see Kevin Smith as the guru who is able to take his fan base and monetize it in a way that makes sense and doesn’t make anyone feel ripped off. We’ve also seen the recent success of comedian Louie C.K. and his comedy special that he sold exclusively and independently online which grossed over a million dollars.
The sound crew starts their day by assuring themselves that every piece of hardware they have works flawlessly. They post a header and test tone at the start of every days work.
I’m back from Sundance. This was one of those trips that you don’t plan. But when you get a call from the Utah asking…
A decade ago, my goal was to make a movie and get it into the Sundance Film Festival. Back then, this was the only way you “made it.” Since that time, the entire world of indie filmmaking has turned upside-down.
If you’ve been reading Filmmaking Stuff for any length of time, you probably noticed that things are changing around here. When I first started this site I had no idea that it would become one of the most popular filmmaking websites in existence…
Many filmmakers and screenwriters feel frustrated. You know what you want to do. But you have no idea how to get started. A …
If you are going to increase your odds of movie success, you need to find out how to become a movie marketer. To get started, I recommend spending as much time as possible learning about internet marketing.
If you are doing any traveling for the holiday season, make sure you carry a camera with you. While your friends and family take pictures of themselves, you should take time to scout for various locations and other interesting elements that you can eventually put in your movie.
If you are planning to attend the Showbiz Expo, make sure you check out my talk on “How To Sell Your Movie Without The Middle Man.” I go on at 11AM and will provide some valuable tips on how to get your movie seen and selling.
As an audio production engineer, I have viewed a lot of independent films and documentaries, and the one thing that stands out more than the quality of the filming and special effects, is the soundtrack, or lack of a proper one. Many independent films and documentaries sound weak or hollow, and in others, the music bed overpowers the dialog tracks.
If you want to make a movie, you can’t do it alone. Networking – Creating and cultivating relationships within the filmmaking community is essential for your success. Today’s guest article comes from Jonny Morgan.
If you’re looking for moviemaking tools, here is my list of top picks…
If you are looking for film distribution, CreateSpace offers a great way to access the Amazon marketplace. But if you have gone through the process, you probably also know that finding the CreateSpace Phone number and reaching someone in the customer service department can be frustrating. But not anymore…
Give this to a filmmaker – with the holiday season soon beginning, I thought it might be good to start giving early. Quick …
in the spirit of your own filmmaking success, I am going to offer you a Movie Maker Challenge for 2012 (Yeah, it might seem too early to set goals, but I think you’ll be OK…)
I know a guy who came to Hollywood. He was a pretty good director. To achieve his goal, he convinced a bunch of people to work with him. Promises were made. Agreements were signed. He did or said anything it took to achieve his goal – And as a result, he directed his first feature. But he…
Today’s Filmmaking guest article comes from U.K. based writer, director and producer Suzie Halewood. Her and I got the opportunity to meet during her last visit to Los Angeles. And I was very much impressed with her story and experience. Today she shares…
In this filmmaking article, Los Angeles based producer Jason Brubaker shares a secret on movie marketing…
As a filmmaker, if you’re interested in buying a Canon DSLR camera, I would go with the Canon T2i. If you have the budget to buy the Canon 5D Mark II – hold off…
As a filmmaker, before you make your movie, you have to seriously decide if you can stay excited about your story for the long haul…
It would seem strange to utilize Facebook in an attempt to get a lunch meetings with prospective Hollywood Heavyweights whom you never met.But in the world of LinkedIn, as long as you’re not a jerk, it is appropriate to seek out and connect with prospects.
Over the past few years video technology has evolved so to the point that even the smallest cameras can produce cinematic results. With that said, camera technology will never replace camera technique. So the question is, what are you doing to improve your own video skills?
In Britain all the film talk is about a low-budget film that’s been breaking UK box-office records. I think it offers some lessons on how to make a successful indie film…
Are you afraid to start selling your movie on iTunes and Amazon and Hulu because this will somehow deter traditional distributors turned aggregators from acquiring your movie… So that they can get your movie onto Amazon, iTunes and Hulu? Please explain…
Koo is getting close to reaching his $115,000 dollar crowdfunding goal!
I have a fairly large collection of “pitching sessions from hell” stories, but there was one that stands out because I blew it—afterward. This was early in my career, and actually the pitching session itself went great. The executive loved the idea and commissioned a script for a TV movie. How to apply “show, don’t tell” in screenplays…
For our movie distribution book, we clearly defined our audience: filmmakers who are interested in DIY or Hybrid or P2P distribution methods. Not everyone and not even every filmmaker…
Previsualization – previz – is a buzzword that sounds more complicated than it is. It’s actually something you’re almost certainly doing already…
I see that there’s a one day workshop being offered with the pitch, “Who better to teach you to understand characters than EXPERT BEHAVIOR ANALYSTS?” It’s not my intention to diss the people offering the workshop (which I also why I’m not going to name them)—they are both screenwriters as well as Expert Behavior Analysts and sound like a couple of smart guys with credible credits.
With sites like Indie GoGo and Kickstarter, filmmakers can finally raise money without asking permission. And while the vast majority of filmmakers limit their crowdfunding campaigns to a few thousand dollars – some filmmakers get super ambitious…