Caffeinated Clint
Clint Morris talks to the SPAA guest
The Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) have a special guest coming out for their annual conference this year, celebrated film producer Amy Hobby (“Secretary”, “Hamlet”). In this Exclusive Interview, Hobby explains how she got into the fickle game of producing and teases her next projects.
How important do you think a producer is and are they often overlooked?
I think real producers are misunderstood! In truth, there are so many different types of producers that it can be confusing from the outside as to what a good producer really does. A good producer should be an ally to the film director while not an enemy to the financiers. A good producer guides the project creatively, keeps the filmmaker from getting off track, assures that the finished film is something that the financiers understand, helps keep the cast and crew making the same film, and of course keeps things on budget and so on. A bad producer interferes with the process and yells at people for no good reason because that’s what they think producers do!
How did you get into producing?
I was an avid stills photographer my whole life, so I got into the film from the camera side of things. Working on films in the camera department as a clapper/loader, then focus puller in Los Angeles allowed me to be on set near the director, AD and cinematographer. It was a terrific film school for me. When I was ready to move on, I took a job as a Producer’s Assistant on the movie ED WOOD directed by Tim Burton. I learned a lot from that Producer (Michael Flynn) and filmmaking from the Studio side of things. Around the same time met Michael Almereyda, a terrifically talented film director and we got along and he asked me to produce a tiny film called NADJA, so I moved to New York and produced the film and learned a lot from my mistakes! We made several movies after that together and I stayed in New York and kept working as a producer, line producer and AD. Really just working on films in any capacity to keep learning and earning a living.
Is “Secretary” your proudest achievement? Was it a task to get off the ground?
I am definitely very proud of that movie and it’s a miracle the film exists. No financier would have anything to do with it. Also it was very hard to cast the movie. Maggie was first actress we met with but we really felt we needed a “name’ to bank the movie. Fortunately, no name actresses would do it! And we kept thinking about how great Maggie was in the audition. So we decided to cast her and try for a name for the lead male role which ended up being Spader. But, you know, this process took about eight months.
However, I actually think my proudest achievement is HAMLET directed by Michael Almereyda. It stars Ethan Hawke, Bill Murray, Sam Shepard, Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles. Even with that cast we couldn’t get a whole lot of money because the film was being shot in verse. So–the challenges of shooting in big and often upscale locations with important actors and no money were enormous. And besides the technical producing, keeping everyone on the same page—financiers and talent alike was exhausting to the bone. I re-watched it recently with my new producing partner and we both agreed it’s a film that could never be made now in New York. I’m not sure how I did it!
What advice do you have for other producers seeking financing for their projects – should they try the private route? Should they automatically hit studios? Should they try and get a loan?
I think filmmakers need to do whatever they can to tell their stories. Usually that means the private route. But whoever pays for your film should understand (particularly if it’s your first movie) that the chances of returning the investment are very low. Even if you sell the film it can take years to return the investment if it gets returned at all. So potential investors have to be getting something else out of it—the prestige of the Executive Producer credit, visits to set, trip to a film festival, maybe the hope they can shag an actor (said wryly) or a tax break, something besides the hope of a big return.
As for studio financing, unless you just made a film that was a big success or you have one of ten actors that are hot at the moment, it’s a huge longshot you’ll get in the door. Studio’s are risk averse and are set up to say “no”. No executive wants a failure on their hands. And even if a studio takes on your project it can take years for the film to get made.
How important has it been that you’ve had an actor/director ‘attached’ to your project? Does that help it get made?
It depends where you are getting your financing from. For me, It’s extremely important. It helps investors visualize what kind of film you are making and adds value to the “package”. What we do as producers in the early stage of development is called “packaging” and it’s all about adding value to make financing easier.
Is there a certain film you tried effortlessly to get up – that just didn’t happen?
Only one. For years I was developing a film about Ian Curtis (the lead singer of the band Joy Division). After several years of packaging and at a point we had some real traction, a competing project popped up and they ended up making their version of the story. I don’t think there’s room in the world for two Ian Curtis movies..
What are your current projects?
The film I’m most excited about right now is called SEVERED WAYS; THE NORSE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA (www.heathenfilms.com) that I Executive Produced. It’s about two Vikings who are stranded in America in 1080 AD and has a Nordic heavy metal soundtrack. It was directed by Tony Stone- a new uber talented filmmaker from New York. We just screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival and Magnolia Films bought it to distribute in North America.
Besides SEVERED WAYS, I’ve been trying to patch together financing for a slate of fantastic projects. On the documentary side, I am producing a film about rock music promoter Bill Graham called LIVE AT THE FILLMORE EAST. We have access to quite a lot of rare footage of Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Van Morrison, and Bill Graham himself. The director is Leon Gast who won an Academy Award for WHEN WE WERE KINGS.
On the feature side I’ve been working with a new producing partner Russ Stratton and a company called Washington Square Films. We’ve optioned a couple of books including THIRD GIRL FROM THE LEFT by Martha Southgate and THE PAT HOBBY STORIES by F. Scott Fitzgerald. We also have an extremely funny high school comedy called THE RE-EDUCATION OF CONOR WIRTH that will be directed by Marilyn Agrelo (MAD HOT BALLROOM) that we are seeking studio financing for.
Though some of these projects are bigger, I still enjoy working on small films at the same time. I am working with a first time feature director on a story about a half Yupik (native Alaskan) teenager called DEAR LEMON LIMA and of course there’s the film I want to make in Perth which I’ll talk about in a minute.
What do you think people will learn by coming to the conference?
I’m hoping they will be inspired to go out and find a way to tell their stories. And, no matter what, I think it’s extremely valuable to hear about how other people get their films made. I have a lot of producer and director friends and time spent talking about what they are going through spurs ideas for my own projects and process.
Any plans to make an Aussie movie?
YES! I have been developing two projects (NUCLEAR FAMILY and WHITE DIVERS OF BROOME) with a wonderful Aussie producing team Melissa Kelly and Ryan Hodgson of Factor 30 Films. I’m really hoping to be in Australia next year making NUCLEAR FAMILY as the script is very close to ready to shoot. We’ve just started the packaging process and hope to be at SPAA with it.
