Interview (Part 5): Mynette Louie

In September 2013, I interviewed New York-based independent movie producer Mynette Louie. Shortly thereafter, Mynette was named president of Gamechanger Films. Their mission statement:

Gamechanger provides equity financing to narrative feature films directed by women. We support the unique artistic voices of talented directors who happen to be women, no matter what kinds of stories they choose to tell.

Women comprise 13.5% of DGA membership, 6% of directors of Top 250 grossing films of 2013, and 5% of directors of Top 100 grossing films between 1994–2013.

Women comprise 18% of directors of narrative features at film festivals between 2011–12 and 10% of directors of indie features between 2009–2013.

Gamechanger aims to shift the huge gender disparity in the film industry and marketplace.

The company scored a hit with their very first movie Land Ho!, co-written and co-directed by Aaron Katz and Martha Stephens. They have three other movies in the pipeline: The Invitation, Fresno and Lovesong.

Given the prominence of gender under-representation in the film and TV business, and the success of Gamechanger Films, I thought it would be a good idea to revisit my conversation with Mynette.

This week, we are fortunate to have as our interview guest Mynettte Louie, a New York-based independent film producer. Her film credits include Children of Invention, California Solo and Stones in the Sun. Most recently, Louie produced Tze Chun’s crime thriller Cold Comes the Night starring Alice Eve, Logan Marshall-Green, and Bryan Cranston which will be released in the U.S. in early 2014. Mynette is the recipient of the 2013 Independent Spirit Piaget Producers Award and was named in Ted Hope’s list of “21 Brave Thinkers Of Truly Free Film“.

Mynette and I recently conducted an interview via email.

Today in Part 5, Mynette provides her take on VOD, Hollywood major studios’ current business model, and the lack of diversity in the film world:

Scott: It seems like more and more nowadays, indie films are being made available on VOD (Video On Demand) before their theatrical release. Could you explain that strategy and how that evolved? How important is VOD to the growth and sustainability of independent film?

Mynette: IFC and Magnolia pioneered the day-and-date model, where a film is released simultaneously in theaters and on VOD to get more marketing bang for the buck. Ultra VOD, in which the VOD release comes before the theatrical, is also used to contain marketing costs — the idea is that it generates (cheap) word-of-mouth promotion ahead of a film’s theatrical release. Both of these release models, which were somewhat controversial at first, are becoming increasingly common. Because theatrical and DVD revenues are continuing to decline, the growth of VOD is absolutely critical to the sustainability of independent film. All of us filmmakers want — no, need — VOD to grow faster!

Scott: Meanwhile over at the major studios in Hollywood, they seem to have a bifurcated approach to their choices: Either super expensive tentpole movies or lower budget genre films, leaving midrange films to independent financiers. What’s your take on the viability of that situation? Do you envision the major studios ever getting back into the specialty arena in a more comprehensive way, and if so, is that a good thing or bad thing?

Mynette: The middle has indeed dropped out. It is a space sparsely occupied by firmly established auteurs as well as European and Canadian co-productions with lots of soft money and no prospect (or even intention, sometimes) of recouping. The good news is that Hollywood is starting to lose faith in tentpoles after all the big debacles this summer, so I hope that they will reconsider their commitment to specialty films. The bad news is that everyone’s attention seems to be turning to TV instead of specialty films. Like everyone else, I agree that TV has gotten a lot better, but I strongly believe that film still has a very important place in the world. TV is a plot machine. Film offers more space for contemplation and is a wholly conceived (beginning-middle-end) experience.

Scott: We’ve seen several studies and reports in the last year or so about the low numbers of directors, actors, writers, even lead movie roles represented by women and non-whites. It seems like it’s an institutionalized thing, longstanding in nature. What can be done to change that reality?

Mynette: Yes, racism and sexism are definitely ingrained in the film industry. So much so that most people don’t even notice it — it’s insidious. I think any significant change has to come from the top — studio brass, financiers, producers. We need to actively look for female artists and artists of color to support, and by “support,” I mean finance. The tiny fraction of women directors in Hollywood (7%) is pathetic. Same goes for artists of color. I can’t tell you how many times someone has told me, “Can you make this Asian character white? And maybe this black one too?” We know why Hollywood doesn’t like to cast minority actors: allegedly, they aren’t “bankable.” But why not? Well, because Hollywood doesn’t like to cast minority actors! So there’s little chance of them ever breaking out and becoming bankable. Vicious cycle! I have a lot more to say about this, and you can read it here.

Scott: I’d like to ask you some questions related to screenwriting and story development to get a producer’s perspective. How do you go about sourcing material?

Mynette: Sadly, because I’ve been so busy juggling multiple projects as a matter of survival (see above), I’ve been more reactive than proactive about sourcing material. Ever since Children of Invention premiered at Sundance in 2009, I’ve gotten a steady stream of script submissions from collaborators, filmmaker friends, friends of friends, other producers, managers, agents, attorneys. But I also look at the projects that get into labs and project markets like the Sundance and Film Independent labs, Tribeca All-Access, IFP Project Forum, Fast Track, and of course, The Black List. And I track filmmakers whose films I like.

Scott: When you sit down to read a script, what are some of the key elements you are looking for that will make you interested in pursuing that project?

Mynette: Multi-layered characters, great dialogue, original storylines or original takes on less original storylines, emotional engagement, showing and not telling, resonant and universally relatable themes, satisfying epiphany. I guess this sounds pretty vague. Basically, I have to fall in love with the script for whatever reason. But don’t look at my past work and assume that I only want to make films like those. The next person who sends me an immigrant drama or microbudget Mumblecore comedy will get it chucked back in their face! (Unless, of course, it happens to be brilliant.) I want to produce different kinds of films and I love all genres. I especially want to produce a horror film at some point. I’ve been looking for one for a long time, but haven’t found the right one yet.

Scott: When I look at the roster of the movies you’ve been involved with, even though they are indie films, they all seem to have a clear, even concise story concept. How important do you think it is to the success of an independent film to have a story concept that is more easily marketable?

Mynette: It’s important, especially nowadays when people are so easy distracted and overwhelmed by media saturation. The pithier the logline, the better. That’s not to say that people should stop writing low-concept, less commercial scripts. But they need to know that they will have a much longer and harder road in getting them produced and distributed. And they should recognize and accept that their endeavor is motivated entirely by art, not money. Which means they should make their films for $50K or less. Yes, that’s right: $50K or less.

Here is a panel that Mynette participated in about gender inequality in the entertainment industry:

Tomorrow in Part 6, Mynette shares some thoughts about what she looks for in a screenplay.

For Part 1, go here.

Part 2, go here.

Part 3, go here.

Part 4, go here.

To learn more about Mynette, go here.

You may follow Mynette on Twitter: @mynette.

[Originally posted September 20, 2013]