0816_TOEFL-Test-and-Score-Manual-1997

Money Matters ● 81
Between doing hand surgeries, Ben’s wife, Diane, drove cast members
all over as well as serving as the set doctor and unofficial psychologist.
(We had a few health problems, including asthma attacks on set.)
Making an independent film requires asking favors of everyone we
knew, from the manager of the Hanover Co-op market who let us shoot a
scene after hours, to Ledyard Bank and King Arthur Flour. King Arthur
deserves a trophy for donating the most delicious salmon and pasta dinner
on July 3 after we shot an amazing fireworks scene on the beach at Post
Pond. Jay and Amy Kelly, managers of Loch Lyme Lodge, where we housed
the crew, were also heroes. More than 100 people contributed something
to make the film. That’s why the credits are so long.
The question remains: Why do people invest in independent films
when so few make any money?
I call it the “stardust” factor. People like to feel they are part of a creative
effort. There are also tax incentives for film lovers. Thanks to a quirky
provision in the federal tax code, investors can write off their investment
during the year they write the check to help finance a film.
In many cases, as hard as you try, it takes years to make a film. My dear
friend, Nora Jacobson, is a talented screenwriter and director. We worked
for a couple of years trying to make a film about adoption that would be
shot in Vermont and Korea. It’s a family drama based on the life of a friend
of Nora’s who adopted a Korean girl.
We invested our own money and then raised about $60,000 in development
funds from friends and fans of her work. We visited Korea twice
to do research, scout locations, and raise more money. Some of our travel
expenses were covered by the Seoul Film Commission, which still supports
the project. Although Nora’s film, The Hanji Box, has yet to be made, I
learned so much about film production from working on Nora’s project. We
retained Steven Beer, a respected New York-based entertainment attorney
who also tried to bring in investors.
Unfortunately, our most promising investor worked for Bear Stearns,
which blew up at the exact moment we needed a check. I have no regrets about
devoting two years of my life to that project. We had wonderful experiences
during two visits to South Korea. We attended the Sundance producer’s program
to learn how to produce an independent film. And best of all, we walked
down the red carpet at the Pusan Film Festival, and our picture appeared
above an article about the project published in the Asian edition of Variety.