Christine Vachon: Film Producer
JAY
Do you think there have been any major changes of making films since you started out?
CHRISTINE
You know, it's interesting, because one of the things that I was going to say is, there's been so much disruption in the past twenty five years. And, I think one of the reasons Killer Films (Christine's company) has stayed around is because we tried to find opportunities...The end of the "independent film", as we know it, has been announced so many times.
JAY
What was it like when Killer Films started out?
CHRISTINE
When Killer Films first started, we were making films for under-served audiences, and finding much to our delight, that if you made a movie for an audience that never got to be seen on screen, you can actually make your money back; that's if you made the movie for the right amount of money. That was incredibly empowering. In some ways, a lot of that has come full circle.
JAY
And any notable differences of film, since you started?
CHRISTINE
Obvious differences are things like DVD going away. Another was shooting digital instead of film. More platforms appeared as to where you can access media - but I feel we were trying to figure out things as each of these things were happening. What's the opportunity gained if we accessed any of these new changes?
JAY
Do you see the current climate as a good opportunity for filmmaking?
CHRISTINE
I feel like we're all very active. We are having one of the biggest challenges for indie films, especially the mid-budget movies, because they aren't nimble enough to handle challenges such as insurance. Those big block-busters are one thing, and the tiny, little films are ok But the mid-range movies that you put together with some foreign-sale financing, equity financing, those are the ones I get anxious about.
JAY
How did you survive during the COVID pandemic?
CHRISTINE
I'm on a series for Netflix, a Ryan Murphy production. It's calledHalston with Ewan McGregor. Bill Pullman Krysta Rodriguez - and I think we optioned the book 25 years ago. And, because it's Netflix, they have placed in the necessary COVID costs. I did a Zoom with some other producers at a PGA meeting, and we were spit-balling that it's another 15 to 20 percent, to work in the testing, the PPE, the reduced number of hours, for example, that everyone is trying to shoot for because it's so uncomfortable to be in face shields and everything all day long. And, it's bizarre and exactly the same, yet completely different. I don't really know how else to put it. You're still doing the same stuff, and the directors like the fact that there are less people on set, because we can't have twenty people viewing a monitor. but at the same time, it is exhausting.
With Halston, we shot about a third of it, and we then had to shut it down, with no way of hoping that we'd ever come back to it. We were also finishing Tod Haynes' The Velvet Underground, we also had two movies held at Sundance last year, Josephine Decker's Shirley and Janicza Bravo's Zola, - so, it's been interesting to see how all of that will play out.
We've been doing a lot of development, we haven't really lost anything per se. The Pandemic has kind of forced us to interrogate your own practices and think if a particular project is right, for the current time. For the most part, we are slowly starting back up, again.
JAY
With all the streaming platforms, Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon, how do you see them pan out?
CHRISTINE
We're currently working with Netflix, but also Killer Films has a deal with the TV and film side with MGM. Part of the reason that we went to MGM was that created Orion Pictures and they were really putting their resources into exactly the kind of director-driven and ambitiously authored filmmaking that keeps us in the business.
JAY
How do you convince the new avenues are worth the financial risks?
CHRISTINE
It's kind of like a dance between the bond companies and the insurers - at some point, for those companies to stay in business, we have to find a solution. It's a two-way street, and I feel with film financiers, a lot of them are starting to take risks - to see what new models can benefit their investments and it's always hard to "teach old dogs new tricks" but I think it's slowly shifting.
JAY
How would filmmakers get their films made, if they have no track-record and are new to the business?
CHRISTINE
You know, one of the things which people continually talk about is the whole notion of mentorship. I think it's incredibly important for experienced producers to mentor young producers because the path is less clear now, than when I started.
One of the things, which I think acts like it's full circle is that we had a DIY approach; if we don't tell our stories, no one else will. So, we're just going to do it. We're not going to ask for permission, and I feel that when that's done, people have so many more resources at their disposal to film with - there's really no excuse, right now, to not demonstrate that you can tell a good story.
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