Note From Tongal: "Do You Have to Live in LA or New York to be a Filmmaker?" is part of a series of Tongal Community-written blog posts that were originally sourced in the Write What You Know Tongal Blog Project. Read more Tongal Community-written posts here and stay tuned for more opportunities to Pitch a topic and write for the Tongal Blog!
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Do you think you have to be part of a big production company or live in LA or NYC to succeed on Tongal? For those of you who live outside of typical film centers like we do, you will be happy to hear you don’t!
Something’s Awry Productions is a small production company located in Landenberg, PA (pop. 11,463). New York City (pop. 8,538,000) is a three-hour drive from us and Los Angeles (pop. 3,976,000) is - *quick Google search* - a forty hour drive away. According to conventional wisdom, we should be stuck doing commercials for car dealerships and day care centers. Instead, we have worked with companies all over the world. We’ve made videos for LEGO, Mattel, Warner Bros. and Zing Toys and worked with IP like Star Wars, The Beatles and Scooby Doo.
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Times have changed and thanks to the internet - and companies like Tongal - you no longer have to be in LA or NYC to be a part of big projects for household names. Here are some of the tips and tricks that we have used to live and work outside of the big city centers for the film industry.
Organization/Communication
While corner offices with big wood desks and views down Fifth Avenue can impress your clients, we’ve found that most are perfectly happy to communicate online. Using Email, Skype, conference calls and apps such as Zoom, we are able to stay in touch and keep on track of projects from the comfort of our home office. Since some of our team is offsite, we use Asana to keep them in the loop and up-to-date on all project developments. All we have to do is make sure the dog isn’t barking when we are talking to clients.
Finding Locations
We live and work about an hour outside of Philadelphia, on the edge of suburbia and horse country. For our work with Tongal, we take advantage of all this area has to offer and how excited local people are to be involved in a film or commercial project. We have shot at carnivals, dirt race tracks, arcades and city apartments for fees much less than they charge in LA or NYC. All you have to do is be professional and ask. People are usually happy to help.
We find these locations through local contacts, Facebook or working with the local film office. You would be surprised how helpful even a one-person film office can be. (We are looking at you Delaware!) Think creatively about what is unique to where you live and use it to your advantage.
Talent
You may not be in NYC or LA, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find good actors. It is amazing how many talented people are willing to travel and happy to get out of the city for a few days. We cast most of our live-action projects through Backstage.com or the local film office websites. Through them, we have hired Broadway actors, up-and-coming TV stars, and local talent looking to get started. We usually do Skype auditions first to help narrow things down with live auditions if needed. Pay talent the going rates plus local travel expenses, provide food and a caring, professionally run set, and you will be far ahead of some of the other more impersonal production companies they usually work with. The word gets around, believe me!
For voice over talent, we have had a great deal of luck using Voices.com. With this site, you are able to interview hundreds of actors across the country, get audition tapes in a matter of hours and hire amazing VO artists without having to travel. You can sit in on live recording sessions over the phone and provide feedback in real time. Technology is wonderful.
Equipment
Speaking of technology, there is no need to drive to a major city to get the latest in high-tech equipment. BorrowLenses.com and other companies like it will send you anything you need packed-up, tested, and ready to go. Just reserve online and it is delivered to your doorstep with customer service backup waiting to answer any questions you have - even when you are on set. You can rent 4K cameras, lighting, rails etc. for a day or weeks depending on what you need.
There you have it! Landenberg may lack the history and prestige of NYC and LA, but we never have to sit in traffic. For us, we find that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. All the benefits of living in the two big cities can be gained with utilizing the Internet and creatively overcoming limitations. Just stay connected and professional, and you’ll be golden. We can’t wait to see what sort of awesome work will be coming out of your hometown.
Good Luck Tongalers!
