JuntoBox Films

JuntoBox Films was an American privately funded independent film production company that had a focus on micro-budget films. Based in Santa Monica, CA, the social media-centric studio was founded by writer/director Philippe Caland “on the principle that everyone has a story to tell, and we passionately seek those innovative voices.”[1] It officially debuted at the 2012 South by Southwest festival, where they also announced actor Forest Whitaker as co-chair.[2] Through social collaboration and crowdsourcing the filmmaking process, JuntoBox Films was intended to give independent filmmakers the opportunity for their films to be financed, produced and distributed, with support and mentorship from industry professionals, including Forest Whitaker. The name was inspired by the Junto club, founded In 1727 by a young Benjamin Franklin.

JuntoBox Films is closed and is no longer in business.

Budget

Focusing on films with budgets between $200,000 and $2.5 million, the studio finds projects from within their platform, which is free and open to anyone around the world.[3]

How to Junto

Any user can create a project page with title, synopsis and logline and start attracting followers, which is necessary to advance up the five levels.[4] For a project to be considered for greenlight, a script (which can be made available just to the development team) must be included. JuntoBox Films has greenlit four films in 2012.[1][3]

The five levels are:

  1. Create a project with a title, and a synopsis or logline.
  2. Add video, images or a storyboard and get 10 followers for your project.
  3. Upload the script and reach 30 followers.
  4. Reach a total of 60 followers. Film Options start at Level 4.
  5. Optioned films are reviewed and chosen by JuntoBox Films for greenlight.

Team
  • Forest Whitaker - Co-Chairman and Filmmaker
  • Philippe Caland - Founder/Chairman/Filmmaker

[5]

Greenlit films

Since the official debut at the 2012 South by Southwest festival, four projects have been greenlighted in the following order:

Sacrifice

Greenlit in June 2012, Sacrifice is a story about four teenage boys from a small Texas town as they come face to face with their own conscience after a tragic accident leaves them questioning their decisions.[6] Sacrifice was written and directed by Michael Cohn and is JuntoBox Films' first feature film. In May 2013, the company announced that Dermot Mulroney joined the production. Filming took place in the Houston area in June 2013.[7]

Sharon 1.2.3.

Greenlit in November 2012, Sharon 1.2.3. (formerly titled Sharon is Caring) is a story about a New Yorker living the dream of having casual sex with two women named Sharon, but the dream gets too real when he meets a third Sharon. The story is written by Wesley Mills, and is directed by Mark Brown.[8] Though it was slated for a 2014 release, the project remained shelved for four years until it was released by Epic Pictures on September 21, 2018.

The Driver

Greenlit in June 2013, The Driver is a story about a struggling boxer who agrees to be the driver for a heist. When things go horribly wrong, he finds himself with a dead partner and a duffle bag of cash. With no one else to account for the take, he keeps half for himself, but is soon busted by his employer, who gives him a choice: kill or be killed. The story is written by George Richards.[9]

Indiegogo partnership

In November 2012, they announced a partnership with Indiegogo, allowing filmmakers who are looking for crowd funding to also be in the running for funding from JuntoBox Films, while allowing those who are greenlit to gather additional funds for their film.[10]

The company is also expanding its mentorship programme.[11]

The company's website is currently out-of-service.

References
  1. "What We Stand For". Juntoboxfilms.com. Archived from the original on 2013-09-17. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
  2. Graser, Marc. "Forest Whitaker to co-chair JuntoBox Films". Variety. 1 March 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  3. "JuntoBox Films". JuntoBox Films. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
  4. "JuntoBox Films". JuntoBox Films. Archived from the original on 2013-11-11. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
  5. "JuntoBox Films". JuntoBox Films. Archived from the original on 2013-09-17. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
  6. "More Details on Next Two Releases for Forest Whitaker's JuntoBox Films | Shadow and Act". Blogs.indiewire.com. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
  7. "Director Michael Cohn's 'Sacrifice' to be filmed in The Woodlands | khou.com Houston". Khou.com. 2013-01-16. Archived from the original on 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
  8. "Forest Whitaker, Indiegogo Team for 'Sharon Is Caring'". Hollywoodreporter.com. 2012-11-05. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
  9. "Collaborative Studio JuntoBox Greenlights Boxing Drama 'The Driver'". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
  10. "Indiegogo Press Release". Prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
  11. Kay, Jeremy (2 May 2013). "Mulroney joins JuntoBox's Sacrifice". Screen International. Media Business Insight Limited. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
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