Robert Long II Alexandra Lind

I started this site because I got angry. I got tired of the excuses being made by low-budget independent moviemakers on why their films turn out so terrible. Constantly I heard the bemoaning of “lack of budget” and all the other reasons why their film failed to make a mark. Personally, I chalk it up to lousy scripts and laziness more than anything else. It is one thing to watch “Mystery Science Theatre 3000” and laugh along with how bad the movies are; it is quite another matter to spend hard-earned money renting or buying movies only to find them to be dissapointing turkeys that stole 90 minutes of your life.

Originally I started this as a book project. Well, due to ill health and two fatal computer hard-drive crashes later, we have the website instead of the book. I’ve been in the business for a long time and I know that quality movies can be made and don’t have to cost an arm and a leg. That’s why this site was created – to go over all the facets of low budget film-making. To help other movie makers make entertaining features and get more bang for the buck. I’ll add more to this as I go along, but let’s get the ball rolling:

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All my contributors are creative, talented people and I owe them a huge thank you for making the site what it is. Of this group, some of these folks have really gone above and beyond the call of duty for me, and I would like to thank them here personally:

 

Director Joe Ripple, president of Timewarp Films – a very big thank you for the use of Timewarp materials, artwork, and photos on this site. Joe is also an extremely talented photographer and does professional headshots for performers as well. He is also an incredible humanitarian and founded “Scares That Care,” a charity that helps children with cancer.

 

Producer Edward L. Plumb, president of Irena Belle Films – Thanks for not giving up on me when things got dark on the book project. The Hollywood experiences on your motion picture projects will be explored on the site, along with the incredible photos you have allowed me to use. It’s been great to be part of your West Coast team.

 

Director Donald F. Glut, president of Frontline Entertainment – Thanks for being one of my earliest inspirations for getting into the industry, as well as your superb in-depth interview and photos that will appear on the site.

 

Director Kevin Kangas, president of Kangas Kahn Films, LLC– A huge thank you to Mr. Kangas as he has been incredibly giving of his time, his experiences, his photos, his trust, and his advice for the site. I would also like to thank him for being one of the first to sign on once I decided to do the website.

 

Producer Don Dohler’s family – Thank you for the continued support of the book-turned-website venture. Don’s interview, his behind-the-scenes photos, his solid advice, and his memory will live on thru this website. I hope to help make this the “Cinemagic” of the World Wide Web.

 

Visual Effects Artist Mitch Klein – When I decided that I had to abandon the book project, it was Mitch that suggested that I take what Leanna Chamish and I had done and present it in a website form. I am glad I listened to his advice. With his help and guidance I hope this will turn out to be a fun, helpful site for aspiring filmmakers. Mitch is also a talented screenwriter and helped turn my short story, “Man’s Best Friend” into a fantastic script. Thanks for all the tremendous help, brutha!

 

Actress Leanna Chamish – it would be hard for me to put into words the help this talented lady has given me over the years. Not only did she conduct several of the interviews, she co-wrote many of the articles that will appear on this site. She’s helped rally me on when things looked their blackest. She has been cheerleader, researcher, 2nd lieutenant, and Girl Friday. To put it short, I could not have done this without her friendship and support. Hey Ms. Talented, thanks for everything!

I suppose I could have named the site “Hit or Miss Independent Film-making” but everybody signed contracts based on the original name, so I am sticking with it. Bottom line is I hope current and future movie-makers can get some tips, tricks, and techniques from the site.

Regards,

Robert Long II

creator of “Smash or Trash Independent Film-making”