REPORT ON EAT, SHOOT & LEAVE
Last Updated: 09/11/2006 15:14:43
Eat, Shoot & Leave 2 - Media Centre for Cornwall.
A Review by Elizabeth-Jane Baldry
Eat, Shoot and Leave is an eight day programme of training courses put together by the Media Centre for Cornwall. The aim is to bring the highest level of training to filmmakers living in the West.
The event is largely funded by a development grant from Cornwall Film, and represents incredible value for money. Courses range from half a day to two days in length and cost only £100 a day.
I was able to attend three courses over two days, but having heard enthusiastic reports of other events, I wished I'd been to more.
"Filming, Producing and Marketing Documentary Films" by Beatrix Milburn.
Beatrix has considerable experience in the industry and has worked on both dramas and documentaries since leaving film school whilst developing her own projects. She has a bright, energetic personality and kept us all involved throughout the day with an impressive amount of information. She began with a quotation - "A country without documentaries is like a family without a photo album" - and went on to explain how a good documentary makes a contribution to culture. Narrative is fundamental: a documentary is still a story to be told. Where is the story? What's the argument? Where is the conflict, the suspense, the drama? Our subject matter needs to be very clear, and - equally important - is a unique point of view. If one cannot obtain funding with one's choice of subject matter and point of view, it is time to rethink. We have to produce films that people want to watch.
Subtler issues come into play in producing good films. We must take time to build trust; one of the worst things we can do as a documentary maker is just turn up with the crew and expect to get a worthwhile interview.
Beatrix illustrated this key advice with an example rrom her own work: another production company with more funding was interested in the same subject as she was. The man in question chose Beatrix to tell his story because he trusted her to tell the truth. These things matter more than money. Furthermore on the subject of trust, we must keep our investors in the picture, especially if problems arise. "Stay in bed with them." instructed Beatrix!
Beatrix illustrated this key advice with an example rrom her own work: another production company with more funding was interested in the same subject as she was. The man in question chose Beatrix to tell his story because he trusted her to tell the truth. These things matter more than money. Furthermore on the subject of trust, we must keep our investors in the picture, especially if problems arise. "Stay in bed with them." instructed Beatrix!
Moving on to financing, Beatrix made budgeting sound easy: "You all did maths at school. You don't need an accountant's level of skill. It's just adding everything up!" Allow extra for contingency, too in each budget heading and a further 10% overall. Don't forget cash for sundries and such extras as buying presents for people who help. Once we have worked out how much money we need, we must source the funding. A proper commission can pay ten times as much as selling a ready-made film. The UK TV market is driven by slots, strands and presenter-led programmes. The market for one-off documentaries is very limited, so Europe can be more fertile ground. Beatrix went into considerable depth with her extensive experience of European funding. Cultural differences also come into play. We were given a huge amount of information, gleaned from her impressive knowledge.
When marketing our films, a basic submission is unlikely to work. It is the filmmaker as well as his idea that will wake people up. Energy and passion will open doorways. Go to festivals and meet people. Have breakfast in the hotels where the buyers are staying even if you carmot afford to stay in them. Print up a one-sheet to hand out; a buyer will not want to fly home with a pile of DVDs, but a single sheet of A4 is easy. Then there are press copies, film festival entries, stills, a website, and so on. Don't underestimate the weeks of extra work and the money to produce deliverables: a postproduction script with timecodes and descriptions of the shots, international versions, etc. A reasonable guideline for all this is 5% of the overall budget.
Coming home with pages of notes and some excellent hand-outs, my mind was buzzing with such a rich abundance of new information. I was inspired by how sincere a filmmaker Beatrix Milburn is. She teaches that we can and must make documentaries on subjects that excite us. Without absolute commitment we will not survive the many challenges to be overcome as we give birth to our films. "Have discipline," urges Beatrix. "Be loyal to your story, and make sure your argument is clear. Above and beyond that, be loyal to yourself Never allow your passion to be undermined."
"Doing More With Less: Stretching Your Budget and Your Schedule" by Michael Wiese
Michael Wiese is a very interesting man - an American with huge experience in the industry who now lives and works in Cornwall. He exudes an unusual depth of calm and serenity which is nourishing to be around. The seminar began, suprisingly, with the statement that the biggest obstacle we face is ourselves. If we can get out of our own way, things will start to happen. We were then given a list of twenty-one limiting beliefs about money such as "You can't be an artist and be successful in this business.", "You can't live in Cornwall and be successful in this business.", "You have to sell out to make it.", "People with money are hard to find" etc. We graded each belief, and it was interesting to see how within our seminar group there were polar opposites in our views.
Michael went on to say that money saved is money we don't have to raise and proceeded to take us through thirty brilliant and practical money-saving principles from "Fast, Cheap and Under Control: Lessons Learned From The Greatest Low Budget Films Of All Time" by John Gaspard, published by Michael Wiese Productions. An excellent book'
Fully charged up, we then moved on to schedules and script breakdowns. It is impossible to prepare a proper budget until we have worked out how long the shoot needs to be, how many shooting days will be required with each actor, how many locations, special effects, days with extras and so on. Once the breakdown is complete, the budget can be prepared. A good, carefully researched budget indicates professionalism. It includes both development costs and marketing. We were given a copy of the budget for Michael's feature currently in development. It was fascinating to see all this in the flesh: pages and pages of Excel sheets, every item carefully costed. "It's just a shopping list of what you need." Michael reassured us all with a winning smile!
Finally, participants were given a copy of "Film and Video Budgets." This book, published by Michael Wiese Productions, has been the essential handbook for almost twenty years. It is jam-packed with information, and includes sample budgets at different levels. The course was extremely worthwhile and insightful.
"The Pitch - Getting Heard, Read and Bought. " - by Michael Wiese.
Michael Wiese has heard over three thousand pitches! Who could be better qualified to teach pitching than a man with this wealth of experience? The key point is not to try to tell the story. We just need to excite the buyer to read the script. Begin with a couple of sentences explaining how you got the idea. Don't hype the story, by saying it will make a lot of money or that Tom Cruise will definitely want to be in it! Don't give away the ending or confuse the buyer by naming all the characters. Create a mock-up of the DVD box and a compelling one-sheet. Use lots of graphics. Film is a visual medium, and it makes sense to use every tool at our disposal. The course handout included an example of the one-sheet for Michael's film, "Bali Brothers", as well as a gold mine of tips and strategies for presenting compelling pitches.
The most engrossing role play then followed. It was entertaining, fascinating and eye opening. Gently encouraged by Michael, we presented our pitches. He gave us indispensable feedback showing admirable respect for everyone's efforts. In fact this issue of respect for the individual came up again and again. It is obviously an abiding principle in his own life.
My pitch was dreadful! To my surprise despite years of experience on the concert platform as a professional musician, I was really nervous just standing up and pitching to a small, friendly group. I just couldn't get my idea across. After some coaching and a mind-blowing exercise called "What's it all about?" Michael suggested I had another go. The improvement was so dramatic that I felt totally galvanised. It was a wonderful experience.
In conclusion, "Eat, Shoot and Leave 2" exceeded my expectations. I loved it. The organization by the cheerful Ruth Prendergast was excellent, the tutors were knowlegeable and the atmosphere congenial. Cornwall Film can be proud of its excellent work.
(Elizabeth-Jane Baldry is a professional harpist. She runs the Chagford Filmmaking Group which brings together people of all ages and skill levels to produce films of traditional folktales set against the backdrop of the Dartmoor Landscape.)
