It's been a very slow Labor Day weekend for the Man-child campaign -- dang federal holidays! So while I'm working on a video update specifically for No Film School readers, in the meantime here's a brand-new video interview I did with TV Writer Podcast presented by Script Magazine. In the interview, we talk about film school, crowdfunding, DSLRs, and DIY filmmaking (please forgive the aggrandizing bio at the beginning):
Thanks so much to Gray for having me on (and sorry if you had to watch an ad at the beginning; it's not my video player).
One thing about running a crowdfunding campaign that I've learned so far: be prepared to talk about yourself way past the point of comfort. Speaking of which! Here are excerpts from two more interviews/posts I've also done recently that hopefully contain lessons for others in addition to talking about Man-child.
Film Courage: From DIY Filmmaker to Hollywood Discontent and Back Again
A lot of filmmakers today set out with the career arc of someone like Steven Soderbergh in mind -- make a great first feature while young, win festival accolades, move up to larger budgets from there -- but the independent film scene today is not what it was when Soderbergh won the Palm d’Or at the age of 26.
The lesson I’ve learned, and what I would suggest for those just getting started, is to set your sights smaller and make whatever you can without needing outside investment. Post your project on the internet -- it costs nothing, and you can build an audience organically -- and go from there. Name any filmmaker you look up to that made it big through the old system -- this is the approach they’d be taking if they were coming up today. A lot of people can say this, sure, but I’ve tried both approaches and learned the hard way. Don’t make the same mistakes I did!
Filmmaking Stuff: No Film School On CrowdFunding
Jason Brubaker
Your current feature is focused on Basketball? How come?
Koo
I’ve played basketball all my life, so it’s a personal project to me. But just because I play basketball doesn’t mean I know a lot about the youth basketball world. I’m talking about middle schoolers, as opposed to the college and pro athletes you typically see in sports movies. The more I researched it, the more I felt it was a story I had to tell. And while it’s definitely a basketball movie, my hope is that the film will also speak to those who don’t have a particular interest in basketball or even sports, because it’s a fascinating and unique world.
Jason Brubaker
Can you speak to that a little more?
Koo
These kids are nationally ranked by the time they’re 12, and they start hearing whispers of fame and fortune very early – but usually they don’t have a whole lot in their lives at that age. This dichotomy – what they could have in a few years as opposed to what they actually have, right now – could be larger in youth basketball than anywhere else in American society.
If this sounds like an interesting movie, please think about backing the Kickstarter campaign -- I can't make it without you, and as I said, it's been very slow the past few days. More soon and thanks for reading/watching!
Full interview links:
