We absolutely understand that choosing to work with micro-budgets you have to be mad on some level - hence we named our educational YouTube channel Micro-Budget Madness! Don't get us wrong, being a micro-budget filmmaker is not a bad thing, it just means that you have to approach filmmaking with a DIY mentality.
Though this channel we break down how to produce, shoot and distribute micro-budget films with examples from our own micro-budget films, as well as mainstream films with a micro-budget element. We share all our experiences, from festival tips, career advice, distribution, smart business practices and everything else in between!
Want to know how we shoot our improvised micro budget feature and short films with limited crew, budget and resources?
Then you must check out the channel, subscribe and don’t forget to hit the notification bell to get a heads up when we post a new video.
It was a welcomed surprise to receive an email from our Machination poster photographer Fran Stivala last week. Fran was writing an article for WHAM Malta detailing how she photographed and created our attention-grabbing poster, and it’s now live. The poster image, starring Maltese talent Steffi Thake is perfect, it oozes the tension we needed and pops with the coloured lights. You can read the article here and look at the poster.
The link to the article can also be found in our PRESS section.
Another bit of news for our American readers. Ivan's 2011 gross-out comedy Dace Decklan: Private Eye is now freaking audiences out on AVOD platform Tubi. You have been warned. If you still dare to see what all the mayhem is about, watch on Tubi here or stream online worldwide though other platforms here.
Just before the end of 2020, Clara Francesca was again taking part in press interviews to discuss her role as an actor and producer on In Corpore, our sex-positive film that looks at the grey areas of relationships.
This time around Clara spoke with The Fan Carpet's Marc Jason Ali EXCLUSIVELY and the video is now up on YouTube. You can watch it here, or find it on our MEDIA section. with all the other In Corpore media bites.
New year, new course - or new courses in our case as we have a couple coming out this year.
Here is news of the first course we are so excited to share.
Our biggest achievement and news from the last couple of months is here - we have once again joined forces with Alex Ferrari, author and filmtrepreneur behind Indie Film Hustle to bring our fellow creatives a new masterclass - "The Art of Improv Indie Filmmaking".
The masterclass is presented by Indie Film Hustle Academy, which is Alex's boutique platform for specialised masterclasses with industry and independent professionals. To be selected by Alex to have our masterclass upon this niche platform, which is taking off around the United States, is a real honour.
Suitable for aspiring filmmakers or more experienced artists looking for a new approach to film, this course will inspire you through the creative freedom improvisation fosters, and how putting away the script can lead to new discoveries, making your own work, behind and in front of the camera, fresh and exciting.
This masterclass "The Art of Improv Indie Filmmaking" will go deep into the following areas:
Directing Improvisation - Learn how to direct actors and stage the camera in improvisational scenes.
The Scriptment - Learn how to develop your story idea into an outline scriptment you can shoot from.
Working with Actors - Learn how to build your characters with your actors in a collaborative environment.
You can check out the masterclass "The Art of Improv Indie Filmmaking" right here through this link: https://www.ifhacademy.com/course-Improv-indie-filmmaking
If you have any questions, please get in touch via email.
With In Corpore being released worldwide this week, on Boxing Day no less (yay, happy holidays!) our New York based producer Clara Francesca has been snowed under with an influx of reviews, both written and through Zoom.
Back in Malta, it has been a task in itself for us to create a list of all the interviews Clara has and will take on leading up to Christmas and well into 2021 in order to market them all through all the social media sites for the relationship drama film.
It’s a super way to celebrate the film, which is about looking inwards towards one’s goals, desires of the body and soul and personal aspirations. This makes it very much a film for the holidays as we reflect back on a hard year and the fresh one ahead, while also trying to cultivate self-love and also keeping communications in a relationship open when we are doing so during a pandemic.
We thank our PR company October Coast for the hard work in spreading the word and Clara for taking this task on like a true creative champion.
All the reviews and press interviews will be posted on our Media section so check back regularly.
Happy holidays
Press for one of Clara’s Interviews in the US. on the 30th of December 2020
The time has come - the In Corpore World Premiere screening through Lido at Home is now open for pre-sale. The release date is next week - the 26th of November.
For now this is an Australia wide premiere, but we are working hard on securing a worldwide release before the end of the year. As you can imagine, it has been difficult to release a feature film in 2020 due to the current world situation, but we are not giving up!
Take advantage of the pre-sale window now, and purchase your tickets for the world premiere through LIDO AT HOME to see a film that does not shy away from presenting sex-positivity, while exploring relationships around the world and delving into the grey areas of relationships.
Check out the In Corpore IMDB, where you can leave a review and some shiny stars from the 26th of November.
In Corpore is the second ambitious feature film to be co-produced and co-directed by Ivan Malekin and Sarah Jayne Portelli and will be available throughout Australia on the Lido At Home streaming service from November 26th, with pre-sales opening on November 19th.
Entirely improvised, sensual, contemporary, and anchored by powerful performances by new talent from Berlin, Malta, Australia and New York In Corpore tells the stories of four separate relationships, each varied in their labels, each unfolding in different parts of the world.
In Melbourne the polyamorous Julia strays from her monogamous marriage; in Malta Anna hides a secret from her husband Manny; in Berlin sugar baby Milana alienates her real life lover Rosalie, and in New York Julia faces the consequences of her affair.
The film explores the nature of commitment and the idea of sacrificing personal desires at the altar of love – is it selfish to follow the desires of the body and the soul or is this the only path to fulfilment?
Even if it means hurting the one you love?
View the trailer for In Corpore go to the films official page.
If you would like to review the film, or to interview the cast and crew, contact Ivan Malekin and Sarah Jayne directly though this website.
It was a pleasure to have been invited to talk and present our documentary feature film Cats of Malta on Animal Diaries. The lifestyle show, hosted by Moira Delia airs live every Saturday night on the Maltese National Television Station (TVM Malta) and aims to “raise community awareness of the vulnerability of animals and the importance of conserving Maltese species and other endangered species through educational experiences”.
A short clip edited together by the film’s editor and cinematographer Ivan Malekin was played at the beginning of the interview, giving audiences a small sneak peek into this feature-length documentary and this was followed up by a chat with director Sarah Jayne.
The episode, aired October 24th, is now online and you can watch the full interview with Sarah Jayne below.
If week one of filming Machination was a whirlwind, then week two was a hurricane with over 2kgs of worms, blood, moody neon lights, night shoots, early mornings finales and some wicked acting. But damn straight we had the best sleep deprived time of our lives in the process and came out the other end with a treasured film experience to add to our already unforgettable 2020.
Machination took four months of our lives to get from the outline writing to the wrap and we did it all with a minimal crew of no more than six on larger days and just a key cast of four people and had Maltese actor Steffi Thake featuring in 99% of the full-length feature. For those interested in our filmmaking process read how Ivan’s article From Writing to Wrap: Making a Feature in Four Months here.
After 10 days of filming Machination, we wrapped at Selmun Bay around 7am! Picture: Creative Creep Brand
Steffi may have had most of the screen time since the film is about her character Maria and her downward spiral as she deals with mental illness and her past demons during a global pandemic, but Steffi handled it like a champion. The lead actors performance was moving and sad to watch, at times her situation and reaction to what was happening around her was relatable, other times the absurdity of the situation bordered on dark humour.
So now Machination is now in the ‘to edit’ bucket, a task that Ivan Malekin will start taking on in the coming week, while also editing our documentary Cats of Malta simultaneously.
If you want to know more about Machination go to the films official page here and join our Creatively Connected Newsletter for news about the film exclusively here.
Our latest feature Machination has just wrapped Week one of production. It’s a two week shoot, but we now have a week off to recover and rest for a moment before planning and prep begins for Production Week two. Machination is about a woman battling the monsters in her head during a global pandemic and stars Steffi Thake as Maria. If the first weeks rushes are anything to go by, it will be a very powerful performance.
We are thrilled with the results so far and grateful to the small but dedicated team helping us to make this film happen during a real pandemic here in Malta, part of the worldly global pandemic which inspired the writing of the Machination story. It may seem like a timely film, but it’s story more than what you see on the surface - it’s story about a woman battling mental illness, facing here past demons and how the two meet to break the human spirit.
Mental illness is a topic we need to talk more openly about as the monsters in people’s minds can be life threatening, and any event that is large and out of our control, spurred on by heightened media can feed anxiety and trigger symptoms for a sufferer. Sometimes with devastating results.
The beautiful thing about working so closely with Steffi in the improvised process from conception stage, from the very first story outline (that was more focused on the absurdity of conspiracy theories and the media hype surrounding such theorists views which emerged through the pandemic here in Malta), is that together, through research and advice from psychological professionals, the story of Maria and the monsters she is battling became more of the character piece we are interested in and can relate to. A big step away from the genre horror film we had originally envisioned, which we honestly were not sure we wanted to make.
The Machination we are filming now is relatable, it could happen to you or me and it’s a character study of a woman who, throughout a pandemic outbreak is being pushed to her mental limit due to the reality she has created in her mind.
Unbeknown to us we scored some media attention for the third time this year from Guide Me Malta, the film they focused on was our local cat lovers documentary Cats of Malta.
While we were conversing with talented Maltese street artist Matthew Pandolfino we were being watched, and so was the art. Matthew’s feline sculpture is famous on Instagram, well known by the locals and is hard to miss when driving along Sliema’s promenade. She sits proudly on a toilet block, looking out above Independence Garden (also known as Cat Park).
Some say that the sculpture is a cat god, looking out for the cats in the garden, but whatever powerful being she is, we were lucky enough to contact Matthew about talking to us on camera just as he was giving her a fresh coat of paint.
We visited Matthew on three separate occasions while the sculpture went from a coloured abstract design to the new luna theme. We can’t wait to put the edit for this section of the doco together and tell the story!
Check out both articles relating to Cats of Malta and Matthew’s cat overhaul in these articles from May 9th and May 17th.
Thanks to CInema Australia for once again supporting our work, this time by sharing the teaser trailer for our improvised feature film In Corpore, and matching it with an informative article.
In Corpore, an improvised feature film exploring polyamory and relationship dramas will be released this year, with a cinema screening happening in New York mid-July.
It was very fitting that To Hold the Moon, a film about two Aussie women who travel to Malta for two very different reasons should end up being the feature for an article on Guide Me Malta. Not only that, the local news and travel site also shared a link to the exclusive teaser trailer of the European Improvised lesbian feature film, along with the poster. Click here to read the article.
Happy New Year! We hope you had a safe and memorable NYE and are ready to tackle 2020.
We are pleased to announce that our improvised micro budget feature film Friends, Foes & Fireworks is now available worldwide on Blu-ray via Amazon. Grab your own collector’s copy and watch with your friends, champagne in hand.
Featuring behind the scenes as well as deleted scenes, all in glorious HD, Friends, Foes & Fireworks is the ultimate New Year’s Eve film, filmed completely in a single night on New Year’s Eve without a script. How many films can say that?
Purchase your copy here now!
Through our newsletters, particularly in reference to our feature In Corpore, we have harped on about the importance of finding a niche for your film and building an audience from the early stages of pre-production. We have been working on doing just this and learning 'how-to' for most of 2019.
By having In Corpore connecting with and following suitable accounts on Instagram, we piqued the interest of one account – LesFlicks. And now In Corpore is listed on LesFlicks film database.
LesFlicks is Europe's first dedicated lesbian film platform that supports and lists short and features films about lesbian and bisexual couples on their website, and they also use their online platform to distribute these films.
We have not signed In Corpore up for distribution, as we are still in the early stages of plotting our distribution map for the film, but having it listed on LesFlicks definitely puts our film in front of the right audience.
Check out LesFlicks here.
We are still riding high on confidence after a successful improvised filmmaking workshop for teens at Gozo Film Festival over the weekend. So it’s a great time to share that we have been approached by the Malta Film Foundation, who run the yearly Malta Film Weekend, to teach an improvised filmmaking workshop.
Our course will be for adults this time around and take place The Valletta University Campus, Sunday 15th September 10am - noon. For more details, go directly to the Malta Film Foundation website.
The whole weekend festival is a must for any filmmaker, with both short and feature films screening, plus workshops and discussions from local filmmakers happening over the weekend of 14-15th of September.
This was a lot of fun. For those based in Malta who have not made the trip across to the sister island of Gozo for the festival, we say do it!
On Saturday 24th after a late afternoon swim at Ramla Bay, followed by cave exploring in Nadur and an alfresco seafood dinner on a clifftop, we headed off to the Cittadella, where we enjoyed watching locally produced feature film Limestone Cowboy. It was past midnight when we returned to our AirBnb to rest so that we could wake early to prep for our Sunday morning Improvised Filmmaking Workshop for Teenagers, held at the same venue.
This is our third year in attendance and each year we are very happy that we made the trip down from Malta to watch films and be welcomed by really passionate and enthusiastic people who love film as much as we do.
And to teach improvised filmmaking, the niche style we love so much, to young students intrigued by the 'no script' process we developed was an absolute blessing. We played games, filmed scenes, and went over everything from different improvisation styles to developing ideas to filming without a script and more. A big thank you to Gozo Film Festival, its volunteers, and festival director Federico Chini.
We'll be back next year. But we'll be teaching another improvised workshop very, very soon.
The latest interview is up and this time we chatted to Ben and Keith from The Two Gay Geeks on their webcast about Friends, Foes & Fireworks and how we shot this film in one night, totally improvised. This is one of our more fun and laid back interviews and we thank Ben and Keith for chatting with us and ChicPR for making this happen.
Listen here now and find the link on our PRESS section.
Woop woop...a reason to clang those champagne glasses together... Friends, Foes & Fireworks is now on the Beamafilm library, and we are really thrilled with the news.
Our Australian distributor Bounty Films secured the deal for us and now our first improvised feature film takes a place next to our short educational film, Daughter.
Coming soon to accompany the film on the Beamafilm film resource page will a Q&A with us, the directors which will be used as an extra resource material to help sell the film. More news on that to follow.
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Check out tFriends, Foes & Fireworks, a film about women's health, friendship, and a new years eve reunion that goes a little off the rails on Beamafilm now (Australia only).
When the cast and crew that had worked on the Berlin chapter of In Corpore stepped out of the Ladenkino cinema room there was one word to describe what they had just seen – intense. All round we had a wonderful night, not only catching up with everyone who attended, but also sharing all our hard work we had put into the film so far.
Although the film was still in a rough stage with more sound design and colour grading work to do, it was good to see In Corpore on the big screen with one of the four teams that made it possible.
Only two people were not in attendance due to having filming projects in other countries (so jealous) and they were greatly missed.
While it poured rain outside, inside we shared laughs and stories from on the set and it was a cosy cast and crew screening in gritty and artistic Berlin.
