MN Dialog: How did you find out about your Emmy nomination?

John Kitchener: I was on vacation on Cape Cod when I got an email from Steve Edelman. He was at a movie theater in San Francisco when he received a text message from our Travel Channel programming executive who was at the Award ceremony in LA.  The Travel person is the one who went up to accept.

MN Dialog: Did you attend the awards ceremony? What was it like?

J.K.: One of our top editors, Janine Kaufman, received an Emmy nomination for Single Camera Editing for her work on the Relic Hunter series and she decided to go. So she represented. She said there were a lot of soap stars there, so it’s too bad we didn’t go.

MN Dialog: What is the current status of The Relic Hunter with Ian Grant?  Where can people watch it?

J.K.: That’s a sore subject. Travel decided not to renew after the initial order, which of course was a huge disappointment because we thought we had created a good show and Ian Grant was just getting warmed up. I know Ian has some clips up on his website: www.bjorlinggrant.com.  People can draw their own conclusions about the show, but for us, the Emmy was a vindication.

MN Dialog: Do you have a favorite production moment or season highlight?

J. K.: I was lucky enough to go on some of the trips–and we went to some really wild places–Togo for a story on Voodoo, Nepal for Himalayan shamans, the Peruvian Amazon. My favorite place though was Suriname, a small country on the north coast of South America. No one goes there–I think they get 60,000 tourists a year. And it’s a shame because the place is fantastic. We ended up deep in the jungle hanging out with the Maroons, descendants of slaves who had escaped the Dutch sugar plantations–and they still live in these extremely remote  villages. Ian got his groove on dancing with the eligible single women of the village.  It was pretty entertaining.

MN Dialog: Why did you decide to acquire Edelman Productions?

J.K.: I had worked for Steve Edelman for seven years, running the Minneapolis office, and while I enjoyed working with him immensely, I was ready to strike out on my own. It just so happened that around that same time–last fall–Steve made his own decision to cut back on his workload and enjoy life a bit more. You have to realize that he had four offices going with over 150 people on staff, so he was going full tilt for years. Steve had a certain affection for the Minneapolis operation since that’s where he started, so it worked out well for both of us. I was able to take over a successful production office with a very talented staff already in place, with series producers like Mary Kay Reistad, Kira Pertzborn, and Kara Wayne, along with top notch editors and support staff. So Steve could walk away knowing we were going to give it our best shot. He sold his San Francisco office to a producer out there, but he’s still doing one popular HGTV series in DC called Real Estate Intervention.

MN Dialog: In October, Magnetic Productions will have completed its first year of business.  Give us a recap of your successes and where you see the business growing in the next year.

J.K.: When I took over we knew for sure that we had one order for 13 episodes of Bathtastic! from the DIY Network. Patrick Beedle, who was instrumental in the startup, is our Director of Production & Business Affairs. He and I calculated how long we could keep the doors open with just 13 episodes. Then, we got lucky (or we’re just that good):  DIY renewed a series with Amy Mathews called Sweat Equity, and we landed a new series with James Young called I Hate My Kitchen, so we were off to a good start. DIY has been a great client for us, obviously, and they are a great network to work with.

MN Dialog: What’s next for Magnetic Productions?  Can you tell us about any upcoming series?

J.K.: We recently launched a new  series for DIY that is just getting up and running. It’s a true reality series featuring a woman named Nicole Curtis who restores old houses in the inner city. It’s the first dramatic reality series to be shot in Minneapolis. We’ve brought in reality producers from LA and New York to work on it, but it will give our Minneapolis producers a chance to learn a new style of production that we haven’t done before.  We also have a number of shows in development. We did a big search for new Food Network talent, so we’ll see how that goes.

MN Dialog: Magnetic receives Snowbate funds for some of your series. How has this affected your business?

J.K.: The Film board Snowbate program has been a tremendous help for us. The funds we receive have given us the confidence to add staff, replace outdated gear, and has really given our development effort a shot in the arm. I think when Magnetic launched in October of last year, we had ten people on staff. Now we’re pushing 30, almost all of whom are from this market. If you look at how vigorous television production has become in the Twin Cities over the last few years, I don’t think you can question whether the Snowbate is working. I can tell you it is.

In Destination: Outer Space an incident during a test flight of Earth’s first faster-than-light-speed rocket throws test pilot Captain Mike Jackson halfway across the galaxy. Lost in deep space, Captain Jackson must use all his wits to find a way back to his world. Billed as “a film unlike any other” the movie includes mysterious alien planets, robotic lifeforms, beautiful space pirates, alien creatures hell-bent on galactic domination and more.

In preparation for Tuesday’s unveiling of Destination, Mihm contacted me with the information about his film (an indie filmmaker always needs to promote!) and so I asked him some questions about his success and the new movie.

Rebecca: You’ve developed a strong fan base on your own, doing your own promotion and marketing. This is something a lot of indie filmmakers are trying to figure out right now. What have been the keys to your success in this area?

Christopher: Familiarity with information technologies: I think my being a computer programmer/web designer has helped me utilize the Internet in ways that have been extremely beneficial. Heck, most of what I do or how people have found me has been through the Internet — and most of my sales over time have been through my website.

Second: perseverance (and Stubbornness!) I literally spend almost two to three hours every night I can — which is most — doing SOMETHING involved in either making or promoting the films. And I’ve been doing this since I started in 2005! My spending the time to contact you and answer your questions is a good example.

Third: Interaction. Since I throw a lot of events myself and almost always personally show up, it’s allowed me to get to know people and make a connection — something I think has fed people’s taste for my work AND pushed people to want to be involved — something I also encourage! Destination: Outer Space was financed by fans and it was the fans who came out to help me build sets, build props, design costumes, and even play roles as either costumed extras or, as was the case with fan (and really talented guy) Mitch Gonzales, step into multiple, larger roles!

Note: Financing for Destination: Outer Space fell through when a major investor had to drop out. In response, Mihm asked his fans via his website for $50 donations to help finish the film in exchange for DVDs, tickets to the premiere and “associate producer” credits on the film. He was thinking he would get 5 to 10 people and 50 ended up signing on to help.

Rebecca: Why do you think your movies hold such an appeal for people?

Christopher: I’d say the biggest appeal is the nostalgia factor. Some people like them because it reminds them of going out to the drive-in or local theater back when those types of films were new. Some remember growing up in the “horror host” era of the ’60s and ’70s where local stations would fill dead airtimes by screening old schlocky films hosted by local actors dressed up in horror/Halloween styles (Horror Incorporated was the Twin Cities equivalent that originally started WITHOUT a host).

I sprinkle many references to modern genre entertainment throughout my films so they also seem to appeal to obsessive sci-fi and horror fans (something I consider myself to be!). Lastly, all my films are as authentic as I can make them but they are also family friendly. There’s no extreme violence or blood or guts and no hardcore language or sex. Thus, one of the biggest groups of fans are kids that find them scary enough to get a small thrill out of them but not so scary as to be nightmare inducing.

Rebecca: In your own words, what is this latest film about? What inspired it beyond Star Wars?

Christopher: Destination: Outer Space is my attempt at a grand “space epic.” Having grown up on Star Wars and Star Trek and ’70s and ’80s sci-fi, I find that I am more or less a sci-fi geek first. From Doctor Who to the original Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers or The Last Starfighter, I just ate that stuff up as a kid. So when it came to do my fifth film, I knew I wanted to do something bigger than the others.

This led me back to an original idea co-producer Josh Craig and I had while we were working on Cave Women on Mars in 2007 — that being a rip-roaring space adventure film with aliens and beautiful space pirates and all the trappings of the best B-grade sci-fi. Mix that with my “1950s-drive-in” sensibilities and Destination: Outer Space is what you end up with!

Rebecca: Where else will people have a chance to see it over the summer, if they can’t attend the premiere?

Christopher: In addition to the premiere, the film will be playing over Memorial Day weekend as the third movie in a triple feature at the Hi-Way 18 Outdoor Theatre in Jefferson, Wisconsin. As of right now, most of the additional screenings are scheduled for the fall. As I finalize other dates, I add them to the calendar on the screenings page of my website.

Rebecca: What are your plans for this movie empire you’re building? Did you ever imagine yourself as a filmmaker when you were growing up?

Christopher: To be honest, I don’t really have any concrete plans other than to keep trying to make films for as long as it remains fun. The moment it becomes a chore or starts to feel like a crappy day job, I’m done!

That having been said, I would love to get to a point of pulling in enough money to make some sort of modest living at it but since the beginning, I’ve pretty much broken even on each film — so I’m being realistic and just enjoying the ride while it lasts! And as a kid I did imagine how cool it’d be to make my own movies and TV shows but I never took the thought too seriously. At one point I wanted instead to be a rock star but admittedly, I was never good enough! But I did have some fun while I tried.

Rebecca: Did you love B movies when you were growing up? What were other influences?

Christopher: My father introduced me to the old B-movies because they were the movies he grew up on and he wanted to share some of his childhood with me. So yes, I did grow up on them but in reality, I didn’t truly LOVE them until after my father’s death in 2000 when I went back and cathartically rewatched them. Seeing them again as an adult and from a nostalgic perspective, I really just fell head over heels for them — to a degree I was NOT expecting! As for other influences, like I said previously, a lot of Star Trek, Star Wars, ’70s and ’80s sci-fi films and TV, Ghostbusters — stuff like that.

Also, I’m a pretty big fan of film as spectacle as opposed to film as art form. I can appreciate the art form for what it is and I do like films that push the boundaries of the medium but if I’m being blunt, I prefer movies that WOW me, no matter how mindless! I like big budget special effects extravaganzas and I would LOVE to be able to make one. However, I know I don’t have the budget (or even the talent or patience) to make films like that. So instead, I sort of do what I can with what I have and wrap it into the 1950s genre. This allows me to bring my big, out-of-this-world ideas to life while using the cheesy charm of that era to sell them — AND stealthily hide my mistakes and missteps by chalking them up to being authentic to that classic B-movie style!

Rebecca: Are you working on your next film?

Christopher: I’m in the very early planning stages of it. If everything works out, I’ll be shooting in the fall and HOPEFULLY be able to release it next spring. The only hint I’ll give is that there will be a sci-fi element and a great monster… or monsters! (Which is an incredibly vague hint since ALL of my films include sci-fi elements and monsters!)

Destination: Outer Space premieres at the Heights Theatre on Tuesday, May 25, doors open at 6:45 p.m. and the screening begins at 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets are no longer available but some are still available for purchase at the door. Tickets are $5.

Actor/producer Josh Craig, writer/director Christopher R. Mihm, and actor Catherine Hansen confer between takes

I’m conflicted posting this as it may become spoiler-ish in nature by purely mentioning it but I’m assuming that if you’re here you already peruse movie news websites. If not, stop reading and go away. Come back after you’ve seen Iron Man 2.

Two days ago I had no idea that J.J. Abrams was involved in another “Cloverfield” type of project called “Super 8″. The teaser trailer is to be attached to prints of Iron Man 2 much like “Cloverfield” was a surprise for everyone watching “Transformers”. So leave it to the attention starved weenus bags of the info web to start blabbing every effing detail about this little treat. People…if you know this stuff, leave it be. But if you must tell please include some sort of spoiler alert. It’s lame to even have to say that.

Would the “Usual Suspects” have had the same impact with today’s cinema going public? People respected that movie, recommended it and let folks discover the secrets for themselves. Nobody told what was going to happen. Same thing with “The Crying Game”. The difference now is the dicks are off screen and in the seats waiting to tweet or update every damn detail before people can see it for themselves.

J.J. Abrams and his crew work very hard to keep things from the audience. I’m guilty of reading the news and seeing what’s going on in the world of production. Broad strokes. If you’re so compelled to throw stuff out there please label it with spoiler alerts so that some of us can still be surprised.

Kickstarter has a broad definition of creativity: visual art, graphic design, music, fashion, film/video, journalism… Today on the home page visitors have the opportunity to help fund everything from a live burlesque cooking show to an animated short film to a gluten-free bakery looking to open a gourmet dessert truck. It’s really whatever strikes your fancy or whatever you find value in.

The great thing about kickstarter is that project funding is always all-or-nothing. Your project must reach (or go beyond) the funding goal you set at the outset or you get zero. By reaching your stated funding goal, patrons can be assured that their money will be put to the use it was intended for and there is a much greater chance that everyone will see the project will come to fruition. If you need $10,000 to put out a quarterly journal about paperclip art, you probably aren’t going to succeed if you only get to $3,000.

The creators and artists who post their projects and receive their funding through this site aren’t beholden to investors – these are donations, not loans, which makes it all the more interesting. People read about your project and say, “YES! I would love to see a series of short videos about balloon animals. YES! I believe that there should be a rooftop farm in New York City!”

And because it’s built on the idea of straight donation, creators keep 100% ownership of their ideas and owe Kickstarter  5% of funds raised if a project is successfully funded.

There is currently a Minneapolis-based project on Kickstarter. The indie Web series, Transylvania Television, is currently raising funds for a 60-minute Halloween special that would air on broadcast TV.  As it says on their Kickstarter page, making an hour of broadcast-quality television takes quite a bit more than a simple “webisode,” thus the need to raise funds. In addition to buying television time, the team needs to create more characters, sets and props and hopefully have something to pay their puppeteers, writers and production people.

But TV TV, as it’s often called, already has a  track record of pulling off highly entertaining and well-produced shows – this instills confidence that a 60-minute special made by them would truly be kick-ass. (You can watch episodes by visiting the Transylvania TV website or you can download Season 2 on iTunes under “podcasts.”) The show is a “retro monster comedy” aimed at adults and done with puppets (the puppets don’t equal children’s show, folks). The Halloween special will feature Dwayne Frankenstein, Furry the Party Yeti and Irving Batfink as they dig deep into Castle LeShoc to discover the true meaning of Halloween and meet the somewhat morally ambiguous Pumpkin Prince!

The great thing about this Kickstarter project is that it really could mean the next level up for a locally-produced TV show that started, as most do, as a “labor of love” and has continued for two years already. These folks aren’t getting paid to create the scripts, puppets, sets, etc. They hope that the Halloween special will be made and then distributed nationally in 2011. It will also be made available on DVD along with the third web season of the show.

Many crowdfunded shorts and features offer up rewards to their patrons, everything from T-shirts to names in the credits of the finished film and Transylvania TV is no exception. They have a very detailed listing of what their backers will receive based upon donation amount. You can see all the rewards for various giving levels on their project page.

As of today, TV TV has 69 backers and has raised $4,330 towards its fundraising goal of $6,000. They have 44 more days (until June 6) to raise the rest of the money. The minimum pledge amount is only $10!! Giving $10 so some rad people can make puppets sounds like a fair deal to me!

So, are you in? If you’d like to help kickstart this Halloween special, check out the Transylvania TV page.

“IFP’s Independent Film Week is the oldest and largest forum in the U.S. for the discovery of new projects in development and new voices on the independent film scene. The Project Forum is a meetings-driven forum connecting filmmakers who have new narrative and documentary projects with key industry executives interested in identifying projects with which to become involved at the financing or distribution stage.

It is qualitatively and quantitatively the best opportunity for an independent filmmaker to connect with industry professionals – including producers, funders, distributors, broadcasters, sales agents and festival programmers. The Project Forum also furthers filmmaker and industry interaction with opportunities for networking at social events throughout the week.

Now accepting applications for all three sections: Emerging Narrative (for writers and writer/directors seeking producers and agents to develop, produce, represent and finance their scripts), No Borders (for U.S. and international producers with partial financing on new narrative projects seeking additional partners), Spotlight on Documentaries (for U.S. filmmakers with projects in production or post-production seeking financing partners, broadcast/distribution opportunities, and festival invitations.)

Deadlines vary by section – from April 23 (for Emerging Narrative) to May 21 (for No Borders and Spotlight on Documentaries). For deadline schedule, criteria for all sections, and online applications, go HERE.”

I spoke to Specktor about the class, his views on what is happening in the indie film world today and what he’s been up to lately.

Q: So what is the class going to be about this year?
Specktor: The class will cover the fundamentals of screenwriting but will allow each student to use their own ideas for plot, character, etc. And then we’ll read three screenplays, two of which are very “classic” in structure – The Sting and Michael Clayton. But then I thought it would be a good thing to also through in there a script that doesn’t work according to the “screenwriting rules” but nevertheless succeeded as a film, so I chose Adaptation.

Q: What have you been doing in terms of writing? Last year when we spoke you were about to publish a novel and hoping that your script [an adaptation of Shirley Hazzard’s novel Transit of Venus would be going into production.
S: I published a novel last year called That Summertime Sound. Some people really liked it; it didn’t make me famous. I’m also working on a nonfiction book about The Sting, which will be out in early 2011 as part of a series of books by writers on their favorite films. Jonathan Lethem is writing about Jonathan Carpenter’s They Live.

Q: What do you think about all the changes we’re seeing in the indie industry right now, in terms of what’s being written, sold, distribution and all of that?
S: In terms of screenplays, whether or not someone writes a script that adheres to all the rules or goes off to create something that defies them, what matters most is to keep dramatic tension going throughout the story. If you make a dramatic promise, you have to keep it. There is nothing more deadly than formula in a script. If you are a screenwriter with a 118 page cadaver of a script, you probably aren’t going to be able to animate it no matter what tricks you try.

I enjoy scripts that allow for ambiguity but after the 1990s, produced scripts of all kinds (Hollywood and indie) really moved away from ambiguity. Maybe the intersection between the shifting economic model and the shifting narrative model will allow for this again. I mean, Hollywood doesn’t believe in it. Iron Man 2 exists only to set the audience up for Iron Man 3.

Everyone who writes or makes films – and other artists as well – are asking themselves what to do now that they don’t need the corporate parent.

Q: In light of all the changes going on in the industry right now, why do you think people still feel compelled to write and make indie films?
S: Well, if someone has vision, if they feel compelled by their own ability to do this, it’s really more necessary than ever. Movies are probably more culturally ascendant than novels and literature right now and there is a small portion of the populace interested in art vs. entertainment. But this small portion is important. Aesthetic success in terms of a film should be a goal. Excellent narrative should be a goal. We’re never going to run out of our need for narrative.

We’re all suffering from terminal distraction. I’m grateful for films and books that completely engage me. I like immersion over ten things happening at once. I like spending time offline and the pleasure of not understanding something so that I have to figure it out.

Q: What about your own script? What’s happening with it?
S: Transit has been delayed because of financing, which is the story for so many films, of course. It’s a film that really needs to be made independently because of its complicated and unexpected ending that would never fly with a studio. Studios don’t want to finance stories like this. But the average time to get a movie made is seven years, so I’m not necessarily worried. Soon I’ll go back to working on writing new scripts.

Q: What’s your goal for your class this year?
S: My aim is to teach skills that serve in the long haul. My real hope is to lead students towards not necessarily writing the next Hollywood blockbuster but towards the pleasure of writing a good scene. Yes, we’ll be learning all the fundamentals but there are then many ways to depart from that.

Visit the That Summertime Sound site to hear sections from Specktor’s novel read by the likes of James Franco, Gwyneth Paltrow, Morgan Freeman and Jeremy Irons.

Next, a quick round-up of links to film fest coverage. For indie film nerds, this is kinda like the Twins home opener.

City Pages: Your Passport to 58 Countries Via 145 Films
Star Tribune: Building The Best Film Fest (a round-up of local experts talk about how to plan and execute a great fest)
Vita.mn: Rob Nelson reviews opening night film Max Manus. Note: Max Manus, it’s not just for Norwegians!!
TC Daily Planet: A series of interviews with the people behind MSPIFF, including an interview with Al Milgrom, festival Artistic Director, conducted by Pam Colby, Executive Director for Minneapolis Television Network, Linda Blackaby, Chief Programmer of the fest this year, and Ryan Oestrich, festival coordinator.
Kathie Smith: Local blogger extraordinaire Kathie Smith recounts her contributions to the Star Tribune article. It’s worth checking back on this blog throughout the festival, as Kathie is dedicated to seeing as many films as possible each year during festival time. Last year she saw an incredible 35 films over the course of the two-week event.

This challenge changes up some of the rules associated with other film contests like The 48. For example, it gives something back to the winning filmmakers at the city level. On its just-launched website, the Challenge states, “We, at The 50 Fifty Reel Challenge, recognize the need for winning filmmakers to walk away with more than just their boosted pride… That being said, we are giving 50% of the ticket sales of your city to the Best Film!”

Also, this contest allows teams to choose 50% of their team’s genre at registration, so your team can start plotting and writing before the competition starts. At kick-off, each team receives the other 50% of their genre, randomly chosen from all the possible genre types (so you might end up with comedy/horror as your genre, or musical/sci-fi), plus a character and a color.

Teams then get 50 hours of pre-production time (writing, casting and locking down locations) and another 50 hours to shoot, compose and edit their films. Bonus: this contest allows time to sleep.

I think you’re beginning to understand why this challenge is called “The 50 Fifty,” right?

Finally, if your film wins the honor of Best Film, your team takes 50% of the net box office ticket sales from the screening.

The 50 Fifty Reel Challenge takes place June 2-6. You can register online now!

“If you’re into indie dramatic comedies, you’ll love this movie. In the film, real life couple Daryl Wein (director/actor) and Zoe Lister-Jones (actress) decide that after being in a relationship for four years something needs to change. Initially they decide to “take days off.” They split up the week so they are only able to see each other a few days a week, and all contact is forbidden on days off. Their thinking is that they can grow together by spending more time apart.

It works for awhile, but they become increasingly frustrated with their lives apart, and vent these feelings whenever they see each other. It’s only when they are apart that they start to feel the love again. And it takes until they can stand alone before their relationship can succeed again.

The film takes a mighty turn when Zoe’s mother brings them to a polyamory party. Polyamory is defined as “acceptance of having more than one intimate relationship.” Both Daryl and Zoe are into this idea, and decide to open up their relationship and pursue other people. Finding other lovers isn’t a problem, but staying committed to each other is.

I first saw this film last year at the Minneapolis/Saint Paul International Film Festival, and both Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones were in attendance for a Q&A. They based the film on their experience being in an open relationship about a year after it happened. It was a difficult process for both of them, since they learned a host of new details about what happened while they were apart. The story feels authentic, and you really get a feel for this from the two main actors as they relive the ups and downs of their open relationship while acting in this movie.

Too often in indie films actors are trying to play people they aren’t. This film works well because the two main characters are doing exactly the opposite. You’ll laugh with them, cry with them, and hope things work for the best right until the movie ends.”

View the trailer:

The Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival runs from April 15 through the 30th. The Revenant, a zombie buddy comedy, screens at the festival on Saturday April 24th at 11:15pm and Monday, April 26th at 9:45pm.

Being that this title is included in the late-night film series of the upcoming Minneapolis/Saint Paul International Film Festival, I figured I was in for something different. This movie has been billed as a “zombie buddy comedy with political overtones,” and it certainly doesn’t disappoint.

The first ten minutes are quite bland. Most of it takes place during and after the funeral of a soldier killed in Iraq. But after you get through all the sobbing, the movie takes off. The deceased, Bart (David Anders), rises from his grave and goes to the apartment of his obnoxious best-friend Joey (Chris Wylde). Naturally Joey is freaked out about seeing his friend in his living room smelling like death and rotting like roadkill. But after a tense moment, and few smashes on the head with a baseball bat, Bart is accepted as back from the dead. It’s during this interaction where the movie finally finds its feet and the laughs begin to roll.

Joey promises to keep Bart’s reemergence a secret from everyone, especially Bart’s grief stricken girlfriend Janet (Louise Griffiths). Bart is nearly the same person he was before he died, except he smells terrible, his eyes are hideous, and he rapidly decomposes unless he has a steady intake of blood and/or flesh. The buddies take to Joey’s 1979 Camaro (complete with surf board on the roof) and search the town for an answer to his hunger. They try a few different sources (with hilarious results), and without giving too much away they eventually become known as the “vigilante gun slingers.”

Technically this movie is quite sound. It was shot on 35mm and each and every scene is lit to maintain the other worldliness of the film’s story. If I had one gripe to make about the film, it’s the de-emphasis on the love plot. Janet disappears for long portions of the film, but is referred to as an important character in several scenes, and really should spend more time on screen. The ending is a bit absurd, but neither of these strikes against make this film anything but a joy to watch. It’s a fresh take on the zombie genre where the hero himself is the zombie, and he and his best pal have to do what they can to ensure he survives, so their party together can live on.

The film is playing Saturday April 24th at 11:15pm, and again on Monday April 26th at 9:45pm. If you’re into zombies, buddy films, or vigilante justice, this movie is for you. Bring your friends too. It’s a great movie to relive over a drink after viewing.

Advance tickets available on MSPIFF’s website.