The million dollar question: What are you doing after you graduate? AU SOC senior James Paul’s response is right on the money—a $10,000 Kickstarter campaign, to be exact.
This summer, Paul is planning to travel to Prague to shoot “A Distant Shot,” a character-driven, period piece drama shot on 35mm film and based in Czechoslovakia during 1958 and 1938. As the writer, director and producer, he launched a campaign to raise $10,000 in one month to cover production costs. With less than 72 hours left, the team needs roughly $700 to reach the goal. The Kickstarter catch? The project will only be funded if at least $10,000 is pledged by the deadline.
What inspired you to create this project?
I first came up with the original idea for A DISTANT SHOT 6 years ago at a high school Track & Field meet. I was a long distance runner and was wearing a team t-shirt that read, “Everyone wonders why I run so fast, but what would you do if you heard a gun?” A stranger asked me if the person who said the quote was from a war torn country. I laughed and told them, “No she’s right over there,” and pointed to one of my teammates. But that got me thinking about the concept of someone running to escape from something out of fear and instead finding that their greatest fear could become their greatest strength. At its core, the story is about learning that we can only look back for so long before we have to move forward.
How has AU prepared you to write, direct, edit and produce your own film?
While AU has taught me the basics of camera film language, screenplay writing, and other technical trade skills I’ve largely been prepared by experiences I sought outside of AU. I first started making films in the 2nd grade with my best friend, John Puleo. We went by the production company name of JP Films because we both shared the same initials. He’s gone onto pursue a career in civil engineering and since then someone else incorporated JP Films. So I’m now working under the banner of JP2 Films. Two years ago, I went out to Los Angeles to find a summer internship. I ended up taking a semester off and working for Director George Tillman (NOTORIOUS, MEN OF HONOR, SOUL FOOD) for 6 months. This was an invaluable experience where I learned how story, producing, and the film industry all work. I tricked myself back into school by studying abroad in Prague, where our film is set, at the Czech Film Academy known as FAMU. Here I got exposed to an entirely different style of surrealist filmmaking which really helped expand my horizons and improve my craft. It was during this time that I got to shoot on film for the first time on 16mm. I found the process to be aggravating at first because I couldn’t instantly see what we shot. But I quickly fell in love with the look and the different style of shooting. For instance, since film is so expensive you only do 2 or 3 takes of a shot and really make them count whereas on digital you could shoot hundreds of takes (and sometimes do). After Prague, George, the Director, got me a job as a Production Assistant on his latest feature shooting in Brooklyn this past summer. THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER & PETE recently premiered at Sundance, and if there was ever a film to learn the ropes on, it was this. I got to see how a professional set is run and will definitely be bringing everything I learned there with me to our set in Prague.
What is the mission of this film, and what do you hope to accomplish?
Being successful in this business (and it is a business), requires a lot of things, but chief among them is being aware of who you are and what you want. You have to find your niche, stake your claim, and then make yourself known. I studied my own tastes in films and quickly realized I’m a period piece man. I’m very interested in history and often find great untold stories that are truly stranger than fiction. From this I become inspired to tell that story in a compelling way with composite characters. A DISTANT SHOT will be my calling card as a period piece character driven drama filmmaker. If that sounds like a Netflix category, it’s because I want to become known for making these specific kinds of films and doing them well. The way I’m approaching the Kickstarter fundraising model is from a professional stand point. In a typical filmmaker to financier relationship the filmmaker is responsible to deliver on their side of the contract. In that regard I will be treating this project as a professional job that each and everyone of my Kickstarter supporters has hired me to complete. I have a responsibility to them and will be working around the clock to make sure I deliver the best possible film we know how to make.
What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers at AU?
If you ever ask someone in the film industry their advice for aspiring filmmakers they always say the same thing. Make films. Even if they turn out absolutely awful, you learned something in the process, and you can call yourself a filmmaker. The beauty of the filmmaking landscape today is that the economic barriers to entry have been lifted. Distribution? YouTube, free. HD video? Your phone shoots it. If you want to be a filmmaker you really have no excuse not to be making films now. You don’t need to wait. My advice: keep working at it until you’ve got something you know is great. Then tell everyone you know about it. Getting work in the film industry is entirely about who you know and how well you can play the networking game.
Besides all that, my biggest advice to filmmakers at AU would be to seek work experiences outside of AU. DC is not a city known for film unless you want to work in the documentary world, so spend summers working in New York and Los Angeles. Also, there’s a fantastic private Facebook group founded by AU alum Ryan Williams ’12, called the AU Entertainment Network. Request to join it. We’re all working together to help young alumni find and share job and internship opportunities within the film industry.
For more information about Paul’s film, support A Distant Shot’s Kickstarter page and visit A Distant Shot on Facebook.