Film Directing and Film Making Tips for the Independent Filmmaker

This article was written by Rebecca Aldous.

“In Paul Armstrong’s utopia, short films would be projected on the screens of main theatres.

People would be jostling to see them and the majority of Vancouverites could name their three favourites. Reality is a bit different, but it’s something the short film producer has been working to change for more than 10 years. “I don’t know if the general public thinks about short films so much,” he says.”

Read the rest of this article from BC Local News.

Tags: short films

This article was written by Shane Burley.

Tags: filmmaking for kids

This article was written by Seth Weintraub.

“You may be wondering what that little red circle is doing behind the YouTube logo these days.  Well, YouTube is sponsoring an experimental film concept that will put its users behind the camera for a day of documentary filmmaking. The project is called Life in a Day.”

Read the rest of this article from CNN.

Tags: Online Films, youtube

This article was written by Rowan Hooper.

Is it possible to directly access someone’s dreaming mind?”

Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a dream snatcher. He’s an industrial spy, who steals secrets when his victims are at their most defenceless: when they are asleep, and dreaming. But he has an even rarer ability, that of inception. He can plant an idea in someone’s sleeping mind, and watch it grow and take root in reality. “The most resilient parasite is an idea,” he says.

Inception is a complex sci-fi thriller that lies somewhere between a James Bond film and The Matrix. Many of the film’s themes are often covered in New Scientist, so we have assembled a spoiler-free guide to the science of the movie, and all you need to know about dreams and the unconscious mind.”

Read the rest of this article from New Scientist.

Tags: dreams, Inception

This article was written by Siobhan O’Flynn.

“We are currently in pre-production on the third and final full-length documentary film about David Lynch entitled “LYNCHthree” and would like to give all of his fans around the world an opportunity to share in the filmmaking process. As truly independent filmmakers, we know first-hand that raising money is always a challenge, so we’ve decided to fund this documentary through an innovative crowdfunding campaign.”

Read the rest of this article from Narrative Now.

Tags: david lynch, indie films

This article was written by Jake Coyle.

“For the visually savvy filmmaker, there’s a new frontier with as much cinematic appeal as the old West held for moviemakers half a century ago.

With often dazzling results, filmmakers are turning to the mind itself as an uncharted landscape worth exploring. Movies such as “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” ”The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” and the new “Inception” turn cameras inward, sending their characters headlong into dream worlds and psyches manifested on screen.”

Read the rest of this article from Google Hosted News.

Tags: digital effects

This article was written by Joe Pelissier.

“Generally, I don’t peddle in management tips. But, in the biography of the film director, Sir Carol Reed, I came across a rather good business management tip from the making of the film the Third Man. It is to do with recognising and accepting the superior expertise of others.

We all like to think we are better than everyone else. And, often, we like to be in charge and to take control. It’s the ‘I know best’ syndrome. It’s probably familiar to you?”

Read the rest of this article from Joe Pelissier.

Tags: orson welles

This article was written by Conor Friedersdorf.

“…at a time when film financing is facing increasing budgetary constraints, even the most powerful directors are harnessing the power of the web to attract investment (financial or artistic) for their latest projects.

Ridley Scott, the director of Robin Hood – which opened the Cannes Film Festival this year – is producing a film that asks people to upload videos of themselves on to YouTube, which will in turn, form the basis of a documentary to be premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

A growing crop of websites offer anyone willing to donate money to film projects an “executive producer” credit at the end of the film. One example is the collective effort in fundraising for the big-budget Spanish film, The Cosmonaut, a sci-fi movie that used online crowd-funding methods.”

Read the rest of this article from Crowd Source Capital.

Tags: crowd sourcing

This article was written for Filmmaker-Blog.com

I came across this post, written by Mike Jones, Lecturer in Screen Studies at the Australian Film Television and Radio School that quite persuasively argues against short film as a learning experience and as a calling card for new filmmakers.  I recommend that you check it out but I’ll summarise the main points here.

1. “The relevance of short film structures, patterns and conventions to feature and long-form drama are tenuous at best.”
2. “A short film doesn’t demonstrate you understand audiences and genre and know how to attract an audience.”

Mike finishes by pointing at webisodes as the solution. I disagree.”

Read the rest of this article from Filmmaker-Blog.

Tags: short films

This article was written by Sid Kali.

“Guerrilla filmmaking tactics has made it possible for many first time filmmakers to finish a smaller or no budget movie. Creative people have found a way to use whatever resources are available to get a movie done.

SEO Gorilla tactics operates with this same resourceful spirit, but can be applied to the marketing and promotion of a movie. It’s hard enough to finish a low or no budget movie and it’s equally tough to attract viewers without spending a lot of money.”

Read the rest of this article from Banner Ads Advertising.

Tags: Guerrilla filmmaking, seo