Making a living making shorts
I recently interviewed a few folk in the UK about making short films for an article I have been writing. My old friend Ashley Jones of Green Lions was kind enough to give me a really thoughtful interview about the work he has been doing recently so I thought I would post the whole thing here:
When did you start making short films and what kind of films do you make?
When we were kids, my brothers and I used to make short films on Super 8 - mainly fiction stuff – silly stories and stop-motion inspired by Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer video, ‘Morph’ and ‘Noseybonks’. Back then, our films were technically all over the place, but they were great fun to make, honest and visually exciting stories – I still hold on to these elements. I now co-run a production company, Green Lions (greenlions.com), making films full-time with my creative partner, director David Bond. We make films for all sorts of people - for us, for broadcasters, for Current TV, for charities, for ad agencies. We are working on a feature doc at the moment, a series of short docs about sex workers and their punters, two ace films for Current TV, and a series of funny drama-docs for Greenpeace.
When did you start making films for Current? What films have you made for them? What has your experience with them been like?
Our first film, ‘Guerrilla Gardening’ was made for the UK launch of Current TV last year and was our first ‘proper’ commission for a network. More recently we made a film called ‘Mushroom Miracle’. The film follows a group of foragers looking for (edible) mushrooms, but really it’s about our friend Mama Irene who is an amazing character and cooks delicious food. One of the great things about working with Current TV is the opportunity to develop ideas and screen-test fun and interesting people. Current TV’s UK commissioning team is also fantastic. We’ve learnt loads from them about the discipline of making short docs, being economical with story and making your audience really care about your characters and contributors in a short space of time.
How do you feel as a filmmaker about current opportunities for making shorts and distributing? Is it easier to get stuff to an audience than it used to be? Can you make a living from it?
It’s now definitely much easier to get films out there. Over the last couple of years the infrastructure and viewing quality has massively improved. There is now a growing culture of ‘do-ers’ – filmmakers not waiting for other people to fund their next project, but going out and making it themselves. If you have access to a video camera – you don’t even need to own one – you can get out there and tell a story. The opportunities for distribution are of course greater but making a living from shorts is still a challenge. At the moment our secret is to deliver exciting short films that stand out and make a difference, whilst at the same time taking on enough corporate work to pay the rent!
Do you watch shorts? If so where: TV, DVD, online?
I love watching shorts online and it has become my preferred method of watching telly (that and DVD episodes of The Wire!). Current TV is definitely my favourite place for short docs. I also love FourDocs, as well as the brilliant 3 Minute Wonders on Channel 4’s website. Of course I watch tons of YouTube, but generally search or follow links rather than just trawl. I’m also a huge fan of the Moving Images section of www.archive.org, and I’m really into Vice’s www.vbs.tv - some really exciting work there. As for fiction, the recent series of New York Times sponsored short films were cool (http://tinyurl.com/2my54d), and I was over the moon when a new Yacht Rock episode (www.yachtrock.com) appeared on channel101.com earlier this year.
Have you submitted to festivals? Have you screened at festivals? How important are festivals to you?
We try to submit all our films to relevant festivals and often use withoutabox.com. Festivals are a great way to get your films out to new audiences, and the increasing number of film festivals means it’s much easier to reach specific, targeted audiences. For example, one of our Current TV films is playing next month at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London, as part of a discussion about the significance of place and identity in London’s East End. The film and talk will inspire new urban strategies to help local inhabitants identify with their environment. It’s great that our film can add to a bigger discussion and this movement for change.
Have you considered using a sales agent to sell your films to TV stations etc?
We have been to see one or two sales agents. At the moment we work directly with our friends and contacts at the various channels, and use our commissioned films as calling cards to help us get charity and corporate work. As we develop our body of work and our slate of ideas we will definitely be looking to get more serious with a sales agency. I really think the sales agency business will also change and adapt to recognize small but innovative companies like ours, and develop new revenue opportunities for shorts and online film.
How savvy do you think most filmmakers are about all the opportunities currently open to them?
Independent filmmakers and small indies like us have a real opportunity beyond traditional TV and are beginning to bite at the heels of the bigger, corporate indies. The filmmakers we meet all eagerly embrace the new world of online delivery and multi-channels. We try not to get too obsessed with the latest delivery craze – if a channel is going to work, it will last beyond the initial hype. The important thing is story, with heart. Films that have that will always find an audience.
How web savvy are you? Do you think it’s important to know how to utilize the web to market and distribute your work?
I’m fairly savvy but I always think I should be doing more! It’s really important to be using it well and there are definitely more and more opportunities in online drama and factual content through places like social networking sites. We are talking with MySpace and FaceBook about a couple of factual series at the moment. The success of internet drama shows such as Sofia’s Diary and KateModern shows that commissioners are interested in developing more and more online content which can only be a good thing for filmmakers. It will be exciting to see how we can do this for documentary.