Shredded and Torn Part 3

Shifting from self-tapes to creating something that we can release into the world whenever we want to, however we want to and ways to make your first project

Jul 23, 2024

Last May, I produced and co-wrote my first feature film, Shredded, which I also starred in. If you missed Part 1 and Part 2 of this series on why and how to make I made my first feature film, you can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

I fell down the Manhattan Bridge in New York City on my bicycle, and woke up in an ambulance. This brought my dance career to a screeching halt at the moment, which was devastating during final callbacks for the Phantom of the Opera. Through that devastating loss in my life, I kept stumbling upon phrases like “Your Mess is your Message” and hoped that at some time, this wouldn’t only end my career, but be the catalyst for something bigger. It did redirect my career, in that most dancers have a shelf life anyway (Though shoutout to Kim Hale for dismantling that everyday with her “Never Too Late - Living the Dream at 56) as she dancers her way down Broadway) and shifting to film, I believe, has been my “calling.”

The idea for Shredded slowly came together from both wanting to create something that others going through a life-changing/identity-shifting incident could relate to and inspire healing, and both my own frustrations of waiting on gatekeepers. I wish someone would have told me sooner to value making my own work above chasing opportunities, because I cannot imagine what I would have created by now!

In this new digital age of self-tapes, many places focus on the excellent execution of audition tapes, but when casting directors now have time to watch more tapes from eliminating the in-person audition, everyone is doing more auditions for less opportunities. While sometimes I like to joke I am lazy, it’s not that I am lazy, but that I am always looking for the most efficient way to use my time. After spending 20+ hours auditioning a week, with not much to show for it, I finally came to the conclusion that I could do something more that would move the needle with my time.

Many actors complain to me that this new era and suggestion of “Make your own work” isn’t fair to actors and it is super expensive and unrealistic to ask of actors. To which I respond, what is your goal as an actor? Do you love storytelling? Do you value creating? Do you have a voice or point of view you hope to share with the world? Do you hope to impact the world with your art? What do you have at the end of doing 100 self-tapes?

While yes, self-producing work is both very time consuming and “can” be expensive, there is nothing you have ownership of at the end of a bunch of self-tapes. You can absolutely become a better actor through self-tapes, but if no one knows who you are, no one knows that.

Yes, “booking the room” is important, but what can you do with those self-tapes after? Put them up on instagram or YouTube a year or two later once the show or movie has finally come out? (I did my audition for Longlegs in November of 2022 for context). Make a reel to send to casting or agents? Who is going to watch it?

OR, we could shift that time into creating something that we CAN release into the world whenever we want to, however we want to, build relationships along the way both creating and releasing it, and even finding multiple ways to build revenue streams around it. Oh, and Shaq might stumble across your work on a platform and say “That Shit Dope".” We live in a day and age where we can put something on the internet and someone will watch it, versus the alternative of 30 years ago, of having to put something on a physical piece of medium and figuring out how to deliver it to the people you want to see it. I recommend this article a bit more on how to reframe sharing your art.

Christopher Nolan made his first feature film for about $10,000 and most of the budget was for actual “film”. Greta Gerwig made zero-budget/micro-budget mumblecore films when she started out. She used to get together with her friends in NYC and just make films. Robert Mariachi is the most famous story of making his film “Rebel Without A Crew” and raised his money through being a medical experiment participant. Sonja O’Hara sold her eggs to fund her first feature film which is about an actress selling her eggs “Ovum". Noam Kroll has also made multiple micro-budget feature films, and made his own film studio, profiting him and building a brand for himself.

It was this research and reading all of this that I knew I had to make my first film, and at least at the end of it, I would have something to show for all of the hours and effort that went into it. When you partner with someone that has experience, and you work well with, together you bring amazing resources to create more than you thought possible. I have “booked” far more work from making my own work, that from auditioning.

An important and essential part before getting to production is the pre-production and there are a lot of avenues and routes to think through planning, to help keep costs down.

The nitty gritty of how we kept costs under control to make a feature film:

In-kind sponsorship: Many people ask us, what was your budget? And it’s hard to put a number on it, because a lot of the film’s “value” came through in-kind sponsorship rather than monetary. A surf shop donated wetsuits for a day of filming. A surf instructor allowed us to use some boards so we did not have to buy/rent more of them. One of our locations would have cost $10,000 a day to film if we did not know the owner a demonstrate insurance. A coffee shop allowed us to film with proof of insurance and paying staff, rather than a full rental fee. One restaurant donated amazing food for a few filming days. Smaller towns are far more likely to help you out than big cities that rely on film for a major source of their revenue and/or it’s a big disruption (ie, LA and NYC and other big hubs)

Gear: One of the biggest ways you can cap your costs, is by either choosing a DP that has their own gear, or slowly investing/building out gear yourself (only if you plan to do this regularly). Adam, the director/DP/co-writer/etc owns his gear, and has slowly invested over the years in adding to that. Gear rental packages from camera houses can easily become $5-10k for a weekend, and more for longer shoots. This is great when you have the budget, but filming on an Arri Alexa vs a SonyFx3 or Black Magic isn’t going to make or break your film.
Crew: While it is epic to work on a big set with department heads and a dedicated person for each position, indie film, especially micro-budget indie film is more nuanced and requires more flexibility in positions. The biggest way to save on time and money with crew, is to hire people who are experienced in multiple positions, willing to be team players, and can crossover and work together. We had a dedicated crew of five people, and then some extra PAs/etc that came on days with bigger cast/more needs. We were strategic in how and when we utilized them, and everyone was willing to jump in and bounce between set decoration, script supervising, setting up a light, and using the clapper.
Help others - One of the best ways to build relationships with others in the industry is by volunteering on others’ sets. For a one or two day film shoot, volunteering can help YOU find people when you need some extra hands and don’t have the budget. While I think we have to be careful in how many or how long we are asking for favors, people are more willing to come in and help you when you really need it, if you have helped them. You are also more likely to meet crew that can wear multiple hats, and see their attitudes in the thick of a shoot.
Limit crew moves - By limiting crew moves, you save precious filming time for just that, filming. All of our locations in Rockaway were a few blocks away, so even if we had a move, it didn’t involve trucks or eating up our whole day. We had some wagons we could roll to the tiki bar, beach, outside locations that kept it efficient and easy.

In the next part, I’ll dive more into Indie-go/Crowd-funding/investors/etc. If you have any questions about making your first feature film, filming or writing, acting, etc please leave a comment! It would mean a lot to us if you share this with someone who is working on their first feature film, or starting their filming journey!

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PS - I will be releasing my novel to paid subscribers (but all free subscribers will receive the prologue and a few chapters for free) towards the end of the summer. If you are willing to share my writing with someone who you think would resonate, that would mean so much to me!

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