I was failing in finding backing for a comedy project of my own, and while complaining about that process to my friend, Jeff Knoll (Film.ca), he asked if I could make a comedy about working in a movie theatre, that seemed to capture the madness, yet ‘delightful essence’ of what life at a small movie theatre was like for him. Jeff owns an indie theatre, so I started research there with his staff, and I couldn’t believe half the stories I was told. I asked to become a manager, just so I could get first-hand experience.
indieactivity: Did you start writing with a cast (You or any) in mind?
Marc Reyer Grant (MRG): I didn’t because I think that can be limiting. Instead, I have an idea of the character as a live human, their responses and backstory, then wait for the right actor. Without exception, everyone hired for this project walked in, had some instinct for my mental sketch of the character, and were able to use their own tools to make them better-rounded.
How long did you take to complete the script? (Do you have a writing process?)
Marc Reyer Grant (MRG): Once I had a general sense of what I needed to accomplish with the half hour pilot, it took about a week. You understand the moments you want to create, establish a story to bind them together, look for opportunities to weave jokes and word play to tie back into the moments, then make sure that the opening joke and closing scene both relate to the story in some manner and – whenever possible – tie the opening sting to the last joke.
Also important to the process: ‘Space Pops’, multi-flavored popsicles shaped like rocket ships. When I get deep into writing, I consume mass quantities of them. My daughter once looked into my office and suggested it was a successful night of writing because I had a small fort of popsicle sticks built up on the corner of my desk.
When did you form your production company – and what was the original motivation for its formation?
Marc Reyer Grant (MRG): Jeff is the producer, best to ask him this.
What was the first project out of the gate?
Marc Reyer Grant (MRG): Again, that’s a Jeff question.
During production, what scene (that made the cut) was the hardest to shoot?
Marc Reyer Grant (MRG): Everyone will say ‘the goose scene’, but I had no doubt the team could capture and edit a proper goose attack, even with an untrained animal. To my way of thinking, the pieces we had to shoot at 4 – 5:00 AM were the hardest, because we were close to wrapping an overnight shoot.
After a full day (behind or in front of the camera) and crossed circadian rhythms messing with the mind, everyone was either blowing a line, dropping the boom into the shot or missing some detail. I’ve written some additional scripts, for a buffer once we get picked up for a series, and I’ve included some daytime exteriors so we get some daytime hours in our system.
What works better in this latest production that mightn’t have worked so well in the last one you did?
MRG: This production benefits from the bond that was created among the crew and actors. You can sometimes find yourself on a set where people just go off on their own.
You wrote and acted in the film, what measure of input did it take to don these hats?
MRG: I wrote, but didn’t act.
Is there anything about the independent filmmaking business you still struggle with?
MRG: Funding to get it made. Aside from the usual partners, when you find yourself looking for a bit of a leg up from something like Kickstarter or IndieGoGo, it’s a bit rough to have a concept compete with something like a new phone app that will release a swarm of bees into the face of the guy who cut you off in traffic or a director’s chair with special foot panel to hold small lizards that eat the dead skin off the bottom of your feet while you sit. Additionally, Vimeo is great, but larger venues would also be nice.
Where do you think your strengths lie as a filmmaker?
MRG: As a writer for visual media, I-get how important ‘showing’ can be, but I also have a good ear for creating realistic dialogue. Even the best looking show can be ruined by stilted, or long, expository dialogue.
Let’s talk finance, How did you get finance for a film?
MRG: Blissfully, I was able to let Jeff worry most of that. He lost weight, I gained it.
Coming Distractions Trailer
How much did you go over budget? How did you manage it?
MRG: We hit the target, actually. A lean, clean, filming machine.
How important is marketing? Do you think a project can make any dent without it these days?
MRG: Silly question, because – in this day and age – there’s so much out there from which people can choose to see. If you’re not marketing, then you get ignored, and since most of us are in this to tell our stories to as many people as we can, you don’t want to get ignored. By that notion alone, marketing is everything.
Can you tell us about your marketing activities on the project – and how it’s gone for you?
MRG: On our budget – lots of social media, which seemed to work well, as our film family and their extended families kept sharing forward and getting more people to watch. Additionally, we’ve been running the festival circuits, with some success, and crowdfunding, with much less.
What do you hope audiences get from your film?
MRG: For most, I hope it’s a smile or laugh and a reprieve from the day. For those who work in similar situations, I hope they see that they’re not alone in some of the odd goings-on, and get a chuckle. At best, I hope we have a stream-worthy series that friends can catch on a binge some evening and think ‘I like that, and I’d like to see more’.
What else have you got in the works?
MRG: I have written an entire web series and half of a 13 episode Coming Distractions half-hour show, so, it’d be nice bringing those to light. I ‘m still trying to shop around my series bible for the ‘political conspiracy comedy’ that I was trying to get off the ground before Coming Distractions came along. Then,
I am also working up another comedy pilot about trying to find the right thing to say on a date when constantly harassed by your family’s ancient gypsy curse. I also have an IndieGoGo page where I am crowdfunding to create a life-size Batman costume made out of live bats. One of the above statements is false.
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