Filmmakers "INDIEFILMS" (Motivational Filmmakers Podcast)

Camera,Action!+Procrastination

2008-10-28T19:43:00Z

Will your films sell?+Time

2008-10-24T11:13:00Z

Webisodes-Hot Topic!

2008-10-22T20:03:00Z

Why do webisodes? Well instead of waiting for the phone to ring, keep the creative juices flowing. Webisodes are a terrific way to practise your craft and get you name out there. For those of you who don't know what webisodes are here is a quick and dirty explanation.

Webisodes are short,2-5 minute shows posted on the internet, and shown as episodes. Think of the television show "24", or "Lost", except, only a few minutes long. You post them everyweek as a series and always leave a cliffhanger so people will tune back in.

The secret to selling the webisodes is not only in the content, but in the extras or out takes. People love to see extra scenes and "bloopers". It's alot of fun to see mistakes that happen on the set. These can be sold and packaged at the end of the DVD. So, when filmming, keep the mistakes,they are worth it! Go to www.indiefilmsllc.com for a FREE monthly newsletter on this topic and much more. Tons of podcasts, tips,tricks, and free giveaways. Get off the couch and go make a webisode! Happy Halloween!

Zero Budget+Read

2008-10-22T11:22:00Z

Script Structure+Finding Your Life's Purpose

2008-10-21T11:11:00Z

Blocking+Early Rise

2008-10-17T11:17:00Z

Tips For Actors+Limits

2008-10-16T10:56:00Z

Webisodes+Innovate

2008-10-15T20:59:00Z

Booming+Personal Space

2008-10-14T11:17:00Z

Directing Tips Again+Garden Your Mind

2008-10-13T12:16:00Z

Storyboard+Courage

2008-10-08T14:44:00Z

Film Society Of Lincoln Center+Be In The Moment

2008-10-07T13:48:00Z

Tid Bits Of Information+Journal Regularly

2008-10-06T14:21:00Z

A Moment Before+Visualize Your Day

2008-10-02T19:36:00Z

Lighting With Gels

2008-10-01T20:40:00Z

Gels really are nothing more than sheets of polyester that have been dyed certain colors. The term gel came from, gelatin. Back in the days of early theatre, they would dry colored gelatin and cut it into sheets. You are unable to use these now because they would burn up, thus,"tough" gels were born. Tough Gels are commonly used in lighting today.When working with video and film there are three types of gels. Color Conversion gels, Color Correction Gels, and Color Effect Gels. Just a quick misconception on how gels function. Most people believe they add light, this is untrue. What they actually do is absorb certain colors and transmit others, they are filters really. Gels actually remove certain colors , they doesn't add colors. Let's explain each gel category to fully understand.Color Conversion gels are used when shooting a scene indoors but a large window is in the scene and you can see outdoor lighting. You can handle this in two ways. You can place a CTB(Color Temp Blue) gel on you indoor lights to match the exterior. But this isn't the best way. The best way is to get a large sheet of CTO(Color Temp Orange) gel and place it over the window to change the light coming in.Color Correction gels are mostly used over fluorescent lights to offset the large amount of green the light throw off. You would place a Magenta(minus green or plus green depending on the light source) over the lighting structure. It is important to apply both of these gels to the light source then manually white balance the camera. Why? Because you want to create light which the camera sees as white.Finally, my favorite gel, the Color Effects gel. I use these constantly. First set your manual white balance then throw a gel over the light source. Depending on your scene. For a night mood, maybe throw on a blue on for moonlight. These gels set the mood of the scene.I would also like to make a brief mention of Neutral Density Gels. I have two ND filters on my camera so I use these more than the gels. However, you would use these gels to absorb all light equally. It doesn't change the color of the light at all, it just reduces the light level. I usually use these when working on interior shots. Well, that's it for now. Happy gelling. Visit the website at : www.Indiefilmsllc.com free giveaways and emonthly newsletter.

Shooting Terms+Rest Motivates

2008-10-01T13:48:00Z

Light With Gels+Let There Be Light

2008-09-30T00:35:00Z

How much should you spend on making a movie?

2008-09-29T16:07:00Z

This is an article I came across and l found it so helpful I thought I would share it with you. It's by Stacey Parks who has had a history with agents in sales and film distribution.

For more information visit www.indiefilmsllc.com

When budgeting for your film it is important to have an understanding of the ELEMENTS needed to recoup budgets at different levels. The quality of the film, marketability of the film, relevance of the film in different territories, genre, CAST, and other elements play a BIG part in a distributor assigning value to your film. So it's more about the ELEMENTS (assuming you have a film distributors will want to buy in the first place) . In many cases the budgets are required to add these elements to your film. So the elements should work to determine the budget, not the other way around.

The CaveatNow, before I am taken to task cause films get acquired at Sundance in multi-million dollar deals and the filmmakers start getting offers for three picture deals with studios, do consider that there are thousands upon thousands of features made every year and only a handful get acquired, let alone in multi-million deals at Sundance. So that is the caveat in all of this, if you get into a MAJOR festival like Sundance your film may have the chance at an all-rights deal with a mini-major. BUT, remember that only happens for a tiny fraction of the independent films produced annually -- these are the exceptions, not the rule and filmmakers can often find themselves falling into the trap of thinking this is the industry standard when it's pretty far from it. I recently sat on a panel with the Executive Director of the AFI Fest in Los Angeles and he noted to the audience that part of the reason that we hear about all these big acquisitions in the news and what makes them actually newsworthy is that they are a rare occurrence. If it happened all the time, it wouldn't be newsworthy. I thought this was a great way of making this point. This is not said to kill your dreams, rather it's to point out the importance of reasonable and responsible budgeting and if your plan is to get into Sundance and go for that big all-rights deal, since you can't control that, you still need to make careful considerations when determining your film's budget.

THE ELEMENTSFor indies, especially if you have no stars, the lower the budget the better because, as you've all heard before, acquisitions prices are at an all-time low, given the decrease in costs to make a movie a glut of content has entered the marketplace and driven prices down, and as a result it's a buyer's market.

$250K and under - A saleable genre always helps, but now more than ever it's important to have a distinct audience for your film which is easy to reach via promotional partners, online or via any other low-cost outreach methods so if the film fails to get a significant distribution deal, or enough foreign deals to recoup the budget, you can market and hopefully make the money back through self-distribution. And I would recommend shooting on HD - the higher the quality, the better. Try to avoid DV as it isn't really cutting it anymore with distributors.

$500K - If your budget is in the $500K range it is going to be that much harder to recoup and you'll definitely need cast elements that will help to attract distributors. Not only will you need a high-quality film in a marketable genre (and NO shooting on DV), but you'll also need a few B stars in your cast to try to leverage some good foreign distribution deals and a favorable U.S. deal. The film had better look VERY GOOD and professional and like it cost way more than it actually did. Shooting on 35mm can still be a boon. If not 35mm, at the very least high-end, not consumer-grade, HD.

$1 MIL and higher - In this market, you need a highly marketable film and for a million dollar budget, AT LEAST 1 A-list star in a starring role. For films over a million, you'll need to cast 2-3 A-list stars (again, in starring roles) in order to justify the budget. As a general rule, although there are exceptions, you will need that high a budget in order to pay the actors. And 35mm is still preferable, although you may be able to get away with very good-looking HD, that can rival film.If you do not get an all-rights deal at a festival like Sundance or Toronto, then you're looking at selling the film territory by territory and foreign numbers won't be high unless there was a U.S. theatrical release and there are 2-3 MAJOR names attached.I have seen filmmakers spend over a million dollars on films with no known cast AT ALL. And I have seen these same filmmakers shocked (and panicked to say the least) when they cannot make sales on the film at all. This is not the kind of spot you want to be in.Even if you follow all these guidelines, your film still may not make enough in sales to recoup its budget. Good films which are marketable and have all the elements in place get passed over all the time. Consider that at the 2008 Cannes festival and market, the new Charlie Kaufman film, SYNEDOCHE, NEW YORK, Steven Soderbergh's CHE and TWO LOVERS, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow, and other major films, all left without the all-important and lucrative North American distribution deal. These are all extremely high-profile films and all the filmmakers and cast have serious track records of profitability. Now, eventually we will probably see all these films in multi-plexes, but if something like this were to happen to the average indie that wasn't made by someone like Soderbergh, a celebrity filmmaker, the future wouldn't look so good for recouping that budget.Please consider carefully and budget wisely.

For Actors+Emotions

2008-09-29T03:49:00Z

Green Screen+Balance

2008-09-26T10:40:00Z