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.

Somewhere between 11th and 12th grade, when most of my (then) classmates were taking weekend trips with their families to check out prospective colleges, I was goofing off.

I know, I know. Maybe I shouldn’t admit that.

But at age 17, a college education wasn’t high on my list of priorities. And besides, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to make movies.

I can’t remember exactly what drew me to movie making. But I was always intrigued by the camera and how you could look through the lens at something and bring it to life in a new and unique way. I know there are a lot of fancy technical terms to describe the cinematographic stuff I played around with, like forced perspective, snap zoom and the excitingly overused P.O.V. shots! But I didn’t think about any of that stuff. Back then, I had a VHS camcorder with a built in microphone and I had one movie making mission: I just wanted to have fun.

One summer, my buddies and I build a skateboard half-pipe in my parent’s back yard. We would spend hours and hours under the hot summer sun, almost always capturing our sessions on videotape. And then as the sun was setting, we would go inside and use 2 VCRs to edit the footage. (Push play on one and record on the other, etc.) Being able to play around with the footage and also add some much appreciated heavy medal music to the final cut was not just a great way to end an exhilarating day of skateboarding – but the work and effort we put into making the skate videos look good was enough to make me realize a career making movies would be the only type of career that mattered.

As such, when asked about my college plans, I had only two criteria:

1. The school would have to have women.
2. And the school would have to offer a film program.

Back then, I thought a traditional film school with hot women was heaven. Not to mention, I was also convinced that a traditional film school degree would help my chances at becoming a successful Hollywood filmmaker. I remember doing my research and trying to determine which school of cinema offered my best chance at success for a career making movies.

Whether fortunately or unfortunately, after calculating the cost of a four year film school coupled with the realities of my family’s let’s-further-your-education budget, both my parents and I were persuaded to vote unanimously for one of the many Pennsylvania state schools. So, instead of NYU or UCLA, I ended up at Bloomsburg University of PA…

And while the school did not have a formal film program, it was a great experience. I mean, at least there were woman (Huge education and nursing school!!!). And as a result, I forgot about my film passion – for a bit…

It wasn’t until my senior year of college, when I once again caught the film bug.

I had learned of a movie making class where everyone in the course bucked up and paid to produce a 16mm short movie. The class wasn’t offered every year… And it was only offered in the summer. Suffice it to say, I did everything I could to get into that class. And while it was clear from the fist day that some folks were taking it for (what they thought would be) an “easy credit,” I took the class, well, because I HAD to!

With shall we say, a very strong level of passion – I convinced the class to let me write and direct the movie. I got a lot of push back. But after some heated negotiation, the instructor permitted me to have half of the directing credit. The other half was shared with my buddy Ryan (I’d like to add that Ryan also caught the movie making bug and he is now working as a well respected grip on some of the biggest movies in Hollywood). But anyway, we went out to various locations and made our movie. We even animated a title sequence (the old-fashioned way, I might add). Then we got the film processed, edited on a flat bed and physically cut the film. And when we finally projected our movie on the screen, we thought we had something spectacular!

After graduating, I moved back with my parents in Pennsylvania and took a job selling household appliances. Since promoting dishwashers and garbage disposals was not inline with my movie making aspirations, I got a little depressed. I kept wondering how I would make a career making movies. The only piece of work I had was that 16mm film. And it was literally film. So, in order to show it to someone, I needed to get it transferred to video. As such, I contacted various Pennsylvania production houses in the hopes one of em’ had the equipment to transfer the film. And after several calls, I eventually found someone.

As luck (and life) would have it, the people I met at that production company put me in touch with the local film community (Harrisburg, PA). And through those guys, I found work fetching coffee, which eventually led to other jobs (boom operator, dolly pusher, production coordinator), which introduced me to new people who eventually opened a door to New York City, where I basically took every production job I could find… Student shoots, corporate video, TV commercials and the occasional hockey game upstate. All of this happened while I lived in the corner of some dude’s kitchen and slept on an inflatable air mattress. It was also during this time that I put the finishing touches on my first screenplay.

Eventually this work and networking led to a position as an assistant to an indie producer. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Now, after having produced numerous short movies and three features, I’m beginning to think my on-the-job training was a pretty good film education.

I share this story for any parents or aspiring filmmakers weighing the options between traditional film school or other alternatives. If you just want to learn the nut-and-bolts of filmmaking, then the basics can be learned in a much shorter time-frame than four years! After you learn the basics, it’s having a sense of clear goals, combined with a great work ethic and a subsequent hard working reputation that will ultimately open the doors to your dreams. And when these doors open, you’ll quickly realize your Hollywood success has more to do with your experience and attitude than your degree.

I repeat – experience and attitude are major prerequisites for success in any endeavor, especially making movies.

So to wrap this up, my thinking is: Film school is good for aspiring filmmakers who want to meet and spend four years with friends who share similar interests, determination and drive. These people will form the foundation of your professional network. And if you attend one of the BIG schools, it’s going to look great on your resume…

Problem is, unless you plan to teach, most people will never ask to see your degree. The other problem is, depending on your film school, you may never get permission to direct or produce your own projects. This could be a bit disheartening when you’re paying FIFTY-THOUSAND-DOLLARS (or more) for an education that allows you carry cables and fetch coffee. (Come to think of it, if you’re going to fetch coffee and carry cables, you may as well get paid for it!)

I’m not saying you should forgo college – I certainly didn’t. And being completely frank, my four year degree has accelerated my success in some very non-direct ways. But I am saying this: Before you set yourself up for a traditional film school degree (and the debt that goes with it), you might consider testing the water by attending one of the many short term, hands-on filmmaker workshops offered by reputable filmmaking organizations.

Most of these workshops are taught by working filmmakers and industry professionals, and are conducted at various times and locations throughout the year. For the most part, these workshops will provide you with a basic education, a peer group and importantly, enough nuts-and-bolts filmmaking experience so you can make an informed decision on whether or not a traditional 4-year film school is right for you.

As always, take time to do the research.

Here are 5 popular nuts-and-bolts filmmaking workshops, worth considering:

1. The New York Film Academy
2. The Maine Media Workshops
3. Rick Schmidt’s Workshop
4. My friend Peter Marshall’s Workshops
5. One on One Film Training

Posted under Filmmaking

Peter D. Marshall is a filmmaker from Vancouver, Canada. He has worked (and survived) in the Film and Television Industry for over 35 years – as a film director, television producer, first assistant director and TV Series creative consultant. He writes and publishes the monthly filmmaking ezine, “The Director’s Chair” which is currently read by over 3400 filmmakers in 100 countries around the world.

He is also a part-time directing instructor at the Vancouver Film School and teaches his own filmmaking workshops around the world (Canada, Dubai, Singapore).

Jason Brubaker of Filmmaking Stuff caught up with Peter for a few minutes earlier this week to ask him about his new filmmaking course.

Filmmaking Stuff

Peter, I reviewed your Script Breakdown and Film Scheduling Online Course. I have to say it’s very comprehensive and covers some detailed information that only comes with experience. Before we get to the details, could you tell us a little about yourself?

Peter D. Marshall

I first started making films (on Super 8 no less) when I was 16 years old. I’d make movies of our high school parties, film my friends as they drove around in their cars and created pixelated animations with model race cars in my basement.

During my 35-year career, I have worked as a PA, dolly grip, electrician, assistant cameraman, commercial production manager, first assistant director, TV series creative consultant, television producer and director. I have had the opportunity to work on many different types of productions, from industrial films to documentaries; television commercials to music videos; Emmy Award nominated TV series to Hollywood feature films.

I have directed over 30 episodes of Television Drama and written, directed or produced over 50 hours of documentary and educational programs. (My documentaries and dramas have won, or been nominated for, 14 International film awards.) And as a First Assistant Director, I have worked on 13 Hollywood Feature Films, 15 Television Movies, 6 Television Series, 4 TV Pilots (all of which went to series!) and over 20 Commercials.

Filmmaking Stuff

How did you get started in the movie business?

Peter D. Marshall

After graduating from Grade 12, I spent three years in film school in Toronto (1970 – 1973) and then hit the streets looking for the job that would kick-start my filmmaking career.

My first paid film job was on a Carts commercial in 1974. I was the PA [Production Assistant] holding a brown paper bag just under the camera so when the director called “Cut!” the actor could spit out his candy into the bag I was holding. In 1985, I got my first professional job as an Assistant Director when I was the 2nd AD on the 13 x half-hour Television series called “The Hitchhiker.”

The first major TV series I worked on as a 1st Assistant Director was in 1986 on a Steven J. Cannel production called “Stingray.” After “Stingray” I worked on several more TV series with Cannell until I became one of the 1st AD’s on “Wiseguy.”

I also got my first big directing break on “Wiseguy” as well. This is something that happens occasionally on a TV series when some department heads get an opportunity to direct.

Filmmaking Stuff

In your program, you offer all sorts of valuable information on how to be successful in the movie business, both during production and as a career. And you have a real passion for sharing your experience with up-and-coming filmmakers. What sorts of mistakes can first time filmmakers avoid, when it comes to prepping their movie?

Peter D. Marshall

There are many things a first time filmmaker should know and understand when it comes to prepping and shooting a movie. Basically, the whole 137 page course is designed to show this information, step-by-step, to filmmakers so they know how to end up with a properly designed shooting schedule.

Here are just a 10 of the hundreds of tips contained in the course that will help filmmakers better prepare themselves during the prep of and movie or television production:

1. They have to have an understanding of the politics of film!

2. They have to have a knowledge of who the Power Players are and how to deal with them.

3. They need to know as much as they can about everyone else’s job.

4. They need to know what is expected of them when they begin pre-production and when they step on the set

5. They need to know the differences between Feature Films and Television

6. They need to know the intricacies of the director/assistant director relationship

7. They need to understand the physical breakdown of scripts, scenes and shots

8. They need to understand traditional camera techniques

9. They need to understand the 5 stages of blocking a scene

10. They need to understand film editing techniques

Now even though the title says “Script Breakdown and Film Scheduling…” this course is not just for Assistant Directors or Production Managers. When I wrote this course, I also had in mind Directors, Producers, Location Managers and any filmmaker who would like to gain in-depth industry knowledge of the entire pre-production stage of making a feature film or television series.

Filmmaking Stuff

One area you really brought to my attention is the extras budget. It’s funny, but in my experience this has been an area where filmmakers drop the ball. Can you tell us a little about the extras budget and why it is so essential?

Peter D. Marshall

The Extras budget is usually the only budget the AD department has to manage. You start by getting the Extras budget from the Production Manager which is usually listed in “man hours” for the show.

After you have a preliminary schedule, you begin your first pass on the extras count by deciding how many background performers you feel you need to have for each scene. Since you do this budget very early in prep, this number probably won’t be based on a real location, but will come from your own experience and from reading the script. (re: How many people will it take to fill a nightclub when the script says “the club is busy and jammed with patrons and dancers.”)

You should budget high for all extras because every director will want as many extras as they can for a scene. As all film budgets do, the extras budget will eventually be cut down, but at least you have a good starting point.

This meeting is very important for many departments because of the overlap that occurs with extras (Hair, Makeup, Costumes etc.) This is also the meeting where the Assistant Directors can have some creative input with the Director on the number and the look of the extras as well. Of course, your creative involvement here will always depend on your relationship with the Director at this point in prep.

Let me give you an example of the logistics involved when working with a large group of extras.

I was the First Assistant Director on the Second Unit Battle Sequence for the movie “Legends of the Fall.” I was also tasked with the job (along with the Military Advisor) to set up and train the 1000 extras who would be in the WW1 battle scenes. We had less than 2 weeks to do all this.

We spent the first week working out all of the logistics; confirming these with Director Ed Zwick and his storyboards; planning the event down to the smallest detail with the Props and Costume departments who had to dress and arm all of the extras; and had many conversations with Special Effects who had 25 special effects people who were responsible for setting off all the explosions on the battlefield as the troops charged over it – at night!

We then had the second week to set up and train the main battle group of about 200 extras who played the officers and NCOs (non-commissioned officers) of the 9 sections it would take to fill the battlefield.

On the day of the scene, (it was actually shot at night) we were only budgeted for 4 hours of rehearsal in the daylight with the entire 1000 extras! From the time the first extra got off the bus at base camp, to the last extra marching into their place in the trenches, it was 1 1/2 hours later.

When actor Adin Quinn blew his whistle and the camera pulled back on the crane to see 1000 Canadian “soldiers” climb out of the trenches and charge across a battlefield as hundreds of explosions rocked our insides and flares screamed over our heads, we knew we had helped to create a very memorable scene in this movie.

Filmmaking Stuff

Your course reads a lot like a living document. On almost every page, you’ve expanded on the content by providing a link to other, similar information. I’ve read a lot of filmmaking stuff, and I can’t remember the last time an author has been so generous.

Peter D. Marshall

I feel it is very important to “pass the baton” to the younger generation and that is why I hold nothing back when it comes to sharing my knowledge with other filmmakers. I also love teaching!

About 15 years ago, I created a 2-day workshop called “How to Design an Accurate Film Shooting Schedule.” As the film and television industry changed and grew over the years, I modified the content of that workshop to keep up to date with all the new filmmaking techniques I was learning. That 2-day workshop has now become the model for this Online course.

Filmmaking Stuff

Making a movie is tough. And it’s common for filmmakers to get overwhelmed with details. Could you tell us a little about The Reductionism Theory.

Peter D. Marshall

Reductionism, as described by Wikipedia, is “an approach to understanding the nature of complex things by reducing them to the interactions of their parts, or to simpler or more fundamental thing.”

In other words, the Reductionism Theory states that “most anything can be understood by taking its pieces apart, studying them and then putting them back together so you can see the larger picture.” For our purposes as filmmakers, we use the Reductionism Breakdown Theory as the process of “reducing a script down to its smallest elements by going from large to small, from general to specific.”

Formula: Things You Don’t Know + Research = Things You Do Know

Here is a basic filmmaking example of the Reductionism Breakdown Theory from reading the script to the first shot on set:

1. Script

2. Act

3. Sequence

4. Scene

5. Shot

6. Take

I have a very good example the Reductionism Breakdown Theory when I got the job as First Assistant Director on “Bird on a Wire.” When I first read the script, I was overwhelmed by the logistics of this production. I honestly wondered how I could possibly prepare such a huge show with two major Hollywood stars, lots of action and many locations. Well, two months of prep later, we were ready for our first day of shooting!

I was overwhelmed on my first read through of the script because I could only see the magnitude of this picture as a whole. Once I started to reduce it into more manageable elements, it became clearer on how to proceed. Time is your ally here.

The Reductionism Theory is what we use everyday to help us figure out many things – not just in the “reel world” but in the “real world” as well! (Remember the first time you drove a car, used a computer, set up your TV)

Filmmaking Stuff

This is especially true when it comes to breaking down a script. Every movie seems to have a million elements and ways filmmakers can get overwhelmed with a schedule. I was impressed to see your that your course includes step-by-step Film Scheduling Tips. Any worry that you just gave away the 1st AD secret sauce? Hahaha!

Peter D. Marshall

Quite honestly, there is so much more to cover on this subject that I have several other courses and products that I am now developing to support all the material in this 137 page course such as audios, video demonstrations, discussion forums etc.

Filmmaking Stuff

What are you working on next?

Peter D. Marshall

I have several consulting jobs that I am working on for different filmmakers around the world plus I am creating more Online courses that will help independent filmmakers better prepare themselves for a successful career in this business.

Filmmaking Stuff

Oh… And one last thing. Where can filmmakers find your Script Breakdown & Film Scheduling Online Course?

Peter D. Marshall

They can visit this website link where they can check out all the details about this 137 page online course including the content list, support materials and free bonuses. As a matter of fact. I have set up this webpage especially for your readers so they can get US$20.00 of the purchase price of this 137 page Online course.

To learn more about Peter D. Marshall’s Script Breakdown and Film Scheduling Online Course: CLICK HERE

Posted under Interviews with Hollywood

During the NYC shoot, one guy gave me the telephone number of a NYC indie feature film producer who was working on his seventh feature.

In the months that followed, I packed my car and moved to New York City. There, I quickly learned how to hail a cab, where to find cheap food and how to navigate the subway. I remember those first couple months… Everything in that town seemed like an adventure!

Soon after, I began reading stacks and stacks of screenplays and writing coverage for the producer. Every day a new shipment of scripts would come from managers and agents (and a few savvy writers who got past our gatekeeper). Then it was my job to go through the pile and read everything in hopes of finding a gem. Unfortunately, most of the screenplays were pretty bad and ended up in the filing cabinet.

But every so often we found a story that worked. As this happened, my role in the company changed. Because I had so much production experience from my days working corporate shoots, I was invited onto set, and helped out with production. In addition to this, I was invited to deal making meetings with potential investors and was able to participate in conference calls with acquisitions executives. This experience gave me a script to screen understanding of indie filmmaking.

But my best lesson came on our last movie together. We were going into production on a 1.5 million dollar budget. At the time, this was our most ambitious project, which seemed like a good investment because all the marketable elements were in place. We had great actors, a great script and money in the bank… Then disaster stuck. Three weeks before production commenced, the project fell apart.

Suddenly, I was in New York with no job, bills to pay, and 96 dollars in the bank.

But like all periods of adversity, there is always a silver lining. My former instructor in Maine needed an assistant for his filmmaking course and I was just the guy for the job. So I packed my car and drove to Maine, where I spent the rest the summer helping new filmmakers learn the ropes.

Somewhere between then and now, I relocated to Los Angeles, spent time working as an executive for a fortune 500 Investment bank, started a production company, garnered producer credits on some feature films, became a cult zombie fighting action hero (dream come true!), and made friends with some of the most well respected professionals in the industry.

With Filmmaking Stuff, I’m going to work very hard to provide you with Hollywood success strategies and help you avoid common pitfalls. And above all, I want to give you confidence to not only make features, but make money making features.

I invite you to check out the filmmaking articles, the filmmaking and screenwriting books. Additionally, we have included filmmaking 101 videos as part of the site. Basically, I’m working to supply you with everything I wish I would have had. Also, if you look to your right, you should sign up for the free 21 part mini course.

Thanks. Happy filmmaking. www.filmmakingstuff.com

Posted under Filmmaking