Building A Sundance-Worthy Dream Team: The Green Flags to Look For (and the Red Flags to Avoid)

Chasers made history earlier this year as the first narrative project to screen at both Sundance Film Festival and Slamdance. This ambitious 30-minute one-shot pilot was made possible through incredible collaboration and meticulous planning. SCREEN sat down with creator and director Erin Brown Thomas and producer Olivia Haller to discuss how they assembled this winning team, and how to identify green flags in their collaborators. 

SCREEN: We know as filmmakers that it’s not just a great idea that makes a great film, but also the team you assemble to create that film. Erin, as the creator of the project, how did you go about building that dream team?

ERIN: When assembling a team, I recommend going to collaborators who have the most to gain, and need to have the most investment in the project first. People with skin in the game will be your inner circle. On a profitable endeavor, “skin” can be backend compensation. But even on a short film, people get “paid” in different ways.  My DP, Beth Napoli, was the first person I shared the idea for Chasers with. Since it was going to be a long and athletic single-shot-film, I knew that she would likely be just as excited as I was about the challenge and have just as much to gain if it was successful. We looped in Hayden, our trinity operator, for all the same reasons. We became the first three producers on the project, ready to leverage our network and resources. 

While Beth and Hayden’s involvement as producers made sense on this project due to its specific needs surrounding ambitious cinematography, I wanted to bring on two more logistical producers who had earned my trust through previous collaborations, Elle Shaw and Olivia Haller.

And before we delve further, let’s take a look at the official trailer for Chasers…

https://vimeo.com/1039262620

Elle and I run a film festival together called Salute Your Shorts. She had also produced another independent pilot for me called A Question of Service years prior. She knows how to extend a budget to the max and do so ethically. She and I have a great candid relationship, built on mutual respect. She works hard, looks for creative solutions, and when I tell her I need something she trusts that I do, and finds a way. 

One of the challenges of preparing for Chasers was that we were on an aggressive timeline – we had a ticking clock on a free location, and I was traveling all around the world for weeks leading up to production. Luckily, I wasn’t traveling alone. Olivia and I were screening our previous film, [subtext], all over the world together. Olivia, a writer/producer, was able to offer development notes in real time and liaise with Elle from afar to keep things running smoothly. It was incredibly helpful to have a producer with me nearly 24/7 during the weeks leading up to rehearsals, especially while I was in Europe in a different time zone than everyone else. 

A major green flag in assembling your dream team? Commitment. This project was convenient for no one—every single person was busy. It was an incredible lift. But once they signed on, they made it a priority. No hesitation, no half-measures. They adjusted their lives to commit fully, and that level of dedication made all the difference.

SCREEN: What are the “green flags” that made you want to work with each other?

OLIVIA: What I love about working with Erin is the momentum that builds under every project she undertakes. One example I remember is being in a coffee meeting for [subtext] brainstorming actors, and once we decided to invite someone to a workshop she texted him immediately right there. She doesn’t wait around or drag her feet once she puts her mind to something. Her action always inspires me to be active too, and it’s so satisfying to see your project actually moving forward and coming together! 

ERIN: At the end of the day I want to feel good when I lay my head on my pillow.  So, I look to collaborate with people who I enjoy spending time with, who I can be myself with, who can share a vision with me, who set a standard as high as I do while knowing that movies are still not a life and death sport.  Basically I’m looking for friends that I feel lucky to be sharing air with. Olivia is such a great example of this because not only is she a very talented writer with an earnest heart, but she also is so dependable. I never question that she will do something she’s agreed to. She and I have fallen into a very natural rhythm of divvying up tasks.  Olivia has only removed stress from my life. She’s never added it. Green flag! I’m not quite sure she would say the same for me… ha.  I have a habit of pulling people out of their comfort zones; But, “people” in this case includes myself. So, I love having someone like Olivia around who I can depend on as a partner when I get my head under water with overcommitments. 

SCREEN: What qualities do you look for in new collaborators that you haven’t worked with before?

OLIVIA: If they show enthusiasm for my idea and the prospect of working with me, that’s a big green flag. Composers Dan Rufolo and Adam Kromelow and casting director Emily Cook both reached out to Erin because they had seen her previous work and were interested in collaborating on a future project, which is why we brought them on board for [subtext] and Chasers respectively. If someone believes in you and your story, that speaks a lot to the level of commitment and collaboration they will bring to it once on board. It also helps to have referrals from people you already trust in your network. That way, your new collaborators are also held accountable to the people they have already built relationships with. 

SCREEN: Why is enthusiasm so important?

OLIVIA: Especially in the early stages of producing a project, it’s so important for your collaborators to be enthusiastic advocates. You need to gather people around you who both believe in your project and your ability to make it happen. That’s a big reason why we loved working with EP Tara Hotchkis on [subtext] and Chasers – we know she shares our vision for the project, and brings both her expertise and her enthusiasm into everything she does. You need teammates who help you believe in yourself and the project both from the get-go and when things inevitably don’t go as planned and your spirits droop.

ERIN: Agreed. Filmmaking is full of challenges that fuel self-doubt, and most of us battle enough inner voices to trigger imposter syndrome. A collaborator who reminds you to trust your gut is a gift. Belief is a green flag.

SCREEN: Beyond talent, what do you look for in performers?

ERIN: Actors have to be right for the roles they are cast in. But many actors find ways of bringing more to the table than just their time and talent. Ciarra Krohne is a great example of this.  I brought the core idea of Chasers to her, asking her to star in it.  We made plans to brainstorm some ideas together to fill out the beats, and I discovered (with delight) that she had an incredible knack for dialogue. Ciarra’s acting is so good because she doesn’t focus too much on the effect her words will have, but rather sinks into the characters. So many actors make the mistake of trying to be funny, rather than trusting that the dialogue and situations will be funny if performed truthfully. Ciarra does the opposite. She’s so connected with a character when she plays her, and she brings that same level of connection to her writing. Ciarra joined Tara and my husband Jake Thomas as EPs on the project, helping to secure a chunk of our budget.  Adding value is a green flag.  

SCREEN: What are some “red flags” that warn you against working with someone?

OLIVIA: My biggest red flags are people who interrupt me, people who don’t communicate well, and people who get defensive when receiving notes. If I’m going to work with you, I will likely be talking to you every day for 1-2 years. If I sense that you don’t listen to me and don’t reply to my emails, it makes me feel like you don’t value me or my work. I also don’t need you to take every note or pitch that I give, in fact I love working with artists who have strong visions. But we all should have the project’s best interest – not our egos – at heart. When I receive notes that I don’t agree with, I take the time to consider why they don’t align with the project’s mission and articulate why I’m making the choice that I’m making, which then sometimes tells me I need to clarify the project’s goal in a different way. Being a part of an effective team means giving and receiving notes thoughtfully from a place of curiosity.

Overall, I always check in with my gut before working with anyone. If I don’t get a vibe from them that they are genuine and kind, I will be very hesitant to start a project with them even if they’re very talented and experienced. 

ERIN:  Whenever I have a good experience with someone, I look for opportunities to work with them again.  So, a red flag for me would be someone who constantly works with (almost exclusively) different people.  While the needs of every project are different, and it’s important to bring on collaborators that are right for the task at hand, I tend to go back to my favorite producers and department heads time and again because I trust them, and we have a short hand. Conflict is inevitable in creative relationships… but a pattern of conflict is not.  I believe in second chances. I believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt. I have a mantra whenever I’m in conflict with someone… “assume the best.”  That being said, when I find out that someone has had the same “flavor” of conflict with lots of different people, I take note of that. One thing that both Elle Shaw and Tara Hotchkis from Chasers have impressed upon me is “when people tell you who they are, trust them.” Someone who floats between creative partnerships without investing in anyone other than themselves is probably not someone I want to be investing myself in either. 

SCREEN:  Are you working on anything new with members of the Chasers team?

OLIVIA: Yes! I’m currently producing a queer indie series about a nice Catholic church lady who comes out as bisexual in her 50s called And Also With You. I wrote the pilot and intend to write a short season one with a few other writers that we can finance and film like an indie feature. Erin is attached as producing director, which is such a dream collab because we’ve bonded over wanting to tell stories with positive representations of complex characters of faith. Since the show is set in Cleveland, we’re looking to film in Ohio (where Erin is from!) and partner with local filmmakers and queer-owned businesses. My goal is always to ask how my project can be used to elevate the artists and partners involved so their own work is featured and promoted as well. 

ERIN: In addition to And Also With You I’m gearing up to make a few features I wrote during COVID.  One in particular is contained and shares a lot of DNA with Chasers. It’s called The Body of Chris.  I’m quite sure a ton of our team will end up working on that one.  We are also pitching Chasers as a series. If future iterations are made on the independent scale, we will keep as much of the team as possible. It’s the dream team after all.

Thank you to Erin and Olivia and be sure to check back here at SCREEN Magazine for the latest news from the independent filmmaking community across the country. You can also click right here to subscribe to our weekly email newsletter.