WHY I HAD TO MAKE THIS MOVIEI'm not what you would call your typical filmmaker. I didn't make no-budget films at 13 with the neighborhood kids. I didn't piss off my parents and go to film school. Instead I pissed them off with a useless double major: Anthropology & Psychology. To make up for the 5 years of partying they allowed me, I went to law school. So as you can imagine the folks were pretty happy. But it was there that I caught the bug. The film bug. As any law student can tell you, the internship you acquire in law school can very well lead to your future employment and specialty. That goes for film production too. During my second year of law school I applied for many internships in all the fields of entertainment, just to work in a creative atmosphere. My first job was at the Gersh Agency. I was a second year law student at the time and I thought being an agent was the perfect fit for a future lawyer. I would help rep actors, sit in on power meetings, and help negotiate contracts. Hey I was a law student, there would be so much for me to do. This is where I learned my first rule of the business: When you are an intern, you are an intern. Enough said. After a few months there, I realized being in the periphery of a film project wasn't what I wanted. I wanted to be directly involved with the project. I decided to reevaluate my goals. I decided to mass mail resumes to every entertainment company and conglomerate. That's where a lawyer would surely succeed. In film I applied to every established studio, production company, agency, tv network etc. In sports I applied to every league head office and all the major sports franchises in the New York City tri-state area. In music I applied to every record label. I must have sent 200+ resumes. I even applied to every model agency in NY, hey why not? So after many interviews and a stressful wait to see where my future would go I got back 3 offers: 1) The first offer was from the Elite Model Agency. They wanted me. As you can imagine, this required some serious thought, because even though I never had an interest in fashion, I am a guy. OK, this one might work. 2) Then the second offer came in. Aah, choices, the thing that makes life grand. This one was from MSG (Madison Square Garden for those unfamiliar with NY lingo). I know this isn't really a creative gig, but this was from the General Manager's (GM) office of the NY Rangers, my favorite hockey team. Hey like I said before, I'm a guy. I was given an offer to work alongside the GM's office (Neil Smith at the time), and unlike the other internships I was offered, this one actually paid, and quite well at that. So as any red blooded American would do, I had to go for the job with the highest offer. This was definitely the frontrunner. 3) Finally the last offer. There was a NYC based production company named True Fiction Pictures which makes the films of Hal Hartley, a fairly successful very independent filmmaker. They were working on a film called Henry Fool. It turned out one of the producers on the project was an attorney and he loved the idea of having a law student working in the office to do all his busy work and serve as his clerk. I knew I could learn a lot here, and who knows.... OK, so the decision was between MSG or True Fiction Pictures. After some serious thought I realized that I would rather be involved in a career in feature film production. True Fiction Pictures, here I come. The job ended up being a great learning experience and Hal Hartley is a truly gifted auteur. A true inspiration. I learned about indie filmmaking in NYC and what it takes. No simple task, as anyone who has undergone it can tell you, but managed right it can 'almost' be an enjoyable experience. Next, I got my first producing credit but I won't name the film to protect the innocent. I was in my third year of law school. A good friend from college had written a screenplay. He had an interested party in the script and he asked me to help him negotiate his contract. It was simple and when I met the producers, they asked me to help with the project. They couldn't afford to pay me any money but they did offer a credit, "CO-PRODUCER." I figure why not. It would be fun to hang out with my buddy during the production, and a valuable learning experience on making movies. And it was. Believe me it was. This was my first true learning experience of the trials and tribulations of indie film production when things weren't managed correctly. It was an indie film financed by a director's rich father. I believe most of those films are doomed. Why? When no pain and suffering goes into the film-making process, the films lose an edge which makes good indies well... good. After this experience I decided that the only way I could remain in the film business was if the projects were mine. I felt I had some of the strangest stories growing up in Staten Island, and that it would make a fine film. I knew I could write the screenplay and produce, but not direct, I was a novice at that. I spent 6 months just auditioning actors in Manhattan, because authenticate New Yorkers or actors capable of playing them were needed, and being a born and bred New Yorker, I place great importance on the beautiful New York City accent, and the best actors turned out to be New Yorkers, born and bred. Next, I found the first of the monies that would set the stage for the production of the film. And it came from the strangest of all places, Bollywood, India. Through relatives, a chance meeting was set up in Philadelphia with a studio head. I handed over a script; I was sent an email; one thing lead to another; and the film was to become co-produced by Dr. D. Ramanaidu through his company Suresh Productions. Suresh Productions is the largest film production company in India with over 124 films released to date during its 43 year span, with Dr. D. Ramanaidu serving as Producer. Banking on new talent and encouraging new concepts and ideas was always his recipe for success. So why not take a big risk? A film to be shot entirely in NYC with no Indian characters, nor any Indian subplot. A true American Independent Film. Why not? They got involved first and I will always forever be grateful to Dr. D. Ramanaidu and his son Suresh Babu for their belief in me. After some more hard work the rest of the money fell into place, and I patted myself on the back. I did it. I was going to shoot my movie. Now it was time to hire a director. This is when I met Aditya Chandora, the man whom I would hire to direct my script and who quickly became a dear friend. Aditya successfully shot the film in 6 weeks keeping moral up and getting the best performance possible from all the actors involved, many of whom were new talent we discovered. After a hectic shooting schedule and jumping the typical hurdles faced by an indie, we finally wrapped and knew we had something special in the can. After a short break Aditya went to India to complete the post-production at Ramanaidu Studios. OUTSOURCING!!! He energetically completed an assemble cut which proved all the elements of his vision were there. After the hectic schedule he maintained to finish the assembly cut, he took a small break to visit family in India. While there, Aditya was involved in a motorcycle accident which put him in a coma and soon after he tragically died from the head trauma he suffered from. As you can imagine, this lead to a struggle to finish the movie and took me years to finish the post production on my own. First, time was needed to emotionally heal the wound, as I lost a best friend working on my movie. Second, I was now thrust as director, with no experience, and didn't want to make any mistakes. So working full time on the editing, sound, and soundtrack with true professionals, I feel the dream of the film's original director, Aditya, was realized and will live forever on celluloid. Thank You, Gautama Kavuri
old skool films LLC
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