Before you read the 5 part interview you can watch the trailer for the film below.

1. What was your planned budget for the film?

Your plan at first is always very simple when it comes to the budget of your film. Get your hands on as much money as you can! We knew right off the bat that raising around $300,000 was the best target. That way we could convince actors to do the film for the SAG weekly rate and we knew we could deliver a good film for an amazing budget. Just a side note- the second you decide to shoot a film outside of North America, SAG determines that since you have the money to shoot in a foreign country you can afford to pay the SAG minimum rates. SAG will not allow you to shoot on the SAG ultra low budget scale, which if you were shooting the film in the USA they would grant you in second.

2. What was your actual budget for this film?

We managed to get the film ”in the can” for $305,000. Then after returning back to Los Angeles we had to raise an additional $100,000 to pay for all the Post Production and all the costs of delivering the film to First Look Studios and our foreign distributor as well. So in the end, the actual budget of the film came in at $438,000.

3. What were some of the biggest downfalls to working within a tight budget?

The biggest downfall is easy the fact that you don’t have money in your budget to bail you out of trouble or to after some shots in your head that you only wish you had the time and money to try and get. The upside to this battle is that you have to rely on creativity rather than money to get a lot of things done in your film and quite honestly it absolutely amazing what you can accomplish with creativity on the set.

First I’m going to say something that most first time filmmakers hate to hear.
When I usually speak to a first time filmmaker the conversation goes something like this.

Me: “So you’re film is a drama and it’s about child abuse (obvisously the subject is always different). If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your budget?”

Filmmakers reply: “We think we can get the film done for 2.5 million”.

Now, I’ve never been one to tell a filmmaker they’re crazy. Hell, I was told time and time again that “The Art of Travel” couldn’t be made for our budget of $300,000. So I never want to discourage a filmmaker. But, the one thing I’ve noticed while making indie films, it’s always a safer bet to try and make a film with a smaller budget than trying to go for over a million dollars on your first film. The distribution market in the last few years are FLOODED with lots of films and it’s so dam hard to recoup your money back on a film in the two million dollar range – UNLESSS you spend a million to get the biggest actor you can to be in the lead in your film. Sounds easier said than done. If you do manage to find an actor that will take a million dollar payday (which isn’t too difficult) then you have to convince the actor and all the agents and managers involved that you can actually make the film for a million, and if it’s your first film it’s hard to do! If you have a budget under $500,000 you can usually find a boat load of known actors who will do your film and you’ll have total control of your film!

4. Can you explain how you came up with the funding to shoot the film? Did you secure financing before you wrote the script or did you get financing after? Did you get all of your financing up front or did you need more for post production?

LaBelle, Graciano, and myself were able to use the last two films, “Somewhere” and “Border to Border” as calling cards to investors. But our one major strike against us was that both of those films had not been distributed at the time. But a budget of $300,000 was pretty easy for our investor to swallow and they knew we were using all our connections to go after new television talent, so everyone felt comfortable that we’d make back the investment. Then we also set up the fact that we would only ask for the last $100,000 if we actually did manage to come back to Los Angeles with the film “in the can”. When we did return back with a shot film, the investors had no problem giving us the last $100,000 to complete the film.

LaBelle, Graciano, and myself paid out of our own pockets for the location scout and to Central and South America. Then when we came home and wrote the script and budget was done to reflect shooting script and we could back it up by showing proof from the location scout. Our investors then felt very comfortable about everything and then we had our lawyer draft up all the contracts and then money was sent into an escrow account for us to go and make our film.

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The market right now is crazy especially when it comes to distribution.  The market is flooded with low budget films that somehow are made for under $100,000 and then find distribution.  If the distribution knows the budget of your film, they will low ball you and try and give you no advance.   They’ll tell those films that they can’t offer an advance (usually because no known actors are in it)  but they put it out all over the place and then they give you estimates that look attractive.  Then it’s a waiting game.  The reality is most films never even come close to recouping their money if you don’t have any known stars in your film.  But the catch is the distribution company will make money off your film.  If the film was made for $125,000 and they give you no advance this is a usual structure that distribution companies use.

-The Distributor get 30% right off the top of each sale.
-Then they get to recoup all the “marketing costs” (which you always try an negotiate a  “cap” on the price) and other costs which they will claim they spent over $100,000 on your film (which the actual cost is most likely $20,000)

So the company manages to get your film out there and in one year gets about $100,000 back.  They get the 30% right off the top which leave $70,000 but you signed a contract giving them $100,000 to sell your film.  They recoup $70,000 out of the $100,000 and you still owe them $30,000.  So they’ve made an easy $80,000 on your film and you still owe them money from “future sales” of the film.  This is a very basic example but it happens all the time.  If you have a lawyer during this process you can avoid being taken advantage of for the most part).

11. What was the biggest selling feature about going with your particular distributor?

First Look is a great distribution company with ties to every kind of distribution outlet out there.  They are also very good at involving the filmmaker in the whole process and they have an impressive library of films that we were proud of to be included in.

12. If you could do something over again from a distribution standpoint, what would it be?

Fight for approval on the DVD box cover art.  During the distribution process it really pays to have a strong, scary, no bullshit talking lawyer, who will fight on your behalf.  Most filmmakers skip getting a lawyer and use contracts that the distribution company used with other films (to help save you money).  If you do that, just know the distribution company now has a rope around your neck and you become their little bitch.  So one last time, GET A LAWYER!  But I just wish we had a stronger DVD box cover.

13. Now that you have distribution do you feel you’re “out of the loop”? Do you get a say on DVD cover design, promotions etc?

When most films find distribution, it’s up to the company do to all your artwork and promoting of the film.  If you manage to have a say in the artwork, it’s a miracle.  I would have to be honest and say the biggest disappointment we suffered with “The Art of Travel” was the artwork for the DVD box cover they came up with.  We tried to fight it but the bottom line is that they have final say and if you’re a low budget film, their goal is to spend the least amount of money on your film.

14. How much of a role do you play in helping to promote the film?

No one, and I mean NO ONE, will promote your film more than yourself.  You have to get out there and pound the pavement and call newspapers and film critics and e-mail websites begging them to review your film or just even mention the film in a blurb.  It’s amazing how helpful publications will be when you simply call them yourself and introduced your film to them and ask for their support.  Then it’s all up to viewers like yourself that I beg you that if you enjoy the film please tell your friends and family about it and tell them to put the film in their Nexflix Cue or rent it someplace.  If you love the film, then go buy a cheap one!

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We did a jeep stunt that cost us a pretty penny, but we wanted some action and thought the scene would help drive the story forward. As I mentioned before, the most expensive two days on the film were the two days spent shooting in Los Angeles! Here’s an example of production value for not a lot of money. My fellow writer, Brian LaBelle, really wanted helicopter shots of the Darain jungle so he paid a helicopter pilot and $500.00 and then we went up in the air and shot a whole bunch of aerial footage for hardly any money but it really does give you great production value!

16. If you could start again, is there anything you may have done to save more money, or do you think you penny pinched the best of your abilities?

Boy, that’s a hard one. I think we did extremely well with penny pinching considering we shot in five countries and covered as many locations as we did and worked with the actors that we did. Most of the time it’s usually the opposite that kills me when I think to myself “If I only had $50,000 more we could have…” But I try not to do that so much!

17. Do you feel the film was sacrificed at all being shot on a relatively small budget? If so, where can you see these compromised in the film?

Sure you tend to sacrifice a bit when you do something at a lower budget, but then at the same time that’s how you keep total control of a film. In my head, I always planned on making the Conner Layne character go through a trilogy of films. I always knew that with “The Art of Travel” we would have to beg, borrow, scrape, and steal, to get the film financed and completed. Then the second and third films would have substantially higher budgets and even more action and adventure. Even just dealing with trying to explain to studio exec’s why people would enjoy a film like “The Art of Travel” was a tough sell. The kind of traveling that our main character explores is not what most people are used to when it comes to traveling. Many people travel the world with the smallest amounts of money to get them from point “A “ to point “B”. So in order to show film people that this film takes the audience to different places, the first film was going to have to been done on a small budget. Where you’d love to have more money and maybe where I felt we compromised a slight bit was being able to use music like Aerosmith in the actual film. But we were fortunate to have Steve Bartek to come in and compose the music for the film and he did an amazing job.

18. When you were shopping your film around for distribution what was the general feeling amongst other filmmakers you met who were trying to do the same thing?

When you’re trying to find distribution you’ll always find a producer friend with a distribution horror story- picture the scene in Jaws on the boat when Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss compares their scars and tell each other scary stories. While looking for distribution all filmmakers will ask the same questions, “Did you get this, or that? Do you trust the company? Do you know anyone else who has dealt with them before on a movie? And what do they think?” Actually, the number one question asked among filmmakers, is without a doubt, “Do they actually pay their filmmakers when checks are due?” Even better is when someone tells you what they did wrong and what you should try and avoid at all costs. In the end, there just comes a point in time where you just have to take a leap of faith and believe in your film and believe deep down In your heart that everything will turn out right.

19. You have Aerosmith music in the film. How did you pull that off on such a tight budget?

We used Aerosmith in the trailer because we knew that trailer was only going to be used for private viewing. The laws are still very loose when it comes to the internet, so we are able to show the trailer with Aerosmith if it only plays on the internet and we receive no financial gain from it. There is another trailer that you can watch on Netflix and will be put up on our site in the next few days that First Look made. Unfortunately, there is no Aerosmith on it!

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When the film was done. We entered as many film festivals as possible and tried to create as much buzz as we could from those screenings. We hit over 20 film festivals alone in North America and it’s unbelievable how film festivals audiences will push a film that they felt they “discovered”. People starting blogs about the film and then we created a website that potential distributors could visit and gain more information about the film. Then what really helped was finding a Producer’s Rep to push our film to find distribution.

21. Was finding a distributor challenging?

Yes and no. It’s a challenge to find the best offer available and really believe deep in your soul the company will really push to get your film out to the movie going masses. A distributor will practically tell you what you want to hear in order to get your film and then after you’ve signed on the dotted line a few weeks later give you some kind of excuse about how it’s really going to be tough getting your film out there. There’s a million excuses in the book distribution companies love to use! We like to find someone at the company that sticks out from the rest and really try and create a relationship with them to make sure things are getting done.

22. Did you get the deal you wanted?

I would say that all the producers were about 70% happy with the distribution deal. At our level, the distribution company is going to make out much better than us, but we feel very confident in First Look that they will get us out there and in the end recoup of budget so the investors are happy with the whole process.

I’m sure a couple people are thinking right now, on average how long does it take for an investor to start getting money back? I’d say on an Indie level- three years is when money starts to come back. (The beginning being when the investor first gives you their money).

23. How are you drawing in the most attention to you film now?

Primarily through the internet and word of mouth. We’ve contact many newspapers and we’ve received a lot of support from them too and least telling readers to look out for the film. Word of mouth will be our biggest form of attention. Hint. Hint. Hint.

24. In what markets has your film seen the most financial success? (i.e. DVD? Theatrical? North America? International? Etc)

The film was just released on DVD all through out North America starting on September 2nd. Then it took about ten days for the film to get fully out there. In two weeks we’ll also be available to view online at I*tunes, Vudu, and video on demand.

You can buy the film from Amazon Here:

Buy Art of Travel – Click Here

Visit the Office Art of Travel Website – Click Here

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