Vancouver film director’s app a hit
With Shot Lister, users rearrange shoots on the fly
Zach Lipovsky was directing his very first feature- length film — a TV monster movie — when his fresh, inexperienced eyes saw that the film industry could use a new utility app. Others seem to agree. One year after Lipovsky introduced his film- set scheduler — Shot Lister — Microsoft asked to adapt his app for its platforms, online course giant Lynda. com asked to create a course on the app, and now the young filmmaker has been chosen as one of Playback magazine’s 2014 Top Five to Watch — New Establishment for his multifaceted contributions to the film industry.
It all started two years ago with a helicopter that failed to show up while Lipovsky was filming Tasmanian Devils. He was forced to reschedule the day’s work on the fly.
Filmmakers start each day with a printed shot list that’s widely distributed so crew know what to do and when. Efficiency is critical because every minute costs thousands of dollars. But hiccups, such as missing helicopters, mean the list needs instant revisions.
“You’re standing in the middle of the woods somewhere,” Lipovsky said. “Because the sun’s going down, you need to reorganize everything. Usually you take a pencil out. I figured there must be a better way.”
Lipovsky partnered with his mom, who put up $ 10,000 to hire a programmer and create the first prototype.
“Within the first month we had made ( the money) back,” Lipovsky said. “What we didn’t anticipate was how much it cost to keep the app going.”
Shot Lister allows users to create a minute- by- minute multi- camera shooting schedule, check progress, reorganize on the fly and sync changes instantly with multiple users. The product, now on version 3.1.1.1, works on iOS and sells on Apple’s App Store.
“We started it because I couldn’t believe everyone’s using paper for something that’s changing minute by minute,” Lipovsky said.
Although Shot Lister has brought in $ 100,000 in sales to date, some 80 per cent of that money has gone straight back into programming.
“It cost $ 15,000 just to change from iOS 6 to 7,” Lipovsky said.
“A lot of our income goes to fixing bugs,” he said. “Some bugs may only affect 100 people and may cost you $ 3,000 to fix. But if 20 of those people complain, it can scare off 1,000 people.”
Microsoft has partnered with Lipovsky since early 2014 to get Shot Lister on its Windows desktop platform, phone and Surface notebook, its version of the iPad. Microsoft is providing the money to pay the programmer and will help market the product, which is targeted to launch in 2015. Lipovsky retains full ownership.
Lynda. com, the online training giant, launched a course on Shot Lister and other complementary industry apps in April. When customers buy the course, Lipovsky gets a cut.
B. C. Film gave Lipovsky a $ 50,000 grant last year to help him secure the market.
“We’re on the edge of being a new industry standard. We’re head by at least a year- and- a- half,” Lipovsky said. “If we can secure Android and desktop and Windows, the next step is integrating with other pieces of software.”
“We were impressed by Zach’s seeming ability to adapt his skill set to the quickly changing mediascape around him and the success he’s had doing it,” said Katie Bailey, editor of Playback, the Canadian film and TV industry’s trade journal.
Now 30, Lipovsky — who in addition to being an app entrepreneur is a writer- director- producer, visual effects specialist and former child actor — is best known as the only Canadian and youngest competitor in Steven Spielberg’s search for a best new director on the 2007 TV series, On the Lot.
Lipovsky may be trying to scare audiences with his monster flicks, but he himself is feeling pretty good. While it costs him about $ 20,000 a year to maintain a presence in L. A., he’s now directing his third film, Dead Rising, in Vancouver.
“I go to L. A. to get work to come back to Vancouver,” Lipovsky said. “The interesting thing is, as the app has taken off, so has my directing career.”