Independent Filmmaker Day is a network of directors, producers, actors and creators involved in film. They help independent creators from around the world develop new projects, connect within the industry, and champion collaborative and impactful storytelling at all stages. At each one of their events, you will hear from acclaimed industry experts concerning screenwriting, producing, funding, marketing, music, post-production, and distribution.
https://www.ifilmday.com/
Panel
Sarah Marince – Host
Jade Zaroff – Co-Host
Eric Vollweiler
David Rubenstein
Transcripts from talk
Sarah Marince:
Hello, everyone. Hello? Happy Wednesday. I’m glad to be back. I missed you all last week or I guess two weeks ago, but welcome to crew talk brought to you by shoots.video. I’m Sarah and we have Jade with us today and we also have some special guests. We have David who’s here and we’re waiting on Eric. So hi David. Hello, welcome. Good. How are you doing great and Jade. Hello? Hello. We have not worked together before, but I’m excited to work together today. So David is from the independent filmmaker day and I got that title, correct? I hope did I get it awesome. Okay, cool. So we’re going to jump into that shortly, but first we’re going to go over some housekeeping notes. So if you’re new or if you’re not welcome back, but if you have any questions during the webcast, you can throw them in the Q and a box and we will get to them during the webcast. So throw them in there and yeah, we’ll get to those questions. And of course we are giving away a $50 banish gift card towards the end. So be listening in for that. Cause we will ask our giveaway question probably in about 45 minutes. So be on the lookout for that, but I guess while we’re waiting on Eric, David, we can jump in with an introduction from you. If you want to kind of tell us who you are, where you are and what you do.
David Rubenstein:
Sure. so I live in Chicago but originally from the East coast, from North Jersey right outside New York and I am an entertainment, lawyer and producer. And so what I do is I work with clients both on the legal side and the producing side of films, whether it’s representing filmmakers or studios in legal capacity or on the executive producing side, we’re all get involved in helping raising funding for films, I’ll help with bringing people to the network or bring people to the team. We’ll focus on monetization strategies like social media, foreign pre-sales product integration opportunities. And you know, basically we leave the creative for the creative. I’m not interested in interfering in any way with that, but the goal is that it’s sometimes hard to balance the creative and the business side of a film. So I’ll come in as the legal and business arm on a film and to assist in add value any way I can.
David Rubenstein:
Some of my recent credits include I helped raise funding for the film 1917, which won three Oscars. And I also helped raise funding for another film called human capital, which started Marissa Tomi and leave Shriver. And it premiered on the red carpet at the Toronto film festival. And I’m currently working on about different projects right now, all at various stages of development. So I love that part of the role and what I saw was is that while I was producing and assisting filmmakers on the legal side, the most common question I would get asked is I’ve got an idea. I’ve got a screenplay. What do I do next? And so as a result of that, we created independent filmmaker day, which is a conference on filmmaking. And the goal is to bring in speakers, talking about practical advice out in the real world that people can’t get from film school.
David Rubenstein:
You can get from reading books, you can get from reading online. You can only get from actual, real life people who are in the trenches doing it themselves. And so we bring in speakers on a variety of different topics and film everything ranging from financing and funding to foreign presales, distribution, acting, directing, editing, law, insurance all the different people that you need as part of your team to help make a film. And then what we also feature is a expert round tables, which it allows you to sit down with an expert in more of an intimate setting. So we limited to about 15 attendees and they have an opportunity to ask specific questions to the expert about their project. And then we also offer a pitch competition, which is really exciting. And we have about 40 people pitching it’s three minutes per pitch, and it’s a, like a shark tank type format. And the winner receives over $40,000 of in kind services that will make their film or TV project.
Sarah Marince:
Wow. So that’s really impressive. And it sounds like you are super busy.
David Rubenstein:
Yes. I’m juggling a lot of hats that’s for sure.
Sarah Marince:
Absolutely. And I believe Eric May have just joined us and if he did Eric, you may be on mute. I understand you are joining us via phone, but if you are, if you could unmute yourself, we would love to hear from you. David just gave us the whole scoop on independent filmmakers day. And so I would love to hear from you if if we can unmute, if not, we will just keep talking to David, but while Eric is figuring that out. So how long has this been going on? How long has this been your baby?
David Rubenstein:
So we started the event in 2009 and we originally were having our events in person alongside major film festivals, like con or Sundance. But now that we’re living in a COVID world we had to pivot. And so our last few events have been virtual. So we had a virtual event in June in November and at which we’re very successful and our next event is coming up on March 24th and 25th all on zoom. So wherever you are in the world, you’re able to participate.
Sarah Marince:
And I did see that on your website. I was looking at that before we started. So you’ve worked with multiple film festivals. How do you think the virtual independent filmmaker day will go and are there pros and cons to hosting it online?
David Rubenstein:
Well, sure. I mean, it’s, you know, it’s impossible to recreate the excitement in the room. You know, especially, you know, during the pitch competition, it gets really fun. You’re hearing, you know, different people’s pitches. Some of them are amazing. Some of them are awful but that’s part of the fun, right? That’s the part of the excitement of hearing everybody’s idea. And it’s so creative and everyone is, it’s a very supportive, it’s a very safe space. So people really feel the opportunity to kind of put themselves out there, but they’re getting great feedback, but they wouldn’t normally get. And so it’s really just a different type of learning experience. And so doing it in person, you know, has always been really fun, but doing it virtual, you know, has its benefits too, because we’re able to get better panelists than we are usually.
David Rubenstein:
Because you know, it doesn’t have to be, you know, in Sundance at that moment. And that moment in time we can get panelists from all over the country. And so that’s what we’ve got going on. So, you know, in the last couple of virtual events, we had people like Richard Dreyfus, the Oscar winner Jason Alexander from Seinfeld, Tony Shalhoub, who won an Emmy for marvelous, Mrs. Maizel ice tea. We had Graham King who was the producer for Bohemian Rhapsody and the departed and a whole host of other, you know, names, celebrities and guests. So you know, it, that, it’s a great opportunity for that. And then the other great thing about virtual is you don’t have to be in Sundancer con at the moment. So, you know, we’ve had panel attendees from all over the country. Even internationally, we had people as far as Finland and Australia who are logging in and listening to the advice. So it’s really an opportunity to expand our reach and you can, you know, jump on with us wherever you are in the world,
Sarah Marince:
You can wear your pajamas, which is the best part about doing anything over soon.
David Rubenstein:
You don’t have to leave the
Sarah Marince:
House. Exactly. You just have to look cute from here up. Very cool. So how do you pick the panelists, the panelists you just talked about where like a list, actors and directors, so like ice tea but how do you how do you pick your panelists? What is that process like?
David Rubenstein:
Oh, well, I mean, you know, what we’re looking for is really just people who are willing to give their time and energy to help upcoming filmmakers and experienced filmmakers get advice. And that’s really where it comes from. It’s a really good natured good-hearted thing of these talented people willing to give back and give advice you know, to help people. And the other idea is, is that it’s really an opportunity for people to learn in different ways. And so, you know, people, everybody learns differently. People, some people will benefit more from the panel discussions where it’s, you know, a wide ranging of topics from all different, great panelists. Some people might benefit from a smaller setting, like the expert round tables or the pitch competition. Right? So the goal is to give different sources of advice for different people the way they want to learn.
Sarah Marince:
Awesome. Do we have Eric with us yet? Eric? Can you hear us? Can you, can you speak to him?
Jade Zaroff:
Yes, please.
Sarah Marince:
He is on mute, so I don’t know if he can see that, but we can see that, but we’ll give it another minute, Eric, if you can hear us, you’re on mute and you can just unmute whenever and jump in. But can you, while we’re waiting on that David, talk to us a little bit more about the pitch competition, cause that sounds really cool.
David Rubenstein:
Oh, absolutely. It’s really, really fun and exciting. So what you, what it is is each person gets three minutes to make their pitch. And then there are, there’s a total of three judges who will each give you feedback about it. And then what we’ve done is we’ve added a fourth vote, which is an audience vote. And so it’s an opportunity for you to bring your friends and your family have them there to encourage you and watch you pitch. And then, you know, they can vote on your behalf and give you a greater likelihood of winning the prize. So it becomes a great opportunity to learn how to pitch, right? It’s, it’s a little nerve wracking if you haven’t really done much public speaking to get up and say what you want to say and do it all in three minutes, right?
David Rubenstein:
That becomes a challenge for a lot of people. And then hearing the feedback is invaluable because, you know, you don’t get that, you know, real honest feedback in the world in a safe space where, you know, a lot of times you’ll pitch, you know, producers or things and they, you know, they’ll get, they’ll either not respond or they’ll blow you off, or they say, Oh great. But we went another way, but that doesn’t give you any feedback. That’s useful to taking the next step in learning and how to do it and how to improve. So that’s the great thing about the pitch competition is really win or lose. Everybody comes out of it with something of value.
Jade Zaroff:
David, if you don’t when you say, you know, some are good, some are like on the spectrum of good and bad. What would you say are the pillars that make for a good answer,
Jade Zaroff:
Effective pitch? Well one
David Rubenstein:
Is you have to use your time effective.
Sarah Marince:
Did we just lose David this last? And he just, okay, so we lost David. So I think Blake or Corbin might want to see if we can get them back. I think Eric is still on mute. Oh, Hey David, you’re on mute. You’re on mute. So you might want all alright, cool. Let’s if you want to start that answer over again, that’d be, I don’t know if you need Jay to re-ask the question, but
David Rubenstein:
Yeah. So you’re asking about
Jade Zaroff:
What are the pillars that, that kind of define what, and you started talking about time effectively.
David Rubenstein:
Yeah. So you have to use your time effectively, right? That’s the first thing is the hardest thing for people is how do I summarize my entire idea and life into a three minutes? So, you know, before you do it, you, I, you know, I recommend practicing, you know, in front of a mirror. So you see yourself and can practice your, and also see your body language by the time yourself to see if you can get it in under three minutes and make sure you’re hitting all the core things that you want to hit, which is, you know, you want to grab them about the story initially, something unique or different that sets your project apart from everybody else. But then you also want to talk about some of the thoughts on development. You know, what kind of budget you are anticipating, what kind of genre it is. You know, if you have ideas in terms of cast who would play certain parts or you know, other people on your team that you’ve already assembled, right? You want to pitch the whole, the creative side and the business side together. And that’s really the key thing that we want to hear, because that makes us lean in and say, okay, I think this one’s got a lot of potential. You could really use the $40,000. Here you go. Hmm.
Sarah Marince:
Awesome. I’m sorry. I was just looking at my list of questions. So what advice can you give to up and coming filmmakers who are still trying to get their product known?
David Rubenstein:
Well, I mean, the, the best thing that I recommend is and lo you know, using social media is really the best thing, because it’s a very low cost. It’s accessible to everybody. And if you can create an audience that becomes exciting for people. That’s why people want to get involved. And so, you know, for example, independent filmmaker day, we’ve got over 600,000 followers on Facebook. So we are larger than every film festival in the world, except for Khan and Sundance, and we’re going after them too. But what it does is it gives us a venue for panelists to come on and join us, knowing that they not only are giving back, but they could also promote their projects, promote their films. And it becomes a great source for that. So that’s how we’ve managed to stand ourselves apart from all the different film festivals and award shows and things like that.
David Rubenstein:
So you want to do the same thing with your project, come up with a way to create a viral campaign that really sets yourself apart. And if you’ve got a lot of followers now, you’re different from all the other projects that are trying to put their things together. The other great advice is to also look at opportunities to build up your team. You know, it’s very hard to do it alone. Every film or TV project really needs a quality team and the most quality people you have around you, the better, more impression that you get when you present, you say,
Sarah Marince:
Eric, hello, Eric. Good. Are you Sarah? We have Jade here. And of course, you know, David but it’s, it’s so good to have you on and to hear your voice David was just talking about the power of social media and how important it is. But yes, welcome.
Eric Vollweiler:
Oh, thank you for having both me and David. I’m sorry. It took me so long. I’m still way behind in the technology world that I learned I’m learning. So that’s the most important thing that I am learning.
Sarah Marince:
No problem at all. No problem at all. David, I think we’ll probably swing back a little more at some point to social media and just how powerful it is. But I, Eric, if you just want to take a second and introduce yourself, just kind of where, who you are, where you are, and just like a brief sentence or two about what you do.
Eric Vollweiler:
So it’s interesting back in 2019, I was involved with artists United Sundance film festival event on main street in park city, Utah, and I was producing their party. And that’s how I actually met David. He actually was one of the attendees and Davidson and amazing gentlemen, as we all know. And so we actually, David came up with the independent filmmaker day, which is the event that we got involved with. And our first event we did was alive in 2019 during the Toronto international film festival in Toronto, Canada. And we took it off from there. So I can go more into that, but I’m actually presently in New York and my background I’ve been producing and marketing film festivals, trade shows, entertainment events parties at major film festivals, concerts. The list goes on from, I would say 2005 till present all over the U S and then with David, I’ve worked with him in Toronto as well as the UK. So that’s my background.
Sarah Marince:
Awesome. Well, it’s great to have you I’ll start with a quick question for you that we asked David earlier, but I’d love to get your answer working with multiple film festivals, how do you think this virtual independent filmmaker day will go? And what do you think are the pros and cons to hosting it online?
Eric Vollweiler:
Well, we have a great team that is w that we all on with David’s guidance. And I think because of what, you know, once COVID hit, we started it of course, online. And I think with, you know, we all work really well together. We all do different jobs, of course. And so, number one, I feel very positive that this will be a successful event, and we have some amazing panelists and speakers and judges coming up in our March event. You know, for me, the most important thing. And I think David would agree is that our goal is really to educate, you know, the up and coming the next Spielberg’s the next spike Lee’s, you know, like the our audience, I would say ranges from high school all the way to professional, and because we’re getting some of the top entertainment professionals to give their education and their passion off to our audience members regards to COVID and in regards to online, it’s definitely, you know, for me, my background is raising money through sponsorship and advertising, and it, it has been a challenge, but I think it’s getting better because as things are getting better within the country and internationally, it’s getting a little easier.
Eric Vollweiler:
I mean, you know, production is starting up again throughout the Hollywood system and kind of all over the world, as we see. And you know, we’re excited, both me and David and the rest of our team, I know, are really excited to get back to the live event. But we have been pretty successful overall in our past you know, online events. And I think that for me, I like to be networking face to face. I think in general, face-to-face is probably the easiest and probably the funnest way to be at an event and be able to, you know, talk with one another. But online for now is, you know, the way it is. And so we have to kind of deal with that.
Sarah Marince:
I mean, online is the way it’s going right now, but yeah, hopefully it won’t be long before we can all network in person. Cause I think everyone misses that. So how, how has it grown each year in ways that you didn’t expect?
Eric Vollweiler:
I like, I, I think it’s just that, you know, as, even with my background with the sponsorships and advertising, I think, you know, people they want to support independent film in general, and I think, you know, independent film to me and it always has been this way is a big diversity bringing people together of all types. And, you know, there’s more independent films that are made than motion pictures and Hollywood films in general. I also know that, you know, with the independent film world, you know, we cater to a higher income level audience sort of like Broadway’s audience, I’ve sort of compare it to like Broadway theater. And I, you know, I think just with the caliber of the Oscar winner producers we’ve had from like Bruce Cohen, who did American beauty and silver linings playbook and the movie milk too, like David said, Graham King, I mean, you know, this is you can’t read, you can’t get this information in a book you can’t go to a private or a public film school and get this information. I mean, this is like, you know, this is the I think one of the best ways of, you know, being involved with our event as an attendee and an audience member, you know, this knowledge is going to help filmmakers no matter if they’re hobbyists or professionals.
Sarah Marince:
Absolutely. And Michael in the chat box just said, it’s amazing that producers are putting out film. It’s an in series in a COVID environment. Are both of you surprises, how much content is coming out and is available for your film festival?
Eric Vollweiler:
Well, again, this is not a film festival. This is more of a conference. We call it a conference, go ahead, David. I’ll let David.
David Rubenstein:
I was just going to say, you know, for producers money never sleeps. You know? So even though, yeah, we’re living in a COVID world, people are getting creative and they’re trying to figure out ways how to put films together. I know, I think Tyler Perry, you know, had people like all sit in a bubble, like he flew everyone down to Atlanta and had like a bubble atmosphere just so you can get people together to make a film. And you know, there are other different experiences like that. Another big thing has been a push to animation. That’s been a big thing, right? Cause you don’t need people to be near each other to create those kinds of experiences at opportunities. And we’ve got an amazing animator being on our panel come March 24th, a gentleman named James Paris. Who’s the, our animation director for everything from who’s involved in original Disney classics, like lion King and Woodlawn and Pocahontas.
David Rubenstein:
And then he worked on special effects type things on X-Men Spiderman transformers. Then he’s now doing shows on Nickelodeon like Wiley Kazam. And it shows on Apple plus like Doug unplugged and you know, he’s got an, a wealth of experience and all these different genres about working with the streaming companies, how to work with companies, large like Disney other networks. And so that’s really been a big focus on a lot of people say, Hey, if we can’t have people in person, let’s make them all animated. Right. And that’s another way to pivot and kind of think outside the box,
Sarah Marince:
What are some other ways that people can, or are thinking outside of the box and really getting creative that you’ve seen.
Eric Vollweiler:
Okay. Thank you. I mean, so are we talking about filmmaking or we’re talking about performing, are we talking about, I mean,
Sarah Marince:
Filmmaking is what I meant, but if you can answer with whatever.
Eric Vollweiler:
Right now I think people in a way COVID has made it easier for say screenwriters, right. Because they’re home so they can focus on writing and, you know, I think regards to out of box. I mean, I think there’s definitely been, you know, people are definitely excited to get out in the real world again, but I think there’s been for this last year, there’s probably so much creation that’s going on around the globe that we don’t know yet and we’re going to get hit hardcore with it. I think, you know, I think it’s a, in a way it’s been a blessing in a way kind of waking up to, to this, to this situation. And I think you know, I mean, I know production is going to get better. I know, you know, filmmaking and performers and actors are going to get back out there. And, you know, my background is actually in the theater world. So I went from theater into film and, you know, I know a lot of people miss, you know, the theater aspect of going to a theater, no matter if it’s a film, you know, like a movie theater or a, you know, a stage theater. But yeah. I don’t know if that answers what you’re looking for.
Sarah Marince:
Yeah. David, did you have anything you wanted to add?
David Rubenstein:
Yeah, I mean, what’s interesting is, is people are getting creative. So one of our panelists is Thomas Jane who was originally in the HBO show hung. And now he’s on the show expanse, which is on Amazon prime and he’s, you know, been in over 50 films and what he did over COVID is he made a special like web series with an Haitian and the two of them kinda monitored like their daily lives of going through COVID, especially like during the outbreak. And they turned that into a show and, and a film that they’re going to be showcasing at film festivals going forward. So a lot of people have the opportunity to get creative and to think outside the box on those kinds of ideas.
Sarah Marince:
Absolutely. I mean, yeah, if we were all forced to stay inside, but I think it did spark some creative creativity for a lot of people, which was, it’s kind of interesting to watch. It’s fun to see. So what would you say is the best what would be the best way for guests to get the most out of your event?
Eric Vollweiler:
That, I mean, first by knowing what they, you know, what’s the most important topic, you know, so for example, we have different subjects with our panels, which are, you know, again, and David would agree that, you know, in general filmmakers want the two most important topics in, or film financing, how you’re going to raise money. Is it crowd funding? Is it, you know, throwing a gala and hoping you’ll have 300 people show up or is it using your car? I mean, there’s different ways of course, you know, raise money, but you know, really understanding that method and the right way to do it. I also think you know, we also have another panel on distribution. And then I think, you know my, my thing overall is no matter if you’re a filmmaker or you’re a performer, the goal is just to do it. And that means it doesn’t matter what level somebody is on. And I think our event definitely offers, you know, that motivation and that you know, that drive to actually, you know, no matter again, if you’re a hobbyist or a professional, it, it definitely gives that, you know, that atmosphere and the communication between our panelists and people working on our event to really help people. And that’s why, that’s why we do this.
David Rubenstein:
Yeah. I mean, just to echo what Eric saying we’re offering an all access pass for $195. So which is almost 50% off the total price of everything. So it becomes a really, an amazing opportunity to take advantage of all the events that we’re offering, which are panel discussions, expert, round tables, seminars pitch competition, after party, all of these great things. And one thing we’re doing this year which is unique and special is we’re offering during the panels. We’re going to have a special panel on direct access, speed dating round. Because some of the feedback that we got is, you know, some of the things that filmmakers or people interested in entertainment are really looking for is that, that connection with the filmmaker or the connection with the producer or connection with a film finance person or a distributor, right, that they can’t get out in the real world, they can’t get a meeting with those people. Now’s your chance to have that meeting and we’ll publish the relationship.
Sarah Marince:
I love that. And I will say that works. So just going to voiceover conferences, I know they do the same thing with like speed date, your demo reel or something, you know, things like that. And so those speed dating type meetings and just different things at conferences, those are great because you are in front of the people that you really wouldn’t have the chance to meet, and they’re hearing your stuff, or you’re seeing your content. And you’re making those connections that lead to you don’t even know what down the road. So I think that’s a great idea. So people who buy the past can tune into that and they can tune into the pitch competition. But what’s the after-party,
David Rubenstein:
I’ll have to, you’ll have to come to find out.
Sarah Marince:
That sounds like a lot of fun.
David Rubenstein:
Yeah, it’s, it’s a, it’s a virtual party obviously, but it gets really fun because it’s on the evening of March 25th. So it’s immediately following the pitch competition. So it starts around 10:00 PM Eastern and lasts till about 1130 Eastern. And it’s a great way to network with all the people that you just heard pitched all of the people that you heard on the panels and really a chance to network. And that’s what, especially in COVID times, that’s what people are really embracing these days is just the chance to connect with people because you can, you can’t attend the social functions anymore. So this becomes another way to really engage with the people you just had this great experience with
Sarah Marince:
People are craving it. They want to talk to people. They want to network. They want to talk about what they’re doing. So I think that’s fantastic. Yeah. Yeah. I would love to explore the social media conversation a little bit more as well, because I find that consumption is so heavy on social media and distribution, even on social media, seems like an effective route to go a lot of the time with a lot of projects, especially short form content. So what are your thoughts in how, how much it’s prioritized or looked at when something is being pitched as a whole and what that following looks like?
David Rubenstein:
Eric, do you want to go first?
Eric Vollweiler:
Oh yeah, definitely. I think right now we’re not this is a good quote. We’re not back in the nineties or over the early two thousands over everything is done by social media. So, you know, every company has Facebook to promote their products or Instagram or LinkedIn or Twitter, or, you know, like this is I think the future is that everything is going to be promoted this way from now. It’s going to go even further. It’s very important to have different platforms and to build followers because that’s going to drive more business to your product or your services or your film or your performance, whatever the case may be. And what was the second question? That was a good question. By the way. That was a great question by the way.
Sarah Marince:
Oh yeah, no, I mean, I think, I think, I think social media is just so it’s, it’s it’s almost, it’s it’s, you can’t ignore the fact that it’s such a driving force of content right now. Correct. And so just how, how heavy is it prioritized in terms of looking at following and, and when something is pitched, when something’s developing looking at what is the fall, what is the following? What, what’s the,
Eric Vollweiler:
Yeah, I guess, I think depending on the topic, I mean, just like looking at the news and media, how much it’s driven. Right. I mean, again, it’s, it could be any, it depends on the subject, of course, but I think that, you know, again, the goal is to create and build an audience that will follow your event or your you know, your speaker, you know, in our, our field. And I think it’s positive. I mean, sometimes social media can be negative, but I think in overall, if it’s truthful, honest, and you know, it definitely, if it’s, you know, it relates to a subject that people are interested, you will build more followers and you’ll be able to be more successful in today’s society.
David Rubenstein:
Yeah. I mean, just, just to follow up on that, I think that I’ve been working with producers a long time and there’s always been a traditional way of marketing your film. Right. They talk, they have advertisements on TV, they have billboards, you know, ads in the newspaper. Well guess what? None of that’s happening anymore. People aren’t driving, they’re staying home. So they’re not seeing billboards people on TV don’t want commercials. That’s why they created DVR’d newspaper. What’s that I’m my daughter doesn’t even know what a newspaper is. Right. Your daughter I’ve got a daughter who’s 10 years old, wild. And yeah. Ask her what a newspaper is. She has no clue. Right. It doesn’t exist. All her news is online. Right. So, you know what, well, how do you take advantage of that? And the, and the, the answer is it’s social media and the truth is most producers.
David Rubenstein:
And most Hollywood filmmakers have not really taken advantage of it because they don’t really know how to use it. You know, they treated as you know, a place where they just post every once in a while they say, Oh, you know, we’ve got a Facebook page for the movie. Okay. That’s great. And you post it when the movie coming out and you post when it’s on DVD and that’s about it, I guess what, no, one’s interested because even though want to be sold things, people don’t want to feel like they’re getting bombarded with ads. Right? So the goal is to create viral content that can be shared that people, they don’t feel like people are asking you to pay every two seconds right there. No, one’s interested in that. They want to get content that makes them feel something that makes them think something, and then they’ll share with their friends, right.
David Rubenstein:
And that’s creating the conversation and community that what we try to achieve at independent filmmaker day is that sort of a embodiment of what a community really is. It’s a place it’s almost like a coffee shop, right? Where people can share ideas and enjoy each other’s company. It’s not a place where you feel like you’re bombarded with sales and ads every day, and people trying to sell you something. And so the goal is to provide advice and help and thought thoughtful articles, interesting video content and that’s what gets people excited. That’s what gets people feeling and attachment and inclusion for the event and people in the films that we work on and the films that we help promote, we aim to try to create that same
Sarah Marince:
And tastic. We have a question from Doug Morris. Hi, Doug. Doug’s with us. I think every, every week, every time we have a webcast. So hi, Doug, thanks for joining us. And this is for David or Eric, and he says, of course, it’s only speculation on my part, but it seems like once people can return to theaters, there’s enough pent up demand for a resurgence and movie going, what are your thoughts on this thinking? Thank you.
Eric Vollweiler:
I like to say, for example, here in New York theaters are starting to open up, but they’re not full capacity. I think that will probably be the norm for a lot of theaters around the country. But again, you have some of the top theater chains possibly going bankrupt right now as well. You know, so I don’t think it’s going to get back to the norm for at least another year. So I would say 2022, possibly, I think, you know, I know film festivals are going to go live, but I’ve also heard that film festivals, again, that I’ve worked on are going to go half and half. That means they’ll do virtual, you know, online as well as do live. So the people that are, that don’t want to attend on a live atmosphere, they can still watch the films and get, you know, be able to see all the films online as well. That, because that’s another benefit about online festivals. I was going to go back to that really fast is that you do get to see more content on, you know, a film platform, you know, so for example, Disney and Netflix and Amazon, and the different platforms like that. But the film festivals have followed that ploy platform. Like, I mean, Sundance, their festival is very successful this year and you know, that was online. So,
David Rubenstein:
Yeah, I think what’s really interesting is there’s been a change in the law. So there was a law created back in like 1930s and forties, and my quote, unquote golden age of Hollywood, where they re they Congress passed a law saying that studios could not own movie theaters because it monopolized the content that people would see. Right. If, if the studios on the movie there is, you could only see their movies and no one else’s. And that would prevent people from being able to see what other people were making. That rule just changed in the last year or so. No one really knows this, but Congress changed that law to now allow studios to own their own movie theaters. So what I think the future of movie going experience is going to be is you’re going to start seeing Netflix movie theaters or Amazon movie theaters or Disney plus movie theaters, right.
David Rubenstein:
Because companies like AMC might be out of business, so who’s going to replace it. And so you’re going to have them creating these theaters. And what they’re going to do most likely is realize that it’s not just about seeing the movie, right? Cause you could see the movie at home. It’s about creating interactive experience when you go to the theater. So you might see, you know, at a Disney plus theater, there’s Mickey mouse, you know, standing there degrees to you and signing autographs, or you might see a merry-go-round or you might see rides or, you know, things like that. You know, the teacups like at Disney world, but they’re at the movie theater, right. That’s how you’re going to get your kids or other people to say, yeah, let’s actually get up and go to the movie. It’s worth the extra money now because it’s part of an interactive experience. So we’re, we’re going to see a lot of interesting things coming down the pike that you know, are very new and novel to the industry, but I think it’s going to make it a better overall experience.
Sarah Marince:
That’s just so interesting when you were talking about that, my brain was like, Oh wow. Like what could these movie theaters look like? And I don’t know how many years, but like, that’s just crazy. Like my mind just started drifting and thinking of like all the crazy things that movie theaters could become under new ownership. That’s very cool. Netflix and chill. Yeah. Netflix and chill. Like a lot of first dates probably happened. It’s a little contradicting with the COVID thing. Right. That’s what a few years down the line that maybe what we see, but yes,
David Rubenstein:
As you think about it, right. Have the movie theaters really changed in the last 50 years, right. They really haven’t. Other than the raise, the price of the, of the popcorn, but the actual setup and experience is basically the same and hasn’t changed. Right. So now is an opportunity for people to really innovate and create a different experience. And they’re gonna need to to get people off the couch.
Sarah Marince:
Absolutely. Michael asks the question, pop up theaters were coming up a couple of years ago. Do you see that trend?
David Rubenstein:
Oh, absolutely. I think that’s a great idea. You know, I, I live, I live in here in Chicago and they had a a pop-up restaurant that was a saved by the bell restaurant. And for the people who, you know, my age grew up on like shows like that, it was really fun. Like you go and you’re sitting in the max and, you know, it’s and people from the cast would like randomly show up and things like that. So you can imagine the same thing for a movie theater, right? Why not? There are, there are all these empty retail spaces right now. So why not convert them into a pop-up movie theater you might have, you know, on a given night you might have people from the cast showing up or the director showing up. And that makes it fun. That makes it interesting. Right? absolutely. I think it’s a great idea and I don’t, I don’t see why it couldn’t work, but you have to market it. You have to know the right way to get the attention and the word out that’s right.
Sarah Marince:
Social media all comes back to social media. Very cool. So we have our $50 BNH giveaway coming up in a few moments. But before that, I guess we can get one more one more question. So let’s see, what’s the best way to stay in touch with you guys for future collaboration?
Eric Vollweiler:
So I, actually, my website is the bowl Wyler agency.com, which is the new company I launched. So that’s my spelled V as in Victor, O L L w E I L E R and then the word agency.com. And my email is Eric at the vole Wyler agency.com.
Sarah Marince:
Cool. What about you, David?
David Rubenstein:
I just, Eric, I typed your info into the chat box and I’ll do my mine. So you can check us out at I filmed a.com. That’s our website for independent filmmaker day. My email address is D [email protected]. And then we would love to have everybody appear for our event and attend our event and I’ll post the link in the chat box as well. And if you will, what we’re offering is a special discount code for anyone who’s here. So if you use the discount code, I F D E V 10, you’ll get 10% off any ticket that you purchase.
Sarah Marince:
Awesome. Very cool. And I know I had another question. So if you buy a ticket and say you can’t watch something for whatever reason will the panels be taped that you can go back and rewatch later.
David Rubenstein:
Yeah. So what we do is we record everything and then we have a library of information and what we’re going to be doing is we’re going to be rolling out a membership program where you can become a member of IFD for the month or a year. And as part of that, you’ll have access to all of our library of all of the panels and events that we filmed over the last two years. So every, you know, don’t feel bad if you Ms. Richard Dreyfus talking about jaws or Graham King, you know, who’s the producer Bohemian Rhapsody talking about his experience with queen and getting the film done. All of it will be available to any member.
Sarah Marince:
Very cool. That’s good to know. And that’s, that’s great. Thank you very much for that. So right now we’re going to take a moment to give away our $50 BNH gift card. Are you ready, guys? I’m going to ask my question. So you know what to do if you’ve been here before, you know what to do, go to the shoot stop video website. So I’m going to give you 30 seconds to get there. The shoot stop video website, you know where it is. Okay. But my question and David and Eric, I’m sorry, you can’t play along. So you’ve just got to listen and you can’t win what video displays first in the portfolio section. So what video displays first in the portfolio section type your answer in the chat box or in the Q and a box. Okay. And Blake, Blake put us the website in there.
Sarah Marince:
All right. Do we have a winner? I, I think I see who won, but one time I called out the wrong answer. So I am not going to call out any winners. I’m going to wait until Corbin or Blake gives me the answer. Doug. Got it. Okay. So Doug got it. Thank you, Blake. Congratulations, Doug. I think this might be the first time you’ve won. So congratulations on your BNH gift card. A great place to win a gift card. Everyone loves being an ATA duck. First time is right. All right. That’s awesome. Yay. That was quick too. We’re getting good with the BNH giveaway. Cool. well thank you, David and Eric. And before we go, one question that I like to personally ask everybody as what’s a piece of advice that you’ve received, whether it’s early on in your career or just kind of throughout your career that has really helped you, that you would pass along to somebody else. David, you can go first or Eric, you seemed like you were ready to answer so you can go.
Eric Vollweiler:
No, I’ll let David go first
David Rubenstein:
A piece of advice. Well, I think I think the key thing for me was that the, for filmmaking is a to treat it like a business. That’s the most important thing, you know, even though it is, it is, you know, an hour and a passion and, and all these things, if you really want to be successful at it, you have to treat it like a business. You have to treat it like you’re, you know, going to work at 9:00 AM and you’re finishing it at 5:00 PM and you’re, you know, setting up meetings and, you know, using your resources, your time, your money keeping appointments when people say you know, call me or this, they’re you make a commitment to call them, actually fulfill it, actually, you know, showing up is half that battle. So, you know, it’s very important that if you treat it like a business, you plan it out, you make a budget and make plans for yourself, goals, realistic goals for yourself. You have a much better chance of success.
Sarah Marince:
That’s great advice that B word, I don’t love that word budget, but I know we all have to do it. What about you, Eric?
Eric Vollweiler:
I have a couple of things, but I would say the number one thing is if you’re going to be a filmmaker or again, because my background was in acting as well, don’t do it because of sick. You know, don’t do it because of fame or money do it because you want to succeed and you do it for love and passion. You know, so I would also say that as for a filmmaker go out and just make it, and what that means is, you know, no matter how good or bad it is the fact is that the goal is just to accomplish it on that level and, you know, whatever it takes, just do it your first, no matter if you’re doing a shorter feature, because at the end of the day, everything’s about learning and they will definitely get you to the next step. And I think my last thing would be is that there are definitely people like myself that I would let you know, please contact me. You know, my goal is I believe in helping people. And I believe in this industry, like for example, with our event, our goal is definitely to help and really get, you know, like I said, we want to make people grow, learn and, you know, be successful with what’s their hobbies are careers are so that I would say, that’s it
Sarah Marince:
Awesome. Now you guys, you can tell you’re definitely all about helping people. And I think that’s wonderful because that’s what you need in this industry, right? Absolutely. Yeah. Do we have time for one more? Absolutely. Okay. I’m curious also on a personal level, like how both of you got started in what you do
Eric Vollweiler:
Do you want, do you want to go first because mine. All right. So all right. Well, my background actually was so I graduated, I went to school in upstate New York and I said to myself, I’m going to move to Manhattan and like right out of high school, back in the nineties. And so I went after I wanted to be an actor and a model. So I moved to Manhattan. And from being in upstate New York, Manhattan is definitely a little different and we’re talking about way upstate. I get to Manhattan. And I realized that I found out that the club scene New York club scene actually took over everything. And I learned what a club promoter did. So that got me into basically promoting nightclubs and Manhattan back, you know, from that I went into theater and what I learned from the New York club scenes when I started community college in upstate New York, I was able to sell out theater, like sell out, plays from my experience, from the clubs from theater I went into, I did a lot of internships and that’s what I’m trying to say.
Eric Vollweiler:
And it doesn’t matter how old you are to do an internship because really it’s, it’s getting you further. I did about 12 to 13 different internships from a PR and marketing and theater to casting to and then the list goes on. But so I guess what I’m trying to say is, yeah. I got involved with film festivals and events in Los Angeles after I finished my internship at a movie studio in casting. And from there, I just, I’ve been doing it for the last going on almost 17 years of producing and marketing of film, festivals and events. And but I would say it’s all about learning and learning from everyone on all different aspects. It’s sort of like the producer, a producer starts out as a PA and works his way up, sort of that kind of you know, that’s the sort of pattern following. So I hope that there’s a lot more, I mean, you can, it goes on and on and on, but go ahead, David
Sarah Marince:
Or David, sorry, I don’t know why I said Doug. He, cause I just saw his name. He looked, he won.
David Rubenstein:
Yeah. So my experience is that I I went to college at Tufts university in Boston, then went to law school at university of Miami in Florida, then went back to New Jersey and worked as an attorney for about 15 years and was focused primarily in business law, representing companies involved in different levels of litigation and corporate law. And I started my own law firm about eight years ago. And along the way I, I met a partner who specializes in entertainment law. And I brought him into my firm and the idea was to work together for a few years, have him kind of show me the ropes. And then he would kind of go off into the sunset as kind of like a mentor mentee relationship. And that was very successful, worked really well. And that opened my eyes to all of the great entertainment experiences they were because each film or each TV project is essentially its own business.
David Rubenstein:
And it has to be operated that way. It has to have a budget, sorry, Sarah it’s got to have you know, a team in place. It’s got to have insurance, it’s got to have funding, it’s got to have people operating agreements, contracts, people, understanding who’s the decision maker, how you make decisions. And so my experience kind of led into that. And then once I got involved in the filmmaking, you know, it got to be exciting to skin involved in adding value to help produce films and raise money for films and contribute in other ways that I could help make sure that they make a profit in their films. So then they can go ahead and make their second film. Right. And that’s the goal. So that became my, my experience. And when we run independent filmmaker day, that’s the same goal. We’re trying to add value wherever we can, trying to make it as successful as possible for you to help you realize your dreams.
Sarah Marince:
Wonderful. You both have great backstories and I know it, you know, it’s hard to sum it all up into 30 seconds, but I know it took a lot of hard work and internships to get where you are today.
Eric Vollweiler:
Yes. Thank you for sure. Thank you very much. And again, thank you for having us and you guys are actually one of our supporters of the event, so we’re really excited about that.
Sarah Marince:
Oh, of course then I’m, I’m sure everyone who’s tuning in right now will be part of the event and they haven’t purchased their tickets already. We’ll be doing so soon with the discount code that we put it in the box, I believe. Right. Did we put the, okay, perfect. So in the box you didn’t see that
Eric Vollweiler:
10 number 10,
Sarah Marince:
So make sure you get that when you get your tickets and yes. Thank you, David and Eric for joining us today and Jade, my co-host for today. Thank you guys so much.
Eric Vollweiler:
Thanks for having us. Thank you.
Sarah Marince:
Have a great rest of your week, everyone. Jade, by the way, and I forgot to do this. If you want to just kind of say your website or your socials before we sign off. Yeah, no worries. Yeah, I’m, I’m a actress producer. I am a founder of a nonprofit organization that uses art for social and environmental activism. And my website is Jadezaroff.com. The nonprofit is entertainmentforchange.com. Wonderful, cool, awesome. And I am Sarah Marince. You can find my voiceover stuff and contact info at SarahMarince.com and on Instagram at Sarah Marince. We’ll see you guys next time. Thank you guys so much. Bye.
