Episode 217 - Alex Ferrari (Guerrilla Shooting a Feature Film at Sundance)

The Dave Bullis Podcast

Alex Ferrari is back for a 3rd time!!! Alex has been in the film industry for over 20 years and has worked on well over 1000 feature films, shorts, commercials, music videos, network promos, documentaries, and webisodes. Alex is the founder and machine behind Indie Film Hustle an indie filmmaking hub dedicated to sharing knowledge of the industry.

In this episode Alex & I chat his new feature film, On the Corner of Ego and Desire which he shot at the Sundance film festival completely guerrilla style, ego's in this business, his daily routine and how he gets so much done each day, and tons more.

Pre Show Notes

— Looking for a way to earn money with your Feature Film, B Roll, etc? Join Black Box today!

— Want to help me make a short trailer project?

The weather is finally getting nice in Philly, and I’m finally going to make something again.

I’m aiming for a July 2018 shoot date for a fun, fake trailer project here in the Philly area. I’ll be looking for actors, a location manager, storyboardist, and a few other key crew roles.

If you’re interested in helping shoot me an email, [e-mail] and put Fake Trailer Project in the subject line.

— Quentin Tarantino Writing Masterclass (A collection of advice)

Over 41,000 views, over 1,300 thumbs up, and a ton of great feedback.

This is a video I edited together from various Tarantino writing advice I’ve heard over the years. Please let me know what you think of it.

MORE FREE STUFF:

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— Dave Bullis Podcast Filmmakers Group on Facebook – a FREE filmmaking group I made on Facebook.

— Shopping on Amazon? Please use my Amazon affiliate link and/or Ebay affiliate link(simply click and shop as normal) as it greatly helps out the podcast. Thank you! Show Notes

-- 3:25 - Intro

-- 8:01 - Richard 'RB' Botto - is the founder and CEO of Stage 32.

-- 11:06 - Validation & Making Things - When Everyone Wants to be Your Friend

-- 16:58 - Movie Marketing

-- 17:11 - Paranormal Activity - is a 2007 American found footage supernatural horror film written, co-produced, photographed, edited, and directed by Oren Peli. It is the first entry into the Paranormal Activity film series. The film centers on a young couple, Katie and Micah are haunted by a supernatural presence in their home. It is presented as a series cameras set up by the couple in an attempt to document what is haunting them. The film is notable for being the first widely released film to be shot entirely on cell phone cameras. The film sets up found-footage conventions that were mirrored in the later films of the series.

-- 18:10 - Deadpool - is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Fabian Niciezaand artist/writer Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in The New Mutants #98 (cover-dated February 1991). Initially Deadpool was depicted as a supervillain when he made his first appearance in The New Mutants and later in issues of X-Force, but later evolved into his more recognizable antiheroic persona. Deadpool, whose real name is Wade Wilson, is a disfigured and deeply disturbed mercenary and assassin with the superhuman ability of an accelerated healing factor and physical prowess. The character is known as the "Merc with a Mouth" because of his tendency to joke constantly, including his proclivity for breaking the fourth wall, a literary device used by the writers for humorous effect and running gags.

-- 18:55 - Solo - is a 2018 American space Western film based on the Star Wars character Han Solo. Directed by Ron Howard, it was produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, and is the second of the Star Wars anthology films following 2016's Rogue One. A stand-alone installment set prior to the events of A New Hope, it explores the early adventures of Han Solo and Chewbacca, who also meet a young Lando Calrissian, as they are involved in a heist within the criminal underworld. The film stars Alden Ehrenreich as Solo, alongside Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Joonas Suotamo, and Paul Bettany.

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-- Therm Scissorpunch - is a male Nephran who lived in the galaxy during the reign of the Galactic Empire. At some point, Scissorpunch sat at a gambling table next to the famous smuggler Lando Calrissian. Scissorpunch was identified by name in a Denny's-exclusive Topps trading card for Solo.

-- Burger King - Star War Glasses promotion

-- 21:58 - The Star Wars Holiday Special - is a 1978 American musical science fiction television film set in the Star Wars galaxy. It stars the first film's main cast while introducing the character Boba Fett, who would appear in later films. It is one of the first official Star Wars spin-offs and was directed by Steve Binder.

In the storyline that ties the special together, Chewbacca and Han Solo visit Kashyyyk, Chewbacca's home world, to celebrate Life Day. They are pursued by agents of the Galactic Empire, who are searching for members of the Rebel Alliance on the planet. The special introduces three members of Chewbacca's family: his father Itchy, his wife Malla, and his son Lumpy, though these names were later explained to have been nicknames, their full names being Attichitcuk, Mallatobuck, and Lumpawarrump, respectively.

The program also features many other Star Wars characters, including Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, R2-D2, Darth Vader and Princess Leia (who sings the film's "theme song", set to the music of John Williams' Star Wars theme, near the end), all of them portrayed by the original actors. The program includes stock footage from Star Wars,[1] and also features a cartoon produced by Toronto-based Nelvana that officially introduces the bounty hunter Boba Fett. Scenes also take place in outer space and in spacecraft including the Millennium Falcon and an Imperial Star Destroyer. The variety-show segments and cartoon also take place in a few other locales, such as a Mos Eisley cantina on the desert planet of Tatooine and a newly introduced red ocean planet known as Panna.

The special is notorious for its extremely negative reception and has never been rebroadcast or officially released on home video. It has, therefore, become something of a cultural legend, because of the "underground" quality of its existence. It has been viewed and distributed in off-air recordings made from its original telecast by fans as bootleg copies, and later adapted to content-sharing websites.

-- 24:51- Alex's Daily Routine

-- 34:34 - Productivity

-- Gary Vaynerchuk - is a Belarusian American entrepreneur, author, speaker and internet personality. First known as a wine critic who grew his family’s wine business from $3 million to $60 million, Vaynerchuk is best known for his work in digital marketing and social media, leading New York-based companies VaynerMedia and VaynerX.

-- Patt Flynn - is an American entrepreneur, blogger and podcaster best known for his blog and podcast Smart Passive Income, where he conducts income experiments and shares the results. The Smart Passive Income podcast is consistently ranked in the top 10 podcasts in iTunes's Business category.

-- I'll Be Gone in the Dark : One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer - The haunting true story of the elusive serial rapist turned murderer who terrorized California during the 70s and 80s, and of the gifted journalist who died tragically while investigating the case—which was solved in April 2018. The #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER & #4 Amazon Best Seller.

-- 40:35 - Mark & Jay Duplass - are writers, directors, producers, and actors as seen on The League, Transparent, and The Mindy Project.

-- Like Brothers - Whether producing, writing, directing, or acting, the Duplass Brothers have made their mark in the world of independent film and television on the strength of their quirky and empathetic approach to storytelling. Now, for the first time, Mark and Jay take readers on a tour of their lifelong partnership in this unique memoir told in essays that share the secrets of their success, the joys and frustrations of intimate collaboration, and the lessons they’ve learned the hard way.

-- Jay & Mark Duplass - This is John (2003) - Why is it that it can be the simplest things in life that eliminate your self-worth.

-- 42:33 - Two movie models

-- 44:39 - On the Corner of Ego and Desire

"On the Corner of Ego and Desire" Written/Directed by Alex Ferrari Produced by Adam Bowman & Alex Ferrari Starring Rob Alicea, Sonja O'Hara, and Randy Ramos Jr.

Three hapless independent filmmakers make the trek to the Sundance Film Festival and go through absolute hell in search for the elusive producer that is supposedly going to buy their independent feature film, all within 24 hours. With a producer who stole money from his mother's retirement account to fund the film, to a director who thinks she's the next Francois Truffaut, to an actor/editor who is a doormat for everyone, this motley crew of misfit filmmakers have a tough time navigating the chaotic world of the Sundance Film Festival. Ignorance, foolishness and above all ego drive the team to implosion as they struggle to realize their filmmaking dreams.

For more info on future screenings go to: Egoanddesirefilm.com

-- 47:34 - "When you're young you are like a seed in a bucket. And when you know and when fame comes along fame is a bucket of water that kids come in thrown on top of you. And if you're just like this little seed you just get squashed all over the place you know you just take it for the ride. And if you're older those roots are settled in and they've gone in and are deep into the soil. So when that same amount of fame comes on you you're grounded and you can't and you don't get moved around as much. But that takes time."

-- 48:34 - Overnight is a 2003 documentary by Tony Montana and Mark Brian Smith. The film details the rise and stumble of filmmaker and musician Troy Duffy, the writer-director of The Boondock Saints, and was filmed at his request.

Duffy is presented as a victim of his own ego, and as the film progresses and his fortunes fade, he becomes increasingly abusive to his friends, relatives and business partners. According to co-director Montana, "Troy seemed to revel in the attention of Hollywood's lights and our cameras. Only three times during the production did he ask not to be filmed. It was on those occasions that he threatened us."

-- IFH 189: How NOT to Direct a Television Pilot with Dave Bullis - I chat with Alex about the 2011 project of mine.

Contact Alex Ferrari

-- Official Site-- Twitter-- Facebook-- Indie Film Hustle Podcast-- The Bullet Proof Screenplay Podcast

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