Every once in a while a film comes along that reminds audiences that Hollywood budgets and special effects are not necessarily the crux of good cinema. One may recall the cinema pioneer Jean-Luc Godard in his early days, filming guerrilla style on the streets of Paris with a small crew and a handheld Super 8 camera.
The technology (and cost) barrier in producing a movie is one hurdle a filmmaker must jump for their work to be accepted as a legitimate art form. Some argue that for film to progress as art, the tools to make it have to become accessible to all, not only to the select few who are funded or can independently afford it.
"Losing It" is one of those gems that demonstrates that a small budget and a close-knit team can still deliver a quality product for the screens. The short film is the brainchild of Glendale director Jesse Lobell, an already established filmmaker with a bevy experience under his belt.
A full cast and crew is along for the ride including ASU junior English major Bryan Barrett as first assistant director, and Scottsdale Community College student Wade Cota starring in the lead role. After hearing about the launching of an Indiegogo campaign to help raise money for the release of the film, I had the opportunity to talk with Lobell, Cota and Barrett about the film.
"It was in late 2013, I sorta had this idea about how you don't really see a lot about weight loss in cinema – a lot in reality but not in cinema." Lobell said. "There was a lot of talk on social media about body positivity and body shaming. It was really present in the media so I started writing a script."
After starting the script, Lobell knew he needed to find the proper actor to fill the lead role of Grant.
Cota, who had worked with Lobell previously on a project called "Leer," recalled the night he was first exposed to the script of "Losing It."
"I was at his house and I was reading for a different role, and he (Lobell) said I wasn't good for that part," Cota said. "He's honest with me like that, he's blunt. But I want you to read for this one (Lobell said), so I was like 'all right,' and this is when he had like two pages written for it, so I went through it and he said I was the perfect fit for the role of Grant."
Lobell was thrilled to find an actor to fit his vision, calling Cota "a miracle." The director then assembled a cast of mostly Scottsdale Community College students through a process of word of mouth.
"What I did was just started asking students I worked with prior, and kinda picked the best of the best." Lobell said.
One of these "best of the best" was Barrett.
"Jesse asked if I would read it and give feedback, as well as write a few alternate punchlines for potential use." Barrett said. "Shortly after, he asked if I would be his first assistant director."
Lobell paid for the filming out of pocket. The movie's budget is considered small, but a full cast and crew is still costly.
"Even with a $1500 budget, we were scraping just to get everyone fed," Lobell said. "We were calling in favors from all over the place."
The crew began to realize that to finalize the film and promote it, which includes sending it to film festivals around the country, there was still a considerable sum to be raised. This is when it was decided that an Indiegogo campaign would be the best route to raise the money.
Guys! We're announcing a premiere for Losing It!!! Now you can get a spot at the premiere for only $15! Donate here : bit.ly/losingitfilm
Posted by Jesse Lobell on Friday, August 21, 2015
"It's a really hard thing to commit to, as anyone who has done crowd-sourcing knows, it's a full-time job." Lobell said. "At first I didn't want to use Kickstarter or Indiegogo, but pretty soon, when I started adding up festival costs, we were looking at upward of 500 bucks."
It's up to the Internet to help with funding "Losing It," but Lobell revealed that there would be a public screening sometime in mid-to-late October. Anyone who donates $15 or more to the Indiegogo is guaranteed a seat.
For more information on "Losing It," visit the movie's Facebook page.
Related Links:
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Student science fiction film wins MovieFest
Reach the reporter at lsaether@asu.edu or follow @looooogaaan on Twitter.
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