As a screenwriter, there are a few ways to get your script sold and -possibly – made into a movie. Screenwriting contests have emerged as a way for unknown writers to get their name out there, but this requires either winning the contest or placing very high, and more than likely having to do it…
Here’s an unusual twist on the “get a filmmaker to make us a commercial for free” fad that seems to be sweeping the marketing and PR business at the moment: create an infomercial for director Stephen Gyllenhaal’s next film! Here’s the lowdown from their press release: GRASSROOTS Director, Stephen Gyllenhaal is passionate about indie filmmaking…
When we compare modern moviemaking to widget production, it oftentimes seems as though we are saying that the end product of our work carries with it so much more human, emotional weight and experience than the mere production of a widget. And while I understand that watching a feature film has so much more value to ME, and…
The Internet is certainly awash with new players in the online TV market and all are seeking content. Many of these have been little more than YouTube-alikes and probably don’t represent much in the way of value for the indie filmmaker. Entering this crowded space in December 2010 is a new service called itzon.tv, which aims…
A new web app for product placement has launched, with a different take on how product placement deals can be approached. Product Place Me, founded by Rex Riepe, co-founder of Presskit’n and HootCourse, seeks to take on bad product placement with a “scripts first” policy. The web app works as a simple mailing list which puts filmmaker-submitted placements in front of advertisers. By only accepting concrete, already-in-the-script placements, Product Place…
Freelance cinematographer, Tom Antos, has put together a series of useful video tutorials on a wide range of cinematography topics, from shot composition and basic lighting, through to green screen and colour correction techniques. Here’s a sample: Check out the full set at Tom’s YouTube Channel.
The Guerilla Filmmaker’s series have been a staple of the indie guide bookshelf for over a decade now, and the winning formula of down to earth advice from real world industry people as lead to sales of over 100,000 copies. The latest edition of the guide has been reformatted to be “pocketbook” sized (although we’re not exactly sure why?), but…
Well, kind of. If you’re a US resident and have a short film which is 2-5 minutes long (or want to make one in time for the deadline), Time Warner Cable and IFC are running a short film contest, the grand prize for which is four nights in Park City in January for you and your lucky…
In the world of independent filmmaking, it’s easy to assume that more money can make any problem go away. But most filmmakers – independent or mainstream – will readily admit that nothing derails a project faster than being unprepared before the production begins. It’s tempting to think that the $20,000 budget that you’ve scraped together through loans,…
Ken Burns is one of America’s leading documentary filmmakers. With career spanning over 30 years, his work includes seminal documentaries “The Civil War” (1990), “Baseball” (1994), “Jazz” (2001), “The War” (2007), and “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” (2009). Ken has won seven Emmy Awards, and received two Oscar nominations. In this interview for Penn State Public Broadcasting’s “Conversations from Penn…
