KGB Productions

I've been reading some blogs and articles about financing that feature film and/or short film, and so far I haven't heard a really convincing argument who has done well in this arena. People are so secretive on their numbers. While others brag about how really low their film came in on. I mean how does someone get financing for their film? The DIY attitude is very wide spread and its true that many filmmakers are making their films a reality. Much more now then in recent years. Whats changed is the way distribution is handled, and how these films are finally seen. The Internet has a lot to do with this, yet getting a deal for domestic distribution involving cable, DVD, and pay-per view is still tough. I am no expert, but I've worked on a number of films, and have done a number of them to know what seems to work, and what doesn't. Mind you I was only a crew member on some of these films while on my own film I actually had to scrape together enough cash to start & fin...

This weekend I headed to the movies, and saw “Shooter” starring Mark Wahlberg. In it Wahlberg is an ex-sniper who is recruited by the government to stop an assassination attempt, but what happens is he gets framed for the assassination by the very guys he’s working with. Seems like an exciting premise, and who doesn’t love a good conspiracy story? Only thing this isn’t that story. “The Shooter” is a paint by numbers type of movie. Nothing surprising EVER happens. You can see the ending a mile away, and yet I was hoping it would surprise me. It didn’t. All the characters are one dimensional characters that do not ever surprise us. I swear one scene where the girl in the movie is captured just seemed like an excuse to get her semi-naked holding a shotgun. I just felt like this movie was phoned in, which is disappointing. I like Wahlberg, and I thought it might be a good action flick to go see. You know mindless stuff, but something that has its share of action. Even those scenes are pred...

I try to explore the ever evolving shape of cinema these days, yet it seems to change constantly. One of the web sites I've come to is that of alteregocinema . The film that came to my attention was AMATEUR PORN STAR KILLER . I haven't heard of this film, and the title alone makes it seem almost questionable, but after reading an unfavorable review at microcinemascene.com I just had to check it out. Shane Ryan does some interesting editing, and I like the way he makes the footage look degraded, and even a bit inferior. Someone said it probably was to cover up the bad production values in the film in the first place. After all how many of you have heard or said "we'll fix it in post". What attracted me to the guys work is the stark reality of the films. In an era of reality TV, and YouTube I do think the work has some merit, but at what expense. Certainly these films aren't real snuff films. Would some others think that the films can be actually real? In a soc...

So as I try and figure out what to do next I’ve been looking back at some of my old film projects from film school and even beyond. I’ve been digitizing them and taking a bit of the rough elements out of them. I guess I’m archiving for posterity. Maybe my boys will get a kick out of seeing what the old man was doing in his youth. But wait you’re not that old? I’m in my early 40’s and there’s still some fire down below. Isn’t there? I’ll confess age is only a number, but someone who says that is ignoring the cold hard fact that you’re no longer in your youth. You’re idealism is a bit tainted, and you see things in a different light. So it gets a little harder. Not only with you’re time management, but also with your priorities. Someone who says children don’t change things is totally in denial and does not know what he or she is talking about. No I’m not one of those people who talk about children being first, and God bless the children. Heck! God bless everybody is my mant...

Meaning? Isn’t that what we all strive for? After the day is done don’t we try to see the meaning of our actions and why we did what we did? Always questions and sometimes there are no real answers. The gentleman who was my AD on my film once wrote that I reminded him of Sisyphus. You know Sisyphus don’t you? He’s the dude who was cursed to roll the rock up a hill only to have it fall back down the hill when he got to the top. Some describe pointless or interminable activities as Sisyphean. So it’s a good analogy on my relationship with film and my filmmaking endeavors. “Pointless” you say. Then why do I continue to try? If you know that all that you do is irrelevant then why do it? I guess that’s the million-dollar question. Why? I’ve described filmmaking as a drug and me as an addict chasing that initial high, but that’s not entirely true. Then I read a quote that kind of sums it up for me: Leave Sisyphus at the foot of the mountain! One always finds one's burden ...

I’ve been restless & antsy for some time now. It happens when I don’t get to do what I really enjoy doing, and that’s make films. Between work, family and other things it can be easy to just say “fuck it”. I mean what’s one less filmmaker in the world right? But then the voice sets in and it doesn’t stop until I do something. What draws me to filmmaking? What is it that makes me crave filmmaking like a junkie going after his next fix? Is it to be famous or known? I’ll confess here I’d like to be known as a competent filmmaker. No more and no less. I’m way past the wide eyed innocent I was when I first started making films. I fully know it’s a business and in order to achieve some success you have to sell your story otherwise it’s an expensive hobby, but again I see no one willing to invest large sums of money in a film. My sphere of influence does not include people with money who can piss away their hard earned dollars. I’ve always said that in order to succeed in the business of ...