A tenure-obsessed English professor accidentally takes a student’s life. Desperate to protect his career, he makes a fateful decision, sending his life spiraling out of control.
indieactivity: Now that Publish or Perish is complete, what are you feelings about the entire project?
Jonathan Miller (JM): I think that we have made a fantastic film! It’s different, appeals to a very broad audience, it’s winning awards based on audiences loving it at film festivals, and it’s been a long, challenging and rewarding process. Being a first time filmmaker, it’s been a learning process. I’ve been fortunate to be working with amazing people who are hard working, talented and care about the quality and success of the film.
Casting is one of those steps in a films production you have to get right. How did you get through it?
Jonathan Miller (JM): I watched almost all of the video auditions and compared notes with David Liban. Being a Colorado production, we had a lot of local interest as well as out of state actors who were excited to audition and participate in the film. Of course I relied a lot on David’s experience in looking at the performances and people. When you are having to choose someone from 2 or 3 great options, it’s a great place to be.
What went into the pre-production process for Publish or Perish?
Jonathan Miller (JM): We did everything with the mindset of making the best film we could and that we were only making it once. We took all of the steps and viewed it as a baseline model for making future films.
The Official Trailer for Publish or Perish
Without giving anything away, tell us a little bit about the script, how did you come up with the idea?
Jonathan Miller (JM): I had read so many mediocre scripts that just didn’t interest me. When I read Publish or Perish I thougfht it was extremely well written, a unique story, that was hilarious. I thought “this will be a fun movie to make.”
Who is Publish or Perish for? Who do you think would enjoy it the most?
Jonathan Miller (JM): Obviously dark humor and thriller fans will find it right up their alley. But it has much broader appeal based on the screenings we have done. Anyone who has had an adversarial relationship with a boss or been under so much pressure that they were ready to snap.
How long did it take to shoot the entire film?
Jonathan Miller (JM): 23 days shooting.
How did you work with actors to get the best performances? Give us a typical on set direction at production?
Jonathan Miller (JM): I made sure they got paid and were taken care of. I wanted to make sure they knew we valued their involvement. The rest was up to David.
Publish or Perish had talent working behind the scenes. How did you handle creative differences?
Jonathan Miller (JM): Luckily, David knew what he wanted, had done this before and was able to keep everyone on track. We talked multiple times per day and would compare notes on various things. Having different ideas and working through them in a healthy way is the only way to get the best result. We had very little actual conflict, but the disagreements and discussions we did have were likely beneficial to the final outcome in hindsight.
What techniques do you use to ensure a film is cohesive and flows well throughout the story?
Jonathan Miller (JM): I had initial input on certain script revisions prior to shooting which, in collaboration with David, he masterfully crafted into the script. The significant engagement I had was in post-production and revisions with David and I working very hard to make all the little things right.
What’s next for you? What are you working on right now?
Jonathan Miller (JM): I have been taking my time as Alation Media is a sister company to my primary business. Having built successful businesses over the years, we are planing to apply a lot of what has worked for us in the past to the film industry. It looks like we may bring a film finance fund to market for gap capital and production shortfalls, tax credit financing and possibly some equity investments in projects we are involved with.
My interest in the industry is the creative and business aspect of storytelling not simply acting as a financier. David has some projects he is considering moving forward with and I am may be optioning a couple more projects in 2024. We also have several development concepts that have been in the works since before I was introduced to David. So, lots of things in the works but I am trying to complete this project through the entire cycle. Then we can apply lessons learned and best practices going forward.
How do you tackle projects with very tight timelines or challenging locations?
Jonathan Miller (JM): Hire a great team. Probably a question for David.
How has technology changed filmmaking? How have you adopted new methods in your productions?
Jonathan Miller (JM): Question for David.
What tips would you give aspiring filmmakers who are just starting their careers?
Jonathan Miller (JM): Go for it and pursue your dreams. But keep in mind, as in any pursuit in life, hope is not a strategy. Good things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle. You have to be willing to work hard – you can beat half of the people by simply outworking them.
Surround yourself with people who you work with, partner with, collaborate with, seek advice from, who are both peers and significantly ahead of where you want to go. Be patient, great things take time. Have a long term vision of where you want to go and make adjustments as you pursue that vision based on circumstances or your reality. Stay focused. I guess most of that is more general business advice.
Specific for filmmakers – make good films! If you want to do something that breaks out, average isn’t good enough. Look at your work and be self-critical, let others give you HONEST feedback. Make asjustments and revise. Ask yourself honestly is this a film that someone would watch and enjoy or would they think it was made with a low budget, the dialogue is off, etc.. Study the best films you enjoy and watch them to learn every aspect – the story telling, the dialogue, the cinemetography, the stup and payoff, the things that could be cut.
Try to understand why something was done a certain way. What was the purpose? Learning is something that in any endeavor throughout life should be constant. Then, be the most enthusiastic person about your project, get a great team of people around you, solve problems as they come your way (one at a time.). And…have FUN! We are all entertaining people with this amazing story telling medium.
Tell us what you think of the interview with Jonathan Miller. 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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