Silver Screen…Golden Opportunities

Vanishing Point Films passionately pursues making
Tampa Bay a focal point for the film industry.

By Jay Winchester

Ah, summer… warm weather… balmy breezes… beautiful beaches… and big box office thrillers! With the advent of the summer movie season upon us, and the steady stream of big budget blockbusters heading our way, it’s easy to overlook the fact that within Tampa Bay, there is a small but talented community of producers and directors right here in our own back yard. When you reach the top of that list of local production companies, you’ll find Robert Streeper and Scott Reus, the creative brain trust behind Vanishing Point Films.

Vanishing Point Films is a full service film and video production company headquartered in Indian Rocks Beach. The company serves both domestic and foreign clientele. “We’ve provided all sorts of videos for all sorts of clients, both locally and abroad,” says Reus, the Director half of this Producer / Director team. “We shot a music video for Grammy Award winning artist Jon Secada in Treasure Island, and we also shot a live performance at the House of Blues in Chicago for Ludacris’ official Grammy Award celebration party. One of our short films swept the awards at a New York film competition and also received the Audience Choice Award at the Sunscreen Film Festival. We’ve shot computer-based military training videos in Ft. Bragg, N.C., and we’ve shot travel videos in the Bahamas. We’ve worked all over Florida from Miami to Tallahassee, but we love to travel, too. Wherever you are, whatever kind of video you need, we can make it happen.”

As evidenced by Vanishing Point’s work for clients in the global community, film almost takes on the aura of a universal language. It’s been said that every picture tells a story, and if that’s true, then moving pictures tell an even more compelling version. Still, the process is not always as glamorous as the finished product might make one believe. Filmmaking is usually a meticulously painstaking stop-and-go process, with large blocks of time for set-up and revision before shooting - and progress toward the finished product - begins. This is because a camera is little like a taxi cab: when it’s rolling, it’s costing someone money. When the production process is managed correctly, however, it can be an enjoyable, thoroughly engrossing endeavor, especially when creativity is the watchword of the day.

“Whether it’s a feature film or an infomercial, what’s really going to separate one production from the rest is creativity,” says Reus. “We’re inundated with visual imagery everyday. We have hundreds of channels on our TV. How do you make each piece effective, noticeable and memorable? The answer is creativity.”

Every creative person approaches similar subject matter from a unique perspective and with a singular vision. It’s no stretch of the truth to say that Vanishing Point’s clients demand something different from their competition. “We take a lot of pride in our ability to come up with unique, creative solutions to every project, and really, that’s the fun part,” Scott says. “That’s why every job is different. That’s why we’re excited to go to work everyday, because every gig represents a different client, is delivered to a different audience and has new, ever-changing challenges and obstacles. The entire creative process is profoundly gratifying in that the aim is to make something out of nothing.”

While the result of most modern filmmaking is as close to magic as our society is likely to come, that’s an illusory view of the craft, and one that Reus is quick to debunk. In Vanishing Point’s business, as in many others, there are no tricks to it - just long hours, hard work and, most importantly, dedicated people. “The success of any production, whether it’s a commercial or a feature film, starts with two people: the Producer and the Director,” he says. “It’s not the lights, it’s not the camera, it’s not all the cool equipment;  it’s the people, plain and simple, and we’ve got a Producer/Director team that knows how to execute.”

Vanishing Point enjoys a reputation for quality and excellence of execution with the crews they work with because of Streeper, whom Reus calls “…simply the most organized person on the face of the planet. Video production is extremely hard to do well, and most people have no idea what’s involved until they see it happen. With so many crucial factors to juggle, shoots can go down the drain real quick if you’re not organized or not communicating well with the crew. Suffice to say, Robert keeps our crews happy, our shoots go smoothly and the client ends up with a better product because of it.”

Creatively, Reus fills the dual roles of visionary and technician in equal parts. His primary responsibilities include concept development with clients, writing the production script and communicating the concept and desired results to the actors and crew so the desired vision can be realized. “No one on that set will ever know more about the scene, story or characters than I do,” Reus states emphatically, “so whether it’s an actor questioning the inner workings of a scene or the director of photography who has a technical question, I have the answers. As far as post-production, I edit everything we do, so one person is in sole and total control of the vision from start to finish– and that, from the client’s point of view, makes it a much more personal, manageable experience.”

The working relationship between Streeper and Reus has, quite literally, been a lifetime in the making. The two are cousins, who discovered early on a love of movies that has carried them down a shared path to the doorstep of shared success. “One Christmas, many moons ago when our families were together for the holidays, we discovered we both wanted to make movies,” Reus recalls. “He wanted to produce, I wanted to write and direct. As soon as we graduated from college we got together and formed Vanishing Point Films.”

The road from there to the present hasn’t always been a linear journey, and it’s had its share of bumps along the way. Still, the cousins pursued their dream with dogged determination. “Creatively we had plenty of influences from all the filmmakers we idolized growing up, but as far as this business, we really went into it cold and figured it out on our own as we went,” says Reus. “Our parents were always there for moral support and sage advice, but I can’t say we knew anybody to really model ourselves after.”

They also took from their parents a rock-solid set of values that complement their work ethic. “I know we can both attribute our values directly to our parents,” Scott agrees. “We come from families with an uncompromising work ethic and solid moral foundations. Video production is generally pretty expensive and there has to be a high degree of trust between the production company and the client, especially considering the client usually has no idea how much things cost. Clear communication, openness and honesty are requirements for forming a good relationship, and once that trust is established, everyone can start enjoying the process. We’ve gotten all our jobs by word of mouth and referrals, and the reason we get so many referrals isn’t only because we deliver a superior product at usually cheaper rates. It’s also because our clients know they can trust us.”

The company has a new trailer for a proposed feature in its investment package. The film, entitled Karma: The Price of Hope, utilizes local talent in its production, something in which the cousins take justifiable pride. “There is a wealth of talent in the Bay area and we use many of these people regularly,” says Reus. “Half the fun is expanding our network and meeting new talented people; as that pool grows, so do we.”

The work, though, is not without its challenges, especially when your company is trying to make waves in Hollywood from Tampa Bay. “It’s tough,” admits Reus. “There’s not a lot of knowledge outside our film community about the film community here, which makes it hard to find money. And though we’re a pretty close-knit group of passionate people wiling to pull together for creative projects, there’s no getting around the fact that you need money– a lot of it– to do what we want to do. Compare that to Los Angeles, where everything revolves around this business. Suddenly you’re in an environment that not only doesn’t look at investing in film as an act of insanity, but actively seeks projects in which to invest. It’s night and day.”

“With that said, things like the Sunscreen Film Festival are really taking off and generating some amazing interest, but still, it’s up to us,” he says steadfastly. “It’s a catch twenty-two: We have to produce movies worthy of generating the kind of buzz that attracts investors, but we need money to produce those movies in the first place.”

While the cousins use rousing sessions of beach volleyball as a means to knock out the kinks from long shoots and even longer hours working behind the scenes, in the end, they are totally engrossed in their love of film. It drives them toward their dreams. “We never lack motivation,” Reus states. “The pie in the sky smells delicious, and Robert and I are both very hungry.” Armed with their special blend of gritty resolve, creative zeal and scrupulous preparation, Robert Streeper and Scott Reus are certain there is no vanishing point on their Hollywood horizon.