As a filmmaker, it is essential that you have a crystal clear vision for your movie. From there, you must take the necessary steps to make your imaginings your reality. For first time feature filmmaker Jim Cliffe, this involved working with Danny Glover and Bruce Greenwood. In the following filmmaking interview, he shares insight on [...]
Film Acquisitions
In the old days, the model of film acquisitions meant that you would give up your film to a distributor for years at a time, in exchange a cash advance and a back-end percentage. You would then move on to your next project and the distributor would send you a quarterly statement. This film acquisitions [...]
Rae Dawn Chong and The Celebrant
Rae Dawn Chong is an actor, writer and producer. As the eldest daughter of comedian Tommy Chong, she started acting at age 12 appearing in Disney’s “Whiz Kids of Riverton.” Years later she is still making movies appearing in the Duplass brothers film “Jeff who lives at home” which also starred Susan Sarandon and Jason [...]
Release Window
When filmmakers talk about a movie release window, they are describing the time between a theatrical run, a TV broadcast and a DVD release. And as a filmmaker, planning a “Release Window” strategy is essential. But what worked in the old days for studio releases is not applicable to small indie films. Why? Because video [...]
The Social Window
Do you remember the old days when you would see a movie in the theater and then wait months for the movie to come out on video? This is an example of a release window. Windows worked for major motion pictures because they put millions behind marketing. And in some cases, having a theatrical release [...]




