Producer Lucas A. Ferrara, primarily an attorney by occupation, has been honoured with a New York’s Super Lawyers® designation every year since 2007 and has repeatedly achieved “Top 100” recognition.
Since 2020, he has worked with creatives around the world to produce over 175 award-winning films. Included in his slate of projects are the feature films, Help, directed by Blake Ridder, Makeup, directed by Hugo Andre, 5000 Space Aliens, written and directed by Scott Bateman, and Children Of The Pines, directed by Joshua Morgan.
He has also produced an array of critically acclaimed shorts, such as, “PRAGMA,” starring Phil Dunster (Ted Lasso), “SELF-CHARM,” starring BAFTA Winner Bukky Bakray (Rocks), “WHY WOULDN’T I BE?,” starring Harry Collett (Doolittle) and Elizabeth Berrington (The Nevers), “BETTER GET BETTER,” starring Elisha Applebaum (Fate: The Winx Saga), and, “FIND THE LIGHT,” directed by Forbes “30 Under 30” honoree Abdullah Khan, and starring George MacKay (1917). Another upcoming film with Mr. Khan, called, “PATH TO ECSTASY,” starring Laura Main (Call the Midwife), Michael Jibson (Hamilton), and Louis Ashbourne Serkis (The Kid Who Would Be King), is currently competing in the festival circuit.
Lucas is proud to have been involved in the making of “FRANK & EMMET,” which was a 2023 Oscar-eligible short.
indieactivity: Introduce yourself, the story, the film by title, the main cast and the crew?
Lucas Ferrara (LF): For some two decades, I was a New York real estate attorney that was primarily engaged in commercial and residential litigation. But as the years progressed, my law partner and I expanded our practice to encompass national consumer-based class actions and civil rights litigation and, over the last fifteen years or so, Newman Ferrara LLP has managed to achieve quite a bit of success in those areas.
When COVID hit back in 2020, as all of us were trapped in our homes during the lockdown, I found myself surfing the web and going to crowdfunding pages to see how I could be of assistance to others during that time of crisis.
If you recall, things were pretty uncertain at that time. Trump was President, and riots abounded across the country after the death of George Floyd. Things were quite unsettling.
Interestingly enough, in the midst of all that chaos, as I visited those crowdfunding websites, I found myself attracted to pitches by indie filmmakers – who were making features and shorts. Those solicitations were primarily being made by young people, at the beginning stages of their careers, reaching out for financial assistance so that they could complete their projects and realize their professional aspirations.
And that’s how I met Hugo Andre, the writer and director of MAKEUP – who was making his first feature film right during the height of the pandemic. A few years later, thanks to Hugo’s unwavering tenacity, the film was completed and released to the festival circuit where It won an array of accolades and awards, including: “Directorial Debut by a Young Film Maker,” at London International Film Festival, “Best Film,” at Paris International Film Awards. It also won “Best Young Director” at Lonely Wolf Film Festival, as well as being a finalist for “Best British Film”, “Best Queer Film,” “Best Actor” (Hugo Andre) at Lonely Wolf Film Festival.
Fast forward to 2023, and Freestyle Digital Media, an entertainment company owned by Bryon Allen, made an offer to distribute MAKEUP, internationally. As a result, the movie is currently available worldwide, on all the major cable, satellite, and online streaming platforms, like Apple and Amazon, click here.
What is your experience working on the story, the screenplay, the production, premiere and the marketing?
Lucas Ferrara (LF): Given all the restrictions that existed at the time — including social-distancing, and limits on the number of people who could work on-set – MAKEUP’s budget started to escalate, and Hugo reached out and asked if I’d be interested in serving as the project’s Executive Producer.
Because, I thought the issues addressed by the screenplay were timely, topical, and controversial, how could I resist?
What was the first project out of the gate?
Lucas Ferrara (LF): MAKEUP was actually my second feature film. HELP, written and directed by UK-based Blake Ridder, was the first full-length project that I funded; yet another byproduct of crowdfunding during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What worked better in this latest production that mightn’t have worked so well in the last one you did?
Lucas Ferrara (LF): Three of my features had their fair share of challenges posed by the virus but their respective production teams valiantly overcame them. And the result of their persistence and perseverance – HELP, MAKEUP, and 5000 SPACE ALIENS – can now be found on all the major cable, satellite, and online streaming platforms.
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?
Lucas Ferrara (LF): To put it bluntly? Money! You can have all the skill, intellect, and tenacity in the world, but if you ain’t got the cash, it ain’t gonna happen.
There’s a catchy song in that old movie musical, “Cabaret,” which starred Liza Minella and Joel Grey, back in 1972. And in that film, Grey sings a song called, “Money Makes the World Go Round.” Its lyrics reinforce that we live in a cash-dependent world. It was true then, and it remains equally true today, particularly when it comes to the film industry. Funding is always the challenge.
What about independent filmmaking and the business do you still struggle with?
Lucas Ferrara (LF): Once you get past the financing, finding the right team of creatives to work with is often “hit or miss.” To date, I’ve been associated with over 175 indie film projects, many of them are shorts. And, alas, some of them are real “clunkers.” It’s surprising how often the screenplays and treatments which I thought had the most promise, and that would resonate with viewers, went absolutely nowhere. And the converse was also true. There were quite a few screenplays that didn’t hit home with me but ended up picking up a bunch of awards on the festival circuit. So, I’ve learned to repress my feelings, in some respects. But I must confess, notwithstanding that knowledge and experience, if I don’t connect to a project, on some level, I’m not going to fund it. It’s just not worth the aggravation … or the risk.
Where do you think your strengths lie as a producer?
Lucas Ferrara (LF): I’ve gotten pretty good at finding distribution deals for my films. As the years have progressed, I’ve developed a better sense for what “sells.” And have been able to work with creative teams that can make socially meaningful movies that are also commercially viable. A “win-win,” if you ask me. Of course, as I noted before, that all came from trial and error. A lot of “hits and misses,” along the way.
How much did you go over budget? How did you manage it?
Lucas Ferrara (LF): I tend to keep a very tight leash on production spending. And make it very clear to the creatives that I work with that they must adhere to the allocated budgets. Thus far, with only a few exceptions, things have worked out well. In those isolated instances, where the teams have “let me down,” and exceeded the agreed upon dollars. We’ll address the problem, but once the project has been completed, I will no longer work with those individuals. When that foundation of trust is lost, there’s no point continuing a business relationship.
How important is marketing? Do you think a project can make a dent without it nowadays?
Lucas Ferrara (LF): Marketing is pivotal to the success of any film. I mean how are people supposed to watch a movie, if they don’t know it even exists? Social media only goes so far. The likelihood of a post going “viral” on its own is exceedingly rare. And marketing efforts on those platforms are only as good as the number of followers or subscribers you may have. And let’s be frank, most of us have a limited circle or network. I make a point of ensuring a PR team is in place to help promote my films to global audiences. In my view, it’s worth the additional cost, given that the upside can be quite significant.
What do you hope audiences will get from the presentation of your film?
Lucas Ferrara (LF): Despite its controversial underpinnings, which some find disquieting. MAKEUP touches on such universal themes as “love,” “friendship,” and “acceptance.” Many of us struggle with trying to find our place in the world; understanding how we fit in the cosmos. And MAKEUP addresses those topics in an extremely sensitive, non-threatening way. There is no proselytizing; viewers are free to come to their own conclusions and to take-away whatever messages they wish.
What else have you got in the works?
Lucas Ferrara (LF): I’ve got a bunch of new feature films currently underway. The ones that I can freely talk about include CHILDREN OF THE PINES. A horror film, written and directed by 21-year-old JOSHUA MORGAN, of Tampa, Florida. That project is currently competing at festivals across the world, and just secured a distribution deal with Freestyle Digital Media. It should be screening on all the major streaming platforms, like Amazon and Apple, at the end of 2024. MANOR OF DARKNESS, another horror feature, written and directed by UK-based BLAKE RIDDER. It is now in post-production, and the VFX and original music are coming along swimmingly. HAPPY AS LARRY, a comedy written and directed by HUGO ANDRE. Who also did MAKEUP will be filming in Scotland this May (2024). And, last, but not least. Scott Bateman is working on a sequel to his critically acclaimed animated film, 5000 SPACE ALIENS. Aptly enough, the working title for that follow-up project is 5002 SPACE ALIENS, and that’s slated for a 2025 release.
All four of those films are certain to knock your socks off. So, stay tuned.
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