Director John Putch Interview
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Interview With director John Putch By Chris 21/9/09
John Putch has directors some great movies including one of my favorites Bachelorman, I intervewed him about his newest movies Rout 30 and Mojave Phone Booth both worth checking out so read on.
1. How did the film come about?
I was sick of being back seat directed by companies. watch this short for more info. http://mojavephonebooth.net/MPB_BTS_MOVIE.html
2. What was the inspiration behind the story?
MPB: fight back and make a thought provoking film that had no ties to sales or making money.
RT30: go back out there and have more fun and make it even lighter than MPB. plus i had some personal stuff i wanted to get off my chest.
3. How long did it take to film the movie?
MPB: 15 day shoot, 9 months to finish.
RT30: 18 day shoot, 9 months to finish
4. How was the process of choosing the actors for the film like?
I cast both films out of my phone book. all actors in both films I’ve either worked with before or are friends with.
5. Was it hard to edit the film to make the story flow?
i love editing. the more films you make the more you realize you can do just about anything in editorial later if you have an open mind. I’m a big fan of chopping the fat out right away. I do not linger on anything that I don’t think will hold anyone’s interest. some might say to a fault.
6. Has the film had much international sales yet?
MPB’s foreign sales are lackluster. dark dramas are not in favor apparently. RT30 however shows greater promise because it is labeled as a comedy. HBO central europe has bought it for a 2 year run starting this summer.
8. Were you happy the way the film turned out?
I love how RT30 turned out. when i show it, it touches and pleases everyone. they leave the theater feeling good, warm. MPB is a darker horse. I find it has a more limited appeal. but that is not a bad thing. I did not set out to make these films for someone else. Like a painting or a sculpture, these little movies are gems that were not made for hire.
9. Was it hard to make the film with a very little budget?
yes and no. but in the end no. i find that the less you have, the easier it is because decisions are automatically made for you because everything is based on ‘what you can accomplish’ with what little you have. it also focuses the story automatically for you. if there are too many choices or ways to skin a cat, then you end up not committing to any one way. this equals vanilla to me. so the less you have, the easier it is. logistially, these micro budget movies are only hard if you are not an organized person. you have to be hyper organized, and you have to get off on being that way.
10. What have been the responses so far to the film been like?
MPB: 51 festivals and 15 awards
RT30 45 festivals and 16 awards
I find the response i most receive is astonishment that they cost so little and look and sound so great. with professional actors, director and screenplay, your movie does not have to cost several million bucks to be valid or viable. The big secret about the movie and TV biz is everyone is ripping each other off with what things cost and how much we get paid. I’ve often thought if there was a salary cap instituted in show business, and folks actually had to toil a bit more for their pay, 75% of the riff raff would drop off. all that would be left are the people who love to make movies and tell stories.
11. Was it hard to get finance for the film?
MPB was financed by me. I put up 40K, but in the end the movie really cost around 50-52 with all the expenses that occurred after shooting.
RT30 to date is weighing in around 65K. In this case, i offered my distributor from MPB a share in the participation pool for half the start up. which was 25K. I have financed the rest. My finance partner is now a shareholder and has the exclusive right to distribute the picture. This makes sense for me since I do not have to search for a distributor now. and it behooves him to sell the movie so he can get his share back plus profits.
12. What did you learn from making of this film that you can use for
future features?
smaller the better. less professional more fun. find a way to keep doing it. don’t let anyone infect your mind about who should be in your film and why it won’t sell if you don’t make it this or that.
13. Has the internet played a good part in promoting the film and
generating sales?
good lord yes! the internet is all we have. the more festivals you can place your film in, the more hits the title will generate on a search engine. this is the backbone of internet awareness. its also so easy to get a review now. before you had to beg a news paper to run a story or a review on your film when it played at a fest. now its easy.
14. What was the editing process like for the film?
supremely enjoyable. i sit here in my home office with my macpro and firewire hard drives and happily cut away.
15. Is their anything you wouldn’t do next time that you did this
time in regards to making of the film?
i will try to avoid car driving interiors. even on little movies with little cameras, they are a pain i the ass. I want to try all driving, day or night using green screen. it will be fun to test the limits of that. 5 years ago before HD a low buget movie could never attempt GS because you needed to hire an FX company to composite the shots. today, i can do this here on my mac using motion, or after effects or even FcP in a pinch. its fantastic.
16. What next for yourself?
I’ve decided i’m not done with South central Pennsylvania yet and will make ROUTE 30 a trilogy. the 2nd script is already written and cast. I just need to find some cash to get it shot. on the job front, i just completed directing Universal’s popular franchise AMERICAN PIE: book of love (7). and i’m back to Ugly Betty and Scrubs in the fall.
17. Did the actors stay pretty much to the script or was improv allowed?
improve is allowed, but not encouraged. if someone comes up with a great line or thing to do, then by all means i want them to do it. but i do not want to deviate from the script too much. coming from a theater background, the script ruled and should be respected.
18. Were their any major problems when making the film?
RT30: we had a drought and had to have water trucked in to one of the residences where we were shooting and staying.
19. Is it hard to make an independent film in this day and age?
Not if you have the right attitude. most people need to get over themselves and just concentrate on the story. but i’ve found that the mystery, power and allure of filmmaking turns normal people into monsters. and i can spot them a mile away. how do i know this? I used to be one of those idiots. don’t get me started on new film makers who think their shit don’t smell. they all learn the lesson at the hand of humiliation soon enough.
20. What advice can you give to some one wanting to make a independent film?
stop finding ways to convince yourself that your film is not valid or viable. don’t judge yourself. get a camera, some actors and go off and shoot some stuff. you can practice anytime with a cheap HD camera and completely post it in FCP.
also- decide why you are making the film. are you a whore who wants to be famous? are you an artist who wants to express something? are you doing it for money? you need to decide who you are and why you are needing to do it. I find that most people think they want to make movies cause they’ve watched them all their lives and the glamour is too powerful to ignore. then when they get into it, they see its not so glamourous and they lose interest. by that time, money and time has been wasted. if you are not from the creative arts world, then making a film will probably be a disappointing endeavor for you. most folks don’t realize you need talent for this, and if they discover they do not have the talent, become frustrated and depressed. but i guess that last comment could be applied to any profession.
