Concrete River - First Nothing, Then Everything All At Once
We Have A Date and A Lot of Other News To Announce
A QUICK REMINDER
This weekend, we are having a special event for all filmmakers:
The NonDe Virtual Summer Summit
This will be a celebration of creating a system of non-dependence and tangible steps on how to do this. Tickets are still available and begin at a suggested donation of $25.
THE BEGINNING OF THE BEGINNING
We were stuck for several weeks. We had goals to shoot the film this year. But were waiting to get the process moving. It came down to one crucial element:
Casting.
We had the opportunity to pursue some name talent for the lead of our film. Pursuing name talent comes with the expected cost of waiting for a decision. So that’s what we did, we waited. And waited. Until we got the answer:
The price to book him would simply be too high.
This is in no fault to the actor. He has worked to be guaranteed a certain minimum rate. But that rate would not fit with our budget. So we decided to move on and create momentum.
And that momentum is gathering steam.
CREATING MOVEMENT
We decided to go back to our callbacks and make selections from there. We whittled it down to our favorite pair and have them back for chemistry reads. Deciding that if they worked well together, we would move quickly to get this film into production. And with that being the case, we knew the next major hurdle to conquer was this:
PHYSICAL SPACES
Beyond actors and cameras, there’s another crucial element to shooting:
Locations.
And we have a LOT of them. The standard low-budget indie advice is to pick a few locations and contain your film. We are doing the opposite - expanding the locations while containing the story to a few characters. We are trying to give what indie films lack:
Scope.
Scope can be gained from cinematography. But it also comes with making the location you’re in feel like a character. Whether that be a house or an entire city. And with Travis being a character that is always moving. It only made sense to move him around as much as possible.
We did a scout last year which gave us some ideas of where to shoot. And at first, we were concerned about the exteriors we need. Now we are switching are focus to what is the true hurdle to conquer:
THE INTERIOR SPACES
There are lots of places outside where we can shoot. This is primarily where Travis lives. And some of the locations we need to secure are where his encampments (of which there are 3) will be. So we set a location scout day and visited one of those spots:
We visited this location not as a possibility. But looking at it from the vantage point of how feasible it would be to shoot there. Which is a big step forward. However before this, we visited an important location for Travis.
THE RESTAURANT
The shame of homelessness is that it is (most of the time) completely avoidable if our society decided to do something about it. Many of the unhoused are gainfully employed and so is Travis. He works at a restaurant, albeit part time. And in many other countries, this would be enough to at least get a roof over your head and food in your belly.
Travis has to not only work as a dishwasher. But also sell goods he finds for any amount he can. The restaurant is an important part of the story. It provides him with a small amount of stability and also some community as he works for his good friend, Wes.
Having produced a wide variety of media. I know how difficult it can be to find a location like a restaurant to shoot in. Most restaurants operate, especially in big cities like Los Angeles, on thin margins and attempting to film there presents them with many challenges. One of which is continuing to earn enough for the day to keep the lights on. This usually results in restaurants charging high fees in order to shut down for the day. Which can be in the thousands of dollars
Last year, Chris and I shot a pilot for a food truck called Hotville Chicken. The truck was started in collaboration with Dulan’s on Crenshaw, which has been in business since 1975. We revisited this location and spoke with the owner about not only shooting at the restaurant (during times that they are closed). But also incorporating it as part of the film itself.
This is a film about a character who exists in a real place. Who is helped by the community around him. So it makes sense to us to include the actual community that he is a part of. And places like the Crenshaw District and Inglewood (majority Black spaces) have been ignored by cinema for far too long.
While we don’t have a green light to shoot at their location. We are hopeful at the idea of starting a great collaboration with them that goes beyond just having a great location.
MOVEMENT CONTINUES
This past week, we had our chemistry reads. A chemistry read is an important part of the casting process. Picking great actors is one thing. But seeing how actors work together, especially in a story were they constantly interact with each other, is of grave importance.
We tested our Alice and Travis with 3 scenes and it was like they already knew each other. They played off of each other. Supported each other in moments and also challenged their characters. After the read was over, we were decided:
This was our pair to move forward with.
Offers have been sent. And provided everything is agreed to, we will have our leads in place. Which means rehearsals can begin and everything will begin moving into place.
From a period of what felt like standstill. We are now in a period where everything is moving quickly. And me being the filmmaker in charge. I’m doing my best to keep my head above water.
SWIMMING UPSTREAM
Once we decided to make offers to our two leads, we also set a date to include.
So we are now looking at the week of September 23rd to begin shooting.
We will begin on either that day (a Wednesday) or Tuesday in order to begin production past the weekend (which gives just a little extra time to prep). We will be shooting through my birthday on September 29th. But I can’t think of a better birthday present that working on my first feature film. One that I’ve been working on since before the pandemic and that still lives with me in my off hours.
Just a year ago, we were imagining a date to shoot. And now we have an actual one. Which means everything is moving faster. And the imagination is now becoming reality.
Lessons For Fellow Creators
Excited talent is better than name talent. Pick the best actors for the job. And the best actors are not only the ones with talent. But are excited about your project. It’s important to find the right fit. Which is a combination of talent, demeanor and logistics.
Involve the community. Film is a collaborative medium. And that’s not just between cast and crew. It’s also with your investors, locations and anyone else involved directly and indirectly with the project. We are in an era where film is a community building tool. That starts from the beginning.
Chemistry is important. How actors work together is important. Especially if the characters are supposed to build a deep connection. Audiences can sense when people don’t get along. And tension also makes the work on set harder.
LOOKING AHEAD
We are still looking at locations and focusing on the interiors. The ones we need to secure are as follows:
Restaurant
Laundromat
Library
Corner Store
Pawn Shop
Coffee Shop
Gym
Music Studio
Motel
We will be scouting every week until we find them all. If anyone has recommendations, please send them my way. I’m also taking a look at my shot list and seeing how I can condense as we are up against the the reality of our budget.
While we have 100K in the bank. It’s going to be very tight to make that budget work. We are looking at trimming the amount of days from 22 to 20 to compensate. But we are looking raise an additional 30K to give us some breathing room for our production.
We have a fiscal sponsor for our production via the Multiracial Association of Southern California (MASC). If you (or anyone else) could use a tax-deductible donation. You can easily donate to our film on our website:
Production Stats:
Funding raised: $100K toward $250K target
Budget status: 30K additional needed for Production
Team morale: Excited to begin forming our production
Biggest win this week: Booking our leads and setting a date
Previous Production Journals:
Week 14: The Paperwork Nobody Sees
Week 13: Building Travis from the Inside Out
Week 11: When Plans Collapse - Back from AFM
Week 10: Finding the Frame
Week 9: The Luxury of Time
Week 8: The Art of the Pivot
Week 7: The Art of Minimalist Coverage
Week 6: Creating Character Identity Through Makeup and Wardrobe
Week 5: The Circle of Production
Week 4: Building the Creative Organism
Week 3: Finding Audience
Love hearing all these updates! Our scripts have a lot of crossover with locations/themes…..I’d love to chat sometime after your shoot when you have some more time to pick your brain about some things, etc.