Today we’d like to introduce you to Fran Strine.
Hi Fran, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started out as a photographer by luck really and not really looking to becoming a professional. I would sneak my camera into concerts when I was a teenager just to capture memories. After a few years, my friends thought I had an eye and after some encouragement, I shopped my my portfolio around and struck gold.
After several years of shooting for all the rock rags, Hit Parader, Spin, Rolling Stone, etc I then dipped into music-centric advertising and album covers. I then really want to tour with bands and travel the globe and finally worked my way into a big festival tour and that was the start for a long successful career in the field. I decided to bring a small Sony HandyCam on the road with me and that really got me excited about the idea of moving pictures which lead me to where I am today as a documentary filmmaker with two films sold to major distributors. My first feature doc “Hired Gun” picked up by Netflix and my second “Who You Gonna Call” pick up by Sony Pictures.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Making movies is never a smooth road. It might be the most difficult road to navigate with all music licensing, tracking down archives and really crafting a story that will move an audience. The biggest struggle really is execution. From the idea, securing interviews with the likes of Steve Wonder, P!nk, it’s never easy but very rewarding.
One story I can share is I was in the middle of directing a doc on the biggest-selling female country artist of all time. I had a dream team of creatives working with me when suddenly the project was scrapped for reasons I still don’t know. It happens in this industry I quickly found out. Two weeks later I received an email from Ben Feigin who was the Executive Producer and creative genius behind “Schitts Creeks”. He was a big fan of my work and proposed a project that I am really excited about that has been developed and ready to go to market. Sadly, Ben passed away from cancer in Oct. but his legacy will live on with this program.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in music documentaries, all thing music I guess? I‘m best known for a music doc titled “Hired Gun” which follows the life of side musician who play for giant superstars and what that life is like. I’m most proud of the two audience choice awards for both my films.
In 2020 I was awarded the excellence and ingenuity in the craft of documentary filmmaking from Kodak where I was in the company of Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach who also were awarded that evening. Having to make a speech in front of masters of their craft was very scary!
I think what sets me apart in terms of music doc directors/producers is that I know these musicians language since I have toured and lived in the recording studio setting, they really open up to me once they gain my trust and tell me things maybe they shouldn’t.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Making movies is a huge risk. You risk the investor’s funds you expose your ability to tell a compelling story and hold your breath at the first screening, you learn quickly if the risk paid off… If you don’t sell your film you’re sitting on the most expensive home movie ever. So far I have taken risks my entire career and it’s paid off. If I lose sleep every night on my projects, I know my heart’s in it and that it’ll get finished.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.f26productions.com
- Instagram: franstrine
- Twitter: @franstrine
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3513495/
