John August

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Making and releasing the micro-budget indie

Follow Up, Indie

Several readers who couldn’t make it to the One Too Many Mornings screening on Tuesday night asked whether there might be video from the Q&A I hosted afterwards. Thanks to the OTMM crew, there is:

  • Part One (8:45) talks about the genesis of the movie, from script through Sundance.

  • Part Two (9:57) looks at how they’re trying to get the movie out in the world, from direct downloads to DVDs to college screenings around the country.

Although the discussion in general will make sense to anyone interested in making indies, some of the specific details on OTMM will make more sense if you watch the movie.

In the rooftop party after the screening, several people asked about my interest in tiny movies — most of the projects I work on have a lot more commas and zeros in the price tag. To me, it’s an experiment in disintermediation, just like The Variant was.

What happens when you take out the typical distributor? What do you gain? What do you lose?

I’m toying with the idea of doing The Remnants as an itty-bitty feature, but would only do it if I could get it out in the world in a way that made sense creatively and financially. So I’m watching things like OTMM closely. I’m happy to be a trailblazer, but would love to know what cliffs and monsters lie along that path.

Prepping for the Directors Close-Up panels

Directors, Indie, Los Angeles

Tonight and next Wednesday, I’ll be hosting the Directors Close-Up panels for Film Independent.

Tonight’s director is Jason Reitman, joined by cinematographer Eric Steelberg, editor Dana E. Glauberman and composer Rolfe Kent. We’ll be talking about Up In The Air, Juno and Thank You For Smoking.

Next Wednesday’s director guest will be announced tonight. We’ll be talking about casting and working with actors.

Word from the organizers is that it’s almost sold out, but “a limited number of passes” will still be available at the door if you want to try. It’s at the Landmark Theater in West LA, beginning at 7:30pm.

Film Independent is recording these panels, so if you’re living outside Los Angeles, don’t despair: I’ll pass along the info when I have it. In preparation for the series, they shot a bunch of short interview pieces with me, which you can see up on YouTube.

The Twitter hashtag for the series is #DCU2010. If you have questions for anyone on the panel tonight, tweet it (@johnaugust) and I’ll try to ask.

10 hints for index cards

Story and Plot, Writing Process

I’m outlining a project right now, and thought it would be a good time to review best practices for index cards.

  1. Keep it short. Maximum seven words per card.

  2. A card represents a story point, be it a scene or a sequence. You don’t need a card for every little thing.

  3. Keep cards general enough that they can be rearranged. (“Battle in swamp” rather than “Final showdown”)

  4. Horizontal (a table or counter) often works better than a vertical (a corkboard).

  5. Post-It notes make good alternative index cards.

  6. Consider a letter code for which characters are featured in the sequence. Helpful for figuring out who’s missing.

  7. Most movies can be summarized in less than 50 cards.

  8. Cards are cheap. Don’t hesitate to rework them.

  9. Consider a second color for action sequences. Helps show the pacing.

  10. Write big. You want to be able to read them from a distance.

Update on the job

Follow Up

I’ve gotten a lot of terrific candidates for the Director of Digital Things job. I’ll be narrowing down my top choices beginning Thursday, so if you’re considering applying, make sure I have your stuff by this Thursday morning, February 4, 2010.