WILL MOORE

I kind of felt lost, not sure about the future, so I asked my dad if he could get me a job that up coming summer because more than anything I really just wanted to get away. My first experience working in film was as Wardrobe PA on an ABC movie of the week titled the Day Lincoln Was Shot. It was amazing; I can remember the first day of production like it was just yesterday. We rolled up to base camp around 5am and there were dozens of trailers that were lit up, and people racing this way and that. My dad turned to me and said, “see how dark it is now?” I said, “yes” and he replied, “It’ll be this dark when we leave. I knew at that moment, without a doubt, I wanted to work in the film industry.

When the summer ended I returned to Austin and attended Austin Community College for a semester, got my grades up, and returned to University Of Texas (UT) but there had been a major change in the UT football department. Mack Brown had replaced John Mackovic as the head coach, bringing in a whole new coaching staff with him. What this meant for me, as a walk-on, was that I had to start all over, from the bottom. I played under Mack Brown for only four months and then I quit. I was at a point in my life where I had been away from football for over a year and with the changes in the coaching staff, I no longer cared to play. In addition to this I knew that my father was working on the new Robert Rodriguez movie, The Faculty, which was being shot in Austin. I called him up and he quickly got me a job as PA in the Wardrobe department. That was the beginning of the end for me.



[Wendy at MovieVine.com] When did you decide that you wanted to be a filmmaker? When did you start Bandwagon Films?

WILL MOORE

From 2002 to 2003 I was enrolled in 2 semesters of a film production workshop called Austin Film Works. I had a blast and the instructors who taught the class were great. The most important thing I took from that class was a sense of confidence. During the first semester I realized that all of my work from the previous year and a half, making all those crappy short films, had given me a huge advantage over my classmates. I had a lot of hands-on experience. I didn’t necessarily know what would work, but I sure as hell knew what didn’t work.

During the second semester each student was to write a short script. Then those scripts were to be read aloud in front of the class. After the readings the class voted on two scripts to produce, with the writers of those scripts becoming directors by default. My script, titled the FMC Project, was one of the two chosen. As a director this would be my first experience with an actual crew because the rest of the class had to work on one of these two films. I was amazed at how having a crew, even a small one, could change everything. It was during that time, while I was enrolled in Austin Film Works, that I decided I was ready to make a feature film.

Bandwagon Films started as an idea that I had in 2001 to create a film production company that would support all aspects of filmmaking in the state of Texas. Growing up I had watched my dad try to find work in Texas only to watch the few available jobs given away to people from out of state. There is a real problem with film production in Texas. We’ve got local directors with power and influence who constantly hire out of state department heads, run away production, pathetic financial incentives, less than desirable wages (compared to those in Los Angeles and New York), and a rather large unemployed film production workforce. I’m not sure who to blame but I wanted to be part of the solution and this is how Bandwagon Films came about.

[Wendy at MovieVine.com] What types of stories or genre are of interest to you to make films about?

[Will Moore] Rarely do I see a film I don’t like. I can always find something in a film that I connect with. That goes for big blockbusters, foreign films, b-movies, comedies… you get the point. My favorite films, however, are the ones told by master storytellers like Spielberg, P. T. Anderson, Wes Anderson, the Coen brothers, Scorsese, Tarintino, and Terrance Malick because those guys can work in any genre. What I’m getting at is that I like all genres and all types of stories and aspire to be the type of filmmaker who has the ability to tell a story that transcends genre.



[Wendy at MovieVine.com] What tools or resources do you use to create a film?

[Will Moore] When I write I use my laptop, note books, magazine articles, newspaper articles, pictures, the internet, and books, lots of books… anything that will help me find my way through this world that I’ve created to tell the most interesting story possible.



[Wendy at MovieVine.com] When casting for a film, what are you looking for? What advice do you have for actors who would like to be in your film?

[Will Moore] I don’t have a lot experience casting professional actors. Most of the people that have auditioned for me in the past are novice at best with about only half of them showing up with headshots and/or resumes. Because of this I have developed a method of casting where rather than looking for someone who I thought was a good actor, I’d look for actors with traits similar to the character I had written. I also rewrite parts once an actor has been cast to help the actor make the performance more believable.

As far as advice for actors I would say, RELAX. I realize that the whole process of casting is extremely stressful for actors but there is nothing more annoying than an actor who comes in and cannot read his or her lines because they are too nervous. And it’s not the fact that I’m annoyed with the actor, I get annoyed because this person maybe an excellent actor but I’ll never know because they can’t relax for just five minutes.

Another thing is, be professional. Get professional headshots made every four to five months. Be on time to casting calls. Realize that the people you are reading for have seen a hundred other actors that look and sound just like you so try and make an impression but whatever you do, don’t…



[Wendy at MovieVine.com] How long does it generally take to create a film?

[Will Moore] I was once told that when you embark on the journey of making a feature film, from start to finish, be prepared to commit three years of your life. I think the person that told me this was being generous.

In the world of independent film it can take as long as ten years to get a film made. Then comes the hard part... finding distribution. If there are name actors in the film, then more than likely you’ll have no problem securing distribution, regardless of the quality of the film. But if not, well… A large portion of independent films never get distributed.



[Wendy at MovieVine.com] What are the typical costs involved in making a film? How do you get financing? What do you wish investors knew about funding a film?

[Will Moore] You always hear about production value and that’s because it is the most important costs when you look at budget expenses from the standpoint of a producer. What production value means is money spent that the audience can see up on screen. Who are the actors in the film? Brad Pitt or some actor no one in the audience has ever heard of? What are the locations? A mansion on a hill or a one-bedroom apartment? What types of vehicles are in the film? Are you using an H2 or your moms Volvo? Are there any special effects? Is there any camera movement? As a producer, production value is what you want to spend the budget on first. Everything else just falls into place from there.

As far as financing and how you go about getting it, that is something I am still working on. At present Bandwagon Films is partnered with a company called the Film Trade Show Network (FTSN) to raise the needed funds for our next project, The Bail Bondsman. And because we are not legally tied to FTSN, Bandwagon Films is making its own efforts to raise the money. So far it’s been difficult, but persistence pays and I’m sure we’ll figure it out. I’d actually like to be at a point within the next five years where the tables are turned and investors are coming to us. Bandwagon Films has several projects that it would like to produce, all of them marketable.

Making a film and finding distribution is a long process and the amount of time for an investor to receive a return on their investment could be a while. I would encourage investors to invest in projects that they feel are “packaged” and ready for production. Also, investing in a film is very risky. While the film industry is highly lucrative, as an investor you always want to make sure that whatever money you invest, you can afford to loose.




[Wendy at MovieVine.com] What types of jobs do you do when you aren't working on films?

[Will Moore] I’ve waited tables and worked in sales. That’s all I have to say about that.



[Wendy at MovieVine.com] You finished your first feature film, Wesley Cash, last year. How did you come to make this film?

[Will Moore] When I first decided I wanted to be a filmmaker back in 2000 I thought I would skip the whole process of making short films and just dive in head first and make a feature. Sounds easy enough, Right? So, I wrote an 80 page script titled A DIFFERENT WORLD that was strongly influenced by Terrance Malick’s BAD LANDS, although to compare the two would be a felony in all 50 states I‘m sure. I wrote the script while I was in California, on vacation, and figured that when I returned to Texas I would make the movie come hell or high water. Well, once back in Texas, reality set in and I realized that I had absolutely no idea how to make a movie. This is when I bought my first camera and the iMac and I came up with the idea to shoot as many short films as possible in order to learn.

Flash forward to December 2002 and 20+ short films later. At this point I was feeling somewhat confident in my ability to get a film made so I decided it was time to revisit A DIFFERENT WORLD. When I reread the script I was disappointed because I could not connect with the material. This was for several reasons: 1) I was at a different place in my life than when I had written the first draft and me not relating to the script was a reflection of that. And 2) I had grown as a writer and more importantly as a filmmaker. My only option was to completely rewrite the script, which is what I did and which is how A DIFFERENT WORLD became WESLEY CASH.

Once I had the script at a place where I felt I could actually go out and shoot it, I began working on a budget and looking for crew. When I started out I figured that I could get the film made for around fifteen thousand if I bought the equipment and then resold it after the shoot. This way I would get to use the money twice in turn doubling a portion of my budget. For example, if I spent $2,500 on a camera, use the camera during the shoot, then sell the camera after the shoot for $2,500 then turn around and use that $2,500 for lab costs and it would be like me having $5,000 instead of $2,500. Finding the crew was easy, I just asked a few of my classmates from the Austin Film Works workshop that I was taking and they agreed. Obtaining the budget on the other hand was not as easy. I had been working two jobs, one an 8-4 office gig in sales and the other a 5-11 job waiting tables, but I still was no where near having enough money. Something needed to be done. Something drastic. So I made the decision to sell my 2000 Explorer that I had just paid off one month before. This gave me enough money to go buy all of the equipment that I needed but I still needed to buy film along with a few other minor yet important details, like food. Then out of the blue a guy by the name of Michael Lamendola contacted me via email and asked about investing in my film. Long story short Michael ended up investing and I know had enough money to begin.

The shoot was from August 3 - 29 and you can get all the details of that on my website.

It took me three months (Sept - Nov) to raise the money I needed to have my film processed and transferred. Funny story about the lab where I had this done: I asked for a quote before I sent my film to the lab, this way I would know exactly how much money I needed. When I went to pick up the film they wanted over a thousand dollars more than the amount they had quoted for me. I flat out did not have the money so I sat in the lobby for a couple hours arguing until they gave me my footage for the price they had quoted.

As far as editing the film goes, it was difficult because I was using a computer that was not built to handle the amount of footage I was dealing with. I used my old iMac and it‘s got a G3 so about five times a day my computer would crash and I would almost always lose some of my work. At one point, when I was just getting started, I lost three weeks of work because I had not backed up my files… important lesson learned. Another pain was the fact that I had to sync up all of my sound. Usually this would be done at the lab for a minimal cost but I could not afford it. To top it off about 95% of my original sound was bad because the camera we used was so loud. So in March of 2004 I assembled all of the actors and re-recorded most of the sound for the film. About 90% of the sound you hear in the film is not original.

In July 2004 I finished a cut and held a screening at AFI in Los Angeles. I was less than impressed with this cut but I felt pretty damn good about what I had accomplished. From August - November I did not even look at the film because I was working on the script for The Bail Bondsman (my next film, which I was told we “had” to have the script completed ASAP). In December I revisited the film and re-edited to its final version which I am very proud of.



[Wendy at MovieVine.com] You chronicled some of the progress and news about the making of Wesley Cash on your website. Have you had much feedback from it? Do you find it essential to have a website??

[Will Moore] People love the fact that I chronicled the journey of making Wesley Cash. It gives folks a real appreciation for what it took to get the film made.

I think for me, what I am trying to do, build a company, it’s imperative for me to have a website. Is it essential for filmmakers in general to have a website? I don’t know.



[Wendy at MovieVine.com] What steps are usually taken once a film is created?

[Will Moore] The daunting task of finding distribution begins.



[Wendy at MovieVine.com] How are things going with the Wesley Cash film now? When will it be available for purchase?

[Will Moore] Up until recently I was depending on a third party to sell Wesley Cash, but I honestly feel that no effort was put into getting it sold. I mean I held two weeks of public screenings and the response we received was wonderful. I’m not saying everyone liked the film but we had great turn outs, I mean we packed the theater almost every night. The local paper even wrote a favorable review of the film, “Wesley Cash Sits Well With Movie Goers…”.

The reason I had depended on this third party was because I had no idea how to go about selling the film. But, like I said, I didn’t feel like they were doing their job so I decided I’d give it a try. I needed to learn how the process works anyway and what better way than to do it yourself. It’s kind of early to tell as I’ve only been working at it for about three weeks now but the response I’ve received thus far has been great. I’ve had about six distribution companies contact me because of postings I’ve made on various websites. I’ve also been entering the film into festivals, something that I had not done before a few weeks ago.



[Wendy at MovieVine.com] You are working on some new films, including The Bail Bondman, The FMC Project, and Quarter to Life. What are they about? How are you progressing with them?

[Will Moore] Quarter to Life is a project that I am developing with Chad Mathews. Chad played Wesley in Wesley Cash (WC) and he had written a script called On A Sunday. We had originally talked about me directing it after I finished with WC, so we both rewrote the script and On A Sunday became Quarter to Life. Somewhere, somehow I decided that I did not feel that I was the best fit for Quarter to Life and now I am just developing it as a producer.

The FMC project is a short film that I made several years back that I don’t think I’ll ever adapt into a feature.

The Bail Bondsman came from an idea that I had a couple years ago about a Bail Bondsman who recruited criminals from Travis County to come and work for him. When I first came up with the idea I wrote a 77 page script that was incomplete and had no ending. I mostly put the script aside so that I could focus on rewriting Wesley Cash, this was in January 2003.

While I was editing WC I was trying to decide what my next film would be… You should always have a couple projects ready to pitch. So I revisited The Bail Bondsman and decided that I really like the idea and wanted to try and make the movie. Realizing that one of my weaknesses on Wesley Cash was the writing I decided to recruit one of my good friends, Jonathan Case (who is an amazing writer) to help write the script with me. We finished at the beginning of the year and at present we are still trying to raise the budget, $550,000. For the most part the film is ready to be shot. We have several of the roles cast, crew members ready, locations have been scouted… we’re just waiting on the money.



[Wendy at MovieVine.com] Do you network with other filmmakers, actors, etc.?

[Will Moore] Bandwagon Films is going to start throwing a bi-monthly networking party. We threw one during South By South West and had a blast so we decided to make it a regular occurrence.



[Wendy at MovieVine.com] When did you first go to a film festival? How was your experience?

[Will Moore] I was a reader for the 2002 and 2003 Austin Film Festivals.



[Wendy at MovieVine.com] Is there anyone in particular you would like to work with on a project?

[Will Moore] Sure. Too many to list.



[Wendy at MovieVine.com] What is your most memorable moment?

[Will Moore] Walking onto the set of the first film I ever worked on (described I think in question 1).



[Wendy at MovieVine.com] Thanks Will. This was fun! I look forward to watching your films and seeing your new projects. :)

(This interview may be reprinted with links and photos with credit & permission. Please email wendy at MovieVine.com)

If you are interested in watching or investing in Will's films, you can contact him below... and visit his website by clicking here.

Will Moore
Bandwagon Films, Inc.
(P) 512-585-2630
(F) 361-574-8855
will@bandwagonfilms.com
www.bandwagonfilms.com


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