Independent Filmmaking

We shoot low budget movies in Midwest. In and around Springfield Missouri. One of the biggest tasks in shooting movies around here are the locations. Sure it would be easy if we were making a movie about killer hillbillies. Unfortunately, not all scripts call for cows, trailers and salvage yards. I’m exagerating, it is not quite that bad, but it is close to it. We shot the movie “Nine Grounds” in Springfield Mo and the script calls for Cambodia. That’s right Cambodia, as in the other side of the planet. But we did it, added some digital mountains, some palm trees and other backdrops and viola Cambodia.

I’m sure that there are filmmakers in Cambodia bitching that they don’t have any good locations to shoot. Or war torn Bosnia, Naerobi Kenya, Russia, even India. See these are some amazing locations that I would give anything to film my next big flick at.

My point is, the grass is always greener…. No, it is difficult to see what you really have in the way of locations with your jaded eyes sometimes. Maybe get an exchange student to help with finding locations and you may getter a better perspective of what you really have available. Happy Shooting!

By: Christine Peppler
Online movie rental is popular. Like any service or product that sells a one billionth unit one must assume that it is valued, that the quality is high, and that customers are satisfied or it would not have reached such a mark.  Indeed, the exclusive one billion club includes some pretty impressive members and in many cases members have had to endure for many years to attain membership.

In February 2007, Netflix, the founding online movie rental service, delivered its one billionth DVD.  This was just beyond seven and half years after their initial offering in September 1999. Certainly, this was a milestone to celebrate for Netflix and one that reflects well upon the popularity of the service but how does it stack up to the achievements of other products and services which have attained this status?

One company that also recently hit the billion mark is Casio. In January of 2007, Casio sold its one billionth calculator.  Impressive, however it took Casio approximately fifty years to reach this milestone. In 2049, when the online movie rental pioneer recognizes its fiftieth year, the 7 billion mark could be realized even if growth does not escalate. Will Netflix still be around?  If it is, it will probably be a bit different, but it’s flexibility in adapting its service in response to changing technologies is a positive sign. The first step in moving toward electronic versus mail delivery was initiated earlier this year.

Computers are probably considered one of the biggest product introductions into the market during the past century.  The growth of the internet was explosive in the 1990’s. However, it wasn’t until approximately 25 years after the introduction of personal computers that the one billionth unit was shipped back in 2002; and this was a worldwide market. Likewise, despite humble beginnings way back in 1969 the internet experienced its billionth user, worldwide, in December 2005; nearly 36 years later. The Netflix online movie rental service is a more local service; providing classic, indie, and new release films for an audience based in the US. Of course, all of this could change as electronic delivery takes hold in coming years; could Netflix become an international player?

Certainly, when one imagines “billions” being sold, the name McDonald’s is bound to crop up. We all know that many billions have been served but how long did it take them to reach their first billion? It appears that it took approximately 15 years after their introduction to achieve this status. At the time of course, McDonald’s was not the mega international corporation that it is now.  In addition, families ate most of their meals at home in the early years of the fast food icon.  Perhaps McDonalds and similar services played a role in changing how Americans dine; taking them out of the home for nearly half of their meals. This change certainly played a role in hitting the billion mark. Likewise, it would seem that online movie rental services are also changing how we obtain and view movies; first from the comfort of our homes and now on demand through electronic delivery.

Global markets certainly increase the likelihood of attaining the one billion mark and getting there fast.  Mobile phones, probably more than any other product, have taken the world by storm in the past fifteen years or so.  Clearly mobile phones are used globally. In addition, these devices perform a wide range of tasks that make them nearly indispensable in the modern world.  From communication and entertainment to connectivity and personal assistant types of functions, mobile phones are multi-tasking wonders. It is estimated that at least one billion mobile phones were shipped in 2006 alone.

Apple’s iTunes has experienced similar success.  After only three years in operation the service served up its one billionth download in Feburary 2006.

Online movie rental is not currently a global service like iTunes or mobile phones.  Could this change? Perhaps. Certainly, iTunes has altered the way many people enjoy their music and mobile phones have changed the way we do business and stay in touch with others. Likewise, online movie rental appears to be gradually changing the way we enjoy movies. Perhaps recent changes to implement improved delivery will be the key to matching the success of mobile phones and the music downloads of iTunes.

Author Bio
The author, Christine Peppler, provides information on home electronics and home entertainment options through her website.  Readers are invited to visit the site and learn more about online movie rental.

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There is a belief that when you attach the word urban to a indie movie that the story will be based on life in the ghetto or barrio. Plus the production quality will be less than an art house film made for the same budget.

Many talented filmmakers are changing that thought by putting out high quality urban movies made on indie budgets. The diversity of the urban genre continues to grow because the storylines are connecting with a larger audience by going beyond what you would expect to see in a urban movie.

The word ‘crime drama’ is used to describe films like ‘The Departed’, ‘Scarface’ and ‘American Gangster’, but you could easily label them as great urban movies.

After I watched ‘Menace II Society’ by the Hughes Brothers I knew I wanted to make urban movies. Making independent urban movies has been a learning experience for me.

I completed my first film titled ‘Consignment’. The script centered around an East Coast drug dealer that runs into trouble and has to lay low on the West Coast. This being the movies all the problems that come with drug money, women, and jealous rivals plays out.

When I sat down to write the script I knew I was going for a story that was authentic and showed a Black and Latino perspective. When it was done I was able to mix in some outlaw bikers and corrupt police. The bonus was being able to add people I grew up with to the cast to give it a real edge.

Working within a budget that was raised through the kindness of family and friends was challenging, but rewarding. Not having money to throw at problems forces you to come up with creative solutions.

The cool thing about indie filmmaking is you’re more open to collaboration. I reached out to Tim Beachum founder of Jackin4Beats.Com, one of the original Hip Hop music news sites, to connect with artists for the soundtrack. We were both hungry to see a hot urban movie that had a Black and Latino perspective. I flew out from So Cal to Virginia Beach to see if we could pull together on ‘Consignment’. He joined the team and I ended up editing the movie on the East Coast with him.

Through collaboration I was able to add a quality soundtrack featuring East Coast & West Coast artists including Custom Made Recordings, Ayreon The Don™, and Malice & Da Commission. Also I was able to work with an editor that understood the pacing of the movie. When you’re sitting in an editing suite with someone for long hours it helps a lot of if you’re in the same page. The CGI effects Tim Beachum was able to deliver looked great, especially the work he did on a scene that caused for an acid trip.

I completed my 2nd film titled ‘In With Thieves’. I new the cast was solid on this shoot because Casting Director/Production Coordinator Stream Gardner (always a slash in indie) was able to bring actors back from ‘Consignment’.

Plus deliver some actors that brought their best with no ego. What I liked on this movies was we mixed it up big time in this urban movie. We folded in the Albanian Mob, American crooks from the streets, and a Cuban cartel that practiced a wild version of Santeria. I asked a family friend that ran a botanica to show me items that would fit the movies. She set me up down to Jesus Malverde giving us realism at the voodoo altar. Despite all the unique creative elements this movie is still urban to the core.

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Author Bio
Slice Of Americana Films was formed in 2005 by Sid Kali to produce quality urban movies. Slice Of Americana Films

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