A Case Study
Narrative | Dramatic Features
Film Name: Street Smart
Genre: Crime, Drama
Date: Completed February 2020
Director: Michael Graziuso and Michael Dellegrazie
Producer: Anthony Welch, Michael Graziuso, Todd Bivona
Writer: Anthony Welch
Cinematographer: Todd Bivona
Production Company: Gotham Trinity Productions
Budget: $5,000 for Proof Of Concept Pilot Episode
Financing: Private
Awards:
– Winner Best Pilot (NYC Web Fest 2021)
– Best Action/Suspense Nominee (NYC Web Fest 2021)
– Nominee Outstanding Achievement in Writing for Anthony Welch
– Nomination (NYC Web Fest 2021) NYC Web Fest Nov. 12-14, 2021
indieactivity: Tell us about “who you are“?
Anthony Welch (AW): I’m an actor, writer, content creator, and producer from New York. I was born in NYC and, with the exception of living in Los Angeles from 1990-95, have lived in NY my entire life.
Introduce your film?
Anthony Welch (AW): “Street Smart” is a series in development that I created and wrote that centers around the ongoing opioid crisis in the US. It intends to focus primarily on the stereotypes and stigma that are often attached to this epidemic. It will show how this epidemic cuts across all socio-economic levels and really how anyone can become vulnerable to and a victim of it themselves under certain conditions and circumstances.
Tell us why you chose to write, produce, direct, shoot, cut/edit the movie? Was it financial, chance, or no-budget reason?
Anthony Welch (AW): I chose this particular topic because I know and have known family, friends, and acquaintances that have been greatly affected by this crisis and have seen, first hand, some of the prejudice and stigma that is attached to people who are addicted, particularly with opioids. With “Street Smart” I hope to de-stigmatize and address the many stereotypes associated with this epidemic.
Watch the trailer for Street Smart Pilot episode produced by Anthony Welch
Introduce your crew?
Anthony Welch (AW): We hope to get a financing/full series production deal this year. The Pilot episode was filmed and produced by Michael Graziuso, Todd Bivona, and Michael Dellegrazie of Gotham Trinity Productions and their team and with the financial assistance of Matt Thomas. This company was and is extremely dedicated, hard-working, and totally committed to this project and still is of course. I really can’t say enough about this entire cast and crew! They all worked on this pilot episode with passion and dedication to their craft and to the topic that we all believe to be extremely important, in bringing as much awareness to this epidemic as possible.
What are your personal experiences putting on all these hats/responsibilities (simultaneously)? Tell us about story, writing, and production?
Anthony Welch (AW): I have a strong business background and have always enjoyed the producing side of a project and putting a team together. The challenge I found in being the creator, writer, producer, and lead actor on this project was that when onset, the other actors would often come to me for advice or direction on their performance instead of the director’s. Since my character was in every scene in the pilot episode, that happened often. I would always need to walk away and insist that the actor approach the director for direction so that I could stay in character and remain focused myself…Lol.
What is the source of the idea? How did the story develop from the idea? And how did the story evolve into a screenplay? Why do this story? Do you have a writing process?
AW: The source came from the ongoing opioid epidemic and seeing people that I knew being victimized and ostracized rather than helped and shown compassion by their family members, friends, co-workers, acquaintances, etc. As I said, I knew some of these people and knew they weren’t bad at the core, but fell victim to a situation and needed help rather than scorn. But I knew I needed to do lots of research to fairly and adequately convey perspective from both sides of the fence, so to speak. I didn’t want to stereotype any of the characters or write in cliches, of course.
Let’s talk pre-production: take us through a timeline of how you started and ended it?
AW: I started to develop the story in late 2017-early 2018. I wrote 8 episodes for Season 1 and then focused on getting financing right after that. Eventually, we got a private investor and were able to produce and shoot the Pilot episode as Proof Of Concept. Once I had the Pilot Episode draft polished and ready to go, I approached several actors, such as Joseph D’Onofrio and John Imperioli, and Joanna Pickering to name a few and they committed without hesitation. Immediately after that, I met with Michael Graziuso, Todd Bivona, and Michael Dellegrazie of Gotham Trinity Productions, and we went to work on locking down locations and shooting schedules.
What was your rehearsal process and period?
AW: Normally, I would have had a table read with the cast, but due to various scheduling issues with the cast, that didn’t take place. Keep in mind that this was all filmed Pre-covid, so Zoom readings weren’t as prevalent or common as they are now…Lol. We would schedule in time on the call sheets to allow the cast to get to the location/set early enough to run through the scene a few times for their benefit as well as the camera crew. On average, we’d rehearse each scene about 3-4 times before we actually shot it, and the director may have even filmed some of the rehearsals, where sometimes, the best takes happen…Lol.
You shot the Pilot in days. How long were your days?
AW: The pilot episode is seven scenes and we basically shot one scene per day. Some days were obviously longer than others. On average our shooting days were 6-8 hours. On our shortest day, we wrapped in 3 hours and our longest was 10 hours. It all depended on the length of the scene and whether it was an interior or exterior.
During the film production, what scene (that made the cut) was the hardest to shoot? And why?
AW: We had a playground/basketball court scene that DP Todd Bivona did excellent POV camera work shooting. It was a particularly sunny day that day and it complicated this particular segment for Todd, but he nailed it!.
What was the experience like of working with a small shooting crew?
AW: For me, it was a good experience. We all knew each other well, we were able to access one another well and quickly on and off the set and it was often easy to come to agreements on set with any changes or adjustments that needed to be made. Communication was very smooth overall for us, primarily because it was a smaller crew.
The Pilot looks stunning. How did you get such a good look when shooting so fast?
AW: Thank you! I, along with Michael Graziuso, Todd Bivona, and Michael Dellegrazie, were as diligent in pre-production and location scouting and visiting the locations as much in advance as possible to plan out each shot in as much detail as possible. Then, we’d visit a few days before to make sure everything pretty much remained the same with the locations. On the filming days, we’d pad in extra time on the shooting schedule for cast and crew rehearsals so everyone was as comfortable as possible when the director yelled “Action”! As much in-depth preparation, you can do in Pre-Production the better, it is, at least in my experiences.
What about independent filmmaking and the business do you still struggle with?
AW: I enjoy most aspects of independent filmmaking, however, financing still remains a struggle.
Where do you think your strengths lie as a filmmaker?
AW: My acting and writing. I’ve always written for the screen as if I’m actually watching it all happen as I write it. Personally, I feel my experience in watching so many films has helped. I remember that film is and always will be a “visual” medium. In filmmaking, it is always preferable to “show” an audience rather than to tell, wherever possible. Above all, I have found that too much exposition, whether in description or dialogue is an enemy film.
Let’s talk about finance. How did you finance the film?
AW: The pilot episode was an Ultra-Low budget, Proof Of Concept financed by a private investor.
How much did you go over budget? How did you manage it?
AW: We had an extremely low budget, which we exhausted not long after wrapping Principal Photography. The cast worked on a SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Short Film Deferred Payment Agreement. In addition, the crew from Gotham Trinity Productions also put out some of their own money through post-production. It was a true labor of love project on many levels for all of us. The importance of the subject matter and the story we are trying to tell had a great deal to do with that!
How important is marketing? Talk about the festival tour? Do you think a project can make a dent without it nowadays?
AW: Marketing is key on so many levels in this industry. Whether a big-budget, studio project, or an ultra-low budget project like this Street Smart pilot. We had several print interviews as well as a field reporter interviewing me one day while we were shooting on location. While it built and generated interest at the time, the 2020 Covid pandemic shut everything down just as we were about to have an industry private screening in NYC. The pandemic had pushed us back significantly.
We know we aren’t the only project this happened to, it was a big hit to the entire industry. Fortunately, we submitted our pilot episode to the NYC Web Fest that took place November 12-14, 2021. We were nominated for Best Pilot Episode, Best Action/Suspense, and Outstanding Achievement in Writing. We won for the Best Pilot episode at the NYC Web Fest 2021 and we thank Lauren Atkins and the 2021 NYC Web Fest Jury. In other words, festivals can be important for pushing a project through to the next level and we hope that is what the NYC Web Fest Best Pilot win does for “Street Smart”.
What do you hope audiences will get from the presentation of your film?
AW: We hope they get the message within the story, which is, that the opioid epidemic can affect anyone. It doesn’t discriminate. It can and has affected all socio-economic levels and people are being stigmatized unfairly due to preconceived stereotypes.
What else have you got in the works?
AW: Right now, I am hopeful that we will get a production finance and distribution deal. Because for this series I already have two full seasons shot and cut and an option for a third season written and ready to go. In conclusion, I have a lighter, less serious, dramedy in the early stages of development.
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