I certainly don’t want to go that route, but problems with our locations might force it to happen.

Here’s the deal: We’re asking everyone we know about locations for our film. We’ve been asking for over a month now. Initially, it looked like getting the locations lined up wouldn’t be a challenge. However, here we sit, 4 days from the projected first day of our shoot and we STILL don’t have a single location lined up for shooting in Minnesota. This is NOT a good issue.

Our biggest need is a bar. For a lot of the other scenes we can find locations easily. But the bar scenes are key pivotal parts of the film. They establish the main character, serve as the pivotal point for the plot, and ultimately a location where we get a major conflict resolved. Because of this, the bar can’t really be written out easily at all. If we don’t have the bar scenes, we do not have a film.

Only compounding matters is that at the end of next week, our lead actor, Andrew, leaves for Los Angeles. Once he’s gone, it could be several months before he comes back in town at best, and it could be a lot longer before he has a spare week to shoot a film.

And so this is my plea for your help. If you know anyone who owns a bar, vacant, occupied, or anything in between, have them email locations@distractedmovie.com RIGHT AWAY. Even if it’s not a bar, but could pass as one, we’ll take it. An easily dressable empty warehouse would make me happy at this point.  BUT I NEED THIS LOCATION. If I do not have this location scheduled by midnight tonight, I’m afraid we’ll be shelving the project indefinitely.

What does that mean, exactly? Well, first off, I do not plan on cancelling the project altogether. However, I WILL have to wait until I can get all of our cast back together. That could be months or years away. In the mean time, everything we shot so far runs the risk of becoming useless if our characters change their looks before we shoot again, which would force us to re-shoot scenes that we’re already done with, something that will be a nearly impossible task, considering the Omaha scenes took actors from four states working together.

Bottom line, I’ve dumped literally more than every penny I have into this project. I have account balances in the negatives right now because of this project, and I don’t want to cancel it. But if I can’t get this location figured out by midnight tonight, my options are exceeding limited.

I guess I’m having a needy spell. First I ask for donations (which are still welcome!), and now this!

With our shoot in Omaha coming up a week from today, we’re trying to get things together, and one of those things is a film crew.

If you have any interest in serving with the Omaha crew, shoot an email to crew@distractedmovie.com and let us know.

Thanks!

Tonight I stare at my calendar, and I’m stunned. We start shooting in 8 days. In fact, literally seven days from the time I am writing this, I will likely be loading our van (and hopefully a trailer – I’ll get to that) in preparation for our trip to Omaha to shoot the first handful of scenes for this film. The time has flown by, and I can’t tell you how excited I am to begin production on the film! Next week is going to be great.

The challenge

This is where things get interesting. At the moment, besides directing the film, I’m essentially solely funding this thing. (Andrew has dropped some significant coin on this too, and I don’t want to ignore that.) In a perfect world, this wouldn’t be a huge issue, but sadly we don’t live in a perfect world.

The way I am funding this film is by diverting a portion of my income as a video producer into the project. When a client pays me, I send some to Uncle Sam, use some to pay my bills, and lately all the rest has gone into the film project. Unfortunately we’ve had a slight snag. While I have a decent handful of clients right now, various issues (such as recession-related challenges) have come up, and as a result I’m hanging between payments without any income. It’s at a place where what is trickling in isn’t even covering the bills, let alone funding this project.

And this brings us back to the start of this post: We’re supposed to be leaving for Omaha to start shooting in a week. Initially I considered just rescheduling the Omaha shoot, but there were several problems with that. For starters, several people have taken time off work for this project, some have even used up precious vacation time. Our family already made plans to have the rental house we’re using as home base vacated just for this project. Plus, Andrew is moving to Hollywood literally three days after the end of our scheduled shooting. The bottom line is that there’s no way for us to push the date any further back.

The need

We have several needs. For starters, we need to find an enclosed trailer to haul all our gear in. We also need to cover fuel costs, meals, props, costumes, and lodging during the week for the cast. With all of this, there’s really only one way that this film can happen, and that’s with the financial support from people who believe in supporting the arts and independent filmmaking. I’m really hoping that you’re one of those people.

Besides just helping this film become a reality, your donation will also make a statement. We’ve recently added a Special Thanks Page to the site. For everyone who makes a donation of at least $10, we’ll be adding your name to the site, so the world will know that you’re a supporter of indie filmmaking and the arts. This is your chance to make a statement and help make a film in the process.

So how do you donate? It’s actually really simple. below this text there’s a PayPal button. To start the process, simply click the button, and it will take you to the donation page. Enter the amount of your donation, and on the next page you can enter your name how you would like it to appear on the site. submit the donation, and you’re done. It’s that easy!

The benefits

In addition to a listing on the Special Thanks page, we also have put together several varying levels of thank you packages for our donors. These have all been laid out for you in this post. No matter how much or little you can give, you will get something, as our way of saying thanks for your support.

Thanks

We literally can’t do this without you. Thanks for supporting the indie film arts with your donation!

Last time, I talked about the frustration of the auditon, and how hard it can be to pick the best people out of a pool of great talent. This week, I fully expected to write a post about callbacks being even more difficult, and how it was impossible to pick the people who we’re committing to these rules. Imagine my surprise when the review night went fairly painlessly!

After our callbacks, I had a mini meeting of the minds. I sat down with Andrew (our lead actor in the flick) and my wife (who aside from wanting me to succeed has no ties to the film), and we watched the callbacks. I was actually quite astonished at how quickly the process took place.  We started watching the video at about 7:30, and Andrew was out the door on his way home not three hours later.  I genuinely thought we would be chewing it over for a lot longer, in the range of days. But in this unbelievably rapid process, I did have some observations.

For starters, I now in a way regret not calling back a couple people. Don’t get me wrong, I think we got a great team for this film put together. However, what surprised me most were two people that I invited to callbacks somewhat reluctantly. In both cases, I had invited them back without feeling that they were the best fits for these roles. How wrong I was! In the end, I was so glad that I brought both of these folks back, because their second performances were absolutely spot on to my vision for the film. I did cast one, and the other I was so very close to casting, and they would have been in had it not been someone else’s stellar performance.

This got me thinking: everyone who came out last week did such a great job. I really would have liked to try a few others in the callbacks. It troubles me a little that maybe, just maybe, I would have made the wrong calls. However, I trust the suggestions I got from my writers, the online panel, and my in-person team at the reviews. I just have to accept that we got the right names for this film, and remember that I can always cast the others in my next film.

Another observation I had was that it was so good to have help from an outsider in making these calls! Obviously, as the director what I say goes and I have the last word (geez, I love that power!).  Despite that, however, I really have to brag on how great my wife has been after both auditions.  In both cases she came in and gave me a perspective from someone who is in many ways outside of this production. Her input really helped me see our candidates in a new light, and while i don’t think I took every one of her suggestions, they all DID greatly affect my thought process. So if you read this honey, thanks a bunch!

Along those same lines, it’s absolutely beyond important to have others with you, both at the auditions and while you watch the tapes. By having more eyes out there, they helped me see things I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. So for all of you who helped in this capacity, thanks to you, too!

Alright, I promised I’d finish up the FFS segment, so here it is:

Free Film School: Surviving Auditions

Once everything is set up for auditions, your fun is really going to begin! The casting process is surprisingly difficult. You have a couple minutes with an actor or actress, and in that time you need to decide if they’re worthy to have a role in your film. It can be incredibly stressful, which is why many directors will delegate casting to a Casting Director. But if you’re in the hot seat, there are a few things to consider.

• Is the auditioning actor “real” in the role? That is, are they overacting or underacting? When they perform, do you see the actor as your character, or as someone trying to pretend they’re your character? If you see their performance as the least bit fake, so will everyone who watches your film!
• Don’t be afraid to ask them to re-try the lines. Make suggestions, and see how they handle them. Remember, these people may have only met this character a few seconds earlier. They’re going to need your direction to pull this off.
• Look for people who ask questions. further, avoid people who “self-direct”. A good actor is one who can follow a director’s orders. People who ask questions about the character are trying to fulfill the vision of the director. On the flip side, I’ve had people audition for a project who self-directed to the point of creating room layouts and character interactions without checking with me. It drove me crazy! Improv is one thing, self-directing is another.

Saying “no”

Saying no is the hardest part of the process. If you have to tell someone no,  here are some reminders:

• Don’t burn bridges! You’re not Simon Cowell. Just because someone isn’t a super strong actor today doesn’t mean they’ll never be one. The filmmaking world is shockingly small. The last thing you want is to beat someone into the ground today, and get blacklisted by them years later after they worked on their skills.
• Offer ideas for improvement. Sometimes if you give the person you turned down feedback, they can continue to build their skills. They may even thank you for it.
• If posible, bring them in as a minor role or extra. Give them on-set experience. Let them work with you and your team, so they have the chance to improve. Again, you never know what the future holds. By extending a hand to new or inexperienced actors, you might wind up making a powerful ally down the road.

Bottom line, look for people who fit your vision. Don’t be afraid to direct, and if you do have to say no, don’t be a jerk!

Last night was the first audition for the film, and coming away from it, I can honestly say that there’s a very legitimate reason that the big production companies hire casting directors. If Steven Spielberg had to manage the casting for his own films, I think he would have burned out somewhere between “Jaws” and ”Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, and we would have never met Indiana Jones. What a tragedy.

I’ll be honest, I set my expectations low for yesterday’s auditions. This thing is a non-union, non-paying film, and so the caliber of talent I expected was somewhere between “I drove by a film set this one time” and “I do community theater every now and then”. I was wrong. By a long shot.

By the end of the day, we had auditioned 32 people for the 7 main roles of the film that are still open, and we came back with two or three really sharp candidates for most of the roles. For the role of Vanessa alone, there were five really incredible auditions. I managed to whittle it down to three for callbacks, but it was nearly impossible.

For those who are following the blog and considering making your own movie, I have a few useful tips, and I”m going to present them in a little segment we do here, called

Free Film School – Auditions -setup

Casting is an insanely challenging process, and while not all of your characters are cast during auditions the audition process is essential for finding great talent.

The first step to holding an audition is to decide on a date, time, and location. This is a surprisingly tricky process. Many actors are busy with projects, and a lot of unpaid gigs try to shoot on evenings and weekends, since most of the talent work full time jobs.  In our experience, early on the week seems to work well for many.

Additionally, you want to make sure that your audition spans two or more times of day, for example afternoon and evening, or morning and afternoon. This gives your candidates more options to work around their schedules.

For location, shop around. A good first impression is important, so meeting in the basement of a ratty pool hall might not be the right place for auditions (unless you’re doing a documentary on bikers). Find a place that’s clean and bright, and has lots of space both in the audition room and in the waiting area or hallway. Talk to the managers, and see if they’ll cut you a break on price. Either way, it shouldn’t cost too much, under $100 for sure.

Next, get the word out. There are several ways to do this, but we found that the most successful way is to reach out to local agencies that pool lists of actors. There’s an agency out of the twin cities that will send audition notices to their thousands of subscribers. Most of our candidates came from this pool. Craigslist and other online listing sites are good too, as are physical notices on physical bulletin boards.

The next step is to PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE! Get your stuff together and be ready for the audition the night before. This way when audition day comes, you only have to pop into the car and go. Here’s a brief list of things you’re going to want to have at the audition:

• Sign in Sheets – they should have a place for the person’s name, email, phone, and what roles they are auditioning for, if they know in advance.
• Image consent/Nondisclosure agreement. Let’s think about this. You’re giving a portion of your script to someone who is virtually a complete stranger. The two things you don’t want are 1-someone to sue you for any reason, or 2-someone to steal your film or share parts with the public that are confidential. Cover Your Assets, and have a form.
• General information sheet. We stapled these to the consent forms. It gives them an idea of what they can expect in the production, character lists, etc…
• Sides for the parts. “Sides” is a fancy pants Hollywood way of saying “A small part of the script”. Basically, find a page in your script that defines the character. Make several copies of that page, and you’re done. Repeat for each character until you do them all, or until complete deforestation of the United States occurs for the paper usage. Whichever comes first.
• A sheet telling people to sign in and grab a copy of the consent form packet. Believe me, you need this. Tape it to the wall above the sign-in table.
• Clipboards, lots and lots of clipboards. You’ve been there, trying to fill out paperwork on your knee. It’s no fun. You can get clipboards for under $1 each. It’s worth it.
• Pens. Not just for you, but for the people in the hall waiting.
• Refreshments. These folks are nervous. This might be the first audition for a few. Give them something to snack on and wash it down with if they want it. We had great luck with a big tray of cookies and water & soda.
• Camcorder. You NEED to record these things. If nothing else, you will want to review the footage later when you do callback review. Also, bring plenty of storage media, batteries, etc…
• If you can, bring a TV to connect to the camcorder. I found that watching them on the TV helped me focus on their screen presence.
• Note paper for yourself. Again, also useful for reviewing the data.
• Small table for the sign in materials. It will come in handy.

Okay, with that info, you can set up an audition. At the next Free Film School, I’ll talk bout what to look for at auditions. Until next time, keep it real!

-Jim

As I expected, once the ball started rolling and the first draft of the screenplay hit the table, things have shifted from high gear into some sort of psycho high gear. In the last three days, we’ve set an audition date, sent letters out to over 70 hopeful cast members, and thus far, scheduled over 20 people to come in to audition this upcoming Tuesday. Crazy!

Did you catch that? Auditions are this Tuesday. Insert exclamation point here ->! In theory, everyone on this site who filled out the earlier interest form got an invite to come out. If you didn’t get an invite, then shoot us an email at casting@distractedmovie.com, and I’ll tell you how to come. NOTE: This is an audition for the lead roles and a few minor roles, so if you’re only interested in a part as an extra, that time will come later. Patience, grasshopper!

Okay, with the fun aside, let’s talk business. We’re making this film on a VERY shoestring budget. Two years ago, I held two jobs and making a film without assistance would be a piece of cake. Today, my video production is my only source of income. The bottom line is that if this film is going to become a reality, we might need some help from you, our friends. Now don’t think for a minute that I’m in this to make any money. I think I can speak for both Andrew and myself when I say that we’re doing this to chase our dream, and if it cost us every penny we can spare we’re more than happy to do it. But after those pennies are gone, there are still expenses.

So here’s the plan: I’ve set up a donation system where you can make a donation to the project. Based on your level of giving, we’ll say thanks through some really nifty gift packages and other compensations. Here’s a quick rundown, and down at the bottom we’ll even toss in a neat-o donation button!

Level 1:  ”Hey, it’s something!”

Donation amount: $1 – $24
You Get:
-Our sincerest thanks.
-A personalized certificate of appreciation (via email) which you can print out and impress your friends with when we’re all big-shots.
The Description:
Okay, we know not everyone is made out of cash. Neither are we. But maybe you want to donate something. This is the option for you. Nearly anyone can afford it. Well, maybe not the homeless. But the homeless probably don’t read a lot of filmmaking blogs, so they’re probably not here.

Level 2:  ”The DVD Package”

Donation amount: $25 – $99
You Get:
-Everything listed above.
-A DVD copy of “The Right Thing” (Once it’s released), AUTOGRAPHED by the director (a.k.a. “me”), Andrew, and our leading lady.
The Description:
If you’ve got a little bit more to give, this is a great way to help out and get a copy of the DVD in the process. I mean, come on, when the thing is released on DVD you were planning to buy a copy anyway, right? This way, you not only get a copy, but with those three autographs, it’s bound to be worth a small fortune… possibly…

Level 3:  ”Getting Credit in the Credits”

Donation amount: $100 – $499
You Get:
-All the goodies listed so far.
-A special “The Right Thing” T-Shirt. If you’d like, we can even autograph it!
-Your name will appear in the credits, under the “Special Thanks To:” section. Impress your friends by showing them your name on a real film!
The Description:
If you’re feeling even more generous, this is a great way to support the arts and get some recognition on the big screen in the process. Your donation of at least $100 secures you a spot on our credits, and you’ll have the T-shirt and DVD to prove your involvement. Remember, special thanks can be for anything, so you don’t have to tell them you bought your way in. Just say you saved the director’s life once. I’ll back you up.

Level 4:  ”The Meet-N-Greet Option”

Donation amount: $500 – $999
You Get:
-Yup, all the stuff we’ve mentioned so far.
-An invitation to a sit-down dinner with the cast. Bring your camera, and get ready to meet some of tomorrows big celebrities!
The Description:
You’re really interested in supporting local, talented artists, and this is a great way to express that. With this package, in addition to everything else in all of the prior packages (including inclusion in the film credits!), you will also be invited to a special dinner with the cast. You’ll get to meet and greet everyone from the Lead roles to the man who played the friendly hot dog stand vendor in the park scene.  They’ll all be here. Grab your Nikon and get ready for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Level 5:  ”Patron of the Arts”

Donation amount: $1000 – $4499
You Get:
-All that has gone before.
-A special, separate line in the credits, proclaiming you as a patron of the arts.
-A special private early screening of the film. See it before anyone else!
The Description:
In the realm of filmmaking, a patron of the arts is someone who has gone the extra mile and really sacrificed, all in the name of art. If this is you, consider becoming a patron of the arts. Aside from having to fill out a nifty 1099 at the end of the year, you will also be recognized for your contribution by being given your very own line in the credits, listing your name as a “Patron of the Arts”. Additionally, when you come to the cast dinner we’ll announce your name, and Andrew will tell some mildly embarrassing story about how he met you after I talk everyone into a standing ovation to celebrate your contribution.

Level 6:  ”Executive Director”

Donation amount: $4500+
You Get:
-Every last thing I’ve listed up until now.
-Status as the film’s Executive Producer.
-Invitation to attend all rehearsals and filming.
-A walk-on role
-(Gasp!) Creative input. (Well, to an extent…)
The Description:
While all of the other options are great, if you would rather become part of the film, this option let’s you do just that. By donating $4500 or more to the project, we will name you our executive producer. Aside from the prestige of being one of the very first names to come up in the credits, you will also get the full range of power that an executive producer gets. You can come on set. You can make suggestions. You can even have a cameo if you’d like. The point is, if you donate this much, the least we can do is kiss your feet, and we’ll aim to do just that!

And there you have it folks, a list of all the reward levels you can receive just for extending a hand to help us make this dream a reality. No matter how much you give, you can be sure we’re thankful, and we can’t do this without you. So think about how involved you can get, and when you feel comfortable, click the pretty button below to head over to our secure PayPal donation page. Thanks a million!