Sometimes people who don’t make movies don’t fully understand why people have a passion for making movies. And sometimes those same people will ask why we do it. It doesn’t come up often, but when it does, sometimes it catches people off-guard. So, in an effort to help many filmmakers, let’s look at why we […]
Some filmmakers come to me and ask questions like: How can I make my $300 budget short film look like thousands of dollars? The answer, depending on the story, comes in the form of three specific answers: Props Locations Being able to do something that does NOT look cheap And I am more than happy […]
When ANY filmmaker begins their journey, one of the big questions on their mind is formulated and looks something like this: If I am going to use a big-named star in my movie, which one should I use that will be worth the money? Here is the situation in that age-old question: If you select […]
It’s the immortal question that all filmmakers must eventually consider when it comes to their equipment: BUY or RENT And depending on your budget, it might be a easy choice. But just the same, it could be a difficult one, as well. Let’s look at the concept pros and cons, shall we? PROS of BUYING: […]
When I was a small child of only around 8 or 9 years old, I had an Asian woman (Vietnamese, as I remember it) as a babysitter. My mom, a single mom doing her best in the 70’s, relied on this woman to provide the care for me that was needed, especially for a child […]
Numerous things make a movie any good. You could have bad sound, bad lighting, bad picture, bad performances, and bad concepts. You could break the ideas you have by putting them together all wrong. Or, you might make an Oscar-winning movie by putting everything together perfectly. Although, I never hold Oscar as the “best” of […]
Knowing when and where to direct someone is troublesome sometimes. Even if you’re not officially the Director of the project you’re working on, you’ll still find someone approaching you asking questions about what they’re supposed to be doing. I mean, honestly, any indie project has had this happen to producers, camera ops, boom ops, etc. […]
(Beginning note: I use the term “actor” as an interchangeable meaning either actor (male) or actress (female), as it should be used in most contexts.) Many times I have been asked: “How do I get into acting as a career?” And it’s a good question. As there is no 100% correct answer, I can at […]
Should you even consider making a movie if you don’t have things under control? For instance, I want to make a movie (this is hypothetical, as I’ve made quite a few). I am new to the business of filmmaking and have not really made more than backyard skits or shooting my sister’s wedding. But I feel […]
Working with other Producers. Sometimes it can be a chore. Sometimes it can be fun. Sometimes it can be both. And some very few times it can be a nightmare. I’ve been fortunate enough to realize that many of the people I would be working with are not the types to make filmmaking a nightmare. […]
