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The real deal about the Tampa indie film industry by Tampa film expert C. A. Passinault
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Thursday, January 1, 2009 - 8:00 AM - Tampa Indie Film Log for Filmmaker C. A. Passinault
The Great Experiment Begins
It’s going
to be a good year. It’s now 2009, and before I begin, I would like
to wish everyone a happy New Year! This is my first post of the new year,
but there was one yesterday posted on the Tampa Photography Blog. There
will be a
new C. A. Passinault blog post soon, too, but that may take a few days,
because I just bought my official
C. A. Passinault site, CAPassinault.Com,
and cannot move my main blog there from my Frontier Society profile until
after I have properly formatted the site and have brought it completely
online. I also received an email from a photographer who wanted to post
one on the Tampa Photographer Blog in January; I told her to write and
submit her post, and I would consider publishing it.
That’s how these blogs can be, people. If you have something worthwhile
to post, I am open to publishing it, and linking back to them to give
them credit. That’s not the great experiment, however. The great
experiment will be my return to filmmaking, and making new indie films.
Some of you may not believe this, but there are some revolutionary films
on the way, and some of these films will be made the way that I made audio
releases back in the early 1990's - guerrilla style, with professional-level
work, and hacking whatever hardware that I can get my hands on. You can
call what I will be doing the new Tampa indie film underground, as some
of those indie films will be underground, and experimental, in nature.
A lot of them will shock Tampa filmmakers by outdoing their expensive
indie films in every way, and more than one will make filmmakers stop
and consider what indie films are, and what they can do. Some of these
indie film projects will, quite literally, change the definition of independent
film, because no one anywhere is doing anything like them. Regardless
of what some may think of what I will be doing, I can guarantee one thing-
that these films will be among the most interesting, and entertaining,
indie films ever made. When I say interesting, too, please keep in mind
that I may not necessarily be referring to the creative content of the
film. I’m talking about how the films will be done, how they will
be promoted , and how they will be formatted. Some of them will be wild,
weird, and more than one person will raise their eyebrows and exclaim
“Wow. That’s just cool!”. Many filmmakers may just reevaluate
their films and how they do films, and some may just return to the drawing
board.
Hmmmm...
Hardware hacking. For the record, I won’t be doing any HD films
until I tackle my first feature film, and I don’t think that I’ll
be doing any features this year. Then again, I won’t have to use
high-end HD. 480p, DVD quality is fine for what I have in mind. The DV
cameras that I will be using for these projects won’t just be surprising,
they will be shocking. One camera system that I will be investing in later
this year has never been used for indie film, let alone an indie film
series (I have two different indie film series in mind for this year,
but may only be able to start one in that time). It originally had military
applications. Don’t worry, though, as I will be sure to document
the hell out of every thing that I will be doing, and will detail every
step in this new, and exciting, journey. Just don’t expect it to
end up in my Tampa Film Blog, my other blogs, or my web sites right away.
This will be interesting, however. 
Tampa
filmmakers will drop their jaws, and exclaim “He shot that, with
what?!?!?”
Consider this to be my indie film school for Tampa filmmakers, as I introduce
indie films and filmmaking concepts that could very well be decades ahead
of their time. I just hope that they can keep up. The Tampa indie film
scene is about to leap forward, and people won’t have to be bored
with what is going on any more.
Robert Rodriguez once said that indie filmmakers should never try to do
what Hollywood does with deep pockets and massive productions, because
they could never hope to compete against that. He’s right. Indie
filmmakers need to find their own style, and work on indie films that
fit what they are trying to convey. Indie filmmakers need to do what Hollywood
can’t, or won’t, do. I agree. If I had to do films like Hollywood
did, and if I had their money to do so, I’d be bored. My films would
also get lost in the crowd.
This said, I also don’t want to make films like other indie filmmakers
make them, or even concentrate on the types of films
that they make. If I did, I’d limit myself to the standards that
they work under, and my films would get lost no matter how good that they
are. Sure, doing the same thing is fine once in a while, if only to set
new standards, but you need new types of films, and new ideas, to draw
attention to the more mundane, typical efforts. It’s hard to hear
a voice in a crowd, unless you have something else to draw attention to
yourself with.
In my opinion, filmmaking is a creative process. I’m creative. In
contrast, how many filmmakers do you know who are creative? How many fall
into the template trap of making “me too” films just like
the other filmmakers make? Anyone bored with indie films yet? I know that
I am. Then again, I also get bored with major Hollywood movies. Are there
any indie films that you wouldn’t regret paying for?
No wonder many indie films never get the attention that they deserve.
Sure, I will occasionally tackle indie films that could be considered
to be established formats (I even have a vampire script done, which I
wrote 16 years ago- and no, nothing else, even today, even comes close).
That will not be, however, my focus. 
My
focus will be in expanding the Tampa indie film industry, and indie film
in general. Sure, when I do a regular film that could be compared to the
efforts of other filmmakers, I’ll do a superb job, but those projects
will not be my main calling card.
I’m into creativity and innovation. I’m into fresh things
that no one has tried, or seen, before. Sure, some of them won’t
be as successful as others, but that’s the risk of trying something
new. You never grow, or evolve, without taking risks, and I am confident
that many of my projects will revolutionize indie film.
So, am I a filmmaker, or am I some sort of aspiring filmmaker? I am a
filmmaker, and I’ve been making indie films longer than a lot of
Tampa filmmakers have been. I did my first films back in 1993. Over several
years, I created films, helped create films, did just about every job
on a film set at a professional level, and have acted on television, mainly
in television commercials. Although I don’t have a current reel
of the work that I did back then, filmmaking was something that I did
a lot of, and only now am I in position, with the resources and the support
infrastructure that I need, to get back into it the way that it needs
to be done. Contrary to what some may believe and what some may say, I
have both the experience, the training, and the professional qualifications,
to make professional indie films. Just wait. You’ll see for yourself.
There was a time, before I had professional instruction and did not have
many professional certifications, where I played 
around
with video cameras. I used to experiment a lot. One time, I threw this
fraternity party, and my friend Darren Hudland let me borrow his expensive
VHS camcorder to record people at the party. While I returned the camera
to him in perfect shape, we weren’t friends after that because I
believe that he saw the tapes. It seemed that he didn’t have much
of a sense of humor when he saw the games that I had his camera involved
in, and he didn’t much like me playing “pin the tail on the
flirting girl who I was trying to hook up with” with the lense of
his camera (I still have that footage somewhere- it’s unprofessional,
but funny). Well, the college girl remained clothed, I didn’t hook
up with her, and there was nothing X-rated about our game, but it was
wild, and a bit tacky. We had fun (there was a lot of dancing on beds,
drunk giggling, and a video camera making contact, getting closeups without
the use of a zoom lense). Hey, I was young back then. I was also a fraternity
president. I also loved Vodka (I no longer drink at all, because I am
a control freak and prefer to stay sharp- planning and hosting hundreds
of parties and events will do that to you). And, I might add, I wasn’t
a professional. Tacky, yes, but I soon outgrew that phase, and learned
to respect the power of creating art instead of floundering around, clueless,
much like many Tampa filmmakers do today. I left my foolishness behind
and became a qualified professional. Today, I might consider dancing girls,
as long as it is in good taste. As far as cameras and foreplay, not at
all. I’m over that nonsense.
In
the early 1990's, when I first learned television production and indie
filmmaking, I used to spend a lot of time working on different concepts.
One concept was developed into the Futura television series, which was
way ahead of its time (I never got to do Futura because of issues with
the television station, escalating production costs, set logistics, and
schedule conflicts. The final nail, however, was when I moved away, and
was no longer eligible to do projects at the station because I was no
longer technically residing within Tampa city limits). Many of the format
ideas and technology that I came up for in 1993 for Futura will become
a part of the upcoming Frontier View series). Another concept that I came
up with was very, very different, and quite interesting because of the
way that it involved the audience. There were some technical limitations
with broadcasting the content, as well as logistical issues, but we came
up with a way that it could be done. This program concept was way, way
ahead of its time, and even today is unheard of in indie film (although
two indie film projects in California came close to approaching what it
was all about).
I’ve spent several years building resources and support infrastructure
for my indie film endeavors. Most of that work is ready now. It is ready
for what is coming.
My Tampa Bay Film Online Film Festival was designed to compete with Tampa
film festival events by screening indie films online 24/7. It’s
been an incredible success, and by default should be, because it is up
to my standards as far as being a strong platform to promote and market
my indie films. The other day, I was looking at the old concept that I
came up with which had some awesome features, but which barely would have
worked in broadcast. It turns out that it would be perfect for the online
film festival, and the online film festival has much more potential than
as competition of film festival events. It can do so much more, and, in
this case, can screen an indie film format that a film festival event
could not play.
It was a perfect fit. The potential of the online film festival is stunning,
and this thing will do things in the next year that I didn’t think
of a few months ago.
Um.... I’ll just leave it at that. You’ll see what it is,
soon enough. It’s really cool. It’s also perfect on the online
film festival, and would be difficult to show at a film festival event.
See. That’s what I mean by revolutionary. There is so much more
to indie films, and so many more possibilities, than the limitations,
and the stagnation, that most filmmakers accept.
Not that there aren’t any good films coming out of Tampa. There
are. It’s just that there aren’t than many good Tampa films,
and, honestly, I’ve never been impressed with what I’ve seen
in the Tampa indie film scene. Most Tampa filmmakers are boring, and they
limit themselves. There isn’t a whole lot in Tampa indie film to
get excited about.
This will change, but it is going to take time
Going back to my return to indie filmmaking, I was willing to wait. I
was going to wait for, at the least, a 24 P HD professional camera. What
I wanted was a high-end HD camera costing at least $8,000.00. Well, I
can’t wait any longer. I’m going to start making indie films
now, and work my way to the cameras that I want. For now, I can work with
the bare minimum, as the concepts, and the content, will carry my films,
and not HD resolution or 24 frames per second. The technology gloss can
wait.
What I plan to do in 2009 is to build a portfolio of short indie films.
That portfolio will be used to sell more ambitious film projects and feature
films to investors. That portfolio of films will also be used to promote
the talents of all who are involved. Hell, the portfolio strategy works
for my photography company, why can’t it work for indie film production?
To do some of those films, I will need those HD cameras, and powerful
computers capable of working with HD. It will be a lot faster to obtain
the high-end equipment that way than it would be if I used profits from
my services companies to pay for it. With my service companies, such as
Tampa photography and design company Aurora PhotoArts, and Tampa event
planning company Eventi Events, in need of new equipment, there won’t
be a lot of money to use for my indie film projects, at least not for
a while. At the moment, those companies have a critical need for new hardware,
and a lot of support work.
I’ll have to make due with what I can get a hold of, I suppose.
Fortunately, filmmaking today is a lot cheaper than it was six or
seven years ago. There is a parallel here which is interesting, and it
may prove to be history repeating itself. When I became a professional
photographer nine years ago, in 2000, I used a film camera. I was using
my fathers old 1980's 35MM SLR with assorted lenses. I did my first digital
shoot with a Sony Mavica (640 X 480 picture resolution not capable of
prinitng, but web site-worthy) in late 2000, and then took out a $1,600.00
loan to buy a Nikon 990 digital camera in March of 2001. The Nikon was
a 3.3 megapixel camera, but it was a good camera which could do modeling
portfolio photography and actor headshot photography (it made great 8
X 10 inch prints). Technically, however, it was a consumer digital camera.
Having turned pro on film cameras, I could make the 990 perform, and in
those first two years, until I bought a professional digital camera, I
outshot photographers who were using professional-grade cameras, only
using a consumer camera. Some of those photographers still get pissed
off today when they realize this.
There is a saying: Good equipment does not compensate for a lack of skill
and talent. I suppose that you have to know how to use what you have.
It will be interesting to see how I fare with less expensive DV video
cameras against those who are shooting indie films with high-end HD cameras.
It all goes down to knowing what to do and how to push the limits of what
you have. It will also be interesting to see how all my years as a top
photographer will translate to shooting indie films. Remember, the last
time that I shot indie films with a camera was with a 3/4 inch studio
television camera, and it was years before I developed my eye for composition
and creativity as a professional photographer. Well, we all know how I
turned out as a photographer. I have an enviable reputation for doing
superb photography work, and most photographers lose business to me. It’s
as it should be.
At the very least, my films will be a joy to watch. With my audio engineering
background, my experience as a DJ, my foley background, my sound effects
background, and my music background, my films will be a joy to listen
to, also. Oh, and then there’s my experience as a professional writer,
with published work and a long history of coming up with, and telling,
great stories. Do you see where this is going? I do. Forget triple threat.
I could be the ultimate competition for Tampa filmmakers. I feel that
I will be the ultimate competition for Tampa filmmakers.
At the very least, I could become one of the best DP’s (Director
Of Photography) in Florida. I’m already one of the best photographers.
Once I invest in high-end HD cameras, I can see what I can do to be very
much in demand with filmmakers. That, and my writing, which is a strength
that will show in my work and the creativity which will go into that filmmaking
work. Would I want to work with you, Tampa filmmaker? Will your film be
worth my time?
Amateurs.
Well, enough of that, for now. I’ll drop a few more nuggets, and
then I must upload this and eat breakfast.
There are some preproduction pictures from my ill-fated Reverence feature
film project from 2001-2003 on this blog post. In some of the photographs,
I worked out some camera angles that would have been used in the indie
film. The storyboard frames that you see tie into technical direction
sequences added to the original script, making a shooting script. Once
completed, the 220 page Reverence script would have been enhanced as a
400 page shooting script, with camera movement, angles, and other notes
embedded (the actors normally would not use this larger script, unless
they had to see it for blocking reasons, as they need to concentrate on
their characterization, and their lines). It could be said that I am a
visual artist, and this, perhaps, comes from my experience as a photographer.
Photography has enhanced my life, and my career. I see just how the film
should look, and visualize both camera blocking and scene composition
as I write, and flesh out, my scripts. Of course, these technical notes
are only guidelines, and could serve as a foundation for my production
team to work off of. If I were to hire a DP, and they had ideas on how
a scene could be shot, I would hear them out, and would be objective about
it. If they had a better idea, we would scrap my direction and go with
there’s. That’s how I do things. I start out with a solid
foundation to work from, and then collaborate. This is how great films
are made. Forget the ego thing. In the end, it is always a team effort.
Except
that time has moved on, and I have a whole new book of concepts and ideas.
The above works well for feature films and large indie film productions,
but the indie film work that I am about to do won’t be large projects.
In these cases, I will have small casts which could outnumber my production
crews. In many of my films, I will have a triple job as a director, DP,
and as an editor. In these cases, I will be calling the shots and setting
the tone even more than I would with a large production.
These films will be quickly shot, with good scripts, good actors, and
minimal sets. They will utilize locations a lot. They will have simplified
technical requirements, too, much like one of my photography shoots, which
are almost always on location. Doing short films this way, I should be
able to build a solid portfolio of great short films in no time at all.
When I was in preproduction for Reverence back in 2001, the feature film
plan was quite conventional. The only unique, revolutionary concept that
we were working with back then was the digital download distribution plan,
which was controversial with the last production team who I tried to subcontract.
Well, we all know how history played out with the concept of digital downloads.
I saw the future, and today, it is common. As a matter of fact, it is
also the future.
When my two production teams folded and left my film project high and
dry, the cast no longer had any options, and I cancelled the film. I’m
glad that I did so. While I have no doubts that Reverence would have been
a decent film, I wonder today if we would have been able to sell it. I
am fairly certain that it never would have made Sundance. The only thing
that would have come from the film would have bene equipment, which now
would be outdated, and reel material for the rest of us.
Well, the gameplan has changed a lot in the years since. I had a lot of
time to do research and test some new ideas, and now my entire array of
filmmaking concepts are as revolutionary as that digital download concept
was eight years ago. My ideas of indie films and indie filmmaking are
a lot different than they were back in the days of Reverence.
Which brings me to those nuggets.
Ok, for starters, if you want to see my writing samples, I have a few.
You can read the original Reverence
script, which was finished years ago. For a more current sample of
what one of my conventional indie films would be like, check out my short
story, The
Point. I was working on a screenplay adapted from that story, but
never got around to finishing it. Completing the script and doing the
film remain a possibility.
Did you read the Reverence script? It takes a good couple of hours to
read, but that’s old news now. It seems that I’m in the process
of rebooting the entire film as a short film, with a new story and new
characters. The story would be based on the first act, which is set before
the main events of the film, and would utilize techniques from The Point.
It would be a 30 minute psychological creeper with a small cast. I’d
keep the setting in a graveyard or a rural area, and may shoot it as a
black and white film. The original Reverence feature film was going to
be in black and white, too.
Ok, so I have plans to do a shorter
version of Reverence with a new script and a refined version of the
original premise. It would be a reboot. I have other projects, too.
Frontier View is the spiritual
successor of the Futura television series, as far as utilizing some of
the cool techniques from that series. It would be a series, too, and would
employ some unique camera technology and shooting techniques. The camera
would be that military technology that I have already mentioned, and to
my knowledge has never been used for indie film production. It will work
well for interviews, too.
Then we have Road Rage. This is a concept that may or may not be done,
but it’s looking cool right now.
Oh, and the original sequel to Reverence, which is called Realms. This
is a feature film about vampires. I can’t tell you when I will be
ready to shoot it, but I probably will proceed with it eventually. Oddly
enough, even though the original Reverence script has been scrapped, it’s
still canon in the Realms universe, and events from the original Reverence
script will be a part of that world. That will make for an interesting
indie film paradox of having a sequel to a film which was never made.
My older scripts, such as Invisible Ink, Net Worth, Principle, and Waveform
are still in the can, but those are all feature films, and are a ways
off. They will all require HD cameras and large production teams, and
are beyond the scope of what I will be working on in 2009. Consider those
to be the conventional features in the works.
So, anything new in 2009? Well, there is the experimental film which would
exclusively be on my online film festival because a film festival event
wouldn’t do it justice (it wouldn’t work at a conventional
film festival that well, either). Then there is the short film about the
end of the world. That last one is a film that I am very excited about,
and it could be done as early as this spring.
Well, those are your clues. Before I go, I would like everyone to know
that all of my films are slated to have initial exclusives on the Tampa
Bay Film Online Film Festival. I will also be using the online film
festival for some rather advanced film promotion, marketing, sales, and
distribution concepts, which especially applies to the short films. What
are those advanced concepts? Read more hints about them at my Tampa
Bay Film official review of the Tampa Bay Film Online Film Festival for
2007-2008. It’s all in there.
Oh, and one last thing. See the pictures on this post? Yes, people, my
films will look this good, and that’s something to look forward
to.
Happy new year, everyone!
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