gregorybayne(dot)com

The Conversation

So, many of you may now know that I was successful in my funding campaign for JENS PULVER | DRIVEN via Kickstarter.com. The final tally was $27,210 in 20 days, with 410 gracious contributors pledging support.

I’m very grateful for this, and excited for the opportunity to build, and engage with my audience while I am making this picture. I plan to talk more about this experience here in the coming weeks, so stay tuned. In the meantime, here is a great blog from Kickstater on the success of the project in which I answer several questions about how I ran the campaign.

Additionally, I have been invited to take part in The Conversation: Social Media, Digital Distribution & the Future of Film on March 27 in New York, to speak on a panel about new funding strategies for filmmakers. If you’re in the area I definitely recommend checking out the event, it looks to be shaping up incredibly well in both subjects covered, and the speaker roster.

Currently I have been shooting with Jens daily as we come up on this March 6 bout in Columbus, Ohio, and planning our March production in which I will be conducting a week long (incredibly in-depth) interview shoot with Jens to probe his remarkable life story up to now, his key fights, the world of mixed martial arts, and his future.

I’m very encouraged by the footage I’ve been getting, and must say it’s hard to express what I am learning about Jens, and from Jens, as I shoot this film without relying on some cliches. This guy is so completely authentic, and very much the definition of the ‘real deal’.

I believed it from day one, but it’s reinforced every day. My affinity for him and his plight just grows and grows. It’s so easy to see why he is loved, he’s everyman…a blue collar journeyman fighter, and gentleman hero who would literally give you the shirt off his back.

I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself folks, but I can feel it…this is going to be good!

Reboot

The art of filmmaking is an incredibly strange beast, in that those who pursue it, to a large degree, decry the idea of it actually being art. Now, it can be successfully argued that the (perceived) high cost of entry into filmmaking justifies the more business minded approach of many modern filmmakers. As well, the fact that the film industry hasn’t exactly made its copious amounts of money on selling ‘art’ films, might also explain the advent of independents discussing ROI as opposed to Fellini.

Fine points indeed, but I would argue that as we stand at the dawn of this new decade, with more tools, and opportunity than ever before, it is time that we reclaim our art, by all means necessary.

Let’s be honest, it was most likely not box office numbers that first sparked our collective interest in making films. I didn’t look up the opening weekend returns for Down by Law, after being mesmerized by its utter coolness, nor did I check the box office for 8 1/2, Mean Streets, Blue Velvet, The Last Picture Show, Europa (aka Zentropa), Junior Bonner, The Limey, Pi, The Wild Bunch, The American Astronaut or any of the other films that inspired and informed me over the years. My film library isn’t organized by studio, or box office gross, is yours?

Sure, I get that films cost varying degrees of money, and yes, it should be recouped if at all possible, and yes, I absolutely want to see filmmakers, and artists (myself included) making a sustainable living from our own work, as it is key for continued work, and growth in that work. What I am saying is, maybe it’s time to stop chasing an ‘industry’ that isn’t interested. Maybe it’s time to embrace our meager beginnings, our vast inspirations from great cinema, and instead of trying to conform to a world increasingly dominated by spectacle, carve out a wholly new space for alternative cinema.

It may be a little too utopian an ideal, I get it, I do. But, the writing seems to be on the wall. There is no golden ticket, are there are no rules. We are at a point in history where we really do have the opportunity to be an integral part in shaping this new landscape of modern cinema, so what the hell are we waiting for? An invitation? Someone to tell us what to do? Isn’t that the problem in the first place?

Here’s my 1st draft at a personal little three-part plan to get this going:

1) Double down on your personal investment in your craft, with the knowledge that in the end, better films, more engaging stories and solid craft will pay more dividends, monetary and otherwise, than any market research ever will.

2) Forget the film industry, seek out inspiration from those truly re-shaping the way in which we work, share work, share information, interact and live our day to day lives. The folks at Google, Twitter, Facebook, Apple, YouTube, and the list goes on…and on, are the ones on the cutting edge, driving the future. Not Hollywood.

3) Create. A lot. And share it. With everyone you possibly can. And encourage them to share it, by making it awesome.

So, maybe we don’t have deep pockets, or a vast rolodex, to get started in creating this new cinema. And, maybe we have to endure a little more sacrifice, maybe we have to shoot on nights and weekends on borrowed gear, or maybe we do have a budget, but it’s only $50K, or $25K, or 10K, or perhaps only $1K, but with that we create something amazing, that doesn’t sell to Hollywood, but does sell to people. And from that we can build, and continue to build, and experiment, and grow. Maybe during the next little while, we’re sharing our work for free online, and selling some DVDs here and there, some downloads here and there, and screening it live here and there, gathering fans here and there, and doing new, better, and more exciting work along the way, as we all steadily build a body of work. Work, that over time, increases in value, and increases our value.

It’s not impossible to make great cinema for little, or to make a living from our art, we just need to start doing it, and stop waiting for something to just happen. Christopher Nolan made Following for six thousand dollars over 2 years, Jonathan Caouette made Tarnation in iMovie for $300 based on footage filmed over his life and it was absolutely incredible, Shane Carruth made one of my favorite films ever, Primer, for seven thousand dollars, while teaching himself every aspect of filmmaking along the way, my friend Lovisa Inserra made her completely unrelenting look at a 3-time loser on the expressway to self destruction, Buster, on hand processed Super 8, and no budget. All of these films and artists blew me away, and I know that there are more artists like them out there, so let’s get ourselves together and do this thing.

Let’s make this our decade, let’s resolve to create a new, and sustainable alternative cinema. Starting. Right. Now.

* Above production still from Buster, a film by Lovisa Inserra.

At war with ourselves

As the soldiers and families of Ft. Hood (joined by our President and First Lady) lay to rest those killed at the hand of one of their own today, I cannot help but think the lasting legacy of the past 8 years of being a country ‘at war’ is the even more debilitating war within.

It’s no secret that our national discourse has taken a nose-dive with the sad side effect of reducing our friends and neighbors to caricatures, devolved of their humanity and categorized by bumper sticker headlines. But that is just the ever swirling circus of constant distraction that is America in the 21st century. The deeper and more complex war within is the ever compounding side effects of the circus…the growing culture of indifference, of anti intellectualism and the death of critical thinking.

I think this culture is best summed up by a quote from former President George W. Bush, when discussing the newly dubbed ‘war on terror’ in 2001 he stated, “You’re either with us or against us.” Words that were probably meant to be a show strength of coalition as we began to seek justice after the events of September 11th, had, I believe, an additional and longer lasting global effect. In that moment and in those words the world was given permission, or better, a directive, from the leader of the most powerful nation on earth that it was time divide. Choose your camp, choose your weapon and dig in. It frankly killed all discussion, all reason and did not allow for a moment of contemplation as to what factors brought us to this point in our nation’s history.

Thus, as the immediate, honest, completely understandable and most likely justifiable reaction to what happened on September 11th waned and the war raged on indefinitely it became more and more apparent that we no longer knew exactly what it was that we were fighting for. In essence, a once noble call to duty 8 years later devolved into a global version of Hatfields vs. McCoys.

So in the immediate aftermath of the absolutely devastating shootings at Ft. Hood it was not surprising that headline No. 1 was the fact that the soldier and perpetrator of this horrible crime, Nidal Hasan, was indeed a Muslim. It was the easiest short hand to frame what had happened. No need for discussion, contemplation or investigation.

Luckily this time around, the ensuing days have brought investigation, revealing the truth of our individual humanity. We are not simply “this” or “that”. We, all of us, are complex collections of our lineage, our cultures, our social circumstance, our economy, our religion (or lack thereof), our immediate surroundings and the list goes on. These things do not provide justification for our actions, especially those actions that bring immediate and lasting harm to many, but rather offer us insight to the real reasons, not the off the cuff distractions, as to why this happened.

When my collaborator, J. Reuben Appelman, and I began working on our film Person of Interest in 2007 it was born from this growing feeling that an almost overwhelming heaviness had descended upon our nation after 6 years of war. No matter how close or far your direct connection was to the conflict itself, you couldn’t help but feel something had fundamentally changed in the American psyche. As much as we tried to find solace in our old ideas of the world, to many veils had been lifted and combined with a constant onslaught of conflict (real and manufactured) it was startlingly apparent things were never going to be the same. All of this, I feel, in part came to a head in the broken men and women that were our returning soldiers.

Prior to shooting the film I had conducted some interviews with a very close childhood friend (and his family) who in 2005 had been stop lossed (as part of the National Gaurd) and deployed to Iraq. He, like many who share his story, was not just out of high school or college, but rather already in his 30’s; a husband, a father, involved in his community and generally living what we would describe as the American Dream. So, when he returned I became curious, as a person who has never (and most likely will never) see war close up, how exactly does one go from ‘normal’ life to a war zone and back again? It seemed completely implausible that you could do so without skipping a beat, and after several talks and interviews it became very clear that you don’t really come back at all, not in one piece and never fully as you were before.

With embarrassment, it was the first time I felt the full weight of the phrase “give your life for your country.” I learned from my dear friend whether or not you come back at all or in one piece doesn’t matter, when you go to war, whatever the circumstance of your return…you have given your life.

I know that there is an overwhelming ’support for the troops’ in this country, which I don’t feel is disingenuous by a long shot. However, much like in our everyday lives, we are in large part suspect of mental illness in this country and especially when it strikes those we view as the strongest among us. The last several years have seen a steady stream of returning warriors thrust back into their lives and communities without support to great consequence. My friend was one of them. And he, like a vast majority of mentally wounded soldiers was unwilling (at first) to seek out help due to the stigma associated with being ‘less than’. A fear institutionalized by the Army itself and unfortunately upheld in our communities at large. A by-product of being a culture of indifference.

After the election last year, and arguable ‘end of an era’, J. and I half-joked that we had taken to long to finish the film and it would soon be irrelevant. In light of many recent events, good and bad, it appears we couldn’t have been more wrong.

The good news is that due to the efforts within the armed forces, by returning soldiers and soldier organizations like the The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and the Wounded Warrior Project, soldiers are being heard and policies, especially those dealing with treatment of post traumatic stress and mental health issues are being addressed and in some cases changed.

Sadly, at the same time, we’ve seen a disturbing uptick in vitriol, violence and attempted (for the moment) domestic terrorism plots in this country.

And then there is Ft. Hood and Nidal Hasan. Is it a simple story of ideology driving someone to violence or is it something much deeper? A truly American story of unchecked pressures of war in an age of ambiguity and us vs. them? I honestly cannot imagine the sense of betrayal, anger and overwhelming sadness his comrades and community at large must be feeling in this moment. I, like most I’m sure, hope justice is served, quickly. I also hope that this case serves as a point of true contemplation of where we could be headed if this war within is not addressed in a tangible way in our very immediate future.

The circus can only continue as long as ‘we the people’ are willing to buy the ticket.