(I'm from the U.K, so please don't lose any of this in translation.)
First and foremost Simon, I'm a fan, I'm a big fan of film in general, I support independent films, I've pledged donations to other projects and I've always supported local filmmaking in my hometown (Liverpool, UK), to the best of my abilities.
I am a filmmaker myself, and whilst I have nowhere near the access to funds, crew and possibly equipment that you have Simon, I can easily state that I will probably run into a lot of the production woes that RFA has seemingly endured and I sympathise.
I have visited the Kickstarter fund, I have been patiently following the progress of RFA and I have kept upto date with any and (Mostly) all developments on the production front. I've seen every scrap of text, media and footage concerning RFA, I've discussed it with friends on forums and since RFA's inception, I've read the novel five and a half times.
Now, I fully understand the concepts of self promotion and distribution, I fully understand that the works of PKD are bread and pudding for the independent movement, I understand that the audience for RFA needs to find it's "Audience" more so than many and plenty of other independent productions, both sides of the pond.
But, my friend, this all feels faaaaaar too assbackwards!!!
This production feels (and I'm 100% you will disagree) as though this Kickstarter fund is for Above the Line, I'm sorry John, but it does. It feels like you have exhausted every other resource to get a distribution, and now, and only now, you are turning to the fans for whatever can be scraped. If you had created a clear, concise and forulated strategy for self distribution, using Kickstarter originally as the canon for the production, I would have bought into it, Hell, I would have offered my services as a production team member PRO-BONO.
But as it stands John, it feels all so end of the pipeline, it does and it frustrates me, it really does.
There are filmmakers all over the world (especially in my part), who would jump at the chance to have the rights, and/or the funds to even claw the option to adapt any of the "big three" Sci-Fi novella, which in itself, could act as a canon to get talent and money men on board.
And then I see RFA, in this state of affairs, limping along like a homeless mongrel, looking for it's next meal. You see, if you'd had turned to the fans originally, created a "Cinema Verite" style production process, involved the fanbase on a grassroots level; showed them the highs and lows, let them in a bit, let them privvy to your problems, thoughts and needs. Then I'm pretty sure your audience would be found, far, far before the point where you wouldn't have needed to do the festival circuits.
You mention Shane Carruth and his Upstream Colour (Color). I like Shane, I like his work and I like his approach, philosophy and his style. I like how he created his film "Primer", with the little resources that he did and most of all, I like how he let his audience find him. A very different approach, an admirable approach to modern indedpendent filmmaking. I hope he carries on forward, I hope he continues to moot the mainstream and I look forward to his next production.
However, John, I do not know your history, I do not know your past, and I haven't seen anything previous work, so why should I support your processes and practices as a filmmaker, without first seeing your work?
Blind faith? Basic human support?... Empathy?
Come on, this is showbusiness, without the show, there is no business.
I created my own, independent film, here in my hometown, about the wrongful murdering of a local, accused Paedophile. It was my first "film", I had one other crew member and a cast of 7. I had £100 and I had scraped together a production kit worth around £1000. None of my actors where paid, and our locations where scavanged. We shot our film in 11 days, in the middle of winter. I was the writer, director, producer, sound engineer, gaffer, lighting technician, best boy, script supervisor, 1st AD, 2nd AD, DOP, Editor, Colorist... Basically, you name it, I did it.
I had positive reviews from three of Liverpool's top film critics, and a prescreening at John Moores Film and TV, LIPA and Liverpool University, with a Q+A afterwards, raised interest and more importantly a small audience.
However the local institution where we would have our premiere, decided to cut their support in order to support a film, made on the other side of the world, by a well funded and "well established" filmmaker. Now, you may call this dispirited and of course different strokes for different folks. (And don't be lulled into thinking my project meant less to me than RFA did to you)
But I moved on, I released the film over the internet that I'd spent the better part of 6 months producing, and let the chips lie, then moved onto my next project.
Release this and move onto VALIS.
Don't be ground down and learn from your mistakes. (Which everyone does, King or Pauper).
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Simon50
11 years ago
Hi, Shane:
I respect your right to make up your own mind whether or not you want to support the Kickstarter campaign or even see the film when it comes round to the UK again.
Your arguments for your disapproval do strike me as a little contradictory - on the one hand, you think we should have used Kickstarter to fund the production right from the start - on the other hand, you don't think we should be asking for support for the release funds because you haven't seen the film yet and we have no track record..
First - there was no Kickstarter source for production funding when we undertook this project and began production
Second - there is now at least the "track record" of reviews and PKD fan/scholar response to the finished film to go on.
including a great write up from the UK website Bleeding Cool that just appeared this morning -
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/06/10/look-it-moves-tuning-into-radio-free-albemuth-by-adi-tantimedh/
You advise me to give up and move on - but that's simply not my nature. Certainly not before I've given this movie that so many people have worked so hard on - and that a lot of people seem to appreciate - a decent chance in the marketplace. That's what Philip K. Dick would have wanted - he was a champion of the "lost cause" - and that's one of the reasons he's my hero. You say you've read Radio Free Albemuth multiple times - maybe you missed the part where Nick asks Silvia if immortality will be a reward for their success in overthrowing the regime. It's one of the most beautiful passages in the novel and meaningful for me. Take a look again.
I've spent ten years of my life to get this film made. And other people have spent a lot of money to get it made. And we have the rights to other PKD properties that would be negatively affected by the "failure" of this film to get released. To say nothing of my prospects to ever direct again. That's what's at stake for me in this.
The screening at Lincoln Center Film Society in New York was a great honor - and, happily, a great success. The brilliant indie producer Christine Vachon was one of the curators who selected RFA and moderated the Q&A and began after the screening by telling the close to sell-out audience how much she loves the movie. And she's fully supportive of our Kickstarter campaign which she urged the audience to also support. So with that kind of encouragement from the producer of One Hour Photo and Boys Don't Cry and Velvet Goldmine, I feel pretty good right now about going forward.
So I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors. Sounds like your ultra-low budget effort had merit but that you made the right choice for yourself in moving on. I think you would be better advised to support the efforts of people doing he kind of projects you yourself would like to make someday rather than throw stones at them on forums. That's not a great way to make friends in this business, which I have been working in full time for over twenty years, helping many, many filmmakers in quite tangible ways - to get financing, produce, market and distribute their own films.
Like the vast majority of films, RFA probably won't make its production costs back - and I will likely never see a penny of my deferred fees for writing, directing, the cost of the book, etc. If money were the motivator I wouldn't have taken this route to write, direct and produce RFA at this modest budget level - the only way I could put on screen something close to the original story. Only the income in writing and re-writing I've received over many years from my script work on PKD's Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said which will ultimately be a big-budget, major star, major director movie with a real studio behind it - has made it marginally possible for me to work on RFA in this fashion. So I "owe" PKD a lot and this was perhaps his most personal work in many ways. And I felt a special responsibility to get it right.
PKD's close friend and editor - David Hartwell -who actually was the original publisher of RFA came to the screening and told me he was blown away by the film - that he loved it - and will do anything he can to help it succeed. I'd never even met or spoken to him before so you can imagine how great that made me feel - to hear from him, nearly in tears, that he thought Phil would also have loved our movie
So while the voices of doom always enjoy a very good track record in the film business. I will just keep working on - with the help of some really great folks who love this project just as much as I do.
And wherever the chips actually fall once the movie has been given a decent chance, I will derive a great deal of personal satisfaction in knowing that I have done my absolute very best to get this work seen and responsibly into the marketplace. And that's what matters to me- to know that I made the best movie I could - and i did my best to give it a chance to succeed.
Back to Kickstarter now.......It's not fun and it's not easy raising funds this way. Or dealing with negative, snarky comments flying on the internet. So come on, Shane give a dollar. I guarantee it will make you feel better. And you'll have made some new friends.
If you want to post a response, I'll read what you have to say - but otherwise intend to let you have the last word, if you want.
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The_Monocled_Mutineer
11 years ago
I wish you the very best of luck with RFA and the rest of your career Simon.
It isn't about having the last word, it's about having the respect and graciousness to say goodbye and good luck.
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