Director Tim Greene is “The People’s Filmmaker”

As seen in over 800 newspapers worldwide!!

Story By Kam Williams

Watch out, world, here comes Tim Greene! Hailing from Philadelphia, this amazingly inventive, young director is making movies on no budget. That's right, zero budget. So forget the old micro-budget standard bearers like El Mariachi and The Blair Witch Project, for Mr. Greene has managed to finance and make his movies for free, relying on a combination of ingenuity, coupons, rebates, tradeoffs, frugality and an infectious optimism which even I found inspiring during the course of this interview. Already on his resume' are such fun flicks as Ya Grandma's a Gangsta, a hilarious parody of rap videos, Raykwan's Cuties, a clever take-off on Charlie's Angels in which a trio of single moms team up to track down the guys who got them pregnant, and Creepin', a comical horror flick which takes place in the 'hood. What I appreciate about his work is that it represents the hip-hop generation from a refreshing perspective, not that relentlessly malevolent one which make you think the ghetto is all guns and ammo. While giving a chance to a cast of veritable unknowns, Tim wears a whole host of hats on the set. He turns into a cameraman, actor, make-up artist, food service caterer, prop man, chauffeur, whatever is needed at each moment to advance the cause. Post-production, he edits the footage and handles the packaging and distribution of the final product, still on limited resources. Remarkably, Tim Greene's micro-budget films are available in the same video stores all across the country offering $100 million Hollywood blockbusters. Given his boundless talent, magnetic personality and generosity of spirit, I know that it's only a matter of time before this bona fide genius is discovered by some studio big-wig and gets the backing he deserves.
Till then, I guess, he'll be content to keep clipping coupons and mailing in rebate forms.
KW: When did you first start making movies?
TG: "About 4 years ago."
KW: Where did you study filmmaking?
TG: "I did not go to school for filmmaking. I just read any book at the free library that I could get my hands on. I read at least 50 books on filmmaking and writing."
KW: Did you have a mentor? Did you apprentice on the set of someone else's movie?
TG: "No. I knew no one in the business that could give me a break. I just had very big dreams of making movies."
KW: How much experience did you have in the business before you decided to make your first movie?
TG: "None. I felt that either I was going to make it happen for myself or watch it happen for someone else. I just watched many movies and noticed how they were edited and how the camera moved. Then I just grabbed a camera and started shooting."
KW: Did you study business in college?
TG: "Yes, I have a degree in business management and I studied communications as a minor."
KW: How did you develop all the different types of skills needed to produce, write, cast, shoot, direct, edit, market and distribute a movie?
TG: "After tons of rejection letters from studios and agents, I had no other choice but to focus in on my goals of getting my films done. So, I had to take matters into my own hands by reading up on the new technologies in filmmaking. I studied how the studios went about getting their films made and distributed. I knew that if I wanted success in life, as a filmmaker, telling new unique stories, it would take lots of determination, persistence and the desire to fulfill my dreams no mater how long it took. The average time that I go to bed now is 6 A.M."
KW: Have you always been a bargain hunter?
TG: "My mother raised 5 boys and a girl all by herself and she would always send me to the supermarket. I learned how to use coupons and hunt for bargains because we did not have that much money. So when I came back from the store with over $50 dollars worth of food for only $5 dollars, everyone was surprised on how savvy I was at getting bargains."
KW: What made you think you could apply penny-pinching to an endeavor that costs millions?
TG: "There are hundreds of people involved in a studio film that’s why it costs millions to make. It’s just my actors and me on the set and I do all of the post-production myself. I made a profit on my movie even before I shot it thanks to the rebate checks that I saved to make the film."
KW: Would you like to make a movie with big studio backing?
TG: "I would love to make a movie with big studio backing, but I am not one to sit around and hope that my phone will ring, so until that happens I will continue to do my thing, give people breaks, and make as many good films as I can."
KW: How do you cast your films? How do you spot someone who has what it takes?
TG: "I put out casting notices in the acting trade papers and on the radio. I also use large recreation centers from around the country to hold auditions. I saw at least six thousand people for my last film and now people come to my auditions hours early to get a seat. I give them only one line to say and if they can give it to me in many ways and make it have different meanings each time, then they get a call back. Most of my talent comes from right off the street with natural skills, because it’s hard to get a trained actor to have the same real feel of someone who lives the life and talks the lingo in Hip Hop Movies."
KW: What part of moviemaking do you enjoy the most? Directing? Writing? Acting? The business of the business?
TG: "I enjoy every part of the business equally. Who would not want to do what I do? I get to create a story that I feel people want to see, I get to get my act on, and most of all I get to give people who want to be in this business a break who don’t have agents or the money to move to Hollywood."
KW: What message, if any, are you trying to deliver by making movies so cheaply?

 TG: "All I am trying to do is let people know by example that you can’t just sit around in life and complain about what someone is not doing for you. You have to learn to do for yourself. I’ve shown that there is no excuse for anyone not to get their films done except laziness. My films have stayed on the new release self for over 11 months right next to big Hollywood studio films, and are in 21 countries in English and Spanish."
KW: What messages do you want make in the movies themselves?
TG: "Most of my films are comedies, so I want people to just have fun, laugh out loud and forget about their problems for an hour and a half.
KW: Are you in the market for actors right now?
TG: "I am now looking for all types of actors male and female of all ages, as well as kids ages 3 to 12 for a couple of kids movies that I will be filming next summer."
KW: How can any aspiring actors contact you?
TG: "They can call me at my Hollywood casting hotline or log onto my website at: WWW.TIMGREENEFILMS.COM ."
KW: Do you have any other projects you're working on?
TG: "I’ve also teamed up with Mr. Beryl Wolk, marketing guru and co-creator of the Cable Guide, which recently merged with TV Guide. We formed The Ultimate Hip Hop Motion Picture Consortium, which will have branch offices in Philadelphia, Charlotte, North Carolina and Los Angeles to help people with raw talent in the U.S. break into the entertainment business."
KW: What type of talent are you interested in?
TG: "We are looking for new writers, producers, directors and actors to make feature length films for both the Home Entertainment and Theatrical Market. We will also pick up completed films from other filmmakers. There will be a film club that will offer poetry booklets and mix tapes from up and coming artists and free membership to anyone who wants to be a part of it."
KW: What advice would you give anyone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
TG: "The advice I would give to others is don’t just talk about it, just do it. Take calculated well thought out risks."
KW: Do you plan to share some tips about how to make movies on a micro budget?
TG: "I am now writing a book that will tell people how I made a feature movie with no money. But the best thing of all is that I will be traveling around the country giving back to communities by giving out computers to neighborhoods with low-income families, so that their kids will have a better chance of learning new skills on-line. Then all each kid in the neighborhood has to do to help themselves is put up 25 cents a month to keep the internet service going. I will also be speaking at career days at high schools and colleges around the country motivating students to create their own opportunities in life. So, for me it’s all about giving back to the people because I consider myself to be the people’s filmmaker."

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