On Set ATL founders on community and filmmaking excellence

L-R Jhaneal Hector and Martina Lindo founders of On Set ATL Photo by Nya Woodard When Martina Lindo and Jhaneal Hector first met they determined they had a lot in common They were both Jamaican-born American-raised and both working in the film industry in Atlanta They swiftly became friends and started talking about starting specific type of venture together But you know how it is you talk and talk about making moves but you never do Then suddenly an opportunity arose Screen Room ATL created by Khalimah Gaston used to be one of the big screening collectives for Black creatives in Atlanta When Gaston moved to Los Angeles there was suddenly a gap in the region It was really a home hub Hector announced That leaving meant the public didn t have that place you go to anymore to backing each other to meet each other to start networking So in Hector and Lindo started On Set ATL a film organization that hosts local screenings and serves as a gathering space for Atlanta s filmmaking area They re next screening event will be on Nov at Ambient Plus Studio Hector and Lindo both sought to create a screening series characterized by excellence On Set ATL is an invitation-only event they accept submissions but that doesn t guarantee a film will be shown with a focus on filmmakers who Lindo and Hector believe are investing time and capacity into honing and perfecting their craft they review and select the films themselves We want to show our district what excellence in filmmaking looks like even at the independent filmmaking level Lindo commented In addition to excellence the other part of the equation is society At On Set ATL s last screening event called The Table is Ours on Aug they screened a film called Weirdo directed by Creed Smith According to Lindo and Hector bulk of the people who worked on the film met at the very first On Set ATL event For Lindo and Hector that s part of the aim of this organization allowing creatives a space where they can grid and meet their next collaborators They called it their On Set baby because it really came from out of this new population that they formed together Lindo declared It felt really special Lindo and Hector focus on making the night feel special for the filmmakers they re celebrating with a red carpet green room champagne and all the other fixings of Hollywood including The Slate Awards their version of the Oscars We re a little extra Hector mentioned right before Lindo interrupted to say No we re a lot extra It s meant to give the Atlanta film public the feeling of we made it already Lindo noted We re in Hollywood We don t have to wait for that The Nov event is called No Rules Just Vision and will include a short film from director Christian Nolan Jones called Red Clay The film was also executive produced and co-written by Omar Epps and Tauheed Epps professionally known as Chainz directed by Naturi Naughton-Lewis will also screen along with Odds by Jeffrey Jackson and Bleached from co-directors Kerri Garrett and Ralph Parker III Bleached also features Hector in the lead role Before their Aug event Lindo and Hector took a break from On Set ATL for a couple of years Initially the popularity of the event took them by surprise and their pockets couldn t keep up with the demand They tried to do more events than they could handle and spent a little too much time thinking about the pomp and circumstance of it all When we first started we were overwhelmed because we both felt like we were no-name people here in Atlanta Hector noted I was acting doing my auditions and Lindo had her writing degree We didn t expect the overwhelming response While they still want the night to feel special for the filmmakers and they re still doing the majority of the work themselves this time is different Lindo announced We re just back to basics focusing on the work the society and creating a platform and a space for people to feel seen Lindo disclosed That doesn t have to cost a lot of money On Set ATL is aiming to host - events a year and has also started the process of becoming a nonprofit according to Lindo They re also hoping to find more opportunities for partnerships and sponsorships with the goal of one day being able to give money to filmmakers to help fund their projects Materials are everything and as a producer I know Hector mentioned It takes money to do an independent film properly The creatives they make it happen but it s very hard bootstrapping it Lindo reported she would also love to see On Set expand to other cities such as Chicago Los Angeles or New York We re just hoping that the stars will align and it will all happen at the same time so that we can really position On Set to be the hub the foundation Lindo revealed When people think about independent filmmaking in Atlanta they say On Set ATL first The post On Set ATL founders on society and filmmaking excellence appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta