Filmmaker enjoying reel success

In 1976 in Hawaii, a young man named Fred Potts wrote a script -- a short script about time travel. There, on the beach, it didn't seem like much other than a far-fetched story. But it was the start of a successful movie-making career -- albeit a few years down the road.

Potts, a former Wasilla resident, penned that first script in 1976, but he didn't get into writing scripts full-time until the late 1980s. By the 1990s, he took it one step farther -- his scripts became the subjects of short motion pictures, and his career was born.

Potts set out to make movies his way, and so far, he has been more than successful. His current project is a multi-million dollar feature-length film in New Zealand. It's quite a leap for a guy who just likes the movies.

"I didn't have any formal training. I didn't go to film school. It's a talent that I think you either have or you don't, and no amount of schooling is going to make you any better or worse," Potts said.

Of course, it helps to have a good team, and in wife Kim, Potts has just that.

"She is really into continuity and is more assertive, while I'm the creative one. It takes us both to make a very good team," Potts said. "She is more business-oriented, and you need someone like her when you are dealing with studios and the business end of making films."

Independent filmmaker

Many high school counselors probably won't recommend being an independent filmmaker to their students, because the business can be rough.

For every Steven Speilberg or Ron Howard, there are thousands of independent filmmakers who are starving.

"The independent field is tough to crack. For the Sundance Film Festival alone, there were like 2,000 submissions for only 60 slots," Potts said. "Unless you are established and are working with name celebrities, it is a tough business."

Potts has managed to work with a lot of well-known actors and actresses, and in turn, has enjoyed success with his short films. He has eight shorts, including one that recently wrapped up filming at the MacKay building in Anchorage just last month.

Throughout his career, he has worked with actors like Johnny Whittaker of Family Affair, William Sanderson of Last Man Standing and The Bob Newhart Show, Eddie Deezen of Grease and War Games and Kimberly Doan of Grinch.

"You almost have to have a known talent to get noticed," Potts said. "It lends some legitimacy to your projects when a known talent wants to work with you on a short-film project."

For Potts, it helps to have a friend in the businesses. The best man at his wedding was childhood friend Paul Petersen, who starred in the Donna Reed show. Petersen is active in the Screen Actors Guild, and those connections have helped Potts in his movie-making career.

"When Paul calls someone or I call someone, there is a difference there," Potts said. "I don't use my friendship with Paul, but he has a tendency to open a lot more doors than I can myself."

Technical aspects

Technology has moved faster than the industry at times. With that advancement in technology, almost everyone who picks up a digital camera may think they can be a filmmaker now. Potts said people don't even realize all there is to making a film.

"I'd invite those people to make a real, high-quality film, and then say that it is easy," Potts said. "There is so much more than picking up a digital camera and shooting."

Potts' sets are elaborate, and most of his projects are shot on 35-millimeter film. That costs about $200 a minute to shoot, and on some projects, he has shot nearly an hour of film for a 12- to 15-minute short film. There are even more expensive options -- HD cameras cost in the thousands of dollars per day, just to rent -- and there are, of course, cheaper options.

"I believe in shooting film, because it gives that depth on the big screen that you want in a movie," Potts said. "When you are filming on video, it looks like soap opera quality. Personally, I think it looks a little more fake on video. I've used video a lot in the past, but I just prefer to use film for a much better-looking finished project.

"If all you can afford is video, shoot it," Potts said. "Video is a great educational and learning tool. Don't stop your dreams just because you are shooting video," Potts said.

Behind the scenes, Potts works closely with his director of photography on each project, because he knows his limitations.

"I'm not a mechanical guy. I know what I want the lighting to look like, or what I want the shot to look like, and I tell the DP (director of photography) and they make it happen," Potts said. "If I had to do it all, the projects wouldn't work."

Editing alone takes plenty of time, effort -- and of course, money.

On his latest project, Potts said the editor has already spent 22 hours editing, and he is only five minutes into the film.

It all adds up to a very involved process, even for short films.

"To do it right, it takes money, a good crew and good talent," Potts said.

Past and future

The first short film Potts completed was Lost, in 1999. It was a suspense film that fits into Potts' preferred genre of sci-fi thrillers. The same year, he wrote and directed the theater preview for Psycho V. He followed that up with Dream Escape, Final Twist of Fate and My Best Friend Wally. In all, he has eight short films on his resumŽ, and filming has already started on Karen, the feature-length film based on a true story.

Karen has attracted quite a crowd in New Zealand. It is a sad love story, and it steps way out from Potts' typical films.

"The family was a little hesitant to work with us because here I am, a horror and sci-fi director," Potts admits. "We've worked with the family and gotten really close with them, and they gave us the copywrite to the story. Now, I chit chat with the family every week or so."

Any day, Potts and his wife are slated to leave Alaska and move to New Zealand for two years to complete filming and editing on the project.

Filming is taking place in Gisborne, New Zealand, and securing all the proper visas and paperwork following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has proven to take much longer than anticipated. They were supposed to return to New Zealand last year at this time, but in the wake of the attacks, have waited until this fall to return.

Initial screenings of one-day shoots have been extremely successful in New Zealand.

"At one theater, we showed a daily, and it was standing-room only," Potts said. "I was just flabbergasted. I expected the crew and that was about it. The people in Gisborne have been very accommodating. I can't say enough about the people there."

On the set, many of the crewmembers are the same people who worked on Lord of the Rings, which was also filmed in New Zealand.

After Karen, Potts and his crew are tackling another large project. The Treadment is a series of short stories that are intertwined with each other.

There will be at least seven installments, and Potts has been in talks with the Sci-Fi Channel about possibly turning the short stories into a television series. Actresses Amanda Plummer and Karen Black are interested in the project.

Working in New Zealand is an interesting thing, Potts said.

The government limits the amount of "outside" workers who can enter the country, and much of the crew must be from the country.

"You know, I don't have a big problem with that because there are lots of very talented people there," Potts said. "Indie filmmakers definitely have it a little tougher filming there though."

Identity crisis

Pick a place, any place, and chances are Potts has been there or lived there. He lived in the Valley for a while, but he calls many places home.

Among those are Anchorage, Tucson, Arizona and New Zealand. Making movies has a tendency to take you to different places all the time, and for Potts, that is just part of the adventure.

"Between Alaska, Arizona and New Zealand, it has been a long, long haul," Potts said. "But it's been fun, and it'll continue to be fun."