Guerrilla Filmmaking

TO SHOOT GUERRILLA STYLE YOU NEED TO WRITE GUERRILLA SCRIPTS: Exclusive Interview with Luis Cerezo, director of C@staways

Trailer C@staways  from Luís Cerezo on Vimeo.

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from Luis Cerezo, a guerrilla filmmaker from Spain, inviting me to write a post about the internet release of his movie N@ufragos (C@staways). I told him, why you don't send me the movie and maybe I can write a review about it.

I saw the movie, it's so interesting that I offer him to show it through this blog, it's about a group of people that show their intimacy in the internet for money without realizing that they are about to lose control of their own lives. So this Friday the 13tht, for the first time, Guerrilla Filmmaking will air in exclusive, Luis Cerezo's film, only for 10 days. I'm writing the review that would be ready for the day of the premiere.

As part of this event I interviewed Luis and this is what he said about the process of doing this film with $40,000 and more than 100 locations:

GF: How you developed the idea of the film?
LC: I decided to make a film so I spent the whole summer writing a script that I didn't liked it. One night I went to my bed and I said to myself "you're gonna be here until you have a great idea". I start thinking about snuff movies, I imagine how would that be in real time, I imagine people getting together to do atrocities and people watching it online.

GF: How you convinced the talent and the crew to work for free?
LC: Oh! I offer to divide the profit of the film equally among everybody. The crew was conformed for recent graduates from film school, their experience was running around with coffee in biggest sets, so this was an opportunity to do something more challenging.

SUBHYSTERIA'S TEASER IS ON!

Well I know I've been lax about writing here, but again that's what happen when a filmmaker decides to start a blog, when he's in production is a little intermittent, but believe me I'm learning so much that I can't wait to share all the experiences with you guys.

For now I want to invite you to watch the teaser of my next feature film, if you like what you see, you can favorite it, rate it, comment on it, that would help us to get some honors on youtube, like #32 Most Viewed video on Film & Animation category, and that would allow us to get featured, driving more people to our teaser and ultimately to our movie.

GOTHAM INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS Announced!

Ballast Trailer

There's actually no award ceremony for Guerrilla Filmmakers, we're working on that. For now, the closest event that honor Guerrilla Films is the Gotham Awards, that this year swifts to "Gothan Independent Film Awards". Guerrilla Films on red.

IFP announced today the nominees for the 18th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards™ which will take place on Tuesday, December 2nd at New York City’s Cipriani Wall Street. It also announced the new name for the awards, making the subtle shift from the Gotham Awards to the Gotham Independent Film Awards™.

Presented by IFP, the nation's oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, the Gotham Independent Film Awards™ is one of the leading awards for independent film and the first major honors of the film awards season. The awards provide critical early recognition for worthy independent films, such as past winners Juno(2007), Half Nelson (2006), and Junebug (2005).

Garnering four separate nominations – the most for this year – is Ballast, Lance Hammer’s directorial debut and multiple-award winner from festivals as diverse as Sundance, Berlin, Deauville and others. The film is currently being self-distributed by Hammer’s Alluvial Film Company with the help of marketing consultant Steven Raphael’s Required Viewing. It was nominated for Best Feature, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor and Best Ensemble Performance.

NIGHT & WEEKENDS in Theaters tomorrow!

I'm sorry I've been a little distant from the blog lately, I've been really busy with the pre-production of my next feature subHysteria, but I couldn't pass the chance to let you know that Night & Weekends, the new film from director Joe Swanberg, this time co-directing with actor Greta Gerwig, it's opening tomorrow at IFC Theaters. This is the 4th no-budget film from Swanberg since 2005, his previous works are: Kissing on the Mouth, LOL and Hannah Takes the Stairs.

STORY

Mattie and James are in love. But too many mornings and too many miles apart have taken a toll on them. As they struggle with the distance between New York and Chicago, their visits become reminders of the difficulties, not the pleasures, of their relationship. Joe Swanberg and Greta Gerwig follow Hannah Takes the Stairs with this intimate portrayal of longing and confusion. This time Swanberg co-stars with Gerwig, and Gerwig co-directs with Swanberg, creating a film that resonates deeply and leaves scars that fade but can’t heal.

IF YOU REALLY WANT IT, YOU DO IT! Exclusive interview with S. Mohen, director of the feature "Happy Holidays"

S. Mohen recently graduated from Chapman University, but before academics achievements she graduated as a filmmaker, when I asked her who are you? she said "I am just a regular girl, I love dancing, love to go to the movies and I have a cat, but if I have to define myself, I've to say that I'm a filmmaker".

I don't consider her to be an ordinary girl though, at 20 years old she already made a feature film against all odds, including some teachers at Chapman that said to her, "you cannot do this it's just too ambitious". It took determination, but she recouped her money, she's developing her second feature and she's producing a web series call On the verge. I think the risk was worthy.

She writes about what she knows. After finishing the script of Happy Holidays her friends started encouraging her to do it. 33 days on set over 6 months, a winter break, a summer vacation and $5,000 later she had it in the can. (A winter break and a summer vacation, I'm wondering if the title of the movie comes from doing this).

It took a lot of courage and support from the crew and actors, sometimes they had to bring their own food to the set, sometimes they took advantage of the meals plans at Chapman but the reality is that they confronted every obstacle, they endured they learned and they made a movie. Dillon Morris, director of photography of the film gave me this trivia: All the people involve in this film were under 22 years old. Kudos to them.

Here the interview.

...and if you want to see the film, you can get it here.

A JOURNEY INSIDE A JOURNEY: Exclusive interview with Sarah Fisher, director of documentary "Meditate and Destroy"

Buddhist Filmmaker Sarah Fisher shared her journey of four years to finish Meditate and Destroy about the journey of author of Dharma Punx, Noah Levine whom after a self-destructive adolescence of criminal activity and substance abuse, now teaches the path of Buddhism. A documentary about punk rock, spirituality and inner rebellion.

After reading Noah's book Dharma Punx, she felt that she needed to tell that story, so she contacted him to explore the possibility of doing a documentary about him, his response was "I've a book release party next Friday, bring your camera".

Sarah talks about her struggle as a guerrilla filmmaker and how sometimes you need to have a tough resolve, proving yourself again and again, about her DIY distribution strategy, about her disappointment in the festivals and the new ways of distribution.

Listen the interview right here.

If you want to learn about future screenings or simply support the film (They still need to clear the music rights, and that cost money), there are different ways, you can pick your favorite, through their website, facebook group, myspace page, follow them through twitter

You're broke and can help? not a problem if you go to Meditate and Destroy profile in Our Stage and become a fan of the film, they'll receive $4 and you will receive a free pass to see the movie during the month of September! Learn how to do this properly.

MOMMA'S MAN OPENS TODAY: Go see it this weekend, you know how much it means for the permanence of a Guerrilla Film

...via Filmmaker Magazine

Nick Dawson's Web Exclusive Director's Interview this week is Azazel Jacobs, whose third feature, Momma's Man, opens today. Of the movie, which details a few days in which a young, recent father, Mikey, travels home to his parents (played by Ken and Flo Jacobs, the director's real-life parents) and is not able to leave, having become entangled in the crosscurrents of nostalgia for his childhood.

$ 2,500 FEATURE FILM? MUMBLECORE RULES, no excuses!

No money is not a problem anymore, actually, since the arrive of MiniDV the number of independent films has increased enormously. The new technology allows pretty much everybody to make a film. Now, how many of them are good? I would say a few of them. The trailer above is from the film Quiet City, made with a budget of $2,500 distributed theatrically by 600 West Productions. Narrates the story of Jamie a 21 years old  from Atlanta. She's come to Brooklyn to visit her friend Samantha, but she can't find her. Jamie tries calling, but Samantha's phone is dead. Jamie meets Charlie when she asks him for directions. Nothing to do and nothing but time leads them to bowls of coleslaw, footraces in the park, art shows, and after parties. The movie was released very limited (Just one theater) but it made $15,500 in box office that's a profit of 620 % against its budget, to give you an idea The Dark Knight needs to make more than a billion to have numbers like that. Quiet City also got a DVD deal so, it was a fantastic experience.

I'm a believer that if you have a fantastic story that can be made under ultra low budget circumstances, you will have success and the prove of that is the anti-movement MUMBLECORE, and I say anti-movement because according to Filmmaker Magazine "the filmmakers in this movement don’t want to be grouped into any kind of movement at all"

LIMITED BOX OFFICE Weekend for USA 8-10 August 2008

Our Limited Box Office Chart is for films in 200 Theaters or less, so after Brideshead Revisited expanded to 350 Theaters Tell no one climbed again to the position # 1. In the Guerrilla department Frozen River keep doing business in the position 10 while Baghead and In search of the midnight kiss keep surviving in positions 17 and 18 respectively. You should check out specially In search of the midnight kiss, funny film with a woodyallenesque influence made with $25,000. Watch the trailer below.

Limited Box Office Weekend for USA 1-3 August 2008

British film Brideshead Revisited got a boost on locations last week, it opened on 33 theaters for a very healthy average of more than $ 10,000 per location, past week expanded to 189, what put it on the top of the chart.

From writers Jeremy Brock (The Last King of Scotland) and Andrew Davies (Bridget Jones's Diary), Julian Jerrold's follow up to Becoming Jane it's getting good reviews and good word-of mouth. Look for rising star Matthew Goode to tap into his Match Point experience for this update of Evelyn Waugh's scandalous drama, alongside Goode will be his charming co-stars, Ben Whishaw, who captivated European audiences in Perfume: The Story of a Murderer's lead role, and Hayley Atwell, who will try and out pout Keira Knightley in The Duchess later this year. How odd to realize this picture was almost made with Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly and Jude Law in the lead roles ...

Lw    Tw   Title                                  Wks        Wknd $     Ave $       Locs     Gross $

2        1    Bridshead Revisited              2     1,163544     6,156        189      1,698,007

1        2    Tell no one                             5       460,000     4,897          94      2,305.000

3        3    The Wackness                       5       213,000     1,501        120      1,435,393

9        4    American Teen                       2       167,000     8,565         39       242,086

-         5    Frozen River*                       1          70,234    10,033          7       70,234

4        6    Gonzo                                    5          56,812    1,092          52       952,763

7        7    The Last Mistress                  6          48,951     1,748         28       558,258

8        9    Man on Wire                          2          48.477     12,119         4       133,737

5      10    Encounters at the end of...    8           46,301     1,446        32        659,666

6      11    Brick Lane                              7          42,884     1,225         35        727,917

-       12    Midnight Meat Train               1          34,394     337          102        34,394

11    13    Transsiberian                          3         27,000      13,500        2        121,601

12    14    Baghead*                               8         16,400      1,171          7        72,770

-       15    In search... midnight kiss*   1         13,385      6,692          2        13,385

* GUERRILLA FILMS