Chapter 12

        Edgewood Studios confounds conventional lore about movie production. Located in the most rural state (Vermont) in a city that is by no means a major metropolis (Rutland), Edgewood Studios serves as an example that you can follow your dreams, make a good living, and give something back to the community along the way. Co-founders David Giancola and Peter Beckwith did just that, turning their love for movies into a sustainable business. From modest beginnings doing the wedding circuit and creating industrial videos, Edgewood Studios now handles milliondollar plus feature films, facility and equipment rentals for production groups working in Vermont, and a variety of independent features, many of which serve as training vehicles for the next generation of filmmakers. They're actively involved with distribution of video features internationally, production of their own feature material, and work-forhire projects destined for cable television broadcast. 

The lessons presented in this chapter, and the underlying advice offered by Dave Giancola, veer off on a somewhat different course from the rest of this book. Dave knows and trusts film and thinks it is far too early to join the stampede to digital video, particularly when the standards continue to change at a blistering pace, rendering today's state-of-the-art cameras and editing tools into tomorrow's doorstops. Some of the 16mm and 35mm cameras in his rental collection date back more than a decade, but they can still produce high-quality films with the rich colors and depth and contrast that characterize film, as opposed to videotape. Those films can serve as masters to support the next generation video formats. When high-definition DVD standards are in place, Edgewood can return to the original 35mm negatives and digitize the material to fit the new standards. From one high-quality master, any number of future potential digital video formats can be supported simply by converting the film content by means of the telecine process.

Edgewood has been enjoying a resurgence of interest in their earlier work, which is now being re-released on DVD and generating new sales in the distribution channels.

This chapter offers a perspective on the importance of distribution for filmmakers, the techniques for producing films under low-budget conditions, and the increasing importance of DVD as a medium to reach new audiences and grow a business.

From High School Student to Moviemaker

If the thought of several years of film school to become a moviemaker seems daunting, you might approach the problem the way that Dave did. Just jump right in and start your own video business. As Dave explains it, "Edgewood Studios started in 1987. I was literally just out of high school.'

I really wanted to get into the movie business, but I was not happy about the prospect of four years of college or going to film school and playing by somebody else's rules. Pretty arrogant. I just wanted to get started. I had some friends who were already going to film school and they were stuck in the theory, barely touching the cameras. I decided: I am going to start my own company and get going. So, I forced my way into some office space, got a bank loan, got some video equipment, and started shooting whatever anybody would pay me for. Which was primarily, at that time, weddings, legal depositions, and even a funeral or two."

While the business gained momentum, Dave was also working on a variety of creative concepts and developing movie ideas. While drinking in a local bar, he met Peter Beckwith, a Cornell graduate who was managing the bar and also cruising around Vermont enjoying the role of ski bum.

The two began talking and discovered that they had a similar outlook on business.

"I was very passionate about making film," Dave said, recalling the initial conversation, "and he was very passionate about business. There was a really good mix between us." Shortly afterwards, the sole proprietorship became a partnership.

"We actually were doing really well with Edgewood as a video production company," Dave recalls. "We stepped out of weddings after a couple of years. It was great training for documentary work, but we really had had enough of it. I knew that I had booked my last wedding when I got in trouble because I didn't videotape the hors d'oeuvres at a wedding. The mother of the bride was furious at me because I didn't videotape them and suddenly they were gone. That's when I said, 'OK, I'm done with weddings now.'"