Shoot Me : Independent Filmmaking From Creative Concept to Rousing Release

indieWIRE's Bookshelf: Collette, Hoberman, Simonelli, Frumkes & More -- by Brandon Judell -- Rocco Simonelli and Roy Frumkes both teach film at New York's School of Visual Arts. They also wrote the screenplays for "The Substitute" and "The Johnsons." Frumkes additionally helmed "Document of the Dead" (1989), a not-bad documentary about George Romero that compares the King of the Living Dead to Hitchcock and other masters. Now the duo have teamed up and scribed "Shoot Me: Independent Filmmaking From Creative Concept to Rousing Release" (Allworth Press; $19.95). This might be their most successful partnering. After all, every one of their students will have to buy copies, plus Wes Craven has already raved that the authors "know the film business like Dante knew hell." Thankfully, Wes wasn't bull-----ing us. "Shoot Me" has to be one of the best books out there right now on making an indie film from scratch. We get to experience each anxiety-filled moment as Rocco and Roy put together their independent feature, "The Sweet Life." We get to see an actual "collaboration agreement." We learn how to budget a film (working in digital saved the project $750,000) and why storyboarding is so important. But there are little tidbits of info you might not ever think of asking, like how to raise money to make an unprofitable short? For first-time filmmakers, offer "a potential investor points not only in your short thesis/independent project, but in the first feature you produce, so that for the money they invest in the short, they go along for the ride and benefit down the road of your career." There are also unpleasant surprises: "At least during production, shooting in digital video did not lessen the need for a full crew." Written in an acceptably "one-of-the-guys" lively manner, "Shoot Me" is a top candidate for being the filmmaking bible of the moment. When The Script Says Shoot Me And Hollywood Says No, Your Only Alternative Is To Raise The Money And Do It Yourself. Here's How Screenwriters Roy Frumkes And Rocco Simonelli Used Digital Video To Do Just That. This Unvarnished Look At Independent Filmmaking Chronicles Both The Creative Intricacies Of Collaboration And The Tricks Of Staying In Budget And Out Of Court. The Authors Compare Notes As They Describe The Entire Filmmaking Process.--jacket. Where It Begins / Rocco Simonelli -- Just When I Thought I Was Out, I Pulled Myself Back In ...! / Roy Frumkes -- Where It Really Begins: The Script / Rs -- Stalking The Money / Rf -- First Comes Development -- Legal Fees -- Various Entities To Choose From -- Other Development Expenses -- Development Money For Talent -- The Development Pitch -- Casting / Rs -- The Name And Mr. No-name / Rs -- The Producer As Seducer / Rf -- Make Your Business Plan Irresistible -- Fast-forward To Late In Postproduction -- Shooting The Movie / Rs -- First Week--or, Learning How To Swim By Diving In The Deep End -- Up Against The Fates / Rf -- The Indie Producer's Goal -- In Search Of The Elusive Dream Team -- A Risky Production Decision -- The Big Red Circle: Facing The Day You Fear The Most / Rs -- Circling The Perimenter / Rf -- My Personal Demons -- Dealing With Sag Requirements -- Making The Mistake Of Feeling Happy And Other Crises / Rs -- Hogs, Heifers, And Guerillas: The Locations Issue / Rf -- The Little Location That Wouldn't -- Shooting At A School -- A Bar With Headroom -- A Stolen Location -- A Conspiracy Of Cooler Heads -- A Benefit Of Friends -- School Days / Rs -- The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly / Rs -- The Good -- The Bad -- The Ugly -- The Editing Room: Where It Begins Again / Rs -- Preparing For Launch / Rf -- Foreign Representation -- Ongoing Expenses And Publicity -- An Interview With Ted Bonnitt -- An Interview With Michael Ellenbogen -- An Interview With Richard Dutcher. Rocco Simonelli And Roy Frumkes. Includes Index. For any film student or indie buff seeking an insider's perspective of the art and business of independent film-making, it doesn't get any closer than this. When the script says "shoot me" and Hollywood says no, your only alternative is to raise the money and do it yourself. Here's how screenwriters Roy Frumkes and Rocco Simonelli used digital video to do just that. Witty, original, and ruthlessly on the mark, this unvarnished look at independent film-making chronicles both the creative intricacies of collaboration and the tricks of staying in budget and out of court. The authors compare notes as they describe the entire film-making process, with coverage * Targeting the audience for the script and tailoring the script for the audience * Raising your friends, your family, and the millionaire next door * names, no-names, and personality nightmares * finding them, securing them, and sometimes even stealing them * creating a budget, scheduling the shoot, and dealing with unions * working with actors and protecting your vision * or dropping that scene you thought was a gem * Celebrating, publicizing, and distributing the finished product When the script says "shoot me" and Hollywood says no, your only alternative is to raise the money and do it yourself. Here's how screenwriters Roy Frumkes and Rocco Simonelli used digital video to do just that. Witty, original, and ruthlessly on the mark, this unvarnished look at independent film-making chronicles both the creative intricacies of collaboration and the tricks of staying in budget and out of court. The authors compare notes as they describe the entire film-making process, with coverage including: * Targeting the audience for the script and tailoring the script for the audience * Raising money: your friends, your family, and the millionaire next door * Casting: names, no-names, and personality nightmares * Locations: finding them, securing them, and sometimes even stealing them * Producing: creating a budget, scheduling the shoot, and dealing with unions * Directing: working with actors and protecting your vision * Editing: or dropping that scene you thought was a gem * Celebrating, publicizing, and distributing the finished product When the script says shoot me and Hollywood says no, your only alternative is to raise the money and do it yourself. Here's how screenwriters Roy Frumkes and Rocco Simonelli used digital video to do just that. Witty, original, and ruthlessly on the mark, this unvarnished look at independent filmmaking chronicles both the creative intricacies of collaboration and the tricks of staying in budget and out of court. Adding to the authors' testimony are interviews with notable independent filmmakers Ted Bonnitt (Mau Mau, Sex Sex), Michael Ellenbogen (producer, Margarita Happy Hour), and Richard Dutcher (God's Army and Brigham City), who hone in on such issues as digital distribution, the indie film scene in New York and Hollywood, and the niche audiences who can make or break a film. For any film student or indie buff seeking an insider's perspective of the art and business of independent filmmaking, it doesn't get any closer than this. "When the script says shoot me and Hollywood says no, your only alternative is to raise the money and do it yourself. Here's how screenwriters Roy Frumkes and Rocco Simonelli used digital video to do just that. This unvarnished look at independent filmmaking chronicles both the creative intricacies of collaboration and the tricks of staying in budget and out of court. The authors compare notes as they describe the entire filmmaking process."--BOOK JACKET. One week early in February of the year 2001, I was lying in bed at my mother's apartment, recovering from surgery to transplant cartilage in my knee.