The Script is not Enough

By Jamison M. LoCascio

The Script is not Enough takes a unique look at the making of four different independent feature films. The author takes you through every stage in development from writing, to financing, and to distribution and marketing. Find out how you can learn from the hard experiences and challenges that face the filmmaker along the way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jamison M. LoCascio
• Release date: Jul 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798985965193

Book preview

THE SCRIPT IS

NOT ENOUGH

SUCCESSFULLY MAKING FEATURE FILMS

EVEN WHEN YOU’RE FEELING SHAKEN & STIRRED

By Jamison M. LoCascio

With Contributions by Adam Ambrosio

DEDICATED TO THE FOLLOWING:

To the people who truly helped me have a career in Filmmaking the most, something that a kid from a small town from Hunterdon County, New Jersey felt he could only dream of doing one day. I am very much the product of the people, family, friends, lessons, and films that got me through some of my best and worst days.

My mentor, Louis J. Ambrosio, who made me believe in myself. My long-time business partner, producer, and music composer Adam Ambrosio, who made me believe in unbelievable projects and ways forward. My loving family, who helped to shape who I am today. Also, Jeffrey Feinman, Susan Feinman, Margot Cochran, Marlene Mazur, Randy Mazur, and Dave Lembo.

MISSIONS

PREFACE: My journey. How life and filmmaking don’t mix well.

1. FROM YOUR CHARACTERS, WITH LOVE: Write a feature film with an outline and your characters’ help, of course.

2. DR. NO BUDGET: Finance a feature film…within reason.

3. GOLDFINGERS: Budget by pulling from the air and gather all legal documents.

4. THE CAST WHO LOVED ME: Cast the right actors; they are more valuable than casting the valuable actors.

5. YOU ONLY HIRE TWICE: Hire a small but valuable crew.

6. TOMORROW NEVER HAS TIME: Plan a schedule and choose locations that position you for success.

7. DIE EVERY DAY: Directors must collaborate, explore, and execute within an absurd time limit.

8. FOR YOUR EDITS ONLY: Editors find the flow and the director must be able to test new things in the edit.

9. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN SCORE: Music makes the film. In conversation with composer Adam Ambrosio.

10. LICENSE TO SELL (MOVIES): Distribution and promote, promote, promote the release.

11. LIVE AND LET’S DIVERSIFY: Make a feature film where you live, and a few words on what a production company should do in between feature film projects.

PREFACE

MY JOURNEY

I was born and raised in a small town in New Jersey. Clinton, New Jersey had nothing remarkable about it, it was simply quiet and beautiful. The closest movie theater was about 45 minutes away; between there and my home were farms, fields, and trees.

I grew up with parents who tried their best to instill good values in their four children. My father did well as a financial planner. My mother was very committed to raising us right. They divorced when I was in second grade and my life was suddenly split into two lives that ran simultaneously. Drawing pictures with pencils, crayons, or markers of whatever I could imagine got me through these difficult times. They often gave me a piece of paper and something to draw with when I was upset. I was a pretty quiet and shy child.

​Around the age of 15 or so, I was suddenly handed the camera and responsibility of capturing the family vacation videos. My brother was now in college, and it was up to me. The first time I really started using the camera I remember vividly what my impression of it was. It was very exciting. I noticed how the camera itself was like a theme park ride I could take the audience on. For years, I had been obsessed with the idea of making a model of a small theme park with rides in my room, like a model train set taken to the extreme. I never wanted to leave these magical places and vacations; my family was exceptionally happy on these trips. At home, things seemed much darker. I simply wanted to create these magical places we went to, these happy places, in my room. Then I could visit them anytime.

Now, with a camera, I realized something important. In a very basic and simple way, this camera could create something magical like that. I could craft a special ride with this camera for people to go on and enjoy.

I spent many months after returning from these vacations editing the footage into a funny and entertaining story. The only way I could judge the quality of my work was if I found it funny and interesting when I watched it.

When this was finally done, I was anxious to try other stories, other adventures, with this camera. I finally landed on my great idea, to make a film about my good friend, John. It wound up being forty minutes, shot over the course of six months. The editing took me another five months or so to finish with many terrible setbacks along the way. It was so awful, some of the technical issues I had, that many kids playing with their dad’s camera would have given up on the idea right there. Somehow, something deeper drove me to complete the story. I absolutely committed to finishing this film. I would do it no matter what.

When it was completed, we had a premiere with family and friends, a classy formal event where people dressed up. There was a dinner afterwards to celebrate. At about 17 years old, I was now known for being a filmmaker, something I never really anticipated. Kids in school would reference my film in the hallways, even younger kids in other grades whose names I never even knew.

During the rest of my high school career, I helped another team of kids, who had an established YouTube channel, make another forty-five minute film about World War III in a post-apocalyptic New Jersey. It looked a bit like regular New Jersey, but with futuristic guns! Cool! This led to another film premiere and me being able to also call myself this film’s screenwriter and producer. We even got a classy write up in the Hunterdon County Democrat, a prestigious local newspaper. They misquoted me in the interview, but it didn’t matter! In Clinton, New Jersey, getting an article about you in the Hunterdon County Democrat means you’d made it. The problem was that I wanted to leave Clinton, New Jersey, so it was time to make it somewhere else.

My brother was sort of cornering the market in my parents’ minds; he was already the creative one. It was a little difficult to get support at home at first in pursuing any type of filmmaking path in my life. My father wanted me to go to school for business and maybe one day, work with him. After that, I could produce movies for my brother. Then I was getting rejected by nearly every college, including the one I really wanted.

I finally got into Montclair State University and at that point my life changed forever. I have to credit my mother for pushing for me to go there.

When I was nineteen years old, prior to finding some like-minded people, I really had no idea where to begin in filmmaking. Life was confusing and there was no one there to help. Eventually, I found some people to work with and forged some paths to move forward. If you are stuck right now, this book and my journey might show you paths forward for yourself.

I met Louis, a professor at Montclair State University, and his son, Adam. We formed a passionate filmmaking team. This was the type of thing a young filmmaker at nineteen years old, confused and not knowing what to do next in film, really needed most. Together, we worked through my college years making shorts on the university’s equipment for the lowest budgets possible. I could not believe we were the only one renting the gear out at that obsessive level! I’m pretty sure they implemented new rules on gear rentals after I graduated, cracking down on this type of rental access. It was like the wild west for us; no one wanted the filmmaking gear, so we got it! We were in over 30 film festivals with these short films, and it felt as if the stage was set for much bigger projects.

The major issue we saw coming was that we would soon not have access to the school’s film gear once I graduated. We then had a new objective; we had to build up our own production equipment too. I started this process by utilizing the money I had saved from working at McDonalds for over two years in high school. Louis had suggested I move forward and get gear, that there was no reason to be afraid of committing, especially if this equipment would help me grow. I bought my first camera, the Canon 600D, a strong DSLR at the time. I also bought sound gear and a tripod. This camera and the film equipment that I owned grew over the years from that $800-$1,500 worth to so many thousands more. It was all a very wise investment for me as it was a serious game changer in my ability to make my own films. I was always able to make a high-quality film from that point on, and this was the very thing I had always dreamed of.

When I finally graduated from Montclair State, I knew I would tackle my greatest challenge yet...making my first feature film.

LIFE AND FILMMAKING DON’T MIX WELL

This book is supposed to be a bit of fun, with a nice little 007 theme. I do not claim to be any kind of film wiz or guru. I really do not claim to know anything beyond what has worked for me in certain situations. I have found that every book on the subject of making movies, however, has those same limitations. Each journey is different, and no one can copy a story, a strategy, or anyone else’s career path to make it their secret recipe for success. Sometimes it is just the right place and the right time, other times you need to build the bridge to the other side.

I offer a detailed look at my journey of making four different feature films for the brand-new filmmaker out there. I am trying to write the book that I could have used in the very beginning. This is a book about what it means to be a filmmaker with little to no industry connections, ins, magic tricks, or otherwise.

My rules, which are in bold throughout the book, are just some things I keep in mind for myself. Based on my own experience reading books on making films, I want to try to avoid burying what is of value—the information—into a sort of life story. That’s boring.

It's very upsetting to see how many people sit around talking about how they never got a chance to make a film in their life, and now they are married, divorced, single, too old, too young, too poor, too comfortable…too anything besides "ready." There are so many excuses not to make a film, so it’s best to just make one before your time’s up.

Life and filmmaking do not often mix well; you need to make movies and also live your life. Life and Movies are two separate and severe challenges. So, make movies and make life, even when everything is against you, and it certainly will be. A poignant moment of The Empire Strikes Back comes to mind…

Are you afraid? asks Yoda.

No, answers Luke Skywalker.

You will be. You will be, says Yoda, his eyes widening, in a very creepy way.

Your first feature film is simply a difficult but attainable milestone. I now know now why that is. Lack of experience and opportunity to grow is more harmful to new feature film producers and directors than anything else. When you can try and fail at something, or succeed moderately, you can grow, adapt, and overcome. The problem with making feature films is that many do not get a chance to ever make one or, even worse, they make one and never get a chance to try again.

I just recently and randomly watched the Bond film The World is Not Enough about twenty years after I originally saw it. I was almost stupidly elated watching this film. But why did I feel that way? It’s not the greatest film ever, some may even call it mediocre. I believe I found an answer to why I loved watching it again. I rediscovered some of the feeling of what mainstream movies used to be, the feeling they had when I was growing up in the 90’s and earlier, too. There was a greater sense of fun, joy, humor, creativity, craftmanship, sentimentality, adventure, and spirit. I mean this especially about movies like The Lord of The Rings and others. There were less business or political agendas and more entertainment. These were the types of films that I grew up on, along with Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and even Iron Man which seemed like the tail end of this era. In this sense, I have made this book an homage to the mentality and spirit of the filmmaking I love most. A political message, a corporate agenda, a social media argument, a forced set of ideas never really were part of the movies, not the ones I really loved. Progress and acceptance are important, but so is entertainment that allows people, all people, to escape the daily suffering and difficulty in their lives. Everyone should be able to escape into the movies, if even for just a couple of hours.

There is a lesson imparted to 007 by Q, his mentor and friend.

Lesson one, never let them see you bleed. Lesson two, always have an escape plan.

Q’s words are not just true for spies but also for filmmakers. Your mission will be to get everyone through the hatch door before the bomb blows, or worse, you run out of financing.

1. FROM YOUR CHARACTERS, WITH LOVE

THE IDEA: FOR BEGINNERS

A couple tricks on screenwriting I have learned over the years may hold some value for those unfamiliar with the process. As a director, a lot of people ask me how I decide what to make films about. I used to say, I make films I want to see myself, that no one has made yet. The problem is that the film must make money, and this is also the answer of a stupid selfish film-schooled moron. Therefore, the answer is actually, I make the films I want to see myself, that other people would also be as excited to see, that no one has made yet, that can make money.

That is a mouthful. And that is the goal.

How do you know if a film can make money? The short answer is that no one, outside of Hollywood or in it, knows how much money a film can or cannot make. Please be doubtful of those who claim to know their film’s profitability for certain. They are like The Wizard of Oz. That is all just smoke and mirrors.

Once you let this idea go as a filmmaker, you realize you are asking everyone around you to operate on faith and faith alone. From this standpoint—seeing filmmaking as an act of faith—your job becomes much clearer; you must create faith in your project in as many ways as possible for it to succeed.

Genre, budget level, and other factors