The deeply collaborative nature of filmmaking can be both beautiful and terrifying. When the chemistry is right, the crew is on their game and the creative juices are flowing, being on set is a high like nothing else. If, on the other hand, directions are unclear, departments are scrambling and frustrations start to build, being…
Whenever a filmmaker stands in front of a screen at their film festival Q&A and says “Filmmaking is war,” I can’t help but see the ghosts of a thousand soldiers and napalmed civilians surrounding him, shaking their spectral heads in scorn. Sure, filmmaking isn’t easy. But “war?” Far from it. It’s a struggle, sure, but…
Call sheets are the oil that keeps the machine moving smoothly during principal photography on any film project. While there are probably very few line producers or 2nd ADs who write out call sheets by hand these days, more often than not they are still printed and handed out each day. Or in a more…
For when a regular greeting card just isn’t right, Joan Philo has created a range of cards with filmmaking themes to allow you to congratulate everyone on your team. Joan describes the history of her idea: “Five years ago I was searching for the perfect card to give out at the wrap of ‘Stranger Than Fiction.’ I searched and I…
After deciding to do “In the mixx: Dj’s doing the work” one of the first things I had to remove from my mind was the thought that I could do everything on my own. I always felt like I had a very diverse skill set. My background is in journalism and have written everything from…
