What is your budget?
What format are you shooting on?
What are you editing on?
How did you cast?
Are you going SAG?
Shooting schedule?
What about catering?
Where did you get your crew?
Where did you get financing?
Why are you doing this?
Have you ever done this before?
Will you ever do it again?
What are your goals?
How many DPs did you interview?
When will your movie first come out?
How old are you?
Your favorite movie this year?

What is your budget?

Frankly this is one of the most frequent questions I get. I'm not always sure how to answer it…we're shooting SAG experimental, which means that we have to be under75K. And, we're making a five million dollar movie. So those are both the right answers. How am I doing this? I'm asking people to work for free. And these are industry professionals…people who are used to getting a $1000 a day are getting paid$500 a week for a six day week…and only six people are getting paid. It can be done and it is being done…I'm doing it. And, these professionals love the script, and they are training college interns who just graduated to do the second and third level jobs.

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What format are you shooting on?

35mm.Long Ends/Recans. We got a a great deal on a 35mm camera package---exactly what we were going to pay for a super 16 package with better lenses. Then I begged and pleaded with some Shortends suppliers and convinced them to donate the film and in exhange we'll advertise the hell out of their company…thanks guys! Check out their link and phone number and speak with…….but I bet he won't give you the same deal I got…but you can always ask…and it helped that he loved the screenplay! Let's get into a bit more discussion about this…video, super16, 35mm etc. If you want theatrical release, right now, you have to be on 35mm. If you want it to feel like film, it has to end up on film at some point. Had we not gotten our donation,we we're looking at a 50,000 transfer to film (even if we're on super 16 eventually you're ending up with those types of numbers) We were given a donation with a value close to $18,000. We'll take on more expense in developing, but the expense now vs. what it would have been is huge…we're saving a ton of money in the long run. Each project has to make the decision about format, and if you take money away from the production then are you compromising what is ending up on film.

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What are you editing on?

Presently we're using a friend's Final Cut Pro 2 system…we're wheeling and dealing with some local ad places to see if we can sneak in during the nights and use their AVIDs…I'll keep you posted.

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How did you cast?

We spent two months casting and we auditioned over 200 people All of the regional casting agents have been awesome. We have a cast that is worth bragging about. Again, when people get excited about a screenplay they want to work on a project. People like to do fun things with their lives. If you give your screenplay out to people and they're not interested then you should be stepping back and wondering if that's telling you something.

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Are you going SAG?

Short answer Yes…long answer, wait for a production journal entry on this one…it's been a long haul to say the least to make that decision. And we're a better project because of the SAG actors we're using. Had we had more time I believe we could have eventually found nonunion people who are just as great. They're out there. I love the people we have on board and am disappointed at some of the people we don't have with us…but again, another story.

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Shooting schedule?

24 days. Six day weeks.

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What about catering?

Paid a caterer a daily rate to feed us (thanks Donna Duncan) and She has coordinated with all the area restaurants so that all the meals and drinks are being donated by local businesses. She rocks!

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Where did you get your crew?

From everywhere. Found many people word of mouth, but Mandy.com and the NC Film Commission websites have generated great interest in our movie. People want to help and there are resources out their already…use them!

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Where did you get financing?

An angel investor. Plain and simple. Sometimes God smiles on you when you think it's raining outside.

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Why are you doing this?

I love movies.

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Have you ever done this before?

No.

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Will you ever do it again?

I'll tell you in two months.

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What are your goals?

I am going to make a five million dollar movie with75k. I am going to get the movie distributed to a world wide market, and I am going to pay everyone what they deserved to be paid on this movie when it's all said and done. AND, we're going to have fun doing it.

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How many DPs did you interview?

We watched well over 50 reels. We got down to our top ten. Told them about the budget, then ended up with 5. Then we ended up, frankly, with our number one choice out of the 50 reels we looked at. And Ken, you rock, and you can come sleep at my mother's house anytime you're in this part of the country. If you want a great DP---hire Ken Stipe.

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When will your movie first come out?

According to Troy, our lead actor playing J, in Sundance 2002. I'm much greater fan of SXSW myself. Let me first live through June. Then I'll tell you how great of a movie we actually have.

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How old are you?

35 How old are you? Why do people ask me this question?

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Your favorite movie this year?

Pearl Harbor. Actually, to date, probably Momento.

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