09:02,552 --> 01:09:03,898
and you're gonna get permits

1570
01:09:03,932 --> 01:09:05,279
and under what circumstances

1571
01:09:05,313 --> 01:09:07,004
you're going to
do those things.

1572
01:09:07,039 --> 01:09:09,731
You cannot take a
shortcut in making a film

1573
01:09:09,766 --> 01:09:12,182
and think you can do it
without permits and insurance.

1574
01:09:12,217 --> 01:09:14,150
And that's the bottom line
to getting the confidence

1575
01:09:14,184 --> 01:09:15,012
of a financier.

1576
01:09:24,229 --> 01:09:26,507
My name is P.J Marks
and I'm an investor.

1577
01:09:26,541 --> 01:09:28,612
I actually have worked
on several movies.

1578
01:09:28,647 --> 01:09:30,166
One of the ones I worked
on was called "Meatballs 4"

1579
01:09:30,200 --> 01:09:31,374
and it was a water ski movie

1580
01:09:31,408 --> 01:09:33,548
and I was the water
ski coordinator.

1581
01:09:33,583 --> 01:09:35,240
[Rick] And how did
you get that job?

1582
01:09:35,274 --> 01:09:37,103
I was actually working
at SeaWorld at the time

1583
01:09:37,138 --> 01:09:40,037
and I intercepted a phone
call and kind of stole it.

1584
01:09:40,072 --> 01:09:42,868
And then I've also worked
on one that I produced.

1585
01:09:42,902 --> 01:09:44,628
It was a wakeboarding
instructional DVD

1586
01:09:44,663 --> 01:09:46,112
called "The Book DVD".

1587
01:09:46,147 --> 01:09:48,184
They owned a Wakeboard Camp at
the time and all my students

1588
01:09:48,218 --> 01:09:50,841
were asking for a
wakeboarding instructional DVD

1589
01:09:50,876 --> 01:09:52,326
and there really wasn't
a good one at the time

1590
01:09:52,360 --> 01:09:53,879
so I got together with a
couple of friends of mine

1591
01:09:53,913 --> 01:09:55,605
and we put it together
and I put up the money

1592
01:09:55,639 --> 01:09:57,089
and it did really well.

1593
01:09:57,123 --> 01:09:59,402
I think we got about a 38
times return on my investment.

1594
01:09:59,436 --> 01:10:01,680
My name is John English

1595
01:10:01,714 --> 01:10:04,234
and I'm a retired
government worker.

1596
01:10:04,269 --> 01:10:06,685
[Rick] Have you ever
invested in a motion picture?

1597
01:10:06,719 --> 01:10:07,927
Oh yes.

1598
01:10:07,962 --> 01:10:11,690
I started out small
and when I learned

1599
01:10:11,724 --> 01:10:13,588
what I was doing somewhat,

1600
01:10:13,623 --> 01:10:16,108
then I started moving
on to bigger projects.

1601
01:10:16,142 --> 01:10:18,766
I was very reluctant at first.

1602
01:10:18,800 --> 01:10:21,424
What type of financial
return do you expect

1603
01:10:21,458 --> 01:10:23,771
to see on a movie
you invest in?

1604
01:10:23,805 --> 01:10:26,843
Well, I hope to see
my initial investment

1605
01:10:26,877 --> 01:10:29,708
or at least two and a
half times the investment

1606
01:10:29,742 --> 01:10:32,262
then royalty checks
every 90 days.

1607
01:10:32,297 --> 01:10:33,229
[Rick] Oh, excuse me.

1608
01:10:33,263 --> 01:10:34,299
Scott has walking
in on the set.

1609
01:10:34,333 --> 01:10:36,232
Scott, what's going on?

1610
01:10:36,266 --> 01:10:37,612
John, I wanna thank you

1611
01:10:37,647 --> 01:10:40,132
for being one of my
most loyal investors

1612
01:10:40,166 --> 01:10:41,409
over the past 10 years

1613
01:10:42,928 --> 01:10:44,861
and instead of mailing the
checks, here's a few checks.

1614
01:10:44,895 --> 01:10:46,138
So open them up if you want.

1615
01:10:46,172 --> 01:10:48,002
Okay, sure will.

1616
01:10:49,245 --> 01:10:52,455
Okay. I love it every 90
days when this happens.

1617
01:10:52,489 --> 01:10:54,319
There's approximately
three checks there.

1618
01:10:54,353 --> 01:10:56,355
Well, there's one
I'm very happy with.

1619
01:10:58,288 --> 01:11:01,084
There's another one
I'm very happy with.

1620
01:11:01,118 --> 01:11:03,189
So out of the three,
I'm really happy.

1621
01:11:03,224 --> 01:11:06,986
One's a smaller one but I've
expected that over the years

1622
01:11:07,021 --> 01:11:08,436
for it to diminish.

1623
01:11:08,471 --> 01:11:10,438
I have never actually
invested in a movie before.

1624
01:11:10,473 --> 01:11:11,922
This is my first chance.

1625
01:11:11,957 --> 01:11:14,684
I knew some of the people
involved who were great people

1626
01:11:14,718 --> 01:11:17,928
and I thought it was an
interesting diversification

1627
01:11:17,963 --> 01:11:19,309
of investments.

1628
01:11:19,344 --> 01:11:21,863
What turns you on about
investing in a movie?

1629
01:11:21,898 --> 01:11:24,314
The fact that a there
can be potentially

1630
01:11:24,349 --> 01:11:27,455
a very high return in
a short period of time

1631
01:11:27,490 --> 01:11:30,251
but I think it's counter
cyclical to real estate

1632
01:11:30,286 --> 01:11:32,633
and the stock market
and other investments.

1633
01:11:32,667 --> 01:11:34,117
My name is Carl Blesione.

1634
01:11:34,151 --> 01:11:36,015
My occupation is I'm a dentist.

1635
01:11:36,050 --> 01:11:38,259
[Rick] Have you ever
invested in a motion picture?

1636
01:11:38,294 --> 01:11:39,536
Never.

1637
01:11:39,571 --> 01:11:41,366
[Rick] What turns you
on about investing

1638
01:11:41,400 --> 01:11:42,608
in a movie?

1639
01:11:42,643 --> 01:11:44,023
Well, first of all,
you wanna make money,

1640
01:11:45,197 --> 01:11:46,163
that's number one.

1641
01:11:46,198 --> 01:11:47,406
Number two, turning you on,

1642
01:11:47,441 --> 01:11:48,683
listen, I like getting
in front of the camera

1643
01:11:48,718 --> 01:11:50,651
so if I could be part
of something like that

1644
01:11:50,685 --> 01:11:52,963
to exude the passion and
the excitement of it,

1645
01:11:52,998 --> 01:11:54,068
that turns me on too.

1646
01:11:58,003 --> 01:12:00,730
My name is David Mackey
and I'm an actor.

1647
01:12:00,764 --> 01:12:05,355
The phone call that Scott
made to me regarding this film

1648
01:12:05,390 --> 01:12:06,943
just came out of the blue

1649
01:12:09,394 --> 01:12:11,982
and I listened to his
remarks, his pitch,

1650
01:12:13,674 --> 01:12:14,778
and after just
chatting with him

1651
01:12:14,813 --> 01:12:17,367
for a good 10 minutes or so,

1652
01:12:19,404 --> 01:12:23,684
I felt very strongly that I
needed to be a part of the film.

1653
01:12:27,481 --> 01:12:29,310
The way I got
involved in this was,

1654
01:12:29,345 --> 01:12:30,794
I think you saw a
post that I made,

1655
01:12:30,829 --> 01:12:32,589
that I was looking for
something to invest in

1656
01:12:32,624 --> 01:12:35,212
and you sent me some things
and I was kind of interested,

1657
01:12:35,247 --> 01:12:37,042
but it never really clicked
until I talked to you

1658
01:12:37,076 --> 01:12:39,355
on the phone because when I
started asking you questions

1659
01:12:39,389 --> 01:12:41,218
about this, you had
all the answers.

1660
01:12:41,253 --> 01:12:42,530
There was no stumbling.

1661
01:12:42,565 --> 01:12:43,980
There was no I'll
get back to you.

1662
01:12:44,014 --> 01:12:45,361
There was no BS.

1663
01:12:45,395 --> 01:12:46,879
Every time I asked a question,

1664
01:12:46,914 --> 01:12:48,502
the answer was right
there right away.

1665
01:12:48,536 --> 01:12:52,298
I have a natural tendency
to like to help my friends

1666
01:12:52,333 --> 01:12:54,300
and to help pretty
much all people.

1667
01:12:54,335 --> 01:12:56,682
I do that in my law
practice and in my life.

1668
01:12:56,717 --> 01:12:58,097
So when I received the call

1669
01:12:58,132 --> 01:13:00,237
that there was just a certain
amount of money needed

1670
01:13:00,272 --> 01:13:04,587
to break escrow, it was a
really easy decision for me

1671
01:13:04,621 --> 01:13:07,452
because the film sounded
like a great idea.

1672
01:13:07,486 --> 01:13:12,388
So between the friendship and
the need that was apparent

1673
01:13:14,010 --> 01:13:15,218
at that particular time,

1674
01:13:15,252 --> 01:13:17,565
it was an easy
decision for me.

1675
01:13:17,600 --> 01:13:21,535
[Scott] All right. I got
one more question for you.

1676
01:13:21,569 --> 01:13:24,089
I'll just preface by saying
we're gonna be friends

1677
01:13:24,123 --> 01:13:25,262
no matter what.

1678
01:13:25,297 --> 01:13:26,402
Okay.

1679
01:13:26,436 --> 01:13:28,369
So I'm just gonna
throw this out there.

1680
01:13:28,404 --> 01:13:33,029
We need like three or
four more $5,000 shares

1681
01:13:33,063 --> 01:13:34,340
for our marketing budget.

1682
01:13:34,824 --> 01:13:37,551
Would you like to put in
another one or two shares?

1683
01:13:37,585 --> 01:13:39,069
I'll put in one more share.

1684
01:13:40,519 --> 01:13:41,520
We get that on camera?

1685
01:13:41,555 --> 01:13:43,591
[Mark laughs]

1686
01:13:43,626 --> 01:13:46,422
Casey Tennyson, I'm a
writer, I'm an author,

1687
01:13:46,456 --> 01:13:50,667
I'm a book publisher
and I own an ad agency.

1688
01:13:50,702 --> 01:13:52,497
Invest in something you're
going to have fun with

1689
01:13:52,531 --> 01:13:54,222
and something that you like,

1690
01:13:54,257 --> 01:13:56,086
in a topic that
you're interested in

1691
01:13:56,121 --> 01:13:58,123
because then you become
a better investor

1692
01:13:58,157 --> 01:14:00,815
because then you're gonna
be excited about it,

1693
01:14:00,850 --> 01:14:02,368
you're gonna help promote it

1694
01:14:02,403 --> 01:14:04,957
and really word of
mouth and networking

1695
01:14:04,992 --> 01:14:07,235
is all part of a marketing mix.

1696
01:14:07,270 --> 01:14:09,997
Was one of the reasons
that you invested in this film

1697
01:14:10,031 --> 01:14:13,483
that you could promote your
own writing and your own books?

1698
01:14:13,518 --> 01:14:14,657
Yes, of course.

1699
01:14:14,691 --> 01:14:18,039
So, my books, my
novels, again,

1700
01:14:18,074 --> 01:14:19,972
were always written
with the intent

1701
01:14:20,007 --> 01:14:21,871
of making them into films

1702
01:14:21,905 --> 01:14:24,977
and so this film just
ties in perfectly

1703
01:14:25,012 --> 01:14:26,945
with what I'm already
doing in the world

1704
01:14:26,979 --> 01:14:29,292
and I can't wait to write
an article about it.

1705
01:14:29,326 --> 01:14:30,604
Thanks for including me.

1706
01:14:30,638 --> 01:14:32,122
I'm excited to
be a part of it.

1707
01:14:32,157 --> 01:14:34,331
[Rick] What the hell
are you doing here?

1708
01:14:34,366 --> 01:14:38,681
Man, I am excited, Barb
we're investing in a movie.

1709
01:14:38,715 --> 01:14:39,785
It's exciting.

1710
01:14:39,820 --> 01:14:40,890
[Rick] Is this the first movie

1711
01:14:40,924 --> 01:14:42,512
you've ever invested in?

1712
01:14:42,547 --> 01:14:44,203
Yes, absolutely.

1713
01:14:44,238 --> 01:14:46,930
[Rick] Why did you
invest in thismovie?

1714
01:14:46,965 --> 01:14:49,139
We were approached by a friend

1715
01:14:49,174 --> 01:14:50,589
who we have a lot of faith in,

1716
01:14:50,624 --> 01:14:53,212
I was intrigued by the
magic of movie making

1717
01:14:53,247 --> 01:14:56,388
and wanted to see the set
and what it was all about.

1718
01:14:56,422 --> 01:14:59,046
For me as a business person
and a practical person

1719
01:14:59,080 --> 01:15:00,634
it was a win-win.

1720
01:15:00,668 --> 01:15:04,810
Here's an opportunity to
help move another friend

1721
01:15:04,845 --> 01:15:07,641
along in his career and have
a potential to capitalize on

1722
01:15:07,675 --> 01:15:11,265
their experiences and
also to help promote

1723
01:15:11,299 --> 01:15:12,438
what we care about.

1724
01:15:12,473 --> 01:15:14,786
It's helping other people
with their health

1725
01:15:14,820 --> 01:15:18,928
and eventually a lifestyle of
a retirement residual income.

1726
01:15:20,757 --> 01:15:23,449
[upbeat music]

1727
01:15:26,107 --> 01:15:27,212
Oh, it's so great to be here.

1728
01:15:27,246 --> 01:15:29,766
My name is Bob Bell and
this is my beautiful wife--

1729
01:15:29,801 --> 01:15:31,009
[Barbara] Barbara Bell.

1730
01:15:31,043 --> 01:15:33,563
And you know the feeling you
have just before Christmas,

1731
01:15:33,598 --> 01:15:36,117
just that excitement and
anticipation of, you know,

1732
01:15:36,152 --> 01:15:38,430
there's something really
special right behind the door.

1733
01:15:38,464 --> 01:15:40,397
That's the way Barbara
and I feel about

1734
01:15:40,432 --> 01:15:42,296
what we're sharing here today.

1735
01:15:42,330 --> 01:15:44,332
I was introduced to
Valentus by a friend

1736
01:15:44,367 --> 01:15:45,713
that I knew 30 years ago.

1737
01:15:45,748 --> 01:15:47,715
They told me about a product.

1738
01:15:47,750 --> 01:15:50,269
Jenny Craig meets
Starbucks, oh my gosh,

1739
01:15:50,304 --> 01:15:53,272
a weight loss coffee,
my energy level's great

1740
01:15:53,307 --> 01:15:54,860
and so we just
had to share it.

1741
01:15:54,895 --> 01:15:57,000
And by sharing it, we're
helping other people.

1742
01:15:57,035 --> 01:15:59,831
The latest part we came out
with was the hot chocolate,

1743
01:15:59,865 --> 01:16:01,591
which is really exciting

1744
01:16:01,626 --> 01:16:03,282
because who doesn't
wanna lose weight

1745
01:16:03,317 --> 01:16:04,801
while drinking hot chocolate?

1746
01:16:04,836 --> 01:16:07,804
We have these beverages that
you just add to powder to it

1747
01:16:07,839 --> 01:16:11,497
all natural, no GMOs and it
helps your body function better.

1748
01:16:11,532 --> 01:16:14,639
So if you wanna learn more
about this, go to our website,

1749
01:16:14,673 --> 01:16:18,539
www.youseeresults.com.

1750
01:16:18,574 --> 01:16:19,989
Barbara and I look
forward to meeting you

1751
01:16:20,023 --> 01:16:22,647
and helping you meet all your
health and wellness needs.

1752
01:16:22,681 --> 01:16:23,579
Thank you so much.

1753
01:16:25,028 --> 01:16:27,168
[applause]

1754
01:16:27,583 --> 01:16:28,894
Well, to be honest, being
the biggest investor

1755
01:16:28,929 --> 01:16:30,171
is a little nerve wracking.

1756
01:16:30,206 --> 01:16:32,173
I mean, this is my
first big project

1757
01:16:32,208 --> 01:16:33,692
and I'm really
rolling the dice,

1758
01:16:33,727 --> 01:16:35,694
but now that I'm here
and I'm meeting everybody

1759
01:16:35,729 --> 01:16:37,144
and I'm seeing what's
going on every day,

1760
01:16:37,178 --> 01:16:39,318
I'm starting to feel
more comfortable with it.

1761
01:16:39,353 --> 01:16:41,251
Well, one thing I realized
about this project

1762
01:16:41,286 --> 01:16:43,357
is the enormous amount
of pre-production.

1763
01:16:43,391 --> 01:16:46,463
I think that's something
that's really overlooked.

1764
01:16:46,498 --> 01:16:49,708
The planning that goes into
it is probably more important

1765
01:16:49,743 --> 01:16:51,158
than the actual
production itself

1766
01:16:51,192 --> 01:16:52,884
because that's
not gonna happen

1767
01:16:52,918 --> 01:16:54,368
if everything's
not laid out right.

1768
01:16:54,402 --> 01:16:56,197
And I was really blown
away by the amount of work

1769
01:16:56,232 --> 01:16:58,303
that everyone's put
into it beforehand.

1770
01:16:58,337 --> 01:17:01,513
There's a track record,
there's a history.

1771
01:17:01,547 --> 01:17:03,688
and all of these things make
you feel more comfortable

1772
01:17:03,722 --> 01:17:04,999
as an investor.

1773
01:17:05,034 --> 01:17:08,278
[Rick] Valentas, we
took money to put them

1774
01:17:08,313 --> 01:17:11,834
in the movie and to promote
their product, you know,

1775
01:17:11,868 --> 01:17:13,836
and I loved them,
they're great.

1776
01:17:13,870 --> 01:17:16,528
But do you think
we in any way hurt

1777
01:17:16,562 --> 01:17:20,532
the integrity of this film
by taking money from them

1778
01:17:20,566 --> 01:17:22,741
even though we'll disclose
it in the credits?

1779
01:17:22,776 --> 01:17:26,745
I think any other movie, yes
it could be compromising.

1780
01:17:26,780 --> 01:17:29,230
I think in this
particular movie,

1781
01:17:29,265 --> 01:17:31,716
'cause the whole movie
is about film financing.

1782
01:17:31,750 --> 01:17:36,548
The whole point of this movie
is to show and empower people

1783
01:17:36,582 --> 01:17:40,138
how they can raise
money for their movie.

1784
01:17:40,172 --> 01:17:43,244
Well, Bob Bell, I've
known for 35, 40 years.

1785
01:17:43,279 --> 01:17:44,901
One of my best friends.

1786
01:17:44,936 --> 01:17:49,699
I called him up, there's no
secret that every single person

1787
01:17:49,734 --> 01:17:52,460
that we talked to, if
they had any interest,

1788
01:17:52,495 --> 01:17:54,014
they could possibly
be in the movie.

1789
01:17:54,048 --> 01:17:57,051
And we got a lot of the
investors in the movie.

1790
01:17:57,086 --> 01:18:01,193
So in Bob's case, we knew
he had this great product

1791
01:18:01,228 --> 01:18:02,505
that he's passionate about.

1792
01:18:02,539 --> 01:18:05,232
I said, Bob, if you put
in a little extra money,

1793
01:18:05,266 --> 01:18:08,718
we can actually
put your product,

1794
01:18:08,753 --> 01:18:11,376
not only mention that you're
a Valentus representative,

1795
01:18:11,410 --> 01:18:13,827
but we can actually put your
products, show your products

1796
01:18:13,861 --> 01:18:15,069
in the movie.

1797
01:18:15,104 --> 01:18:16,588
[Rick] I just think
it will be criticized

1798
01:18:16,622 --> 01:18:18,832
by some people that we lost
the integrity of the movie

1799
01:18:18,866 --> 01:18:20,419
by doing it.

1800
01:18:20,454 --> 01:18:22,974
And you know, as a filmmaker,
you'll always want purity.

1801
01:18:23,008 --> 01:18:25,701
I always want integrity.

1802
01:18:25,735 --> 01:18:27,185
They're wonderful people.

1803
01:18:27,219 --> 01:18:29,256
I know nothing
about the product,

1804
01:18:29,290 --> 01:18:31,879
but it's just odd
that we did it.

1805
01:18:31,914 --> 01:18:34,088
But I do think it's
an interesting example

1806
01:18:34,123 --> 01:18:36,435
and you should have got a
hell of a lot more money

1807
01:18:36,470 --> 01:18:37,367
than we got from him.

1808
01:18:37,402 --> 01:18:38,714
He got a hell of a deal.
[laughs]

1809
01:18:40,819 --> 01:18:43,684
[upbeat piano music]

1810
01:19:12,126 --> 01:19:14,094
[audience applauding]

1811
01:19:14,128 --> 01:19:15,923
My name is Donovan Parker.

1812
01:19:15,958 --> 01:19:16,752
Welcome.

1813
01:19:16,786 --> 01:19:17,994
Thank you.

1814
01:19:18,029 --> 01:19:22,240
I wrote a script based
on Christopher Dudus Coke.

1815
01:19:22,274 --> 01:19:23,689
It's an interesting story.

1816
01:19:23,724 --> 01:19:25,139
Everyone love it.

1817
01:19:25,174 --> 01:19:30,075
I want to know about the
financing of that project.

1818
01:19:30,110 --> 01:19:34,562
I love writing and I want a
connection to make it happen.

1819
01:19:35,115 --> 01:19:37,738
My suggestion is when
they're trying to raise money

1820
01:19:37,773 --> 01:19:40,465
and they need to put
together a business plan,

1821
01:19:40,499 --> 01:19:44,538
they first perhaps find
a producer to work with.

1822
01:19:44,572 --> 01:19:47,161
If you're lucky, also a
director to work with.

1823
01:19:47,196 --> 01:19:49,474
I think it's really
all about networking.

1824
01:19:49,508 --> 01:19:51,545
You never know if
you learn that skill

1825
01:19:51,579 --> 01:19:53,512
of just meeting people
and talking people,

1826
01:19:53,547 --> 01:19:56,343
you never know who
you could meet,

1827
01:19:56,377 --> 01:19:59,311
that can take your screenplay,
get excited about it,

1828
01:19:59,346 --> 01:20:03,384
and help you finance it or
help you take it to a studio.

1829
01:20:03,419 --> 01:20:05,697
Palmer Edward, and
I'm a screenwriter.

1830
01:20:05,731 --> 01:20:06,836
I've written a script.

1831
01:20:06,871 --> 01:20:09,011
I'm an award winning
screenwriter.

1832
01:20:09,045 --> 01:20:10,702
I've won awards and you
know, just film festivals

1833
01:20:10,736 --> 01:20:11,876
and things like that.
It's small stuff,

1834
01:20:11,910 --> 01:20:13,429
but I'm trying to write

1835
01:20:13,463 --> 01:20:16,501
between one and $5
million low budget.

1836
01:20:16,535 --> 01:20:20,229
Any advice in what I could
do to keep it that angle

1837
01:20:20,263 --> 01:20:22,369
and make sure I don't go past.

1838
01:20:22,403 --> 01:20:23,991
I'm gonna say if you've
written eight screenplays,

1839
01:20:24,026 --> 01:20:25,544
you haven't sold one,

1840
01:20:25,579 --> 01:20:27,167
you're doing something wrong.

1841
01:20:27,201 --> 01:20:29,583
So what you need to do
is go back and figure out

1842
01:20:29,617 --> 01:20:31,274
what's the flaw
in the material.

1843
01:20:31,309 --> 01:20:32,758
When I taught screenwriting,

1844
01:20:32,793 --> 01:20:35,209
I used to teach an introductory
class and a workshop class.

1845
01:20:35,244 --> 01:20:39,869
We sold about 65 movie
scripts out of my classes

1846
01:20:39,904 --> 01:20:42,699
in the years that I taught,
which was unbelievable.

1847
01:20:42,734 --> 01:20:45,461
Some of those movies got
made like "Closet Land".

1848
01:20:45,495 --> 01:20:48,222
The Steven Seagal movie,
"Hard to Kill" got made.

1849
01:20:48,257 --> 01:20:51,847
What happened in my classes
was the first 10 ideas

1850
01:20:51,881 --> 01:20:54,884
that every screenwriter
had never sold.

1851
01:20:54,919 --> 01:20:56,610
So I used to tell them
you have to come up

1852
01:20:56,644 --> 01:20:58,612
with a hundred ideas.

1853
01:20:58,646 --> 01:21:00,994
So I made all of
my writers come up

1854
01:21:01,028 --> 01:21:03,168
with a hundred movie ideas.

1855
01:21:03,203 --> 01:21:07,379
Almost every one of the
65 or so scripts that sold

1856
01:21:07,414 --> 01:21:09,761
was above number 75.

1857
01:21:09,795 --> 01:21:14,007
It was the last 25 that
you finally figure out

1858
01:21:14,041 --> 01:21:15,284
what you wanna say.

1859
01:21:15,318 --> 01:21:17,527
You wanna figure out
what your story is.

1860
01:21:17,562 --> 01:21:20,876
And what I think you
need to do is come up

1861
01:21:20,910 --> 01:21:24,465
with a hundred great ideas.

1862
01:21:24,500 --> 01:21:28,124
When I used to go to the
studios to pitch ideas,

1863
01:21:28,159 --> 01:21:30,506
and I went to most
of the major studios,

1864
01:21:30,540 --> 01:21:32,749
the studio executives
would say to me,

1865
01:21:32,784 --> 01:21:34,475
"tell me a story
I've never heard."

1866
01:21:34,510 --> 01:21:36,063
-[Louise] Yeah.
-[Rick] "Dazzle me."

1867
01:21:36,098 --> 01:21:39,342
And one studio executive
said to me one time,

1868
01:21:39,377 --> 01:21:42,828
I hear dozens of
pitches every day.

1869
01:21:42,863 --> 01:21:44,451
And he said, when I
go to bed at night

1870
01:21:44,485 --> 01:21:46,522
and I put my head
on the pillow,

1871
01:21:47,385 --> 01:21:50,940
it's the idea that I think of
I call the next day and I buy.

1872
01:21:50,975 --> 01:21:53,046
You've got to create an
idea that's so unique,

1873
01:21:53,080 --> 01:21:55,945
so original, so compelling

1874
01:21:55,980 --> 01:21:59,742
that someone is willing
to go raise money for it

1875
01:21:59,776 --> 01:22:03,159
or write you a check for
it or make that film.

1876
01:22:03,194 --> 01:22:06,128
And you're competing
against everybody.

1877
01:22:06,162 --> 01:22:09,096
You're competing against
me, Steven Spielberg,

1878
01:22:09,131 --> 01:22:11,616
you're competing with
"The Blair Witch" guys.

1879
01:22:11,650 --> 01:22:13,652
You're competing
with the smartest,

1880
01:22:13,687 --> 01:22:15,620
most creative
people in the world

1881
01:22:15,654 --> 01:22:18,243
and you've got to come up
with something better, unique

1882
01:22:18,278 --> 01:22:19,520
and original

1883
01:22:19,555 --> 01:22:21,626
That's interesting, but
you're the second person

1884
01:22:21,660 --> 01:22:24,249
that gave me the advice
about the a hundred concept.

1885
01:22:24,284 --> 01:22:25,319
Who's that other person?

1886
01:22:25,354 --> 01:22:26,976
A guy out in Hollywood.

1887
01:22:27,011 --> 01:22:28,426
That's a genius.

1888
01:22:28,460 --> 01:22:31,774
If you don't have a fire in
your belly to tell those stories

1889
01:22:31,808 --> 01:22:34,259
and to cram those stories
down someone's throat,

1890
01:22:34,294 --> 01:22:36,192
to make money
people look at them

1891
01:22:36,227 --> 01:22:37,366
and to pay attention to them,

1892
01:22:37,400 --> 01:22:39,057
they're not gonna get paid.

1893
01:22:39,092 --> 01:22:41,646
So my thing is, get in
touch with your passion.

1894
01:22:41,680 --> 01:22:44,683
And I think the people
that make great films

1895
01:22:44,718 --> 01:22:47,548
have a sense of outrage,
a sense of anger

1896
01:22:47,583 --> 01:22:51,035
and that drives them
to create great art.

1897
01:22:51,069 --> 01:22:54,279
And we live in a society
today, in my opinion,

1898
01:22:54,314 --> 01:22:56,040
where it's getting
harder and harder

1899
01:22:56,074 --> 01:22:57,662
to be an original person.

1900
01:22:57,696 --> 01:22:59,077
You're penalized.

1901
01:22:59,112 --> 01:23:02,011
You know, my favorite
filmmaker is Stanley Kubrick

1902
01:23:02,046 --> 01:23:04,600
and Stanley Kubrick went out,
made all these great movies

1903
01:23:04,634 --> 01:23:07,603
and warned us about letting
everybody become a number

1904
01:23:07,637 --> 01:23:10,882
and losing our humanity
and machines taking over

1905
01:23:10,916 --> 01:23:15,024
and everything that Kubrick
projected in those movies

1906
01:23:15,059 --> 01:23:16,853
is coming true.

1907
01:23:16,888 --> 01:23:19,718
Look at what's happening in
our society and in the world.

1908
01:23:19,753 --> 01:23:22,514
And so art will save us.

1909
01:23:22,549 --> 01:23:24,689
Politics will not save us.

1910
01:23:24,723 --> 01:23:26,622
Media will not save us.

1911
01:23:28,003 --> 01:23:31,903
And art has the capability
because it opens people's minds,

1912
01:23:31,937 --> 01:23:35,493
it changes opinions, and
it influences people.

1913
01:23:35,527 --> 01:23:37,184
-Thank you.
-[Rick] That's my answer.

1914
01:23:38,289 --> 01:23:40,808
[soft music]

1915
01:23:49,403 --> 01:23:51,233
Hi. My name is Laura Faye.

1916
01:23:51,267 --> 01:23:56,272
I'm a writer and I wrote a
book about Muslims in America

1917
01:23:57,342 --> 01:24:00,207
based on my own
experience as a teacher.

1918
01:24:00,242 --> 01:24:01,726
I have a couple of questions.

1919
01:24:01,760 --> 01:24:04,729
One would be how to get
it made into a screenplay.

1920
01:24:04,763 --> 01:24:07,145
You made a point earlier
about there are other people

1921
01:24:07,180 --> 01:24:10,735
who create and then there are
the people who have control.

1922
01:24:10,769 --> 01:24:13,255
I wanted to know if you could
speak to that a little more

1923
01:24:13,289 --> 01:24:15,602
and how do you have both?

1924
01:24:15,636 --> 01:24:18,708
Because one of my fears
about making this into a film

1925
01:24:18,743 --> 01:24:20,469
is obviously losing control.

1926
01:24:20,503 --> 01:24:23,817
First thing I would recommend
is make it a published book.

1927
01:24:23,851 --> 01:24:26,406
Even if you go on and
do it through Amazon,

1928
01:24:26,440 --> 01:24:30,444
just to control a copyright
and to have content control.

1929
01:24:30,479 --> 01:24:34,172
It is treacherous when you
have original literary material

1930
01:24:34,207 --> 01:24:37,555
and you don't want someone
to steal it or dilute it

1931
01:24:37,589 --> 01:24:39,108
or rip it off.

1932
01:24:39,143 --> 01:24:40,730
I would get the book published

1933
01:24:40,765 --> 01:24:42,560
because then you're in control.

1934
01:24:42,594 --> 01:24:47,565
Almost every book published in
the world is read by somebody

1935
01:24:47,599 --> 01:24:49,394
who wants to make
a movie of it.

1936
01:24:49,429 --> 01:24:51,120
In other words, they're
looking for that product.

1937
01:24:51,155 --> 01:24:52,639
You'd be shocked.

1938
01:24:52,673 --> 01:24:55,435
One thing that appeals to
me and what you just said,

1939
01:24:55,469 --> 01:24:57,057
and there's a shortcut.

1940
01:24:57,092 --> 01:25:02,097
You go to a star to play
the character in the memoir

1941
01:25:03,512 --> 01:25:06,653
and let's just pick, you know,
who would be a good example?

1942
01:25:06,687 --> 01:25:07,895
Reese Witherspoon.

1943
01:25:07,930 --> 01:25:10,139
Reese Witherspoon,
perfect example.

1944
01:25:10,174 --> 01:25:11,727
Reese Witherspoon
has her own company

1945
01:25:11,761 --> 01:25:15,524
and she makes great movies
and she might wanna play

1946
01:25:15,558 --> 01:25:18,906
that character or she might
wanna call one of her friends

1947
01:25:18,941 --> 01:25:20,943
and now you're kind
of on a fast track.

1948
01:25:20,977 --> 01:25:23,808
Whenever you can get
a movie star attached

1949
01:25:23,842 --> 01:25:27,708
to your literary property,
you're now in the fast track.

1950
01:25:27,743 --> 01:25:29,296
You're like in the turbo lane

1951
01:25:29,331 --> 01:25:31,712
and it always makes
everything go faster.

1952
01:25:31,747 --> 01:25:34,681
It's harder to
maintain control,

1953
01:25:34,715 --> 01:25:36,821
but if you publish the book,

1954
01:25:36,855 --> 01:25:39,375
they're gonna respect
you a lot more

1955
01:25:39,410 --> 01:25:41,619
and you're gonna be
able to remain part of

1956
01:25:41,653 --> 01:25:43,068
the creative process.

1957
01:25:43,103 --> 01:25:45,623
What happens is, when
you write a screenplay

1958
01:25:45,657 --> 01:25:48,143
and you're just
trying to sell it,

1959
01:25:48,177 --> 01:25:49,592
you have no creative control.

1960
01:25:49,627 --> 01:25:52,388
Like in your case, they're
just gonna throw money at you

1961
01:25:52,423 --> 01:25:55,288
and they're gonna tell
you to get lost, right?

1962
01:25:55,322 --> 01:25:58,463
And so, you know,
that's fun for awhile,

1963
01:25:58,498 --> 01:26:01,017
but then it's like
selling your children.

1964
01:26:01,052 --> 01:26:02,674
You really don't like doing it.

1965
01:26:02,709 --> 01:26:05,332
You know, when I
first sold scripts...

1966
01:26:06,506 --> 01:26:08,715
You're right, I don't
know your children.

1967
01:26:10,579 --> 01:26:11,890
You are correct.

1968
01:26:11,925 --> 01:26:13,064
Thank you.

1969
01:26:13,098 --> 01:26:14,997
Thank you for asking.
I appreciate it.

1970
01:26:15,031 --> 01:26:17,620
Hi, my name is
Gabrielle A. Paris.

1971
01:26:17,655 --> 01:26:20,658
I'm an actress and a student
of Mr. Burt Reynolds.

1972
01:26:20,692 --> 01:26:22,211
So the thing that
you're talking about

1973
01:26:22,246 --> 01:26:24,040
with the whole producing
and the actresses

1974
01:26:24,075 --> 01:26:25,525
and they want the good parts,

1975
01:26:25,559 --> 01:26:28,942
I've had a really hard time
with that in terms of quality

1976
01:26:28,976 --> 01:26:30,944
and just, you know, I
had to really learn like,

1977
01:26:30,978 --> 01:26:31,910
who's the sound guy?

1978
01:26:31,945 --> 01:26:33,671
Who's this guy?

1979
01:26:33,705 --> 01:26:35,638
Who's the AD you know,
what type of camera

1980
01:26:35,673 --> 01:26:36,915
we're using, is it 4k?

1981
01:26:36,950 --> 01:26:38,158
All the good stuff,
is it a good editor?

1982
01:26:38,193 --> 01:26:39,539
So I had to learn
the back end of it.

1983
01:26:39,573 --> 01:26:43,646
So I just recently had somebody
write just a short film

1984
01:26:43,681 --> 01:26:45,372
and I played the lead in it.

1985
01:26:45,407 --> 01:26:47,340
I produced this,
I co-produced it

1986
01:26:47,374 --> 01:26:49,652
but I didn't put my name
down as a producer on it.

1987
01:26:49,687 --> 01:26:51,585
You didn't put
your name on it?

1988
01:26:51,620 --> 01:26:52,828
Not as a producer

1989
01:26:52,862 --> 01:26:55,313
because I was talking
to another producer

1990
01:26:55,348 --> 01:26:57,660
and I was like, I'm producing
my first short film.

1991
01:26:57,695 --> 01:27:00,180
He's like, well, that kind
of makes you look bad.

1992
01:27:00,215 --> 01:27:01,112
If you produce your own films.

1993
01:27:01,146 --> 01:27:02,838
I don't think it hurts at all.

1994
01:27:02,872 --> 01:27:03,873
No.

1995
01:27:03,908 --> 01:27:05,358
It says that you're motivated.

1996
01:27:05,392 --> 01:27:07,843
It says that you're willing
to put yourself out there.

1997
01:27:07,877 --> 01:27:09,810
I think you're to
be commended for it.

1998
01:27:09,845 --> 01:27:11,571
I a hundred percent
agree with Louise.

1999
01:27:11,605 --> 01:27:13,228
Yeah, I totally.

2000
01:27:13,262 --> 01:27:14,263
You're a actor and a producer.

2001
01:27:14,298 --> 01:27:15,437
Yeah. So I totally agree,

2002
01:27:15,471 --> 01:27:16,990
you should have your name
on as a producer as well.

2003
01:27:17,024 --> 01:27:18,992
So go back and fix those
credits if you want.

2004
01:27:19,026 --> 01:27:21,512
One of the first
short films I did,

2005
01:27:21,546 --> 01:27:23,859
very, very little money, $5,000.

2006
01:27:23,893 --> 01:27:25,101
It was a pretty beefy short.

2007
01:27:25,136 --> 01:27:27,311
Ended up being 29, 30 minutes

2008
01:27:27,345 --> 01:27:31,004
and we got a lot of local
press with different people

2009
01:27:31,038 --> 01:27:32,419
that were attached to the film.

2010
01:27:32,454 --> 01:27:34,870
Just little pieces of
press however we could

2011
01:27:34,904 --> 01:27:36,975
then we started taking
it to festivals.

2012
01:27:37,010 --> 01:27:39,254
We got really lucky,
won first place

2013
01:27:39,288 --> 01:27:41,566
at the New York
International Film Festival

2014
01:27:41,601 --> 01:27:44,638
and because of this buzz
that we started developing

2015
01:27:44,673 --> 01:27:46,778
from these festivals,

2016
01:27:46,813 --> 01:27:50,299
that's what ended us
getting a million dollars

2017
01:27:50,334 --> 01:27:54,027
to make the feature
version of that short.

2018
01:27:54,061 --> 01:27:55,200
That was where I was--

2019
01:27:55,235 --> 01:27:57,479
So if it starts playing
well in festivals,

2020
01:27:57,513 --> 01:28:00,275
promote it as much
as you can, you know,

2021
01:28:00,309 --> 01:28:02,691
it might be expandable
into a feature.

2022
01:28:02,725 --> 01:28:06,246
Lot of feature films you've
seen over the years started out

2023
01:28:06,281 --> 01:28:07,074
as a short film.

2024
01:28:07,109 --> 01:28:08,524
It's very strange.

2025
01:28:08,559 --> 01:28:11,527
Sometimes it just takes one
person for you to connect with.

2026
01:28:11,562 --> 01:28:12,839
You're gonna be successful

2027
01:28:12,873 --> 01:28:14,496
just because you're doing that.

2028
01:28:14,530 --> 01:28:17,188
See, 99% of the people
never do anything.

2029
01:28:17,222 --> 01:28:18,534
They just talk about it.

2030
01:28:18,569 --> 01:28:19,570
Right.

2031
01:28:19,604 --> 01:28:22,297
[ominous music]

2032
01:28:26,577 --> 01:28:29,096
[soft music]

2033
01:28:32,307 --> 01:28:35,413
I'm passionate about
self-expression art.

2034
01:28:35,448 --> 01:28:39,555
I write and I was making a
movie when I was in Michigan.

2035
01:28:39,590 --> 01:28:42,247
It was about the struggles of...

2036
01:28:42,282 --> 01:28:45,630
It was about a couple cool cats
going through a rough breeze

2037
01:28:45,665 --> 01:28:46,804
at a hard time, really.

2038
01:28:46,838 --> 01:28:48,081
But it--

2039
01:28:48,115 --> 01:28:49,565
Wait a minute. Say it
again, couple of what?

2040
01:28:49,600 --> 01:28:52,016
Cool cats going through a
rough breeze at a hard time.

2041
01:28:52,050 --> 01:28:54,363
And I was making this
movie and the idea

2042
01:28:54,398 --> 01:28:57,815
was to make it sort of a musical
and add the poetry into it

2043
01:28:57,849 --> 01:29:01,197
but it was about two people
who I met through my job

2044
01:29:01,232 --> 01:29:02,613
and Lansing up there.

2045
01:29:02,647 --> 01:29:04,546
They're a homeless couple trying
to get back on their feet,

2046
01:29:04,580 --> 01:29:06,651
who had their six
kids taken away.

2047
01:29:06,686 --> 01:29:08,895
And I thought their
story needed to be told

2048
01:29:08,929 --> 01:29:13,244
and I got really into,
very passionate about it.

2049
01:29:13,278 --> 01:29:16,868
It was a no budget
movie, not a low budget.

2050
01:29:16,903 --> 01:29:20,389
It was, I love
it, but it's okay.

2051
01:29:20,424 --> 01:29:23,254
It's not 4k, It's
more like "no K"

2052
01:29:23,288 --> 01:29:26,050
but it's way too
long right now

2053
01:29:26,084 --> 01:29:27,983
it's like, I don't
know, three hours

2054
01:29:28,017 --> 01:29:29,433
and I don't even
know what to cut out,

2055
01:29:29,467 --> 01:29:31,469
but I definitely know it
needs more but I'm not there

2056
01:29:31,504 --> 01:29:33,057
so I can't really finish it,

2057
01:29:33,091 --> 01:29:34,714
but I'm kind of trying
to cut it together still

2058
01:29:34,748 --> 01:29:35,749
when I have time.

2059
01:29:35,784 --> 01:29:36,681
What else do I have to say?

2060
01:29:36,716 --> 01:29:37,717
I have a question for you.

2061
01:29:37,751 --> 01:29:40,340
Oh yeah, will you
fund my movie?

2062
01:29:42,791 --> 01:29:45,380
I will potentially invest
in it but I won't fund it.

2063
01:29:45,414 --> 01:29:47,243
And the key is to finish it.

2064
01:29:47,278 --> 01:29:49,694
No matter how good or
bad it is, finish it.

2065
01:29:49,729 --> 01:29:51,972
Like this guy right here
with the eight screenplays,

2066
01:29:52,007 --> 01:29:54,561
no, I give a lot of
respect to this guy.

2067
01:29:54,596 --> 01:29:55,769
He's finished a screenplay.

2068
01:29:55,804 --> 01:30:00,084
He will be a motion
picture screenwriter

2069
01:30:00,118 --> 01:30:01,223
in this lifetime.

2070
01:30:01,257 --> 01:30:03,052
You've already
started and committed,

2071
01:30:03,087 --> 01:30:05,158
but you got to have
stick to it-ness.

2072
01:30:05,192 --> 01:30:08,057
You've gotta get obsessed
with one project,

2073
01:30:08,092 --> 01:30:11,129
get a project that you
can't sleep at night

2074
01:30:11,164 --> 01:30:13,408
'cause you're thinking about
and finish it no matter what.

2075
01:30:13,442 --> 01:30:15,168
I don't care if it's bad,

2076
01:30:15,202 --> 01:30:17,481
sometimes it's okay
to make a bad film

2077
01:30:17,515 --> 01:30:20,311
to figure out what you did
wrong to go make a good film.

2078
01:30:20,345 --> 01:30:22,244
I applaud you for
asking that question.

2079
01:30:22,278 --> 01:30:23,556
Will you fund my movie?

2080
01:30:23,590 --> 01:30:26,628
Because a lot of
people just are afraid

2081
01:30:26,662 --> 01:30:28,043
to ask that question.

2082
01:30:28,077 --> 01:30:32,323
So really get focused,
really figure out a game plan

2083
01:30:32,357 --> 01:30:34,705
to finish this movie and
just have that persistence.

2084
01:30:34,739 --> 01:30:38,191
A quote by one of my
favorite indie directors,

2085
01:30:38,225 --> 01:30:39,779
John Salzi, said,

2086
01:30:39,813 --> 01:30:42,229
"Raising money for a
movie is like hitchhiking.

2087
01:30:42,264 --> 01:30:43,576
It could be the first ride.

2088
01:30:43,610 --> 01:30:45,129
It could be the thousandth,

2089
01:30:45,163 --> 01:30:47,476
but you have to stay out
there with your thumb out

2090
01:30:47,511 --> 01:30:50,445
and be patient and
you also have to know

2091
01:30:50,479 --> 01:30:52,861
when not to get into the car."

2092
01:30:52,895 --> 01:30:55,829
I wanna leave you just
with one little secret

2093
01:30:55,864 --> 01:30:58,487
that I've never shared with
any group before in my life.

2094
01:30:58,522 --> 01:31:01,870
I firmly believe you
have to pick up the phone

2095
01:31:01,904 --> 01:31:03,388
and call somebody.

2096
01:31:03,423 --> 01:31:05,632
Whether it's an idea, whether
you're looking for money,

2097
01:31:05,667 --> 01:31:09,498
I believe that's the
truly the best way

2098
01:31:09,533 --> 01:31:10,844
to further your career.

2099
01:31:10,879 --> 01:31:12,984
So here's the secret and
you're kind of breaking

2100
01:31:13,019 --> 01:31:14,192
the rules a little bit.

2101
01:31:15,366 --> 01:31:16,988
Here's exactly what
a friend of mine did.

2102
01:31:17,023 --> 01:31:19,094
If you go on some of
these social media sites,

2103
01:31:19,128 --> 01:31:21,337
if you do not mask
the phone number,

2104
01:31:21,372 --> 01:31:23,305
sometimes you can click
and find the phone number,

2105
01:31:23,339 --> 01:31:25,756
but more often than not, you
can't find the phone number.

2106
01:31:25,790 --> 01:31:27,240
Sometimes you can Google.

2107
01:31:27,274 --> 01:31:28,828
It's a little bit easier to us

2108
01:31:28,862 --> 01:31:31,520
but it's still pretty tough to
find people's phone numbers.

2109
01:31:31,555 --> 01:31:34,627
So this individual, who's
a producer in Hollywood,

2110
01:31:34,661 --> 01:31:37,422
he posted an all his
social media sites.

2111
01:31:37,457 --> 01:31:42,462
Oh, I just lost my phone and
all my contact information.

2112
01:31:43,601 --> 01:31:47,329
Will you please DM me
your cell phone number.

2113
01:31:47,363 --> 01:31:51,195
Within two or three days, he
got about 400 phone numbers.

2114
01:31:51,229 --> 01:31:56,165
By the end of the year, he had
his next feature film funded.

2115
01:31:56,200 --> 01:31:57,512
So a little trick.

2116
01:31:59,375 --> 01:32:01,826
If you happen to
lose your phone,

2117
01:32:01,861 --> 01:32:03,966
there's a way to get
a lot of phone numbers

2118
01:32:04,001 --> 01:32:06,451
and just reach out whatever
you're trying to do.

2119
01:32:06,486 --> 01:32:07,901
I wish you all the best.

2120
01:32:07,936 --> 01:32:10,525
I thank you deeply
for coming tonight.

2121
01:32:10,559 --> 01:32:12,319
I hope you learned
something from this

2122
01:32:12,354 --> 01:32:14,183
and I appreciate you
all being in my movie.

2123
01:32:14,218 --> 01:32:15,460
Thank you very much.

2124
01:32:15,495 --> 01:32:18,636
[audience applauding]

2125
01:32:22,502 --> 01:32:24,987
[soft music]

2126
01:33:00,160 --> 01:33:03,198
So here's the thing, Ken, as
we're wrapping up this film.

2127
01:33:03,232 --> 01:33:07,271
we wanna pitch you to come
on as executive producer

2128
01:33:07,305 --> 01:33:08,790
on our next film.

2129
01:33:08,824 --> 01:33:11,378
Scott, Maggie, and I wanna
talk to you tonight

2130
01:33:11,413 --> 01:33:12,966
about you coming on board.

2131
01:33:13,001 --> 01:33:15,072
This is the last
night of filming

2132
01:33:15,106 --> 01:33:20,111
and we want to do another
film in this budget range.

2133
01:33:20,802 --> 01:33:25,289
And we've got a
very creative idea

2134
01:33:25,323 --> 01:33:29,155
that's never been done before
that we believe can be done

2135
01:33:29,189 --> 01:33:32,986
for the same exact budget we
just did this documentary.

2136
01:33:33,021 --> 01:33:34,436
And I wanna know
what it's gonna take

2137
01:33:34,470 --> 01:33:35,402
to get you to commit to being

2138
01:33:35,437 --> 01:33:37,128
the executive
producer on that.

2139
01:33:38,336 --> 01:33:42,202
[Scott] I think if we can shoot
for June 1st as a target,

2140
01:33:42,237 --> 01:33:43,859
never promise any
investor anything,

2141
01:33:43,894 --> 01:33:47,483
but that would be the
targeted delivery date

2142
01:33:47,518 --> 01:33:48,968
for all the funds.

2143
01:33:49,002 --> 01:33:50,486
And if that went well, we
could shoot this summer

2144
01:33:50,521 --> 01:33:55,491
and still catch a
late Sundance entry.

2145
01:33:55,837 --> 01:33:57,735
Now, if we miss that
target by a month

2146
01:33:57,770 --> 01:33:59,254
or two or three months,

2147
01:33:59,288 --> 01:34:01,532
we can still shoot at the
end of the year, either way.

2148
01:34:01,566 --> 01:34:04,052
-[inspiring music]
-[dialogue fading out]

2149
01:34:32,183 --> 01:34:36,084
[Rick] Y ou have the power to
make the movie you wanna make,

2150
01:34:36,118 --> 01:34:37,430
the way you wanna make it.

2151
01:34:37,464 --> 01:34:40,605
Don't squander the great
opportunity you have.

2152
01:34:40,640 --> 01:34:42,469
Empower yourself,

2153
01:34:42,504 --> 01:34:45,956
make the things that
you want in your life

2154
01:34:45,990 --> 01:34:47,923
and make a better world.

2155
01:34:47,958 --> 01:34:49,718
Make a better world.

2156
01:34:50,719 --> 01:34:52,825
God bless you, thank
you for coming.

2157
01:34:52,859 --> 01:34:56,000
-[audience applauding]
-[soft music]

2158
01:35:01,488 --> 01:35:04,146
[upbeat music]

2159
01:35:17,988 --> 01:35:20,093
[Rick] What question
should I have asked you

2160
01:35:20,128 --> 01:35:21,405
that I didn't?

2161
01:35:21,439 --> 01:35:23,890
[Burt laughs]

2162
01:35:23,925 --> 01:35:25,789
I can't think of a single one.

2163
01:35:26,755 --> 01:35:27,687
[Rick laughs]

2164
01:35:27,722 --> 01:35:29,033
[Rick] You're too nice.

2165
01:35:29,309 --> 01:35:32,588
[upbeat music]

2166
01:35:52,229 --> 01:35:53,057
[Rick] There were
lots of actors

2167
01:35:53,092 --> 01:35:54,956
when I was in Hollywood
imitating you,

2168
01:35:54,990 --> 01:35:56,095
but your personality,

2169
01:35:56,129 --> 01:35:57,786
and your range,

2170
01:35:57,821 --> 01:36:00,513
I think you're one of the
most underrated actors ever

2171
01:36:00,547 --> 01:36:01,686
in the history of cinema.

2172
01:36:01,721 --> 01:36:03,343
To go and do "Deliverance",

2173
01:36:03,378 --> 01:36:05,380
then go do "Smokey
and the Bandit",

2174
01:36:05,414 --> 01:36:10,005
to do the films and the prolific
number of films you made,

2175
01:36:10,040 --> 01:36:12,180
you directed, you produced.

2176
01:36:12,214 --> 01:36:14,769
I mean, it's an
extraordinary achievement.

2177
01:36:14,803 --> 01:36:15,700
What was the secret?

2178
01:36:15,735 --> 01:36:16,598
Was there a secret?

2179
01:36:16,632 --> 01:36:17,530
Was it hard work?

2180
01:36:17,564 --> 01:36:19,152
Was it you learned your craft?

2181
01:36:19,187 --> 01:36:21,914
Was it the force of
your personality?

2182
01:36:21,948 --> 01:36:23,260
Is this question too long?

2183
01:36:26,332 --> 01:36:28,368
Thank you, first of all.

2184
01:36:29,473 --> 01:36:31,302
I never had a problem...

2185
01:36:32,165 --> 01:36:38,309
going into the
darkest place to go,

2186
01:36:39,034 --> 01:36:40,484
the hardest place to go.

2187
01:36:41,865 --> 01:36:46,179
You know, you can't try to
be anybody, just be yourself.

2188
01:36:47,422 --> 01:36:49,527
[upbeat music]

2189
01:37:05,889 --> 01:37:08,857
[Rick] But you also produced,
how did you get the money?

2190
01:37:08,892 --> 01:37:10,583
Because when I was in
Hollywood, people said,

2191
01:37:10,617 --> 01:37:13,172
"Burt Reynolds can film the
yellow pages and we'll fund it."

2192
01:37:13,206 --> 01:37:15,208
In other words, if you wanted
to read the yellow pages,

2193
01:37:15,243 --> 01:37:16,727
the studios would
have backed you.

2194
01:37:16,761 --> 01:37:19,523
Is that true or did you just
pick up the phone and say,

2195
01:37:19,557 --> 01:37:22,595
hey, I wanna do this or
somebody brought you a project?

2196
01:37:22,629 --> 01:37:24,562
I haven't tried the
yellow pages yet.

2197
01:37:28,463 --> 01:37:31,121
[upbeat music]

2198
01:37:46,412 --> 01:37:49,104
So many films, so
much diversity,

2199
01:37:49,139 --> 01:37:52,176
so many great pictures.

2200
01:37:52,211 --> 01:37:56,456
I just think my gosh,
you've been part of America,

2201
01:37:56,491 --> 01:37:58,148
you and John Wayne.

2202
01:37:58,182 --> 01:38:00,840
It's like, if there was a
Mount Rushmore of actors,

2203
01:38:00,875 --> 01:38:04,188
if you will look at the box
office and the popularity,

2204
01:38:04,223 --> 01:38:06,639
it's you and John Wayne,
those are the numbers.

2205
01:38:06,673 --> 01:38:08,986
I mean, that's an
extraordinary accomplishment.

2206
01:38:09,021 --> 01:38:10,539
I hope you like John Wayne.

2207
01:38:11,402 --> 01:38:14,060
[crew clapping]

2208
01:38:16,718 --> 01:38:19,445
Yeah. I love Duke
and I love this work.

2209
01:38:19,479 --> 01:38:22,137
[upbeat music]

2210
01:38:35,771 --> 01:38:36,669
[Rick] Did you ever have,

2211
01:38:36,703 --> 01:38:37,877
when you were directing people,

2212
01:38:37,912 --> 01:38:38,774
try to tell you how
to make a movie?

2213
01:38:38,809 --> 01:38:40,328
Oh yeah.

2214
01:38:40,362 --> 01:38:44,504
And I tell them how to make
a couple of other things.

2215
01:38:45,609 --> 01:38:47,197
[Rick] Might've
been a knuckle sandwich

2216
01:38:47,231 --> 01:38:47,922
in some of those.

2217
01:38:48,232 --> 01:38:49,716
It was something
like that, yeah.

2218
01:38:49,751 --> 01:38:52,409
[upbeat music]

2219
01:39:24,717 --> 01:39:26,926
[Rick] What's the
secret of getting

2220
01:39:26,961 --> 01:39:28,376
a project funded?

2221
01:39:28,410 --> 01:39:31,206
Is there a secret either in
Hollywood or as an independent?

2222
01:39:31,241 --> 01:39:36,246
Well, you got a script that
is a commercial script.

2223
01:39:37,005 --> 01:39:39,766
Commercial in the sense that
it's got the things in it

2224
01:39:39,801 --> 01:39:43,736
that people wanna go see.

2225
01:39:43,770 --> 01:39:46,601
I mean, I don't know, what's
the hottest movie today,

2226
01:39:47,774 --> 01:39:48,775
you know?

2227
01:39:48,810 --> 01:39:49,673
[Man] "Black Panther"

2228
01:39:49,707 --> 01:39:51,675
"Black Panther", yeah.

2229
01:39:51,709 --> 01:39:52,779
[Rick] "Black Panther's"

2230
01:39:52,814 --> 01:39:54,195
what you just said earlier

2231
01:39:54,229 --> 01:39:56,300
but it's something people
haven't seen before.

2232
01:39:56,335 --> 01:39:59,614
-It's overdue, it's overdue.
-[Rick] Exactly.

2233
01:40:01,029 --> 01:40:04,481
That an African-American has
not had the lead in a movie

2234
01:40:04,515 --> 01:40:07,242
playing an
action-adventure hero,

2235
01:40:07,277 --> 01:40:12,282
is ludicrous. And this is what?

2236
01:40:12,903 --> 01:40:14,008
2000 and what?

2237
01:40:15,802 --> 01:40:17,287
[Rick] Let's say 19
by the time this film,

2238
01:40:17,321 --> 01:40:18,736
this film comes out. No, I'm
just teasing.

2239
01:40:20,911 --> 01:40:23,741
No. In "Wonder
Woman", same story.

2240
01:40:23,776 --> 01:40:24,604
Same thing.

2241
01:40:25,985 --> 01:40:28,643
[upbeat music]

2242
01:40:45,729 --> 01:40:47,144
[Rick] One of the
highlights of my life,

2243
01:40:47,179 --> 01:40:48,973
to do this interview with you.

2244
01:40:49,008 --> 01:40:51,631
You are an absolute
national treasure

2245
01:40:51,666 --> 01:40:52,598
for this country, Mr. Reynolds.

2246
01:40:52,632 --> 01:40:53,840
Thank you, sir.

2247
01:40:53,875 --> 01:40:54,841
-God bless you.
-[crew clapping]

2248
01:40:54,876 --> 01:40:58,776
-Thank you. Thank You.
-[crew clapping]

2249
01:41:04,851 --> 01:41:08,096
You're very kind,
very, very kind.

2250
01:41:08,131 --> 01:41:09,787
Easy to to talk to.

2251
01:41:09,822 --> 01:41:10,892
God bless you.

2252
01:41:12,894 --> 01:41:15,621
[ominous music]