sagaftra.org | Fall/Winter 2024 | SAG-AFTRA 73
Is self-producing using a low-budget agreement right for you?
According to Los Angeles-based members Mariette Hartley and Jerry
Sroka — who took out a second mortgage on their home to finance their
independent romantic comedy Our (Almost Completely True) Love Story —
it's a question of whether you believe in the project.
"We're still believing it every month when I pay back the interest,"
quips Sroka, adding, "We're certainly not sorry that we did it." Both
former SAG National Board members, Hartley and Sroka — who wrote,
produced and starred in their film — used SAG-AFTRA's Ultra Low
Budget Project Agreement and have been thrilled to see their debut film
rake in dozens of film festival awards and even a distribution deal. The
biggest reward, they say, was hearing from audiences of all ages who
continue to reach out to them to share how their story of finding romance
later in life resonated with them.
"We got into like 60% or 70% of the festivals that I applied to," Sroka
says. At his side, his wife, Hartley, mirrors his enthusiasm, adding, "And
we could go ourselves to a few of them. We went to Sedona. That was
the thrill — to see it with an audience is just terribly different. Different
and wonderful."
For Myhraliza Aala — who was based in Portland when she used
SAG-AFTRA's Micro-Budget Project Agreement to produce episodes
of her series Oh Myh Dating Hell — funding the project was achieved
through a mixture of crowdfunding and grants. Specifically, she received
two grants through the Regional Arts Culture Council that funds various
artistic projects, including films, made in Portland. "There are lots of
opportunities available in Portland," Aala says. "You just have to apply."
SAG-AFTRA members Mariette Hartley and Jerry Sroka produced Our (Almost
Completely True) Love Story using the Ultra Low Budget Project Agreement.
sagaftra.org | Fall/Winter 2024 | SAG-AFTRA 73
"We're still
believing it
every month
when I pay
back the
interest. We're
certainly not
sorry that
we did it."
— Jerry Sroka
TIM
HENNESSEY/LONG
STORY
SHORT
PICTURES
