Joshua Dowdy, Producer on Perfectly Timed Ramps Up His Career

Joshua Dowdy teams up with Los Angeles filmmaker James Dilg for their short film, Perfectly Timed. A ordinary guy (James) goes for a job interview and gets the opportunity of his lifetime. Joshua serves as the writer and producer on Perfectly Timed, which James describes as a cinematic action and drama that boasts of the excitement of a short chase scene. Perfectly Timed has been to 7 film festivals. So far a submission moved to the next stage, while the others look promising.

indieactivity: What’s your experience working on the story, and the screenplay?
Joshua Dowdy (JD): I basically wrote the screenplay, which is for a short film format; so I was saddled with the responsibility to carry the themes in the story into the development of a full-length feature film.

When did you form your production company – and why?
Joshua Dowdy (JD): I formed my company in 2019. It was motivated by my passion for story and I also wanted to establish myself as a writer and producer.

What was the first project out of the gate?
Joshua Dowdy (JD): Where’s Brenden, was the first project I co-wrote and stared. I played a vilian in Where’s Brendan.

What scene (that made the cut) was the hardest to shoot? And why?
JD: Working with a young artist and getting him to care about the role he was playing took some time, but eventually, he pulled through with a performance we could work with.

What worked better in this latest production that mightn’t have worked so well in the last one you did?
JD: Talents (cast and crew) come in on a film’s production with various experiences, from many past projects; some few, some more than others. We had ample experience coupled with talent on our short film production. So much so, that we could relax between scene setups, and build energy for the next scene. But time wanes; this usually puts pressure on the crew to get certain shots. This difficulty becomes obvious as this window of opportunity closes. And it does so quite fast. But, I think we did quite well collaborating and working to everyone’s strengths.

You donned several hats on this film, what did it take you to put out all these qualities to get the film done?
JD: It took anticipating the needs of others. In a way, I worked for the cast, because I went out of my way to ensure they were comfortable and knowledgeable about why we were asking them to do certain things. It all made for a rewarding experience.

What about independent filmmaking and business do you still struggle with?
JD: Knowing who to invest in. Because some of the best relationships I have built have been made with people who trusted my decisions, but some of the worst experiences have been with people who are not ready to understand diverse perspectives. I do however struggle the most with procrastination.

Where do you think your strengths lie as a producer?
JD: The organization phase (pre and post production) is where I feel most comfortable because I like gathering resources and distributing them. In this way, I am satisfied with the project that I support.

Let’s talk finance, How did you finance the film?
JD: The financing was personal. It took 6 months’ worth of savings to get to the budget.

How much did you go over the budget? How did you manage it?
JD: I didn’t go over budget. We managed the resources we brought together. It was the ONLY option to complete the film, and we made it through.

---

Tell us what you think of the interview with Joshua Dowdy 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 or Instagram! Or join me on Twitter.

Follow Joshua Dowdy on Social Media
IMDb