Concept to Completion in 10 Months: The Future of Independent Filmmaking

Grace McPhillips, an actor turned producer, believes that anyone can make a film in ten months using the HP-Z820 -- a computer software that allows a filmmaker to edit footage taken using a RED camera in a quicker, more productive fashion – while also keeping a small budget.

McPhillips, a working actress and SAG member, came up with the idea after attending the Sundance Film Festival in 2013 where she first came across the HP software. When she returned to her home in Chicago, she put a team together and took what she called “a leap of faith”. The goal: to complete a feature film in under ten months. The HP-Z820 was critical in carrying out the plan.

Using the HP-Z820, McPhillips finished production on her film after seventeen days, and five days later went to Cannes and brought a teaser trailer along with her. She also stars as the female lead in the film, which is titled “The Other One”, and is hoping to have it streaming in Video On-Demand outlets by this fall.

McPhillips also has a short film premiering this Sunday. The short, called “Eclipse”, is actually a prequel to the feature film “The Other One”. The short film was also filmed at the same time as the feature, but it did not slow up either production because the HP-Z820 has hardly any rendering time because of how fast and proficient it is.

Although one has to factor in other aspects of the budget – McPhillips did admit that the overall amount of the budget was “well over a half-million dollars” – the actress said that using the HP-Z820 cut the cost of production down and saved both time nad money. Even with the low budget, the film has generated some buzz and the director hopes that one day it can become a sleeper hit, such as the Academy Award nominated film “Winter’s Bone”.