8 Questions with ................Tim Teets of o73 Films

"Because we put our heart and soul into them, they are everything". - Jessica Cameron,award winning actress/director "Truth Or Dare" speaking about working small independent films


Its 11:20 pm

   Welcome to an another edition of my ongoing interview series,"8 Questions with.....". I started this waaaay back when on another social media site and have re-started it here. The series features people from all over who in one way or another have perked my interest. So I ask them to do a interview where they answer the questions themselves,in their own words. 

  Its been a while since I posted a interview and for this edition of "8 Questions with......" I am trying something a little different in this one and I hope you like it!

As some of you know,I run across my subjects from all over the place...I have no set type of person I interview,you can be in a band,a writer,a small business owner or just a citizen just like myself. What is important to me is that you are interesting...and so when I was surfing Facebook one day recently,I ran across Tim Teets of o73 Films.
  Tim owns 073 Films,I caught a picture of one of his kids working on a piece of equipment and I was struck with how DIY it was (Do It Yourself). Just a man with a goal of making movies on shoestring budgets and telling a good story. In other words,someone who I feel has a story to share and I would like to share that story here.
After you read the interview,continue reading as I ask the well known and respected film critic Richard Von Busack about the world of micro budget films. I think Richard makes several good points as the rise of homegrown studios rises each year. 

And now its time for 8 Questions with.......Tim Teets of o73 Films







1. Who are you and why movies?


My name is Tim Teets and I am a 40 year old husband and father of 3. I have held many a job in my lifetime from pizza delivery to Debt Collector, but movies have always been my passion. I have always dreamed not of being in movies but making movies. I wrote my first screenplay in high school and have been doing it ever since. It is only now that I have chosen to give actual film making a chance.

Tim and his wife (courtesy of Tim Teets)


2. What film,writer or director influenced you the most and in what way?


There are 2 directors who inspired me to actually go ahead and attempt to do this filmmaking indeavor, they are Kevin Smith and Edward Burns. Kevin Smith says on his concert film, “Burn in Hell” that when his father died, he died screaming, and it was then he realized we were all probably going to die screaming, so there is no reason not to live all your dreams. He also said to surround yourself if people who ask WHY NOT? instead of just WHY?. Mr. Smith also goes on to say that anyone can make a movie. You don't need millions of dollars, you only need a camera and some friends willing to help out.

Edward Burns is much of the same. In a podcast I heard and listen to when I need the inspiration to get going, he talks about how he, as a known celebrity, couldn't get his movies made. So instead of selling out or just giving up, he just stock of what he had available (i.e. locations), wrote screenplays using those available items, called his friends and made a movie, then another, then another. He used the digital domain to release his movies and now has a career using this model. One of those films was “NEWLYWEDS” which he made for $9,000 To listen to Ed Burn's explain how he creates,click here 3. Had you ever worked on a film before creating your own production company? If so,what did you take away from the experience?

Before creating “o73 Films” I had never worked on a film of any kind before. I tended to watch every behind the scenes special feature and read whatever I could about filmmaking.



4. How did o73 Films get started and do you have any projects in the works?


I worked at a collection agency here in my city for five years, and my extension was o73. And no matter where I moved in the building, while other people's extensions would change o73 seemed to stick with me. So when I decided to attempt filmmaking, I decided to use that as a branding device for my films.



5. How hard is it to actually work on a micro budget film? What are some of the biggest obstacles you have to work around?

I wouldn't call it hard, just engrossing. I have to either do everthing myself, or ask my friend to donate their time. Luckily I have a few great friends (Rob, Bobi Jo, Wil) whom have helped me along the way, as well as undying support from my wife Tera. Those keep me going, The biggest obstacles is trying to balance your time to do all the things that need to get done on your film, while continuing to work and spend time with the family.



6. How does one cast,market and show a indie movie? What is the best and worst part of each segment of film making?

Cheaply. For the first film I am relying on actors/actresses to donate their time for no pay but the possiblity of IMDB credits. I am planning on relying on the internet and social media for the marketing of my film. The best part of this is the writing. I love to make up stories, create the characters, and see how they react to the situations I put them in. The WORST part is the waiting for everything to come together so that I can actually film my story.
7. What do you think of the current state of Hollywood? Is there a place for someone like o73 Films?



I think Hollywood as a whole as lost its way. It seems to be drifting away from smaller budgets higher quality and moved in the direction of higher budget more spectacle. It seems that the CGI driven films get all the press while the smaller films are religated to the home market. As far as is there a place for o73films, I hope so. But I want to put stuff out there that only I can do. If that means staying digital then so be it. I care more about the quality of my films then their box office gross.

8. Where do you see your company in three years? If there anyone today you would love to work with? 


In three years I want to be seen as regular on the festival circuit. I want o73 films to be a place where people can be entertained by stories that are told differently than main stream Hollywood tells them. As far as who, would I like to work with, I would love to work with Danielle Harris. I have been a fan of hers since she starred in Halloween 4. I think she is a talented actress who brings something special to the screen whenever she appears.

9. What were your three favorite films of 2013?

My three favorite movies of 2013 that is a difficult call. I could go all artsy on you and tell you which had the best cinematography, the best acting and so on.... but when it comes down to it, I watch a movie to be entertained. And if a movies has all those good things, wonderful, but if it doesn't that's fine as well. As long as when the final credits roll, I enjoyed the time spent watching it. That being said here are my three favorites:
Now You See Me – This film was a pleasant surprise. Although, a movie with some plot holes, I was throughly entertained thought out the film, from trying to figure out what was going on, to enjoying the chemistry between the actors. This film made time flyby and when the credits rolled had me wanting to watch it again to see what I missed
. You're Next - A horror movie that exceeded my expectations. It had the right mix of scares as well as suspense, with a touch of who-dunit. They cast made of mostly unknowns was also a pleasure to watch
. JOBS – One of the few times I have found Ashton Kutcher watchable. His portrayal of Steve Jobs, co- founder of Apple was never boring. The movie showed Steve Jobs as less than perfect individuall who was career driven over family oriented


To learn more about Tim and o73 Films,you can visit his YouTube Channel by clicking here and "Like" his Facebook page by clicking here to get updates on current and future projects.


Who hasn't at one time either hasn't dreamed of making or starring in a film? It looks so exciting going to various exotic places for location shoots,crazy stunts and amazing make up effects. A lot of folks think its just easy enough to do...but is it? 

" The pro - you typically get more freedom to collaborate and bring your vision as an artist with an indie flick. The con - you get this benefit because you're not paid as much and you typically work under more stressful conditions."

- actress Elaine Hendrix speaking on the difference between shooting a indie film and a big production project.


In keeping with the theme of this interview,I reached out to a old friend and noted film critic Richard Von Busack and asked him for his insight on small films.

- What is your impression of micro-budget films?
I’m for them, on the whole. I wish I had the time to see more of them, the ones that matter—people work their rumps off making documentaries, for instance, and it’s so hard to get them distributed, seen and paid off. Cyril Connolly once defined critics as the old cat waiting by the mousehole of talent, and I don’t want to be that cat. But I also don’t’ want my time wasted by derivative stunt-films, even if I know the whole thing is about people who, when they’re old, want to look back on the happy days when they had enough time and money to make their own feature film. I’m delighted that anyone can make a movie for the price of a used car, but the power of the art needs some respect. If it’s all about youthful jackassery, fine. Be open about that and own it. But if you’re trying to make something deeper, put in the effort to make up for the fact that funds were low. People will marvel at the budget but they’ll really marvel at the effort. “This Is Not A Film”—did you see that? http://www.mrmovietimes.com/movie-news/this-is-not-a-film/ Talk about low budget filmmaking done as a matter of life and death

» This Is Not a Film

www.mrmovietimes.com

Q2 - What mistake do first time film makers/student film makers make most?

I think it's a real fork that gets the first time filmmaker: they either make a movie about a milieu they know too intimately and have no distance from--like a real callow college love story--or else they try to tackle a crime drama when they don't know anything about the criminal's life. One beautiful example of how to reverse the problem is to make a film about someone completely antithetical to yourself: example, Funny Ha Ha, which is a very understanding film about the kind of girl who would have rejected the director, despite the matter that she was a big reject herself.

Q3 Should micro budget directors look to a local community theater for casting rather then casting friends and family?

I once wrote that one of the four key ways of making a Plan 9 type movie was to get real case-hardened Little Theater vets in the cast—I mean the kind of people who had been doing it for decades. They’re sure to take the movie into a very stagy, profound direction. However, in your bigger cities, people are acting wherever they get a chance. Steppenwolf in Chicago was little theater once…even at good schools like SJSU, you get an overlap between audio-visual and theater departments; younger actors won’t have decided on a firm style yet…so, to give you a too-long answer, I don’t really have a strong opinion. When you’ve got a flamboyant family, you’re in luck (like Scorsese was); they’ll work for nothing, you’ll know how to push their buttons to get a performance—hell, if you’re John Turturro, you apparently can talk your sister into working topless! Not that I want to sound like a prude. I think you have to really be ready to have your brothers and sisters mad at you if the film doesn’t work. It seems like the projects where people have their fams in the movie are projects made by people whose families were in the arts to begin with. Maybe (going on way too long here) I’m arguing for a mix: friends, professionals and families. Think over the casting good and hard—that can’t be overstressed.

3-a What is easier to cover up,poor acting or a poor script?

The poor script, easy. The best thing is to be in a sitch where you don’t have to ask the question. My prejudice is that we’re in a time where acting supersedes all other aspects of filmmaking. The writing isn’t really pleasing me so much—the classic era of cinema drew people in from all different fields, whereas the age of the film school brings in professional students who MIGHT know something about their craft beyond the time of their birth. And the switch to digital is making color problematic, though we’re getting huge improvements in the last few years. But we have numberless intuitive players who make pisspoor scripts ring like the Liberty Bell. God bless the actors. The profession never fails to stun me. Seen the previews for Godzilla? Bryan Cranston can make you want to weep over the crime of the government covering up the King of Monsters’ rampage.

I like to thank Tim,Jessica Cameron,Elaine Hendrix and Richard for helping me with this entry!

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