Drawing with Chalk

By Laurie Smith

There’s a new kind of up-and-coming filmmaker in town. Not the dreamy-eyed, angst-ridden just-out-of-film-school types, but the regular “Joe,” who went to school 20 years ago, got a regular job, married their college sweetheart, had kids, and moved to suburbia. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but first-time filmmakers Todd Giglio and Christopher Springer decided to take a huge plunge as they neared the big four-oh, and live a long-dormant dream.

Drawing with Chalk, tagged as a mid-life coming of age story, is proof that fulfilling dreams is possible at any stage of life. The film reflects the struggles in their own lives, as their 40-year-old characters, Jay and Matt, attempt to rekindle a music career left behind in lieu of responsibilities. Art imitates life as the characters battle to find balance between the music and jobs, family and friendships.

Making the film was a true labor of love for old college pals, and now brothers-in-laws, Giglio and Springer, that came about after a “what if” night of watching films and sharing a few beers and a lot of ideas. Then the writing began.

The pair co-wrote, produced, acted in the film, and put everything on the line financially. Was it worth it? Both offered a resounding, Yes! “We decided it was time to give it one last shot,” Giglio, who also directed, declared. “The last 20 years had gone by in a flash, and we were damned to let the next 20 do the same.” Springer agreed saying, “Not to sound cliché, but this film really was a labor of love, and in some ways necessary for us to make. For me, it marked a rebirth, if you will, of acting. Acting was, and always will be, the love of my life, as far as selfish things go. My wife and child, they are a whole different thing.”

Q: So there was a deep importance to making this film?

A: (Giglio) The worries were still there, but I feel I owed to my family and myself to make this film. Not only would it accomplish my own dream, but it would show to my boys that you never give up, no matter what stands in the way. So yes, this film was very important for me to make and it means a lot to me. Plus I'll always have Brennan's age captured on film, and he was a blast to work with. (Giglio’s real-life son Brennan played his son, Bryan, in the film.)

Springer added: I think when you're young, it's easy to say, ‘What have I got to lose?’ Well, we had a lot to lose, and went ahead anyway. That was the biggest risk of all. I must say that I'm proud for having taken that risk, despite the fact that we'll likely see no monetary return. It took balls to do what we did, regardless of the outcome and I'll never forget that aspect of it, and I'll be sure to pass that sense of following your heart on to my daughter.

(Accolade) The passion these guys possess simply pours out on the screen, and is felt deeply by the audience. Perhaps it is more evident in the 40+ demographic, but it’s there. Drawing with Chalk has screened at dozens of festivals, including Phoenix Film Festival and the Newport Beach Film Festival. (No small potatoes.) They have, of course also endured the smaller venues with low attendance and broken projectors.

Paula Berliner of Ramona, California, a filmgoer at Newport, commented that Drawing with Chalk, touched her in a way that no big Hollywood film ever has. “I could honestly relate to this film,” she shared. “It was so real, so honest. I even took a look at my own life after watching the film. It’s a shame more people won’t have the opportunity to see it.”

“Seeing that there are so many people like us out there who have gone through the same things, and even had some of the same conversations that appear in the movie has been unbelievable,” Springer said. “I always thought people like us needed a voice and I hope that Todd and I have helped give us one.”

Q: What were the difficulties of making the film?

A: (Giglio) How about hiding nearly $100,000 in debt from your wife while making the film. I had purchased the equipment and Chris and I really didn't have a budget when we started and I got the mindset that nothing, including money, was going to get in the way. I knew how I wanted the film to look, and I did what I had to do in order to make it the way I wanted to make it, so I had no problem pulling out the plastic to get the job done. I did, however, have problems paying for it. Eventually the weight I was carrying was too large and I had to come clean. To say the least, this put a strain on our relationship. Fortunately I have a wife who understood this drive, and she stuck it out with me.

Q: In addition to an Accolade award, I hear you’ve won many others.

A: We've won several awards, including Best American Feature at the Heart of England International Film Festival (on an early rough cut), as well as Special Jury for Best Narrative at the Canada International Film Festival. We've also won several awards for our music; two songs won at the Garden State Movie Music Competition, and we won a Silver Jury Award at the Park City Music Film Festival. We've been nominated for many awards at other festivals, including the upcoming World Music and Independent Film Festival for Best Drama; Best Screenplay; Best Original Soundtrack; Best Director; Best Actor (Todd Giglio); Best Actress (Pooja Kumar); Best Supporting Actor (Christopher Springer); and Best Cinematography.

Q: That’s not too shabby for first-timers. What equipment did you use?

(Giglio) I really wanted the film to ‘look Hollywood'. We shot with the Panasonic HVX200 with lens adapter to give me depth of field and control of my field of view and the motion expected by big budget films: camera dolly and camera crane, no shaky video for me. I was also very careful about getting good sound. If I couldn't get it on set, I'd work my ass off to clean it up in post. Granted, much of the work I did 90 percent of the audience wouldn't realize it was done, but I knew the difference, and I’m the only one, aside from Chris, that I had to make happy, and I'm one tough critic. (Giglio’s band Six Mile Hill wrote and performed all the music, which is currently being remixed by Jeff Peters, who has engineered such greats as The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson and Brian Setzer, to name a few. Once again, money to pay for this has become an issue, and a fundraising campaign is underway.)

(Accolade) The close-knit Drawing with Chalk circle also includes friends and band members Ken Sherman and Barry Nagel, who traveled from New York to support the film’s screening at Newport. In response to the awards and recognition for the film’s music, Nagel commented, “After all the hard work, awards and nominations solidified our belief that somebody would appreciate the end result. And to actually sit in a movie theater and hear the music as it relates to the film; the experience goes beyond words.”

"At this point, the film and the music are so intertwined with each other, that any recognition either of them gets helps the other,” added Sherman. “As we all know, it's so hard to get noticed. Awards and nominations get more people to seek you out, and the more people seek you out, the better chance there is of some doors opening up that may not have been opened otherwise. And on a visceral level, it's gratifying to get an award because it feeds the fire and helps you keep pushing toward the ultimate goal of getting your work exposed to a wider audience."

Q: You’ve all been so busy attending festivals and promoting the film. What’s coming up?

A: (Springer) We have the Long Island International Film Expo and the Blue Whiskey International Film Festival in July, and the World Music and Independent Film Festival in Washington, D.C. in August. There are a few more we've applied to, so we'll see what happens. What's nice is that now there are festivals seeking us out and requesting screeners, rather than the other way around. I guess the word is getting out there.

Q: Any advice for others?

A: (Giglio) I can't say enough to anyone of any age out there to give it a shot. If it's really in you, then find a way and do it. There were a million ways Chris and I could rationalize why making a film would be a bad idea, but I know if we hadn't tried, there would be one big regret that I would never be able to get over. The only way you can truly fail is if you don't try. Yes, I still wait tables. No, I'm not rich. But I have something I'm really proud of, and that can never be taken away from me. I don't know what the future holds for us, but either way I can say we never gave up. I hope the film and the music finds its own life with others and we'll keep working hard to get it out there, but we are realistic in our options. The days of getting big studio deals are gone and most distribution contracts leave very little for the filmmaker. So we won't get rich, but my life is much richer having done this film.

Drawing with Chalk is the type of film you think about for a long time, and the filmmakers, and all the people they have gathered around them along their journey, are people you want to hang out with at a kitchen table, have a few beers and discuss ideas. Check out their website at: drawingchalkpictures.com