INTERVIEWS > CHRIS MILLER
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July 2006
Chris Miller is the Vice President* of a small production company known as Flower Films, founded by Drew Barrymore and Nancy Juvonen. He used to work at Columbia TriStar for several years until he was a former personal assistant of Drew and then he was promoted to executive at Flower Films. His job is very important as he deals with all aspects of production and he was even an extra in the first "Charlie's Angels" film. Get to know what goes behind the scenes of Tinseltown as Miller enjoys his work of movie making. |
Image from Chris' Twitter profile photo.
*Chris is now President of Flower Films (edited in 2018)
Johnny: What is your job title and what kind of work does it consist of?
Chris Miller: I'm Vice President of Production. I deal with all aspects of production of all Flower Films projects form Pre-production, to physical production to post production. Again, Flower is a small company so we all read scripts and do notes and meet together on what works and what doesn't. When we go into pre-production on a Flower project, we all divert our efforts on that project.
Johnny: How did you end up at Flower Films? And how did you meet Drew Barrymore and Nancy Juvonen?
Chris Miller: I met Drew and Nancy for the first time at Flower Films' old offices about 8 years ago when I was applying for an office manager position. I had been working at Columbia TriStar for several years and wanted to get into physical production. They called me the next day and offered me the job.
Johnny: What is your ultimate goal for the company?
Chris Miller: I think we all want to continue to produce projects that we are proud of and that people love to see, that we as viewers would love to see. Itís entertainment and if youíre not entertaining people it just doesnít work.
Johnny: What upcoming projects is there for Flower Films?
Chris Miller: Right now Flower has several things in development. On February 9th of next year, MUSIC & LYRICS comes out that was Executive Produced by Nancy Juvonen, but was not a Flower production, so weíre still very involved in that.
Johnny: Since the company has developed different stories, what would you like to see next on the screen
Chris Miller: We have a fantastic thriller in development for Warner Bros that Ted Tally (Silence of the Lambs) is re-writing for us, so Iím very much looking forward to producing that genre film.
Johnny: Are you involved at all in the movie making process?
Chris Miller: Because we are a small company, everyone here is involved in every aspect of the film making process. Iíve been on set almost every day of every Flower Films movie in the past 8 years and itís been fantastic.
Johnny: which of all the movies under Flower Films is your favorite and why?
Chris Miller: I love them all in different ways, itís like choosing a favorite child, but if Iím at home on a lazy Sunday, channel surfing and Fifty First Dates comes on, itís very hard for me to not watch the whole thing.
Johnny: You had a cameo in the first Charlie's Angels movie at the end serving drinks to the girls and Bosley. What was that like for you to do that scene?
Chris Miller: That was a lot of fun! We were shooting in Malibu that day and the director, McG, said, "Hey, Miller, I want you in this scene," and the next thing you know I was in full hair, make-up and wardrobe and some poor extra was back in his street clothes and no longer featured. It's incredibly exhausting doing that type of work, you really feel for the actors and extras.
Johnny: What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers/producers who want to follow their dreams?
Chris Miller: Get as much experience as you can, work for a producer that actively makes films and preferably has a studio deal. Observe as much as you can, be a part of the process as much as you can and donít get discouraged. If weíre in a production meeting and everyone is feeling a little low, Iím the first one to run to Starbucks, be a team player no matter what your position is.
Chris Miller: I'm Vice President of Production. I deal with all aspects of production of all Flower Films projects form Pre-production, to physical production to post production. Again, Flower is a small company so we all read scripts and do notes and meet together on what works and what doesn't. When we go into pre-production on a Flower project, we all divert our efforts on that project.
Johnny: How did you end up at Flower Films? And how did you meet Drew Barrymore and Nancy Juvonen?
Chris Miller: I met Drew and Nancy for the first time at Flower Films' old offices about 8 years ago when I was applying for an office manager position. I had been working at Columbia TriStar for several years and wanted to get into physical production. They called me the next day and offered me the job.
Johnny: What is your ultimate goal for the company?
Chris Miller: I think we all want to continue to produce projects that we are proud of and that people love to see, that we as viewers would love to see. Itís entertainment and if youíre not entertaining people it just doesnít work.
Johnny: What upcoming projects is there for Flower Films?
Chris Miller: Right now Flower has several things in development. On February 9th of next year, MUSIC & LYRICS comes out that was Executive Produced by Nancy Juvonen, but was not a Flower production, so weíre still very involved in that.
Johnny: Since the company has developed different stories, what would you like to see next on the screen
Chris Miller: We have a fantastic thriller in development for Warner Bros that Ted Tally (Silence of the Lambs) is re-writing for us, so Iím very much looking forward to producing that genre film.
Johnny: Are you involved at all in the movie making process?
Chris Miller: Because we are a small company, everyone here is involved in every aspect of the film making process. Iíve been on set almost every day of every Flower Films movie in the past 8 years and itís been fantastic.
Johnny: which of all the movies under Flower Films is your favorite and why?
Chris Miller: I love them all in different ways, itís like choosing a favorite child, but if Iím at home on a lazy Sunday, channel surfing and Fifty First Dates comes on, itís very hard for me to not watch the whole thing.
Johnny: You had a cameo in the first Charlie's Angels movie at the end serving drinks to the girls and Bosley. What was that like for you to do that scene?
Chris Miller: That was a lot of fun! We were shooting in Malibu that day and the director, McG, said, "Hey, Miller, I want you in this scene," and the next thing you know I was in full hair, make-up and wardrobe and some poor extra was back in his street clothes and no longer featured. It's incredibly exhausting doing that type of work, you really feel for the actors and extras.
Johnny: What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers/producers who want to follow their dreams?
Chris Miller: Get as much experience as you can, work for a producer that actively makes films and preferably has a studio deal. Observe as much as you can, be a part of the process as much as you can and donít get discouraged. If weíre in a production meeting and everyone is feeling a little low, Iím the first one to run to Starbucks, be a team player no matter what your position is.