I have some news to announce. Not as unbelievable as the other news from this weekend, but unexpected nonetheless.
One of my earliest short films has been picked up for streaming distribution on a new platform Soleil Space. It's called Sprout, and it's the story of a young Guatemalan girl conducting science experiments in order to feed her family. It's a moving film that, unfortunately, still is relevant in today's world where people are struggling to feed themselves on their own land.
And I want to talk about how using the knowledge gained from one film can truly change your life.
FALSE STARTS
I made Sprout at a pretty low point in my life. I had been struggling in the industry for 10 years total, and in Los Angeles for around 5. I was hopping from job to job in the camera department, mostly unsuccessfully. My wife was carrying the burden of supporting us financially and getting burned out at her job. While in Los Angeles, I had made one short film sketch which I was proud of, and put tons of money and effort into another which I was never able to complete, leaving me lost, broke, and wondering if I was cut out to be a filmmaker.
One of the actors from my failed short asked me to shoot a film that a friend was directing. I reluctantly stepped back into that role, and we completed a short comedy about a girl embracing her homosexuality. The film did well on the festival circuit, and the team wanted to create another one. This time with me in the director's chair.
That film was Sprout.
A SECOND CHANCE
Sprout was filmed for very little money that we received through crowdfunding, and I was set to get married a few weeks after the film was completed. The film forced me to take on roles I wasn't entirely comfortable doing at the time - being a producer and editor. But we couldn't afford to hire anyone, so everyone on the team did what was necessary.
We shot the film and I got married. After my honeymoon, I edited the film. We crowdfunded for festival funds and were blown away by the results. The first acceptance was into the Cleveland International Film Festival, and there would be more festivals to follow. We had made a film that had a powerful message and resonated with audiences.
And I proved to myself that I was capable of being a filmmaker.
SLOW TURNS
Typically, this is the part of the story where life gets magically better. I was discovered by some large production company, they gave me a green light, lots of money, and I kept rising in success.
That did not happen.
The truth is, even with a successful short film, I was still broke. My wife and I went out to dinner. She broke down and cried that carrying the burden was just too much. So I took a job cleaning houses in order to make ends meet, which I got fired from several months later.
But in that timeframe, I used the film as proof of ability. I sent the film to people that I knew or had recently met. I focused on the elements of the film that were valuable to them - producing and editing. A longtime friend, whose film UKR I'm now editing, referred me to a company to get a job as a freelance production manager. In between those jobs, I used the film to get work as an editor. And on occasion, I was approached to sit in the director's seat. But it’s put me in a position to not worry about whether I could succeed in this industry.
Sprout has continued to give back far more than I’ve expected. Despite being nearly 10 years old, it continues to find an audience, now on a brand new streaming platform.
If you want to see it and support the film, use this link.
This one film sprouted my career (pun intended), not because of what the film did for me, but what I did with it. Making a film is the fun part.
Using it to your advantage is where the work and reward come.