The three teenaged directors, Marco Duran, Joachim Pfefferkorn and Elisha Courts, made the film as part of a “Sweded Challenge” at Light House Studio, a non-profit filmmaking center for students. We asked them what their first “sweding” experience was like, and here’s what they said:

Marco:

“I just want Leonardo DiCaprio to see this, that’s my only hope. I think we did pretty good, and we saved a bunch of money in special effects. Christopher Nolan should hire us.”

Elisha:

“It was probably the most fun I’ve ever had making a film. I knew everyone in the group beforehand and so I knew that they were all super cool and creative people to work with. They’re also all very funny so I was pretty sure we would be able to make something that would be fun for audiences to watch and it was very gratifying that audiences always seemed to find it just as funny as we did.”

For those of you that would like to take the “Sweded Challenge”, Rebekah Brooks of Light House Studio has provided instructions:

“Search for your favorite movie on YouTube followed by the word “sweded” and you’ll find hilarious parodies by filmmakers using the sparsest of resources. Inspired by the movie “Be Kind Rewind” with Jack Black, this underground movement is still a cult-favorite. “The Sweded Challenge” will challenge you to “swede” your favorite film either as a live action or animated movie. This is a great exercise in dissecting a film, and learning about style, editing, and how to work with a limited budget.”

Learn more about Light House Studio here at http://lighthousestudio.org/.

The LA Film Fest is held at
Regal Theaters - L.A. LIVE

Academy Award-winning director William Friedkin (The Exorcist, The French Connection) will serve as the Los Angeles Film Festival’s Guest Director, presenting a screening of his latest film Killer Joe, starring Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch and Juno Temple.

Artists in Residence this year will be legendary musician and composer Danny Elfman, award-winning chef Michael Voltaggio and Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer Raphael Saadiq. Each Artist in Residence will participate in discussions on their craft and/or screen films that have inspired them.

Conversations at the Festival will include a session with Breaking Bad stars Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn and series creator Vince Gilligan, as well as screening of the premiere episode of Aaron Sorkin’s long anticipated HBO series The Newsroom, followed by a conversation with Sorkin, executive producer Alan Poul and director Greg Mottola. A spotlight will be shone on Women of Wonder: a series of panels celebrating women in the animation field. Additional films include a members-only screening of The Do-Deca Pentathlon, a free community screening of Question Bridge: Black Males and an unrevealed Exclusive Sneak Preview title which will be announced via clues on Twitter @LAFilmFest.

For more, read the full press release.

View the Film Guide, purchase a pass and get more information on the Festival at lafilmfest.com.

Script supervisor Tecia Esposito hard at work
on the set of 2009's Path Lights.

Name some of the challenges you face as liaison between director and editor – how do you manage that line of communication?

The challenge of being a liaison is much greater when there’s a lot of improvisation – or when the vision is inside the director’s mind and not so much written on the page. To communicate this vision I first have to understand it. I listen to everything on set, carefully watch the rehearsals, try to make sense of it in my head, then confirm with the director that’s what he or she is going for.

If there are important points in the script that aren’t being hit then I always bring them up – but I like to see how things work themselves out in rehearsals before I pounce on the director for answers. I stay as low key as possible, but inside I’m like a tornado whirling around and paying attention to everything. I have a good system for my paperwork. It’s clean and easy to read, and I deliver my daily script notes in a PDF, which is easy for everyone.

Does the communication change from small low-budget indie films to higher budget studio films? How?

The lines of communication change for every project I work on and jobs will always differ depending on how the director operates, or if he/she already has a working relationship with the editor. I always meet and shake hands with the editor, assistant editor, and/or post supervisor before I begin a project. I ask them if they have any preferences for how I work and deliver my notes. I let them know I’m adaptable and want to make their lives easier.

I always ask the director if there’s anything they’ve liked or disliked from a previous script supervisor, and I try to do or not do whatever they say. Above all I stay calm, focused, and likable. I know my job is not a popularity contest, but it’s extremely important to get along with people… it keeps the lines of communication strong.

When is the ideal time during pre-production for a low-budget production team to bring on a script supervisor? Are pre-production rehearsals with actors helpful for your process?

If the director doesn’t already have someone he or she likes, then I recommend you start looking for a script supervisor at least a month or six weeks before you start shooting, and have someone locked down at least two weeks prior. This will give you time to interview them, make sure they’re not crazy, and by all means be sure the director gets along with the person (very important). You might not have a budget for 2 full weeks of prep, but don’t wait any longer than that to get the person on board. If you want your script supervisor to be effective then you need to give them time to read, re-read, re-read, and become familiar with the script.

Tecia worked on Ben Lewin's
award-winning The Surrogate.

What other production jobs have benefitted you as a script supervisor? How has that experience and knowledge come into play?

I worked for about 7 years as a PA, coordinator, production supervisor, associate producer, and field producer on indie film projects, commercials, and documentaries for HBO, VH1, Fuse, MTV, etc. I was a PA in almost every department and there’s nothing like learning from the bottom up.

Throughout these projects I always wanted to be where the script supervisor was – in the middle of the action – and eventually I inquired about learning and signed up for a class. I began working immediately. A producer friend hired me on a short film and a first assistant director friend hooked me up with my first well-paid gig. If I hadn’t already been in the industry before I took the class, I’m sure it would have been much more difficult to get started as a script supervisor. My experience and knowledge mostly came into play with the connections I already had in the industry to get me work.

If you missed it, check out Tecia’s advice for those interested in script supervision as a career, or indie producers and directors who want to best utilize their script supervisor.

Unless you’ve been meditating in a cave on the top of K2 for the past year, you’re probably aware of The Avengers and its record-smashing box-office success. Even from K2, you probably saw it coming. After all, comic book movies are virtually synonymous with Big-Budget, Big-Studio Hollywood Blockbuster. But these movies don’t have to be big — there have been some excellent independent films based on comic books too. Here are a few to check out:

American Splendor

Based on the autobiographical American Splendor comic series dramatizing the life of its author, Harvey Pekar (played in the film by Paul Giamatti), this little seen but critically acclaimed film racked up a host of awards and nominations, including Film Independent Spirit Award nominations for Best Feature, Best Director, Best Male Lead, Best Supporting Male and Best Screenplay. And it won the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Film at Sundance.

Ghost World

Based on the Daniel Clowes comic of the same name, this debut feature by Terry Zwigoff follows the lives of two social outcasts, Enid and Rebecca (Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson) during the summer after their high school graduation. It also garnered several awards, including Film Independent Spirit Awards for Best First Screenplay and for Best Supporting Actor thanks to Steve Buscemi’s portrayal of a lonely, middle-aged geek.

And if you just like your comic book flicks to be action-packed (maybe you want something dark and gritty to gear up for that other summer comic book movie), then perhaps:

The Crow

Alex Proyas’ U.S. feature debut based on the James O’Barr comic of the same name tells the story of a murdered musician who comes back to life as an undead avenger of his and his fiancée’s murder. This movie has plenty of action and cult classic status—all on a budget of only $15 million!*

*according to IMDb

Screening for Film Independent, LACMA Film Club, and New York Times Film Club.
Tickets are free; limit two tickets per membership | Proof of member status is required to pick up tickets.

Learn more about this event here.

★ What are the most common mistakes in production accounting?

Budget enough crew to get the job done, as Quentin Tarantino does here on the set of Django Unchained

1. Not budgeting adequate prep time. No matter how small a film, there are a certain number of things that need to be done and you need enough time to accomplish them. The more prepared and thought out your shoot is, the more specific and complete your budget will be, and the more smoothly your production will run.

2. Not budgeting enough crew to accomplish what you need. There’s always the tendency on a low budget film to skimp on crew because it’s “small”. It’s always bigger and more complicated than you think, and the director will make last-minute changes, or you’ll lose your location, or any of a thousand different things will happen.

Even if you think your movie is the tiniest, easiest, least labor intensive film ever, make sure your core crew is adequate and you have an appropriate number of additional man-days budgeted for each department.

3. Not getting enough information about the crew you hire. Some people have a tendency to go over budget, some are great with their money, some are screamers and some are crazy. It’s easy enough and important to find out as much as you can about the people you will be working with before you hire them.

★ How do you make the most of your budget?

1. Be specific when making your budget so there are few surprises. Get very detailed budgets from your department heads and go over them thoroughly to make sure everyone is in sync, and then, when you do your weekly cost reporting, check in with departments to see if things are on track. Often you’ll find savings as you go that you can then use to cover other overages or unplanned items.

2. Make sure you put in some pads for yourself and remember where they are!

3. Know what the priorities are going in. Every film has the same basic needs but each director, DP, production designer, etc. will bring his or her particularities to a project – ask questions, get to know your crew well, and design your budget accordingly.

★ How do you find a good production accountant?

The way you find all good crew people in this industry: referrals. Best sources are other line producers, production managers or bond companies.

Don't skimp on crafts services!
(Logan Lerman on the Perks of
Being a Wallflower set.)

★ Mary’s parting tips:

Union Crews: The most important things to know when working with union crews are the rules, and each union has very different ones (see required reading below). If you don’t, your mistakes can cost you a lot of money.

Don’t Skimp: Never try to cut costs on catering, and give your crew the best food you can afford. It shouldn’t be surprising, but you can’t believe how crabby people get when they’re not well fed and, how much happier and easier they are to work with when the caterer is great and the craft service table is well stocked.

Mary’s Required Reading:
Entertainment Partners’ The Paymaster
SAG, DGA and IATSE contracts

As we announced last week, the dramatic comedy Magic Mike will close out this year’s Los Angeles Film Festival. Adding to that, Magic Mike star Channing Tatum recently announced the opportunity for fans to attend a meet and greet with him and his co-star Matthew McConaughey — while helping out a great cause in the process! From his blog:

Simply bid on tickets to the world premiere at Charity Buzz for the chance to win…

• 2 nights accommodations in Beverly Hills
• Round-trip car service to and from the premiere
• Dinner for you and your guest at Bouchon Bistro in Beverly Hills
• 2 seats in Matthew McConaughey’s row at the Magic Mike world premiere
• The rare opportunity to have a brief meet and greet with the stars of the movie, Matthew McConaughey and Channing Tatum, and have your picture taken with them.

All of the proceeds from the auction will be donated to the J.K. Livin Foundation started by Matthew McConaughey, which is dedicated to helping teenage kids lead active lives and make healthy choices to become great men and women. The auction closes tomorrow, so get your bids in.

And if yours isn’t the winning bid, don’t fret! Festival passholders still have the opportunity to attend the closing night premiere of Magic Mike, in addition to priority access to all regular screenings. Get your passes today.

★ Catch-22 of Doc Fundraising:

You need money to shoot your doc, but cannot procure funding until you have a work sample.

When the feel-good story they originally set out to make in 2000 became more complicated, several funders for the film dropped out and the budding TV interest in the project had dried up.

Instead of resigning to produce the original concept, filmmakers Jordana Glick-Franzheim and Cristina Colissimo pursued the new direction their film was taking by purchasing a camera and filming for several more years. Once photography wrapped, their focus turned to serious fundraising. Knowing that the core audience of their film would be animal lovers was the first step in strategizing their outreach and relationship building.

★ Community Outreach:

Reach out to multiple organizations to aid your film.

The Humane Society of the United States is 11 million members strong and their main objective is to protect animal rights. The filmmakers of One Lucky Elephant started to develop a relationship with them and their member base as early as the development stage. Working with multiple animal rights organizations was instrumental in promoting the film. “The moral of the story is don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Have a range of allies,” said director Lisa Leeman.

As for raising private equity, in addition to the 17-minute trailer and treatment they presented to potential investors, the filmmakers included a recent New York Times cover story, “An Elephant Crack-Up?,” about human-induced psychological trauma in elephants, which communicated the film’s timeliness.

★ Festival Strategy:

Be engaged in the festival experience.

If you get accepted into a festival, offer to do a panel. “If they say no, that’s fine, but they may actually be excited that you can do a panel,” said Lisa. Keep in mind that you want press for your festival premiere, but not necessarily early reviews. For example, if the Los Angeles Times reviews your film too early, they will not review it again when your film is released theatrically. Instead, reach out to the trades for early reviews in order to get programmers at other upcoming festivals excited about your film.

★ Selling Your Film:

What is best for your story?

Their international sales agent, who had a TV sales background, recommended IDFA (in Amsterdam in November). After their acceptance, IDFA informed the filmmakers that they were only allowed to play two festivals prior to IDFA. November was several months away. Strategically, they decided they wanted to be in IDFA and have the TV market look at their film. So, they sacrificed playing at other festivals to play the one that would potentially help their film the most.

“Having a domestic sales agent/rep from the onset legitimized us, and Josh Braun (Submarine Entertainment) is one of the top sales agents in the U.S. We began negotiations for him to rep us because we felt he would maximize our negotiations with companies,” said Jordana. After their premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival, “we were faced with the decision between two networks that wanted our film – HBO and OWN.” They ultimately chose OWN because they wanted Oprah’s brand and a cable network that had a wider reach than subscription-based networks.

★ Theatrical and DVD Release:

Building Your Brand

Budget for all of the phases, including your release. One Lucky Elephant had theatrical runs in New York’s Film Forum, Laemmle Theaters in Los Angeles and Facets Cinémathèque in Chicago.

As Lisa points out, “Opening in L.A. can be between $7 – $10,000, not to mention prints and posters, etc. Theatrical is not really where you make you money, it is where you build your brand.” For DVD sales, their deal with OWN allows them to sell DVDs on their website, while OWN also sells their film on iTunes, Amazon, Walmart, etc.

When OWN asked the filmmakers to live tweet for the film’s first airing on the network, Jordana and Lisa enlisted someone more social media-savvy than they were to direct the conversation. For example, when the elephants hugged trunks in the film, he tweeted facts such as, “Did you know elephants have 40,000 muscles in their trunks?” This elevated the Twitter discussion in organic, educational ways that viewers responded to.

★ Resources:

Lisa and Jordana recommend Jon Reiss’ Thinking Outside the Box Office for information regarding live, event-based theatrical releasing.

Check out the full Case Study of One Lucky Elephant.

Pete was the sound designer for Hemingway & Gellhorn

Skywalker Sound sound designer and re-recording mixer Pete Horner recently shared the knowledge he’s culled from working on such films as Errol Morris’ Standard Operating Procedure, Francis Ford Coppola’s Tetro and Lauren Greenfield’s LA Film Fest 2012 selection Queen of Versailles in our Ask a Pro series.

The questions kept coming and Pete took some time to provide great answers for filmmakers working on their film’s post-production.

At what point in a film should the post-production sound process start?

Ideally, the sound crew starts as soon as there are scenes to work on. But from a practical financial standpoint, it makes sense to start the crew after picture lock, since conforming to new cuts of the picture wastes a good bit of time.

A good compromise is to start a discussion with the sound designer quite early, perhaps in preproduction, and then start the crew as the picture approaches a fine cut. This way, there is room for discoveries in the sound department to have some effect on the picture cut, but there are not too many conforms to deal with.

What does the director do at this stage? How involved should he/she be?

If the sound designer has been consulted early, then it may not require a lot of involvement to get a team up to speed, since they will already have begun developing a sonic language. If not, it’s important to have a spotting session at the start so you can communicate what you are looking for. Regardless, it’s important to give feedback on the work as it progresses.

Ideally this is done in person, but it can also be accomplished over distance by bouncing QuickTime files. You should identify the critical scenes and focus on these. The more time you can give to the sound as the work is being prepared, the smoother the final mix will be. The mix is the most expensive part of the process; so early involvement not only translates into better sound, but also saves money.

What is the ideal time to bring a sound designer into the project?

Ideally, the sound designer should be in dialogue with the director beginning in pre-production. This doesn’t mean that they are on full-time, but beginning early has many benefits. First, there may be opportunities to write something into the script that will allow sound to play a more integrated role in the storytelling. Also, the sound designer will know many months in advance what sort of sounds they will need and can begin collecting them.

During the shoot there may be opportunities to make recordings that may not have been considered if the discussion about sound hadn’t already started. Then as picture editorial gets underway, the sound designer can provide sounds for the picture editor to use as needed. This way the OMF track is already populated with good sounds that are part of the sonic vocabulary the sound designer is creating. So much of that work can be preserved.

What should the initial conversation between director and sound team be like?

He also did the sound effects editing for Bully.

The director should spot the film with the sound team, highlighting moments that are important and what tone or character they should have. It’s not necessary to point out every action on the screen – “there’s a door closing, there’s a car passing by”. It’s more important to give a sense of what the scene is trying to accomplish, where you want to direct the attention and what you want the audience to feel.

What tips can you give directors to help them communicate to the sound team and the composer what they want (in terms of style, tone, mood, etc.)?

I would encourage directors to think of sound design as another kind of music. As such, you can use much the same terminology – beats, rhythm, lush, stark, etc. Use emotional words to describe what’s going on.

Sound can be used to link ideas in a film. So, just as you might ask the composer to use the same theme in two places to connect them, you can ask the sound designer to use the same sound or palette of sounds to draw a connection between two moments. And just as you might have a melody for a certain character, you could also connect certain kinds of sounds with them.

What is the director and producer’s job at the mixing stage?

Typically, the director’s job is to make creative decisions and the producer’s job is to make sure the resources are there to accomplish the work. This varies of course. Sometimes the producer is a very close creative collaborator and other times they are not even present at the mix. I feel like the job of everyone in the room is to figure out what the film wants. This helps keep the ego out of the equation.

Ideas can come from anywhere and it is everyone’s job to recognize which ideas resonate with what the film is becoming. Of course, the director has spent the most time with the film and is most likely the best person to answer the question, “what does the film want?” A good director is open to ideas but ready to make a decision.

Summer Showcase titles include Celeste and Jesse Forever, starring Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg, and the world premiere of It’s A Disaster, starring David Cross, America Ferrera and Julia Stiles. Additional selections in the Narrative and Documentary Competition, Summer Showcase, International Showcase, Music Videos, Short Films and Future Filmmakers Showcase were also announced.

Festival events will also include The Beyond section with titles like Juan of the Dead, Cuba’s first zombie movie and the Retro section featuring a newly discovered film from music historian Alan Lomax, Ballads, Blues, Bluegrass, filmed in 1961. Among the four free Community Screenings will be a Dirty Dancing outdoor screening and salsa lessons, in honor of the film’s 25th anniversary.

See the full list of titles announced below or view the official press release. Synopses, credits and cast at lafilmfest.com.

Narrative Competition (10):

The Narrative Competition is comprised of films made by talented emerging filmmakers that compete for the Filmmaker Award. The winner is determined by a panel of jurors, and films in this section are also eligible for the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature or Best International Feature.

• All Is Well, Pocas Pascoal – Portugal – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
• Breakfast with Curtis, Laura Colella – WORLD PREMIERE
• The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man, Arturo Pons – Mexico – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
• Crazy and Thief, Cory McAbee – NORTH PREMIERE
• Dead Man’s Burden, Jared Moshé – WORLD PREMIERE
• Four, Joshua Sanchez – WORLD PREMIERE
• A Night Too Young, Olmo Omerzu – Czech Republic – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
• Pincus, David Fenster – WORLD PREMIERE
• Red Flag, Alex Karpovsky – WORLD PREMIERE
• Thursday till Sunday, Dominga Sotomayor – Chile – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Documentary Competition (9):

The Documentary Competition is comprised of films made by talented emerging filmmakers that compete for the Documentary Award. The winner is determined by a panel of jurors, and films in this section are also eligible for the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature or Best International Feature.

• 25 to Life, Mike Brown – WORLD PREMIERE
• A Band Called Death, Jeff Howlett, Mark Covino – WORLD PREMIERE
• Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and the Farm Midwives, Sara Lamm, Mary Wigmore –  WORLD PREMIERE
• Call Me Kuchu, Katherine Fairfax Wright, Malika Zouhali-Worrall – US PREMIERE
• Drought, Everado González – Mexico – US PREMIERE
• The Iran Job, Till Schauder – USA/Germany/Iran – WORLD PREMIERE
• Sun Kissed, Maya Stark, Adi Lavy – WORLD PREMIERE
• Vampira and Me, R. H. Greene – WORLD PREMIERE
• Words of Witness, Mai Iskander – Egypt/USA – US PREMIERE

International Showcase (15):

The International Showcase highlights innovative independent narrative and documentary features from outside of the United States. Films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best International Feature, Best Narrative Feature, or Best Documentary Feature.

• Bestiaire, Denis Côté – Canada
• Bunohan: Return to Murder, Dain Said – Malaysia (Oscilloscope Pictures)
• Canícula, José Álvarez – Mexico
• The First Man, Gianni Amelio – France – US PREMIERE
• The Last Elvis, Armando Bo – Argentina
• Neighboring Sounds, Kleber Mendonça Filho – Brazil (The Cinema Guild)
• On the Edge, Leila Kilani – France/Morocco/Germany
• P-047, Kongdej Jaturanrasamee – Thailand
• Return to Burma, Midi Z. – Taiwan/Myanmar
• Sister, Ursula Meier – Switzerland (Adopt Films) – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
• The Strawberry Tree, Simone Rapisarda Casanova – Canada/Cuba/Italy
• Summer Games, Rolando Colla – Switzerland
• Teddy Bear, Mads Matthiesen – Denmark (Film Movement)
• Unforgivable, André Téchiné – France (Strand Releasing)
• Without Gorky, Cosima Spender – UK

Summer Showcase (16):

The Summer Showcase section offers an advance look at this summer’s most talked about independent film releases from the festival circuit. Films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best International Feature, Best Narrative Feature, or Best Documentary Feature.

• About Face, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders (HBO Films)
• Beauty Is Embarrassing, Neil Berkeley
• Big Easy Express, Emmett Malloy
• Celeste and Jesse Forever, Lee Toland Krieger (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Gayby, Jonathan Lisecki (Wolfe Releasing)
• Gimme the Loot, Adam Leon (IFC Films)
• The House I Live In, Eugene Jarecki
• It’s a Disaster, Todd Berger – WORLD PREMIERE
• La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus, Mark Kendall –                   USA/Guatemala
• Neil Young Journeys, Jonathan Demme (Sony Pictures Classics)
• An Oversimplification of her Beauty, Terence Nance – USA/France
• People Like Us, Alex Kurtzman (Dreamworks Pictures) – WORLD PREMIERE
• The Queen of Versailles, Lauren Greenfield (Magnolia Pictures)
• Reportero, Bernardo Ruiz
• Robot and Frank, Jake Schreier (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
• Searching for Sugar Man, Malik Bendjelloul (Sony Pictures Classics)

Community Screenings (6):

These films will be presented free to the public. New films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best Narrative Feature or Best Documentary Feature.

• Dirty Dancing (1987), Emile Ardolino – Grand Performances Screening
• E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Steven Spielberg – FIGat7th Screening
• G-Dog, Freida Mock – WORLD PREMIERE
• The Invisible War, Kirby Dick (Cinedigm)
• LUV, Sheldon Candis – Project Involve Screening (Indomina)
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Nicholas Meyer – FIGat7th Screening
• The Beyond (3): The Beyond offers films that dare to be different. Films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best International Feature or Best Narrative Feature.
• The History of Future Folk, J. Anderson Mitchell, Jeremy Kipp Walker – WORLD PREMIERE
• Juan of the Dead, Alejandro Brugués – Cuba
• Saturday Morning Massacre, Spencer Parsons – WORLD PREMIERE
• Retro (3):
•    Ballads, Blues and Bluegrass (1961), Alan Lomax – WORLD PREMIERE
•    Banishment (2007), Andrey Zvyagintsev – Russia – LAFCA’s The Film That Got Away
•    The Breaking Point (1950), Michael Curtiz – Film Foundation Screening

SHORT FILMS