How To Spend Money On A Movie by Producer John Paul Rice

Film Courage: So on a movie like A CHILD’S VOICE, where do you spend the most money?

 

John Paul Rice, Producer: Well cast, crew and all the logistics, locations and food and equipment and insurance. It goes into the personnel, it’s all the below-the-line, but not for us. It’s a labor of love at that point. Our stuff is not to pay ourselves (that’s just me) but all of it goes into the planning, the implementation and also what I try to do is look at the budget every couple of days and start to try to figure out where I can get donations, where I can get discounts, where I can smartly schedule things so that we’re not spending double money to get the same thing that we could if we plan it better or smartly. Write it in a way that doesn’t require…because you’ve just got to look at what you’re trying to say. What are you trying to say with this scene (with each scene)? Do we really need to stretch it out or can we consolidate here (maybe combine something).

 

 

So it’s a team effort between me and Edgar [Edgar Michael Bravo]. But mine are always to try to find things that are reducing cost and overhead every single time.

 

Film Courage: Well you had the hotel [that they shot scenes in for A CHILD’S VOICE]. Was that somewhere in Riverside [CA]?

 

John: It was in Riverside.

 

Film Courage: Okay so it would be cheaper than somewhere in LA?

 

 

John: Right and Riverside is cheaper to film and you still have to do all the permits and everything. You still have to do everything else but it’s not expensive. It’s gone up in the last couple of years because they have more filming out there now. But the county of Riverside is fantastic. Those two women who run it are fantastic. As long as they’re there they will do really, really well. The City of Riverside is independent of that, but the County of Riverside opens you up to so many other things. They have location services that they will help you with.  We went to seven or eight hotels in different groups and I drove out there and I lobbied all of them.

 

Film Courage: What’s that like?

 

John: It’s difficult. You’re going to meet a lot of people who don’t care but some people when you talk to them and you tell them what you’re doing and what you’re about and the realities of what you’re dealing with…I’m dealing with a crew of eight people, this many actors coming in, I need this kind of room, can you help us out?…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).

 

A Child’s Voice from No Restrictions Entertainment on Vimeo.

WATCH ‘A CHILD’S VOICE’
Vimeo.com/ondemand/achildsvoice

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About John Paul Rice:

John Paul Rice was born the youngest of four, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. At the age of 7, in addition to baseball, he took up theater until his senior year of high school. Mr. Rice attended Georgia State University to pursue a degree in Business. While at college, Mr. Rice was given the opportunity to work on Jerry Bruckheimer’s Remember the Titans as a Titan football player. He enjoyed the experience and turned his focus toward film, working in production on a handful of low budget independent films before moving to Los Angeles a year later. 

In 2001, John landed a position at the Los Angeles division of the German distribution company Senator International (which later became Mandate Pictures) led by industry veteran Joseph Drake (The Hunger Games, Don’t Breathe, Juno, The Grudge). Under Joe’s mentoring, John developed an interest in producing independent feature films. 

In 2008, Mr. Rice formed No Restrictions Entertainment with filmmaker Edgar Michael Bravo. The duo has produced five films together. The critically acclaimed indie feature One Hour Fantasy Girl, written and directed by Mr. Bravo. The following year they produced the psychological drama The Magic Stone and shortly thereafter produced the dramatic and surreal thriller Mother’s Red Dress. One year later Bravo and Rice created a compelling supernatural thriller in Mark’s Secret to Eternal Life. Their latest film A Young Man’s Future is a heartbreaking yet inspiring story about love in the face of mental illness. All five films deal with challenging social issues while telling an entertaining and original narrative story. The team just released their 6th project in 9 years with A Child’s Voice, a supernatural thriller that takes on child trafficking. 

Some of Mr. Rice’s favorite films are Training Day, Chinatown, Midnight Cowboy, Being There and The King’s Speech.

 

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¡CALAMBRE! is a 53 minute episodic black and white film about a poet who returns to his hometown of New York City to rekindle an old flame, only to complicate his return with new women in his life. A film by Carlos Renaso.

 

LA-based filmmakers! Join us Tuesday, January 22nd, 2019 from 7-9 p.m in North Hollywood for this 2-hour Q&A style event with horror filmmaker James Cullen Bressack. James will help you navigate the ins-and-outs of being a horror filmmaker (whether it’s your own production or as a director-for-hire). His 61 producer, 38 writer and 34 directors credits show his intense commitment to his work. He’s grown up around the business and he’s still several years shy of turning 30. More info via Eventbrite page here.