Hey, readers out there! Hope you are all well and staying busy. My last few months have been really hectic with managing artists, running EverythingGirlsLove.com, hosting events and promoting my first film Life Love Soul, which I am a producer on.
In my business, I’ve come across some highly intelligent driven people. And for this week’s blog, I decided to introduce you to one of them. Noel Calloway, a writer and director from Harlem, N.Y., is the founder of Noel Calloway Films. He’s one of the most driven, community focused, well-educated entrepreneurs (and now writer/director) that I have the pleasure of knowing. His first movie, Life, Love, Soul has been an inspiration to me and all of us attached to the film including Deidra Tate, Jamie Hector, Chad Coleman, Terri Vaughn, Tami Roman, Egypt Sherrod, and a host of others. I took some time out to sit down with Noel so he could help me share with you another perspective on how to hustle, hustle, hustle hard in the film industry!
I sat down with Calloway to find out how he was able to succeed in making his dream film a reality:
Me: After you wrote your script, what was next in the process of getting it made?
Calloway: Well, first I knocked on doors and made calls trying to get financing. I also tried to get a distributor behind it. When that did not pan out, I decided to put my own money up to get the ball rolling. I put up the initial 100 thousand of the budget and that allowed me to get other financers, because once people saw there was already money they were more compelled to put money in. When I had nothing invested I couldn’t get a dime.
Wait a minute. If I’m a newly graduated filmmaker without $100,ooo, what do I do? Most first-time filmmakers are not just sitting on that much money in their bank accounts.
Well to be honest, I didn’t have it in my bank account either. I was fortunate to have good credit that allowed me to get a loan. I was told as a young man to take care of your credit. That’s the first piece of advice. Secondly, I would say if you have a project you’re passionate about, that’s well written and a script that will speak to actors, you can get talented actors attached. That’s another way people will be less hesitant in putting money into the project. If you’re a first-time filmmaker, people are investing into the unknown, but if you have known commodities like talented actors that have been in other projects — or a producer, or a director—you have a draw to balance out the variable of you being an unknown. You have to have an asset; you never want to seek investors without bringing something to the table. If it’s not financial, it should be some other valuable asset.
Were there any organizations you found resourceful when looking for funding for an independent film? Did you get any private grants or government funding?
I went that route, and as it is with any organization, there is a lot of red tape. There is a lot of stuff to go through to get that funding. Patience has never been one of my strong suits, so for me it was more about ‘How can I do this now?’ and ‘How can I do this more immediately?’ Now, yes I may have been able to secure funding, there are grants, there are government programs, there are a lot of things available to film makers. Tax credits are a great way to further the initiative as well. If an investor puts in X amount of dollars and you can pose a tax credit to them, they may be more enticed to invest. If you do your research, you will find there are always resources, but as with anything, they come at a cost. It’s about knowing what’s right for you.
Tami Roman in character in a scene from Life, Love, Soul
Were you faced with any opposition from family and friends?
Absolutely… And being from Harlem, my community, my family, no one has taken this step to make a film. So, a lot of times it was looked at as a dream and not a goal. People looked at me like I was crazy. I quit a very good job to pursue this passion and when we had some setbacks people really thought I made the wrong choice, and that’s when I started to get the ‘I told you so’s…’ But, I was very big on staying self-sufficient even as I pursued this dream. So, I took on freelance work and did whatever I could so I could rely on myself and that way those opinions don’t carry that much weight, especially, when they’re not the one’s supporting you financially. When you’re supporting yourself financially it’s easier to ignore the naysayers.
As a first-time film director, how were you able to attach such heavy hitters to the movie?
The script! I’ve always been overwhelmed by the response the script has gotten. I love it, I’m proud of it, and I feel like I put my all into it. But, you never know if people are going to appreciate or respect your material. When these heavyweight actors with such impressive resumes would read my script and be floored by it, I would be floored by the response. It was an organic thing. Black actors— actors in general—speak to each other. They would read the script and see their friends and colleagues for roles and say, ‘Have you considered someone for this role?’ and it just snowballed from there.
What would you tell a new director in search of his dream cast?
I would tell them to create something that speaks to the talent, and then they’ll work for the work and not just for the pay. These actors that are in this film got paid a fraction of what they are worth. I wont give out specific numbers, but it would be considered minimum wage compared to what they normally get. They took it because the role spoke to them and they wanted to be a part of the project. I didn’t know that was going to happen. After I gave them the script, I would be somewhat bashful about the second conversation—the money conversation. By the time I got to the conversation, most already said, ‘I know there is no real budget so don’t worry about it, we’ll work it out. I want to do it.’ When you start hearing stuff like that, it gives you confidence to reach out to other actors because then you can say we don’t have a lot of money, but we have these actors attached already. Just like any other business, it’s competitive. You don’t want your colleagues and contemporaries to grab a project that can grow really big and you turned it down because of money, when in turn adding this to your resume might lead to a lot more money down the road.
Once shooting started, how long did it take?
It took four years. We had a lapse in funding. We secured half of the funding, and we had a commitment for the other half, but midway through production that investor pulled out. Regardless of the commitment and the contracts being signed, he said he just couldn’t do it. It left us all in a tough space, but it went back to us refusing to give up, and the next few years, we went out and fought to raise the money. Finally, we found that angel investor who put in the finishing funds, and we were able to get it wrapped (as far as shooting). Since then, we’ve had to secure additional funding to get it in film festivals, get it distributed, and market the film. It’s important for all filmmakers to know that once you get it shot or in the can, it’s still not done. And if that’s all you budgeted for, then the budget is incomplete. When you’re budgeting for a film, you don’t just budget for how much it cost to shoot and edit the project. You budget for everything it takes to get it out as an independent film; I learned this the hard way.
Egypt Sherrod is an actress featured in Life, Love, Soul. (Photo: Sherrod)
Once Life, Love, Soul was shot, what did you do to market the movie to get it in theaters, and what are you doing now to keep it there?
I take ownership of part of that process. I spread the word through the Internet, bloggers, radio interviews, screenings, as well as the actors. The push will be people going out and seeing it and speaking about it through social media and telling people how good it is. That snowball effect is what will keep it in theaters. No matter what I do, if that register isn’t ringing then the theater will move it out and bring in something that can bring in those dollars. It’s all about the bottom line. It all comes down to business; It’s never personal.
How did you get it into major theaters?
We performed well at the festivals, people spoke about it, and AMC took notice. The Urban World Film Festival, which is one of the largest festivals specifically for black films, housed us and we won the Audience Award. We were the only film in the festival this year to sell out not only one theater, but two. That put AMC on notice that this is a film to keep an eye out for. When our distribution liaison for our theatrical release Camille Bradshaw mentioned Life Love Soul to AMC, they already knew about it, so the door was slightly open. It’s still a small trial acceptance but it’s an acceptance just the same. That’s why it’s important for people to get out there and see the film— the more seats sold the more our theatrical release will expand to other cities.
Some people have said being an African American film writer/director poses more challenges and opposition. Do you believe this to be true?
I don’t believe in using crutches to give you a reason not to succeed. Whether it’s your race, gender or religion, there are always going to be things that make you different that some people may look at as hindrances. I think it all levels out because everyone has them. For me, it could have been because I was black; I don’t believe I ever faced that but lets say that was the case. For another filmmaker it might be because of his or her religious beliefs. We never know what would be the great equalizer, but I believe it all levels out with a great project.
What would be your last words to up-and-coming film writers, directors, producers and actors?
The best way to sum it up is to use a sports analogy that applies to almost everything. It relates to something called the go-to move: No matter what business you’re in, you have to have your bread and butter. If you’re in film and you’re a great director and your asset is the camera, then perfect that craft. If you’re a writer, perfect that craft. If you’re an actor, perfect that craft. In whatever it is you decided to do, perfect one thing first so you always have that foundation to fall back on or build from. For me, it’s the writing. I will always be a writer slash whatever else. I spend time and meticulous attention to the detail in every script I write. Always have that foundation, something you can fall back on and something you can draw your confidence and strength from. Then you can always accentuate the positive and your weakness won’t be so glaring.
