These days there’s an app for just about everything, and that now includes the international filmmaking industry.
With the help of app creator Peter Lord, award-winning filmmaker Kosta Nikas has created The Green Room; a smartphone networking app which is expected to be a game changer in the filmmaking and creative space and for those involved in the production of audiovisual content across all industries.
“I’ve been in filmmaking for the last 10 years and I’ve done a feature film (his debut feature film Sacred Heart premiered at the 2016 Shanghai International Film Festival) and several shorts, the odd festival award and whatnot, and the problem is always getting a project off the ground,” Nikas told Neos Kosmos.
“The first thing is getting someone to look at your script, then once someone picks up your script, or whether you want to produce it yourself, the next challenge is crewing. The only methods of crewing something or networking to find people are social media, word of mouth, and just ringing around – and that’s not very efficient.”
While Facebook can be a help, it doesn’t provide the convenience of outlining people’s availabilities, which the filmmaker says is the key to success when in pre-production and organising projects.
“You don’t know people’s availability and you don’t have a pool of people on a network that can instantly notify or be notified about your projects. So that’s always been the challenge,” he explains, and that is where The Green Room is fast finding answers.
Although still early days – the app was released by Apple a month ago and Google last week – the co-founder is already feeling positive having gained users in 50 countries, including the US.
Useful for all involved in the filmmaking process, the app is relevant for actors and writers, producers and film crew, along with all those who ensure everything runs smoothly on-set including theatre professionals, caterers, medical practitioners, and carpenters.
Users can create a profile regardless of the type of project, format and genre and its production status, helping creators to search for the right crew matching their criteria.
”So it’s basically a creative community. Our mission is to ensure that in this networking space our Greek filmmaking colleagues and cast, crew and creatives in every country are equipped with all the necessary tools that will help them create and crew projects, build their network, find jobs and advance their careers, no matter where they live or travel to,” Nikas said.
The film industry is already embracing The Green Room, described as a win-win situation for all involved.
“It’s a great networking tool for our indie filmmakers. The more resources and support we provide them, the more we stimulate growth and employment in our sector,” said Adam Scott of Spectrum Films Fox Studios Australia.
Meanwhile, Nikas revealed that he is also in the process of setting up a filmmaker fund of $100,000 expected to be launched as part of the app in the coming months.
“We’re talking to media companies that might act as partners in the States, in Australia, in Europe so that we, the Green Room, will be funding projects submitted to us by members. So people that might need a thousand bucks, two thousand, for everything from smaller amounts to bigger,” he said.
“The fact that the app’s been downloaded in 50 countries is indicative that it’s fulfilling a need and a gap in the market in terms of more efficient ways of networking with our peers and finding projects to work on.”
Download The Green Room app free from Google Play and iTunes.