“Movies touch our hearts and awaken our vision, and change the way we see things. They take us to other places, they open doors and minds. Movies are the memories of our life time, we need to keep them alive.”
- Martin Scorsese
TALES OF 2 INDIE FILMMAKERS
OUR FILMMAKING EXPERIENCES FROM CONCEPT TO SCREENWRITING TO PRODUCTION TO POST TO DISTRIBUTION
RANDOM LESSONS IN THE ART OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING
3. Let the Actors Act
The actors tell the story. Well, of course, a lot of elements coming to create the film story: camera, music, setting, lighting, effects, direction, and much more. We have faith in our actors. Once on set, after read-throughs and workshops on complicated scenes, the director shares his vision through blocking and discussion. Then the actors are left alone to work out the scene. When they're ready, the director returns, and if the scene seems genuine––as if it is really happening––it's a go.
Photos from Five
TURNER RISK Screenplay ©2020 Phenomenon Filmworks, LLC
As storytellers, we avoid following convention. In Turner Risk, as well as all our films, we based our storyline on 2 factors:
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If a traditional film plot goes this way, we go that way.
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We follow the characters’ motivations rather than trying to simply satisfy the audience. For example, after Robbie is attacked and almost killed by Turner, he refuses to immediately call the police. Some viewers were upset about this, saying it was illogical. But we felt that is exactly what Robbie would do in this case (and with the recent negativity towards the police, it is more believable now than ever), so we stayed firm. We reasoned that these young people are still learning how to cope with what life throws at them, so they are bound to make confounding, clueless choices (which they proceed to make throughout the film). After all, it’s Robbie’s story, and life doesn’t always follow “a script.” So our advice? Follow the motivations of the characters instead of the established expectations of traditional plot lines.
2. Storytelling: Intentionally Unconventional Films
In order to best prepare for a feature production, we started with a simple premise: an emotionally fragile young man "snaps," impacting innocent lives and his only friendships. We then developed three progressive films – starting with a short and subsequent short feature – to help us prepare for our big film. In this way we were able to combine our previous training with hands-on experience, helping us gain the knowledge needed to pull off a successful production. While all three films share similar elements, each has a different story to tell. Although Turner Risk is a low-budget indie film, it has accomplished what we set out to do, from casting now-notable actors to a successful film festival circuit to worldwide distribution from reputable company Gravitas Ventures.
1. It began with a "trilogy"...
The Backpack Filmed in 2009
Five Filmed in 2010
Turner Risk Filmed in 2012
TRABUCO CANYON • CALIFORNIA • UNITED STATES