This article was written by Jason Brubaker.

“Carole Lee Dean is an industry legend. As an entrepreneur, producer and supporter of independent film, her influence has had a positive impact on filmmaking around the world. Most notoriously, 30 years ago, Carole took a $20 bill and created the $50 million a year short end industry.

Her company was instrumental in the birth of the Hollywood independent film community because she offered film to Indies at prices they could afford. Customers like Cassavetes took chances with her raw stock and succeeded.”

Read the rest of this article from Filmmaking Stuff.

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This article was written by Jane Kelly Kosek.

“Negotiating is probably the number one task that I do as a producer. Day in, day out, I am negotiating talent and crew deals, investor and operating agreements, union contracts, and vendor costs.

“Demographics based on age, income and residence no longer exist. A-list Hollywood leading men and women hold no attraction for new, young audiences.

When producers of television shows compete for a network prime-time slot, they are crazy, because there is no prime time, and soon there may be no more TV networks.

Hollywood studios are doomed if they think they make industry decisions, because it’s consumers who decide what they want to see, and when and how they will see it.

That’s the lay of the entertainment land today, said Los Angeles entertainment lawyer Peter Dekom in his keynote address Tuesday at the opening session of the Film and Television Forum at the Vancouver International Film Centre.”

Read rest of article from The Vancouver Sun.

The Ten Commandments of Filmmaking
How to Work (and Survive) in the
Film and Television Industry
by Peter D. Marshall

“Torontonian Kris Booth had made six short films since graduating from film studies at Ryerson University nine years ago, but as of late 2008, he still had not managed to break into “the club” – his term for people who have managed to make a full-length feature film.

Unable to raise enough money from various funding agencies, the 33-year-old was chatting with his wife last summer about this problem when she pointed out they’d recently flown his mom to Vancouver on their pocket change. So why couldn’t he use the same strategy here?”

Read this article from The Globe and Mail.

“Being a producer is much like being an actor — you get paid once a film is in production. Everyone’s heard of starving actors, right? Well there are a lot of starving producers too.

If you set up a film at the studio, you may get a paltry development fee (usually $25k) that you usually end up splitting with a producing partner or two. But for argument’s sake, you are very much like an actor — working diligently toward being on set with the hope of a good pay day.”

Read this article from All About Indie Filmmaking

“I usually reserve this column for discerning moviegoers. However, over the past several years we have been consulting with scores of filmmakers at various stages of their craft.

I feel it is important to address one particular issue that comes up frequently, especially from those who are just starting out, or those who have had a hard time getting their finished film to market. The common question is, “What must I do to make a financially successful movie?”

Read this article from Dick Rolfe.

This article is written by Jane Kosek from her blog, All About Indie Filmmaking.

“Reading scripts is a large part of my job as a producer. It’s always a joy to come across a really well written script that speaks to my sensibility as a storyteller. It’s rare but when it happens, I realize again why I decided to be a filmmaker. Good stories make me feel happy, excited, and positive. Who doesn’t want to feel that way all the time?

You don’t have to be a master screenwriter or top director or producer to know you are reading a good script. A good script should be a page turner. You should feel compelled to want to keep reading more when you reach the end of a page. As you are reading the script, actual scenes should start playing out in your head. You are seeing the film, not just reading it. If this happens, it is a strong clue you are reading something that is well written.” Read rest of article here.

The following article covers a topic that has recently moved to center stage–at least it seems that way. If you’ve been thinking you need to know more about it, here’s your opportunity.

The knowledge of film making is not enough to create a good movie producer. This quality might be good if you are a studio executive, or in any other job out of film making production. To be a good producer you need to develop certain skills, for you to become an independent film maker. Read rest of article here.