So much of directing is simply making choices; Does the scene need 10 shots or 2? Is this location better than that one? Should he be wearing red or blue? But so much of what makes film personal has to do with the choices we don’t even realize we have made.

My initial reason for shooting a low budget feature was merely as a learning tool, and i haven’t forgotten that. (Every film is a learning process, and the person who thinks they know everything is bullshitting.) As it happens, I’m quite proud of the films I’ve done, and I’ve found there is so much more to me than simply creating “learning tools”. I have also found how much of a personal process it can be.

I’m working on a number of different projects at the moment, and it’s only when you step back from them, that you realize there are a lot of common images, themes and ideas. Hand on my heart I didn’t realize I had such an obsession with digging, until I stepped back and took a look at my two latest projects…both have crucial scenes that involve a solitary figure literally digging in the earth.

I was talking to a friend about script ideas, out of the blue he asked,

“Do you hate Dublin city?”

“no why do you ask?”

“Well its just that all of your films seem to be about escaping from the city to the countryside”

It was absolutely another revelation to me,
BUT as I think of it, as much as I love the city where I live, deep in my heart I yearn for some sort of escape. I think filmmakers (or at least the ones I respond to) will always have some sort of personal through lines in their work, no matter how big the canvas they are working on. To me, figuring out what/who they are, can be half the fun of watching a movie. So often when others are bored by plot, I’m riveted because I’m actually watching a mystery; piecing together the clues to figure out who was the strange creature that made this film.
Donnacha Coffey

horseshit…right?! I mean all that certainly helps with production and budget, but it doesn’t tackle the why. The reason we get out of bed in the morning. As a young filmmaker who has found his own way through this landscape, I use the personal stories to establish a style, learn an industry, and relate honestly to a world that is dishonest. I will make movies till I die, for little to no profit, using very personal subject matter. Why!?…because it’s all I know/want to do.

I was watching a semi-typical romantic comedy the other night with Rae (date night!:-) and it hit me why I was so disconnected with it. It was disingenuous. It lacked a specific voice. It was a script put together to entice the idea of love and loss. It felt sterile and manipulative…like all the right notes were played at the right time with a hollow nod to romantic stereotypes. A sociopath trying to fuck with me.

I think that’s why I’ll constantly want to work low budget. You have to work hard to make a genuine story. And you have to want it…it has to be all you want to do in the world despite money and commerce. It’s liberating and makes me whole.:-) To churn out film solely as commerce is to make it a hollow serial killer.

thoughts?

John

We were chatting via Facebook the other day and Donnacha made the comment that it simply sucked we couldn’t just grab a pint together and hash out all the problems and triumphs of indie film. We can Donnacha…a virtual pint. (until the day comes when I’ll be in Dublin again and we can get a real one then…)

That’s what I want this experiment to be. An on going conversation about film, music, and life from some of us on the very fringe of this film culture. The ones who aren’t in the magazines and spirit awards, and studios. The ones working hard to make every dollar count because we simply know no other way to express ourselves. So this is a call…to those of you who read this and have something to say…say it…and contact me with a response…I’ll keep the conversation going. (name5026@yahoo.com)

Donnacha will start it up below…I will follow up today or tomorrow. Welcome to a conversation on the outskirts.

“I’ve never met John Yost, but that is not to say that I don’t know him, because I really feel like I do. We’ve chatted a few times via email, and on Instant chat but not really enough to exclaim that I know him as well as I do. I’m sure many of my friends and family would balk at the fact that I would happily put John up  in my home any time he should be in my neck of the woods considering we have never formally met (offer is still open JY)
I first came across John, when I saw his movie Every Good  Thing to Rust was available for free download, low budget? Minimal characters? Snow? I’m in! I remember watching the movie late one night, and finding myself unable to sleep after,  at last I had found someone  who was in the same boat as me, I had to make contact. So I sent a rather impassioned (verging on the stalkerish) email to him, explaining I too was a filmmaker on the same path as him, albeit a bit behind him in terms of getting content out there, and I waited for a reply. And waited.
I was legitimately heartbroken, I thought I had found a veritable filmic soul mate, and I knew that if someone had sent me such an email I would have been excited to respond, but alas weeks and months on there was no such response. Had  I been mistaken about John?
Well not really, the email apparently got lost somewhere among the vast infinity of the interwebs (well that what John said anyway)  and eventually we got in contact and had a lengthy session of emails getting to know one another, and with the exception of a few minor details I was pretty bang on about what kind of person he is. It’s a testament not only his skills as a director, but to the medium itself if a director can distill so much of their personality into a ninety minute sequence of images, sounds and words.
So circuitously this is what I’ve been trying to bring up here, it is the number one reason I respond so strongly to film. As a kid who spent probably a little too much time by himself I’ve always felt a little different to everyone, so the day I realised there was a hidden code in films coming from the director  was a big day. Your eye starts looking for these messages in every movie, the best directors are able to make them very clear but also hide them to the untrained (or unwilling) eye.
I can never feel alone in the world when I’ve found so many directors who share some kind of sensibilities and experiences with. To me that’s the power of film, if we really want to get down to it, that’s the power of art (whatever the word means anymore).  So where does this (extremely bizarre) need to pour your personality into a film come from? Are we trying to make some document of ourselves, to prove that we once existed? Are we looking for admiration? Respect? Validation? Attention? Or are we simply trying to add to the 100+ year long dialogue that is the movies? ”

Shoot me an email (name5026@yahoo.com) or comment to this blog with a place you think would be perfect for a small, quiet, indie film about family. We will also use this tour as an opportunity to launch VOD and DVD releases…so sharing this to friends and family via the interwebs will only help the cause!

Thanks to all of those who have sent me ideas so far…I am looking into all possibilities!

Cheers and thanks in advance!
John

Cheers
John

Next up? Marketing. We’re working on a way to get the audience more involved and to build a fan base. Stay tuned…it will be all over this website and the social networks once we have a plan.:-) It’s shaping up to be a great little campaign!
Cheers
John

Whew. (wipes sweat off brow) Thank you to all that made this film possible. Here’s to hoping it does well in festivals and gets seen by as many people as possible. Here’s to making the next one together with more resources, and better everything.
CHEERS!

A bunch of stuff got “done” this week at the nameinuse camp/offices/the room next to my bedroom. We launched the new production blog/site at www.nameinuse.com…check it out. Rae did a great job stream lining the “portfolio” web site. It’s going to just be a lot easier to navigate and update. The days of photographers/filmmakers having million page blogs are hopefully over. Quick, simple, and easy.:-)
Hope you enjoy. I will try to keep TBTK news separate from nameinuse stuff, but it may be impossible…so bear with me, or RSS both, or yell at me to stop. I guess the point of all this is to participate when ever you can, I enjoy feedback, and I’m thick skinned.;-)

John

1) To start is to have the idea. I usually like to do research on subjects, talk about the idea with close friends and family…see their reaction to it. In some ways the idea for TBTK is almost the full realization that began with that first interview with my Grandpa, which subsequently ended up in the film. But in many ways, much has changed due to personal revisions and trusted feedback.

2) After the idea is planted, most people then go on to writing the script. This was my experience writing a feature length script… and it was anything but pleasant. I think there are some people who love to have it all come into focus on the written page. Having a game plan certainly helped make the film better, and for that I’m thankful. But for me, the filmmaking process itself ends up becoming a way for me to discover what the real story is about, and having it locked down word for word seems too constricting. If you ask me, there is a fine line between sticking closely to the script and improvising. When that balance is struck, amazing things happen.

3) Next comes pre-production. For The Brave and the Kind, planning was happening while the script was forming. Once we got the locations in the script locked down, we went out and made the schedule. Once the characters were finalized, we moved on to casting… and so on. Ethan and Emily were both great finds, and most of our other locations and cast fell into place. They did so because we were still flexible in our story. Would it have been as organic if we had a stone-tablet of a script? For a film like Iron Man it sure would have been a disaster. For a film like TBTK, the little moments are sometimes discovered in the chaos.

4) Production couldn’t have gone any better. The schedule held up for the most part. We had a stripped-down crew, with many people fulfilling multiple roles, but they all did an amazing job remaining flexible and getting the job done. It’s tough as a Director to also be the Costume Department, AD (at times), Continuity, etc… However, we didn’t need crowds of people standing around drinking coffee either. The few indie films I’ve worked on were always terribly overstaffed and wasteful. One of the hardest things on set is striking that balance between not enough help, and too much. For the next film you can bet I’ll hire a few more people. But all you need is a lean, mean, group of hard-working people who are dedicated to the project and work well together. I would work with the TBTK crew again in a heartbeat.

5) We had decided to make the soundtrack before the film was even cut together. Usually the film is cut in post-production. Then final image adjustments, (color timing) and sound mixes are done. And only THEN do you add the soundtrack. I had been putting together scenes as we shot them in Final Cut Pro, so we had a structure to work with when we started the soundtrack sessions. Personally, I feel that it couldn’t have worked better. We had the freedom to explore some of our ideas, with a slight structure of the story to give these experiments a foundation. The title of the film comes from the lyrics of the song “Baby We’ll Be Fine” by The National. We took the song and split the elements up to create the opening song and closing song of the film. The rest of the themes came mostly from Rob, Pete, and Dustin.

6) Hell for me could be summed up in two words…post-production. Not that it isn’t exciting to basically mold and shape you piece. I’m just not an editor. I try my hardest, but I can be sloppy and unfocused when it comes to non-linear editing. (You should see my timelines…lots of tracks.) After 5 fine cuts and one final cut we had a test screening to get 60 or so fresh eyes, then the final edit with Jason and I really focusing on trimming the fat. Keep in mind, we started around March of 2008 with pre-production and in 5 months had the film completely shot. It has now been 8 months of post-production and we’re finally finished. In future projects I plan on it being the other way around: more pre-planning leads to an easier post-production process. Once we had picture lock the film went to Eastlight Studios in Queens for the color timing. This is where we smooth out any color differences and exposure problems, giving the film a more cohesive look. It is now in it’s final stages of sound mix at Overit Studios in Albany, NY. This is where we really tweak and sweeten the production sound, marrying professional image with professional audio. Once that is complete, the final piece will be delivered to IndiePix for festivals. Our hope is that the film community responds positively to it and that a festival run helps us find our audience.

7) Many things seem to be changing in the indie film community. Technology is making it easier and cheaper to make high quality films in half the time. However, it is the business model that is holding fast in the past.

Many recent indie’s have found the Internet as a way of distribution. My first feature was an experiment in that. Costing only a few thousand dollars to make, I decided to give the film away for free on the official website. This raised the question, if it’s free, will people take it seriously. Overall this was a success for the film. We’ve had over 400 people download the film and it was the website and free download that eventually caught the attention of IndiePix, which lead to TBTK and was one of the main goals of the production.

This distribution method is not feasible, however, when large sums of money are involved with production. There needs to be a model that allows for well-crafted but obscure indie features to get made, but also find an audience and make some kind of profit. Recently Joe Swanberg’s Alexander the Last was sold to IFC with theatrical and video-on-demand (VOD) rights. The film premiered at SXSW with a simultaneous release on the IFC channel. I don’t know the numbers or the film’s budget, but hopefully it was profitable for all involved.

There are many new models being tested in the realm of film distribution. Some distributors are offering special features only in the DVDs you buy in-store, and not on DVD’s bound for Netflix and Blockbuster. Others are selling films “by the pound” to online streaming places like IFC, Snag, and Amazon VOD. The one good thing to come out of all this is that films will have to become better in order to compete for the remaining cash. No longer will mediocre films find a wide audience. Scripts will have to be better to catch attention, waste in production will have to be cut, and new, innovative ways of getting the media to audiences will have to be invented. It’s a truly exciting time to be an indie filmmaker. For those who say the sky is falling, pick up a laptop and get to work, or be quiet and get out of our way…we’ve got work to do.

I heard the other day that the death of the blog is on the horizon. I say…sounds good to me…let’s find a better way to communicate on the internet. (I do understand the irony…mentioning this on a blog…but let’s face it…it’s a pretty one sided form of internet communication.)

Cheers
John

Some Highlights:

Ford couldn’t give their shitty cars away, but guess who’s going to pay for them anyway.

WTF…really. So let me get this straight, the American way is capitalism all the way. You go out, make a well made product that people will buy, and modify it/upgrade it when people’s needs change to stay ahead of the game…OR…you go under. That’s the American way, correct. BUT, now that you’re losing money you’d like the government to come in and give you money, because it’s not fair. It seems no one wants to buy your inefficient, and poorly made product. You’re right, you really shouldn’t be forced to make fuel efficient, well made cars, that could change the future of transportation. No need to be competitive in a world market, this is America, we are the market…right? But I think I get it now, this system is only fair when we’re getting fucked, not you, totally get it now.

Sundance turns 25…more obsolete that ever.

We are not going to find a way to make this new world order of indie film fiscally sound by humping the same old business model. Oh and by the way…we can’t solve the problem either by just bitching about it and then throwing our fucking hands in the air in defeat. If you don’t have an idea on how we can solve the problem, sit the fuck down and shut your mouth. (don’t worry…the irony is not lost on me…I’m WORKING on my plan…soon to come.;-)

Forest Gump 2: The Case of the Benjamin Button, gets 13 Oscar nominations:

Jason you were right. My question is this, what came first, the Oscar nominated film, or the film made for Oscar nominations? I get worried that someday I’ll forget what a real film looks like. Are we slowly getting used to films the blatantly try to get an emotion out of us…have we forgiven transparency? How far can we suspend our disbelief?

Don’t worry grunge will be here any day now!

It seems that every thirty years or so we’re destined to look at one another, scratch our heads at what to make and then just do what other people have done 30 years ago. There is really nothing new out there…I understand that, but we have blatantly ripped off every style of music and run the course in just the last 10 years. I’m waiting for grudge and Ska to make it’s big come back. Like I said, I know there really is nothing new out there, but we can at least try. (I also know that I am guilty of this…it is very difficult to not be.)

PS, if you want to know what the next big thing will be this year(s), figure out what generation is in their 30’s. They’re the ones with the most disposable income-to-influence ratio. Everything from commercials, to product revival, to music, to cinema, to gas crisis (to even politics…JFK the sequel) will be effected. My only worry is, what happens when the 20 somethings of today that are wearing 80’s like clothing and listening to 70’s revival music turn 30 in 2020? (pepper a little return of indie film golden age from the early 90’s…hopefully) Maybe everything will just be in the color of screams…thank god I’ll be 40 and won’t give a shit anymore.

So that’s the rant for now. Normally I really have nothing to say and find people that go on and on in a blog, about nothing in particular, to be more annoying that people who talk about their cell phones, or favorite food, or the place they like to shop…(you get the idea) Maybe I just need to get some of this out there. Maybe that’s what a blog is for…

Cheers
John