As you might have guessed, I have been hard at work on the development of my first feature film. It has been a full-on endeavor as I have elected to do the producing, writing, and directing. I will be hiring more help as I go along, but I feel it is necessary to have complete control of the project at this stage.
The majority of my time lately has been devoted to fundraising and writing (two things that don’t go very well together by the way). To my surprise, the fundraising has been coming along steadily. I should reach my first 25% of the budget by the end of December. For my other job, scriptwriting has been less successful. I would like to address a few of my issues in the hope that writing them down with offer me some perspective to fix the problems. As always, I am open to any recommendations or advise from those reading this article.
My main issues are as follows:
-Trying to make the story be directly about promoting veganism. The subject matter always comes off as being preachy if I am too direct about the issue. Or, if any of the tenets of veganism are included subtlety, they appear un-necessary.
-Trying to please too many people by making the story universal and not offend non-vegans.
-Trying to make an incredible/innovative story from the outset of the process. This only creates writers block for me.
These were all the same problems I had when coming up with the idea and script for Vegan Love (further explanation). I am adamant about not repeating the mistakes from that shoot, so I have decided to make some slight alterations in the way that I approach the story development of my feature film.
Here are a few of my ideas for a solution to the problem:
-From now on, I would like to take a more liberal approach to the script writing.
I will not restrict myself to including vegan themes or situations in the script. That doesn’t mean I will be changing the name of this blog anytime soon! I just need to concentrate on writing about what I feel is most interesting and compelling to myself regardless of context. If I am not enthralled by the idea, I doubt anyone else will be either…vegan or not.
-From now on, I will be taking a much more personal approach to the script writing.
Every writer draws on their own life’s experiences in developing a script. As a vegan for 8+ years now, I have my own set of experiences and perspectives that I am sure people will find much more engaging than something generic. I also feel that my perspective on life is firmly entrenched in a vegan philosophy…meaning the advocacy will naturally come out in anything I write. I don’t need to force it. A personal approach doesn’t just have to do with writing about my own experiences in life, it also has to do with personal expression. An essential and obvious ingredient to filmmaking that I have neglected to address most of my artistic life.
-Hold off on writing entirely until I reach my initial goal for the budget. I think that I will be more efficient in both fund-raising and script writing if I focus on each area separately. I will concentrate fully in fund-raising until the end of December then switch to focus on the script writing for 1-3 months and then switch back to fundraising until I have a completed script and budget in place to shoot the film.
This may all seem like more generalizations and common sense, but they are things that I easy forget if I am not constantly reminded of them. I will let you know how these new approaches pan out.
This will only be up for a short time…
Vegan Love (HD) from veganfilmmaker on Vimeo.
So, now that I have finished my graduate schooling at LFS, you might be wondering what is next for Ryan Vance, the vegan filmmaker extraordinaire. Well, I am not one to stroll into the unknown abyss of post graduation without a plan…
In fact, I do have a very specific plan that been in the works since before I began my higher education. It has been something I have wanted to achieve with every fiber of my being for many years, and now after finishing film school I am closer than ever.
As you might have already guessed, my next goal will be to climb Mt. Everest. Yes, that’s right. Well, not exactly. Not at all really 
It is actually to develop my first feature length film (which I believe will be no less challenging than climbing Everest).
In fact, I have already begun the process of writing and fundraising for this film. Like Vegan Love, I will be directing and producing the project. I will also be writing the script treatment (story outline), but I will be working a professional writer to pen the drafts. With my graduation short film, I found the writing process very educational but also very arduous. That along the many other jobs I undertook in the production of the film delayed finishing the film for much longer than expected. This time around, I hope to hire the appropriate experts to streamline the production of the feature film.
My time limit to have all of the funds together and begin pre-production full time is June 1, 2010. I am off to a great start already but there is still an incredible amount of work to do before June.
What will it be about?
I cannot say what the film will be about at this time, but I can assure you, the concept is extraordinary. As with my short film, the film will use humor and high entertainment value to raise exposure of the concept of veganism to the general public. That said my single most important priority is to make the story as interesting and compelling as possible. I am aiming for a wide theatrical release with all the bells and whistles of a proper PR campaign from an independent distributor.
And the Budget?
The budget for the film will be $250,000 and the film will be approximately 90 minutes in duration. I will be gathering financing on three different levels:
1.The largest proportion of the financing will consist of many small investments from the family, friends, and the interested public (i.e. vegans and raw foodies). $20-500 investments that will be see a return of double the original investment from the net profits of the film. I will be setting up more information about this investment opportunity and a Paypal link on this site shortly.
2. The second method of fundraising will involve sponsorship from various vegan and raw vegan companies. These types of sponsorships will range from free food during production to direct investments as tax write-offs from companies.
3. The final portion of the budget for the film will come from larger investments from selected investors. More on this option later…
The Road Ahead
It is never easy to raise money for a feature film by a first time director. As a matter of fact, it is pretty close to impossible for most that try. However, the odds aren’t really a concern of mine. I will keep trying with 100% of my energy everyday regardless. If I get there soon then great, if not I will keep working until it happens. I have to keeping working towards making these films because I feel that I have a moral obligation to spread the message of veganism to as many people as possible as soon as possible. The best way I know to do that, according to my knowledge and abilities means using cinema.
Fortunately, I also have the backing of many passionate people around the world that also want to support the cause. I am making films that are socially progressive with important and timely messages. I hope that I will be able to work together with other like-minded individuals to be as efficient as possible in spreading the message in the best possible way.
I am not trying to make a teen horror flick for a quick buck with my first feature. Money is not even a driving force for me to make the film. If it were about money, I would be in a different line of work entirely. In fact, the entire film production will effectively be a non-profit entity. All of the proceeds from the film, after repaying expenses and investors, will be put towards the development of a second film, and then a third and so on.
So, it’s one step at a time and back to work for me to make things happen. Please stay tuned for more details about the film and my progress.
First of all, my apologies for the long delay! I have been very busy with the editing of Vegan Love. It is coming along very well. I am hoping to finish editing and tracklaying (sound editing) in two weeks. Once that is finished, my next goal will be to have a professional sound dub and grading session (colour correction) and hopefully a final output before Christmas!
I finished filming as planned on the 9th and 10th November. The shoot went remarkably well considering so many locations and such little time. On Sunday, we filmed 4 different locations in 4 different parts of London in 9 hours! On Monday, we began at the National Gallery of London at 7am, then moved to Neil’s Yard Café in Covent Garden, and finished at Eat and Two Veg Restaurant at midnight! On Tuesday, we even filmed a short scene on Tuesday at Foyles Bookstore on Charing Cross Rd. from 8am-10:30am.
I am very thankful to my crew who worked extremely hard and ensured that everything was done as efficient and professional as possible.
It was a very busy two days, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. It is an amazing feeling to actually be creating something that has been in my head for months.
I will be adding more details soon. In the meantime, here are a couple of pics from the Shoot on 10th November by Edgar Dubrovskiy:
Hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, starvation, global warming, economic crisis, crime, healthcare, disease, petrol prices, debt…is it just me, or is the world seemingly out of control and getting worse? Like any species, our survival depends on our ability to adapt to outside threats. What happens when those dangers are so pervasive, so overwhelming and so insidious that they threaten to end the world as we know it? Answer: most people go to a movie. They watch some escapist adventure or silly comedy and forget about their problems. This is where I come in – filmmaking skills in hand – what an opportunity!!!
It seems that the media, including many films, promote a never-ending ration of mind-numbing sensory bombardment, designed to instill enough fear of our surroundings to keep us in a comatose state, not daring to act or defend ourselves against these overbearing threats. Instead, the occasional look in the mirror finds us staring at a victim that has lost his way. We take comfort in speeches by our politicians that tell us that we are “strong”, “vigil”, “persevering” — but lets get real, would we re-elect them if they said we were weak, pathetic and blindly obedient? People then walk through life with their head down, trying to eek out some sort of peaceful existence. So, what is the answer? What can be done to help people wake up? The first step is inspiring hope. Hope that they can change their surroundings, hope that the can live full lives; hope that they can earn the lifestyle they are dreaming about.
Here is a link to that awe-inspiring rant from “the last honest man in media” found in the film “Network”. That urgent “call to action” that makes us run to the mirror for a second look, then to our rooftops to shout out loud that “we are mad as hell; and we won’t take it anymore”.
Filmmaking has the potential to create positive changes for the many. It can deliver the hope that change is possible and offer proof that it is possible by seeing it done right before our eyes – now that’s entertainment. Is it just me, or is it time to start filmmaking?
I intend to use filmmaking to broadcast the good news about the positive lifestyle changes accomplished through diet. I will demonstrate that you can feel better about life, your chances of controlling your own life, and your ability to win against the odds by simply educating yourself about diet. The most immediate effect is health, people feel healthy and empowered. That empowerment gives them the encouragement to change other aspects of their life, creating a “snowball momentum” toward a rewarding lifestyle.
Will you act; or react? There is a lot at stake.
