WEBVTT

1
00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:09.800
Old you is, folks, it's
show time. People pay good money to

2
00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:13.039
see this movie. When they go
out to a theater. They want cold

3
00:00:13.080 --> 00:00:17.760
sodas, hot popcorn, and no
monsters in the projection booth. Everyone for

4
00:00:17.839 --> 00:01:04.079
ten podcasting isn't boring off? Hello, I think I know I took your

5
00:01:04.159 --> 00:01:11.120
daughter. She was in a cult. For Christ's sake, you really think

6
00:01:11.120 --> 00:01:14.920
this person is trustworthy? I lost
my wife, I lost my daughter.

7
00:01:15.319 --> 00:01:18.239
Forget about the authorities tracking your daughter
down. If you want her back,

8
00:01:19.159 --> 00:01:23.760
you got to get her yourself.
Where's my daughter? She was allowed two

9
00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:29.200
weeks ago. If she had to
go through what I did when they took

10
00:01:29.280 --> 00:01:38.519
me, it will be like nothing. You can imagine. You didn't say

11
00:01:38.560 --> 00:01:42.000
anything about tattoos. Imagine if I
showed up at your little church looking like

12
00:01:42.120 --> 00:01:51.120
this. Really shouldn't be following man, stupid. Now you're gonna show the

13
00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:59.719
ladies in respect. They bringing children
here. In the end, they're killed.

14
00:02:00.680 --> 00:02:10.080
They keep something like me. You
know that? Send Cyrus a message

15
00:02:10.439 --> 00:02:22.919
door. Oh you're crossing over.
You better watch yourself. I've tasted a

16
00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:27.319
lot of blood, Lady, I'm
not sure I'm gonna full stomach yet kill

17
00:02:27.400 --> 00:02:46.800
them, kill them? Why am
I for are wearing take a look this

18
00:02:46.080 --> 00:03:02.120
is God. Hey, folks,
welcome to the Projective with I'm your host

19
00:03:02.120 --> 00:03:07.520
Mike White. On the special episode, I'm talking with Natalie Peroda all about

20
00:03:07.560 --> 00:03:12.039
her career, including her latest work
on Nick Cassavetti's God Is a Bullet.

21
00:03:12.360 --> 00:03:15.120
The film comes out on June twenty
third, twenty twenty three. Be sure

22
00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:19.199
to check that out. And I
hope you enjoyed this interview. Can you

23
00:03:19.240 --> 00:03:23.479
tell me a little bit more of
your background before you even became a producer.

24
00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:29.639
I studied psychology at uc R Vine, and when I graduated, I

25
00:03:29.680 --> 00:03:34.800
moved to LA and I had a
full time job at a PR agency.

26
00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:38.719
Actually, so it was my first
time in an apartment by myself, my

27
00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:45.360
first full time job. I was
like a real adult at twenty years old.

28
00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:49.840
One night at the office, we
were watching Larry King Live and he

29
00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:57.000
was interviewing his long time executive producer
Wendy Walker, and she was just going

30
00:03:57.000 --> 00:04:00.919
through her experiences and telling worries and
I was watching it and I was like

31
00:04:01.680 --> 00:04:05.680
everything she was saying was resonating with
me, and I was like, I

32
00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:12.639
want to do that. That is
exactly what I want to pursue and so

33
00:04:12.680 --> 00:04:16.600
the next day I apply to a
couple of different production companies and I was

34
00:04:16.680 --> 00:04:23.600
offered an assistant position at Patriot Pictures, where I'm currently still here for the

35
00:04:23.680 --> 00:04:30.000
last twelve years and worked my way
up as an SVP and we've financed and

36
00:04:30.079 --> 00:04:34.600
produced over twenty five movies. How
do you leverage the psychology? I think

37
00:04:34.600 --> 00:04:40.360
that the psychology major really became useful
in this industry. Our business has more

38
00:04:40.519 --> 00:04:46.160
people based than anything else, you
know. We deal with financiers, artists,

39
00:04:46.480 --> 00:04:53.120
lawyers, and every single person has
feelings and I was trying to express

40
00:04:53.199 --> 00:04:59.079
themselves in some ways. So I've
really tried to be a good listener first

41
00:04:59.120 --> 00:05:04.040
and foremost, and then make decisions
based on the energy that I get from

42
00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:09.920
the person. Tell me more about
Patriot Pictures. What do you guys do?

43
00:05:10.199 --> 00:05:13.480
And you said you've been working there
for twelve years and how'd you work

44
00:05:13.519 --> 00:05:16.040
your way up through the ranks?
Yes, So, Patriot Pictures is headed

45
00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:23.040
by Michael Mendelssohn. He's a long
time producer, financier. He started in

46
00:05:23.079 --> 00:05:29.759
the banking world. He has been
a great teacher and mentor and really has

47
00:05:29.959 --> 00:05:34.519
opened the world and welcomed me into
it very nicely. We are a small

48
00:05:34.639 --> 00:05:42.040
independent film production company. We fully
finance and produce all of our films in

49
00:05:42.160 --> 00:05:47.079
house, and it's been great.
How do you find the films to finance

50
00:05:47.720 --> 00:05:55.160
a lot of different ways. We
have submissions that come in through friends and

51
00:05:55.399 --> 00:06:00.399
colleagues. They bring their projects and
we don't focus on any one genre,

52
00:06:00.560 --> 00:06:04.439
which is the amazing part. We
were really flexible in what we choose when

53
00:06:04.480 --> 00:06:10.480
we finance and produce a film,
and we can't do it anywhere based on

54
00:06:10.600 --> 00:06:15.600
just we acquire the script and we
package it with the cast and the director

55
00:06:15.199 --> 00:06:19.399
and make it, or sometimes the
package comes to us ready and we just

56
00:06:19.480 --> 00:06:26.199
need to finance it. It just
depends what stage the film the project is

57
00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:32.199
in. We've also started from scratch
where we've hired writers to write scripts based

58
00:06:32.199 --> 00:06:36.800
on ideas that we have, so
each project is very unique in its own

59
00:06:36.839 --> 00:06:41.399
way. So were you a big
movie fan when you're growing up? I

60
00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:46.920
was, Yeah. I honestly didn't
really see myself in this industry. But

61
00:06:46.120 --> 00:06:53.199
my favorite part about it is the
business and creative intersection. I really felt

62
00:06:53.199 --> 00:06:56.920
like I've been able to express my
creative side as well as my love is

63
00:06:56.959 --> 00:07:01.480
really business so it's been amazing to
be able to intertwine both. Oh no,

64
00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:04.079
it's one thing to be a movie
fan, but it's another thing completely

65
00:07:04.160 --> 00:07:09.240
to be in the business of making
movies. What was the hardest thing for

66
00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:14.319
you to either learn or experience as
you were going through that transition that sometimes

67
00:07:14.360 --> 00:07:18.439
films take a lot longer to make
anything. Also, just you know,

68
00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:24.800
it's a delicate line trying to bring
someone's vision to life while also appeasing to

69
00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:32.079
investors and to making sure we have
a fiduciary responsibility. And when we're able

70
00:07:32.120 --> 00:07:35.079
to appease all of them, then
it's really like we've caught magic in a

71
00:07:35.079 --> 00:07:40.120
bottle. The movies make it look
like it's a lot easier to actually make

72
00:07:40.160 --> 00:07:44.879
a movie than it is. So
I really respect the process and all of

73
00:07:44.920 --> 00:07:48.399
the people involved. It seeks a
village and there's not one person that does

74
00:07:48.439 --> 00:07:54.519
any more than another. It's really
you cannot survive without the ecosystem of the

75
00:07:54.639 --> 00:07:58.720
crew, and it starts at the
top with your director, who's really the

76
00:07:58.800 --> 00:08:03.240
captain. It's a beautiful process to
be a part of. You have been

77
00:08:03.279 --> 00:08:07.759
involved in so many movies now,
at least twenty that I know of,

78
00:08:07.920 --> 00:08:11.639
with a lot more coming out,
so I'm even coming out right now.

79
00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:15.240
What are the ones that are closest
to you, Where do you feel like

80
00:08:15.279 --> 00:08:20.519
you've made that impact the most?
They're all our babies, bront Ways.

81
00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:26.399
Throughout my career, I've been fortunate
enough to be given more and more responsibilities

82
00:08:26.560 --> 00:08:28.639
on each project. So I would
say the most recent ones are the ones

83
00:08:28.680 --> 00:08:37.799
where I've really I've been a part
of everretty single decision process in the So

84
00:08:37.919 --> 00:08:41.279
I would say God Is a Bullet
is a very close one to the heart.

85
00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:45.759
It's based on a book by Boston
Tran. It's written by Nick Cassavetti's

86
00:08:45.759 --> 00:08:52.600
and directed by Nick. It is
a strong, powerful film for our you

87
00:08:52.679 --> 00:08:58.399
know Michael Monroe, who's our female
lead. It's basically taken in and hell,

88
00:08:58.519 --> 00:09:03.080
so it's not for the faith part, but is also based on a

89
00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:09.320
true story, so we wanted to
stay true to the story. And we

90
00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:11.759
are so proud of the film.
It comes out on June twenty third,

91
00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:16.360
and we're really excited to share it
with the world. And it was an

92
00:09:16.360 --> 00:09:22.519
intense experience just because it was also
during COVID and we had in our cast

93
00:09:22.679 --> 00:09:28.919
is amazing and we were in the
jungles of Mexico City and in New Mexico

94
00:09:30.159 --> 00:09:35.360
and then just all over and I
would say that one is very close.

95
00:09:35.519 --> 00:09:41.399
Another one it would be Get Lost, which is written and directed by Daniela

96
00:09:41.559 --> 00:09:48.399
and Meva, and it has Terrence
Howard and Sashaless and Ela Trobolta, and

97
00:09:48.559 --> 00:09:54.080
it's like a beautiful story, coming
of age story of a young girl who

98
00:09:54.639 --> 00:10:00.600
lost her mother and she's trying to
find kind of herself and where she spread

99
00:10:00.679 --> 00:10:03.919
her mother's ashes. And that was
the first film that I was actually on

100
00:10:03.960 --> 00:10:09.480
the ground from day one to the
end leading the film. So that was

101
00:10:09.559 --> 00:10:16.960
like my first experience as taking it
head on and being in Budapest halfway across

102
00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:20.840
the world while Michael's in Mexico doing
God as a Bullet on the other side

103
00:10:20.840 --> 00:10:28.200
of the world. And so that
one was a very amazing experience. We

104
00:10:28.240 --> 00:10:31.519
had a great time in Hungary.
So we're really excited for that one.

105
00:10:31.559 --> 00:10:35.559
So hopefully that the world we'll get
to share that one in the near future.

106
00:10:35.159 --> 00:10:39.639
Now it's a just luck of the
draw because he's made so many movies,

107
00:10:39.840 --> 00:10:43.679
or do you guys have a connection
with Nicholas Cage because they had notice

108
00:10:43.720 --> 00:10:48.200
you've produced at least three of his
films. Yeah, he's great. We

109
00:10:48.240 --> 00:10:52.720
love working with him. Michael has
a great relationship with him that stems back

110
00:10:52.240 --> 00:10:58.440
years back to family Man. They've
always just kept in touch and every time

111
00:10:58.480 --> 00:11:01.720
we have a project that we think
that he may be great for, we

112
00:11:03.320 --> 00:11:07.000
call them and see if he's interested, and most times he is, so

113
00:11:07.200 --> 00:11:11.639
then we get to continue the working
relationship with him. It's very important for

114
00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:16.960
us to continue work. We love
working with the same people. It makes

115
00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:24.240
it more of a family experience,
and we know we know how people do

116
00:11:24.440 --> 00:11:28.440
things and like to work, so
it makes it a little bit I wouldn't

117
00:11:28.440 --> 00:11:33.039
say easier, because it's not easier, but it just makes it more enjoyable

118
00:11:33.080 --> 00:11:37.080
in that sense when we get to
reunite with the people over and over again.

119
00:11:37.519 --> 00:11:41.039
And he's a dream to work with. I was so shocked when he

120
00:11:41.159 --> 00:11:46.200
did that movie with Son Ocean and
from Japan, just that he was making

121
00:11:46.200 --> 00:11:50.200
a movie in the English and then
that Nicholas Cage was starring at it and

122
00:11:50.240 --> 00:11:54.000
then you get to producer. That
must have been fantastic. Yeah, it

123
00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:58.600
was a little bit of lost in
translation while we were in Japan, so

124
00:11:58.679 --> 00:12:07.080
that was an experience that I'll never
forget. Just the even at a wardrobe

125
00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:13.360
department, in the production design and
everything was just insane and just so exciting

126
00:12:13.399 --> 00:12:18.279
to watch come to life. Our
sets were beautiful out in the middle of

127
00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:24.159
nowhere, taking the bullet train to
a countryside. It was fantastic. We

128
00:12:24.240 --> 00:12:31.799
had our challenges because of the not
speaking Japanese, but we made it through

129
00:12:31.879 --> 00:12:35.080
and we figured it out. We
had some great translators, so it kept

130
00:12:35.159 --> 00:12:41.480
us afloat. Which is so fun
to do a movie in a different country

131
00:12:41.639 --> 00:12:46.360
because everyone works so differently and so
you really get to learn how they do

132
00:12:46.519 --> 00:12:52.919
things. And that was one that
was just it was a wild ride and

133
00:12:54.000 --> 00:12:56.519
you can see it on screen.
We've been all over the place. What

134
00:12:56.639 --> 00:13:01.639
all countries have you been to?
Ever you've lost count Yes, I've been

135
00:13:01.679 --> 00:13:05.559
fortunate enough to be able to see
a lot of the world through our industry

136
00:13:05.799 --> 00:13:11.240
and work with a lot of people
from around the world. We have filmed

137
00:13:11.240 --> 00:13:16.559
in Hungary and Japan, Poland,
Finland, Estonia, the Baltic Sea,

138
00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:24.399
mainly Mexico City, Columbia, a
lot of places around the United States too.

139
00:13:24.440 --> 00:13:30.159
But it's been I consider myself lucky
in that sense. Not a lot

140
00:13:30.200 --> 00:13:33.600
of sleep in between, but we
make up for it. I just watch

141
00:13:33.960 --> 00:13:37.480
Synchronic last night and I love the
use of New Orleans and that one,

142
00:13:37.519 --> 00:13:41.279
and what a clever film that movie
is and we're so proud of it.

143
00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:46.960
It was in the Toronto Film Festival. The director there are two guys that

144
00:13:46.039 --> 00:13:50.519
were the directors, Justin and Aaron, and there they kind it's amazing what

145
00:13:50.600 --> 00:13:54.000
they do. They also edit,
they write, They one of them as

146
00:13:54.039 --> 00:13:58.639
a cinematographer all on their films,
so they really keep it into a nice

147
00:14:00.240 --> 00:14:05.879
close knit experience for them. And
we love filming in New Orleans and they

148
00:14:05.919 --> 00:14:11.159
really brought that city to life.
We actually did that one right after we

149
00:14:11.200 --> 00:14:16.240
did Cutthroat City in New Orleans as
well, which was directed by Rizza from

150
00:14:16.240 --> 00:14:22.759
the Wu Tang And it's a great
city to be in and it's very mystical

151
00:14:22.879 --> 00:14:28.000
and very you feel like a vampire
is going to come out at any second

152
00:14:28.360 --> 00:14:31.159
to hang out with you. So
it's a nice place. You didn't tell

153
00:14:31.200 --> 00:14:33.600
me a little bit about the making
them Zero Bill. I was a big

154
00:14:33.679 --> 00:14:39.159
fan of the book that was based
on and it felt like that one was

155
00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:46.039
in production forever. That was our
third film with James franco Is the book.

156
00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:50.000
He did a great job the writer
adapting the book and he directed it.

157
00:14:50.360 --> 00:14:54.919
We had an amazing cast. It
was Seth Brogan and Will Ferrell and

158
00:14:56.000 --> 00:15:01.559
Making Fox, Joey King, and
we did it in l l which was

159
00:15:01.480 --> 00:15:05.960
for a smaller budget film. To
pull it off in La, it was

160
00:15:05.159 --> 00:15:11.240
a great time. We really brought
out the late sixties the atmosphere of it,

161
00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:18.399
and it wasn't felt like it was
in production longer than it was because

162
00:15:18.679 --> 00:15:20.720
we had to release it a bit
little bit later than we would have liked,

163
00:15:22.279 --> 00:15:26.240
and so it was it was a
fun movie in that sense. It

164
00:15:26.440 --> 00:15:28.679
was. It was really cool too. I love filming in La because we

165
00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:33.159
don't really get to do it very
often, but that one, it's like

166
00:15:33.240 --> 00:15:37.440
it was so authentic obviously to the
city, and we couldn't do it anywhere

167
00:15:37.480 --> 00:15:41.240
else, and so that was really
nice go to set and then be able

168
00:15:41.279 --> 00:15:46.480
to go home. You mentioned how
COVID affected at least shooting got as a

169
00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:50.600
bullet. How else did it affect
you and the work that you were doing.

170
00:15:50.679 --> 00:15:54.840
COVID is a hard time for a
lot of us, and we were

171
00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:58.320
very fortunate in the sense that we
were actually filmed the first movie we filmed

172
00:15:58.360 --> 00:16:03.279
in COVID. It was in Mexico
City. We took out. It was

173
00:16:03.320 --> 00:16:07.200
called Blackout and it has Josh Dumel, an Abbe Cornish and ignaled Tea.

174
00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:12.080
It was just on Netflix and it
was number three worldwide for a few weeks,

175
00:16:12.080 --> 00:16:18.279
which were very proud of. But
that one we had to basically rent

176
00:16:18.360 --> 00:16:23.960
out an entire hotel and we doubled
the hotel as a hospital because the hospital

177
00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:29.679
was the main premise of the film, the main set, and we lived

178
00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:33.120
there for the whole shoot. No
one was allowed to go in and out.

179
00:16:33.159 --> 00:16:40.039
Everything was brought in very small crew
and we were very we didn't have

180
00:16:40.559 --> 00:16:44.480
any outbreaks. We're very lucky,
very safe. We took it very seriously.

181
00:16:45.120 --> 00:16:48.159
But it was like a college dorm
room all over again. Lee.

182
00:16:48.159 --> 00:16:52.639
You would see after filming, you
would see remote control cars going down the

183
00:16:52.639 --> 00:16:59.799
hallways. You would see like just
crazy things that happened that you could only

184
00:17:00.039 --> 00:17:04.519
imagine happened in a college dorm,
it happened in this hotel. Yeah,

185
00:17:04.559 --> 00:17:10.759
So we were able to continue that
and that kept us busy for the first

186
00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:15.119
part of COVID. Were the restrictions
pretty tight in Mexico they were, Yeah,

187
00:17:15.160 --> 00:17:19.079
it was, and also just we
had to of course respect the SAD

188
00:17:19.200 --> 00:17:23.960
rules and it was masks everywhere you
would walk in, take your temperature,

189
00:17:25.119 --> 00:17:32.559
and we like basically missed it as
you walked in with sanitizing spray, and

190
00:17:32.599 --> 00:17:36.039
we made sure all the food and
everything was cleaned while it was when it

191
00:17:36.279 --> 00:17:40.799
entered the building, and if you
left, it was you were done working,

192
00:17:41.400 --> 00:17:44.759
we finished, or you were done
shooting, so you weren't coming back.

193
00:17:45.359 --> 00:17:48.400
So it wasn't somewhere where we would
let people come in and out because

194
00:17:48.960 --> 00:17:52.480
you know, we wanted we didn't
want anyone on our crew or actors to

195
00:17:52.559 --> 00:17:56.240
get sick. Of course, how
many projects do you have going at the

196
00:17:56.279 --> 00:18:02.279
same time. It varies. Sometimes
we have three in production, sometimes we

197
00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:08.160
have one currently, we have we're
prepping for a release, and we are

198
00:18:08.759 --> 00:18:15.559
in pre production casting stages on about
four films. So if all of those

199
00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:22.880
are windows are green light, they'll
probably be staggered throughout the fall winter timeline.

200
00:18:23.160 --> 00:18:27.079
We do have quite a few in
development and quite a few where we've

201
00:18:27.119 --> 00:18:34.319
optioned it now figuring out okay,
bringing non casting directors or maybe rewrites or

202
00:18:34.440 --> 00:18:38.119
writers to help with the script to
get it in a shape where we can

203
00:18:38.200 --> 00:18:44.880
go to cast and that ranges.
I would say we have a lot of

204
00:18:44.920 --> 00:18:49.240
IP that we like to have and
to try to put together. I would

205
00:18:49.240 --> 00:18:53.920
say we probably have fifteen to twenty
of those projects. How do you even

206
00:18:55.000 --> 00:19:00.240
keep track of all that? We
have a really great system the checks Star

207
00:19:00.680 --> 00:19:04.799
her name's Caitlin, that tracks our
projects and where we are. And then

208
00:19:04.799 --> 00:19:07.599
each project, or not each of
them, but the ones that are a

209
00:19:07.640 --> 00:19:14.000
little bit more head they have their
kind of group of EPs or producers that

210
00:19:14.079 --> 00:19:17.599
come with them. So it's nice
that they come in and out of our

211
00:19:17.640 --> 00:19:21.680
office and we're able to work with
them on a project by project basis.

212
00:19:22.200 --> 00:19:25.480
Yeah, as an outsider, I
have to tell you that the whole who's

213
00:19:25.519 --> 00:19:30.759
the executive producer, visus associate producer, who happened to bring the project?

214
00:19:30.839 --> 00:19:34.119
And they get their name out it. That's always just like from an outsider

215
00:19:34.200 --> 00:19:40.920
point of view, it's wow,
what is this mess? Yeah? Same

216
00:19:40.960 --> 00:19:45.319
from the inside point of view too. No, Yeah, it all depends

217
00:19:45.799 --> 00:19:51.880
on the project and who owns or
who bring, who actually has the IP,

218
00:19:52.200 --> 00:19:57.039
who's who are optioning it from,
who's if the project comes fully packaged,

219
00:19:57.079 --> 00:20:00.680
it's a completely different conversation and then
if we have to put the project

220
00:20:00.680 --> 00:20:08.759
together, so each one is very
unique to figuring out who's the producer,

221
00:20:08.920 --> 00:20:17.480
associate producer EPs. We like to
really be fair in those things because sometimes

222
00:20:17.519 --> 00:20:22.839
a lot of times what happens if
people give out vanity credits and so it's

223
00:20:22.880 --> 00:20:27.200
hard to give out a vanity for
someone who's worked so hard to then be

224
00:20:27.359 --> 00:20:32.400
equal to someone with a vanity credit. So we really want to make sure

225
00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:38.480
that the people that are working day
and night and truly are getting the project

226
00:20:38.559 --> 00:20:44.319
off the ground, that they're credited
the way they should be and fairly.

227
00:20:44.839 --> 00:20:48.680
I know with the w GA there's
that whole arbitration process as far as who

228
00:20:48.720 --> 00:20:52.279
gets named. Is there something similar
for the PGA? There is if you

229
00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:59.119
want the producers mark like so on
each I don't know if you've noticed that

230
00:20:59.359 --> 00:21:04.759
some names have PGA AFTERM, so
for that you do have to go through

231
00:21:06.319 --> 00:21:11.279
a very actually pretty complex application process
to get that marking, and so they

232
00:21:11.319 --> 00:21:18.200
do. I think they limit it
for five producers that can get that mark

233
00:21:18.599 --> 00:21:23.000
if I may be mistaken, but
they don't allow ten or fifteen like what

234
00:21:23.319 --> 00:21:29.279
we have seen, but it happens. How have you seen the business change

235
00:21:29.279 --> 00:21:33.000
over the years, especially when it
comes to distribution, it's changed immensely.

236
00:21:33.680 --> 00:21:41.799
When the streamers came into our ether, they made it possible for a lot

237
00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:45.960
of these indie films too, if
you weren't able to get a theatrical release,

238
00:21:47.039 --> 00:21:51.319
that you could possibly get an upside
by selling to a streamer, because

239
00:21:51.680 --> 00:21:56.960
they sometimes do pay they buy the
film for an exponential amount. We used

240
00:21:56.960 --> 00:22:02.960
to work off the model of making
out our films by territory and by the

241
00:22:03.119 --> 00:22:07.480
US and then different foreign territories,
and then you would have your tax credit.

242
00:22:07.640 --> 00:22:11.559
Was how we would finance the films
based on that collateral. And now

243
00:22:11.559 --> 00:22:18.200
with the streamers, you want to
make sure that if you have an upside

244
00:22:18.200 --> 00:22:21.920
by selling to the streamers. So
sometimes we keep our projects close to the

245
00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:29.160
heart and we finish them and then
we show them to the streamers first as

246
00:22:29.160 --> 00:22:33.680
a kind of a first look,
and then we'll go down the line from

247
00:22:33.720 --> 00:22:37.680
there. So it has made it
a little bit, I want to say,

248
00:22:37.759 --> 00:22:41.599
it has caused us to be a
little bit more creative and how we

249
00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:47.680
go about our films and how we
finance them and produce them. So it's

250
00:22:47.720 --> 00:22:51.839
been a little bit of a challenge
but I think we're figuring. We figured

251
00:22:51.880 --> 00:22:56.039
it out, and the world's always
changing. There's always going to be something

252
00:22:56.079 --> 00:23:00.240
else, So we just have to
stay with the times and keep going.

253
00:23:00.079 --> 00:23:03.599
Fifty years ago, you could sell
an entire project off of a poster.

254
00:23:04.200 --> 00:23:07.759
I imagine it's a little bit different
now. Yeah, it's definitely not like

255
00:23:07.799 --> 00:23:11.799
that anymore. Yeah, even five
years ago, we could sell a project

256
00:23:11.839 --> 00:23:18.680
off of a sizzle, not even
a complete film. But it's getting harder

257
00:23:18.680 --> 00:23:22.559
and harder. This might be an
unfair question that I'm going to ask it.

258
00:23:22.599 --> 00:23:26.680
Anyway, If you had a magic
wand what project either something that you've

259
00:23:26.720 --> 00:23:32.079
got cooking right now or something that
you've just been looking at, what would

260
00:23:32.079 --> 00:23:34.960
you bring to the screen. What
would be your dream project? I would

261
00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:41.680
say something that means something that when
you will walk out of the movie,

262
00:23:41.119 --> 00:23:47.839
you're talking about the movie and it
has like a deep impact on you.

263
00:23:48.079 --> 00:23:52.359
I don't really know what the story
is, or I want to say something

264
00:23:52.400 --> 00:23:56.559
that resonates with you and makes you
or alter kind of the way you look

265
00:23:56.599 --> 00:24:00.680
at things and look at the war
world, and hopefully it brings you some

266
00:24:00.759 --> 00:24:06.000
peace. I really think that films
are a great escape in the sense that

267
00:24:06.039 --> 00:24:10.720
if you're having a hard day or
a shitty week, you can put on

268
00:24:10.759 --> 00:24:14.640
a really good movie to either make
you cry or make you laugh, and

269
00:24:14.680 --> 00:24:18.839
just for the ninety minutes to two
hours, you can really escape. And

270
00:24:18.960 --> 00:24:23.279
I hope that we can do that
for people, and I hope all of

271
00:24:23.319 --> 00:24:29.920
our movies do that. I think
one that really is just is remembered for

272
00:24:30.160 --> 00:24:34.440
that. In your position, do
you get much feedback about the films themselves

273
00:24:34.519 --> 00:24:38.319
or are you getting more of the
business feedback or are you actually hearing from

274
00:24:38.359 --> 00:24:42.559
the people at c these and go, wow, Natalie, I absolutely love

275
00:24:42.640 --> 00:24:48.480
this movie. It really was so
fantastic to see. Yeah, I think

276
00:24:48.480 --> 00:24:53.960
we do get good feedback from the
buyers and from the audience. We do

277
00:24:55.160 --> 00:25:02.079
like to explore the reviews and see
what people are saying. Social media has

278
00:25:02.119 --> 00:25:06.400
been great because so many people have
reached out to us on our social on

279
00:25:06.440 --> 00:25:10.759
our Instagram account and have told us
the impacts that the movies have had on

280
00:25:10.799 --> 00:25:14.880
them or how much they loved Sometimes
they don't like them, which is okay.

281
00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:21.759
We can't appease everyone, but and
yeah, I think that we definitely

282
00:25:21.799 --> 00:25:25.680
do get the feedback. We also
love to have screenings of friends of family,

283
00:25:26.680 --> 00:25:30.200
see what they think before we lock
really any movie, and oh you

284
00:25:30.279 --> 00:25:33.519
never know who's going to have a
good idea. Maybe we can implement them

285
00:25:33.559 --> 00:25:41.319
into our cuts. But we're definitely
open to listening and to hearing what people

286
00:25:41.359 --> 00:25:44.440
have to say. Natalie, thank
you so much for your time. This

287
00:25:44.519 --> 00:25:47.799
is such a pleasure talking with you. Thank you. I really appreciate it.

288
00:25:47.799 --> 00:26:23.039
It's been fun. There's a true
fly checket on the back of the

289
00:26:23.240 --> 00:26:30.160
chair. It's like a moment person
forever there. My dad had a lot

290
00:26:30.200 --> 00:26:37.000
of big plans for there. Man
so proud. Mama's come crazy because a

291
00:26:37.160 --> 00:26:42.359
baby to down my some teen days
time? Say why the bound It was

292
00:26:42.400 --> 00:26:52.839
the wrong place, wrong time,
wrong and not my god? Free hit

293
00:26:53.119 --> 00:27:08.519
ye forever in the tree and flippen
it could be free to kill your play

294
00:27:08.759 --> 00:27:15.480
solo playing yourself and oh god,
it's a bullet. Have much honest,

295
00:27:15.559 --> 00:27:26.880
effy work. They're gonna call me
search do I stoppinking on me? Well,

296
00:27:26.960 --> 00:27:30.759
I'm a high school brad, I'm
over my foot three, I get

297
00:27:30.839 --> 00:27:37.599
a bad and I got out.
I'm trying to bed. He didn't have

298
00:27:37.759 --> 00:27:42.039
to use the because they put in
his hand. When the guy came atam

299
00:27:42.079 --> 00:27:53.000
willing and it's a funny, lovely
episode. I gave I'm another child free

300
00:27:55.680 --> 00:28:00.559
hit your oh God, and I
try to slip back. They could have

301
00:28:00.880 --> 00:28:12.759
been, could have been straight to
kill your blame and shoulder, blame yourself.

302
00:28:14.519 --> 00:28:56.079
My God, is the bullet hamlet
the honest said the world, stay

303
00:28:59.039 --> 00:29:03.359
over the crag out a slip when
they could have been. It could have

304
00:29:03.680 --> 00:29:18.079
been in young love of God.
I'm not sure. God is the bullet

305
00:29:18.200 --> 00:29:37.559
have mercy on a stiffer room?
God is the bullet had mercy on a stiffer rod