Movie Moguls

It didn’t take much of a push to set it rolling, but once it started it accelerated rapidly.

Down the slight incline and over the cliff. It flew in a gentle arc, first horizontal and then more vertical, picking up speed until it crashed into the rocks at the bottom of the cliff. The fenders crumpled, the glass shattered, yet the car bounced and rolled over eight or nine times before coming to a stop. The four young men who had set it in motion stared at the crumpled hulk as looks of glee — bordering on the perverse — crossed their faces.

Delinquents? No, just independent filmmakers filming the final and most exciting scene from their feature-length horror-suspense film, “The Beast.”

I’ve never made a movie. I did make a few home videos of my kids growing up, but I never had a script. Or a director. Or a paid cast. Or a budget. In fact, until recently, I’d never really thought about making a movie. But when you’re retired and available time exceeds your obligations, well, you think about things. Like making a movie.

I had breakfast recently, on separate occasions, with a couple independent filmmakers from Kalispell. Josiah Burdick is president, CEO, owner, producer (you get the idea) of Fearless Pictures, a local independent movie production company. His claim to fame as an independent filmmaker is the feature film he made with his brother, “Silk Trees,” a 90-minute film whose budget reached six figures.

“‘Silk Trees’ is about a children’s book author who loses his wife, gets depressed and is put on medication,” Burdick said. “Experimental medication. Well, this medication causes the lines between fantasy and reality to get a little blurred. It’s a psychological suspense thriller. We submitted it to the Sundance Film Festival, which is how you go from low budget to the big time. We got a call back, but only to say that the DVD we sent didn’t play right. We never heard from them again.”

Ridge Mallery is a carpenter by trade and a filmmaker by profession. The car scene above is from his 70-minute suspense/horror feature, “The Beast.” His film debuts later this year in Bigfork, so to preserve the suspense, I didn’t ask for details. But Mallery did provide a good overview of the process of filmmaking.

“You start with pre-production, which includes script, location scouting, casting, rehearsals, a shot list, the lighting, call sheets and even meal plans,” he said. “After preproduction comes the shoot, the pickup photography, and post production or editing.”

I’d heard he was organized.

“What you don’t have in money you can make up for in pre-production planning,” he confided.

The budget for his feature, “The Beast,” was $14,000.

Both Burdick and Mallery are in their early 30s and have been making movies since they were 15. So, what happens to these films?

“Theatrical release is the dream of all independent filmmakers,” Mallery acknowledged. “But realistically, DVD distribution is about as good as it gets. And to get a distributor interested, well that’s where the film festivals come in. You need to win awards at the festivals to get the recognition necessary to interest a distributor.”

“Sundance is just one of the best known,” he continued. “There are a few other nationally known festivals, but hundreds of local ones. And each has its own specializations in the kinds of films it wants. The search and application process is onerous enough that you need a feature-length film to make it worthwhile.”

What’s next?

“Faith-based and inspirational themes are very popular now,” Mallery said. “But so are horror films. I’m at the concept stage of an exorcist film, which may cross genres.”

Burdick is gearing up to produce another feature-length film.

“My current film is a ‘girl and a horse’ movie,” he said. “I’m writing the script now and hope to be in pre-production by the end of next month.”

What advice do they have for a budding independent filmmaker, like me?

Mallery was straightforward: “Spend your time in pre-production.”

Burdick was more philosophical.

“If you’re going to be a successful filmmaker, it’s going to take a lot of work,” he said. “And you can’t be afraid to fail.

“In fact, the sooner you’re willing to fail, the sooner you’re going to get good. I can’t describe how liberating it is to fail, because you know you’re going to do it better the next time.”

David Vale retired from the world of psychology and statistics and now owns the Pocketstone Cafe in Bigfork. “The Beast” and “Silk Trees” are scheduled to appear at the Bigfork Independent Film Festival on May 6.