"Oh, sure," he says. "I think all that an indie production can ask for from any large-scale organization is to be treated with the same attention and respect that are given to the studio productions — whose dollars presumably are the real reason these state film offices exist."
Bujalski's many local fans would be happy if he returned to Boston. But another local film luminary, Adam Roffman, 40, is still here and has no plans to leave. Roffman says he benefits from the MFO's efforts on two levels. First, he works year-round as a set dresser on just about every Hollywood production that comes to town. Second, as a producer of super-low-budget independent films, he, like Vincenti, benefits from the increasing number of film professionals here. Strout at the MFO says that number has quadrupled, reaching 3500, in the last few years.
Hoffman also believes there's a virtuous cycle here — that Boston's emerging indie-film scene can also help benefit the Film Office. As program director of the Independent Film Festival of Boston, he brings 80 to 90 filmmakers and their movies to Boston every year. "The festival is always such a great place to come across town and be able to meet all of them," he says. "They [MFO representatives] could even hold a reception and pitch Boston to them for their next projects."
The Film Office's Strout, who left a similar position in New Mexico (Santa Fe ranked third on the MovieMaker list), likes ideas like that. "We encourage, and are willing to participate in, panels, workshops, [and] seminars that take place alongside the screenings themselves that address things like distribution, funding, content protection."
According to Strout, the film office is helping the little guys, too, when it gives financial incentives to the corporate giants — it's a kind of trickle-down theory that actually works.
"Indies have a larger pool to swim in, and that's good for everyone," she says. "With an increase in activity, more local people are moving up to positions of control. Our community is growing and deepening. Film is not an occasional event anymore."
Vincenti in post-production |
YOUTH WILL BE SERVED
Back on Turner Street, things have gone well over the past six months.
Day of Youth wrapped shooting on Memorial Day, a few days after my visit. And Vincenti's Kickstarter campaign to cover post-production costs reached its goal of $7000.
"We shot about 17 hours of video, so it took a few weeks just to sort through it all," says Vincenti. "Since then, I've been working through the edit, putting together a first cut and then making changes to scenes and structure, and showing the various cuts and works-in-progress to cast and crew for feedback."
What's next? "We now have a finished festival cut that we're sending out, and I'm scheduling color correction and sound mixing for next month," he says. "The film should be finished and ready to debut in January."
Vincenti has no plans to leave Boston.
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