After 38 films, J. Todd Harris knows a few things about producing movies. One is, it isn’t easy. “I’m not just experienced, I’m tired,’’ Harris told us yesterday. The producer most recently of “Crooked Arrows,’’ the lacrosse movie starring Brandon Routh, Harris will share some of his expertise at a seminar in Boston Oct. 29. “People want to know, ‘Do I have to be in LA to get a movie made?’ And the answer is a resounding ‘no’,’’ he said while driving around Tinseltown. Harris, who’s taught at the Los Angeles Film School, said it’s helpful to partner financially with businesses and individuals who have an interest in your film. In the case of “Crooked Arrows,’’ which was shot in Massachusetts this summer, Reebok, US Lacrosse, and Clear Channel all have a financial stake in the film. (In addition, there are 50 equity investors who love lacrosse.) “You have to think out of the box these days,’’ said Harris, who was an executive producer of the hit indie film “The Kids Are All Right.’’ “There will always be great independent movies like that and ‘Little Miss Sunshine,’ but it’s very tricky to raise money for those movies.’’ Harris’s next project? A skiing flick called “Downhill,’’ directed by Ron Underwood (of “City Slickers’’ fame). “I’m following the same template as ‘Crooked Arrows,’ ’’ he said. “We’re looking for a host mountain where we can shoot in the spring.’’
J. Todd Harris has tips for moviemakers
