Isioro Jaboro is a filmmaker, who despite the constraints that indie filmmaking presents found a way to start and complete his film. “Saving Dreams” premieres in 2016, and he shares with us his methodology.
How did you develop your approach to filmmaking
I have had passion for film growing up as a young boy, I thought I wanted to be an actor to tell both my story and that of others. But, I visited the Toronto Film School in 2005, and I changed. I realized I wanted to telling stories. So I decided directing will suit me. Now, I produce and write. I have completed the production for a feature, I also wrote in 2008 titled “Saving Dreams”.
“Saving Dreams” is about “a naïve girl with dreams of stardom, who marries a powerful man, that abuses her while he runs a foundation that protects abused women.” During the making of “Saving Dreams”, I was privileged to work with an amazing cast: Karen Simpson who came from a theater background, played Brenda Jackson; Martin Lindquist a brilliant actor who played Steve Reeds, the abusive husband; Nosa Obaseki Agbonifo, a Nollywood actor played Bayo Franklin, the Nigerian music producer who tried to Save Brenda’s Dreams of someday getting a record deal; Cai Gallant an outstanding small town girl who played the Amanda Brook the mistress of Steve Reeds.
SavingDreams AE AwardsClip H264: http://t.co/GwPBZNLNiH via @YouTube
— Truesail Production (@truesailproduc1) September 6, 2015
Did you find finance a problem, what did you do
Yes, financing was a huge part of the project. After years of seeking funding, it came to the point where it was obvious that I had to go in alone without a sponsor. My partner Victoria and I financed the movie, and along the line “Wendy” a friend supported. Basically, it was a self-funded production.
Describe the process you went through to complete your film
Like I said, this was a self-funded production. A lot of planning and financial sacrifices was made as we progressed. It was important that I made sure, as I go into production I still had finance to take care of personal bills. I emphasised a very strict budget, it was all mostly planning, budgeting and more planning. I have spent a lot of money trying to get the film to the big screen and still spending, so it is not an easy task, especially when you have to pay over 30 to 40 plus cast and crew a day, feed and arrange transport for them.
There was definitely challenges before and during productions. There were instances whereby some key crew members tried all they could to sabotage the production. I had to fire some crew members. But I remained very calm, I stayed focused and stuck to the plan. I had a DOP Roger who knew what he was doing and we were able to communicate, I also had an amazing script supervisor, Nikki who will definitely be on my next set. Katy my hard working AD, took control of the set after I fired the first AD. My cast were on point and I want to also give a shout-out to the wonderful background actors who were very patient and amazing.
What is your next project
Saving Dreams is scheduled for release in 2016, an actual date is still pending. However my next project for is “Jr’s Hatchet,” which is in the horror movie genre. I wrote it in 2007 after film school. I started writing on the plane from Toronto to Frankfurt Germany and continued on the Eurostar train to Italy, and completed the first draft on the plane heading back to Toronto after a month vacation in Europe.
What would you advice filmmakers
No matter what type of situation you find yourself, never give up on your dream. It’s not easy, it never going to be. There will be setbacks, don’t let it hold you back. People will promise and fail, some will turn their backs and others will be open to tell you that they can’t invest in you. This is when you must challenge yourself not just to prove them wrong, but to prove to yourself that you are true to your dream. People will recognize you and respect you when they see how hard you have worked. They key thing here is to stay focused and to believe in your dreams. It took me 8 years after film school to shoot my first feature film. If I can do it, so can you. Have a plan and stick to it, never let go of your dream.
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