Jane Kelly Kosek's Blog: All About Indie Filmmaking (and Storytelling)

We have less than 24 hours to get enough followers of our Seed&Spark campaign in order to qualify for post financing and get the support of acclaimed filmmakers The Duplass Brothers!

We are in about 14th place and we need to try to get to at least 10th in order to qualify. We hope you can help us get there by following our film (click on the box, sign up and follow Epiphany):



It's free to follow our film and by following you will receive updates about the film and learn how we have been able to bring this beautiful film to life after 27 years of development.

Our lead actress Caitlin Carmichael explains how to follow our film:



I can't stress enough how important it is in indie film to support one another and to never give up! While we are about 400 followers away from qualifying, we will keep trying. You can't get what you want if you don't try.

Thanks everyone for helping us! #supportindiefilm #seeyouatthemovies

I have this knack of producing movies in the dead heat of summer. I don't know why but I find myself in Florida or Georgia or Connecticut or Los Angeles making films when it's over 100 degrees outside. It's brutal but I can't seem to stop. Probably because that's when the film and television industry slows down and small films have a chance at getting actors who are available and secure equipment and locations at a discount etc.

Anyway, long story short, I produced another film this past summer in Florida. It's called Epiphany. I really love this story. It's about a young girl Luka (played by the super talented Caitlin Carmichael) who wants to reconnect with her biological father - a Greek sponge diver named Theo (played by Australian actor Alex Dimitriades). We also have George Georgiou, Scottie Thompson and Burt Young rounding out the lead cast! So blessed to work with such talented people. And our crew! So amazing. Love them all to pieces.



Epiphany is set in modern-day Tarpon Springs and we basically shot all around the area of Tarpon Springs including the Anclote River, just at the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico. And yes, it was in the 90s every day and humid as all get out. When you produce a film in crazy heat, you have to be concerned with your cast and crew's health. They need access to shade and lots of water and ice and AC. You have to know there is somewhere they can go to cool off because heat stroke is a real factor. It's all just a bit stressful...

Additionally, late summer/early fall is hurricane season. It just so happened that we filmed in Tarpon Springs, Florida in July and August and wrapped picture three weeks prior to Hurricane Irma - which blew over Tarpon Springs! If we had pushed our shoot one month, we would have had our production smack dab in the path of an oncoming hurricane. Luckily, we had wrapped in time and Tarpon Springs made it through Irma without too much damage. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who were affected by Irma as well as Harvey and Jose and Maria and the fires in CA and the earthquakes in Mexico. We hope the recovery goes well in all the hard hit areas.

As for Epiphany, the idea for the story came from the writer/director team Koula Sossiadis Kazista and Katina Sossiadis. They both grew up going to Tarpon Springs each summer. It's a very charming town near the Gulf Coast with a strong Greek community. It's also the hub for sponge diving. About 27 years ago, Koula decided to write a screenplay about a sponge diving family set in Tarpon Springs. Cut to today after many years of starts/stops and rewrites - the film has finally been made and we are in post production. I am so happy and proud of our efforts. And I'm so happy for Koula who has spent decades trying to tell this story and it's finally happening. And it's going to be a beautiful film. To top it all off, it was a female-led crew - love my producing partners and directors:



The journey of one movie is so amazing to me. It's probably why I love making them. Last year we made a movie titled 20 Weeks about a young couple who finds out their baby in utero may have a genetic issue. The writer/director Leena Pendharkar had the idea and wrote it in less than a year. We went into production six months later and we have already had a World Premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June. We are going on an eight-city festival tour in October/November. That was the fastest I've ever moved on making a movie. And Epiphany is probably the longest gestation period I've experienced for a film - though I really only joined Epiphany officially about two to three years ago.

We had a wonderful shoot (despite the heat - haha). And now we are in post production - excited to complete the film with great music and color. And we wanted to get the word out that we have entered a contest on the crowdfunding site Seed&Spark, sponsored by the Duplass Brothers. The winners can pitch the Duplass Brothers and see if they will come on board their film as Executive Producers and have them bring money toward finishing the film - up to $25k. Having the Duplass Brothers executive produce our film and provide us with finishing funds would be incredibly helpful to our small independent feature.


So...I hope I can ask my blog readers to please follow our campaign on Seed&Spark. You don't have to contribute any money to follow the campaign and the number of followers on our campaign really does make a big difference. It allows us to get to the finals and get the exposure we need for the film to have a fighting chance. So please click on this link and help us make it to the finals! Thank you!

Link to Epiphany's Seed&Spark Campaign

And if you are able to contribute to the campaign, thank you so much! See you at the movies everyone! Much love!!

I can't believe it's been a year since I've last posted on this blog. It's a testament to how crazy busy my work and life has gotten. I've been making movies one right after the other these past couple of years. It's a wonderful problem to have, but it also means I have less time to do other things like write this blog. So let's do a little catch up since last summer...

In the summer of 2015, we filmed a coming-of-age teen comedy set in 1984 titled Pitching Tents. I've always wanted to produce a film in the vein of the films by John Hughes, Richard Linklater, and Cameron Crowe. And I felt that the script of Pitching Tents, written by Rob Fox and Jayme Petrille, had a lot of those qualities. It's zany and fun but it has a lot of heart. The story follows Danny (played by Michael Grant) who is graduating high school and doesn't know what to do with the rest of his life. He goes on a camping trip weekend with his friends, where he meets Alison (played by Samantha Basalari), who helps him uncover his true destiny. The film is hilarious and a bit raunchy (with help from comedian Jim Norton who plays our wacky guidance counselor Mr. Mulligan), yet it has a lot of heart (and I'm all about a movie with heart). Since it's set in 1984, I knew we could have fun with the soundtrack and I can say after 9 months of searching and locking in music, we have an amazing 80s soundtrack, including tracks from Run DMC, The Plimsouls, Big Country, Billy Squier, XTC, Red Rockers, Missing Persons, Icicle Works and more!

Check out our poster by Hillary Gronvold:



We finished editing Pitching Tents in 2016 and decided to work with the company Quiver on a VOD release and put together our own theatrical run. This was a huge undertaking as well. I always say that 50% of making a film is marketing it and Pitching Tents has proven that philosophy to be very true. We spent about 4 months doing the theatrical. Our director Jacob Cooney and the rest of us spent weeks hitting up theaters and getting the film booked. And after all that grit and perseverance, we played more than 20 cities (including LA and NYC) and for a small indie film that's pretty darn good. We sold out at some screenings and had a ball sharing the film and hearing lots of laughter. What a joy to hear an audience laughing throughout your film! That is what we filmmakers live for!

And now, Pitching Tents is available on a number of VOD platforms, including Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, DirectTV, Comcast, Vubiquity, Sony Playstation, and it will be released on DVD on August 22nd! We're over the moon about the future of the film. I hope you check it out!

CUT TO: my other film 20 Weeks ! One of my creative collaborators Leena Pendharkar is a very talented writer/director. She and I love working together and when she decided to write a script loosely based on her own experience about a young couple who finds out that their baby may have a genetic issue at their 20 week scan, I was on board immediately to produce. Many parents like Leena and her husband go through this scary experience of hearing tough news at the 20 week scan and they're often left to bear the weight of the news alone. They suffer in silence for weeks on end, worrying about their baby's health and being tested on a weekly basis - never really knowing the full extent of their baby's condition. And to add to the uncertainty, there are laws throughout the U.S. that make the journey of figuring out the best path forward even more difficult. With 20 Weeks, Leena and I wanted to explore the effects genetic testing can have on a family and spark conversations about women's rights and the very personal decision-making process of dealing with a pregnancy in crisis.

Thanks to Leena's husband Ameet Mehta for the beautiful poster:



We made 20 Weeks on a wing and a prayer. We never knew if we would have enough money or support but miraculously, everything fell into place and we were able to film and complete the film within a year. We took part in the amazing US in Progress program through the American Film Festival in Poland and we are now having our World Premiere screening at the Los Angeles Film Festival on this Monday night June 19th at 7p at the Culver City Arclight. Tickets should still be on sale here!

Leena and me on the red carpet :)


CUT TO: Additionally, I am so honored to be a producer on a new documentary on pro surfer Bethany Hamilton titled Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable . Another producing partner of mine Penny Edmiston and I have been working really hard to find projects that speak to the kinds of films we want to be making - those with strong women at the helm and those about people who inspire. And that is what this documentary is all about. We have been working the past few months in post on this incredible new film by surf cinematographer Aaron Lieber. Bethany is such an inspiration and beautiful person and talented athlete. I can't wait to share her story of all of her amazing accomplishments since her shark attack more than a decade ago. You will be blown away. I am!

Love our powerful poster by Hillary Gronvold!



CUT TO: AND I am in pre-production on a beautiful new film titled Epiphany ! We start filming next month in Tarpon Springs, Florida. I am really looking forward to this production. It's super ambitious, just like all of my other ultra low budget films. I have a compulsion for taking on the most ambitious films with little to no resources. It may be an illness, I think. But I keep doing it. There's nothing quite like having a gazillion locations and actors on a small budget. But I just love supporting projects by up-and-coming filmmakers who put their heart and soul into their work. I feel compelled to help their visions become a reality. The story of Epiphany, written and to be directed by sisters Koula and Katina Sossiadis, is so beautiful about a young girl who tries to connect with her biological father who is a Greek sponge diver off the coast of Florida. I'm stressed out of course because every film production is hard, with the million things you have to do and think about, but it's important to enjoy the journey along the way.

A beautiful image for Epiphany:



And that's what I'm setting out to do! I'm enjoying the journey of my life and career and pinching myself each day that I can honestly say that I'm doing what I love and I'm living my dream! The key to it all has been to never give up and embrace that you are on the right path for you. Here's to living your dreams everyone! See you at the movies! xoxo

We are two days into production on our new film! We are filming in Los Angeles and it's awesome to be home making a movie. Though the permit process in LA is intense and most locations require a fee for use, it's nice to be able sleep in my own bed at night.

I am producing Leena Pendharkar's new feature film titled 20 Weeks . Leena and I have been creating content together for a few years now (remember our So Natural TV shoots?) and with the support of a number of people including those contributing to our 20 Weeks IndieGoGo campaign, we have been able to greenlight a Leena's second feature 20 Weeks.

DP Daud Sani and Writer/Director Leena PendharkarThe script was inspired by Leena's own experience: 

In the summer of 2014, as I pregnant with my second daughter and making my short film, Dandekar Makes a Sandwich, my daughter was diagnosed with a serious issue health issue at the 20 week scan called micrognathia, in which the baby’s chin is undersized. My husband and I were just shocked as it seemed to come out of nowhere.

The doctors knew the measurements weren’t coming out right, but they couldn’t definitively diagnose what she had or what the issue might be when she was born. We had to undergo genetic testing, and we also were forced to come in and do sonograms every couple of weeks to make sure her growth was on a typical curve. It was a very difficult experience, so many thoughts were going through my head….

My daughter was born in October of 2014 with a serious but treatable health condition called Pierre Robin Sequence. We didn’t know exactly what her prognosis would be when she was in utero, but the doctors had given us a range from not being able to breath at all and having to wear tubes in her neck for two years, to something as mild as not being able to breastfeed. Me and my husband told no one we were going through this, I think we were in shock, and both of us on some level, were hoping it was nothing.

But when she was born, all of the in utero testing prepared us to be ready. We gave birth at a major trauma hospital, with doctors who knew how to treat her condition. There was a huge learning curve because we had to learn how to feed her with special bottles, and she had to undergo four surgeries… That first year was so tough… I almost don’t know how we made it through.

Going through this experience, I was really struck by the marriage of science and ethics, and how fragile the balance really is. Sitting in the room, looking at a sonogram the doctors ask you to make decisions that are tough, that are not easy, and you have to go on faith to move forward…

The part that was so challenging for us was just not knowing, staring at these images of a sonogram that feel like nothing but light and sound, and yet… It’s so much more….

I am so honored to be producing this heartfelt story. We have a phenomenally talented cast and crew. Here are two pictures from set showcasing a few of them:

Anna Margaret as Maya & Sujata Day as Ruby
Anna Margaret Hollyman and our DP Daud Sani
Amir Arison as Ronan, Anna Margaret Hollyman, and Leena Pendharkar We need your help! We need additional financing for our post production and we have 5 days left on our IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign. We have partnered with the Make-a-Wish Greater Los Angeles on the campaign and every dollar contributed will have a portion going toward a young child's wish.

Click on the below widget to be directed to our campaign where you can learn more about the film and contribute toward its creation. Thank you so much for helping us make this important and special film.

IndieGoGo

Me, Sujata, Anna, Leena - Women Making Movies!

I'm doing a Reddit AMA about independent filmmaking at 3p PST/6p EST. If you have any questions for me hop on. I'll share link once I have it. More soon!

Here's the link! https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comment...

Join me!

We have been editing our new film Pitching Tents this past year - ever since we returned from Connecticut in August of 2015. And we finally have a picture lock - yay!!!

But we're definitely not done yet! We need to sweeten the sound, do some color correcting to smooth out the look, and get those rad '80s songs that will really help us portray the era.

Songs like:


AND


And we have a sneak peek of some of the film in our campaign video! Please check it out and help us finish Pitching Tents and get your own graduation photo in the end credits!!

Our short film Dandekar Makes a Sandwich was recently selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick! Thanks so much for the honor Vimeo!

DANDEKAR MAKES A SANDWICH from Leena Pendharkar on Vimeo.

Writer/director Leena Pendharkar and I are over the moon about the staff at Vimeo highlighting our short. It's hard to get films to stand out above the rest so recognition from highly regarded sites goes a long way. We couldn't be more pleased! We hope you check out the film on Vimeo here.

We made this little short film in order to have fun with the Dandekar character who is the main character in Leena's full feature screenplay Days with Dandekar . We had planned to make Days with Dandekar as a follow up to Dandekar Makes a Sandwich, but we soon came to the conclusion that we wanted more resources for the full feature of Dandekar's story and decided to make a smaller feature first.

That said...

20 Weeks












We're tremendously excited to announce that we are in pre-production on a new feature that Leena just completed writing, titled 20 Weeks. This story is very near and dear to Leena's heart. She and her husband recently had a scare with their own pregnancy (everything is fine now and they have a healthy baby girl) and Leena wanted to write a story about a couple going through a similar situation of finding out their baby may have a genetic issue at the 20-week scan, a mid-pregnancy scan to check on the health of your baby. Check out Leena's story on her blog here.

20 Weeks is an intimate romantic drama about a couple dealing with the news that their baby may be born with a serious health issue. Inspired by true events, 20 Weeks goes behind the often-closed doors of a stressful pregnancy and its effects on the mother and father. This story comes from a very honest place and gives a voice to the mothers and fathers who have or are struggling during one of the most joyful experiences of their lives - having a child.

Check out Leena's look book for 20 Weeks here. She is inspired by films like Her, Blue Valentine and even The Notebook.

Please follow us as we navigate the development and creation of 20 Weeks on Facebook and on Twitter!

Thanks for all your support as we continue to make movies!!

Along with producing films, I enjoy writing them too. And I really like collaborating with other screenwriters on projects. The one obstacle to collaborating is sharing work seamlessly between writing partners. If you can't work in the same document, it makes it difficult to know if you are working in the most current version. It also slows things down. You may have to wait for your writing partner to finish his or her changes and then email it to you so you can pick up where he or she left off. Not very efficient.

So in my search to figure out a good means of collaborating with a writing partner, I came across WriterDuet.com. It's an online screenwriting software that allows for collaboration. Like Google Docs, it allows you and your writing partner to be in the same document at the same time and it shows the changes your writing partner is making in real time. It's exactly what I was hoping for and then some!

I have shared it with my writing partners and it's been a really wonderful tool for our collaborating. It's a great program in which to write even if you don't write with a partner. And you can save your screenplay in most formats, including Final Draft and PDF. I really can't recommend WriterDuet enough. Below are some video tutorials that will explain more of the features of the software. And at the bottom is a limited-time discount from WriterDuet for my readers. Check out the software and let me know what you think! And more importantly, keep on writing!
Tutorial



Pro v. Free Tutorial





Limited Time Offer!20% off discount code and direct purchase URL: INDIE, https://writerduet.com/purchase?discount=INDIE (price is usually $99 for lifetime Pro with free upgrades, or $7.99/mo subscription, so this brings it down to $79 one-time or $6.39/mo - and price is even lower for students!)

Here's to wonderful collaborations!

I always love featuring independent filmmakers on this blog. Below is a Q&A with Editor Evita Yuepu Zhou. She has an interesting story and a familiar love of filmmaking.

A Statement from Evita:I was born in a small city in China in 1987 and moved to Shanghai when I was 9 years old. Since the age of 10, I knew I wanted to work in film. My pursuit of film was not an easy one: swimming against the cultural stereotype, which pushes its children to become doctors, lawyers or housewives and battling to become a female editor in the entertainment industry proved challenging. The entertainment industry is a rocky road and, oftentimes, is difficult to break into and maintain a steady career. Despite these difficulties, my career in film editing has been very rewarding. Stepping back and looking at what I’ve done and what I’m capable of carries with it a sense of adventure that drives me to keep creating. I am passionate about my career and strive to expand my editing skills to span all mediums. Whether it be a narrative film, documentary film, commercials, or reality series, each project opens up new and different worlds that allow me to expand and explore. I immerse myself in these worlds and connect emotionally and artistically with each story. Taking unrelated visual sequences and stitching them together to create a beautiful work of art is something I look forward to every day.

Still from Ablution - a film edited by Evita Yuepu Zhou


The Q&A with Evita
1) How did you get into editing?
Finding my passion and talent for editing was an interesting process of self-discovery. I will never forget the first time I finished editing my first documentary back in 2008. I directed that film as well. The moment when the final film was exported was one of my happiest moments in my life. That moment served as a catalyst for me to further explore the world of editing. Later, my work experience at IMSTEPF Studios made me realize that editing is something I love to do, enjoy doing, and is something I’m good at. Stitching those unorganized unrelated visual sequences together into an amazing piece of art is very rewarding.
2) What is a typical day like?
Working as a freelancer allows for a lot of flexibility in my schedule. It also means that there are no strict boundaries for work and free time and that the lines between the two are often blurred. Every day, I make sure I get a decent breakfast and then get my hands on the keyboard to start the day. No matter how busy or tight my schedule is, I always make an effort to get some mid-day exercise. It’s vital to keep healthy when a job requires you to sit in front of screens all day long. Work continues after dinner mostly. The hours are very long, but I always make sure I allow myself some leisure time on weekends.
3) What would you say your editing style is?
I wouldn’t limit myself to just one editing style. The technique and style of your work should reflect the content. Generally, I like to cut on emotion rhythms. Using those cues allows me to form rules and techniques as I go along. 
4) Who would you say, editor or filmmaker, inspires your work the most?
My favorite director is Roman Polanski. He is an absolute genius as a director. And my favorite editors are Dede Allen, Tim Squyres, and Hervé de Luze.
5) How does editing different genres (doc, web series, feature, etc.) affect your work?
Editing a wide variety of genres allows me to expand my editing skill set. Different genres definitely affect the creative process in different ways. For documentaries, editors need to be involved early on because editors are partially the writer of the film. Also, the editorial period often takes longer for documentary films. Narrative films are fluid and create different vibes when I work with the footage given to me although the process of dealing with stories, emotions and rhythms stays the same.
6) What genre or project type do you most enjoy editing and why?
As an editor, I prefer not to stick to just one type of genre or story. I always love to try different types of film as long as it has a good story and interesting characters. I like to immerse myself into the characters’ arcs and understand the emotional twists of the film. I always get positive feedback in that arena from different filmmakers.
7) How has working both in the U.S. and abroad influenced your editing work?
When I worked in China, I was working for a major broadcast television network in Shanghai for a documentary channel. Teamwork was vital for us at that time, so I learned a lot about working with other editors. Working with people that spoke different languages and came from different backgrounds also helped expand my communication skills.

8) As an editor, what are the challenges you face?
9) Do you have any advice for aspiring film editors?
Film business is a rocky road for anyone who is working and wants to work in it. However, it also feels very rewarding when you find your calling and put yourself into it. It requires great amount of time and hard work, but it’s also amazingly fun to find out what you’ve done and what you’ll create in the future. It’s never the same.
10) If you weren't an editor, what do you think you'd be doing right now?

Although I’ve worked different jobs before editing, I cannot think of anything I would want to jump into right now except editing. Maybe I would be a writer for a small magazine or work in environmental engineering because that was one of my undergraduate majors, but if I had to choose something other than editing, I would love to be a film composer.

I thought it would be fun to do a Q&A with the director of our new film Pitching Tents - Jacob Cooney. As all of you know by now, we are in the home stretch of our IndieGoGo campaign for the film and we are looking forward to making the film in August.




Jacob CooneyBefore we jump into the Q&A, I want to alert you to a new perk we just added today. We want as many of our supporters, friends and family to have their high school graduation photos in our end credits. This has been offered at the $250 Perk level, which gets you all the perks below it too. For the last two days of the campaign, we are going to offer to put your photo in the end credits of the movie for $50!! You will not get the other perks you would get for the $250 contribution but you will get your photo in the end credits. And what a perk that will be! You will live on forever in the movie with all of us. So please join us by selecting the "Your Pic into Eternity" perk, tell your family and friends and so on and so on and so on. And let's meet our $75k goal in the next 48 hours! Thanks everyone! Hope to see your high school mug in the end credits. This is going to be so fun! Bombdigity!! Here's the link to grab the perk: http://igg.me/at/pitchingtentsmovie/x/6178.
Now let's get to know more about our director Jacob Cooney:
Tell us about Pitching Tents and why you want to tell this story.
Set in 1984, Pitching Tents follows the story of Danny, a high school senior, whose future creates a tug-of war between his no-nonsense father and his crackpot guidance counselor… until an encounter with a goddess helps him uncover his destiny.
Heartfelt, hilarious and nostalgic, I was immediately transported back to my “ultimate summer” experiences while reading the script and because of that I knew I needed to make this movie. It’s not everyday you run across a project like this that has everything you’d ever want in a film and because of that, and the people involved, my initial thought was (and still is today) that this film deserves to be seen by the masses.




Why should this story be told?
Pitching Tents is a universal story that spans all audiences. From kids in high school looking to the future, to adults who have fond memories of their past, everyone can get behind a film that pushes you to reach for your dreams and become the person you were meant to be.
With movie theaters packed with super hero movies, explosion-filled action films and raunchy comedies, Pitching Tents will give the audience a feel good movie with heart, comedy and nostalgia. Everyone has experienced that “one crazy summer” or that one weekend that changed your life… and it’s that feeling that we’re trying to bring back. Pitching Tents will be a fun movie for everyone, and we’re really excited to be bringing it to life.
Why is it set in the 1980s? How is that era important to the story?
Two words… IT’S ICONIC! The 80s were a time of change all across the board. From music to movies, from politics to wardrobe, the 80s spawned a lot of what we know today. It was an era where teens came into their own and in some ways rebelled from the norm to discover their own path … and at its core, that’s what Pitching Tents is all about. It’s about finding your voice and reaching for your dream and the 80s was the transcending era that forged new ideas, new experiences and of course, giant hair! Why wouldn’t we want to set Pitching Tents during this time in history?!

What made you want to become a director? Why do you like making movies?
There’s a story my mom tells everyone about the time I was taken to lunch by my art teacher after winning an award when I was in kindergarten and when asked what I wanted to do when I grew up I answered, “I want to make movies.” Guess it was always in my blood.
After that I was continuously shooting short films (really bad ones) and fake TV shows with friends using my parents’ VHS camera. As I grew up, the cameras got a little better, as did the final projects … to some degree. To answer your question though, filmmaking (specifically directing) has been something I’ve wanted to do since I can remember.




How did you get your start in directing? Do you find it hard to be a full-time director?
After graduating high school, I went to film school at California State University, Monterey Bay. There my friends/classmates and I would shoot shorts on the weekends or help the older students with their thesis films. We really immersed ourselves in the idea of “learning by experience”, so we made sure we were always shooting or working on something.
After four years of working on student films, getting hired as a PA on commercial shoots when they came to the area, interning in LA every summer and shooting my own thesis film “Small Town Life”, I graduated and immediately moved to LA after being hired to dolly grip on an independent feature. From there I began working as a dolly grip on commercials and then got hired as an office PA at Nickelodeon. Throughout all the work though, I knew I wanted my focus to be on directing. While at Nickelodeon, I threw my hat in the ring to direct a number of independent projects that I found had postings for directors online. Somehow I managed to catch one producer’s eye (Jane Kelly Kosek) for a film they were producing titled “Fierce Friend” (still don’t know how I managed that). From there I went through the interview process and after 3 or 4 interviews I somehow landed the job.
I remember getting that call … I was 21 or 22 years old, still getting used to living in LA and then I got hired to direct my first feature. I was on cloud nine … still get that feeling every time someone lets me direct a film.
That said, getting hired to direct “Fierce Friend” started my path as a director. After doing the film I began directing music videos, commercials and shorts, which in turn opened the door for me to begin writing and making more films. Now I won’t lie … it’s been a hard road throughout the years, which has been riddled with ups and downs and “go projects” and “dead projects”, but it’s a road that needs to be traveled as the experience is worth everything. You have to always be working. You have to always be striving to get bigger and better with every project, and most importantly you learn to take rejection in stride as the “no’s” definitely outweigh the “yes’s”. But when you get that “yes”, it feels so good.



What has been the most challenging aspect of getting Pitching Tents made thus far? How do you plan to overcome the challenge?
Oh man … like all independent films, the biggest struggle thus far has been securing the financing to make the film. From emailing friends and family, to setting up meetings with complete strangers, to embarking on the insanely time consuming task of running a crowdfunding campaign, finding the funding for a heartfelt film like Pitching Tents has been the hardest thing yet.
I’m not sure why it’s been so hard … we have an amazing story, a great cast and crew and an audience yearning for more films like this to be made, but the independent filmmaking experience seems to always remain the same. It’s a struggle from start to finish, but with the helping hands of others and the drive we have to make this film come into fruition, Pitching Tents will be getting made … and in the grand scheme of things, that’s a triumph within itself. It’s all about staying positive, creative and most importantly staying focused on the story you want to tell while finding the best way to showcase it using the resources you have in front of you. That’s been my job as a director for the last 13 years and I love every minute of it.
Why run a crowdfunding campaign for the film? How important is crowdfunding to independent film?
When dealing with independent films your funding can come from a number of different places. You can get funding through friends and family, through investors who love your project or love the idea of getting into the entertainment industry, through small production companies who have internal funding or through crowdfunding sites like Indiegogo, Seed & Spark or Kickstarter. It really can come from anywhere and from anyone … and as we all know independent filmmaking is a hard road. It takes a village to make a film in general, and doing it independently you need all the help you can get.
That’s why crowdfunding is really helpful. You’re not only reaching out to untapped avenues for funding, but at the same time your promoting your film and growing a fan base… which is VERY, VERY important. Without the fans your film won’t sell, so it’s much better to start early and build your audience that way you know before the film is finished that you have people waiting and wanting to see it.
What are your hopes for the future of Pitching Tents?
Pitching Tents is a heartfelt film with a great story that resonated with me from the very beginning. It brought me back to my ultimate summer and that moment in my life where I figured out what I truly wanted to do with my life. Much like our lead character Danny, I struggled with the decision to choose my dream over what was easy and secure, and my hope is that the audience will find Danny’s story close to their own. Pitching Tents is a universal story that I feel everyone will love … not only because of it’s comedic elements and storytelling, but because it’s a film that has the ability to transport the viewer back to their childhood where being young and free was pretty much all you cared about.
Overall, I feel the film is destined for success on all fronts. We have an amazing cast and crew, an amazing story full of truth and heart and an audience looking for something different then the normal big budget summer blockbusters. To me, that sounds like a recipe no one could ever turn down.



What's next for you and your career?
Oh man. I currently have a number of things in the works both professionally and personally. The most important being that I’m venturing into a new career as a father this coming October. My wife and I are very excited and are looking forward to meeting the little one when she arrives.
Professionally, I’ve got a number of projects in the works that are all in different stages. I’m currently in post-production on my film BLUE LINE, which we shot this past January/February. The film is an action thriller starring Tom Sizemore, Jordan Ladd and Kevin Nash. Along with that, I’m also slated to direct a zombie film this coming September titled ISLE OF THE DEAD, which will be released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment sometime in 2016. 


Do you have any advice for up-and-coming filmmakers?
Yes. Just keep creating and keep shooting. No matter if the project is small or large, with a production company or with your friends, just keep honing your craft. Keep the juices flowing … and most importantly, HAVE FUN DOING IT!
For more information on Jacob's work, check out his work at his Web site at: www.jacobcooney.com.
And don't forget to check out our IndieGoGo Campaign for Pitching Tents and help us bring this movie to life!