Five Questions With: Anthony Ambrosino

"As a grassroots, filmmaker driven organization, our membership has always been based on the idea: whoever considers themselves a member is a member."

Anthony Ambrosino is a founder and president of the Rhode Island Film Collaborative, an organization designed to help foster the growth and education of the local independent film community. He also is a Rhode Island-based producer, director and advocate for film and television production in Rhode Island. His latest film, “Almost Human,” premiered at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival where it was purchased by IFC, a television network formerly known as the Independent Film Channel. Here he discusses innovative programming at the collaborative that attracts hundreds of members.

PBN: In 2006, the collaborative formed as the result of a merger between the Rhode Island Film Alliance and the Providence Film Collaborative. In 2009, it incorporated as a nonprofit. How has that status helped the collaborative function in a challenging economy?
AMBROSINO:
We are a collection of volunteers that offer a bevy of services, events and resources to the filmmaking community, most of which are free. Without the structure of the collaborative and ability to apply for the grants and accept the donations that our 501c3 status allows us, we’d be back where we started, a group of frustrated artists in a bar bemoaning the strife of indie filmmaking.
The collaborative stemmed from the frustration of trying to get projects made that are generally cost prohibitive paired with the feeling of isolation that many filmmakers were feeling at the time. This was before social media added to the democratization of the industry and many producers were on an island, so to speak. I remember back in 2005 thinking I was the only guy doing this until I connected with the groups that would eventually become the collaborative. It was like finding long lost relatives that you didn’t know existed that had many of the same filmmaking experiences and more than anything they simply “got it.”
Making films can be very expensive. We also offer the ability to act as a fiscal sponsor for select projects. There’s something about being a non-profit that signals “this is a safe place” to what can sometimes be an introverted crowd in a very finicky industry. That’s really important to us.

PBN: The collaborative’s main mission is to help filmmakers find the resources to get their projects made. What are the biggest obstacles to that?
AMBROSINO:
One of the first steps to actually making a film is breaking down your script and figuring out exactly what it is you need from both a standpoint of filmmaking tools (lights, cameras and general equipment) to all of the elements that must appear on screen (explosions, sports cars and Tom Cruise) to the crew you may or may not need to bring everything to life (gaffer, key grip and the ever popular best boy). Once this process is completed, it can be completely overwhelming without a Hollywood bankroll behind you.
We do not offer direct financing for films. We are not a studio or production company. We are essentially a conduit to the industry for our members. We connect them or more importantly they connect themselves to others either with the same goals and interests or people that want to give back to the community.
Our cornerstone is our monthly meeting. On the second Tuesday of every month since 2005 anyone can walk through the doors of the Wild Colonial in Providence at 7 p.m. and connect or reconnect with the film community in Rhode Island. It’s at this meeting that you may meet that key grip you’re looking for who just so happens to drive that sports car you’re looking for as well. On top of that we have a weekly e-newsletter that keeps folks up to date on premieres, jobs and much needed resources. We also offer host of programs, events and classes that help bring filmmakers closer to the finish line.

PBN: What are some of the key film projects that have gone forward through the collaborative?
AMBROSINO:
The collaborative generally does not produce or sponsor specific projects, but rather supports, either through promotion, networking, and connecting to resources, any project that is looking for some type of help. One program we experimented with for a few years was a production committee in which we took 10 members from the community and created a panel that would select a script, a director and the other key personnel and give them a $500 budget to go make a short film. This came with mixed results – some of the projects were never finished – but it did wonders for breaking the mold for how films are made locally and spurred some great relationships amongst what were essentially groups of strangers thrown together to create art.
We have offered help and provided resources to hundreds of projects in the New England area in an unofficial capacity, from some of the Hollywood films that have come through to the smallest of no-budget projects. I credit the collaborative on two of my projects because they wouldn’t have been possible without the support I received. Other projects that have come through the collaborative are grant-funded projects, such as two we have done with the R.I. Department of Transportation to promote awareness of drunk driving and seatbelt use. Both of those projects were implemented in the form of classes in which the students produced the films. They were able to both learn film production and create a product with a beneficial message to the local community.

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PBN: You are in your second year of implementing Rock & Reel, which pairs independent filmmakers with local bands and challenges them to make a music video in just three days. What was the outcome of this year’s project and will you continue with it next year?
AMBROSINO:
Isn’t that such a great idea? We had a blast this year, especially at our awards concert hosted by Fete, where we not only screened the music videos, but some of the bands performed as well. Rock & Reel was the brainchild of Mark Fogarty who founded the Filmmakers Alliance as well as the collaborative. I honestly didn’t think it would happen as we lacked the resources to put it on the way he’d envisioned, but last year we received a project grant from RISCA and we were able to make it happen.
I have friends in bands who again face unique fiscal challenges as artists, so Rock & Reel provides a great opportunity to showcase their music through a medium that, as I’ve mentioned, is generally cost prohibitive. It also challenges our filmmakers with a different style of storytelling. It makes a great addition to another event we’ve run since 2006, the Providence branch of the 48 Hour Film Project, the “mother” of timed film competitions. At the 48, teams compete, after pulling a genre (comedy, action, sci-fi, etc.) out of a hat and, paired with other assigned elements, must write, film and edit a 4-to-7 minute film over the competition weekend. This year’s 48 takes place July 11-13.
Not only will we continue with both of these events; we are adding a horror edition of the 48 Hour Film Project this October.

PBN: How many members do you have for the organization as a whole, and to the writing group and the actor’s lab? What are you doing to attract more?
AMBROSINO:
As a grassroots, filmmaker driven organization, our membership has always been based on the idea: whoever considers themselves a member is a member. Our goal has always been not to exclude anyone that has an interest in what we’re about. By that count we have just over three thousand members at large.
We’ve recently implemented a paid members system which is still in its infancy, as a way to offer even better resources to our most active members, which we estimate to be in the 300-to-500 person range.
We are continuing to develop new and different programs based on what our membership tells us that they want. The actors group became the Actors Spotlight in which local talent was invited to perform in front of 30-40 local producers and directors. We have tried to channel our writers group into more interactive events such as the production committee, the 48 Hour Film Project and our grant sponsored programs where their words can come to life on screen.
My goal this year is to incorporate more non-filmmakers into the collaborative. Everyone has a story to tell and with this digital revolution we’re experiencing, it’s become possible for anyone to do just that. So, whether you’re a stay-at-home parent, a recent retiree looking for something exciting to do or someone bored with the 9-to-5 grind, digital storytelling opens a whole new world of possibilities.

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