Who watched the Oscars on Sunday night? Anyone surprised that the HURT LOCKER won Best Picture?
What most people don't know is how the HURT LOCKER actually got made. It's a pretty long and involved story that you can read about on the Film Specific Facebook page (where i posted an article). But in short, here's a few things to note:
• Producer Nicolas Chartier raised enough of the film's budget in pre-sales to apply for production loans, but got turned down by every bank
• He ended up 'doubling down' and putting his own money up to get the film into production (knowing full well he may never see that money again)
• When Nicolas was pitching the film to potential buyers during the pre-sales process, he had to pitch the movie as an 'action' movie rather than an Iraq war movie which was considered too 'risky' (and besides, the film had no names attached whatsoever)
• And when a U.S distributor finally stepped up to take the film (Summit) after itwas completed, they got it for a song. Who's laughing now?
So what's the moral of the story here? Be passionate about your projects. Never. Stop. Pushing. Be willing to put everything on the line to get them off the ground. And if you really believe in the film you're trying to make, don't stop knocking on doors until you find someone who says YES.
Stacey Parks
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