Filmmakers Zak Forsman and Kevin K. Shah of Sabi Pictures arrive at Park City with an intent to define the questions most relevant to independent distribution options. Insights from Brian Newman, Dan Mirvish, Jon Reiss and Ira Deutchman open a path toward discovering some real solutions.

SABI filmmakers Zak Forsman and Kevin K. Shah move away from identifying the questions toward some possible answers that may, in fact, lead to the solutions we seek. Insights from Linas Phillips (Bass Ackwards), Habib Azar (Armless), Dan Mirvish, and Brian Newman are fleshed out with more thoughts from the pre-Filmmaker Summit roundtable.

SABI filmmakers Zak Forsman and Kevin K. Shah move away from identifying the questions toward some possible answers that may, in fact, lead to the solutions we seek. Insights from Linas Phillips (Bass Ackwards), Jon Reiss and Brian Newman are fleshed out with more thoughts from the pre-Filmmaker Summit roundtable.

The NEW BREED series continues as SABI filmmakers Zak Forsman and Kevin K. Shah speak with Ted Hope, Jon Reiss, Mynette Louie (Children of Invention) and Linas Phillips (Bass Ackwards) to explore the solutions that are emerging for independent filmmakers – featuring some of the insights and actions that came from the 2010 Filmmaker Summit.

SABI filmmakers Zak Forsman and Kevin K. Shah speak with Dan Mirvish, Brian Newman, Ira Deutchman and Ted Hope to further explore the solutions that are emerging for independent filmmakers – featuring a proposal for a new relationship between filmmakers and festivals as outlined by Peter Baxter at the 2010 Filmmaker Summit.

SABI filmmakers Zak Forsman and Kevin K. Shah pick up with Ted Hope where he left off in the last episode to further explore the solutions that are emerging for independent filmmakers. He is joined by Mynette Louie (Children of Invention) and new interviews with Sultan Sharrief (Bilal’s Stand), Lance Weiler (HiM), and Scilla Andreen (IndieFlix).

Part of an on-going series from Filmmaker Magazine and The WorkBook Project.

***Inspired by recent calls to action from Ted Hope and Jon Reiss.

CURATION – SABI has formed our own distribution outfit: CINEFIST. Beyond distributing the work that comes out of Sabi Pictures, CINEFIST will also serve as a curation entity. My first resolution for the New Year is to put my resources into giving filmmakers I believe in an opportunity to exhibit their work, but also an opportunity for them to participate in the box office take. The venue will be The Downtown Independent Theater in Los Angeles and each screening will be shaped into a true event featuring Skype Q&As with the filmmakers projected on screen, audience votes on trailers to decide which film screens at the next event, DVDs for sale in the lobby, prizes for the audience, rooftop mixers, and a live internet radio show at the venue with the guys at Film Snobbery. The first film will be Tom Quinn’s The New Year Parade screening in early February to coincide with its Film Independent Spirit Award nomination.

TRANSPARENCY – This year we are embarking on our first direct-to-audience distribution effort for a pair of art house films. I will share ideas and progress here with the intent to educate, but also to seek input and guidance from the community.

INNOVATION – Learn, evolve and execute. The strategy to this point emulates the methods used by filmmakers like ZEKE ZELKER, HUNTER WEEKS, JUSTIN EVANS, TODD SKLAR and others. But we need to push forward with less emulation in the strategy and work, and more innovation. We will be fearless. We will takes calculated risks. We will experiment with ways to connect with our audience and to give them compelling reasons to buy what we have to offer.

MENTORSHIP – Last year I met a young filmmaker online named Gayle Ye who is an ardent fan of SABI’s works. She expressed an interest in cinematography and had natural talent. Throughout 2009, I was able to offer her some tips here and there, notes on her first short film’s screenplay and even sent her some gear. In 2010, I will seek out more filmmakers in the generation coming up behind me, encouraging them, offering whatever support I have to share, and maybe even produce their next work as we did with the filmmakers behind A SHORT FILM ABOUT LETTING GO.

ELEVATE – This was a tough pill to swallow but in order to raise the bar with the content and structure of our films, music and other creative endeavors I will spend the entirety of 2010 developing new projects for production in 2011 and 2012. As much as I want to be shooting a new film right now, I know its better to spend this time shaping projects that have been given time to mature.

COMMUNITY – Recent opportunities afforded to me by the good folks here at The Workbook Project, From Here To Awesome, IndieFlix, Power to the Pixel and most recently Filmmaker Magazine have introduced me to some amazing people, many of whom have become good friends. And this, more than anything, has been the most gratifying experience for me. These genuine friendships have lead to countless collaborations and discussions that hold a lot of personal value to me. Even if I were to forgo filmmaking altogether, I would still resolve to step-up my involvement in this community by going to more festivals and conferences, seeking out more like-minded people who share in my delight for the cinematic arts.

IGNORE – It’s funny, the most recent private screening of HEART OF NOW only returned three or four negative comment cards. But when presented with a new stack of cards, I inexplicably find myself flipping quickly through all the positive comment cards to find out what those few detractors had to say. Uniformly, these were responses that rejected every single inch of the film’s form and content. Despite the overwhelming praise, I find myself focused on the negative instead – even when I’m getting such heartfelt and sincere responses such as this:

Hey Zak,

‘Heart of Now’ is a terrific film. It is humbling to see good work come through the Indie. This is a film I would be honored to present another time. The issues of abandonment and the subsequent coping mechanisms people employ are dealt with in not only a tactful manner, but also respectably and thoughtfully poetic. What I appreciate even more is the seemingly endless conclusion. It can be ambiguous or sharply conclusive, depending on the beholder.

‘Heart of Now’ has a poignant message that resonates with me personally right now as I deal with similar issues. It was even more striking to hear you talk about the loss of your father as an impetus for the film. My father was taken from me in ‘95. Many of the statements made by both Amber and Gabe reverberated deeply, so it only made sense when you elucidated that fact for the audience.

Thank you for bringing ‘Heart of Now’ to this theatre. I wish you, the crew, the production company, and the film all the best as you move forward in bringing this work of art to others.

So beginning today, I will learn to ignore the ones that are unwinnable. As Ted Hope says: “There are many in the film business who are never going to help you. Many of these will never help you even after you have helped them. The sooner you identify these folks and stop wasting your time with them, the better off you are going to be.” Done.

SUPPORT – I love art house cinema. I already buy DVDs from art house filmmakers. But now, I will make it a point to seek out the avenue that puts more of my dollars into the filmmaker’s pocket. This often means buying it from their own web site, rather than Amazon. Knowing that my main portal (Netflix) doesn’t provide any per rental profit participation for the filmmakers, this also means approaching it more as a discovery engine to find works I want to support with a purchase. No more requests for DVD trades or accepting free copies. I’ll put my money where my mouth is.

NO MORE APOLOGIES FOR ART – In 2010, I will not apologize for aspiring to make art. Art has somehow become a dirty word in may circles that consider it to be mutually exclusive from entertainment. Art IS my entertainment!

I wish there were more american filmmakers that aspired to that level of work without apologizing for it out of fear of being labelled pretentious or elitist. Maybe it’s an effect of knowing intimately how films are constructed that makes it difficult for me to enjoy a film that doesn’t aspire beyond just “a good story, well told”. When I sit down in front of a motion picture I want layers of understanding, I want subtly invoked metaphor, I want social context, I want a fully-realized and artfully-executed cinematic experience. We have an overabundance of folks who can simply entertain us. But the ones that can honestly transcend the medium are so rare, so very scarce. That’s what drives me to fervently seek out art films. I buy art films, I support art film-makers whose work speaks to me. I consider myself a filmmaker who aspires to art. I won’t apologize for it. It certainly doesn’t mean I ignore the audience. In fact, I’ve amassed and incorporated the audience into the final stages of editing HEART OF NOW.

The film artists I admire take risks to be on the cutting edge by experimenting with this evolving artform. But these are the folks whose successes are what the mainstream filmmakers mimic. Many times these artists will fail and the critics will label the work as self-indulgent, but man, when they succeed it is profoundly resonant.

PARTNER, COLLABORATE & ENGAGE – This coming year, SABI will resolve to reach out to partner with a number of companies, collaborate with a variety of artists, and engage our audience/community in a very genuine and meaningful way – all in the interest of moving ourselves and this community forward. As I said at the beginning, I’m getting a little tired of all the “broken model” talk and so I look forward to taking a bold step toward defining and shaping a sustainable model for low budget filmmakers.

AND FINALLY, LOSE WEIGHT – I’m having a blast and would like to be doing this for a long time.

So in closing, I offer these resolutions for a New Year and a New Decade in the hope that they will inspire others to do the same, within the limits of their own means and resources. And thanks to everyone who has been a collaborator, inspiration and supporter in 2009. You know who you are and I look forward to joining you again in the decade to come.

NEW BREED – stories from the front lines of taking a vision from script to screen and beyond.

Zak Forsman is an award-winning American independent filmmaker whose emotionally-charged work is known for highly authentic performances and beautiful compositions. Ain’t It Cool News praised his work as “…brilliant…” and “…absolutely gorgeous…”. His stories often depict compelling human threads in a poetic and minimalist style that reflect deep sympathy for the brokenness of people. Recently, he wrote and directed the feature-length motion picture, “Heart of Now” (currently in post) and the short films, “I Fucking Hate You” and “Eloquent Graffiti”. He is currently developing two new DIY cross-media projects for production in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

Over at the New Breed

The SABI Festival Strategy

by Zak Forsman

STEP ZERO: ASK YOURSELF WHY

Be honest with yourself and ask why you want to do this. It will be a financial, emotional and physical drain to be sure. So you must define your goals and the reason why they are goals. For us, we have solidified our plans to release HEART OF NOW and WHITE KNUCKLES through our own distribution company, CINEFIST. So we are not seeking traditional distribution. And by “traditional” I mean selling the domestic rights for 25 years, for less than $100,000 in advance and a tiny cut of the profit. Instead, we ARE seeking some rather important things to support a direct-to-audience distribution effort:

* To meet new friends, filmmakers, fans and partners
* To garner laurels, prestige, press and reviews
* To announce a platform release to a larger audience
* To make a little $$$ on DVD, soundtrack and merch sales at each screening
* To get additional feedback from audiences

So, what does a modern, forward-thinking festival strategy look like? From the outside, it looks like the picture above – a bucket full of submission packets amounting to $1500 in fees for 40 festivals. I’ve come to define our festival strategy by working backwards from our direct-to-audience distribution plan. We know we want to begin the latter in July 2010 so the focus had to go toward festivals that would play between now and the end of June. The intent being that if we are accepted, we can incorporate that opportunity into the distribution road map, without relying on it “for direction”.

So how did I decide which festivals to submit to?

Read More

Over at Culture Hacker

Doing the Wave

Dee Cook tries to make sense of Google Wave. Now that Google Wave has been out for a while, have you joined up? Is it living up to all your expectations, plus some? Or is it just something that you slobbered over because invitations were rare, but now you just keep forgetting to check in because you can’t figure out what to do with it? Read More

The First Ever Culture Hacker Gift Guide

- games, books, interactive experiences and tech are presented in a nice roundup by Haley Moore.

Missing: Since January and Evidence: The Last Ritual
Dreamcatcher Interactive, $19.99 and $29.99
These two games are actually on my Christmas list this year, because in spite of a ringing endorsement from Penny Arcade, I never got around to playing them. Released in 2004 and 2006, respectively, these games come as close as you can get to being an Alternate Reality Game in a box. Characters contact you through e-mail and solicit your help to catch a serial killer. (I haven’t played yet, but I hear serial killers have email, too! Eep!)

Uplink
Introversion Software, £10.00 – £5.00
When talking to friends about Rushkoff’s Exoriare ARG, I made plenty of mention of how much it reminds me of Uplink, only to find very few people have played this cyberpunk indie classic. If you love feeling 1337 and jamming out to fantastic electronic music, this is a must-play.

The Hidden Park
James Kane, $7.99
Granted, Bulpadok’s geocaching/augmented reality mashup game isn’t everywhere…yet. But if you have an iPhone and live near one of these parks, the game should not be missed. Unfortunately, there’s no way to gift a single iPhone app, so I suggest wrapping an iTunes gift card in a printout of one of these sweet wallpapers.

After Jump – books, experiences, swag

After wrapping production in May 2009, I began the task of putting together an assembly cut based on the treatment that I had developed with Jenn Dees (who plays the main character “Luci”). Since I was editing the project myself, I took the very unorthodox approach of not slating a single take as we shot. I knew that I was going to personally log and organize all the footage — which meant watching every single frame that was shot (in addition to already having seen it “live on the set”). Becoming very familiar with the footage — every nuance and performance — would be my goal before beginning the creative edit. Would I do this again? It depends on the project. For something with a concrete script with scene numbers — no way. For another improv-based project such as this — probably.

The Editing Begins
Here is my LOVELY Editing Roadmap. I managed to sketch it out (during about Week 6 of the editing phase) while waiting to meet a friend at a hotel in New York’s Union Square. Yes, my mind works at the oddest times which is why I try to bring a notebook me wherever I go.

(CLICK THE PICTURE TO ENLARGE — there are spoliers in there, but I wouldn’t worry about it. Good for you if you can read my chicken scratch let alone make sense of anything. I think I’m insane.)

As you can see (or more likely as you CAN’T see) — my mind was going all over the place as I ordered out every single scene of the film. I also added little notes for new ideas to try out. Then I shuffled scenes around a bit as I was sketching the roadmap as things became clearer on the order they needed to appear.

I am sure this method is pretty unusual, but it definitely helped me since there was no formal script. And having edited for several weeks I finally could feel what was working and what was not in terms of storytelling and pacing.

In early August 2009, a preliminary cut was finished and in enough shape to share with an audience for feedback. Not having access to an affordable public venue, I invited people over to my apartment. Ideally for my next project(s) – I will be able to locate someplace in New York within my budget to hold test screenings. Many non-traditional places willing to let you use their space require the projector and screen – which I do not own. Researching such venues with the necessary equipment is on my To-Do list.

Anonymous surveys were handed out to the audience members (comprised of close friends and colleagues — and friends of friends) after the screening. I also extended an invitation to stay afterward and discuss the film should they wish to share their thoughts in an open forum with others. Following the model provided by Zak Forsman, I informed everyone that I would not defend anything in the film during the talk. I was simply there to listen and address specific questions — which I turned back on them if at all possible to see how their initial reactions from the screening influenced their thoughts and conclusions about the film.

ASSEMBLY CUT SCREENING – 76 mins – Initial reactions were mainly confusions and dislikes around three specific scenes (thankfully, it was consistently these three scenes or I would have been in trouble trying to figure out where to begin). To my relief everyone liked the main character “Luci” and actually wanted more of her — even though she already occupied about 90% of the screen time. This was a very good sign we were on the right track — as both Jenn and I felt it was crucial to create a likable character if the audience was to spend as much time with her as they do. For this cut, the original ending was entirely omitted and a new (more open-ended) one was created. This film leaves much to interpretation and I was concerned it was too out there for its own good. I am aware of the motto that “It’s good to be ambiguous…but you have to be clearly ambiguous.” The good news was everyone seemed ok with the ending. It should be noted that the crowd invited consisted of people who enjoy arthouse cinema and therefore my target audience.

Before the next screening, I met with Jenn to discuss the audience reaction. We talked about the changes needed and some voiceover work that had to be revised to match the evolving storyline.

ROUGH CUT 1 SCREENING - 71 mins – Original ending reinstated (but now placed in Act 1 of the film). Shaved off a few minutes by tightening every scene in the film (removed extraneous dialogue, added additional voiceover sequences). Anonymous surveys later revealed that now only one scene (of the original three unclear scenes identified at the previous screening) still needed some work. Additionally, post-screening conversations revealed that a few viewers picked up on the story elements loosely based on a literary classic (which shall remain nameless) which I was happy to hear — but I was encouraged to be more “clearly ambiguous” for the next cut should I wish viewers to really pick up on it. The talk also sparked a healthy debate in the room regarding the film’s symbolism and themes (I just sat back and smiled knowing the film had done its job in that respect).

Before the next rough cut screening, I decided to get a few pick up shots (which was now 5 months later from the original shoot) with Jenn Dees and Aidan Kane (a supporting character) — mainly to create a newly found storyline that needed a few shots to set up. Luckily they had not changed their appearance drastically. Additionally, some major plot points in the original written treatment were not as important anymore and were dropped or trimmed down. Jenn also recorded some new voiceover material to replace previous content in light of some new story developments. We were both really encouraged in what we were discovering and shaping.

ROUGH CUT 2 SCREENING – 70 mins – Deleted 2 voiceover sequences, re-edited others. Original ending now shifted to Act 2 of the film with the newly created storyline. Added a new shot for the ending. Feedback was very positive and encouraging. Although not an all-time favorite director of mine, it was nice to hear someone say “it’s like a good David Lynch film.” I also bit my lip and held back wanting to say to the group as the film ended, “it looks like you all want to say WTF?” Maybe that’s a new genre? Instead of “arthouse cinema” it should be called “wtf cinema” — meant in a good way.

The most positive aspect of the last test screening was the questions raised were exactly the ones I wanted to hear — but did not wish the film to answer. It had achieved its goal and I was a proud father.

I went out with Jenn for a last round of pick up shots to help flesh out visually the final voiceover work. I also tinkered with swapping a few shots around — but nothing major was changed. I should also point out that in between these formal test audience screenings, I was creating multiple versions of the film and sharing them with Jenn and a few other close people for feedback.

So here we are. At Picture Lock.

As they say, a movie is written 3 times:

#1 – script (when you write it)
#2 – filming (when you shoot it)
#3 – editing (when you edit it)

For this improv based project, the whole movie ultimately comes down to the editing. Stories could be added, deleted or shaped based on the direction we wanted to go. And luckily, the way it was shot we had some flexibility to do it. We were not always locked in to one plot point. We had some options.

From the 30+ hours of footage, LOVELY has been shaped into a nice 69-minute film. You can read about how I feel regarding its running time on my blog entry titled “Size Doesn’t Matter”.

I love the test screening process. If nothing else, it gets an extra set of eyes on your film to gauge how it is working (or not). Sometimes a filmmaker can be too connected to the material and not realize that important elements can be lost in translation to others. Of course, it would be impossible to please every viewer in the room and that should never be the goal. Think of it as just another tool — a very valuable one — to help determine if you are connecting with your audience the way you want to.

Next Up: Scoring the Film With 2 Composers

Here is the Official Trailer:

WHAT’S UP LOVELY – Official Trailer from Gary King on Vimeo.

For more stories from the front lines visit the New Breed.

Gary King is an independent filmmaker based in New York whose work is recognized for powerful performances with an emphasis on a strong, visual style. He made his feature film debut with the critically acclaimed drama “New York Lately”. His ability to skillfully apply his filmmaking craft across genres led him to direct the grisly indie horror film “Dismal” from Fearmakers. He is currently in post-production with his latest DIY feature film “What’s Up Lovely” which already has film websites buzzing about its visual style and elegance. It will be released in 2010.

It’s now clear that Spotify itself, the great hope of the industry, has exactly this approach: They’ve promised large percentages of their stock to the labels (18% to majors, 1% to indies), and yet this is revenue that is not intended to reach the artists. Not ever. It’s just for the labels. And on top of that, if you are an artist who is NOT on a label, well, you are shut out. No Spotify for you!
For anyone who tells me that it’s a great time to be starting a music career, I have to quietly, humbly disagree, and this is just one more example why.

I recently launched a non-profit organization called Weathervane Music. Weathervane’s purpose is to support and advance independent music while providing career changing opportunities to the musicians we work with as DIRECTLY as possible.

Here’s how we are doing it:

There are a few things that the for-profit sector of the music industry once did relatively well, but today cannot.

1. Artist Selection – The conflict of “quality” vs. “sell-ability”: There’s almost no way to justify an investment in anything but your surest bets these days. These are most often musicians that do very little to break the mold and advance our culture.
2. Artist Development – Artists who’ve “had their shot” rarely get another chance if they are not a big success. This is terrible, because the list of legendary artists that weren’t instantly successful would arguably include, well, almost everyone!
3. Quality PR and Marketing – The science of promotion is illusive at best. Artists themselves often have a better idea of promotion than their financial backers do.
4. Funding Recordings – Today, nearly every artist is expected to fund and produce their records themselves. While a rare few are blessed with money, resources, and a knack for production going into their first record, I can assure you…MOST ARE NOT!

With a community of subscribers or members, something akin to the model that public radio or television uses, a non-profit like Weathervane can accomplish all the above quite effectively, and that’s what we are aiming for. Our focus is a series of music and music related videos featuring select independent musicians called the Weathervane Music Project Series (http://weathervanemusic.org/projects). This, already in its first year, answers many of the weak points listed above:

1. Artist selection is based on quality, not sales, as we have little stake in that anyway. It is overseen by well known, well respected curators, the type of people whose taste matters, is trusted and is of great interest to our audience. If we do it right, Weathervane Supporters will come back again and again because the quality, sophistication and diversity of music is high. They will also enjoy many opportunities to be part of the process, as well, and can claim responsibility for artists’ careers.
2. What the For-Profit sector calls “Risk” is actually part of our “MISSION”. Most artists don’t have to sell well at all like they would in a for-profit venture. The Project Series is nothing if not an engine for exposure for great independent artists. The onus is on us to develop truly effective marketing.
3. Artists receive amazing recording opportunities that result in quality recordings. They can easily use or license any of it. Best of all, the musicians who make the music retain the vast majority of the financial stake in these audio recordings, forever and ever! Even if we license to a for-profit label, Weathervane would take a vastly smaller portion of the monies received than the artist. And since we are in partnership for these songs with the artist, our legal forces will always be looking out for them to the best of our ability.

We MUST come up with a model that works, not just for music, but for musicians themselves. This will require an almost heroic grass-roots ACTIVIST movement. Weathervane hopes to assemble that audience that will consciously spend their money as DIRECTLY with the artists as possible. Most of the money we spend on music goes to buying devices (MP3 players, phones that play music, computers to stream music). If you thought that artists sat at the end of an impossibly long line of profit-takers in the past, well, I venture to say that it is still very bad, if not in many ways worse. I know this is not what people want to hear, but I think it’s true.

At DIY Days in Philadelphia this August, I saw the enthusiasm and motivation that brought more than 300 people together to discuss the best way forward for their creative communities. I realized that while independent music has great creative energy at the moment, it lacks the professionally motivated community that film, and the other performance arts survive on. Musicians have still not fully awakened from the dream. As they cling to old aspirations, the habit of “selling out” their futures for unclear opportunity continues on. They work in greater isolation, and have little collaboration. Musicians need stronger community amongst themselves, and an audience whose CAUSE is to support them as directly as possible.

We need to spark this movement!

Brian McTear launched Weathervane Music in 2009, a non-profit dedicated to improving the state of music in our society and the career potential of independent musicians. He is a musician, producer, recording engineer and owner of Miner Street Recordings. In the 12 years that McTear has worked in Philadelphia, he’s produced over 100 records and helped revitalize the local indie music community. McTear writes and sings in the band Bitter bitter weeks, and plays guitar with The Novenas.

For More Information on Weathervane Music:
Site: http://weathervanemusic.org
Blog: http://wvmusic.tumblr.com/

RELATED:
DIY DAYS PHILLY – NEW MODELS IN MUSIC

Here’s the first in a string of videos from the NEW BREED filmmakers. Make sure to check out vids about As the Dust Settles, The Red Machine and Play with Fire. More on the way.

To get more stories from the front lines of what it takes to get a project from script to screen visit the NEW BREED.

Related:
Is There A “Too Many” (When It Comes To Film Festivals)?
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Festivals

Have an opinion on festivals join the discussion.

Zach Forsman is a writer/director/producer/editor. Zak and his creative team Sabi are prolific. They are currently working on a number of shorts and a few feature films (White Knuckles, Eloquent Graffiti, Heart of Now). Strong proponents of DIY filmmaking; Sabi’s work is organic, stylized and improvised.

Zak is also the editor of the New Breed. If you haven’t checked out the new extension of the WBP make sure to pay a visit and sign up to the feed. New Breed covers a variety of projects as they make their way from script to screen.

What’s your background?

I’ve been making films since i was a kid. My parents bought a Hitachi VHS “Cam ‘N Cord” and my fascination with making movies has been a constant source of fulfillment ever since. I soon teamed up with Kevin K. Shah the summer before seventh grade and we made a short called “The Nerd”. I remember my father being very critical of its execution and renting Casablanca and Beau Geste for me to study. Twenty years later, at the age of 34, I’m still subconsciously seeking my father’s approval and Kevin and I are still making movies together at Sabi Pictures, the company we officially co-founded in January of 2006. 

What are you currently working on?  

HEART OF NOW  – Devastated by her boyfriend’s sudden withdrawal from their relationship, a young woman with a profound longing for a sense of family descends into a physical and mental spiral that thrusts her back to the emotional wounds cut a decade ago. Using the screenplay as a guide, the filmmakers and principal cast collaborated to organically shape the characters, endeavoring to explore the story “in the moment” through guided improvisations.
TRAILER LINK http://www.vimeo.com/2664996

HEART OF NOW – a film by SABI – TRAILER from Zak Forsman on Vimeo.

How do you approach filmmaking?

I think the most concise way to introduce what is unique about our process at Sabi Pictures to first talk about the “a film by” credit that is conventionally attributed to the film’s director. We thrive on creating a highly collaborative atmosphere for all the artists contributing to our productions – giving us all a freedom to explore and the permission to fail, without judgement. There are no “mistakes” with regard to the creative journey on a SABI production. We encourage and foster a framework that involves guided improvisation and creative participation from the crew. To illustrate this, we credit these motion pictures as “a film by SABI” – which we define as the entire family of cast and crew that came together to create something bigger than any one us.

In working with actors, I consider myself less a director and more of an interpreter. Ideally, the actor takes on an ownership of their character to the degree that they know them better than I. So it is my responsibility to guide them, but also to trust the nature of the choices they are making. The actors are going to some potentially painful places so the crew understands the importance of maintaining a creative and non-judgmental atmosphere. And as with most things, my best direction has been preceded by listening, observing and understanding how the scene is emerging before opening my mouth. I incorporate a high level of improvisation to refine each scene on set. We work from a fully realized screenplay, but will often throw the dialogue away and work from the underlying objectives and intentions to shape the scene. This method has captured very natural and real performances that make for a compelling experience.

Finding the right crew is essential to this process. We spend the entire three month pre-production interviewing candidates to find those rare individuals eager and ambiguous enough to do any task well without letting their ego trip them up. We all know how destructive ego can be and there is no room for it on our sets. Film productions are often a very tense environment, but we’ve managed to avoid that convention for the most part by being very careful about who we work with. Often, it’s the younger, hungrier aspiring filmmakers that make for the best team. I’m proud to say that most everyone we’ve brought on board to join the Sabi family has also become a very good friend. 

Where are you in the process and explain your next steps or goals for the project?

HEART OF NOW’s editor, Jamie Cobb, has mined through fifty hours of guided improvisation to construct a solid first cut that run 2 hours and 9 minutes. The next phase is to begin soliciting feedback from trusted collaborators in an effort to bring the running time down to a manageable length. At this moment, cartoonist Chuck McBuck is illustrating a series of vignettes following some of the characters on ancillary stories that relate back to the body of the feature film. This comic will live online as precursor to the films release. And I’m putting together a soundtrack album from the musical artists involved on the project. Our plan is to focus on designing a deluxe DVD in preparation for a festival run, as well as a theatrical component, followed by licensing to foreign territories at film markets like AFM. I’ve recently assembled an advisory board to help define this strategy.

Biggest thing you wish you knew before you started and that you’ll definitely bring to your next project?
When I shot Heart of Now (late 2007), I had zero understanding of the independent film world beyond what I read in Filmmaker Magazine and on IndieWire. Since then I’ve learned to manage my expectations for the festival circuit and to understand the value of incorporating a full distribution and community building strategy into the fabric of the film’s creation. I am doing this now with my follow-up, ELOQUENT GRAFFITI.

What are you working on next?

ELOQUENT GRAFFITI is a nano-budget feature I’m directing this summer about two couples navigating urban and emotional terrain in the hours following midnight on New Year’s. Shooting on the Nikon D90 throughout Los Angeles, we are focusing an unwavering eye at the struggle and ramifications of making life-changing decisions for the better, as painful as they may be. We released an award-winning short prelude entitled MODEL / PHOTOGRAPHER that has garnered much praise and interest.

What are some of your favorite films and / or directors? In other words what type of work inspires you?

I greatly admire the works of Hou Hsiao Hsien, the Dardenne Bros, Kieslowski. Andrei Tarkovski’s book “Sculpting in Time” continues to inspire me. Some specific films include Breaking the Waves, Lilja 4-ever, Raising Victor Vargas, Elephant, Gerry, Werckmeister Harmonies, Uzak, Half Nelson.  In short, anything and anyone who aspires to some form of transcendental humanism, inspires me.

But now, the footage is imported, it’s scattered in chunks across a timeline that can be overwhelming to make sense of some nights. There is no x number of blank for me to track… there’s 100 of hours of footage, and millions of ways to structure it.

There’s pieces of the edit that I cut, and then re-cut a week later. There’s pages of storyboards and scripts and hand-scribbled notes that get pinned to walls and scanned into Evernote. And they are built upon, over and over again.

So, after a few months, near the end of last year, of unsatisfactory progress – I decided to try and trick myself into a more reliable and steady “schedule”. I maybe not know how many pages total I’ll have to write before I’m done with the film, and I may not know how many storyboards and notes I’ll have taped up on my wall before I’m finished… But if I have tiny goals set-up for myself, and I meet those goals, then it feels more trackable. Here’s what I’ve been trying:

Set the bar low… very low: Each Wednesday my iCal reminds me that I need to write one page of script for the film. I realistically know that I need to write more than that each week to make any real progress, but I also know that a constant reminder to write five / seven / ten pages is intimidating.

Writing one page is easy, it usually starts off as notes, just thinking on paper… and then that sheet gets set aside and I write another scene down, and I grab a pen and scribble two more pages of notes. Writing is usually contagious – especially when I’m on my typewriter, that “ding” is very therapeutic – and by having a goal of one page, which is met very quickly, I feel good that I met my goal, and the next few pages that come out do so much smoother.

Share all of it… even the bad stuff: It does me little good to have a growing pile of storyboards and half-finished script pages pushed off to the side of my desk. Even if I think it’s good enough to tape to the wall, it eventually becomes overlooked.

Every day that I type more of the script or detailed notes I scan those pages into Evernote, same with sketches for shot ideas we still need to get of Larry in his “present day routine”.

Our Evernote account is shared by Amanda, Angela and myself – seconds after I add a new note or image, it’s viewable by either of them. They can make notes, add their own revisions or tell me if something isn’t working yet.

Distract yourself… but not for too long: This is the one that I have the hardest time sticking to – I have a tendency to work and work and work on Pedal. It’s not a habit (good or bad) that was easy to form. This being our fifth year of working on the project, it took many years for me to be so… addicted, I guess is an okay word, to Pedal. I wake up in the morning and I start working on Pedal, I get home from work and I sit down and look over the film’s timeline, I spend my weekends updating the blog or tweeking the site to work better.

But what I have to remind myself of, is that I get much, much more done on the film – mainly writing and storyboarding – when I take a break: to watch an old film that a friend recommended (or just a favorite, I can easily watch Days of Heaven several times a month), go for a long walk with a notepad and pen, lay down on the floor and listen to music for a half an hour. Something… just step back, let your head rest and clear, when you get back to work you’ll be much more focused.

Do any of you have tricks to make yourself stay on schedule and be more productive?

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Mike Ambs moved to Los Angeles in February 2004, from the small town in south eastern Michigan where he grew up. He is a certified graphic designer and a naturally talented editor, with a truly unique ability to capture life through a camera lens. In 2007 Mike won 1st place in the Network 2 “how to watch internet TV” video contest and in 2008 was a finalist in the Cannes Babelgum online film festival. Mike has worked as an editor and camera operator for NBC.com and is currently working as editor for the amazing internet show Epic-FU.

What’s your background?

I grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania where my summers were spent playing in an amusement park that my great grandfather founded. In fact my first job was as a clown selling balloons. I never would have imagined that the park would be my film school, particularly as a producer. I studied finance and economics in college, working my way through school with jobs in restaurants, on my way to Wall Street, until I learned to hate the money industry. Because of my finance and entertainment backgrounds I was asked to produce a friend’s film. I knew nothing about the film industry so I read any book I could. My friend got cold feet and I fell in love with the film business.

What are you currently working on?  

I am currently releasing the feature film InSearchOf in exciting, new and interesting ways. InSearchOf is an unconventional drama where one hasty decision can force good people into severe circumstances.

I am also developing two new feature film projects, a documentary and wrapping post on a doc about the Dalia Lama’s visit to Lehigh University.

How do you approach filmmaking?

I approach filmmaking in various ways depending upon my role. When writing I generally think about the script for at least a year before I commit anything to paper. When I do decide to start writing I create my characters by detailed description of who they are, what they like, what they do and what they want to achieve. This way it makes my writing a hell of a lot easier because I know how my characters would react in any situation. When directing, I draw every angle based on how I see the film. When I work with actors I will not direct them to do something that I would not do. I believe in rehearsals, am very upfront and will not tolerate attitude. As a producer when reading a script I immediately think of who the audience is and how to market the film to them. I also like to cut the fat in production. I don’t like middle management. I do not do this alone! I have an amazing team that I work with from concept through distribution, Matt Blum, Nick Luciano and Kyle Kapetanakis.

Where are you in the process and explain your next steps or goals for the project?

I am attempting to implement my business plan that I wrote last year in terms of releasing InSearchOf. The stage I am at right now is putting the film out there in ways that people would not expect. We have also implemented an affiliate program that is taking shape where fans of the film can sell InSearchOf and get 20% of the gross profits.

Biggest thing you wish you knew before you started and that you’ll definitely bring to your next project?

That people really, really fear sex. I didn’t think it would have been this tough releasing a film about sex. It would have been easier releasing a porn film because then people would know what to expect.

What are you working on next?

I’m probably going to be working on a comedy that is far bigger than anything I have done to date. I’m writing the script but will be looking for another production company to partner with. I will most likely not be directing, instead focusing on producing it.

What are some of your favorite films and / or directors?

My favorite film is Cinema Paridiso followed by Citzen Kane, Casablanca, Rocky, and Splendor in the Grass. My favorite director is Elia Kazan, favorite producer Robert Evans. I get the most inspiration by roaming around a museum, walking the streets, or hanging out at bars. It’s amazing what people tell you if you are approachable.

To follow Zeke’s journey with InSearchOf and beyond catch him as he blogs about his experiences on the NEW BREED.