Grass Valley, the manufacturer of broadcast and production equipment, is hosting a contest giving video editors a chance to win thousands of dollars in production gear. Grass Valley, in association with Zoom In Online, presents “Cut and Win,” in which contestants cut a 60‐second or less commercial spot promoting Grass Valley’s nonlinear editing program, EDIUS. The style and message…
If you’re looking for somewhere to host your short film, there is now a plethora of options available, from the ubiquitous YouTube through to photo-sharing sites like Flickr and Photobucket, which have recently jumped on the video hosting bandwagon. It certainly pays to “shop around” when it comes to quality encoding, as the results can very dramatically. On some sites, there…
By the end of October, One Fat Cigar, a new website for up-and-coming and professional film makers is launching. To announce the launch the guys at OFC are doing an exclusive promotion with Filmmaking.net, to give away 10 premium memberships prior to the launch of the site and giving filmmaking.net customers a first opportunity to…
Each year, the Marché du Film, the world’s largest film market at the Cannes Film Festival releases a free report called Focus. The report details trends from the previous year in world film sales and distribution. The report is always a valuable read for anyone in interested in the business side of the international film world. Focus 2008 is available from…
With a passion for independent voices, Chadwick Clough recently produced “The Living Wake,” a dark comedy about a man who, expecting to die soon, invites others to his wake where he plans to give a short performance before dropping dead on the spot. Scripted by and starring Mike O’Connell and directed by Sol Tryon, “Living”…
In these uncertain economic times many companies have decided to ditch their expensive advertising agencies in favour of throwing out an open call to independent filmmakers to have a shot at producing a commercial for their product or service. While there have been distant murmurings of exploitation amongst the “glass half-empty crowd”, these competitions can be a great way…
Every filmmaker considers all his own films as supremely important but the first one is extra special. It is even beyond the preciousness that a first salary or the first child or the first kiss etc commands because unlike all of the above which we think off only after a certain stage and that too…
Scottish Screen, the government film agency in Scotland, has produced an in-depth guide to the distribution of short films. And the best news is that it can be downloaded for free. Called “You’ve Got it Made “, this PDF guide contains a host of information about the current landscape in short film distribution, the leading companies, festivals, and marketing strategies. Although targeted predominantly at filmmakers…
Each year, the Marché du Film, the world’s largest film market at the Cannes Film Festival releases a free report called Focus. The report details trends from the previous year in world film sales and distribution. The report is always a valuable read for anyone in interested in the business side of the international film world. Focus 2008 is available from…
With the number of re-makes coming out these days, you’d think every original film idea had been used a dozen times. Not to say that it hasn’t (the black-white “buddy cop” film has practically become its own genre. Examples: Showtime (2002), Blue Streak (1999), The Man (2005), Money Train (1995) and Lethal Weapon (1987)). The reason Hollywood films are often pushed…
In most industry professionals’ list of top tips for new and independent filmmakers you would find “great stills” near the top of the list. Getting decent stills for your film while you are on set is essential as the best shots to use in your marketing and publicity materials may not necessarily be sourced from a…
Last year saw Microsoft attempt to re-invent itself through advertising, while Apple continued to invest millions of dollars in its consumer-focused campaigns. Now it’s time for Linux to step up into the spotlight, the best way open source knows how – by tapping the collective expertise of the community. The Linux Foundation is hosting a contest to find the best Linux ad….
