Wednesday 23 October 2013

Framing Film - Two Guys and a Film - Update Interview

Hey everyone,

Today we're bringing you an update interview with the wonderful Canyon and James from Two Guys and a Film. If you haven't seen the first interview we did with them, make sure you check it out too, the first part is here and the second part is here

It's really exciting to see how far they have come and now that they have made two films, they are now making five films (yes five!) at one time to add to their slate. 

You can find out more about their project, but also help support them by visiting their website. Just click here!

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Ferenc Igali: So you're taking the big leap after having completed your first two feature films - what does it feel like now that you have that experience under your belt?

Two Guys: It's always exciting when we're talking about making new movies. Canyon and I have a kind of company mantra "Get back on set!". If we set that as our goal, then everything else becomes all about achieving it! 

FI: What have you learned so far that you hope to use in this next stage?

TG: We've learned a lot more about the business side of filmmaking, something we were more naive about going into the last films. We really feel like were better equipped on these films which will ultimately lead to bigger success!

FI: Obviously you guys are expanding, adding more projects to the slate - what's the general plan here and where does the company go from here on out? 

TG: The next five films is just the next step in our progression as filmmakers. We've done the slate model with two, and proven that we can handle multiple projects at the same time. Now it's time to up our game and go for five! Looking to the future of the company long term, we aim to build an independent studio that allows us to keep creating awesome films as well as bringing up other first-time directors.

FI: You advocated combining sources of funding previously  - what made you return to the crowdfunding model for this endeavour and how does it combine into the overall plans?

TG: Well, our approach to crowdfunding is different than most, meaning we aren't relying solely on it for the films budget. It has to be considered in your budget as an indie filmmaker, but you can't stop there. We really believe that you should explore every avenue available, which is what we are going to do. We are turning to crowdfunding to raise the development funds only for the next slate, and like I said not the entire budget. The larger portion of the budget will come from Private Equity, Tax Incentives, and Gap Financing. 

FI: Where will the money you raise go?

TG: There are a lot of development costs that we need to cover before we can go out and raise the full budgets. Things like hiring a Casting Director to start casting the films, a legit Line Producer, Legal and Start Up fees.  These are all costs that we need to pay for before we can really start moving forward. We also have investors around the country interested in investing, however we need to travel to meet and close these deals, which also costs money! Development is often thought of as playtime money, but it's not. We actually need this money to move this slate forward.

FI: What can we expect from this next slate of films? 

TG: Five awesome action packed stories in genres that we all love. Sci-Fi and Horror!

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Canyon and James have sent us their press release with details all about their five films. While the majority are horror based, such as 'Extinction' which "is about a group of military elite who travel deep behind enemy lines to investigate a viral outbreak" and to us sounds like a rather good zombie film (Don't we all love a good zombie film!?) 

And if you don't know this about the misses...well you do now, she hates films based around sharks. They freak her out! However Two Guys' found-footage film, 'Beach Day Massacre' which "follows a group of marine biology students as they document a series of fatal shark attacks" might just sway her!

Among the five films is also a Sci-fi thriller titled, '68 Minutes' "about a former scientist who breaks out of a mental institute in order to stop a device that could potentially create a universal time crisis" 

To find out about the other two films and more details about their project, make sure to check out their website, just click right here!

But You Didn't Hear it From Us,

The Mr and Misses


Wednesday 16 October 2013

Framing Film - Joe Gazzam- Interview - Part Two

Hello and welcome to the second part of Joe's interview! If you have yet to read the first half (which was so good, I promise you!) click right here and read it before continuing with this part.

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Ferenc Igali: I'm an aspiring writer myself, and I read your writing routine that you mentioned; but do you have any special conditions to set yourself up to write? Or can you write comfortably in any situation?

Joe Gazzam: I don't have any special conditions, other than I have an office in my back yard. I've tried to arrange it, in a creative fashion as possible. It looks like Indiana Jones' museum. There's a lot of crazy stuff in there, I'm just trying to surround myself with the right vibe. But in terms of a process it's literally just forcing myself into the office, sitting down and just staring at the screen, till something clicks. That's the hard part, the gut wrenching part! You can really get side tracked with the internet and a million other things. 

FI: Do you use any particular software or just the industry standard of Final Draft?

JG: I just use Final Draft. I think most people do, I don't know any writers that don't. I've never asked any studio people if they take any other formats, I'm assuming they probably do. It's just so prevalent and it works. Once you become a professional writer and you've been doing it for a long time, you don't really need much out of a screenwriting program, just the basics. You're not really using all the tools and the wacky stuff they have on there, so Final Draft works well for me.  

FI: How do you go about building up an idea into a full fledged script? Do you use outlines, beats? Perhaps a large map of sticky notes on a wall or index cards?

JG: I use a very detailed outline. What I do is start off with the big, big points; my opening, my first turning point, my midpoint, my second turning point and the end. Literally as four or five different lines. Then I start working in between those lines, so I start with the first act and I say, "Okay, how am I going to fill in from the start and how am I going to get to my turning point." I sort of start putting beats in there and I do that for all of it and it starts to balloon out, a little bit and then once I have that I go through it again and it fills up and fills up until some point every scene is accounted for. And then I'm pretty much ready to go! 

FI: Obviously moving to places that are the epicentre of filmmaking, like LA, becomes a strong advantage, but in today's digital age and with the advent of sites like the Blacklist - would the necessity of moving to one of these hubs of film still outweigh the benefits of working online? What about international screenwriters attempting to break into the industry?

JG: In terms of being in LA, it has some advantages. You can go to a lot of meetings, you can run into people who are developing stuff. It definitely has its advantages. But if you have a good script, no one cares. The key is just getting it to the right hand. So really I would think that the biggest hurdle, being international, is just getting an agent. If you can get an agent and write a good script, you're pretty much done! Things like the Blacklist, certainly help and all the different contests, you can enter those because the agents do scan those things. But with the internet you have a much better access to agents, then I ever had when I came out here. It's definitely not a necessity to live out here. You could totally make it without living here. 

FI: Independent film, and so independent screenwriting is thriving today; crowd funding, cheap(er) pro-sumer cameras and growing film schools/courses mean that there are more chances than ever before for new writers. Do you think that the direction we're heading in will make life easier for the novice screenwriter? More projects will equal opportunities, but there is also growing competition.

JG: I think it will make life a lot easier for the novice screen writer. You can shoot your own film these days and there are a million more opportunities to get your stuff out there and to have some job opportunities. Like the studios now are making less films than they ever did, they are developing less films, the assignments have shrunk. Everything is sort of shrinking because they are only making a few big movies a year. So this is exactly what we need, the independent aspect of this to get more stuff going. So I think it's great and that it will provide a ton more opportunities because the studios are harder to break into than ever but screw them! Go do Kickstarter, do whatever you want. You don't need them anymore if you have something you want to get off the ground.    

FI: You mention that you may want to adapt a series from fiction to screen - have you worked on any adaptations before? If so, any advice to offer about the experience?

JG: I have not gone from a novel to a script! I've gone from a tv show to a script, an existing movie to a script but never from a novel. I don't have much to lend there!

FI: Your novel is out soon - how was the process of writing a novel compared to the process of writing a script? Did you have to adapt any working habits or particulars?

JG: It was actually pretty freeing, to be honest with you. I've done scripts for so long and it's five people looking over your shoulder telling you how to do it. Giving you notes, pulling you in every direction. So getting to work on something like a novel was great, because no one could tell me what to do, I could write what ever I want and I was not limited. There are so many limitations in script writing; page count, set structure. This you can just go off and tell your story! I honestly couldn't imagine a situation where I didn't do both from now on. I've really grown to love both! That's the thing with Hollywood, what they always say, if you don't want to get notes, if you don't want to collaborate on your writing, go write a novel! 

FI: Time for our final two questions; first up - if you could have worked on any production, in any capacity (including that of being a writer or co-writer), from any era of film, what production would it be and why?

JG: This may be the geek in me coming out! But I would have loved to have written Terminator! In the crazy 80's, with Cameron at the helm, I just think that would have been pretty cool. I know you probably want me to say Casablanca or something, but that's what I would choose!  

FI: Lastly, and this is our reader favourite; what are your favourite films (or screenplays in this case) - and do you have any professional idols or heroes? And do you have any tips for novice screenwriters?

JG: In terms of favourite films it's probably going to be the same ones you guys like!
Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, all the Spielberg stuff. Terminator! Tarantino's True Romance is one of my favourites of all time. Cohen Brothers - pretty much everything they have written! 

In terms of idols, Shane Black, I love his voice. Robert Towne, William Goldman - there's so many! I love the guys with the real unique voice; like the Cohen Brothers. That's always inspiring. 

And advice for novice screenwriters, I would say just write, write, write! I know that's stuff you're always hearing because it's true. If I look back on my early stuff I want to vomit! I had no idea what a craft writing was when I first started, I was just writing and really amused with myself. But it really is a learned craft, there's structure, characterisation, there's all these things that you really only get a hold of in your brain after you've been hammered.  When someone reads a script and goes "This doesn't make sense or this doesn't work!" and having to confront that and realise why and learning that craft of why it doesn't work and what you should be doing. All that stuff just requires doing it and a lot of it! The chances are you're going to throw away your first couple screenplays, there's no way around it! I think that's the key, just write it and don't be really precious with it. Get feedback and be willing to figure out the note behind the note. That's what they say out here. What are they really trying to say? 

FI: Thank you very much for 'sitting' down with us in this transatlantic chat and taking time out of your day to do so!

Thursday 10 October 2013

Framing Film - Joe Gazzam - Interview - Part One

Hey everyone!

Today we are bringing you another installment of Framing Film. This has to be one of our favourite parts of our blog; talking to independent film makers and creators about their passion! We find it so interesting to learn from each person we interview and we hope that you do too!

So without further delay, keep on reading for our interview with Joe Gazzam!


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Ferenc Igali: Hey Joe, thank you for agreeing to an interview, it's brilliant to have you with us. Our series targets the process behind filmmaking as well as filmmakers and their independent journeys. You said that you had written a script that sent you from Atlanta to California.

What was that first script like?

Joe Gazzam: The first script was pretty much a Tarantino rip off! It was right around 2000-ish and you know, he had sort of blown up and caught my imagination. It was somewhere in between Cohen Brothers and Tarantino, a lot of dialogue and some crazy stuff going on. 

Plot wise it wasn't very good but I think it had a voice and a style that responded to that first agent and for some ungodly reason he found a glimmer of talent in there.

FI: How hard was it writing that first script that got you the representation?

JG: It was easy, actually. 

I was desperate, I was working a bunch of horrible jobs and I knew that was what I really wanted to do. So it was easy writing it. Getting the representation was hard because everyone out here has got a script and everyone is trying to get it to agents. I just got lucky and one of my buddies was dating a girl, that was represented. We basically brow-beat her into giving my script to her agent and he liked it! So that sort of got the ball rolling. 

FI: What was it like, writing up that first speculative script?

JG: Again it was clunky writing that first one, just because I wasn't quite sure what I was doing. I was completely just doing it for the fun of it! I was completely amused with myself, probably unduly! It was a bit of a train wreck and meandering. But it was a lot of fun to do, considering I had no one giving me notes and for better or probably for worse actually, I wasn't really paying attention to structure. It was actually a lot of fun, it just turned out to be something that probably could never be shot. 

FI: You said that you've written a project each for Disney and Universal, as well as having sold a show to Syfy - what kind of genres and ranges do you work in? And do you have any preferences?

JG: The project for Disney is Untitled but it is in a Hawaiian adventure movie and it's basically an Indiana Jones for the family, set around mythology, so it's broad comedy action, sort of world building. 

The Universal was a little bit more grounded, it was based on the TV show 'It Takes a Theif' and that was just a sort of, big action-y movie. 

The Syfy show was sort of like an updated take on that old show 'Greatest American Hero' except a little more grounded, but it was sort of scifi action. 

I guess in terms of genres, that's sort of always been the constant. I've done literally everything with a word before action! Romantic comedy action, dark thriller action, scifi action. One common component is action!

FI: You've had some great support along the way - just how crucial is that to the emerging screenwriter? Some go at it alone and some have family or friends to help prop them up; is it a make or break factor?

JG: I have had some great support along the way and you do need that because it's crucial. This is a brutal, unforgiving town, that no one really cares about you. When you really start getting support is when you probably really need it the least! So having some friends, family to support you is important.

 My own wife, when I was writing my first real spec script, I got fired from my job, so I was making no money and she read half my script and said "I think you're going to sell this, I believe in you, so I'll pay the bills, you just keep writing!" and it ended up selling, so something like that is just vital. 

FI: As a writer, sometimes you work on rewrites; how hard is it to approach material from another writer and attempt to morph it into what's needed? Do you follow certain notes that people want to emphasise or do you try and attach your own voice in a rewrite?

JG: It is hard, a lot of times when you get sent a rewrite it is because it is a train wreck, it's just a horrible mess. So a lot of times your pitch may be, I'm just going toss this in the garbage and start fresh. I've done that a number of times. But every now and then you'll get a good one, where you can sort of tell where they are going and where the mistakes are. I haven't really had a big problem with that. It's sort of fun when a lot of it's working and you can fill in the gaps. Really it's just matching the voice and you're just trying to make it work, not worrying about what they wrote or what you wrote but just trying to please the studio. 

In terms of attaching your own voice, I think it's sort of unavoidable! People just have a natural style, I think, unless it's something very specific. 

FI: In terms of rewrites; we've all seen horrible lines of movie dialogue or entire films at one point or another and thought; "I could do better". Do you believe that the rewriting process adds to, or even defines this effect as writers attempt to take the story in their own way with each rewrite?

JG: The rewriting process can add to it, I've seen it add to it and hopefully I feel that I have in a lot of cases. But there's also a weird mentality out here, where they are just churning and burning writers and then it really becomes a mess. The longer something stays in development and the more rewrites its had, the more time the executive and the producer put in on it, so their brains are scrambled. By the time you get to it, if you're the fourth or fifth writer in, it's a big giant mess, so getting anything to work, even if you have something similar to a road they have gone down, they don't want to do it. It can be a real bad experience at times! 



So everyone, that is the end of Part one of Joe's interview! Make sure to check back in a few days when the second half will be posted! Thank you again to Joe.

But You Didn't Hear it From Us,

The Mr & Misses