6Q with Eric Ernst and Danny Daneau of The Attic Door @ Florida Film Fest

Q1:  Can you tell us about your film.  What were the goals for the project?

AD:  The Attic Door is about two pioneer siblings; a brother and sister living in an isolated farmhouse waiting for their parents to return.  They hear noises from behind the attic door. 
It can be categorized as a scary kids’ film.  It’s our first feature. We met in film school in Orlando and look forward to build on our film career.

Q2:  How are you identifying, targeting, and building your audience?

AD:  Originally, the film was meant to be a family horror flick, but as it progressed, the script shaped into a story about the relationship between a brother and sister.  Now we think it’s more art house cinema as it has a deliberate pace and is quite thoughtful.  We are premiering at the Florida Film Festival and from this we will test who our target audience is.

Q3:  What role has the Internet and social media played in your DIWO (Do-It-With-Others) filmmaking? 

AD:  We have been using the Internet from the beginning. We hired a documentary crew to join us on production.  For 8 weeks, we would post weekly webisodes, 2-5 minutes in length, on VIMEO, YouTube, Viddler, via Tube Mogul, and our own website.  This way we could start to build an audience and they could feel like they are part of the action.  We built up an audience on our site, collecting email addresses and their cities.  We now have a spreadsheet of 1500 fan emails.

We are focused on creating our own linkaroti culture – using sites like Facebook, Without a Box audience page, and more.  Three months before production, we started a blog, four months into shooting we started the webisodes, and a year and a half later we are premiering in our first festival. We suggest the free service of Word Press for blogging, Facebook, Myspace, You Tube, Without a Box, etc.  Danny created the website on his own using a free template. 

Q4:  What tools or tactics would you recommend to other filmmaker for fundraising or promotion?

AD:  We utilized the webisodes during production, and now using our film school in Orlando to help with promotion.  Because we are locals, the Florida Film Festival is highlighting our premier.  We’d recommend finding local schools, organizations or companies that you can partner with.

Q5:  What was the budget for your film?  Can you tell us about any creative techniques for fundraising?

AD:  Our budget was below half a million.  We did everything to try to raise money. We were the first recipients of an incentive program in Kanab, Utah, where we shot.  We received a grant from the city, film commission and the county, as well as received discounts on goods and housing.  This grant covered one tenth of our budget.  For our catering needs, we brought along an intern from the Culinary School Kitchen Academy.  You need to find people that are interested in YOU versus the idea.  We got private equity from 5 investors after an initial angel investor became involved.

Q6:  What is your plan for distribution?  Do you have a plan for self distribution?

AD:  Of course all filmmakers dream of the fairy tale distribution story. These times have long past (just look at Sundance 2009) and filmmakers need to be more realistic with their expectations. My goal for the movie is two-fold. First, selfishly, I hope this film can lead me to an agent or manager who will help me jump start a career in film directing. Second, at the very least, make back enough money to make my investors whole. 

Our plan for distribution is to use festivals and other types of private and public screenings to build an audience. We want to direct people to the website where they can enter their email, join our social network, and participate on our blog. We hope that building a large audience, invested in the success in the film, can help encourage traditional distributors.

 

Have we considered DIY... everyday.  We have talked with other filmmakers about packaging three projects as a kind of Indie Film Road Show. Of course we could sell posters, soundtracks, and DVDs at the screening to help chip away at the budget.  We also considered bringing the film to educational institutions and building the package as a workshop.  We would show the film, have a Q and A, then have a day of lecture and tutorials.  I have some experience in education, currently teaching at the Interlochen School of the Arts, and can bring my experiences to maximize this time.