Independent producer Ted Hope (Adventureland, 21 Grams, In the Bedroom, and seemingly a thousand other films) is expanding the perception of what "independent film" is and how it should be distributed. I had a chance to sit down with him at Power To The Pixel, where he gave me some very valuable advice; we share the same view of independent film, that with crisis comes opportunity. Ted's been very generous on his Truly Free Film blog by sharing advice like Ten things to do before you submit a script and Display your value: you are different from them, as well as asking pertinent questions such as What defines an event? In short, his blog is a must-read for independent filmmakers. Here, he answers some questions for the forthcoming film Press/Pause/Play.
One of the reasons I've focused on learning the technical aspects of film production -- ranging from shooting to editing to motion graphics to graphic design -- is because I believe modern filmmakers should not limit themselves to the traditional definition of "filmmaking." The project I'm working on now will involve true multimedia creation, from videos to novellas to street art to social games. I could go on and on but I'd rather let the work speak for itself, when and if it sees the light of day.
Some aspiring filmmakers I've talked to look down at transmedia, as if it's inherently beneath them -- they want to be the next Martin Scorcese, and Scorcese just makes features so that's what they should do too, right? To them I would ask: would you rather do something that's been done before, or would you rather push the boundaries and do something new? If the answer is the former I think you're in the wrong field!
