Interview with The Angry Filmmaker
Had a chance to catch up with Kelley Baker, The Angry Filmmaker. Always generous with his expertise and advice, Kelley took the time to answer a few questions.
Tina: Heard you are coming to RIFF 2010. Any thoughts yet on a workshop topic?
The Angry Filmmaker: I would like to do, The New Model of Independent Filmmaking. In that workshop I talk about finding your market (viewers) before you make your film and ways to fund, promote, and keep people interested and involved with your film from conception all the way through distribution. There are a lot of great new tools out there for filmmakers to make and market their films and in that workshop I talk about a lot of them.
Tina: There seems to be a trend in Independent Film world. Interviewers frequently ask filmmakers “What do you see for the future of independent film?” Are you game to take a swing at this one?
The Angry Filmmaker: There’s a lot of new and interesting things happening as far funding and marketing your films, but I think overall, the future of Independent film is that filmmakers need to get off of their [censored] and do everything they can to promote their work. Filmmakers need to stop dealing with the old ways of distribution (those ways are dead anyway) and empower themselves. Get out there with their audiences and interact with them. The only way filmmakers are going to get their work seen is if they do it themselves.
Tina: Distribution certainly seems to be a tough problem. Businesses have closed down due to the economy. How can filmmakers work around this problem?
The Angry Filmmaker: You have to learn to market and distribute your films yourself. The problem has always been distribution for Independents. The economy is not going to rebound anytime soon. You need to get your films out so that you can start making your money back. It always comes back to the same answer for me, DIY!
Tina: Good advice, thanks. What projects are you working on right now?
The Angry Filmmaker: Right now I am still on tour! I am trying to finish my new book on sound for films. I am going to be releasing a group of 5 minute web films on the American Dream (from material I have shot over the last few years). I have a new script I would like to shoot next winter and I am raising finishing funds for a documentary I started work on almost 20 years ago about the writer and political activist Kay Boyle. I shot everything in 16mm film and I am trying to raise about $10,000 to get all of the negatives transferred to tape so I can get moving on the editing. On top of all this, I am booking my Fall Tour. There are other projects in the works, but I think that is enough to talk about right now.
Tina: Wow! You’re a busy man. I follow your website and know that you are very generous to novice filmmakers. Is there one topic that comes up more than others?
The Angry Filmmaker: Everyone always wants to talk about equipment and what new gear is out there.
Tina: What is your advice for that?
The Angry Filmmaker: Stop talking and thinking about the equipment. If some of these filmmakers spent half the amount of time thinking about their stories, their scripts, and the acting in their films we’d have a lot more good films out there. I always tell filmmakers when it comes down to it, sacrifice the look in your movies for performance. If your choice is to spend money to rent a Red camera (or whatever), or use a cheaper camera and have more time in preproduction to concentrate on the script and rehearsing with the actors. I would always take the extra time to get my script right and prepare my actors. A camera doesn’t make your movie for you; it’s all in the writing and the acting.
Tina: Are there any screenwriting or scriptwriting tools you can recommend?
The Angry Filmmaker: I love William Akers book, Your Screenplay Sucks! 100 Ways to Make it Great. Great advice, with a wonderful sense of humor and attitude. We need more books like this one.
Tina: Thank you, Kelley. Your time and advice is greatly appreciated.
Fans can find out more about Kelley Baker films, books, and tours by visiting http://www.facebook.com/l/e460b;www.angryfilmmaker.com. You’ll also find him on Facebook and can follow him on Twitter.
~Peace,
Tina