I attended the Gen Con 2011 convention in Indianapolis, Indiana and I was very lucky to have time to attend a number of panels and discussions hosted by the Gen Con Film Section.
I met Ben during the sci-fi shorts panel. Ben Bays has worked on a number of projects including his most current project, Aidan 5 (which he not only shared some of the episodes at the Con, but also took attendees, “Behind the scenes”, of Aidan 5). He agreed to spend some time telling us about his projects, thoughts and views.
What pathway, journey, or series of happy accidents did you follow to a career in the entertainment industry?
I started making movies with my dad’s VHS camera when I was 10 years old. I’d write these stories and invite my friends over on the weekends to film them. We’d use sparklers and smoke bombs for special effects, movie scores recorded from the TV, and edited everything in camera, so there was only one take. As I got older I started entering these annual short film contests and it really gave me an excuse to spend the whole year working and developing each film, which I continued through High School and into college. I went to film school in Los Angeles where I had the great opportunity to intern at Lightstorm Entertainment (James Cameron’s production company) and really got my start in the industry through editing and post-production. After several years of doing that and producing indie films on the side, I was hired to be the show runner on two television series based out of Columbus, OH. I moved back to the Midwest and I’ve been making my play here for several years, doing many of the same things. For my current day job, I am the Executive Producer/show runner for several shows that air on the Big Ten Network.
What three pieces of advice would you give a person just starting out in filmmaking?
- Find or create a story/idea that is unique and fits your voice/style. Every filmmaker needs a project.
- Meet people with like-minded goals and ideas where you can help each other learn the craft. Filmmaking isn’t a solo endeavor, nor is it something you can learn in a vacuum.
- Work hard and never give up no matter how long or difficult the journey seems to be.
Tell us a little about the current project(s) are you working on?
Aidan 5 is my main indie focus right now. It’s a sci-fi film noir (or sci-noir) that blends live-action photography with illustrated/animated backgrounds, creating this really cool, living comic-book style. It was based on a 48-hour film project that ended up winning several awards and so we decided to turn it into a web series. We’re almost finished releasing the 1st season and are currently writing two more seasons which we hope to get under way soon.In addition to that, I’m currently involved with writing/developing a couple of feature films and web series.
How is social media factoring into how you move into pre-production marketing and awareness cultivation? What have been the challenges with this approach?
Honestly, before Aidan 5, I didn’t have a clue about social media. (I’m kind of a dinosaur when it comes to that sort of thing.) But when you take on a project like this, it is absolutely essential to the process. You’re no longer letting some giant corporate distribution entity take care of the marketing. You have to do all of it yourself, and it’s not an easy task — especially with no budget. Luckily, my wife is pretty amazing at that, and so she’s been holding my hand through the process and teaching me everything from scratch. We didn’t really know what we were getting into when we started this process, so we didn’t use social media as much as we would have liked during the early stages of the series. However, we learned as we went along, and I’ve come to realize that marketing a web series is as much about getting involved in other shows as it is promoting your own. It’s a small community out there, and everyone is in the same boat.
What do you find is usually the most expensive part of a production? How do you keep costs down?
Usually, for me, the main production unit is the most expensive part of an indie project. It’s very expensive to finance cast, crew, and all of the logistics that go into supporting them throughout the shoot, so figuring out how to condense your shooting schedule into as few days as possible is key. It’s also imperative that you stick to that schedule, because any number of things on a film set will threaten to put you over. As an indie filmmaker, that’s just not an option. Because I’m a Producer, Director and Editor, I often have the ability to cut my own corners. You have to be very adept at adjusting your plans on the fly while still getting what you need to tell the story. If I’m losing the light and I’m not getting through a scene quickly enough, I will start scaling back how I’m covering that scene, because I already know what I’ll need from the editor’s perspective. That way of approaching filmmaking has allowed me to make certain kinds of films that would have otherwise been cost prohibitive. Aidan 5 was a totally different animal in that we purposefully designed the production from the ground up to operate without a budget. Because the whole series was shot on green screen, it allowed us to keep the production length unusually short, thus minimizing the imposition on our all-volunteer crew. However, the trade-off was that we had an unusually large post-production schedule.
What types of funding are you planning to use (ie personal, crowdfunding, single investor, group of investors, government grant, etc.)? How are you planning to secure it?
All of the above. We’ve used online campaigns like IndieGoGo and Kickstarter but larger projects require more traditional investment routes. Crowdfunding tends to work better for low-budget serial projects that already have established audiences, like Aidan 5. I’m certainly not opposed to getting my funding from wherever it will come, but having a plan on how to recoup those costs is just as important as making the film, which is why we keep our budgets as low as we can.
What kind of camera(s) are being used to film the project? Why was that camera selected?
For Aidan 5, we used two Panasonic HVX-200s simply because I already owned one, and a friend of ours had the second. They were a tapeless HD format which was key to our post workflow. We are considering jumping to Canon DSLR format for seasons 2 & 3, but we need to do a few green screen tests first to see how the compression and depth of field affect the compositing.
What distribution methods are you using/planning to use for the project?
We are currently distributing on the web through www.aidan5.com, syndicating through several other web portals and just released the complete Aidan 5 Season 1 DVD this Thanksgiving. (It would make a great gift for Christmas!)
What is the best way you’ve found to reach fans in regards to this project? Are you pursuing community building in association with it and, if so, how are you doing so?
Word of mouth has been the most effective, simply because we don’t have a big budget for marketing. We communicate through Twitter and Facebook. We also attend sci-fi/gaming conventions to promote the series as well as participate in any film festivals and events that will have us. The best way to reach fans and build your community is to simply be a fan yourself. I made a show that I would totally geek out on if I hadn’t made it, and so I’ve ended up in the same circles that I’ve always been in — only now it’s as a content creator.
If you had to sum up your philosophy of how to make a film, in a tagline, what would it be?
No sets, No budget, No problem.
What’s the number one film you recommend that other filmmakers should check out? What makes it so special to you?
Why, Aidan 5, of course. (Okay, last shameless plug, I swear…) The Shawshank Redemption is my favorite film of all time, because it’s an absolutely flawless picture. But, if I had to be really honest, I’m going to take a left turn and say Terminator 2. I saw it at an impressionable age, and it was the movie that made me want to make films as a career instead of just a hobby. Any filmmaker can learn all the tricks of the trade by studying that film. I remember going through it frame by frame just to learn how the laser blasts animated and integrated into the live action. Dynamic camera work, bold lighting, prosthetic make-up, real-world special effects augmented with selective CGI (cutting edge at that time) — all rolled into an action-packed ride experienced through a surprisingly good story. Despite its behemoth budget at that time, Cameron actually shot the movie like an indie film. He was totally committed to getting as much bang for his buck as possible, and every dollar spent was up on that screen.
Once you complete your current project, what future projects are on your bucket list?
I have a big-budget, feature length version of a short I did called The Horseman which I am going to be shopping around very soon. I have a low-budget, big concept kids adventure film that I hope to begin prepping in the Spring, and I also have two unique web projects in development that are slated to begin sometime next year as well. — So, it’ll be a busy 2012.
I want to once again thank Ben for taking time to share her thoughts and the great info on his projects (look for Aidan 5 and The Horseman, coming soon).
I encourage you to check out what he is up to by visiting http://www.aidan5.com/.
Julie Stratton
Julie Stratton trains young minds in multimedia design in New Jersey and researches alternate reality gaming.