Principals of the new Film & TV music-driven Documentary Production Company Pfonetic
Magnolia Pictures will released the new documentary film IMMEDIATE FAMILY in theaters on December 12. IMMEDIATE FAMILY tracks the rise and collaborations of a group of legendary session musicians Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, and Waddy Wachtel through the 1970s and onward, chronicling their illustrious partnerships and their formidable record of hit-making.
Directed by Denny Tedesco, whose documentary THE WRECKING CREW followed the first wave of studio musicians in the 60s, the film reveals the machinery behind the booming era of the singer-songwriter, when the talents of these four musicians were in furious demand. The foundations of their enduring friendship, formed on the road and in studios, is recalled with dynamite clarity —reminisced with fondness through intimate interviews with the guys themselves, as well as the memories of some of rock’s most iconic voices including Carole King, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Keith Richards, Don Henley, Stevie Nicks, David Crosby, Jackson Browne, Lyle Lovett, Phil Collins, and more.
indieactivity: Introduce yourself, the story, the film, cast and crew?
Greg Richling & Jonathan Sheldon (GR & JS): Thanks for having us. We are Greg Richling, and Jonathan Sheldon, founders of Pfonetic, the lead production company behind the just released music documentary Immediate Family, follow-up to director Denny Tedesco‘s award winning music doc, The Wrecking Crew.
Immediate Family chronicles the 50 plus year careers, and relationships between legendary musicians Danny Kortchmar, Waddy Wachtel, Leland Sklar, and Russ Kunkel, who have played with an extraordinary amount of the most famous, top shelf singer-songwriters of all time. They helped shape their sound over the course of several decades. Artists like Carole King, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Neil Young, Don Henley, Stevie Nicks, Keith Richards, Lyle Lovett, Phil Collins, and many others. All of these stars are interviewed in the film and jumped at the opportunity to sing the praises of these musicians who lent so much to their music over the years.
What is your experience working on the story, the screenplay, the production, premiere and the marketing?
Greg Richling & Jonathan Sheldon (GR & JS): Well, it’s a documentary, and we worked on the narrative arc of the film over the course of production. As you would imagine, many of the stories that came from our subjects and the artists they worked with are things that we couldn’t know about ahead of time. Most are behind the scenes moments. Stuff that happened when they were making albums behind closed doors or hanging out on tour buses while on the road. The structure developed overtime as we gathered all of these recollections.
As far as production goes, we had a great team rounding out all elements of filmmaking. A proven, award-winning director with pertinent, interesting, and well researched questions, an amazing crew filming the interviews in the field, fantastic archivists, a very experienced music supervisor, a fabulous post production team with ace editors, mixers, a phenomenal colorist, a tech wiz conformist, a thorough delivery team, and a trio of producers and administrators that kept things organized and on budget throughout the course of this lengthy endeavor.
Our premiere was a great success thanks to the wonderful team at Magnolia Pictures – and their marketing team have been excellent to work with. We really like them and strongly feel their support for the film. A very hardworking, committed group of people at Magnolia Pictures, for sure
How did you put the crew and cast together? Did you start writing with a known cast?
Greg Richling & Jonathan Sheldon (GR & JS): The director and producers had many preproduction meetings and we all pooled our favorite crew members from past projects to fill all the roles. We thought a lot about who would have the best chemistry on-set as a team. And that goes for the other aspects of production, post production etc. The process flowed nicely because of the preliminary work we did. As far as the cast, our subjects and their managers were extremely helpful in securing the artists we interviewed.
What and how long did it take to complete the script? (Was it a team effort or was it solo?)
Greg Richling & Jonathan Sheldon (GR & JS): No script involved. But it took about 3 and 1/2 years to make.
When did you form your production company – and what was the original motivation for its formation?
Greg Richling & Jonathan Sheldon (GR & JS): About 5 years ago. Pfonetic is a music-centric media production company and it has to have a core of music that excites us. We strive to make projects that feel the way the music we discovered as kids at the record store moved us, and so a big component of Pfonetic is actually passing on things that are outside of our interests even though some may actually be commercial and financed.
What was the first project out of the gate?
Greg Richling & Jonathan Sheldon (GR & JS): Both of us have collectively worked on hundreds of projects over the course of the last 25 years in many different capacities, but mostly on other people’s films. We have served others as producers, post producer, post supervisor, executive music producer, but Immediate Family is our production company Pfonetic’s first release, so it’s a very exciting time for us.
During the film production, what scene (that made the cut) was the hardest to shoot? And why?
Greg Richling & Jonathan Sheldon (GR & JS): I would say the round table discussion scenes between the film’s main subjects. There was a 360 degree track around the table they were seated at and capturing all of the nuances in the conversation was challenging, but Denny and the team did a wonderful job.
What worked better in this latest production that mightn’t have worked so well in the last one you did?
Greg Richling & Jonathan Sheldon (GR & JS): Well again, it’s our first release. But I think we worked on so many films leading up to this that we were very prepared. The only difference this time was that it was our film. A project we conceived.
You must have donned several hats on this film, the measure of your input required intellect, effort, tenacity, skill (…you know better). What did it take you to put out all these qualities to get the film done?
Greg Richling & Jonathan Sheldon (GR & JS): It’s about understanding the lay of the land. We know the order of business when it comes to filmmaking; what has to be built to complete a film, start to finish. But the devil is in the details. It really takes a lot of concentration, perseverance, follow through, an organized calendar. Just keeping up with hundreds of emails involving what needs to be completed is a full time gig!
Also, meaningful relationships in the industry are very important to build over time. You will need help. You will need favors. It’s a fact. But mainly, you need to be a great problem solver to be a successful producer. That really is the main point. Don’t take no for an answer where it really matters to you. I can’t tell you how many road blocks we had to navigate. But we found ways to get what we needed to happen to make a great movie. Were there things we had to compromise on? Sure. Were their unreasonable people who said no and wouldn’t budge? Sure. But we found a way to make things work no matter what.
What about independent filmmaking and the business do you still struggle with?
Greg Richling & Jonathan Sheldon (GR & JS): Well, fundraising is a challenge at times. But that’s getting a bit easier. The fact that we’ve proven ourselves with Immediate Family has give our other projects a boost.
Where do you think your strengths lie as a producer?
Greg Richling & Jonathan Sheldon (GR & JS): Well as we mentioned above, we understand the mechanics of making movies. But I think in a general sense, we have the ability to take the seeds of an idea and see it all the way through to a completed movie. Anyone that makes films knows how hard that is to accomplish.
Let’s talk finance, How did you finance the film?
Greg Richling & Jonathan Sheldon (GR & JS): We had one key investor who is an executive producer on the film. He really believed in Denny and the concept and this era of music and players really appealed to him. We also had other private investors who filled out the rest of the funding needed.
How much did you go over budget? How did you manage it?
Greg Richling & Jonathan Sheldon (GR & JS): We actually stayed on budget by working out real costs ahead of time as much as we could to avoid surprises that could hinder the project.
How important is marketing? Do you think a project can make a dent without it nowadays?
Greg Richling & Jonathan Sheldon (GR & JS): Super important. But word of mouth is important too. Utilize your own reach as much as possible. When you organize your whole team to do that it can be powerful. Combined with the reach of the film’s famous interviewees who agreed to support, you can win. Also, our director Denny is a superstar when it comes to promo. He personally went to most of the 30 or so film festivals we participated in and did Q&A. He’s a really great advocate for his work. And 30 cities full of festival attendees buzzing about your film, telling friends, and spreading the word on socials really moves the needle we’ve found.
Tell us about marketing activities or efforts on this project – and how it worked or didn’t work?
Greg Richling & Jonathan Sheldon (GR & JS): In addition to the grassroots effort we described above, Magnolia Pictures have a great marketing team and they’ve gone out to many magazines and newspapers for reviews and stories. The band and director have done several podcasts, tv, and radio shows. The key is to do as much press as possible. Any outlet that says yes to promoting your film is something you should take advantage of. Again, it takes a lot of perseverance and energy. No one is going to care about your project more than you. So you have to be prepared to put everything you have into it.
What do you hope audiences will get from the presentation of your film?
Greg Richling & Jonathan Sheldon (GR & JS): I hope this film inspires people to find their passion. Something they enjoy doing that they can carry through their whole lives. In the case of these musicians, their love of playing music has never left them. It’s afforded them a great life and many accomplishments. It never has to end. You can do this your whole life.
What else have you got in the works?
Restless:
The Bob James Story – Music doc on the legendary jazz musician, with Wilco keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen directing.
Singers Night:
With executive producer Jeff Gaspin (“Rhythm + Flow”), a singing competition from small clubs, searching for the best singer in the world.
Here To Eternity: Collective Soul:
The ’90s rockers reflect at Elvis’s home in Palm Springs on their rise from the religious South and highlights from their 30-year career.
Untitled Roger Nichols film:
Documentary on Steely Dan’s brilliant recording engineer, who rose from nuclear scientist and inventor to the trusted audio wizard for Becker and Fagen, some of the most sonically perfectionist artists in recent music history.
Like a Rolling Stone
Feature-length biopic on overlooked black record producer/label executive Tom Wilson, who produced everyone from Bob Dylan and Simon and Garfunkel to The Velvet Underground and Frank Zappa.
Tell us what you think of the interview with Greg Richling & Jonathan Sheldon of Immediate Family. What do you think of it? What ideas did you get? Do you have any suggestions? Or did it help you? Let’s have your comments below and/or on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
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