Mark Stolaroff: Part #2 of a 2 Part Interview With the "Pig" Producer

Yesterday we brought you the first in the two part interview with producer Mark Stolaroff. Stolaroff is the founder of the No Budget Film School and the producer of the new sci-fi thriller, Pig, which will be playing at this year's Phoenix Film Festival. The second part of the interview is below. In case you missed the first part, click here. Enjoy!

Christopher Coffel: Would you say low budget filmmakers tend to be more creative filmmakers than say someone with a Hollywood style budget?

Mark Stolaroff: I think there are creative folks on both sides of that divide, and even industrious folks on both sides. But there is something different about doing it the no-budget way. First, it's not just a job to you. Second, you're not doing it for the money. Most of my students are not taking my class because they think they're going to be rich making these films. And if they are, I set them straight in the first 5 minutes! There's nothing more fun than a collective of like-minded, passionate individuals coming together with a common cause and a do-or-die attitude in order to make something creative. Anything. The first Apple computer was made that way. Some really great films were made by folks who maybe didn't even have the talent yet, or ever, but had passion and gumption. "Clerks" is a good example. "Rocky", even, is a good example. Maybe one of the coolest examples is "The Blair Witch Project." When you know how that film was made--how they put those actors out in the woods with GPS devices and slipped them notes in the food they left for them. I mean, what kind of studio would make a film in that way! And the unique results speak for themselves.

CC: Personally I feel there's a strong sense of community amongst low budget filmmakers. Regardless of where they're from or the genre they're working in, they seem much more willing to help one another or by sharing tips and what not. Is this something you've seen in your experiences? 

MS: Absolutely. That's why I've stayed in this area of the film world for so long. I'm not interested in the gamesmanship, the oneupsmanship that Hollywood is so famous for. I read Lynda Obst's book "Hello, He Lied" before I moved out to LA and then almost didn't move. I had no interest in that kind of film career.

The Millennium Bug

All you have to do to understand this kind of sharing and collaboration is to check out a site like The Frugal Filmmaker, or see a film like "The Millennium Bug." The Frugal Filmmaker (http://filmflap.blogspot.com/) shares everything he learns, and passes along great tips from other like-minded filmmakers. For free. "The Millennium Bug" (http://www.mbugmovie.com/) is an award-winning low-budget creature feature that was made by a tiny group of folks, wearing many different hats, not getting paid, all for the shared purpose of making something spectacular. You see this film, which was shot without CGI in a 6,000 sq. ft. warehouse, and it's just astonishing what they pulled off. It's astonishing that they even went for it. The ambition of it all. I love that aspect of this world. I've spoken to literally hundreds of micro-budget filmmakers at Next Wave and attending festivals, and I hear these amazing stories all the time. It's not so interesting when they either try and succeed ("Avatar") or try and fail ("The Wolfman") on a $250 million budget.

CC: How do you think social media has impacted low budget filmmaking, if at all?

MS: It's made a huge difference. And it's not just in marketing and distribution, where it has totally changed the game, but in crowdsourcing and especially crowdfunding. More and more films are being funded using internet platforms like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, which are a kind of social media, and then those platforms are further enhanced by the more traditional Facebook and Twitter platforms. We raised over $20,000 in finishing funds with Kickstarter, and more than the money, we created a community, who support the film in a whole host of other ways. Also, you can literally learn just about any aspect of filmmaking from YouTube.

Back when I was at Next Wave in the late 90's and early 2000's, you had to sell your film at places like Sundance to distributors who took all your rights for 15-20 years. Today, while that still happens, it's not obligatory. We haven't even approached distributors yet, (frankly, I've been too busy with these festivals!). We certainly will approach them, but we can hold out for the right company and the right deal because we have options, and those options were all made possible by the internet and social media.

CC: And lastly but certainly not least, any new projects you're currently working on?

MS: This probably won't be my last "micro-budget" feature, but I'm definitely not self-financing the next one! I'm going to finally bite the bullet and work on raising a decent chunk of change for my next project. And even get paid, for a change! I'm reading scripts and I'm also developing a project written by an old friend I grew up with in Houston named Blake Newman. The film, called "Meyerland," is set in Houston and is a black comedy, a kind of coming-of-age movie, except our hero is 25 years old, overweight, and a virgin. He falls for a totally self-destructive, but beautiful young exotic dancer with a newborn child. Chaos ensues. We have some first money in from Houston investors and we hope to raise the balance of the money--to get to something like a million dollars--once we attach a couple of actors. Our hero has a uniquely crazy, abusive mother that is a terrific role for an established older actress. I know, sounds hilarious, but I did say black comedy!

 

 

Mark Stolaroff's newest film, Pig, can be seen at the 2012 Phoenix Film Festival. For tickets please visit the official Phoenix Film Festival website.

For more information on Pig, please visit The Pig Picture.

To learn more about no budget filmmaking, visit the No Buget Film School.