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Swell Spotlight: Jason Calabro, Film Producer and Creative Zen Master

You can either describe it or sample it here as a Swell after that, Swell, open up the conversation to anyone who has questions or comments for Jason about films or working in the film industry or and and and and and Creative Zen Master goes, I'm looking forward to it

Join this conversation with @DewdropMind about coming up as a filmmaker and the current state of the industry. #film #filmmaking #tv #zen

@DewdropMind
Dewdrop Mind
@DewdropMind · 2:00

#filmmaking #screenwriting #cinema #independentfilm #kidslaughter

I wanted to be a part of that world work with the people in it and got my start really learning about filmmaking in school and working on student projects. My first small professional gig was being hired by an independent producer in New Orleans to adapt a novel by the writer Olympia Vernon called A Killing in this Town. And from there, my first project on larger studio features was as a production assistant before becoming an assistant director and location manager
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@bowie
Bowie Rowan
@bowie · 1:08

@DewdropMind the challenges and the opportunities!

I know you said you began as a production assistant, but if there are mind of any other roles, too, that got you really excited or gave you like, a clear sense of the work that you really wanted to do as you're growing into the industry. Thanks so much for answering these. I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say about this one
@DewdropMind
Dewdrop Mind
@DewdropMind · 2:23

If you’re not invited, pretend like your invitation was lost in the mail.

The most challenging part of getting started in the film industry was not knowing anyone other than a handful of students I worked with and a few aspiring producers. I didn't know a single person in the industry. So how was I going to get my first job on a film if I've never worked on a film, didn't know anyone, and definitely wasn't living in Los Angeles or New York? I had read a story about how Steven Spielberg got his start
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@Swell
The Swell Team
@Swell · 1:11

How will the film industry survive the pandemic?

That is such an amazing story about how you got started. Thank you so much for sharing it. I think it's really amazing that your start in the industry wasn't because you knew someone directly. It because you found a creative and sort of courageous way to attempt to make an opportunity for yourself. So that's really inspiring. I'm wondering now that you've been working in the industry for quite a while, you've obviously seen it go through several ups and downs
@DewdropMind
Dewdrop Mind
@DewdropMind · 3:36

The current obstacles are opportunities for filmmakers and production co’s.

So I think what this is is a great time for independent filmmakers to fearlessly go out, create content on their own terms, and, I believe, bring the market to themselves, not dissimilar to the previously mentioned 90s Renaissance, and certainly in the 19s 70s as well. We saw a lot of that, with independent filmmakers going out rejecting the studio's approach, making movies on their own terms and ultimately ending up bringing the Studios to them for their next picture
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@bowie
Bowie Rowan
@bowie · 0:45

Favorite films ✨📽✨

I really appreciate your perspective on this and also find it ultimately hopeful. And I'm looking forward to seeing how things continue to change. I'm wondering now out if you wouldn't mind sharing what you think the best film of 2020 is so far, if you feel like that's something you're prepared to do right now. And if you had to pick your top three best films of all time, what would they be?
@DewdropMind
Dewdrop Mind
@DewdropMind · 2:06

Top 3 Filmmakers (Spike Lee, Abbas Kiarostami, Martin Scorsese)

And Bridget Cole and stars quite a few talented actors, including Margo Martindale. As for your question of my top three, yeah, that's impossible. And like the filmmakers, I'm going to mention I'm going to break your role and I'm going to give you a ten. Instead. I'll say these are ten films that if I had to be locked in a room for the rest of my life, I would be relatively okay with only seeing these ten
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@bowie
Bowie Rowan
@bowie · 2:53

@DewdropMind I'll see your 10 and raise you 13 ☺️

Okay. Okay. I see what you did there. Since you cheated. I figure I may as well be able to cheat here, too. So let's see. I have about 123-45-6789. I have 13. But the thing is, it's kind of more like ten, and I'll explain in a minute. So if I had to meet your top ten, I'm going to count these as ten, even though they technically consist of more than ten films
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@DewdropMind
Dewdrop Mind
@DewdropMind · 4:47

Chris Marker, Birth of a Nation & La Bamba

And of course, we went on to watch that medium be used by Reef Install and other propaganda filmmakers. And we're seeing a lot of that today. Still, although that movie is regarded as a very important film, invented many techniques technically, was obviously way ahead of its time because there was nothing else like it. All those technical achievements aside, it's probably easily among the worst films ever made for the ideas and the ideology contained within it
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@bowie
Bowie Rowan
@bowie · 1:40

Thank you @dewdropmind 📽🍿🎞

Yeah, definitely was probably way too young when I saw both of those movies, but they had a deep impact on me for sure. And you referencing it made me want to rewatch the Bumba, especially. Thank you for that. It was great. And thank you so much for this conversation, Jason. And for all of your thoughtful answers. I'm going to leave this conversation open to anyone who has been listening or maybe comes across this conversation later and would like to join in
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