This article is sponsored by BraveMaker. Visit www.BraveMaker.com for more information.
Filmmaker Tony Gapastione lost his first big audition to Ed Norton. The project? Norton’s career-launching “Primal Fear.” “I remember watching that film and the trajectory of Ed’s career thinking how close I had gotten,” he says. “I had gotten in the room.”
But sticking to acting meant playing the waiting game, and Gapastione wanted a more active role in his career. “I went to the Sundance Film Festival for the first time in 2013,” he says. “I realized I could make films and take pride in my work with confidence.”
Now he runs non-profit film arts organization BraveMaker based in Redwood City, California.
What is BraveMaker all about?
BraveMaker is dedicated to elevating brave stories for justice, diversity, and inclusion. We hold film screenings and discussions online and we are slowly returning to in-person gatherings. We are a production company and offer film internships, screenwriting workshops, and a fiscal sponsorship program. We seek to curate stories so real and transparent that they press us forward and encourage us to examine ourselves, to cope with our pain, and to teach us to accept one another.
Tell us about the Bravemaker Film Festival and what sets it apart from other festivals?
We do monthly film screenings and community dialogues online. Come 2022 we’ll re-engage with our annual summer film festival in person. We take pride in how we curate our films based on the diversity of the cast as well as the crew, and seek out films that invite our audiences into thoughtful conversations on life’s most important issues.
What’s one thing you wish every aspiring filmmaker knew about making their first feature?
No matter the budget, I would recommend not being the only one raising funds for your movie. It will free you up to focus on working with your actors, leading the crew, and telling your story when you are not weighed down wondering how you will pay everyone. I had enough money that I raised on my own to start my feature, but I’m still raising funds to finish post-production and it’s a big weight. It’s worth it, but I wished I had more help.
Tell us a bit about BraveMaker’s resources.
We have screenwriter workshops, mentoring, internships, and we offer help to filmmakers to get their scripts written and produced as we have a full production team available. We do a live show on YouTube every week where filmmakers can engage with discussions on the craft and business of filmmaking. The fiscal sponsorship program [Fiscal Sponsee] is perfect for filmmakers who have stories that elevate justice, diversity, and inclusion, and for those who have been marginalized in some way as storytellers. We mentor filmmakers in fundraising and all stages of production.
How does the Fiscal Sponsee program work for aspiring filmmakers?
We focus on under-represented filmmakers (women, BIPOC, LGBT+) and anyone who’s telling stories that address justice, diversity, inclusion—all social issues. Those who’ve been trying and keep getting doors closed—we like to help people out—but we look for good people. We've turned away a couple filmmakers whose brand, sense of entitlement, and/or social media presence just didn’t vibe with who we are.
Once accepted into our program we take our partnership very seriously. Filmmakers are invited to join in an optional 45-minute zoom every week with our sponsors and maker team. We share insights, ideas, and encouragement for their careers. We focus a lot on social media, branding, set etiquette, and everything to help filmmakers get their movies made and made well. Our sponsors also get to attend our screenwriting workshops. I make myself available along the way in anything they need. They pay 7% of their fundraising for those benefits.
What does great storytelling mean to you as a filmmaker?
I believe telling stories is one of the most powerful ways to express and influence culture. Stories entertain us when we need to laugh, they comfort us when we are lonely, they heal us when we are in pain, they help us escape when we need a break from life, they can help us feel affirmed in the deepest parts of our souls. In an overarching way, filmmaking for me is how I practice my faith. The cast and crew are like my church, my community. A people assembled and called to a specific mission, a creative storytelling mission. I love having conversations after the credits roll and the lights come up. It’s sacred work and in some way I see myself as a shepherd of stories, storytellers, and of audiences processing those stories. This process gives great meaning and satisfaction to my life.
Want to know more about BraveMaker? Visit www.BraveMaker.com for more information.