Ever imagined producing a large-scale creative project? Finishing a novel, choreographing an evening-length work, writing, and directing a three-act play, or a feature film?
Most of us have imagined or attempted completing some large-scale project at some point in time. Now (July 2020) it may seem an impossibility as we can’t gather to execute such a project. However, the groundwork can still be done.
This groundwork is exactly what I asked Sylas Dall about for this interview.
When I originally asked Sylas Dall if I could interview him, I thought I’d ask him about how he got his first feature film They Reach funded and off the ground. While we did talk about the funding process, another story unfolded that’s even more valuable and inspiring than simply gaining investors. A story of eager persistence, confidence, and humility.
I had met Sylas Dall doing the 48 Hour Horror Film Project in Seattle, WA three or four years ago now (2020). His short film entry was hilarious, and beautifully shot. We followed each other on social media, and I contributed to his fundraising campaign for They Reach, but I didn’t know him very well.
I have to say, after interviewing Sylas I’m a bigger fan than ever. He was incredibly gracious with me and I can tell that this is the default mode he operates in.
I hope that in this interview I can at least partially reflect the generosity and earnestness I was so struck by in our conversation.
**All quotes are by Sylas Dall from our interview. Some have been slightly edited for context.
Forming the Vision
Things Sylas likes:
- The Goonies
- Poltergeist
- Close Encounters
- E.T.
- John Carpenter
Was watching:
- The Conjuring
- Night of the Living Dead
- Halloween
Sylas, based in Washington, grew up drawing, painting, and watching a lot of movies.
In 2016 (ish) he created a short trailer for Bleedingham, a horror film festival in Bellingham, WA with a 70s and 80s aesthetic. When he started writing the script for They Reach (immediately after the festival), he wanted to marry that aesthetic with a “kid adventure” story.
When he wrote the script, which he finished a year later…
“I just typed a book. And it was like 70 or 80 pages long.”
Once the They Reach script novella was complete, he began charting his color palette and creating a look book along with a PowerPoint presentation he could use to shop his idea to possible investors. As Sylas talks about his process conceptualizing, They Reach, his excitement and passion for the process are apparent in his voice.
“I had a long slideshow, and then I had a look book which I didn’t even know what it was called right. You know, I hadn’t been through the process and I didn’t know what it should look like, or what a business plan was, and how to write up everything [to present it to investors]. But, I was just doing it already, just as a presentation, right?”
Okay, I’m getting a little ahead of myself. Let me give you some background about this meeting…
Jumping Before You’re Ready
While Sylas was finishing his look books, shortly after finishing the script, he started reaching out to film industry folks in Washington to invite them to a meeting where he would pitch his concept for They Reach. He didn’t seem to have a particular goal for this meeting, he just wanted to make this film.
So, he rented a conference room at a hotel, brought his friend’s projector, and got a group of about fifteen his friends and acquaintances in the industry. At this meeting, he presented his novella and a PowerPoint presentation with his aesthetic outline for the film.
“And so when I was showing them the visuals, everyone started to be a little bit more excited like oh, this is like… you actually thought everything out.”
Not many of the people from that meeting ended up being involved in the making of They Reach. But, Sylas did make a connection that would prove invaluable to the getting the film created.
Learning While Doing
After that pitch meeting, Jason Connelly, one of the attendees, passed the script-novella off to Bry Troyer.
“I was actually going to be the cinematographer until I met Bry Troyer. Jason had really read this thing and he passed it to Bry and told him, ‘There’s something in there.’ And then Bry’s like, ‘You know, okay, I’ll read it.’
“So, he read it.
“And then he sent me this message. I didn’t even know Bry, you know, and he’s like, ‘This is really cool. I really think I want to be on this project. Do you mind if I give you notes on the script?’
“This is after that big meeting. So, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, for sure. You know, like, just give me the craziest notes. Like, don’t hold back, you know, just, you can be as harsh as you want.’ Because, I kind of live off that feedback.”
Bry agrees.
“He loaded the hell out of the script with, ‘You should change this, you change that, you should think about doing this, where’s your character arc right here?’
“I didn’t know any of these terms. So I asked Bry, I said, ‘I loved your notes. Do you want to talk further about a script that script rewrite? And he goes, ‘Yeah, sure’.
“And then about a month later, when we started looking more heavily into a script. I just asked him if he wanted to be a partner in rewriting the script, as a co-writer, just from page one, all the way through.”
Again, Bryan agreed. He and Sylas spent two-months rewriting the entire 80-page script together. Bryan would go on to be a producer on the film and a mentor to Sylas throughout the project.
“Yeah, he was literally my mentor for all that other the other side of the spectrum. Because here’s the artist side, you know, and then here’s all the paperwork, and all the producing, and contracts, and permits, and all this crap that you don’t want to know. Right? And I think a true filmmaker should know everything to be well rounded.
“This was this is my this is my baby, you know, so I was like, I need to know everything I can. So following him in his footsteps, I was always I was in every single meeting. I made choices with Bry we did everything together.”
Every film is unique with its own challenges and learning opportunities.
“Jason also joined in the initial meetings, for prep for pre-production work. So, it was it was definitely a whole new step in filmmaking that we were all kind of like cruising towards learning new things.
“The ground is never really just paved for you. Just, ‘Go. Go ahead. There’s the path.’
“I’m going on my second one and it’s still a bumpy road.”
Sylas shared the story of other key team members coming on, always reiterating how much he learned from each of their input. He specifically called out:
- Jason Conelly (Producer)
- Julie Kettman (Producer and Assistant Director or A.D.)
- James Winters (Director of Photography or D.P.)
James Winters was particularly critical to the making of They Reach. Sylas talked about “mind-melding sessions” where they would watch movies together, point out scenes they liked, and create short-hands for shots so they were perfectly aligned before ever getting to set.
I mean, check out this beautiful still from the film:
He even did a 48 Hour Film Project (the one I originally met him at) with James Winters, his D.P., to test their ability to work together before moving forward on They Reach together.
This is what strikes me about this part of Sylas’ story: how much time went into building the relationships and shared language between the people on his production team. Even while he continually learned while doing, he didn’t rush building these bonds of trust and understanding before diving in.
Once the core crew had been established, they started the casting process.
Then, they needed funding…
Building a Film Family
As Sylas told me the story of their marketing and funding efforts, I was constantly reminded of my interview with Napoleon Gladney on marketing for artists. The marketing for They Reach is a prime example of what Napoleon recommends in that interview.
“We were post images and pictures of concepts and stuff way before we even had the ball rolling.”
Sylas and the They Reach team took the time to build trust with their audience long before they launched any fundraising campaign or even began casting.
Using Napoleon’s framework, I pointed out that for Sylas, his marketing started in that initial pitch meeting where he invited fifteen people into the early stages of his project.
“Literally, so people who were at that meeting, even the ones that did didn’t end up helping on-set, they still were talking about it or promoting it in a way. Talking about it to others or sharing our stuff.”
One year from Bleedingham, all the while working on script rewrites and preproduction, they launched their Indiegogo campaign.
By the time they launched, they had built what Sylas called their “film family.” Which meant, he only wanted to include people who were caring toward other team members and who cared about the project. Even over someone who was good at their craft. This film family had grown to up to 50 or 60 people, including all the extras, their parents, etc. This opened the doors to success for their campaign.
He shared some tips he used from researching other successful campaigns.
Sylas’ Crows-Sourcing Campaign Tips:
- Find out which platform your audience is on.
“Indiegogo had a lot of these independent horror films that were getting a lot of eyes. And then Kickstarter did, but it looked like the people that did on Kickstarter had previous work done to ride off of and to promote through their already big circle of friends and network, which we didn’t have.”
2. Reach out to other people on the fundraising platform who might be willing to share tips or cross-promote your campaigns
Clearly, cold reaching out to people has worked well for Sylas. And why not? The worst they could say is no, or nothing at all.
3. Match the aesthetic of your campaign page to the aesthetic of your project.
Being visually oriented, Sylas created images in Photoshop to create the look of his Indiegogo campaign. This helped build trust with investors as it spoke in the same language as film – visuals. And, it gave the audience a sense of what they can expect from They Reach. It was another extension of the Napoleon Gladney model of marketing.
4. Speak to what your audience would want to know to invest in your project.
Is it that it’s created in a specific area? Is it the people involved with the project? Look for those sticking points that make your project stand-out and resonate to your audience.
Do’s and Don’ts:
- Do make an IMDB page before your campaign
- Do have someone devoted to managing the campaign and handing out the donation rewards
- Do have personalized rewards (Sylas and Bry made songs about people’s worst fears for donors)
- Don’t offer too many personalized rewards
- Do get your rewards materials created or shipped in bulk
- Don’t offer DVD or Blue Ray rewards (distributors don’t like that)
- Do set your goal lower than what you want it to be (if you don’t make your goal, it looks bad to future investors; and if you go over your goal it looks amazing)
Lessons from the They Reach
Three years in the making, the film is finished, but the search for the right distributor and the continual marketing of the film continues. Even as Sylas works on his next project.
Near the end of our interview, he mentioned to me some things he plans to do differently on the next one. Aside from having someone dedicated to his crowd-sourcing campaign. Sylas says he’ll have production in mind even at the conception phase. Taking into account the costs of location permits and perhaps not doing a period piece.
Essentially, taking inventory of what’s available to him and using these resources as the jumping off point for his story.
Follow Sylas’ Work
They Reach is currently working out its distribution deal, but you can follow the film’s journey on Facebook.
You can follow Sylas on Instagram here.
And, make sure to check out his recent music video for Smokey Brights where he further homes his visual voice and signature aesthetic.
Your Artful Effort
“Get out of your own way.”
As evident in his story, Sylas believes the best thing to do is get started. Work on the concept, whichever part you can build out, do it. Stick your neck out. Talk to people, find mentors, and get others involved. Don’t wait for opportunities to arise. Create your own opportunities. And, most importantly:
“Don’t wait for others to give you permission… You have to will it into existence.”
