Interview with Filmmaker
Todd Ernest Braley
MyIndie: Your past films deal with a variety of genres and subject matter. Some are more for entertainment value, like comedies, horror and thrillers. Others tackle various social issues (bullying, physical assault and its effect on the victim as well as their surrounding friends and family, mental illness, and more). Some are a combination of both. Is it more important for you that your films entertain, make some kind of social or political commentary, or find the delicate balance of both?
Todd: I try to find the balance between both. I’m not into shoving any agenda down anyone’s throat. I work to shed light on subjects that may not be on the forefront of everyone’s minds all the time. I love to make movies. I love to entertain those who watch them. Being a fan of many genres of film, I like to touch on them all. Put my stamp on them where I can.
MIP: From our experience, as well as other indie filmmakers we talk to, it is evident that it is becoming increasingly more difficult to make any kind of revenue from short films. You recently released Psychotic Breakdown, an anthology/collection of some of your short films. What brought on the decision to package those films together and has this new distribution approach to the shorts given those films new life? How did the audience take to this anthology?
TEB: The anthology was actually accepted better than the single short films. As it stands, most streaming services will not take short films. They just don’t make any money. I believe because the general public thinks they should be free because of their length. That’s total crap, of course. The amount of time that is put into a short film can be as much as a feature. But the Joe-Q-Public don’t have that mindset. That is evident because they would rather pay a lot of money for a Hollywood studio “effort” (using the term loosely) but they won’t support those they know. But I digress…I felt like putting these short films together as my own version of something like Creepshow. I loved that film and the different stories. These short films of mine all share a similar theme and all have female leads.
Stream Psychotic Breakdown on AngerMan Distribution VOD, HERE.
MIP: Another recent release of yours, short thriller-drama More Than Meets The Eye, was released a short time ago. Did it experience any streaming success? Do you plan on including it in a future anthology or do you have other plans for it?
TEB: That was a film that I did because my good friend actor Johnny Rock (of Tyler Perry‘s The Have & Have Nots) was coming out to Colorado to visit. I wanted something that we could shoot in one day, being he wasn’t going to be here but a few days. It’s been viewed many many times, and had been well received. My friend Chad Herbranson wrote the script a couple of years ago. He was elated to have his first screenplay shot. As it stands we don’t have any other plans for it. We were just happy to do it. It was shot in 14 degree weather in December 2020. It was crazy-ass cold but we got through it. You can hear the wind blowing through the background. I was happy with the final product.
View More Than Meets The Eye on Project Page, HERE.
MIP: You have just completed feature-length drama, You Like To Draw?, with a premiere recently taking place in Colorado. Why was it important for you to tell this particular story? What can you tell us about the film, the process of making it and future distribution plans?
TEB: I have not made a feature film in awhile. I was watching TV and the idea of a young artist who sustains a severe head injury and tries to get back to her passion for painting, just came to me. I talked to a few actors about being a part of it. After I got commitments, I started writing the script. I do things a bit backwards, it’s actually easier to write the script when I have the actors in mind.
Telling this story was not necessarily a “need to tell” story. It was just a subject that I know about from my experiences with severely brain injured people. I was a DJ for many years and worked at the Betty Clooney Center in California and also with a local Grand Junction brain injury facility, I knew about the plights of those with brain injuries.
You Like To Draw? is a family film which is only the second film I ever made that can be watched by people of all ages (the short film Santa’s Lap was the first, made three years ago), so the plans for distribution are going to be on family friendly platforms. I skip the festivals because I just think that these days they’re pointless. With all of the ways for people to see indie films, I would rather focus my time and money on guaranteed views rather than “hoping” to get into a festival and wasting that money. I’m not about awards, I’m about getting the films seen.
Stream You Like To Draw? on AngerMan Distribution VOD, HERE.
MIP: You have a few projects still in their early stages, either in-development or pre-production (On A Blue Day, The Chip, Paradise Road). With Covid-19 currently causing many productions to either be delayed, put on ice, or cancelled altogether, how and to what extent have these, or any other future projects of yours, been affected by the current pandemic and what are your plans going forward with these projects?
TEB: Yeah this pandemic garbage has trashed the film industry, indie or otherwise. I’ve decided to put everything on hold. I’m tired of the continued delays. I’m someone that when I make plans, I’m going through with them, others be damned. I had to postpone production on my latest film The Chip because of “Covid” due to the loss of my location and was not happy about it. But as of December 2021 we have gotten back on track and are set to shoot The Chip in February of 2022!
MIP: Any other current or future projects you’d like to mention or let people know about? Feel free to use this space to discuss anything else you’d like to promote or bring forth regarding your work.
TEB: We are also looking to shoot a film about autism called On a Blue Day and are currently in talks of remaking my horror feature Misfit, as well as looking into potential sequels. More on that will be revealed soon. I’m going to concentrate on getting You like to Draw? out there for people to see as well. It is just about to be released via AngerMan Distribution. Keep an eye on my Artist Page on MyIndie Productions for more details.
