Filmmaking Stuff Filmmaking Stuff provides resources for independent filmmakers. The website includes articles on how to take a story idea from script to screen, including articles on scriptwriting, producing, finance, shooting, editing, directing, marketing, distribution and how to build an audience. Filmmaking Stuff also has articles detailing how to make money making movies – including interviews with Hollywood Producers, Directors, writers and other filmmaking professionals.

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.

Affordable camera technology coupled with Crowdfunding and Non-Discriminatory distribution has changed the ways in which movies are made, seen and sold.

Even with these changes, there is still a world full of people who enjoy watching indie movies. And one of the best places to get a finger on the pulse of technological trends is The Sundance Film Festival. But instead of looking for major deals, my focus will be finding out the latest news in Video On Demand distribution and crowdfunding…

And let’s not kid ourselves. There are other reasons to attend. The Sundance Film Festival is a great place to spend a weekend. That’s where I’ll be.

If you are headed to the Sundance Film Festival, look me up. I hope to participate in a few events, watch a few movies and hopefully meet up with you. (And yes. I will also participate in a panel discussion – more on this soon!)

Posted under Filmmaking News

If you’ve been reading Filmmaking Stuff for any length of time, you probably noticed that Filmmaking Stuff has been updated.

When I first started this site I had no idea that it would become one of the most popular filmmaking websites in existence. My goal at the time was merely to share some filmmaking information with the world.

I remember sitting down and staring at the blank white screen before me without any idea what the heck I was going to write. I actually had to call a friend for advice. “What the heck should I write about?”

“Share all your filmmaking screw ups and tell em’ what NOT to do,” she said.

It is hard to believe but but that was close to 400 articles ago!

Moving forward, you can expect even more changes with the site. My goal is to feature dozens of guest writers, review some new products and most importantly- I want to always provide you with valuable information so you can take action and make your movie now!

If you are a veteran reader of Filmmaking Stuff, I hope these changes find you well. And if you are new to Filmmaking Stuff, I welcome you.

Drop a comment below and let me know what you think of the new Filmmaking Stuff.

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If you have a movie website, hosting is essential. Last night I had a scare. I was logging into Filmmaking Stuff – and suddenly the site went haywire. It blew into a million and one pieces. It was crazy.

If you tried to read the filmmaking articles last night, you probably saw what I was taking about.

Luckily I use www.MovieSiteHost.com – which is my Bluehost affiliate link – and yes they pay me to promote. But anyway… With a phone call, I was able to reach a live person. And he was able to get my site back and running. That was a BIG deal.

Anyway – I write this for two reasons:

1. Make sure you back up your site.
2. And make sure you use a good hosting company for your movie web site.

Hope this helps you avoid the same mistakes I made. Working with a great hosting company is essential. Doing so can help you avoid movie website madness.

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One of the movies I worked on titled TOXIC SOUP will be screening with MOUNTAIN MAN will in New York City on December 7th at 7:30 pm as part of “Occupy St. Marks Theater 80 Film Series: Protest, Power and People.”

This film series, curated by Charles Krezell, will showcase documentary shorts from Occupy Wall Street as well as feature films from around the world. Theatre 80 is located on St Marks Place and First Avenue in the East Village.

We would love it if you came out to support TOXIC SOUP and MOUNTAIN MAN; producer Sergei Krasikov will be attending so please say Hi. And if you aren’t in NYC, please pass this onto any friends or family in the area. The full schedule is below.

- Monday December 5 @ 7:30 pm “Battle for Brooklyn” short TBA
- Tuesday December 6 @ 7:30pm “Medium Hot” short TBA
- Wednesday December 7 @ 7:30pm “Toxic Soup” short “Mountain Man”
- Tuesday December 13 @ 8pm “The Orange Chronicles” short TBA
- Wednesday December 14 “Granito, how to nail a dictator”
- Thursday December 15 “Bigger than the Beatles”

We are also encouraging everyone to support Larry Gibson’s nonprofit KEEPERS OF THE MOUNTAIN foundation by streaming or downloading MOUNTAIN MAN. It costs $4.97 for a streaming rental and $9.97 to download the short film, but all the proceeds are going straight to Larry’s foundation.

To find out more:

http://mountainkeeper.blogspot.com/p/donate.html

AND

http://toxicsoupmovie.com/mountain-man/

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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.

Some of the film distribution topics I cover are:

1. How to drive traffic to your movie website.
2. What all filmmakers must know about trailer promotion.
3. How to optimize your movie website for conversions.
4. Where to market movies both online and offline.
5. Why a marketing plan is essential for all business plans.

If you can attend the Showbiz Expo, awesome. If you can’t, then you may want to check out The Indie Producer’s Guide To Digital Self-Distribution.

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Give this to a filmmaker – with the holiday season soon beginning, I thought it might be good to start giving early.

Quick question: Do you have any filmmaking friends? I mean people who are into filmmaking? If so, they may benefit from all the good filmmaking stuff I am currently giving away, for FREE.

And if you want to give this to a filmmaker, it is easy. Just copy and paste the following note and email it to your filmmaking friends.

COPY and EMAIL

Dear Filmmaker,

I know you enjoy filmmaking. Have you heard of Filmmaking Stuff?

Anyway, the guy who runs is – Jason Brubaker – he’s giving away
all sorts of awesome stuff!

Check this out: http://www.FreeFilmmakingBook.com

Talk to you soon.

COPY and EMAIL

Anyway. Copy and past that and send it to your closest filmmaking friends.

Happy Filmmaking!

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The other week, I began working on a project with some very successful people. And here is what I realized: Successful people don’t wait for everything to be perfect. They get an idea and test and idea – then they implement fast and adjust as they go.

So 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. And my challenge is this – over the next 12 months, put together a movie project.

How? Plan the following commitments:

1. Get a movie script.
2. Break your movie script down.
3. Budget your movie, including marketing.
4. Put together a business plan.
5. Create a marketing plan.

If you go through this process, you will know how many units you will need to sell to recoup your budget. Additionally, you will know how much this will cost in terms of time, effort and marketing.

And… If you complete this exercise, you will be ahead of 95% of the other people who call themselves filmmakers. You might actually learn something in the process…

Time is ticking. Take Action: Make Your Movie NOW!

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Over the past decade everything in the world of filmmaking has changed. Technology has improved. Distribution has evolved. And filmmakers have taken on the task of distributing their own movies.

If you’ve been reading filmmaking stuff for any length of time, you know how much I obsess over distribution. Why? Because it is essential to your movie business. Without distribution, it is difficult to get financing. So as you plan your next project, if you do not create a marketing, sales and distribution plan, you do not have a filmmaking business – You have a hobby.

On Saturday, October 15th you can find me at the New Hampshire Film Festival. I will be sharing the stage with a group of industry executives and distribution gurus – talking about the current state of movie marketing and distribution and what YOU need to do to get your movie seen and selling.

Film Distribution Topics Covered

• Distribution Tools for filmmakers
• How to get your movie into the popular marketplaces
• SEO for filmmakers
• How to optimize your movie website for maximum sales
• Email marketing for filmmakers
• Leveraging social networks (Twitter and FaceBook) to promote movies
• And more…

In the event you cannot attend the New Hampshire Film festival, I suggest you grab a copy of the Indie Producer’s Guide to Digital Self-Distribution. The step-by-step system contains nearly a decade of movie marketing and distribution tactics so YOU can get your movie seen and selling ASAP.

The Indie Producer’s Guide To Distribution This guide provides a step-by-step resource for getting your finished feature seen and sold. This site contains resources on how to leverage the ever changing world of digital distribution and internet marketing.

Happy Filmmaking!

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As filmmakers and screenwriters, it is easy to procrastinate. And it is a slippery slope. Despite your best efforts, sometimes life gets in the way of your projects. Next thing you know – a whole year goes by and you are no closer to completing your projects than before.

Veteran Screenwriter Jurgen Wolff has a solution. He is hosting a virtual Massive Action Day on Saturday, Oct. 1.

Here is a quick description of Massive Action Day:

On the Massive Action Day YOU declare a goal for the day on the MAD website and then check in once an hour to report on your progress and say what you’ll do in the next hour.

Jurgen offers tips on a short hourly live video feed and participants encourage each other via the chat window–it’s motivating and makes it fun to focus on getting a lot done.

One participant said it was the most productive day of her life.

Massive Action Day is all online and it’s all FREE…

Jurgen even gives away prizes along the way. He stays online for 17 hours, so it works for just about any time zone. You can get more information and sign up here: www.WritingBreakthroughStrategy.com/MAD

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A few weeks back, I interviewed the filmmaker Koo over at No Film School. He’s working to raise 115,000 dollars on Kickstarter to make his movie Man-Child. He has now entered his last week… And he’s sooooo close.

Lets help our filmmaking friend Koo reach his goal!

Check out Koo’s kickstarter video here.

Related articles

• NoFilmSchool On CrowdFunding (filmmakingstuff.com)

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