Posted by Julie Stratton on Nov 9, 2011 | 2 comments

I attended the Gen Con 2011 convention in Indianapolis, Indiana.  I was very lucky to have time to attend a number of panels and discussions hosted by the Gen Con Film Section.   I met Kate Chaplin during the panel on How to Get Into the Movie Biz.

  Ms. Chaplin has worked on a number of films and projects including “Leah Not Leia” (which she was screening at the Gen Con Film Festival).  She agreed to spend some time telling us about her projects, thoughts and views.

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What pathway, journey, or series of happy accidents did you follow to a career in the entertainment industry?

My life has been guided by the movies I’ve seen. I like to think it’s no accident. The first film I ever saw was Star Wars, I was 3 months old sitting on my mother’s lap. I doubt I could see the screen but my mother tells the tale that I was so calm and content. I think it was the sounds, the colors, and the comfort of people all sharing the same moment in time.

When I was about 10 years old I saw “The Gold Rush” by Charlie Chaplin on TV. Trapped in a log cabin during winter he became so hungry he ate his own shoe. For the first time my mind switched from entertainment to questioning how did they do that? I went to the library (way before a Google search) and studied Chaplin. I learned that he had shoes made of licorice and that is what he was eating. I felt as though I saw behind the curtain of the wise and powerful Wizard of OZ and saw the little man pulling the strings. From then on I wanted to know all the tricks in the movie biz.

What three pieces of advice would you give a person just starting out in filmmaking?

1. Don’t ask for permission to be a filmmaker. This doesn’t mean be a bully to people who are helping you, it means don’t wait for a producer, investor or distributor to tell you [that] you are a filmmaker. A filmmaker makes films, that’s it.
2. Make the film you can afford. Don’t make your favorite project first because there is a wicked learning curve that only making your first film can cure.
3. Do it again. Keep making films. Make the ones you can afford, make the ones that keep you up at night, put out the films that mean something strong to you.

Tell us a little about the current project(s) are you working on?

Leah Not Leia is a short I wrote and produced. It’s getting ready for its DVD release at the moment. It’s been wonderfully received at conventions and film festivals. We showed at InConjunction Science Fiction Convention, Gen Con, Geek Independent Film Festival, the Mid-American’s Filmmakers Screening and more! Many more screenings as well as an internet release is underway.

October 2nd, I wrapped on Love Dance, a short film I directed and produced. The film written by Terry Shepard is about a couple who wanders into an adult store and get a little more than they bargained for. It’s ridiculously funny, beautifully shot, and amazingly acted. I can’t wait to share it with people. It’s bound to go viral.

Next up is a short horror piece for The Collective V3: female filmmaker edition. I have two scripts that I’m deciding on. We film in November with a March release through Jabb Pictures.

Next summer I hope to be filming my first feature called Ingénue. It’s a light-sci-fi piece about a married couple that finds a human analog in their basement and through blackmail by the government is forced to care for her and teach her what it means to be human and a woman in today’s society.

How is social media factoring into how you move into pre-production marketing and awareness cultivation?  What have been the challenges with this approach?

Facebook and Twitter have been awesome for film pages and events. Because of the great feedback we know about how many people are coming to events, how many eyeballs are on a certain post, and what they thought of the film. It’s a tool for marketing and connecting with people who are diggin’ your work.

The challenges are to not to be too pushy about getting people to “Like” your film page. Posting everyday “hey ‘like’ my page” is just going to turn people off. You need to give them a reason to like the page – a new event, a new pic, a new video etc. it’s a dance between getting new fans and keeping the ones you have by not annoying them.

What do you find is usually the most expensive part of a production? How do you keep costs down?

Most expensive for me is catering. I strive to feed people well and often, after all an army runs on it stomach. On a Karmic Courage [my production company] set, you’ll find fruit, veggies, protein, and quick carbs. To keep costs down we make our own food and have the food or ingredients fan-funded. Katie Harris is a friend of mine who teaches me the value of inexpensive comfort food that crews love.

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?

Here is what I’ve done. First film, I funded myself, all $23. Second film, I asked everyone I had ever met in my entire life for donations. This created a small fan base and $1000 for production and film festival submissions. For Leah Not Leia we did a bake sale and raised $1200. Each project requires its own way of funding. I’m more of a fan of crowd-funding than a single investor.

What kind of camera(s) were used to film the project? Why was that camera selected?

On my first film, Laundry Day, I used a Sony handycam; it was what I had available and worked fine for the film. Karmic Courage productions have used a JVC-110U, a Panasonic AG-HVX200A, Canon 7D, Panasonic AG-100A and Sony Z1U. When I hire a Director of Photographer, I leave it up to him/her to use the best equipment that is available and they are familiar with.

What distribution methods are you using/planning to use for the project?

For Leah not Leia we are sending the film out to comedic film festivals and conventions. Later this year there will be an internet release as well as a DVD with never-seen-before extras.

For Love Dance, it was sent to a few comedic festivals but mostly we are looking at a  viral internet release.

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?

I really like using Facebook in conjunction with KarmicCourage.com. The Facebook fans have been great. I love the feedback. Once the film is online and able to share with others, the sky is the limit.

If you had to sum up your philosophy of how to make a film, in a tagline, what would it be?

It’s all about a good story, well told.

What’s the number one film you recommend that other filmmakers should check out?  What makes it so special to you?

That’s really tuff, films are so personal. I watch some films for performance, others for technique, others for story. For filmmakers I recommend Lost in La Mancha. It’s a documentary of a Terry Gilliam film that was doomed by weather, actors, and a crazy director. I love it.

Once you complete your current project, what future projects are on your bucket list?

Love Dance is in post-production. An untitled Horror short is in pre-production. Ingénue, a sci-fi feature is in script development with a production schedule of summer 2012.

I really want to make a film about racecar drivers. I’m a closeted gear-head and I’d love to make a project with beautiful cars – and a story. It’s a tall request, I know.

I also want to direct a film that my daughter writes. She’s an amazing writer for a 9 year old. She loves mysteries. Right now she’s obsessed with Clue and Ghost Hunters. She’s won a number of writing awards already through her school and I think if she wrote a movie, it would be an amazing gift for us to make the film together.

I want to once again thank Kate for taking time to share her thoughts and the great info on her projects (check out Leah Not Leah and her other films coming soon). I encourage you to check out what she is up to by visiting http://www.katechaplin.com/ and http://karmiccourage.wordpress.com/

Julie Stratton

Julie Stratton trains young minds in multimedia design in New Jersey and researches alternate reality gaming.