So step by step the film gets out into the world. But you have to do it one step at a time. I say this to authors too – you sell books one at a time and the word gets out there and its onward and upward from there.

At the London screening I invited Jonathan Tammuz a producer and Oscar winning director (who is joining as producer the Bali Brothers team) and lead actor Phil Barantini. It was a good night. They got to see my work and we all got to know each other better over tapas after the screening. Phil just got a guest spot on the popular UK series THE BILL.

MWP just hired a publicist for SACRED SITES and will making a focused effort for national and regional press coverage now that distribution is in place.

I emailed the foreign sales agent for the film who told me we have about 16 buyers screening the film (since it was in the market at Cannes) so fingers crossed for some significant sales.

Right now I am in Rockport Maine. We arrived last night. Today my daughter starts a two week filmmaking for teens course at the famous Maine Media Workshops (formerly the International Film and Television Workshops). For the last two years I’ve taught directing and producing master classes here but this year my wife and I will just enjoy Maine – plus I’ve got a ton of writing to catch up on.

In September I’m going to Bali to move BALI BROTHERS along as well as some other projects. One is a full colour book of the Mandala paintings from Dewa Njoman Batuan who is one of my oldest friends and former village head in Pengosaken. We met in 1970 when I first lived in his village. The book is his life’s work which is expressed through hundreds of mandala paintings and his writing about Balinese life, religion and philosophy. I’ll also do some casting, location scouting and explore villages near Gunung Agung the volcano to find exterior shots where the village and volcano can be seen in the same shots. It’s been a couple of years since I was last there so there will be many friends to catch up with as well.

Now all this sounds like a lot of activity and it is. These projects (and many more – we haven’t even discussed the ongoing book business) start at step one – sometimes many years ago – and each day or week I work on them and bring them along. They don’t get finished right away but they do get finished. One has to be patient and try to do the best work possible which helps to insure their success. When I was younger I wanted to do everything quick, and get it out. Now I realize there is much more power in going slowly, carefully, and so – like the great redwoods or blue whales – I allow for long gestation rates.

Onward and upward,

Michael

This is in contrast to the screening I had on The Lizard (in Cornwall) last week. A group of about 20 people had requested a screening as a benefit for a Tibetan cause. Everyone sat silently after the film ended – perhaps not wanting it to end. A great feeling. Most bought DVDs to share with other groups. Even today – a week later- I got a call from someone who said she can’t keep it out of her mind and wanted to order a copy. This is the way it is suppose to work – word of mouth which builds and builds.

I was in London last week for 2 days meeting with financiers and a post production facility. The financiers are more money lenders who will loan money against the tax refund that qualifying UK films receive. The bad news is that this is expensive money (15-18%) but the good news is that no equity is attached so you can pass on the benefits to your investors.

Until we’ve financed BALI BROTHERS we can’t start. So we had to scrap the August start date and are now looking at October. I am also waiting on a friend to close a film fund which seems to have dragged on for months.

Still there is lots to do. We are still trying to cast a “name” for one of the lessor roles. And that’s part of the problem. A “name” wants a big role not a small role. We are pitching an Oscar nominee as well. Fingers crossed.

So in August I’ll be in Rockport Maine teaching a producing master class. It’s a terrific environment and a great time is had by all.

Independent Filmmaking Workshop

Actor Phil Barantini visited Cornwall a few weeks ago and I showed him the sights. Phil plays one of the leads in Bali Brothers along with Leo Gregory. Leo didn’t come as he was busy filming THE BIG I AM where he has the lead role. Apparently on the first day of shooting someone threw a bag at him in a scene and it broke his nose in three places. He told me he’s alright now and filming as resumed. Leo is heating up with leads in three features already this year.

On the publishing front we just got a book proposal for a very intelligent horror book which we are reviewing. Hmmm. Just maybe.

Onward and upward,

Michael

One highlight – of course – was the showing of SACRED SITES OF THE DALAI LAMAS at the Landmark Theater. We had two showings. The first was so packed people had to sit in the aisles. The second 9pm showing was almost full. Steve Dancz and I conducted a Q&A session after each showing.

People gathered around us afterward, mostly to thank us. Not that we have that much to do with it it. The power that they are feeling radiates from the sacred sites and power spots of Tibet through the screen. That’s what they are feeling.

A family of Tibetan refugees from Lhasa came up afterward. The tiny grandmother who had recently arrived put her hands together and bowed constantly as her daughter translated saying how wonderful it is for us to show Tibet and its spiritual practices to the world. It was a very moving moment.

I also was tapped on the shoulder and surprised to see Allegra Snyder. She is Buckminster Fuller’s daughter and mother of my dear friend Jaime Snyder who had told her about the showing. Allegra was the former head of UCLA’s dance department – a major force in world dance and the arts. She also for many years headed up Bucky’s Institute. (Bucky was also a friend and I worked on several films about him. We shared the same birth date and once celebrated it together in Bali.) It was a real honor to have her in attendance.

Yesterday we brought together 30 or more of our authors for a “MWP Publishing University” where we went through the whole publishing arc from acquisition through production, marketing and distribution. It was an extraordinary experience to be with new authors (or those we are just considering signing now) to those whose books recently came out to the ‘grand old masters’ like Chris Vogler and Judith Weston. Remember those charts of earlier man – starting with those stooped over like apes progressing through Neanderthal and Java Man – it was kinda like that. ;)

I’d write more but I just got a call from the hotel’s front desk that the UK talent agent Chloe Ernst has arrived. We are about to have breakfast. Chloe represented Phil Barantini and Rebecca Grant – two of the leads in the Bali Brothers love triangle. We’ll discuss casting the ex-pat role of “Nigel”.

Gotta run.

Over and out,

mw

So far I’ve had meetings with our company’s bookkeeper and accountant, Debbie and Steve. These folks are terrific. Without the smooth infrastructure they provide, business would be impossible. Each time we meet we find better ways of doing things – which is also the goal of the upcoming “Publishing University” which we are holding for 30 authors on Saturday.

After the meetings I went to LA’s County Museum. I haven’t been in many years and it was fantastic. I meet Don Kennedy, one of my oldest friends, who is a singer songwriter living in Northern California. We formed our first band in high school and while my musical career floundered after a few years (and having my drum set stolen and the insurance money put into a film) – he’s still at it with hundreds of songs to his credit. (http://web.mac.com/mechanicalarts and http://www.donaldmccrea.com) Check it out.

Early one morning I went over to my film storage facility deep in San Fernando Valley. Remember the shot at the end of Raider’s of the Lost Ark – that enormous warehouse that goes to infinity? That’s the place. I was met by a very friendly and helpful guy who looked like was straight out of ZZ Top- long hair, beard, sunglasses. Before he took me to my stuff to sort through he said, “let me take you on a little tour”. He said, “look! Here’s Judy Garland’s films, and over here Bozo the Clown’s TV shows, and Dom Deluise has his stuff here. It was a tour of the collected junk of Hollywood celebrities! Fantastic. Would make a great little film.

I sorted through twenty boxes of films, workprints, mag tracks, original music recordings going back to my first film. I threw away most of it so that only three boxes remain. Then I took about 15 films and videos over to a post production facility where I am having everything digitized. Some I may release on DVD or video stream or just show to my daughter. A blast from the past. Watch this space!

Next was lunch with Manlio Roseano, a young Italian producer from Bologna who took both my master classes at Rockport’s International Film and Video Workshops last summer. Pencil thin moustache, 40’s style clothers, silver convertible. Gotta love this guy. He was in LA to option a novel. I saw him at the Berlin Film Festival a few weeks ago when he took me around and introduced me. I joined him and his wife one day to visit the Stasi prison in East Germany (where much of The Lives of Others was shot).

Then, a great reunion with Nick Frangakias. We met 30+ years ago and I probably hadn’t seen him for 10 years. He was a Franciscan monk and later an actor, filmmaker, writer and close friend with Jean Renoir. He’s got a Renoir project he has writen and is producing in France. He came down from Ojai to see me where he manages a meditation retreat. We spent about four hours catching up. Bright eyes, great enthusiasm. This guy glows. Absolutely energizing to be around him.

That night I met fireball Ruth Hayward who was introduced to me by Glenn Mullin (Tibetologist and guide in the Sacred Sites film). She was having a meeting with a board of directors of a Tibetan foundation that she’s organized at the request of the Dalai Lama. I waited until they finished their meeting to join them for a laughter filled dinner. Ruth is a whirlwind personality whose master skill and art form seems to be putting people, money and ideas together so that big things happen. Her house is filled with Tibetan art and furniture which must make the many Tibetan lamas that stay with her very comfortable to be surrounded by familiar things. Some of her furniture and art work is on display at the LA County Museum. She also works with the museum and numerous NGO’s around the world. She rattled off about half a dozen projects she involved with too numerous to mention here but lets just say the woman is a spiritual powerhouse. She was kind enough to put the word out about tonite’s showing through her extensive community.

Yesterday Ken Lee, MWP’s VP, came down from Seattle. We had lunch and planned ‘publishing university’ day for next Saturday and finalized some details for tonight’s showing. We’ve worked together 17 years! The guy doesn’t age. Wonder what he eats for breakfast?

I then had a meeting with an energetic guy with contacts with hedge funds. He’ll present Bali Brothers to them for possible financing. Fingers crossed. Then I caught a movie and went to bed! I am still seriously jet-lagged.

Today I’m off to Samuel French bookshop (to make sure our books are faced out! Ha!) and then Santa Monica for the second half of my trip – if only I can get off this laptop and stop blogging!

Onward and upward,

mw

So I’m off to LA for a long list of tasks which I’ve been saving up.

SACRED SITES FOR THE DALAI LAMAS is playing on March 13th at the Landmark Theater. Composer Steve Dancz and I will do question and answer session after the two showings. I’m looking forward to see how a Los Angeles audience will respond to our little film.

(Two weeks ago I was at the Berlin Festival and found a foreign sales representative who will sell it around the world. I am busy getting all the delivery materials and masters made as he wants to screen it at the Cannes market in May. It quite amazing to see how this little film is finding its way out into the world.)

In LA I’ll also be meeting with some financiers for Bali Brothers so fingers crossed.

Ken Lee is coming down from Seattle for our March 16th, MWP Publishing University. Thirty of our authors will gather with us for a day of brainstorming. Michele from the LA office will be there as well as other MWP freelanceers and staff. It’s going to be great to see everyone at last.

I’m also going to meet old friends, some of whom are coming in from Northern California including a Franciscan monk, a singer-songwriter, several producers, and a Buddhist gardener. I’m looking forward to seeing these friends many of whom I haven’t seen for many years.

I’m also digging through my film master storage facility and pulling out some early films for transfer to DVD.

I’ll only be gone about 10 days as I have to get back to Cornwall for a local showing of SACRED SITES which is a fund raiser for Tibetan causes.

All in all it promises to be an action packaged trip with much time spent with dear friends.

Onward and upward,

Michael

I’ve been very surprised by this. I thought we’d have a very small quiet release and over time it would (or would not – like so many) make its way into the world. And its not just Buddhists who are interested. Many ordinary folks are interested in Tibet, the Dalai Lama, and the great masters who acheived enlightenment.

My sense is that the power of these very powerful sacred places carries through the film into the hearts and minds of its audience and changes them (as do the sites themselves). After all, to visit any one of these places in a lifetime would be the dream of many Tibetans.

And so, while I was going to release this film quietly to a small audience now we are in discussions with broadcasters, theater chains, and some showings will be alongside the Dalai Lama’s upcoming Spring and Fall tours in many U. S. cities.

Here’s where you can see it in the next few months (that I know about):

March 28-30th – The Celtic Film Festival, Isle of Skye

April 13-14 – The 2nd Annual Buddhist Film Festival, Montana

April 21 – The Office of Tibet/Kailash Centre, London

April 19-28th – Atlanta Film Festival

April 28 – The Art Theater, Champaign Illinois

May 3 – Tibet House, New York City

July 6 – Foundation for Tibet, London in celebration of the Dalai Lama’s birthday

July 7 – San Francisco Tibetan Community in celebration of the Dalai Lama’s birthday

June 16-17 – Films on Tibet, The Flushing Library, Flushing New York

A video trailer is here.

and it’s also available as a DVD through www.mwp.com and Amazon in the US and through Wisdom Books in the UK.

So marketing genius that I am, I got this one all wrong. Fortunately!!

Onward and upward,

Michael

1) What is your educational background? What did you focus on in school, and how has it helped you in your career?

I went to University of Illinois High School where the first “new math” course was developed. The government gave the school several million to film our class, so I got to watch every day as a three camera 16mm shoot took place. Didn’t learn much math but I was inspired to learn about filmmaking.

I was always interested in photography and drumming and eventually those skills merged into cinematography and the drumming informed the editing and pacing of my filmmaking.

From there I went to Rochester Institute of Technology and learned the technical side and then to the San Francisco Art Institute where I learned the fine art side and got a MFA in Cinematography. But it was also the sixties and The Summer of Love was in full bloom and I learned a lot of other things too! Filmmaking is more about experiencing life than it is about twiddling knobs.

My student film explored the psyche, supernatural and spirituality. I was also fascinated by German Expressionist films, surrealism, Indian tabla, dreams, Egypt, Zen, Carl Jung, Artaud, Balinese shadow puppetry and Tibetan Buddhism. These things still interest me today and have been the subjects of some of my recent films, books, and travel.

2) What did you do immediately after school? What kinds of jobs did you get into? What did you find was the quickest way to get your name out there?

My student film, “Messages Messages” which I made with partner Steve Arnold became our first hit. We rented a theatre, packed it with 2000 people and got hired then and there to start America’s first Midnight Movie series. Our film was premiered in New York by Salvador Dali which got us huge attention, a slot in the San Francisco International Film Festival and ultimately an invitation to Director’s Fortnight at Cannes. I was 19 when I shot the film. From there I continued for many years making independent shorts and docs, raising private money and finding distribution through 16mm educational distributors. I did all this on days off and after work from menial part time jobs working in law offices as a typist and clerk and freelance photography.

A few months after Star Wars came out we spoofed it with “Hardware Wars”, a thrilling space saga of romance, rebellion, and household appliances. We made the film for $8000 and today it has grossed over $1 million. We got lucky because we picked a film that has become a religion and every time George releases a new Star Wars we re-release Hardware Wars. It is not the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars and we are preparing yet another release. Talk about going back to the well! It’s the most profitable short film of all time I’m told. That got my name out there but Ernie Fosselius (writer/director) is really the brilliance behind the movie. I just shot it and produced it and marketed it for thirty years!

3) The expression, “it all depends on who you know” seems very common to someone on the outside trying to get into the industry. Would you say this is true or false?

True. But that said, you can meet someone and they can “know” you in a few minutes. They also say, “you meet the same people on the way up as you do on the way down, so be nice to everybody.”

4) How did you “break in” to producing and publishing?

I didn’t bother to ask permission. When no one would produce my films, I would. No one would publish my first book, so I borrowed $3,000 and did it myself. Years later the same major publishers who rejected me wanted to buy the company. I had the pleasure of actually seeing a revenge scenario come through: I sent them a copy of their previous rejection letter and said, “no thanks”. Filmmakers need active imaginations.

5) What would you say is the most difficult part of being a producer and publisher? How do you get through these challenges?

Finding great material. It all starts with a great script or a great book proposal and writing sample. Patience furthers. Eventually you develop your sensibilities. You learn script structure and how subtext is vitally important to good work. You look for what moves you and might move others, or in the case of our books, it’s all about what empowers the reader/filmmaker. Our books are only published so that others may benefit from the knowledge and experience shared. With every book we publish we try to improve some aspect of what we do so after working on 100 books and 300 video releases you get better at it. The secret it putting yourself in a position where you can continually have this learning experience through trial and error.

6) One thing I really admire about you is that you took your knowledge about the film industry, and became a publisher of several “how-to” books to help others. When did you first get the idea to do this, and how did you turn that idea into a reality?

Actually the “several books” is nearly 100 books that we’ve published with me writing about eight of them. I never intended to be a publisher. It all happened as I had some success with my early films and wanted to share the experience of how to market and distribute with my colleagues. So I put on seminars. I wrote handouts for the seminars which evolved into the first book. Then, whenever I learned something new, I’d write another book. At that time (1981) there were only a couple of “how to” film or writing books published. Seems unbelievable but that created an opening for us to develop and publish in that genre. Now we rule!

It wasn’t until I had a half dozen books out that I realized I was a real publisher. Then I started to look for gaps in my own knowledge and assumed that was also true for my fellow filmmakers. Turns out that was a winning formula – find a need and fill it. I would never have imagined there were so many ways to slice a “body of knowledge”. Even today we have 20-30 books in development and release 12-15 new books per year. (Come visit www.mwp.com). We’re still slicing and dicing.

7) Do you ever do multiple publishing projects at once? How do you balance your work in publishing with your work in television and film?

Now I only do my own projects so I am able to balance the film/video works with books. When I worked in video or television for others I did the publishing on the side. We are always overlapping book projects. Some take one or two or three years. We have a publishing program and right now we are solidly booked through 2008 and we’re working on 2009. This allows me to go away when I need to for a month or two to work on another project. Or – on the new Tibet film, “The Sacred Sites of the Dalai Lamas” – I spent several hundred hours editing it over the course of a year and half. It’s a matter of priorities. Keep the cash flow coming in and nourish the soul and creative work.

My old friend Buckminster Fuller use to say that the greatest things (redwood tree, great whales, epic novels) have the longest gestation rates. This comforts me because my own feature film set in Bali (“Bali Brothers”) is on its 34th screenplay draft and fifth writer and has taken me well over 15 years to develop to this point. The failing most filmmakers make is that they shoot before their script is fully developed and you can’t make a great film from a weak script. Can’t be done. So I’m confident now that we are ready on this project. Better to do it write and to go for quality in creating something you hope will last a generation or two and not end up in the remainder bin in the video store in 6 months.

8) Are there any publishing projects that stand out in your memory? Any particularly challenging ones?

My favorite story is the discovery of The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler. I was peddling away on an exercise bike in an LA gym when I was told about a memo he’d written to Disney exec Jeffrey Katzenburg when Vogler was a consultant on “Lion King”. The memo articulated mythic structure in screenwriting and was based on Joseph Campbell’s work. I had known Campbell, met him, been to his lectures, read his books, knew his publisher, and had helped another friend launch Campbell’s Hero’s Journey video series. So right away I knew this could potentially be a terrific book. When I got the rough manuscript I found myself writing in the margins, but not notes on the book but ideas for my Bali script. That’s when I knew Vogler’s book would be big – because it was so valuable to me. Sure enough, we’ve sold around 200,000 copies and its been translated into 12 languages. A big hit for any publisher. And all this from a tiny independent publishing house. I live for the end run!

9) Are there upcoming changes in the industry that will affect how you do your job? How will these changes affect a new generation coming into the industry?

I imagine that one day there will be a decent digital book reader, kind of an iPod for books, but maybe not. Something about the feel and smell of books that even the Japanese would have trouble replicating. And certainly video streaming which will evolve into a much more sophisticated form beyond youtube will bring changes. Keep your eyes on joost.tv. Still, it’s not about the form. Special effects didn’t bring us better movies. It didn’t deepen our experience of what it means to be human and if anything it lessened our understanding. So even with all these changes, the principles of good storytelling do not change. We should endeavour to learn the basics and not be seduced by the latest techno-gadgets on the block.

Even with great technology we may miss its potential. For example, DVDs are a terrific format for studying films. In the days I was coming up I had to get my hands on 16mm film prints and run them through a viewer with rewinds to study the cuts. Now all you have to do is slo-mo a DVD. But few students of films watch films in a critical way, even with this great technology. Running a film at full speed with the sound on does not allow you to study all the layers at work. I learn a lot about films when I am on an airplane and watch movies (even bad ones) with the sound off.

I haven’t been too hopeful about the up and coming generation of filmmakers because they focus on style over substance. The ever – hip factor. But then I was at Roger Ebert’s Film Festival last year and all the twenty-something filmmakers were referencing Japanese director Ozu either in the panel discussions or in their films. Ozu is perhaps the most traditional of Japanese filmmakers and popular in Japan and among US film critics. His movies have long slow cuts and are all shot from a static camera at seated meditation height. To have discovered Ozu is quite something as most young filmmakers think film history started with The Matrix. There’s hope yet in the next generation.

10) What is the best advice that you can give someone (like me!) who wants to get into producing as a career?

First relax. If you have a strong intention about being a producer, or cameraman, or writer it will happen in reality. Just do whatever you can each do to contribute to your experience in that area. Plant seeds. Seek out mentors. Get part time jobs. Write spec scripts. These seeds and contacts will grow and in a few years you’ll be able to support yourself in doing what you love and you’d do for free. You’ll have a community of friends who you can help and they will help you. And in a decade or two or three all these seeds will have sprouted and you’ll have an abundance of things that you will have contributed to.

And then I always liked Martin Scorcese’s advice: “Wanna know how to become a director? Start calling yourself a ‘director’”.