Mulligan

February 27, 2000
The New York Times

Young Filmmakers Seek the Next 'Blair Witch'
By ABBY ELLIN

PARK CITY, Utah -- After the success of "The Blair Witch Project" last year, it seemed that anyone with a dream, a camera and an Internet account could get a film made -- or, at least, market it cheaply once it was made.

After all, if two 20-somethings could shoot a movie and then hype it online, garnering phenomenal media attention and millions of dollars, why couldn't the average Joe?
It is a question on the minds of many young people, who, because of the Internet and digital technology -- not to mention a dire need to express themselves -- are flocking to film schools and the film industry. Once they have a film to show to the world, they often head to the Sundance Film Festival here or to other gatherings elsewhere, including some they have started themselves, and stage all manner of pranks to become known.

Five years ago, there were 702 applicants to New York University's undergraduate film department; for 2000 admission there were 1,256. At the pictures program at the University of Miami, in Florida, undergraduate enrollment has climbed from 280 in the mid-1990s to 360 today.

The younger flavor of filmmaking was also evident last month at Sundance, which this year began its "Gen Y Project," in which high school students from New Mexico to Bhutan met with professionals to learn about the business.

Of course, film has long attracted the young, no small thanks to independent filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and Richard Rodriguez, who made "El Mariachi." At Sundance, 40 percent of the films entered are made by people under 30, said R.J. Millard, a festival spokesman.

These days, however, digital technology makes shooting and editing cheaper even as the dot-com explosion helps in marketing and finding backers. At Sundance, "it seemed like there were more dot-coms than filmmakers," said J.D. Shapiro, the 30-something director and co-writer of "We Married Margo," which was shown at Slamdance, the four-year-old Sundance sideshow for people who don't get into the main festival.

"We Married Margo," based on the story of two men -- one of whom was Shapiro -- who were married to the same woman at different times, recently won the audience award at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colo. There, Shapiro happened upon the "Blair Witch" directors, Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez, who are now advising him on how to create his own Web page and market his film online.

J. Todd Harris, 40, a partner in Daly-Harris Productions in Los Angeles and a founder of the Reelplay.com Web site for buying and selling new films, says independent filmmakers have entered a new age. "Most of the old rules that have governed independent filmmaking are irrelevant," he said. "It's the Wild West. Increasing capital accessibility and expanding technologies will result in an explosion of under-$1-million movies."

Some enterprising filmmakers have created their own festivals. James Boyd, 31, is founder and director of the three-year-old No Dance, a side festival to Sundance that touts itself as the first for films on digital video discs -- a significantly cheaper method of releasing films.

Boyd spent about $50,000 of his own money on No Dance 3. (The first two cost him $1,000 and $20,000.)

His inspiration for the festival was the rejection by both Sundance and Slamdance of his film, "The New Gods,"about a poet in the underground music scene who grapples with the issue of compromising his art for money.

He went to Park City anyway and stumbled on what he calls other "indie orphans" -- filmmakers rejected by the other festivals. They rented space in the Main Street Mall for $800 a day and went looking for an audience. "Our filmmakers would grab people who couldn't get into the festival movies," he said. "That's why we had packed audiences."

Boyd says that he is about $75,000 in debt but that he is not worried. "I have mortgaged my future children's college education, but I look at this as my law school," he said. "I'll pay off my debt when the higher-paying jobs come along."

There's some cause for hope. Two films from previous No Dance festivals -- "Hands on a Hardbody" and "Flushed" -- were picked up by distributors.

Other filmmakers go an even more independent route. During Sundance, Tim VandeSteeg screened his film, "Mulligan," in a sports bar on Main Street. He had not even bothered to send it to Sundance or Slamdance; he just knew he wanted to be in Park City. To make his film, VandeSteeg, 28, recruited nearly 40 sponsors including the Subway fast-food chain and Lifetime Fitness.

He convinced Sun Country Airlines to fly him and his crew to Utah from Minnesota, where they live. In Park City, he stood outside the bar in subzero weather and urged passers-by to see his film. "It's a business, and you have to treat it that way," he said.

Young filmmakers go out of their way to top one another other with promotional gimmicks and guerrilla marketing. The makers of "Show Me the Aliens!" roamed around town in alien costumes and staged mock abductions among themselves in front of theaters.

Will Hartman, 31, director of "Bus Stop," a 20-minute film about 14 children on a bus, handed out trading cards with the children's pictures on the front and details of his biography on the back. The film was screened at No Dance. "Visibility is key at Sundance," he said. "People are so overloaded by stimulus that you literally have to get right in their face with your message."

Though he knows he is in an intense and often cruel industry, Hartman is hopeful, especially with the new technology. "I spent every penny I had to make my movie, and I'm still paying off my debt," he said. "But when all is said and done, all those cold afternoons barking on the sidewalk, trying to drum up interest in your film, are worth every freezing second. And with digital filmmaking the sky's the limit."


	February 27, 2000 The New York Times Young Filmmakers Seek the Next 'Blair Witch' By ABBY ELLIN PARK CITY, Utah -- After the success of "The Blair Witch Project" last year, it seemed that anyone with a dream, a camera and an Internet account could get a film made -- or, at least, market it cheaply once it was made. After all, if two 20-somethings could shoot a movie and then hype it online, garnering phenomenal media attention and millions of dollars, why couldn't the average Joe? It is a question on the minds of many young people, who, because of the Internet and digital technology -- not to mention a dire need to express themselves -- are flocking to film schools and the film industry. Once they have a film to show to the world, they often head to the Sundance Film Festival here or to other gatherings elsewhere, including some they have started themselves, and stage all manner of pranks to become known. Five years ago, there were 702 applicants to New York University's undergraduate film department; for 2000 admission there were 1,256. At the pictures program at the University of Miami, in Florida, undergraduate enrollment has climbed from 280 in the mid-1990s to 360 today. The younger flavor of filmmaking was also evident last month at Sundance, which this year began its "Gen Y Project," in which high school students from New Mexico to Bhutan met with professionals to learn about the business. Of course, film has long attracted the young, no small thanks to independent filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and Richard Rodriguez, who made "El Mariachi." At Sundance, 40 percent of the films entered are made by people under 30, said R.J. Millard, a festival spokesman. These days, however, digital technology makes shooting and editing cheaper even as the dot-com explosion helps in marketing and finding backers. At Sundance, "it seemed like there were more dot-coms than filmmakers," said J.D. Shapiro, the 30-something director and co-writer of "We Married Margo," which was shown at Slamdance, the four-year-old Sundance sideshow for people who don't get into the main festival. "We Married Margo," based on the story of two men -- one of whom was Shapiro -- who were married to the same woman at different times, recently won the audience award at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colo. There, Shapiro happened upon the "Blair Witch" directors, Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez, who are now advising him on how to create his own Web page and market his film online. J. Todd Harris, 40, a partner in Daly-Harris Productions in Los Angeles and a founder of the Reelplay.com Web site for buying and selling new films, says independent filmmakers have entered a new age. "Most of the old rules that have governed independent filmmaking are irrelevant," he said. "It's the Wild West. Increasing capital accessibility and expanding technologies will result in an explosion of under-$1-million movies." Some enterprising filmmakers have created their own festivals. James Boyd, 31, is founder and director of the three-year-old No Dance, a side festival to Sundance that touts itself as the first for films on digital video discs -- a significantly cheaper method of releasing films. Boyd spent about $50,000 of his own money on No Dance 3. (The first two cost him $1,000 and $20,000.) His inspiration for the festival was the rejection by both Sundance and Slamdance of his film, "The New Gods,"about a poet in the underground music scene who grapples with the issue of compromising his art for money. He went to Park City anyway and stumbled on what he calls other "indie orphans" -- filmmakers rejected by the other festivals. They rented space in the Main Street Mall for $800 a day and went looking for an audience. "Our filmmakers would grab people who couldn't get into the festival movies," he said. "That's why we had packed audiences." Boyd says that he is about $75,000 in debt but that he is not worried. "I have mortgaged my future children's college education, but I look at this as my law school," he said. "I'll pay off my debt when the higher-paying jobs come along." There's some cause for hope. Two films from previous No Dance festivals -- "Hands on a Hardbody" and "Flushed" -- were picked up by distributors. Other filmmakers go an even more independent route. During Sundance, Tim VandeSteeg screened his film, "Mulligan," in a sports bar on Main Street. He had not even bothered to send it to Sundance or Slamdance; he just knew he wanted to be in Park City. To make his film, VandeSteeg, 28, recruited nearly 40 sponsors including the Subway fast-food chain and Lifetime Fitness. He convinced Sun Country Airlines to fly him and his crew to Utah from Minnesota, where they live. In Park City, he stood outside the bar in subzero weather and urged passers-by to see his film. "It's a business, and you have to treat it that way," he said. Young filmmakers go out of their way to top one another other with promotional gimmicks and guerrilla marketing. The makers of "Show Me the Aliens!" roamed around town in alien costumes and staged mock abductions among themselves in front of theaters. Will Hartman, 31, director of "Bus Stop," a 20-minute film about 14 children on a bus, handed out trading cards with the children's pictures on the front and details of his biography on the back. The film was screened at No Dance. "Visibility is key at Sundance," he said. "People are so overloaded by stimulus that you literally have to get right in their face with your message." Though he knows he is in an intense and often cruel industry, Hartman is hopeful, especially with the new technology. "I spent every penny I had to make my movie, and I'm still paying off my debt," he said. "But when all is said and done, all those cold afternoons barking on the sidewalk, trying to drum up interest in your film, are worth every freezing second. And with digital filmmaking the sky's the limit."
	© 2003 VANDY Productions