During a Screenwriters Lab at the Sun Valley Film Festival, Mark Duplass was introduced to the stage by a moderator as (what Variety calls) a hyphenated individual: Writer-Director-Actor-Producer. Mark’s story begins as many filmmaker’s do—grabbing his parent’s video camera and “fooling” around with his brother, Jay. Eventually, they shot what Mark calls a “Five Dollar Short,” called This is John, and submitted to festivals. The film was well received, so the two brothers went on to make their first feature, The Puffy Chair, which premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, and the rest is history.

Or is it…

Mark Duplass exists—no, thrives—in a realm many indie filmmakers dream to be: making the movies he wants to do (often with his inner-circle of friends). People respect him for it. More importantly (though some in the indie world may disagree) he makes good money doing it. What is the secret? How does he succeed where so many fail? While luck and abilities certainly play in, the real answer is economics and Mark’s ability to make films frequently and on the cheap.

Many filmmakers who grew to fame in the 90’s have been forced to adapt to the model Mark was brought up under. There is a strong parallel between Mark and Edward Burns (The Brothers McMullen, Saving Private Ryan). Ed Burns rose as an indie writer-director-writer-producer. He had huge hits in McMullen and She’s The One. He went on to act in studio films—however, production woes forced Ed to make a jump from $3 million films to the world of $125,000 nano-budgets; the world Mark grew up in. Both—after mastering this low budget field—now produce and star in their own network TV shows.

Ed was able to adapt—realizing that if a film can be made on the cheap, but maintain its quality in story and character, there is a stronger likelihood of walking away with a few dollars in the bank and a body of work to be proud of. Afterall, if a film only earns $600,000 on iTunes, but only cost $150,000 to make, that’s about as close to a home run as you can get (as opposed to a $3 million earning $600,000 and suddenly careers are on the line).

This is by no means a new approach. It’s the Roger Corman model, and has allowed Roger to produce over 300 films in his career—with nearly every single one turning a profit. A track record that is almost unheard of in the studio/low budget realm ($1.5-$10 million), but thrives in the micro-budget world.

But in the world of nickel and dime filmmaking, the million dollar question remains: “How do I do it?”

Here are some excerpts (paraphrased and reworded) from Mark’s talk at Sun Valley. You can hear the entirety of his 50-minute talk at the bottom or listen to it here.

#1 Write. Write Anything. Just Write.

We all have that idea in our minds that is sure to be the next big thing. It’s big though, and bound to be expensive. If you are a first time filmmaker (or even a veteran), how can one possibly attain the funding and crew to bring the idea to life? After all, a wartime drama on the new frontier of Mars can’t be made for money in the piggy bank without looking like a poorly executed homage to Ed Wood.

Mark’s solution is to JUST WRITE. Just write it! Get it out and on paper. Give it life—understand what it looks like—and then put it away and write the version of the story that can be shot in your friend’s mom’s kitchen. The root of any story is character, followed closely by conflict. If you understand these two elements within your writing then the story can be produced anywhere. Make it real—make it YOU. Setting is a luxury you can work towards later, but there is a reason Shakespeare can exist anywhere: from the moors of England, to the African safari, to the halls of an American high school; it’s because the characters and conflicts are strong and timeless (and he wrote it instead of thinking about it).

#2 Practice is Cheap

It’s scary to think the words you write can only be tested when executed. Words on a page are very different from words on a screen. Mark’s advice for getting started is to find a scene from your life—something personal that you respond to—and write it. Real moments play out, and provide a means to invest yourself into the words. Write a 3 or 4-minute scene and shoot it on your phone. Show the scene to people you trust for feedback. If it sucks, it’s fine because it cost nothing to do and you are not out anything. Take your notes from the scene, rewrite for the notes, and shoot it again. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Practice will never make perfect (there’s no such thing as a perfect film), but it will always may you better. Eventually, understanding how to write for the screen (sometimes known as screenwriting) will come as second nature once you have the chance to see the words performed as often as possible.

#3 Short film or Feature?

Again, this is a matter of economics. Do you have $5 or $10,000? These were the numbers most often referenced by Mark. We live in a world of incredible technology, which truly puts the tools back into the hands of the artists. You can make a film on your phone (or a very good camera for a couple hundred bucks). The road to longevity in this field is through finding a way to stay profitable (which making money is strangely similar to not losing money). If you are going to do a short, don’t spend a lot of money on it. Use the short as an opportunity to hone your storytelling skills.

This is a very bold statement: $10,000 isn’t that hard to get. That can be covered by a credit card, or by borrowing/begging from people you know (or not buying a cup of coffee every day for 5.4 years). IF/WHEN you are able to get that 10 thousand, do a feature, because you can easily earn it back through transactional VOD outlets. A 10k feature will also showcase your abilities as a storyteller and filmmaker much more than a 10k short, plus it offers you the ability to earn it back.

#4 Get Good People

$10,000 for a feature? Really? Yes. The secret to anything—especially film—is to surround yourself with good people. Mark runs in a very tight group. He works with his brother, his wife, his friends. He works with people who believe and support him, and who also strive to do good. Having people like this onboard with you will make a $10,000 feature very do-able.

Another great solution is profit sharing. When the people you work with have a vested interest in the project, they are more willing to be working on the cheap. It is also the right thing to do. Many of Mark’s film have cost peanuts to produce and no one got rich making them; however, when the returns came in and the crew was able to share the profits they all made more than they would have had they been paid a standard wage. When this happens, they will also gladly return for the second round.

Beware of empty promises, though. There is no guarantee in this business, which is why a profit-share model can really only function within a collaborative group of friends—friends who are happy to work together even if the film never sees a dime.

#5 The Cost of Throw Pillows

Mark is a funny guy. So funny he’s a professional at it. He is also very sincere and knows drama. In his talk, Mark shares a story about working with studios. One blessing to making a film for no money is that you have more freedom. The more that is at risk, the more people will work to mitigate that risk, including requesting prettier throw pillows.

On the set of Cyrus, a studio film, costs of production were significantly higher than Mark’s earlier productions. As costs climb, producers understand their need to sell the film. Some producers believed the key to selling Cyrus would be to make it look “prettier” for the trailers. The discussion came around to the throw pillows in a scene, and producers pressured Mark to reshoot for the throw pillows. In a world (no pun intended) where a detail like throw pillows take precedence over performance and scene execution, an independent director and writer is bound to lose their cool. This is the cost of doing business with the studio and playing with other people’s money, which may be reason enough to happily put the “blockbuster in your mind” on the back-burner in favor of that $10,000 feature where throw pillows can live in the trash can.

The point, understand why you want to write and make films. Knowing this of yourself will make the journey much easier.

For filmmakers, Mark is the older brother some hope to be. He is killing it, and is very fortunate to be working under his own terms. He has come a long way and has even further left to go, but at the end of the day—and I take liberty speaking for Mark—if it meant having to bow down to throw pillows, he would still be just as happy stressing out over an answering machine greeting while his brother hits record on their parents video camera.

Mark Duplass Talks Indie Filmmaking

There were a total of 615 films that have been released in 2010. Here is the total list alphabetically, in case you need to make a Top 10 of 2010 or if you were at all curious (courtesy of indieWire).

[Rec] 2
127 Hours
16 to Life
180 South
2012: Time for Change
3 Billion and Counting
44 Inch Chest
45365
8: The Mormon Proposition

A Film Unfinished
A Film With Me in It
A Marine Story
A Mother’s Courage: Talking Back to Autism
A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Prophet
A Room and a Half
A Small Act
A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop
A Year Ago in January
After the Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United
After.Life
Agora
Ahead of Time
Ajami
Alamar
Alice in Wonderland
Alien Girl
All Good Things
Alpha and Omega 3D
Altiplano
American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein
And Everything Is Going Fine
Animal Kingdom
Another Year
Anton Chekhov’s The Duel
Applause
Around a Small Mountain
As Good as Dead
Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?
Audrey the Trainwreck

Babies
Barefoot to Timbuktu
Barking Water
Barney’s Version
Bearcity
Beautiful Islands
Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo
Behind the Burly Q
Beijing Taxi
Beneath the Dark
Best Worst Movie
Between Two Worlds
Biker Fox
Bitch Slap
Bitter Feast
Biutiful
Black Swan
Blood Done Sign My Name
Blue Valentine
Bluebeard
Boogie Woogie
Boxing Gym
Bran Nue Dae
Break ke Baad
Breaking Upwards
Breath Made Visible
Broderskab
Brooklyn’s Finest
Brotherhood
Budrus
Buried
Burlesque
Burzynski

Ca$h
Cairo Time
Carbon Nation
Carlos
Carmo, Hit the Road
Case 39
Casino Jack
Casino Jack and the United States of Money
Catfish
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
Centurion
Chain Letter
Chance Pe Dance
Charlie St. Cloud
Cherry
Children of Invention
Chloe
Circle
City Island
Clash of the Titans
Clear Blue Tuesday
Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer
Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky
Come Undone
Con Artist
Convention
Conviction
Cool It
Cop Out
Countdown to Zero
Country Strong
Crazy on the Outside
Creation
Cropsey
Cyrus

Dabangg
Daddy Longlegs
Daddy’s Home
Dancing Across Borders
Daniel and Ana
Date Night
Daybreakers
DDR/DDR
De Mai Tinh
Deadfall Trail
Dear John
Death at a Funeral
Defendor
Delta
Despicable Me
Devil
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Dinner for Schmucks
Disco and Atomic War
District B13 – Ultimatum
Dogtooth
Don McKay
Double Take
Double Tide
Douchebag
Down Terrace
Dream Boy
Dreamkiller
Due Date
Dulha Mil Gaya

Easier with Practice
Easy A
Eat Pray Love
Eccentricities of a Blonde-haired Girl
Edge of Darkness
Eichmann
Enemies of the People
Enter the Void
Entre Nos
Etienne!
Everyone Else
Everything Strange and New
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Expecting Mary
Extraordinary Measures
Eyes Wide Open

Fair*Game
Falling Awake
Farewell
Faster
Finding Bliss
Fish Tank
Flipped
Flooding with Love for the Kid
Floored
For Colored Girls
For My Father
Formosa Betrayed
Four Lions
Frankie and Alice
Freakonomics
Fresh
From Paris With Love
Frozen
Furry Vengeance

Garbage Dreams
GasLand
Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould
George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead
Get Him to the Greek
Get Low
GhettoPhysics: Will the Real Pimps and Ho’s Please Stand Up?
Ghost Bird
God of Vampires
Godspeed
Going Blind
Going the Distance
Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then
Great Directors
Green Zone
Greenberg
Grown Ups
Gulliver’s Travels
Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench
Guzaarish

Hadewijch
Handsome Harry
Happiness Runs
Happy Tears
Harimaya Bridge, The
Harlan: In the Shadow of Jew Suss
Harlem Aria
Harry Brown
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
Hatchet II
Have You Heard from Johannesburg?
Heartbreaker
Heartless
Helen
Hell on Wheels
Hemingway’s Garden of Eden
Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno
Here and There
Hereafter
Hideaway
Hiding Divya
Holy Rollers
Honeymoons
Hot Summer Days
Hot Tub Time Machine
House
How Do You Know
How to Train Your Dragon
Howl
Hubble 3D
Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist, Rebel

I Am Love
I Love You Phillip Morris
I Spit on Your Grave
I Want Your Money
I’m Still Here
Idiots and Angels
In My Sleep
In My Sleep
In Search of Memory
Inception
Inhale
Inside Job
Inspector Bellamy
Iron Man 2
Ishqiya
It Came from Kuchar
It’s a Bash!
It’s Kind of a Funny Story

Jack Goes Boating
Jackass 3D
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
John Rabe
Jolene
Jonah Hex
Just Say Love
Just Wright
Karthik Calling Karthik
Kawasaki’s Rose
Kick-Ass
Killers
Kimjongilia
Kings of Pastry
Kings of the Evening
Kisses
Kites
Knight and Day

La Mission
Last Train Home
Lbs.
Leap Year
Leaves of Grass
Leaving
Lebanon
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole 3D
Legendary
Legion
Leonard Cohen Live at the Isle of Wight 1970
Let Me In
Letters to Father Jacob
Letters to God
Letters to Juliet
Life As We Know It
Life During Wartime
Like Dandelion Dust
Little Fockers
Living in Emergency
Logan
Looking for Eric
Lottery Ticket
Lourdes
Love & Other Drugs
Love Ranch
Lovely, Still
Lovers of Hate

MacGruber
Machete
Made in Dagenham
Mademoiselle Chambon
Make-Out with Violence
Making Plans for Lena
Manuela and Manuel
Mao’s Last Dancer
Marmaduke
Mars
Marwencol
Megamind
Mercy
Meskada
Mesrine: Killer Instinct
Mesrine: Public Enemy Number One
Micmacs
Mid-August Lunch
Middle Men
Midnight Reckoning
Milh Hadha al-Bahr
Milk and Money
Mine
Misconceptions
Modern Love Is Automatic
Modus Operandi
Monsters
Morning Glory
Mother
Mother and Child
Mugabe and the White African
Multiple Sarcasms
Mundane History
Murder in Fashion
Music Makes a City
My Dog Tulip
My Name is Khan
My Soul to Take
My Year Without Sex

N-Secure
Nanny McPhee Returns
Ne change rien
Nénette
Neshoba: The Price of Freedom
Never Let Me Go
Night Catches Us
Nine Nation Animation
No One Knows About Persian Cats
Nobody’s Perfect
North Face
Nothing Personal
Nowhere Boy
Nuremberg restoration
NY Export: Opus Jazz

Ocean of Pearls
Oceans
October Country
Off and Running
Ondine
Only When I Dance
Open Five
Open Five
Operation: Endgame
Order of Chaos
Our Beloved Month of August
Our Family Wedding

Paranormal Activity 2
Patrik, Age 1.5
Peepli Live
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Perrier’s Bounty
Phish 3D
Phyllis and Harold
Picasso & Braque Go to the Movies
Picture Me: A Model’s Diary
Piranha 3D
Please Give
Pop Star on Ice
Pornography: A Thriller
Preacher’s Kid
Predators
Primal
Prince of Broadway
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Princess Kaiulani
Prodigal Sons
Punching the Clown

Queen of the Lot

Raavan
Rabbit à la Berlin
Rabbit Hole
Race to Nowhere
Rachel
Racing Dreams
Rajneeti
Ramona and Beezus
Rann
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
RED
Red Alert: The War Within
Red Birds
Red Hill
Red Riding: 1974
Red Riding: 1980
Red Riding: 1983
Red White & Blue
Remember Me
Repo Men
Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D
Restrepo
Robert Jay Lifton: Nazi Doctors
Robin Hood
Rosencrantz and Guildenstein are Undead
Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage

S&Man
Saint John of Las Vegas
Salt
Salt of This Sea
Saw VII 3D
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Secret Sunshine
Secretariat
Sex and the City 2
Shanghai Red
She’s Out of My League
Shrek Forever After
Shutter Island
Shutterburg
Skyline
Smash His Camera
Solitary Man
Somewhere
Soul Kitchen
South of the Border
Speed-Dating
Splice
Spoken Word
Spring Fever
Standing Ovation
Step Up 3D
Still Bill
Stolen
Stone
Stonewall Uprising
Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields
Sweetgrass
Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo

Takers
Tales From the Script
Tamara Drewe
Tangled
Teen Patti
Terkel in Trouble
Terribly Happy
The A-Team
The Afterlight
The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector
The American
The Anchorage
The Army of Crime
The Art of the Steal
The Back-up Plan
The Big Uneasy
The Book of Eli
The Bounty Hunter
The Cartel
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The City of Your Final Destination
The Company Men
The Concert
The Crazies
The Cremaster Cycle
The Debt
The Disappearance of Alice Creed
The Dry Land
The Eclipse
The Expendables
The Exploding Girl
The Extra Man
The Father of My Children
The Fighter
The Freebie
The Ghost Writer
The Girl
The Girl on the Train
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest
The Girl with the Dragon Tatto
The Good Guy
The Good Heart
The Good, the Bad, the Weird
The Greatest
The Happy Poet
The Human Centipede
The Illusionist
The Joneses
The Juche Idea
The Karate Kid
The Kids Are All Right
The Kids Grow Up
The Killer Inside Me
The King’s Speech
The Korean
The Last Airbender
The Last Exorcism
The Last New Yorker
The Last Play at Shea
The Last Song
The Last Station
The Legend of Pale Male
The Living Wake
The Losers
The Lottery
The Magician
The Milk of Sorrow
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
The Nature of Existence
The New Year
The Next Three Days
The Nutcracker in 3D
The Oath
The Other City
The Other Guys
The Paranoids
The Parking Lot Movie
The People I’ve Slept With
The Perfect Game
The Portuguese Nun
The Red Baron
The Romantics
The Runaways
The Secret in Their Eyes
The Secret of Kells
The Sicilian Girl
The Social Network
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
The Spy Next Door
The Square
The Strange Case of Anjelica
The Sun Behind the Clouds
The Switch
The Taqwacores
The Tempest
The Temptation of St. Tony
The Thorn in the Heart
The Tillman Story
The Tooth Fairy
The Tourist
The Town
The Trial
The Trotsky
The Trouble with Terkel
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Two Escobars
The Vicious Kind
The Virginity Hit
The Warlords
The Warrior’s Way
The Weathered Underground
The Wildest Dream
The Winning Season
The Wolf Man
Tibet in Song
Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives
Tiny Furniture
To Die for Tano
To Save a Life
To the Sea
Today’s Special
Toe to Toe
Total Badass
Touching Home
Toy Story 3
Trash Humpers
Tron: Legacy
True Grit
Twelve
Two in the Wave

Udaan
Undertow
Unstoppable
Urville

Valentine’s Day
Valhalla Rising
Valley of the Hearts Delight
Vampires Suck
Veer
Videocracy
Vincere
Violet Tendencies
Vision
Visionaries

Wah do dem
Waiting for Armageddon
Waiting for Superman
Waking Sleeping Beauty
Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps
Waste Land
Watercolors
We Are Family
Welcome to the Rileys
What If…
When in Rome
When You’re Strange: A Film About The Doors
White Material
White on Rice
White Wedding
Whiz Kids
Who is Harry Nilsson (and Why is Everybody Talkin’ About Him)?
Who Killed Nancy?
Why Did I Get Married Too?
Wild Grass
Wild Target
Willets Point
William S. Burroughs: A Man Within
Winnebago Man
Winston Churchill: Walking with Destiny
Winter’s Bone
Women Without Men
Wonderful World
World on a Wire

Yellow Handkerchief, The
Yogi Bear
You Again
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
You Won’t Miss Me
Youth in Revolt

Cyrus is not quite the comedy the trailers have you believe it is. This indie film is much more than your typical John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill slapstick you are accustom to seeing in Judd Apatow films, it adds a touch of dark creepiness. Written and directed by upcoming indie superstar duo Mark and Jay Duplass, Cyrus takes cues from their previous films such as, The Puffy Chair and Baghead. In other words, it is wonderful. I would be lying if I said I was not excited when it was announced they were doing this film.

John (John C. Reilly) is socially inept who openly admits is lonely, depressed and desperate after being separated from his wife for seven years now. Just days away from his ex-wife getting married, she feels bad for John and wants him to move on with his life. She knows he needs a relationship for this to happen, so she drags him to a party.

At a party that he not only was not thrilled on going to, let alone meet someone at, he finds a girl named Molly (Marisa Tomei). Even though John is completely drunk beyond reason, for which he can thank his ex-wife for, Molly looks past that. She is in a lot of ways like John, lonely and single for far too long.

He is overly excited when she comes over for the first date, someone that every male can probably empathize with. He purchases condoms, wine, makes dinner and even puts in a few last minute sit-ups. What John lacks in confidence, which is a lot, he more than compensates in honestly. As in this case, sometimes the two are not completely unrelated. The date goes well but ends mysteriously when she tries to sneak out but is caught by John.

John suspiciously follows her home and accidentally falls asleep in his car. The next morning he discovers that she has a son named Cyrus (Jonah Hill). The two oddly hit it off being completely and sometimes too open with each other. Cyrus being overly welcome, invites him to stay for dinner, which John eagerly agrees to.

Something strange happens the next morning as he is about to leave, his shoes are missing. He becomes a little paranoid that something is up. He consults his ex-wife whom which is also his co-worker it turns out. She tells him to forget about it and pretend it never happened. Partly, because she does not believe they took the shoes but mostly because she wants him to be in a relationship more than anyone.

John, as well as the viewer, begins to question whether or not Cyrus is trying to sabotage their relationship or if the bizarre and overly welcome encounters are legit. The film then shifts it’s focus around Cyrus. Hence, the title of the film. The romantic comedy takes a sharp turn and reveals a darker side.

We see John go through an amazing character development as he transforms into a new person. He goes from the timid and lonely, depressed person, to a smart and tactful one. In many ways, his character is a reprise from his character in Magnolia. I am not only talking about him being in a more serious role in general but specifically similar personalities. I missed that John C Reilly. Apparently, so did others as he was nominated for Best Male Lead at Independent Spirit Awards.

Cyrus does not rely solely on John C. Reilly to carry the film though, nearly equally as impressive are Marisa Tomei and Jonah Hill. Tomei is plays a lovable character that is hard not to like. Hill shows that he can play an unlikeable, dark and creepy character instead of the usual pure comedy role. I am not putting down his typical roles, because I find them, and subsequently him, to be hilarious. It is delightful to see this different side of him.

For better or worse, the film was shot in a typical Duplass style. Which feels very amateur, almost home movie style with random snap-zooms. Personally, I think it works here but others may not agree. The dialog between characters was very natural and believable. The film as a whole is completely realistic. Which is tends to be a recurring trademark of the Duplass brothers and what has become known as the mumblecore movement. They achieve this by less script and rehearsal and more improvisation on the set.

Cyrus is a straight forward and incredibly honest film, two simple qualities that big budget films should take note of. It proves that you do not need an overly complicated plot with unrealistic situations in order to make a film interesting. Throw in terrific acting performances by the cast and you have yourself one very superb indie film.