This is part three of three where I interview the director, screenwriter and producer of the indie horror film, 30 Miles From Nowhere.
Kelly Demaret is a first-time producer on 30 Miles From Nowhere and set up her production company, Film Camp Productions with the film’s screenwriter, Seana Kofoed. She is also an actor and known for Law & Order (1990) and Emmett’s Last Stand (2011).
30 Miles From Nowhere stars Emmy-winner Carrie Preston and Supernatural fan-favorite, Rob Benedict, the film has an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, was a ‘Popular Pick’ on Amazon Prime U.S., landed on several Halloween Must-Watch New Releases lists this season, and is a recipient of the ReFrame stamp for its diversity and gender-balance, with a female writer, director, and producing team and a diverse and 50% female cast and crew.
The film is currently available in the US on DVD at Walmart & Amazon, and digital on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play. In the UK it’s available at Tesco on DVD, and on
SkyStore, Amazon, iTunes. Here is the premise of the film:
When five college pals return to rural Wisconsin for their estranged friend’s funeral, what begins as an uneasy reunion becomes a terrifying fight for survival.
How did you begin your career as a producer?
30 MILES FROM NOWHERE was the first movie that I produced. It was borne out of friends dreaming over a pint, notes scribbled on cocktail napkins and a naive misunderstanding that a friend of a friend would fund us.
I graduated with a degree in theater from Northwestern University. My first real job out of college was working as an assistant to a creative executive at Paramount Pictures. I didn’t love desk work and moved on, spending a few years working in production on TV commercials. I spent many years chasing the dream of making a living as an actor. Most recently I kept the books for 59 Films, a commercial and feature production company based in Chicago. These varied positions at different places and times in my life set a great foundation for me to bring together different skill sets and step up to the challenge of producing a movie!
How did you set up your production company?
We were advised to set up an LLC specifically for this one film. One of the big questions for us was in which state to incorporate. We decided that it made most sense to set up our LLC in the state where we would be filming so we chose Illinois. We followed the advice in Suzanne Lyons’ book Independent Film Producing – she sets out the nuts and bolts in a very accessible way. She also says that anyone can make a movie, so that was good to hear!
We wrote a mission statement together which was helpful in guiding us through the process.
What were the main obstacles you faced in pre-production, on-set and in post-production? How did you fix these issues and what did you learn from them?
The main obstacle was getting people on board at the very beginning. Nobody wants to be the first person to say yes. We were lucky in that we knew Rob Benedict from Northwestern – he was the first person to commit to the project. After that, there was a lot of chicken and egg business going on. Once we finally got our director on board, we were able to interest a DP. Then our director had to then bow out due to scheduling conflicts so we were faced with the question of whether or not to go ahead. We hadn’t really raised a lot of money yet in it would have been easy to throw in the towel at this point. But we had some decent momentum and kept on.
There is a very stressful time during pre-production when we needed to lock down our location before we had all of our funding. This was our first significant spend and I think it was great that we were forced to make the decision because more things began to fall into place after we took that leap.
As for production, the first couple days were pretty messy and we needed to earn the respect of our crew. Eventually I think they saw that we were going to take care of them, that we were working as hard as they were and that we were all in this together. We definitely had some fires to put out every day but we kept pressing on and everybody stuck by us. The thing that helped me the most in these difficult moments was that I had a mentor who I could call in moments of crisis. He was able to talk me down and advise me with a clear head. I tried to be very honest and upfront with everyone, owning my mistakes when I made them and trying to be a good listener when people had issues to discuss.
Casting was a lot of craziness even though we had 3 of our main leads pretty early on. Our final actor wasn’t cast until the day before he began filming so that was a little stressful. I’ve come to find out that is more common than one would think.
Post-production was an incredible learning experience. Our editing took longer than expected. It was particularly challenging for me because I wasn’t on set as much as I would have liked so I didn’t really even know what we had. We had to keep going back into the footage for the best takes. On the next one, I hope to be at the monitor!
The phase after editing was probably my favorite part of post-production. I really enjoyed working with the composer and the sound designer to add these layers of life and elevate the film. I love how easy it is these days to collaborate due to sites like frame.io. We had people in three different cities on two continents collaborating.
“30 Miles from Nowhere” is a recipient of a ReFrame stamp, with a female director, writer, and producing team, and a diverse and 50% female cast and crew. How important was this for you, especially when it came to telling the story?
To be honest, Seana was the one pushing this from the beginning and I’m so glad she did. In the past, I was more of the mindset of “Well that would be nice, but if we can’t, we can’t.” I used to be more inclined to back down or not rock the boat or take what we could get. Never again!
I will have to let her speak to the story, but I can say that having a diverse and 50% female cast and crew was a lovely experience. I’ve been on a lot of sets in my life and this one felt more like a family (well, summer camp) than any other I have been on. Some of our crew mentioned the same thing to me and it really made me feel good about our decisions and our efforts to keep it balanced.
What are your plans for distribution and what have been the challenges so far?
We have a distribution agreement with UK-based 4 Digital Media and foreign sales representation with Raven Banner out of Toronto. Distribution was a brutal process – it was an emotional roller coaster including a lot of self-doubt, feelings that no one values your work enough, that you might be making stupid mistakes or being taken advantage of. I was uncomfortable with the idea that we’ll never really know if we made the right decision because we can’t compare the other outcomes. I was eventually able to move through these fears and make a decision. I think we lucked out and landed with a really good distributor for this project.
Although this was the most challenging aspect of the process for me, it was also one of my favorite parts. These were the months when I really began to feel I was a part of the filmmaking community. There was such an outpouring of support and guidance from other filmmakers while we were doing our research. We cold emailed dozens and dozens of people all over the world and they were generous with their time and shared their stories with us. We were able to avoid at least some of the pitfalls. Talk to everyone you can. People want to help you!
What has your experience been like as a female filmmaker in the industry and have you faced discrimination compared to men?
I remember being at PA in the 90s and wondering what kinds of jobs I could have in this industry. It seemed like I was being steered toward the production office and the wardrobe department. As a PA, I would overcompensate by carrying giant tables for lunch by myself up flights of stairs because I didn’t want to be perceived as weaker than the guys. Most of the guys weren’t carrying tables by themselves! I just really felt like I had to prove myself to keep my spot in the rotation.
I was really interested in the camera department but I never saw a woman near the camera or in the camera department, not even as a loader or at the camera house. So I didn’t think it was the thing to pursue. That is one of the reasons why it was really important to me on this film to have women in the camera, grip and electric departments. And they weren’t hard to find – so I see that as a sign of progress over the last 20 years.
Oh, and I got paid less than my male counterpart when I worked in an office.
How do you view the #MeToo movement and what changes do you think need to be made in the industry, if any?
Changes are definitely being made and we just need to keep up the momentum. This movement has lasted longer than any other I’ve witnessed in my lifetime. Women need to hire women. Clear and simple. And, of course, we hire men too. With women in charge, there will be balance. With men in charge, not so much.
A friend just asked me to give notes on a script that he wrote and because of #MeToo and all the conversations that are happening I felt like I could be super honest and unfiltered with my comments. I’m grateful to finally feel like I can use my voice and share my opinion and not be labeled crazy, too sensitive or, god forbid, a feminist.
What advice can you give to other female filmmakers entering the industry?
Do good work. Don’t give up. Treat everyone with respect. Really listen to the women who inspire you. They can be your guide. I often do not feel brave and confident so I look to women who are (or appear to be) and learn from them.
Seek out and apply for grants and loans and programs that are specifically for women.
What is the most important lesson you have learnt, whether that is in life or in the industry?
I need to stay open-minded and constantly keep learning. Personally, I need to have a group of trusted people around helping me sort through life and business. I can’t do this thing alone. I used to pretend I could. That realization has helped me grow and move out of my comfort zone into someplace much more exciting!
FemCinema 