My New Job as an Associate Producer. Next Stop: Hollywood

[Evan Carnero]

Greetings fellow film buffs. I can’t count the number of films I’ve watched over the years in which I’ve thought to myself, “hey that was a great film, but the ending just killed it”. (Yeah, I’m talking to you, M Night Shyamalan.) I’ve started this blog because I’ve just discovered a remedy to this problem. A friend of mine who has had her movies screened at prestigious film festivals such as Sundance and Cannes led me to www.imadeamovie.com. I am so stoked about this website that I’ve created this blog solely for the purpose of documenting my experience with imadeamovie.com.
Ok, so here’s how it works: $50 makes you an associate producer on any of the movies on imadeamovie.com. As an associate producer you’re entitled to give your input to the executive producer, thereby affecting the outcome of the film. You vote on casting, location, music, style (you all know I prefer Noir), and other important decisions, like choosing the appropriate ending! You also have the option to communicate directly with the crew via video. During the process, you learn the roles of the important, but often overlooked behind-the-scenes crew (who knows what a key grip does?). As an added bonus, they send you a bunch of schwag: hats, t-shirts, and, when the movie is completed, a DVD with your name in the credits.
Imadeamovie.com also provides an awesome opportunity for up-and-coming actors/actresses to break into a virtually impenetrable industry. All an aspiring actor needs to do to be considered for a part in a film is upload their audition video to the website. The “big break” which once consisted of headshots, an agent, and flying to LA, has been reduced to a digital camera, your bathroom, and a computer.
So what have I done so far, you ask. Without divulging too much information about the film, we’ve chosen the lead actress, the set, and the script. We’re still collaborating on the style, music, and a couple other aspects of the film. However, the ball is rolling, and we’re on schedule to begin filming at the end of this month. I’d have to say that I’m pretty active on this project… let’s just say the director hears my input on a daily basis.
Overall, this is turning out to be a pretty interesting experience. I mean, short of joining the film industry (no easy feat!), how else could a guy, far-removed from the glitz of Hollywood, affect the outcome of a film?
Stay tuned, I’ll be sure to keep you all updated on my movie...
Oh, and if you have film fanatic friends, a membership at imadeamovie.com makes a unique gift for movie lovers. $50 to be a part of the movie making experience, an experience that spans months + lots of goodies to boot = not a bad deal.