Independent film production is an ever-changing business, becoming both smaller and larger at the same time. While most anyone can make a film with a digital camera and snip it together on their [input any computer editing software here], precious few breach the world of the film festival, and fewer still make it beyond, into theaters where Mr. and Mrs. Whoever can pay to see their work of art. Simply put, how do you go from making those digital movies in your backyard to premiering your film at Sundance or Slamdance or SXSW?
Two young producers, Anthony Brandonisio and Riel Roch Decter, are figuring it out. The duo produced CROWN, a strange, wonderful short film directed by AG Rojas, which screened at Slamdance this past January to an intrigued, confused packed house on Park City’s Main Street. Featuring a young group of black skateboard punks servicing a group of white, slimy CEO types with an even slimier elongated pipe from which they smoke, CROWN takes from the minds of David Cronenberg and Charlie Kaufman while infusing a hefty dose of Rojas’ visual originality.
That said, short films have never been a smart business model in the short term, especially one as ambitious and artistic as CROWN. TFS spoke with Brandonisio and Decter about the film and the reasons why producing films like it puts you on the right track in the independent film industry.
TFS: Talk about the evolution of CROWN. Where did it start, how did you two get involved and how did the funding come together?
TONY/RIEL: After discovering the work of our director, AG Rojas, online we found ourselves immediately drawn by his style and aesthetic. He had directed a music video for the rap group Odd Future that was so raw and imaginative that his talent as a filmmaker was undeniable. Following an initial meeting, he presented us with a treatment for CROWN and, after reading it, we were immediately sold on his vision. We cobbled together financing from supportive family members, and started putting the pieces together.
Once the ball started to roll, CAVIAR, a commercial and music video production house that AG regularly works with, expressed interest in partnering with us on the project. They contributed some additional financing and provided vital assistance during the film’s production. Madeline Shapiro came on board as a producer for CAVIAR and collaborated with us closely from prep through completion. From first meeting with AG to having our premiere at Slamdance the whole project took over a year to complete which seems long for a short film but that is because we all have full time jobs helping make other people’s films.
How did you guys find yourself in Slamdance with the film. What was your Slamdance experience like, coming in as producers with a movie to promote?
TONY/RIEL: We were incredibly psyched and honored to be invited to screen at Slamdance this year. We finished the film in the fall so Slamdance was one of the first two festivals that we submitted to. CROWN definitely leans more towards the unconvential and abstract in terms of storytelling so Slamdance was the perfect place for us to premiere. The community there is incredibly supportive and the programmers and staff could not be more helpful, welcoming and friendly. They genuinely love film and don’t seem to have the hang ups and pretense you sometimes find at other more established festivals. I am not sure what our expectations were going in but I think we felt all in all it was a good experience and a great first stepping stone on our path to becoming independent producers.
This was not an inexpensive short and it shows. As young independent producers, what’s the upside financially of a project like this? Or is it more of an investment in yours and the filmmaker’s future, an investment in the next project so to speak?
RIEL: I don’t think anyone makes a short film thinking there will be any sort of financial upside. A short film is purely an investment in experience. The best exercise in filmmaking one can have really. It is a big practice session for everyone involved especially for Producers and Directors as you still have to go through all the exact same steps as you would on a feature even though your film is only 6minutes long. Making a short is ultimately about one day making a feature plain and simple. As Producers it is a great way to showcase our abilities in creating a quality film experience. From the story, to the casting, to the production design all the way to the editing, sound design and the score as Producers you are involved and essentially in charge of organizing every aspect of a film’s production process in order to serve the Directors vision. Having CROWN as part of our individual resumes is a great calling card to other Filmmakers. It shows that we are capable of making something unique and wonderful with high Production Value.
TONY: I think that short form projects such as this also give filmmakers an opportunity to be experimental and take risks that typically aren’t possible in the feature world. AG is a director that really thrives in the moment and likes to explore and extract the full potential of the creative elements at his disposal in any given scene, whether preplanned or not and we loved being able to create an environment for him to where he had that freedom.
CROWN screened next to 4 other shorts in one of the Slamdance Shorts Programs. All 5 were starkly different in subject matter, production value and format, in regards to digital to film? What are the upsides and downsides of this age where most everyone can pick up a camera and shoot a short?
RIEL : The upside is that everyone with a Canon 7D and FCP has the ability to shoot and edit a high quality film. The downside is that everyone with a Canon 7D and FCP has the ability to shoot and edit a high quality film. The competition is greater then it has ever been. Film festivals are getting more submissions then ever before which is scary in a lot of ways but in an other way it pushes us to make something of quality. It pushes us to tell a story that is unique which will stand apart from the millions of other shorts out there. Everyday I am inspired by amazing films, shorts and videos I find online on Vimeo and YouTube.
I think the bar continues to be set higher and higher exactly because people all over the world are getting access to technology which is getting less and less expensive. You can get down about it but at the end of the day a great story which is well executed will stand out from it all so that is what we strive to make. To us that is the greatest and most exciting thing about filmmaking. We love the challenge of it.
TONY: CROWN is a great example of how filmmakers are discovering each other in this digital age and connecting in the hopes of collaboration. We may never have found AG and been drawn to his talents had he not had the ability to create content on his own terms and put his work online for the masses. More than anything, I find myself excited by the limitless possibility of what anyone is able to create and distribute nowadays should they have the will and the vision.
What’s on the horizon for you guys?
TONY/RIEL: More. More shorts. More films. And more festivals. This is just our humble beginnings. You can definitely count on us being around for a while.
Thanks guys.
Check out the trailer for CROWN below or on their Vimeo page.