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.

Jason Brubaker writes

If you’re a member of the Filmmaking Stuff newsletter as well as our facebook group, you probably know that we try very hard to answer every moviemaking question you send. Now, granted sometimes we get busy.

So, I wanted to provide you with a list of useful, no-fluff filmmaking tools. (Disclosure: Where possible, I included affiliate links. If you don’t want to buy anything I’m selling that’s totally cool.)

With that said, if I were once again putting together my first feature, this is a loose road map of the filmmaking tools I would utilize to make it happen.

How to Make Your Movie Now!

Before you get started, set up a profile with my friends at Movie Set – I consider this site to be the glue that binds. Well beyond your typical social networking site, this service will help you create community around your movie the whole way from script to screen to your movie marketplace.

Your Script – The First Draft:

This seems obvious. But without a screenplay, it is very difficult to make a movie. Yes, I know some of you are interested in making an “experimental” movie. If that’s you, then ignore the following screenwriting tools. But if you would like to write a screenplay, here are some filmmaking tools that I recommend:

1. Final Draft – This is industry standard screenwriting software. You can also get Movie Magic Screenwriter. But I never used it. And if money is tight, you can get FREE screenwriting software here: Celtix
2. The Independent Producer’s Guide To Writing Movie Scripts That Sell, by Jason Brubaker – Yes, this is THE screenwriting Action Pack that I created. In it, you get a decade of experience, a workbook and MP3 Audio, so you can listen to it anywhere. Call it screenwriting from a producer’s perspective.

BreakDown Your Script

Ok. After you finish your screenplay, you will want to break it down. What is a script breakdown? Basically, you take everything in your script (wardrobe, stunts, locations, characters, props Et AL. . . ) And you put these elements into a schedule. Since this is your “initial breakdown,” you will use this information to determine the ball park budget of your movie. Here are the filmmaking tools I recommend:

1. Peter Marshall’s Script Breakdown and Film Scheduling Course. Peter has been in this game a long, long time. He will show you the fundamentals of script breakdown. These lessons will help you see your movie from a totally different, producer perspective.
2. There is industry software to help you break down, schedule and budget your movie. One is called Movie Magic Scheduling and Movie Magic Budgeting. If money is tight, you can also grab a copy of Gorilla. These software tools are great because you can put them on your laptop and use them in remote places, even if you don’t have an internet connection!

Get Movie Money

Once your screenplay is broken down, scheduled and budgeted – the next step in the process is getting the money. To do this, you will need to create a movie business plan. After you have your business plan, you’ll want to contact a lawyer to draw up some paperwork and help you establish a corporate entity. And after that, you’ll go out and get your movie money. Here are some great filmmaking tools:

1. Your Film Business Plan. For this, I recommend a website called Film Proposals. They have created a great business plan kit, which will provide you with a step-by-step approach to all the business stuff you would rather not bother with. Get Your Movie Business Plan Here.
2. When it comes to entertainment attorneys, one of most accomplished is Gordon Firemark. He runs a website and has very informative podcasts, full of valuable legal tips – And if you need some work beyond that, including legal releases for your movie, Gordon can help. You can check out his site by clicking here. Get on his mailing list. . .
3. Getting a business plan and putting your legal ducks in a row is only part of the process, the next aspect is getting money for your movie. I recommend “How To Make Rich Friends and Finance Your Movie” by Jason Brubaker. OK. Once again, this another one of my Action Packs. As usual, this is no-fluff. Different from all the other BS out there, you will discover how to seek out and make friends with rich people, even if you don’t know rich people. (Yet) – Access The Independent’s Guide To Financing Your Movie by clicking here.
4. I can’t forget my friends at Indie GoGo. This site will allow you to set up a profile, promote your movie project, set a financial goal and find folks to sponsor various aspects of your movie. And if you actually raise 100% of your goal, the company will throw in a bonus percentage. To GoGo, Click Here.

Going Into Production

Once you raise the money, get your cast, crew and equipment, locations and craft service, the next step is going into production. In this stage, you’ll find out if all of your planning holds up. This is going to be both adventurous and grueling. But an awesome time you’re sure NEVER to forget.  Here are several filmmaking resources that I recommend:

1. Rick Schmidt’s Extreme DV. He has a great workshop in the Bay Area where you actually complete a feature film. He is also the writer of one of the most empowering filmmaking books I’ve ever read. To check out the book, click here. To learn more about Rick Schmidt’s filmmaking workshop, follow this link.
2. Rebel Without A Crew. This is another personal favorite. Perhaps it’s a little dated, but if you can ignore the ancient filmmaking technology mentioned in the book, you will finish your read with a new found appreciation for how difficult the filmmaking process used to be. No more excuses! Get the book here and Make Your Movie Now!
3. If you’re looking for a longer workshop, I recommend the New York Film Academy as well as the Maine Media Workshops.

Post Production

After you produce your movie, you’ll want to edit it. This is the phase they call post production. And it really is the final rewrite of your movie. In the past, your post production expenses were crazy expensive. But like most things in filmmaking, technology makes your post experience awesomely affordable. Here are some tools:

1. A decade ago, all the talk and buzz in the world revolved around Avid. Now you’re like Avid who? Seriously. If you have a Mac, get yourself a copy of Final Cut Pro. It’s all but industry standard. It’s powerful and affordable. Enough said.
2. If you don’t have a Mac, find a friend who does. Re-read the previous step. And if you don’t know how to edit, find a friend who does.

Market and Sell Your Movie

I’m not going to tell you how to find a sales agent or how to make a 3 picture deal. Partially because that stuff is rare. And partly because those deals are old school anyway. I mean, who wants to hire a 3rd party when you can build a following and cash your own checks. I love this arena. I call it Digital Self Distribution. Here is how you market and sell your movie:

1. Create a trailer that actually aims to sell the movie without giving the entire story away. They call this a teaser trailer. Make sure it includes a back link to your website. Once you have the trailer, put the sucka on YouTube and all the other video streaming sites you can think of.
2. Get a domain name and website hosting. To do this, set up an account with a filmmaker friendly company. I prefer BlueHost. And yes, they pay me to say that. When you set up the site, I prefer to use the name movie in the URL.
3. Once you have your website hosting, hire a web designer to create a website for you. (Actually, you should have built a website prior to production. But I know your mind was probably focused on actually making the movie. So it’s OK.) If you burnt all your money actually making the movie, then check out this website called http://www.fiverr.com – On this site, you’ll probably find a dozen people who will create an awesome website for a whopping $5 dollars. Seriously. I’ve used it and actually got some great work!
4. Once you have your trailer and your website, you need to make sure you set up a Facebook page as well as other ways to grab visitor information. This is because most visitors will not buy your movie in their first visit. Having a YouTube page, a Facebook page and a newsletter will allow you to build a relationship with your visitors. If they don’t buy today, maybe they will buy tomorrow.
5. Get your movie selling online. There are so many outlets for this. But one of the best that I’ve found is the very independent filmmaker friendly site called Distribber. You can learn more about distribber by clicking here. Please tell em’ I sent you.
6. 5.5. And I almost forgot. Jason Brubaker (that’s me) has another product. It’s called The Independent Producer’s Guide to Digital Self Distribution. You can find out more information by clicking here.

Well that pretty much sums up the movie making process. Hopefully these filmmaking resources will be beneficial to your filmmaking process.

Posted under Filmmaking

Chris Ward is an independent filmmaker currently residing in Stamford, Connecticut, which is about 35 miles outside New York City. Chris spent many years producing documentaries for Network television. He also teaches filmmaking at Quinnipiac University and the Maine Media Workshops. Fog Warning, his second feature, was just picked up by Wonderphil Productions and he has agreed to share his experience with Jason Brubaker of Filmmaking Stuff…

JB
Tell us about the movie.

CW
Fog Warning, which I wrote and directed, is an independently financed feature about three men who hold a professional woman captive in the attic of a historical house where they are housesitting. They believe she is a vampire and try to get her to confess so they can become rich and famous. We shot it in HD with the Panasonic Varicam in three weeks on a shoestring budget.

JB
How did you get the idea for the story?

CW
I’ve always been a fan of the old Hammer horror films and one day I read about some goth idiot who actually attacked people and sucked their blood. He thought he was a vampire. That got me to jot down some notes which eventually lead to a more detailed outline.

JB
Was this something you wrote?

CW
Absolutely. Acquiring rights to other people’s stories is difficult and expensive. I’m not saying I wouldn’t go down that road, but it would have to be a very special project. Besides, I have my own ideas.

JB
How did you get the money?

CW
A man who hired me to write a script on a separate project heard what I was planning, liked the idea and agreed to invest. He put up most of the money.

JB
How were you able to put the cast and crew together?

CW
This is my second feature so I had already learned the ropes here. We placed an ad in Backstage, held auditions and chose the best. The cast was a mix of New York actors who rode the train out to Connecticut and local actors who do mostly community theatre. I trust my gut when it comes to casting so there weren’t many callbacks. I make decisions rather quickly and I don’t procrastinate — you can’t when you have deadlines with tight budgets.

Alan McIntyre Smith is a gifted cinematographer who had shot my first picture. We talked about visualizing my story idea over lunch one day and decided we were on the same page. Simply put, I wanted bright, beautiful exteriors and then contrast that with dark, shadowy interiors. I let Alan choose the crew which was made up of men and women he had worked with for several years. I should add that we had a lot of women on the crew, including our talented gaffer, Jennifer Johnson.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing. Unfortunately, a production manager and one of the producers left the project about ten days before we began shooting. I almost canceled the shoot but we were able to find replacements and get them up to speed.

JB
Why did they leave the project?

CW
They were offered better paying gigs.

JB
Did you find people to be supportive of your project?

CW
Yes! Something happens when you pull that trigger. People pop up from nowhere wanting to help; they want to be a part of something worthwhile, something special.

JB
Tell us a little about production. Where did you set the movie?

CW
The story takes place in Connecticut where I live and work. I come from the documentary world so I try to base just about everything in my films on fact. The men are house sitting in the historical home of a famous writer which I loosely based on the Mark Twain house in Hartford. We shot at a beautiful estate in North Stamford but it took us months to find. We didn’t have a lot of money and most of the nicer homes had heard stories about film crews wrecking property. Money usually makes the difference yet we could barely afford the rent.

JB
What did you do?

CW
I went to nice homes in the area that were for sale to see if they would make a short term deal. One man happened to be a big movie fan. I ended up giving him a bit part as a bartender.

JB
How was he?

CW
[laughs] Not bad. He’s in the movie.

JB
Any advice on getting locations for a low budget?

CW
You have to spend the time to talk to people, share your enthusiasm and explain the process. My crews are very professional, of course we had insurance in case anything was damaged. One thing that I always do when we’re shooting on location is ask about personal items or expensive valuables. In other words, is there something here that can’t be replaced. It might be on the ceiling, far out of reach, doesn’t matter, I ask them to remove it. I don’t mind paying to replace a broken window, which I’ve had to do, but I don’t want to destroy a family heirloom, something that can’t be replaced, or that costs a small fortune to replace.

I don’t like sets because often they look like a set. I try to shoot on location using as much of the location as possible.

JB
Did the movie play festivals?

CW
Yes, we’ve had two screenings so far, at the Fright Night Film Festival in Kentucky, and Shockerfest in California. More to come.

JB
What was the audience’s reaction?

CW
It’s great to see the film with an audience. Even though Fog Warning is ostensibly a suspense-thriller, there is a certain amount of humor in it. Well, we get some huge laughs and they come during some of the film’s most intense scenes. I worried that I might have put in too much but the audience seems to like it.

JB
You just signed a deal with a distributor. How did that come about?

CW
They contacted us. They had seen our trailer on Youtube, visited the website and then told us they wanted a screener. After watching the film they called to make us a contract offer.

JB
What advice do you have to all those filmmakers who have yet to make a feature?

CW
God helps those who help themselves. Stop talking about it, get yourself out there and do it. You’ll make mistakes, we all do, but you’ll learn and get better. A lot of people want to be part of a movie so don’t worry too much about money. You need enough for equipment, food and insurance; the rest you can barter for (especially if you have good karma!) Forge ahead, be faithful to your vision, treat people the way you want to be treated and you’ll be surprised at what can be accomplished.

JB
What’s next for you?

CW
I’m writing a new script that I hope to direct next year. I also have some ideas for a sequel, Fog Warning 2, but I want a much bigger budget!

You can check out the trailer for Fog Warning at www.wonderphil.biz and www.fogwarningthemovie.com

Posted under Interviews with Hollywood

During my time writing, I also landed an interview and got my foot in the door at a local production company. There I spent the summer working as a production assistant, learning about film and video equipment, audio, lighting and blue screens. Our projects were mostly corporate videos and television commercials. And on a half dozen occasions, with only six people, we were able to pull off 35mm shoots. Even today I look back on the experience as invaluable.

And although everyone was happy to teach me the inner workings of production, off set, it was my responsibility to scrub toilets and mop the floors. I didn’t mind the crap work. In fact, scrubbing toilets taught me a valuable lesson. I realized if I can keep my dreams bigger than the crap, I can get through pretty much anything. I had no choice but to become the most successful janitor this company ever had. And I never complained. Someone had to do it, and at the very least, I ate lunch with a group of talented film and video professionals.

After a month of this, the president of the company walked across my freshly mopped floor and asked me if I wanted to take a trip…

“Where?” I asked.
“The Maine Media Workshops in Rockport, Maine.”
“What the heck is that?” I asked.
“You can work with Hollywood people. Learn something.”

Two weeks later, I headed north.

In Rockport, I was enrolled in eight-week film work-study. The curriculum was intense, but awesome… In the mornings our class learned everything about film theory and technology and at night we would make movies. The course was set up to teach us the entire filmmaking process, from script-to-screen… Of course, it was work-study, so part of my time there was spent working.

This time my crap work was trash. I was assigned the duty of hauling heavy and smelly trash bags to the dump! I think someone in our class made a documentary of this… But that’s another story.

After Maine, I went back to York, Pennsylvania. In my months away, I had shed some pounds and was back to my normal weight. I even had the first draft of a screenplay, but I still hadn’t figured out how to get to Hollywood. After a few more weeks, I was about to regress back into my bowling ball and cheeseburger life, but I got lucky. One night I received this weird phone call from a producer in New York City. Turns out he was a former grunt at the small production company.

“Our buddy Joe dropped your name… Said you want to get out of Pennsylvania. Think you can come over to the Apple and work a corporate gig?”

http://www.filmmakingStuff.com

Posted under Filmmaking

Jason Brubaker (IMDB) is a Hollywood based Independent Motion Picture Producer and an expert in digital self-distribution. He is focused on helping you make, market and sell your movies more easily by growing your fan base, building buzz and creating community around your title. He is also available for speaking engagements.

Jason is a contributing author of The Independent’s Guide to Film Distributors, he is the founder of Filmmaking Stuff, a professional resource for independent filmmakers, and his articles on independent movie marketing, distribution and film production have been featured in The Independent, the New York Film Academy and Movie Maker Magazine.

Brubaker has has lectured on these subjects to filmmakers from around the globe through various filmmaking seminars, panel discussions and Workshops.

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If you have an movie, an event, a workshop or festival panel that would benefit from Brubaker’s contribution, he is available to travel both domestically and internationally. Please cotact below.

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