A New Digital Aesthetic
The development of Digital Video will mean more than just a replacement for an old medium.
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About That Interview
I have written about how to prepare for interviews and what to do at interviews, but there are three additional points to keep in mind during and after the interview.
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Are Screenplays Literature?
Although today recent movies such as In the Bedroom, You Can Count On Me, The Shipping News, Ghost World and Apocalypse Now Redux all have had their scripts published, screenplays were rarely published when I was a young writer learning my craft in the 19
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Are Screenplays Literature? Part III
The argument in favor of screenplays being literature must begin with a reminder: not all novels or poems or stage plays are considered to be
"literature."
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Audio Timecode
Dr. Fred Ginsburg, CAS discusses SMPTE audio timecode (TC) and if it is necessary in a film production. Denecke slates, Fostex DAT or Nagra and NLE are covered.
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Before Your First Interview
Before you go through an actual interview, you should first go through a rehearsal interview. Ask a friend, family member or neighbor to play the role of the interviewer. By doing this you'll place yourself at the cutting edge of the job hiring process be
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Boom Techniques
Another great article by Dr. Fred Ginsburg, CAS that covers the practical and technical details on boom mic techniques for movie production sound tracks.
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Breaking into Film
Finding a job in the film industry is like trying to find a sunken vessel lost at sea: it is not only difficult it's an art. This is because the movie making business is a hidden market. Employers and employees rely on reputation, word-of-mouth, and netwo
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Budget and Scheduling
The basic steps in pre-production are outlined, including hiring a unit publicist, drafting the budget and bringing associate producers onboard.
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Camera Testing
The importance of and methods involved in testing your film camera for scratching, registration and light leaks.
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Career Research: What Do You Want to Be?
Indeed, there are hundreds of hardworking, talented and creative people
for every actor in front of the camera. These people include set painters,
electricians, sound recordists, makeup artists, film editors, publicists,
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Casting
Greg Pak, independent director extraordinaire, takes us through the basics of casting. Greg discusses the process of matching actors together for chemistry, materials and exercises for making good choices for the roles in a film.
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Charge! (on the Credit Card)
Production Journal 7/11. Yes, that's "Charge!" as in credit cards. Michael struggles to find film financing from friends and relatives and find the remainder of the crew.
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Citizen Screenwriter
What responsibilites, if any, does the screenwriter have to the society at large? What does it mean to be a "citizen screenwriter"?
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Conforming from Video
essential guidelines for match-back from video to film: cut list, video reel length, continuous time code, academy leader, effect duration, opticals and video EDL.
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Crew Expectations
what an experienced film crew expects of a new director; includes shot instructions, rehearsals, blocking, calling action, lunch breaks, etc.
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Crewing Up
Production Journal 10/27. Our fearless director, Michael, finds himself doing all the work yet being rewarded with dog-life devotion from his crew.
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Damn, Damn, Damn
Production Journal 7/9. Michael begins casting and discussing the script with potential crew members.
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Deal Memos
The all important deal memo and how it relates to working on a non-union film shoot. Employment contracts, enforcement and possible traps to avoid.
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Dialogue
dialogue definitions are discussed: lip sync, wild sync, production dialogue, ADR and looping. Sound track building is also addressed.
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Digital Video
overview of the differences between digital video and film, advancements and limitations of digital camcorders and a comparison to 16mm film.
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Digital-Film Formats
With each passing day, there seems to be more and more confusion as to what format independent filmmakers should be shooting on. It used to be quite simple but now the field is so muddied and confused. This article will sort it out!
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Done!
Yes, it's true, Prinicpal Photography has been completed. This isn't the end, though...just the beginning of the long and difficult path to completion! Read more about Michael Lee Barlin's amazing production journal of The Pigfarm, the independent 35mm fe
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Dress for a Successful Interview
So many times I get asked what is the appropriate dress for an interview for a job in film production. A lot of times dress depends on where you will be working in the production because you should be dressing for that department. For example, wardrobe pe
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DV and the independent filmmaker
Ah, Technology. Although it has been the answer to most moviemakers'
prayers, technology can also be the source of a lot of questions. This has never been truer than with digital video and non-linear editing, hereafter referred to as DV (digital video)
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DV aspect ratios
DV & film aspect ratios are discussed as they pertain to DV transfer to film. Pixel dimensions and various resolutions are outlined and how they relate to academy and anamorphic film projection aspect ratios.
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DV edit prep
preparing for nonlinear editing; checking your film transfer/time code, logging tapes and entering information with media log.
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DVD Mastering 101
The time has come to start printing your finished film onto DVD. Film aficionados (the independent filmmaker’s target market) have thoroughly embraced this versatile, high-resolution format -- not to mention its inevitable rise in the popular rental marke
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Entering Late, Leaving Early Part I
When I'm talking about scene design, I'm not referring to the furniture in a room or what's hanging on the wall. I'm talking about how a writer structures each scene in a screenplay. In particular, I'm talking about the length of those scenes, which is de
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Equipment Rental
etiquette, reserving your equipment, providing insurance, equipment pick-up and signing contracts.
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Film Festivals: Networking
Like every industry, the film industry has its own organizations and associations. These organizations and associations sponsor film festivals, which can be an extremely effective way of meeting people who may ultimately want to hire you or work with you
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Film Financing as the Star
If you are able to secure financing for your film project you will have the doors open for you. Film distributors will jump on board a project that requires no additional financing.
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Film Formats : The Current Confusion
With each passing day, it seems like there's more and more confusion as to what format independent filmmakers should be shooting on. Throw in the rumors of HD production and the emerging market for 16:9 content and the field begins to get so muddied and
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Film Investing
The film business is a lot of fun but it will eat up private investors and spit them out without burping. Michael Harpster,a 30-year veteran of film finance, provides some tips for investors interested in film.
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Film Storage
refrigeration and degradation of motion picture raw film stock over time.
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Filmmaking and the Internet
Technology is opening up new tools and markets, with the rewards of the new economy being heaped upon the most daring innovators.
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Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro is the much-discussed new digital editing software from Apple which is shaking up the low-budget filmmaking world and putting fear in the hearts of the makers of the much-more-expensive AVID software.
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Finding a Producer
Obviously, a beginning writer/director is in need of a producer to help find financing, either through independent investors or smaller production companies. But where do you find such a person, and then convince them to help?
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Finding the Bottom Line
Create the framework around which your project will be build based on the bottom line number for your budget. Market research and current market conditions will determine what you can and cannot do.
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Finding the Right Producer
Once you've written your query letter (see previous column), where do you send it? There are two ways to approach an answer to this question, and I recommend both. First, do some research to find producers who have shown an interest in material similar t
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Green Light?
Production Journal 7/16. Michael searches for low cost crew members, keeps the pigs alive and realizes that he's committed. We mean committed to the project.
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HD Introduction
Hi-definition video (HDTV) is examined as a viable (and preferred) format over mini-DV and 16mm for independent productions by Pablo Toledo, director of "Runnin' At Midnite".
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HD Post-production
Amy Stodghill gives us the low-down on HD Post-Production, as told by Pablo Toledo, independent filmmaker and director of "Runnin' at Midnite".
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HD Production
High Definition (HD or Hi-Def) digital video production is discussed and compared to DV in a case study of the independent movie, "Runnin' At Midnite"
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He Jumped the Fence
Terrence Michael began his film career at Warner Bros. by hopping over the fence and knocking on a random door that happened belonged to Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon). To this day Terrence has produced or executive produced 18 films.
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Heaven and Hell
Michael tells it like it is on the set of the Pig Farm. Up at 5:30am and asleep at 2am, Michael does all he can to keep the film running in a "bittersweet, heaven & hell experience that's like nothing else I can imagine".
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How to Package your Project
You must create a preasentaion of your project that combines all your research into one easily understood presentation. Your Pakage must be refined and directed towards your audience.
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Investing in Free Work
First of all, working for free in the film business doesn't sound like a very good idea and certainly not something you'd want -- or be able -- to do for too long, but it is a way to get a foot in the door.
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Is Screenwriting Right For You?
This is understandable because screenwriting is unlike any other narrative form in two very important ways: 1. Screenwriting is, at root, a collaborative form of writing.
2. In screenwriting, storytelling is more important than rhetoric.
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keykode prep
instructions for utilizing keykode numbers on Kodak film during the film transfer for later match-back to the negative
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Know Before you Go
Success in the film industry is 80 percent preparation and 20 percent show, as I explained in my earlier column about practicing for the interview, so it's essential that you go into the interview completely prepared.
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lens testing
this article deals with testing film lenses for color consistency, focus, sharpness, contrast, collimination and color bias.
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Letters Are Important Too
After getting your resume honed and professional looking, letters are the second important phase of presenting yourself in writing to potential film employers and, like resumes, can make a lasting impression on their readers. Skilled letters involve more
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location guidelines
Legal and contractual considerations between property owner and film maker when arranging the use of private property.
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locations
this outline deals with production insurance, hiring the production designer, scouting locations, hiring the production coordinator and permitting.
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Making Sense of Screenplay Format
If you are a student of screenwriting and not confused by screenplay format, then you haven't been paying attention. From the Internet to the public library, conflicting information is everywhere. This is unfortunate because, in fact, the preferred format
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Mastering Audio
see title
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media log
media log defined; also, instructions for creating logs with media log in conjunction with avid's media composer.
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mic basics
dynamic and electret condenser microphones. Some microphone brands discussed: Shure, Electrovoice, Beyer, Audio Technica, Sennheiser, Schoeps and Neumann.
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mic introduction
listing of shock mounts, long and short shotgun mics, lavalier and cardioid microphones. mics covered include Schoeps, Sennheiser, Audio Technica, Neumann and Sony.
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mic patterns
basic microphone pick-up patterns are covered, including cardioid, supercardioid and hypercardioid. M-S stereo, bidirectional, X and Y stereo.
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mics - lavalier
lavalier microphones; history, transparent and proximity lavaliers, specific lavaliers and uses. mics include: Sony ECM-50, Electrovoice CO-90, Sennheiser MKE-2.
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mics - shotgun
shotgun microphone strategy as well as types and best usages. microphones discussed include audio technica 4071, 4073a and 835, sennheiser 816, 416 and ME-80.
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MPEG-4
Internet experts have been predicting that it would only be a matter of time before the equivalent of MP3 would come along for video. It is here in the form of MPEG-4, a radical new algorithm that can reduce a video file to 1/12th of its original size.
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music
music as a sound track element is discussed, differences between extraneous and practical music, canned and original score, needle drop and blanket rights.
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narration
narration use as a story device as part of a film sound track, definitions of "sync to picture" and "wild" narration from a script as well as voice of god and wild line narration.
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Networking in Industry Organizations
Involving yourself in one way or another with film-related organizations is an excellent way of meeting people. Take classes and attend workshops offered by universities, film schools, learning annexes, etc. It's a great way to meet people. You can usuall
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Networking Letters
Networking letters are among the most important you will write during
your job search. The purpose of these letters is to approach individuals
in the film business for career information, advice, and referrals.
They are
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Networking: Building Contacts
Being "discovered" at a cafe does happen but rarely. Most often, people become stars -- or successful behind-the-scenes workers -- by moving step-by-step up through the ranks of the industry. And they do it by networking.
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Non-Paying Jobs and Internships
In addition to full-time and freelance jobs, there's actually a third way you can work in the film industry -- for free. It probably doesn't sound like a very good idea and certainly not something you'd want -- or be able -- to do for too long, but it is
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offline film editing
receiving rolls from lab, handling workprint, transferring sound to 16mm magstock, syncing workprint, edge coding and editing.
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On Location
The production journal of the independent 35mm feature, The PigFarm, continues with Michael Lee Barlin--director extraordinaire-- at the helm. Witness the details of production and Michael's hard-working crew in action.
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one more call
Production Journal 7/13. Michael struggles with whether to give the greenlight or not and awaits a call from SFX expert to see if he can afford the guns, squibs & blood.
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online film editing
creating a film print from work print: negative cutting, first trial composite answer print and release print.
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panic!
Production Journal 7/27. Michael has a panic attack as he is about to undertake a great deal of debt; fleshing out producer's unit, still photographer, gun fighting…
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Pig Farm Post
Read about the further adventures of the PigFarm as Michael enters the post production phase of his film.
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Pig Farm Post II
Read a first hand account of what happens in post when you skip that valuable pre-production planning and don't keep records. Somehow, our erst-while auteur, Michael Lee, handles it like a pro. A broke pro, but a pro none-the-less.
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Premise and Treatment
Creating the premise/logline and treatment is an important step to building a business plan. Potential partners will want to get the idea of your story without reading an entire script.
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Produce Your Own Film
Another enterprising way to break into the film industry is to produce your own film. It is not a simple task like getting a job as a PA and working your way up. It is quite a burden to take on such a project. The blessing is that once your film is done,
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Produce Your Own Film: Part Two
Grants are another resource to getting your foot in the filmmaking world by getting the wherewithal to produce your own film. The key, of course, is to qualify for a grant. This varies with each grant and requires a lot of research and reading. You should
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production blueprint
Obtaining rights to the script, attaching "stars", letters of intent, hiring the UPM and 1st AD, script breakdown, production board and shooting schedule.
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production mixing
Dr. Fred Ginsburg, CAS sketches an overview of production mixing; mixing panels, dB levels, VU meters, headphone monitoring, signal recording and recording priorities.
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Responsibility to Investors
Preparing your documentation in your business plan in a responsible and credible way is key to bringing investors on board.
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Resume: If It's Written It's True
People who make hiring decisions at production companies or production
shoots like to meet newcomers on paper whether they have met you in
person or not, and one of the primary ways of introducing yourself to
them is th
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right lab
questions to ask when choosing a film post production facility: personal service, turnaround, price, technical service and location.
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SAG hell
Production Journal 9/5. The REAL film school begins for Michael as he runs into SAG snags and negotiates budgets with the aid of his lawyer.
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Saying Thank You
Thank-you letters are a very effective means of communication when you're
searching for a job in the film industry and if you want to maintain
your presence in the industry.
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scouting for sound
By Fred Ginsburg, CAS. The crucial issues to be concerned with when scouting a location for sound, including acoustics, ambient noise and time of day.
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sfx
working with film sound effects (sfx): hard and soft effects, sound effect libraries, stealing SFX, foley effects and dubbing are discussed.
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slates
proper use of slates (aka clapsticks, clapper) is addressed; non-electronic, electronic, smart and dumb slates are defined as well.
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SMPTE timecode
Indepth technical discussion of SMPTE time code, drop-frame and non drop-frame TC, time code generation, external and jam-sync, Denecke time code slates, sync boxes, sync pulse and audio resolving.
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sound accessories
essential sound items for indie producers and sound mixers to budget for: wireless mics and batteries
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sound channels
film production sound channels (equipment packages) break down and usages: location, stage, ENG and one mic sound packages.
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sound consistency
Dr. Fred Ginsburg, CAS offers valuable advice on how to achieve professional sound consistency in film production.
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sound expendables
Dr. Fred Ginsburg, CAS, offers some practical advice on budgeting tape usage, stock allocation, battery usage and sundry items for a film or video production.
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sound for DV
An in-depth look at sound for digital video camcorders, provided by Canon. Technically intensive but still understandable if you have a rudimentary understanding of sound and digital technology.
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sound for video
finishing sound for video; splitting the production track into separate elements, "sweetening", "off off-line" first edit. also covered loading camera original and audio, syncing, first picture edit, multi-track and checkerboarding.
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sound prep
pre-production for sound mixers: location scouting, sound crew types, budgeting for crew, sound crew job descriptions, payment and types of sound channels.
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sound recording
An indepth look at film production sound recording; microphone selection, perspective, recording situations and noise reduction.
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sound syncing
sound syncing; topics covered include 60 Hz sync pulse, crystal sync, audio time code, Nagra IV-STC, HHB and Fostex DAT and Aaton Master Clocks.
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sound track
film sound track: a complete overview of building the sound track: duping, picture editing, checker boarding, equalization, overlaps, sfx, foley and music editing.
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sound transfer
handling the production tracks after they have been recorded in field, from 1/4 inch audiotape, transfer to sprocketed mag (magnetic) stock, syncing of dailies, edge coding and screening.
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Speech as Character - Art of Dialogue
Screenwriting is the least writerly of writing forms. In no other narrative form will a writer be less penalized for weak writing skills, as long as he or she has strong storytelling skills.
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Speech as Character - Art of Dialogue II
In his book Stein on Writing, Sol Stein asks four questions of dialogue, establishing the conditions it must meet.
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Start Here!
This series of audio clips and associated film finance documents is derived from a presentation made by Albert Pyun on the Art of Film Business. Mr. Pyun is the veteran of over 40 feature films that have grossed over $227 million, including the most succ
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Staying in Touch: A Success Story
For the next couple of columns I am going to devote my time to "success stories" about people who made it into the business, with the inference that if you read about these successes you will learn and apply some or all of what they did to "get in" the bu
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still going
Writer and director, Michael Lee Barlin, continues with preproduction, script breakdown, day out of days and securing locations.
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tape-to-film transfer
Tape-to-film transfers from digital video to film. Issues addressed include shooting at 24fps, DV quality, avoiding video artifacts, DVE effects, rendering graphics, resizing video frames, titles and RGB values.
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telecines
film telecines are described in technical detail, mainly the difference between flying spot and CCD telecines. Amiga, DaVinci, Dubner and Sunburst and Rank Cintel are brands addressed.
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The Challenge of Act Three
Act Three is so important that many screenwriting teachers advise their students not to begin writing until the final act is clear and perhaps outlined. In other words, know your ending before you begin. I do not tell my students this for a variety of rea
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The Director as the Star
if you can get the right director, that person can be the driving force for your project. A veteran director can bring you both cast and crew and instill confidence with your investors.
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The DivX Revolution
As discussed in a previous article, MPEG-4 (also known as DivX) promises to make every filmmaker's dream come true: highly compressed video with little quality loss, perfect for Internet distribution. However, the format still has some hurdles to overcome
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The Final Mix
final mix of film sound track; pre-dubs, pyramid progression to reduce tracks, final mixdown, DM & E and stereo mixing.
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the first day
We pick up the Pig Farm production journal once again with Michael's first day of production, always a trying and stressful time. See how his parents deal with eight crew members living at their house and a no-show DP.
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The Grunt Work of Act Two
Lew Hunter, author of Screenwriting 434, has called writing Act Two the "blue collar" work of screenwriting. It is in Act Two, more than anywhere else, where structural problems commonly invade the screenplay, tilting the entire storytelling venture out o
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The Importance of Correspondence
I have written a lot about creating a resume and about using letters
to find work in the industry. I must say that written communication
in the film industry is very, very important in establishing yourself
solid in the
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The Importance of Three Act Storytelling
Very early in one's screenwriting studies, the beginner will learn how important screenplay structure is. The way a story is put together, its dramatic structure, is one of the very important skills a beginning screenwriter must master.
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The Promise of HD
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The Query Letter: Your Key to the Market
For screenwriters who live outside of Los Angeles, the query letter is the most important manuscript aside from the screenplay itself. The query letter is what will open, or close, doors into the marketplace. Learning how to write this important tool is e
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The Rhythms of Act One
In 3-act filmic storytelling, Act One is probably the most understood because it is most clear what has to be done. This is not so much "good news" as challenging news for the screenwriter because the burden of Act One of a screenplay is to accomplish ver
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The Script Driven Package
Is your script the star? Make sure you have others back up this desicion. If you have the right script you can sell but you have to stay objective.
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The Truth About Slamdance
Although rumors may abound about other top ten festivals being influenced by agents, reps, studios and inside connections, it simply has nothing to do with Slamdance’s selection process. Check out this article for the truth about the selection process.
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The Two Worlds of your Screenplay
When we watch a movie, we enter a world created by the screenwriter. From the very first scene, events and characters begin to define a world, set in time and place, with implied values and social nuances. However, this initial world we see early on is on
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To Work In The Biz You Have To Be...
If you want a career in film, it is important that you determine what profession you want to be before you pursue your career. Knowing what you want to "be" in the business is sometimes overlooked by people. It is a simple aspect, but if you neglect it yo
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two weeks
Production Journal 8/1. Michael runs into the brick wall of hard cash. Updates on casting talent, attaching a few last talented individuals and an appeal for money.
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Vertical Screenwriting
In the beginning, screenplays are not read at all: they are skimmed. Vertical writing is easier to read quickly than horizontal reading.
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Video for the Internet - Part Two
If you can master a way to reduce your video clips to a reasonable file size without comprising too much quality, everything else will fall into place. If you do not, your experience with serving up video is bound to be a miserable one.
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Video for the Internet Part I
Chances are that if you’re reading this article, you’re well aware of the
limitations of Internet video. Why should one still attempt it? Because delivering video over the Internet is one of the most exciting possibilities for independent filmmakers to
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Visualization as the Star
If done well at a highest quality a promo can get your project noticed. You must make sure this is the highest quality and you must research who will be watching the material so you can make it appeal to that person or group.
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what is super16?
a discussion of the technical specifics of 16mm and super16 formats; advantages and future of super16.
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When Does a Screenwriter Need an Agent?
Almost all of my students want to get an agent long before they are ready for one. While it is true that you WILL need an agent to pursue a screenwriting career, it is not true that you need one when you start out. They are many things you can do, and sho
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Why Work In Film?
Just about everybody loves going to the movies, including you. If you didn't you wouldn't be reading my column. Just walking into a movie theater, buy |