Why?

As I spent this morning combing footage of myself to make sure that I didn't put any accidental dick pics in my film; I began to wonder what the hell I'm doing.

Why would anyone make movies this way? What is the end goal?

So here is a quick summary and self reminder:

Why am I doing this?

A lot of things come to mind; but the primary reason I am making movies this way is because no one can stop me. I don't have to wait on permission or financing. I don't have to court some financier who wants to make changes to the script or insist that his Niece should be the star. There is a freedom in doing nearly everything yourself.

Philosophically, I've always believed that the stories and performances are the most important part of film. Making films this way allows me to put my money where my mouth is. Will audiences watch a great story that is well acted with minimum production values? We shall see.

Finally, this gives me a chance to do away with certain industry standards like the 12 hour day. No one should work a 12 hour day; including actors and crew. Shooting piecemeal lets me take my time and get what I need without the rush of insane deadlines. Shooting like this lets me pay actors and give them points without waiting for a quarter million dollar windfall. Shooting like this also gives me security. One scene I shot has glaring continuity issues. It's annoying; but since it's only one scene, the cost of reshoots is doable.

What I really want to create is the film version of Black Box Theater. Cut the story and production down to the essential elements and seeing if it works. Telling stories like this let's me tell unpopular stories, deep stories, weird stories, stories that ask questions. Stories unfiltered by corporate test audiences. Stories that are art.

So this film is a test run. If I can make it work today, then I can make it work for the next decade too.

Thanks for reading.

Edward Janis Gusts