Why are you doing this?

My plan is to create a short film, that we can put credits on saying "directed by (me)" or "produced by (me)" or "created by (you and me)" or "written by (you)" or any combination thereof.  Once it's in the can, I can devote the proper time and energy to market/promote it properly, thus being beneficial to both of us.

Why now?

I originally concieved this idea right out of film school four years ago, but there were too many factors that had to be worked out. Among those factors were;

• People needed to see short samples of the completed film before they'd commit to seeing it, or buying a video copy, etc. And the internet technology was too inefficient to use for that purpose.
• I didn't have any equipment, nor did I have any money to rent it all.
• I did not have enough production experience to control enough factors to guarantee a quality film.
• There was a lot of junk out there. If I was going to take the time and energy to do this, I'd want the project to be of a certain moral integrity so that I wouldn't be ashamed to show it to my mother, or my future children, or at a screening to my church community.  I'd need to partner with other like-minded individuals.

Well, that was back in 1997.  Since then, all of those factors have changed;

• The ongoing "digital revolution" has allowing enough people to install cable modems in their homes, so that watching movies and video on your PC and the internet are finally becoming commonplace.
• In addition, thanks to the "digital revolution" I've been able to run a succesful small video production business out of my home office, while making contacts with other local video production houses, and thus, I've got the equipment.  Also, my credit is good enough, that I can easily incur other temporary large expenses if necessary.
• From all my Production assistance work, and dozens of other videos I've created for individual clients, I have gained plenty of experience both behind the camera and at the editing desk.
• Thanks to Act One, I know what a script needs before I begin to shoot.  Also thanks to Act One, I have finally been linked to literally hundreds of other like-minded individuals so the odds of getting not only a morally responsible product, but a powerful, compelling story full of spiritual depth, have been greatly increased.  And odds are, if you're reading this, you know of a church community that may be ready to finally embrace the same visual arts that we so unanashamingly absorb as a culture daily.

The time is ripe. The time is now.

What does "at cost" mean?

It means, I'm not looking to exploit you or to profit off of you. I'm looking to partner with you to make this film. I won't charge you for use of my equipment, and I won't charge you for services for my business.  I will only charge you for other expenses; like if we have to rent a fog machine, or hire other talent or crew, or decide to upgrade and rent even more sophisticated equipment to use. But depending on the project, I may be willing to incur some of those expenses myself as well.
But I will use this piece to promote my business, and I would be willing to sell video or CD/DVD copies to any interested parties.  But of course we would work out all the legal details ahead of time so that you get your fare share of any incurred profits along the way for your creative property. (I've done this before. It's not hard if you do it right).

What Genres are you looking for?

Anything. I enjoy a wide array of films.  And there are plenty of writers/producers/directors who do various genres. M. Night Shyamalan wrote Sixth Sense, as well as Stuart Little. The Coen brothers did Fargo and Miller's Crossing as well as Raising Arizona and Hudsucker Proxy.  John Sayles does a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster one year, and an artsy, independent film the next.   So does Spike Lee.  It doesn't have to be a narrative either.  It could be an experimental documentary.  If it's good, it's good.  If it's marketable it's marketable. (I'm not looking for either/or, I'm looking for a little of both).

What kind of length/production value/budget are you looking at?

That is entirely negotiable. We'll pull resources together and see what happens. It could be 30 seconds, It could be a half an hour.  The cheaper, the easier, but then again, if it's going to be really good, there are always ways to raise a budget.   Robert Townsend made his first movie for $35,000 and put it all on his credit card.   Blair Witch cost about the same, and that was sold for 2 million. Robert Rodriguez made El Mariachi for $7,000 and that's now available at every Blockbuster.  Billy Bob Thornton came up with his character for Slingblade and made a short 10-minute film of it, which was also available at every blockbuster, right next to the full-length, award nominated feature.  Tone Loc made his Wild Thang video for $350 over a weekend. (I would want a little more quality than Tone Loc's Wild Thang but I wouldn't mind producing the next stupid superbowl commercial.)  But it got out there. Everyone ate it up. There's all kinds of options. But one thing is for sure; because of today's technology, it's never been cheaper, and it's never been more accessable to the general public.

What venues are we talking about?

Any film/video festival that we qualify for. And places like atomfilms.com and ifilms.com etc. You know, where people can see it. Even television is an option, but with the internet, we don't need television anymore for people to see our stuff.

Can I see samples of your stuff? Before I commit?

Of course. Most of it is on VHS, and I am slowly adding samples to my web site. Browse the A Cappella site some more to find out more about all the stuff I've done, and then contact me to read script samples, see full-length video samples, or even some short film samples I did in school.

Can we do it on film?

Will you travel?

back to top

O.K. I've done enough talking, it's your turn.