Larry Meistrich, an independent film director, spoke to 25 Boston University students last night at the College of Communication, offering practical advice regarding film distribution for aspiring filmmakers and emphasizing the status of the independent film in the industry today.
After a brief introduction by Gerald Perry, a Boston Phoenix critic, Meistrich played one of his recent independent films for the audience. The film, ‘Minus Man,’ starring Owen Wilson, Janeane Garofalo, and Sheryl Crow, was about a serial killer who travels across the country killing his victims at random.
As a small independent film, ‘Minus Man’ did not receive the publicity or press that a major motion picture would have, Meistrich said. News of this movie was spread mainly by word of mouth as Meistrich and the other directors decided to bypass making a big investment in marketing the film, he said.
With limited interest in the movie, Meistrich and the other directors decided they would create a ‘short’ about the film to create more interest in the full-length presentation.
After the showing of the independent film, Meistrich said it is currently a difficult time in the independent film industry.
‘The entertainment industry is an opening weekend business,’ Meistrich said. ‘One has three days to spend enough money to get enough people to see it in order for it to last another weekend.’
Meistrich said certain Hollywood blockbusters that are released knock the independent films out of the box office quickly.
‘With the success of the ‘Harry Potters’ and the ‘Spidermans’ on their opening weeks, theaters have no room to keep a movie running if it does not attract a big crowd,’ Meistrich said. ‘The smaller films are pushed out.’
Despite the difficulty of success in the movie industry, Meistrich still gave encouragement to the students. He used himself as an example of a self-made man who began as a production assistant watching film equipment before getting lucky and climbing the ranks of the industry. Meistrich said for students getting their start, they should focus on ‘learning what goes wrong and what goes right.’
He said while it is important to learn the information that is taught in the classroom, the majority of a filmmaker’s education will come from the hands-on experience in the field. This ‘practical knowledge’ is where the filmmaker will learn what works and does not, Meistrich said.
Another important element of the business is the chemistry of the crew, according to Meistrich.
‘Movies succeed when there is good chemistry in the crew; surrounding yourself with the proper crew is important to the success of the film,’ he said.
Meistrich also emphasized how one must be aggressive to succeed and usually only will have a short time to sell the premise of a movie.
‘One has only 30 seconds to pitch a movie to a potential director,’ Meistrich said.
Meistrich spoke to the BU students as part of the ongoing Cinematheque series at the College of Communication.
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