by Chandra Steele.

Every town has gone a little Hollywood this month. Cinemas are packed with theatergoers wanting to see esteemed Oscar nominees and this week’s Sundance Film Festival previews what could be the next gleam in their eyes.

One of the Oscar favorites, Hugo, is an uncommonly gentle film from Martin Scorsese that’s a love note to those who go to the movies and also to those who create them.

Whether it’s a recent fancy or a long-time fantasy of yours to make a movie, now’s the time. Most filmmaking tools are low-cost (or even free) and easy to use. Here’s what you’ll need to create everything from the opening scene to the end credits.

Read the rest of this article from PC Mag.

Sign up now for your own FREE monthly subscription to “The Director’s Chair” filmmaking ezine and get the first 30 pages of my 220 page Film Directing Multi-Media Online course, “The Art and Craft of the Director Audio Seminar.”

by Matt Soergel.

When Patrick Barry was in high school at Bishop Kenny, in the dark ages of the late 1990s, filmmaking was his passion, though it wasn’t an easy one to follow.

“But I guess we just did it,” he said. “You got your friends together, got to the thrift shop, found the funniest costumes you could and built around that.”

Not many amateurs were making movies back then, he says, and no wonder: Shooting and editing on bulky video camcorders was awkward, time-consuming. Then converting that video to film, so your work actually looked good when you showed it to an audience, was way too expensive.

He’s 30 now, still making movies. And things have changed greatly since the dark ages: The number of today’s budding filmmakers is “absolutely, without a doubt” booming, said Todd Roobin, head of Jacksonville’s film and TV office.

Just consider the advantages offered to them, after all: Digital technology makes shooting, editing and distributing your film far easier than the video and film cameras of the past.

Read the res of this article from Jacksonville.com

Sign up now for your own FREE monthly subscription to “The Director’s Chair” filmmaking ezine and get the first 30 pages of my 220 page Film Directing Multi-Media Online course, “The Art and Craft of the Director Audio Seminar.”

The feature article in this month’s issue of “The Director’s Chair“ is called What a Director Looks for in the First Script Read-Through: “A director needs to understand every detail about the story you are telling. And in order to understand the script, a director needs to be able to operate in the sub-world of the characters.”

SUBSCRIBE to the current issue of “The Director’s Chair” and get two free bonuses: (1) Day One of my 220 page Online film directing audio course, “The Art and Craft of the Director Audio Seminar” and (2) the first 26 pages (plus mp3 audio) of my 155 page “Script Breakdown and Film Scheduling Online Course For Independent Filmmakers.”

by Joe Nalven.

I love going to the movies. But my understanding of this art form is limited to the avid filmgoer.

When I saw that Art San Diego was featuring a short film program, I looked over the list of films. I found the name of someone whom I had met only briefly, Mauricio Chernovetzky. Perhaps, I thought, Chernovetzky would reveal something more about what it is that makes movies compelling. If I understood his approach, I might see more than I usually did.

I work almost exclusively in static 2D art. Video is something I enjoy, but it is pretty much a mystery of how things get put together. Any thoughts for an outsider?

Read the rest of this article from Sign On San Diego.

Sign up now for your own FREE monthly subscription to “The Director’s Chair” filmmaking ezine and get the first 30 pages of my 220 page Film Directing Multi-Media Online course, “The Art and Craft of the Director Audio Seminar.”

from Screencoyote.

International filmmaking takes a giant stride with the launch of Screencoyote.com, an international filmmakers’ network, dedicated to facilitating cross-border collaboration.

Scheduled to launch this month, Screencoyote promotes cross-border and local collaboration as a way round the financial pressures faced by independent filmmakers. It is also a means by which filmmakers can gain newer cultural perspectives, and achieve real influence, locally and internationally.

“The aim is to link up filmmakers all over the world, so they can pool their skills and tools to make commanding films, with or without finance. This is the kind of thing filmmakers have been waiting for,” says Screencoyote’s founder, Ishmael Annobil (above).

“The idea is simple-—if a filmmaker wishes to make a film in another town or country, but cannot afford to take crew and equipment along, he or she can simply elect fellow Screencoyote members over there to get the job done, on equitable terms,” Ishmael explains.

Read the rest of this article from The Bahamas Weekly.

Sign up now for your own FREE monthly subscription to “The Director’s Chair” filmmaking ezine and get the first 30 pages of my 220 page Film Directing Multi-Media Online course, “The Art and Craft of the Director Audio Seminar.”

by Dani Valent.

The creation of Here, a road movie, was something of a road movie itself.

TEN years after I started writing Here with New York filmmaker Braden King, I arrived on set in Armenia: a puddled driveway, a crumble-down hotel, a gleaming church backed by a shy rainbow. As I was introduced to the 40-person crew, the script supervisor, Gaby Yepes, hid the script from me. ”You don’t want to see this,” she said, letting long hair fall over her clipboard. ”There’s red pen all over it.”

Her job was to record what happened as the film was filmed.

The script, the document that I knew intimately, every comma, every nuance sweated over, was victim to reality: actors changed lines, night fell so shots were rethought, sheep didn’t dart across the road the way they were supposed to. I could have felt devastated, protective, outraged at the licence being taken (naughty sheep!), but I felt excited: how amazing to create a template for all this activity, close attention and each clapperboard call of ”Action”.

Read the rest of this article from Sydney Morning Herald.

Sign up now for your own FREE monthly subscription to “The Director’s Chair” filmmaking ezine and get the first 30 pages of my 220 page Film Directing Multi-Media Online course, “The Art and Craft of the Director Audio Seminar.”

by Cole Abaius.

In one of the best panels in recent memory, Guillermo del Toro and Nicholas Winding Refn chose to combine their allotted time in Hall H (for Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark and Drive respectively). What resulted was a rare conversation from two unique filmmakers who transcended the normal marketing mechanism of Comic-Con to deliver some insight and information about their processes.

There were many different facets to it, and they talked about their movies some of course, but ultimately it became a master class in making films. So here’s a little bit of free film school from two visionaries.

Read the rest of this article from Film School Rejects.

Sign up now for your own FREE monthly subscription to “The Director’s Chair” filmmaking ezine and get the first 30 pages of my 220 page Film Directing Multi-Media Online course, “The Art and Craft of the Director Audio Seminar.”

by Jason Brubaker.

If you’ve been making movies for any length of time, you know that the idea of seeing your work on the big (or small screen) can be totally fun, exciting and (let’s be honest) challenging.

Over the past decade, I have experienced headaches, heartache, challenges and really, really crappy moments. But I have also experienced the awesomely surreal, super exciting moments that come when people watch my stuff and actually say good things.

Having spent many hours speaking to other filmmakers, I know that we are all driven to get our movies made, seen and sold. The problem is – sometimes life gets in the way. Bills need to be paid. And sometimes we put our filmmaking dreams on hold…

I have always found life easier to deal with, when I set exciting goals for myself. By writing down what you want, you can begin to get out of the crappy headspace and negative self doubt into a world where things seem possible.

To get your projects going, I think it is essential that you create a clear and exciting vision for yourself and your future… Because (believe me) you’ll need something exciting to focus on, should things get challenging…

Read the rest of this article from Filmmaking Stuff.

Sign up now for your own FREE monthly subscription to “The Director’s Chair” filmmaking ezine and get the first 30 pages of my 220 page Film Directing Multi-Media Online course, “The Art and Craft of the Director Audio Seminar.”

If you have been following filmmaking trends you know the world of indie filmmaking is changing fast.

Inexpensive production technology coupled with the decline of traditional movie distribution has forever transformed the ways in which movies are marketed, seen and sold.

These days, filmmakers must not only make great movies, but in order to prosper, modern moviemakers must now master crowdfunding, internet marketing and social media.

To help you succeed as an independent filmmaker, I collaborated with nine of the most prominent filmmaker thought leaders in the world to provide you with a complementary filmmaking Action Guide on how to survive and thrive in this ever changing industry.

It’s called “The Modern Moviemaking Movement” and it will provide you with over 100 pages of useful, modern, no-fluff filmmaking information such as:

1. Uncover Successful, Modern Screenwriting Tips – Jurgen Wolff
2. Find Out How To Make the Most of Movie Money- Norman C. Berns
3. Discover Six Ways to Finance Your Feature Film – Gordon Firemark
4. The State of The (Indie Filmmaker) Union – Tom Malloy
5. Get The Inside Scoop On Crowdfunding – Carole Dean
6. Plan Your Production For Maximum Success – Peter D. Marshall
7. Modern Guerrilla Filmmaking – Gary King
8. Navigate Film Festivals and Do Them Right – Sheri Candler
9. Sell Your Movie Without the Middle-Man – Jason Brubaker
10. The Producer of Marketing & Distribution – Jon Reiss

Grab “The Modern MovieMaking Movement” instantly here: http://www.ModernMovieMaking.com

Also, if you like this 100 page Action Pack, PLEASE GIVE IT AWAY to your closest filmmaking friends.

Wishing you all the success in the world!

Peter D. Marshall

P.S. While the philosophy is evolving, Modern MovieMaking is defined by an era of entrepreneurial filmmakers who do not ask permission to make, market or sell movies.

Instead of making movies and hoping the movie will get seen, picked up and sold through traditional distribution channels, the modern moviemaker makes movies, directly engages with the audience and builds community around his or her movie titles.

So if you want an action guide that will help you survive and thrive in this ever changing industry, grab your complementary copy now of “The Modern MovieMaking Movement.”

by Nadia Jones.

Using film as a means for communication, inspiration, and entertainment, humankind uses pictures and stories to further explore our thoughts, beliefs, and world. These seven TED talks given by famous filmmakers, producers, and directors tap into the amazing potential of film as an art form, exploring the nature of inspiration, creativity, and communication.

Read the rest of this article from NoFilmSchool.

Sign up now for your own FREE monthly subscription to “The Director’s Chair” filmmaking ezine and get the first 30 pages of my 220 page Film Directing Multi-Media Online course, “The Art and Craft of the Director Audio Seminar.”