How To Make A YouTube Channel
I often receive emails from filmmaking subscribers asking how they can get their work produced and seen. My response is – grab a …
Source Your Audience
If you forget everything else about filmmaking success, you must not forget the importance of you audience. Your audience is your business. Without an audience, you have no business…
Independent Film Distribution For Your Movie
A few weeks ago, I spoke about independent film distribution at the HollyShorts Film Festival in Los Angeles…
Movie Marketing
At speaking events, people always ask me questions about DIY or Self-Distribution – usually wondering if these methods are better than handing over all rights for some middle-man to get them into the many VOD outlets. My response is always the same…
Name My Filmmaking Book Contest
I have been writing a filmmaking book. It outlines the whole modern moviemaking philosophy – and originally I thought I would stay with the modern moviemaking theme, and possibly call it “Confessions of a Modern Moviemaker.” While I like the idea because, historically books that begin with the word “confessions” seem to intrigue readers… I also fear the title might be a little too gimmicky. I need your help…
How To Design A DVD Cover
Regardless of distribution technology, your audience still values the visual representation of your movie as a tangible product. And in ways akin to marketing an eBook via Amazon Kindle, you still need a killer design to represent your movie.
Your Screenplay Opening
Some screenwriters think that just about every screenplay should open with a bang of some kind: perhaps a literal explosion, or a murder, or a chase.Those may well be good choices for certain stories, but my take on this is that what an opening actually needs to do is to prompt two questions and one feeling in your audience…
How To Make 200K With Your Movie
Here is a great filmmaking article over at No Film School detailing how some no-budget filmmakers garnered over 200K by selling their movies on iTunes.
When It’s Time To Divorce Your Agent
People always point out that a relationship with an agent is something like a marriage, but without the sex (usually). Which means that sometimes there will be a divorce—at this point, the high profile one is J. K. Rowling dumping hers…
Movie Cameras With Kenton Hoppas
Over the past few months, I have been working with Kenton Hoppas on his first feature, Career Courier. One of the ways he …
Why it’s hard to write romantic comedy
If you can write a good romantic comedy you’ll find lots of people interested. The problem is that it’s getting harder. The reason …
New Filmmaking Book Almost Here
The Modern Moviemaking Movement was authored by nine of the most prominent filmmaker thought leaders in the world, including Jon Reiss of the famed book Think Outside The Box Office… And this action guide aims to help you navigate a filmmaking world driven by HDSLR technology and non-discriminatory distribution.
Final Cut Pro X
I haven’t tested Final Cut Pro X, but from what I hear – I do not want to. As usual, I think our friends at Apple have made early adopters beta testers for a product with a whole bunch of bugs…
Market Your Movie With Press Releases
If you find yourself with a movie and no idea how to sell it, get back to the basics. Unless you get an awesome distribution deal, then you are responsible for the success of your movie. The good news is, most of your sales will come from the internet. And you can get started today…
Filmmaking Stuff Affiliate Program
For filmmakers, the demand is HIGH for quality filmmaking and screenwriting how-to material and solutions. Make Your Movie Now! offers you with an affiliate program…
My Second Short Film Is Possibly The Worst Film Ever
I wanted to provide you with some context. About 12 years ago, I produced and directed my second short film. After drinking a half bottle of wine, it seemed like a good idea to post it her
Filmmaker Levi Abrino Hits The Big Time
Before I moved to Los Angles, I stopped by my Pennsylvanian hometown for the Harrisburg Arts Film Festival. And there I saw a short movie called Burying Dvorak by a little known filmmaker named Levi Abrino. I gotta tell you, the film was awesome. Levi is talented…
Why Two Movies in One Day Is Good For Filmmakers
As we enter the remaining six months of 2011, I am trying very hard to do a little less grinding, and hopefully finding time to have a lot more fun…
Filmmakers Alliance Recap
If you have seen me speak, you probably noticed that I use a lot of self-deprecating humor in my talks. For example, I usually talk about how bad my acting is, or how bad my movies are…
How to sell nonsense in your screenplay
The key to movies like this is keeping things moving so the audience doesn’t have time to think about it until afterward, and keeping the explanations short…
Filmmaking Stuff on Kindle
If you have a Kindle, and enjoy reading filmmaking stuff – I wanted to let you know that you can now access this …
What Screenwriters Can Learn From Documentary Filmmakers
I think what we can learn from documentary makers is to pause before we launch into the obvious story and dig deeper to see if there’s a more interesting, perhaps more subtle, one lurking underneath…
Untapped Crowdfunding Site For Filmmakers
As a filmmaker, one of the challenges you face is how to finance a film. When I was starting out, things were much different. Back then, if you wanted to finance a movie, you had to cross your fingers and wait for the gods to grant you permission…
Tennessee Williams’ advice to screenwriters
You don’t really want totally arbitrary events in your script, but if you need to capture their attention, put it in and then in the next draft work your way backward in the story so it has some motivation…
New Projects
I’m going to release a filmmaking book this summer. Read about it here…
Screenwriting: Why Kim Cattrall got mad at me
If you’re writing a script to be read by someone who is possibly going to buy it, you want to make it as easy and entertaining as possible. Yes, it’s easy to overdo the parentheticals, ideally your dialogue itself suggests how it will be delivered. But when it helps, go ahead. A sarcastic remark from an actress is not too high a price to pay.
Film Festival Workshop
Over the next year, I am hitting the road. I’m going from city to city to spread the word about modern movie distribution tactics and how YOU can benefit. I am doing this because the independent movie market is saturated with competition. Do you know of any film festivals seeking someone to put on a film festival workshop? If so, please send them a link to this page.
My Film School Talk On Making a Movie
I spoke at the UCLA film school and I got the impression that the next generation of filmmakers are open to new ideas, and new ways of making movies. Thanks to familiarity with YouTube as well as access to affordable production equipment, many modern filmmakers are embracing accessible, non-discriminatory distribution channels without hesitation or excuses.
Are screenplay contests worth entering?
I’m pretty skeptical about script contests as a way to further your career. There are success stories but I think they’re the exception. So I was interested to read the view of Chad Gervich on the Script website. He says that winning a script rarely gives you the edge
Keven Smith talks Movie Distribution
I love Kevin Smith’s attitude towards modern movie distribution. If you’re like most independent filmmakers, what Kevin was able to accomplish from his days of Clerks has been amazing. Back then, he not only dreamed the Sundance Dream, but he realized the dream as well.