Riverside Saginaw Film Fest’s Jerry Seward

Jerry Seward, associate producer of the well-received short film, Raised Alone sat down with Michigan Movie Magazine during the 2009 Riverside Saginaw Film Festival to talk about how he got started in the business.

You’ve played two pretty important roles in the Michigan film industry, one being a board member for the Riverside Saginaw Film Festival and the other, an associate producer for a highly acclaimed short film Raised Alone.

Thank you.

How did you get involved with the Riverside Saginaw Film Festival?

One of the board members for the festival, Kelly Coffey, asked me to attend the first meeting of the first year we put the festival together. I got there and liked what I heard and was basically walked into the board.  They wanted to have as many people from the community and different backgrounds as possible. It wasn’t planned, but a lot of things in my life, especially filmmaking, I have fallen into.  It’s not something I was looking for or expected.

Why was it important to start a film festival in Saginaw?

One reason we started the festival was because there weren’t a lot of independent, or foreign films coming to the area.  We felt the community had been deprived.  Normally, they would have to drive out to Lansing or Detroit or Ann Arbor to see films.  There were people that had not even heard of these films we were bringing forward.  We wanted to broaden the community mindset and let people know that there are other films out there besides the ones you see at multiplexes.  We wanted to bring something eye-opening and we’ve gotten a lot of thanks and comments from people saying they loved a certain film and they’re glad they’ve had the chance to see it.

Tell me a little bit about your producing background in Michigan.

The whole producing thing was something I hadn’t planned.  I went to go into broadcasting and I figured that’s where I would be.  At the same time, on the side, I was writing scripts and edited a fan magazine for ten years out of my home called Power Star which published short stories, essays and poetry. When I got out of school I was trying to get a job in broadcasting but the job situation in Michigan is not easy. I had that dream of doing something creative that could turn into a career, something I could pay my bills with.

I had a writer friend in Tennessee and we collaborated on a feature length Sci-Fi script that wasn’t really getting a lot of attention. I believed strongly in script and I felt it had a lot to say in terms of social commentary.  I was disappointed that people didn’t get what we were going for. That’s when I said, “I’m going to produce it myself.” I knew when I said this, it would be something I would regret.  I knew it would be stressful and a challenge. But I believed so strongly in the story that, knowing what I know now, if I could go back, I would make the same choice.

What was your first step in launching that script into fruition?

One of the things I found is that when a film gets made, it’s about who you know.  For a long time I had been emailing an actress from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Chase Masterson, as a fan. I brought up the movie script in an email to see what she thought of it.  I didn’t think she’d be interested but I got an email back saying she wanted to know more about the project and if there’d be a part for her. It was strange because I started writing as a fan and now I was a producer with an actress.  It was great because I felt like she was taking the project seriously.  She was in LA and I really wanted to meet with her in person and I didn’t have funding. I became a kind of manager for her by getting her into events that were in Michigan such as Motor City Comic Con in Novi.  I did this so I could meet her face to face.

That’s a pretty incredible story. What about the rest of the roles in your film?

I came into contact with friend who managed celebrities, Donna Neuman, in Taylor, Michigan.  I asked if any of her clients would be interested in my film.  I wanted some actors that had been around, name actors, to be major lead roles and then fill the rest of the cast out with local Michigan actors.  Through Donna I met Jason Carter, an actor from the UK, who did independent films in Michigan.  He turned out to be interested in co-producing my feature.

So, a lot of your resources came from whom you already knew?

Actually lot of jobs and projects I worked on prior helped me in filmmaking.  In broadcasting, I worked in the control room, was a director and cameraperson. In the newspaper writing, I had to practice meeting and talking with different people. I took skills from other areas I had worked in and you found that they came into play when I started producing. You never know.  You may have what you think is a dull job, but those skills come along with you in the next things you do. The film industry is a lot of skill sets coming into play at once.

How did you come across Raised Alone?

During last year’s Riverside Saginaw Film Festival, we had a short film fest, an idea of mine and Kelly Coffey’s.  Sam Kadi sent in Schizophrenia, which had shown at Cannes, and we hyped the fact that it was shown there. Sam came to screening and asked if I was interested in being a producer for Raised Alone.  I had assembled people to work on my feature but had never worked with them or been on a set before. This was an opportunity and learning experience and see how others work together. Also, I was really moved by his script.  It was a very relatable story about a father and son. The father didn’t give enough attention and the son saved money to pay his father to give him more attention.  This really spoke to a lot of people and I decided to come on board. It was a great experience.

What advice do you have for people trying to finance their films?

When I came on board for Raised Alone, we already had investors in place. For my feature film, Cyber Hunt, the biggest challenge was securing financing for the film. You collect from here and there.  Production studios are willing to give us money for back end but they will not give us start up money. Sometimes, people will give money but they want to know you have main actors secured.  It’s difficult because people are being cautious and they want to know what their money is going towards.  I’ve had to develop business knowledge to put together a very clear business plan.

I’m sure targeting the correct interest groups helps as well.

Absolutely.  If you say I want to make a gory horror movie, people may not support that.  You have to find people will love the subject and that really love the genre.  Networking is key.  Even though I happen to know people that have been in the industry, you still have to talk to people and there are things I need people for.  I started by going to the Detroit film community and handing out business cards, looking for a person to do this and that.  Now it’s to the point where people come up to me and ask if I’m the guy doing to Sci-Fi film because they’d be able to fill a position.  An actress friend of mine went to Chicago and someone came up to her and said, “Do you know Jerry Seward, I heard he’s working on a Sci-Fi film in Michigan.”  Word of mouth is so powerful in filmmaking.

What advice do you have for someone in Michigan who wants to get involved with film?

First, you have to have passion for it.  One of the things that extras I talked to on Raised Alone were baffled by was all the waiting around. I had to explain that re-shoots, angles and perspectives, all take a lot of time. They enjoyed themselves but it was a big surprise.  You have to educate yourself about film industry and what goes into it.  It’s got to be something you live and breathe.  It has to be a gut thing. I’m always thinking about my feature film.  I’m always thinking and prepping before shooting.

It’s not easy. This is one of the most stressful things you can do.  I used to think I’d never want to work on Wall Street because of the stress and filmmaking is about as stressful as that.  There was a time when I thought, “Do I really want to do this?  I’m thinking about quitting.”  Then there’s that belief in the film and I want to stay with it. My dream has always been to do something creative and share it.  You’re not only in it by yourself but you’re working as a team to make magic happen. As a young person coming out of college, you have to start at the bottom and work your way up.

How can I find out more information about your feature film in the works?

Go to http://www.cyberhuntmovie.com/.

Share Link: