Father & Daughter Film Report

 

 

LIVING IT UP with FILM MAKER & TWISTER ALLEY FILM FESTIVAL director JOSH HOPE..... 


 

If you haven't already heard of film maker Josh Hope...then you probably will, and probably very soon.  

Not just from reading this article, more than likely he will be coming to a theater near you with his latest comedy hit film:

The Life and Death of an Unhappily Married Man

which is not only being featured as a finalist and winner in film festivals around the world, but is a film that is definitely a 'must-see'.


 

We were lucky to catch up with Josh in between his jumping from one film festival to another and have this report for you:


 

When did you become interested in working with films?  


I've always loved movies.  Growing up in small town NW Oklahoma there wasn't always a whole lot to do...so movies served as my escape.  

It wasn't until college when I realized being a filmmaker was something I could actually do. 

 

 
What gave you the idea to do this (Twister Alley) film festival?


I've traveled to hundreds of film festivals with my own films over the past 10 years and saw some good ones...and a LOT of bad ones.  

I could see the common thread with the good festivals was community support, and I knew if we took all the good elements I had seen from my favorite film festivals we could make a great one in NW Oklahoma because the support from the community was there. 


What was the most difficult thing you had to deal with in pro​ducing this festival? (i.e. - Filming-wise Organizational-wise, Business-wise, Editing, etc....?)  

Our biggest hurdle in NW Oklahoma was introducing what a film festival actually was.  We don't really get many indie films at our local theaters so the majority of the public doesn't really know what an Indie film is...let alone an independent film festival.  So our biggest hurdle was getting people to come check it out.  But once we get them in the door you could see it click with them.  They got to watch a movie, and meet the director and actors after it was over.  That was the cool part.

 

Josh Hope & FFT's Amanda Perkins at the Austin Revolution Film Festival in October, 2015. 

 What did you learn about yourself personally by creating this festival?

I learned to trust my instincts.  When we started this endeavor we had a lot of people tell us a film festival wouldn't work in small town NW Oklahoma.  It was very cool and rewarding to see all the filmmakers & actors walking the streets of Woodward wearing their Twister Alley badges around their neck. 

I knew it would work if we made it a fun event for both filmmakers & the local public.
 
What advice can you give others who wish to have a festival?

Get the community involved.  It's much easier to get your festival up and running if you have help from your local community. 

 

What have you done to get your film festival ‘out there’?

As a filmmaker myself I know that word of mouth is huge.  You see a lot of the same filmmakers at different film festivals and we talk to each other.  If a festival is good...we talk about it.  

So with complimentary hotel rooms & food for all screening filmmakers, a free shuttle from the OKC airport to Woodward, filmmaker lounge stocked with free adult beverages, a town wide BBQ Bash, and all films playing on the big screen of the historic Woodward Arts Theater...we are confident that word will spread the Twister Alley isn't your usual small town film festival.

 

 

Where do you see the future of films heading? As an industry?  In distribution? Creatively?

The film industry is a bit like the middle class in America.  You have big studio films with a budget of $200 million plus filling local cinemas, and you have tiny films with budgets of 1 million or less.  

You're not seeing too many mid-range films with a budget of $10-50 million anymore.  The film industry changes and shakes up, but right now this seems to be the case.  

 

Josh Hope conducts Q & A with director Frank Hall Green's film "Wildlike".


I believe there is still a place for smaller indie films because there are people out there who still crave story over special effects.  Having a theatrical run seems to be becoming a thing of the past for smaller indies, but VOD and instant streaming sites continue to grow.  I believe film festivals could and should become an avenue for indie filmmakers to profit from.  

One of the things we want to do in the near future at Twister Alley is allow filmmakers to profit from their screening.  Say a film showing at our festival brings in 20 people to their screening...I believe they should make the money from those tickets sold.  It's not quite the same as having a large theatrical run, but if a film can draw an audience into theaters to see their film then they should reap the reward from that accomplishment.

 


One of the several distinguished filmmaker panels featured at the inaugural Twister Alley Film Festival, April 24 -25, 2015.

 

Any examples (or two) of "deals" that were made at this, or in past festivals that you are aware of…?


Well...we had our first Twister Alley this past spring, and I know there are some filmmakers/actors who met at Twister who are talking about doing stuff in the future so we'll see what comes from it. 

One specific "deal" that came from Twister Alley is the short horror film Dead Weight.  Dead Weight is written & directed by Twister Alley Co-Creative Director TJ Treece.  


 

He met all 3 of his actors at Twister Alley...Sean Patrick Leonard from Chicago who starred in 2 films at Twister (The Life and Death of an Unhappily Married Man & Iceland) & Andrea Dettling and Derek Babb from Austin, TX who starred in James Christopher's horror mokumentary Quad-X: Rise of the Beaver Slayer. Dead Weight will premiere at our spinoff film festival Twisted Horror Picture Show presented by Twister Alley Film Festival on October 30, 2015.

  

In your own words, what makes your festival unique?

I believe we are unique because we have the right balance of presenting a festival that's rewarding for both visiting filmmakers and our local public.  

I think everyone who comes to Twister Alley will have a great time. 

Well, Josh, having been to the first ever Twister Alley Film Festival, both dad and I can vouch for that 100%, and can't wait to go to the next one...