The word “Professional” is often bandied about by indy filmmakers, and I’ve heard and read many things I just wouldn’t expect a “Pro” to say, though the person writing or saying them claims to be one. Time for a definition of terms.

Question: What qualifies a person to be a Pro?

Answer: Paycheck.

That’s the short answer, but anything longer is just embellishment. It’s one thing to make movies. It’s a whole different animal to get somebody to cut you a good check, for the work you’ve done.

Paycheck is more important than anything to a Professional, because you have to eat and pay bills, or you can’t function, much less create pleasing Art.

Question: How does a person become a Pro?

Answer: By adopting a Pro attitude. The Pro attitude is “I work in the movie business. I do good work, and I must be paid for it.” This is regardless of the budget of his current Project, whether it is high or low.

Some don’t become a Pro until many paychecks, but you can have a Pro attitude right now, even if you’ve never been paid for doing your art. If you adopt the Pro attitude now, you multiply your effectiveness many times, and shorten the time until those paychecks come in.

A person with a Pro attitude has aligned his brain cells and unconscious mind, so every action and thought is geared toward one outcome - to be paid for his work, what his work is worth. This has many benefits, chiefly the quality of his work improves.

You can take years to get a Pro attitude, or you can do it right away. I recommend you read a book with a funny name by Stuart Lichtman, an expert on the human brain from MIT. http://snurl.com/brdr

Another great book on developing a Pro attitude is Napoleon Hill’s classic “Think And Grow Rich,” free in your library, or get it here online. http://snurl.com/hlk4

They are both good books. Stuart’s is like a series of games, so it’s almost effortless, and it will improve every aspect of your life. Napoleon’s classic book takes a while, and you have to muscle it through by will power, but it’s great.

Once you’ve adjusted your attitude, your unconscious mind will steer your every action and memory, every skill you have, and those you need to learn, toward delivering what you need to do your job, and be paid your paycheck.

Once you do, your natural love of your Art has a chance of being fulfilled. Until you do, you’re just floundering.

You may disagree with my brutal bottom-line assessment of what a Pro is. You may feel a Pro isn’t defined by a paycheck. To you a Pro might be merely a person with a lot of experience in a certain area, or a person with a natural talent.

Well, “Professional” is defined,

“Pro*fes”sion*al, n. A person who prosecutes anything professionally, or for a livelihood, and not in the character of an amateur; a professional worker.” — Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

Unless he has a paycheck, his “lot of experience” just makes him a hobbyist. By definition, a hobbyist is not a Professional anything. There is nothing wrong with being a hobbyist, or an “amateur,” (which means you do something “for the love of it”), but generally, amateur quality is not up to a Pro standard.

It’s common to say, “You have so much talent, you’re a real Pro,” but even natural talent, practiced and refined, won’t be Pro until one’s work quality is good enough to motivate another to pay him for it.

While skill and/or talent certainly are important, the defining quality of a Professional is payment.

Think “paycheck.” May you earn many big ones.

About The Author
Sam Longoria is a Hollywood producer, working in film since 1970, in a variety of jobs. His work graces several Oscar-nominated films, and one Oscar winner.

Sam teaches Independent Producing at http://hollywoodseminars.com

© 2005 Sam Longoria, All Rights Reserved. You may forward this in its entirety to anyone you wish. Hollywood Seminars, Box 2449, Hollywood CA 90078 USA

Hollywood helps those who help themselves! In you want to get your movie career fast tracked then here are three common sense tips to help you on your way.

1. Borrow the Boy Scout’s Motto: Be Prepared.

Once you start the ball rolling you never know when you’re going to get a casting call. When that call comes there isn’t going to be any time to get all of the basics covered so get them out of the way right now.

Get your portfolio in order. Have plenty of copies of your PROFESSIONALLY done publicity photo’s on hand.

Have all of your stage and screen credits listed even if it’s only summer stock and school performances.

List any special skills you have, such as dancing, juggling, yodelling, foreign languages, anything which might catch a casting director’s eye.

List any union memberships such as SAG, AEA or AFTRA.

Build a web site that contains everything that’s included in your portfolio and make sure that there is contact information available. If you have an agent then list the agent’s contact information instead of yours. If you stink at building web sites then pay a pro to do it for you. Hire a copywriter as well if you have no writing talent. Register your name, if possible, and make that your domain name.

2. Stay Connected

Join local theater groups, read the trades looking for casting calls, hang out where other actors hang out so you can stay on top of the local gossip and happenings. Sometimes you can pick up a valuable tip or hear about a film crew that’s coming to do some local shooting. I know a girl who landed an extra role in Robert Dinero’s ‘Meet the Parents’ by “accidentally” showing up at the train station in Oyster Bay, NY where a scene was being shot. She picked up that juicy tip at an actor’s workshop she attended.

3. Make your own luck

The harder and smarter that you work the luckier you get. Remember my friend from ‘Meet the Parents’? What’s the chances that she’d have that screen credit if she didn’t go out of her way to “get lucky”.

If you live in Podunk, and no one ever films in Podunk, then move somewhere where they do film.

If your state or city has an agency that works with movie companies to help scout locations and strip away red tape, call them and see if they have a mailing list or any other way of finding out IN ADVANCE when a film crew will be shooting. SHOW UP on shooting days. Don’t make a pest of yourself but be “noticeable”. Hey, you might just get noticed. If you have enough advanced notice then find out who the casting director is and fire off a copy of your portfolio. Sure, it’s likely to get “filed” but you never know when yours will show up and be the right thing at the right time.

If you look like someone famous then make that work for you. Now, I don’t mean that you kind of resemble Julia Roberts if only you lost 60 pounds, got a cut and dye, and had your teeth capped. But if people come up to you in restaurants and ask for your autograph then you could have an instant ticket to the movies!

Get a recent publicity photo of Ms. Roberts and take it to the hair salon. Have your stylist cut, style and color your hair to exactly match the style and color in the photo. Then make your way to the local boutique and buy something to wear which matches as closely as possible what Ms. Roberts is wearing in the photo and then get a professional photographer to shoot you in the exact same pose.

Now, take the real photo of Julia and your own and fire it off to her agent, your agent, any agent you can find. Send it to casting directors, heck, send it to the local and national newspapers. Write a letter asking: Can you tell which one is the real Julia Roberts? Might not work for you; but I’ll tell you this — It doesn’t have any chance of working at all if you don’t at least try it.

The road to Hollywood can be long an never ending, or it could be the next exit on your journey through this world. The fun thing is: You never know!

For more info: http://www.TalentInternet.com

About The Author
Bas de Baar is editor of www.TalentInternet.com, a site with everything about movie and modeling auditions.

For more info: http://www.TalentInternet.com.

According to wikipedia, "a magazine is a periodical publication containing a variety of articles, generally financed by advertising, purchased by readers, or both." Almost all professions have magazines catering to their niche, and filmmaking is no different. There are some pretty good magazines out there for filmmakers to keep themselves updated with the latest developments in the film world.

Check out a few of them:

• American Cinematographer: For more than 80 years American Cinematographer has been the monthly "magazine of record" for film professionals all over the world. AC offers in-depth, behind-the-scenes articles on how films are shot and lit. Top cinematographers and directors are interviewed at length. Director Martin Scorsese calls American Cinematographer a "beacon which has illuminated the field of cinematography and the motion picture industry for years, and I've been reading it since I was a film student."

• Cineaste
  Cineaste is internationally recognized as one of America's foremost film magazines. An independent publication with no ties to the industry or academia, Cineaste features contributions from many of America's most articulate and outspoken writers, critics, and scholars. Each quarterly issue focuses on both the art and politics of the cinema, featuring interviews with directors, screenwriters, and performers, articles on trends, coverage of films from developing nations, and reviews of the latest Hollywood, foreign, and independent films.

• Entertainment Weekly
  Get a front row seat for the latest on movies, TV, music, and more, with Entertainment Weekly is award-winning news, reviews, and feature stories. Each issue goes behind the scenes to deliver you the buzz, the biz, and the best in entertainment news every week!

• Film Comment
  Film Comment champions the very best cinema has to offer, featuring reviews and commentary on international films, American movies, the avant-garde, and all points in between. Blending thought and substance with style and smarts, for more than 30 years the magazine has represented the vanguard of what's now and what's next. Film Comment is published bi-monthly by the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

• Sight and Sound
  Sight and Sound is essential reading for anyone interested in film. Each monthly issue delivers the latest moving image news from around the globe, with special correspondents reporting on film, television, the Internet, gaming, and new technology. In-depth interviews with leading filmmakers are complemented by stories on the key issues in film and television from box office and budgets to culture and censorship.

If you are not busy making your movie, you should get busy making your movie.

“How can I start,” you whine, “when I don’t have any financing?” I know it seems you can’t roll film or tape until you have some money, but your lack of funding isn’t permanent, is it? You will have money at some future time, won’t you? You must have faith that things will get better, or they won’t.

So that’s a good place to start. Generate a little faith, and step out on it. Actively visualize how your film will look, and sound, and how it will be financially successful.

Visualization is key here. It literally costs nothing, but makes the real movie possible. I recommend the book, “Creative Visualization” by Shakti Gawain. http://snurl.com/gr88

Ignore any negative people in your life, and drive yourself on faith that your movie will get done. Visualizing your movie may seem like a waste of time, but is one of the best uses of your time. Visualizing your movie is working on it.

A present lack of money should never keep you from working on your independent feature. Besides visualization, there are many things you can do until the money arrives.

Work on your script. Read it, then read it again, and rewrite it. Punch up the dialogue, fix the scenes, weed out weak characters, get to the point of each scene.

Your script is never perfect, it needs work. Working on it a terrific use of your time before financing arrives. Have parties, where you and your friends read it aloud, just like doing a radio play. Take note of audience response, and revise accordingly. After each revision, read it again, and again.

When funding comes through, you will know your script inside and out and upside down. You’ll know the scene numbers, without looking at the script.

Once your script is polished, start planning. Now you need to be as artistic as possible. Read your script again, with your Director hat on. Imagine what the players look and sound like. Make notes in the margins of your script, and figure out how you’re going to do it. For now, don’t even think about the money.

Once you’re sure how the movie will go together, start breaking the script down. Make lists of all the cast and crew and props and costumes and locations that you will need. Assemble your ideal team, on paper. Figure out how many special effects shots there are.

Then make up your preliminary schedule. Think through the shots and get a real understanding of how long setups and shots will take. Just because a shot only takes two sentences in the script, doesn’t mean it will only take twenty minutes to shoot.

Obviously, after you’ve broken down the script, and know what you’ll need to buy, then you make up your budget, last of all. Really think about each line item and do some research to determine realistic costs for crew and equipment. Call labs and rental houses and get rate sheets.

The good news is a practical budget and schedule and artwork will help you get financing. When you show Investor Prospects you’ve really put some thought into how the money will be spent, they’re much more likely to see it your way, and give you the money.

You might read “Secrets Of Raising Money For Your Movie,” by Sam Longoria, to learn how to gather and approach investor prospects.

http://secretsofraisingmoneyforyourmovie.com

You should be using your TBF (time before financing) to network. When you call those labs and rental houses, get to know the people who work there.

Ask for names, and write them down. They’ll be good resources when the time comes, to get things at a discount. Not only can they help you on rates, but they’ll know crew wanting to break into features, who will also work at lower rates.

Join a filmmaking group. A good one is IndieTalk, http://indietalk.com It’s online, and you can reach it from anywhere. Networking with other positive filmmakers gets you moral support, and you can learn from the mistakes of others. Be selective, don’t hang with people unless they have a “can do” attitude. If you let them, individuals and whole groups can waste your time! If all they want to do is argue or debate, move along.

Pitch in! Help out on other filmmakers’ shoots, to get a better idea of how a set runs, and how long setups and shots take. This helps scheduling your own film.

By lending a hand to other filmmakers, you also make deposits at the favor bank. You will need to visit the favor bank repeatedly as you make your film, so it’s best to have an account there. If you help on their projects, it will be hard for your new filmmaker friends to deny you assistance, when you call.

Put your face before the industry. Filmmaking associations have events where industry professionals speak. Go to these. Be bold, and push through the minions and introduce yourself. Go to film festivals and be sure to attend the mixers and panels. Go to film markets, and sit in the lobby and talk to everyone.

When your financing comes through, and you have a green light to start pre-production on your film, you will already have done most of the work, just about everything but casting. Your schedule and budget will be done, you will have leads on crew and equipment, and your script will be in top form.

About The Author
Angela Taylor is a Hollywood producer, and a seven-time Telly Award winner.

She teaches Independent Producing at http://hollywoodseminars.com

© 2005 Angela Taylor, All Rights Reserved. You may forward this in its entirety to anyone you wish. Hollywood Seminars, Box 2449, Hollywood CA 90078 USA

I am lucky. I have no problems coming up with very good ideas for movies. If I never had another idea for the rest of my life, I would not make a sizable dent in the ones I already have. Screenwriters who struggle with coming up with an idea tend to be visibly annoyed when I tell them this. I think I’m comfortable sharing this with others because I know movie ideas really mean nothing and please nobody in and of themselves, so there’s not much to brag about. I guess you can get lucky and sell an idea, but in terms of what’s important, a motion picture screened in front of people, a great idea is simply a member of the orchestra that achieves that vision.

I’m not sure where all the ideas come from, but I can tell you where I was, and by telling you this, perhaps this will help you come up with your idea. First, you should know what you want to write. A feature? For the studios? For yourself to direct? Maybe a low budget script for someone else to direct. Will it be shot on film or digital video? Are you looking for an idea for a short film? Perhaps you have a particular genre in mind.

Parameters are excellent tools for creativity. The irony is restriction spawns wonderfully imaginative ideas. If you can write about anything or anybody, with absolutely no conditions, it becomes harder to settle and find that jewel of an idea. So determine your conditions, every one, and embrace them, because there you will find the frame of your idea. In other words, knowing your movie has to be shot on digital video in four weeks with two Asian women in their thirties at an antiques store will narrow your thinking and concentrate your imaginative power.

Is it necessary to have parameters before we come up with an idea? Of course not. You can always find a very special idea and that idea will determine it’s own boundaries. But if you have needs for your screenplay, determine those needs, and it will help.

So after you have determined the conditions for your screenplay, or if you have not, now you can come up with your idea. What’s a good place to start? The newspaper. Read a thick newspaper. Read through all sections. Read the obituaries. This is our world. Artists look at the world and become moved to express themselves. I read the newspaper anyway, but many times I find something, even one line, which is highly inspiring. By looking through the newspaper with fresh eyes, we become open again to what affects us. I also find the newspaper will confirm instincts I might already have about an idea.

And make sure you read the section you normally never read at breakfast. Trust me.

Okay, you’re reading the newspaper, and you might find something interesting. Documentaries can also be great reservoirs for inspiration. Awesome documentaries abound these days and they often contain imagery, facts, and revelations that may provoke an idea out of left field. Now don’t run out and rent 20 docs and lean into your DVD waiting for the logline to come out of the screen and hit you over the head. Just watch what is interesting and forget about what you need.

Walk where you would normally drive. Take the train to work if you don’t. Get on a public bus, or go rent a car and drive. Spend the day at the airport. Take a different way to work each day for a week. Make a list of ten stores you would never for the life of you visit for any reason at all, go to all ten and browse for 20 minutes each. These disruptions in your environment will open your eyes. You’ll be able to take in more of your world, and it will effect you and make you think.

We’ve run out of ideas because we are bored by what we see. You’re shut down. You don’t need to get on a plane or visit a foreign country to clear your head and help you focus. Your distant planet is down the street, walking distance.

Another inspiring action is to take the day and go to a series of garage sales. The homes, the neighborhoods, the people and the stuff they’re trying to sell you will definitely make you think. There are a million stories in what people pick up and keep as belongings in their lives. Try an estate sale. I have left estate sales feeling as if I knew the personal habits and longings of the recently deceased, simply by the possessions they kept until their death. It’s not difficult to find these sales, they happen every weekend and right close by.

Take up a new sport. Enroll in a language class. Sign up for a course at the Red Cross. I picked up a basketball one day and start playing after many years and I felt like I had a new movie in my head every time I stepped on the court. Getting an education in something new gets us humble and that humility keeps us open to new information and this makes us creative. If we feel like a master, we’ve run out of ideas. As students, we accept there’s more out there, and that attitude will spawn discovery and fresh perspective.

Finally, when I don’t know what I should write about, I ask myself what’s troubling me. If you take a second to pause and get quiet with your heart, you will find you desperately what to say something very important. Let that something speak.

One more thing. Please don’t write about you know, like they always say. Let somebody else do that, and you, you write what you want.

Article URL:

http://www.bluecatscreenplay.com/About/advice.php

Copyright © 2006 BlueCat Screenplay Competition

About The Author
Gordy Hoffman

Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival for LOVE LIZA , Gordy Hoffman has written and directed three digital shorts for Fox Searchlight. He made his feature directorial debut with his script, A COAT OF SNOW, which world premiered at the 2005 Locarno International Film Festival. He is also the founder of the BlueCat Screenplay Competition. Dedicated to develop and celebrate the undiscovered screenwriter, BlueCat provides written screenplay analysis on every script entered. In addition, Gordy acts as a script consultant for screenwriters, offering personalized feedback on their scripts through his consultation service, www.screenplaynotes.com. For more articles by Gordy on screenwriting, visit www.bluecatscreenplay.com.

I've compiled a list of some basic dv camcorders that you might find useful. Check it out:

Panasonic NV-DS 15

Optical and digital zoom, manual focal dial, 11 recording digital effects, takes digital photos, zoom microphone, night vision mode, super image stabilizer, LCD monitor, Fire Wire out, external microphone input and headphones.

JVC GR-DVL20, DVL—30 and DVL—40

Three levels of camcorder with large LCD monitors, optical zoom, high picture quality, snap shot mode. On the negative side, there are no external headphone or mic sockets. The camera body is also not the best quality for rugged filming work

Samsung VP-D55/65

Two levels of camcorder, slightly different in features. Optical and digital zoom. Average 2.5 inch LCD monitor. DV output socket, while the D65 has output and input.

A consumer-level camcorder with optical and digital zoom, 800 000-pixel CCD, digital snapshot mode, built-in lamp. This model features a High-Resolution Amorphous Silicon LCD Color Monitor and provides high quality picture and sound with DV format and PCM audio. Easyedit editing program bundled with it, digital effects, DV out socket, no DV in.

JVC GR-DVL 107

Slightly better than JVC’s DVL 100, it has almost identical functions but includes a DV input socket. Also has good manual control. On the negative side, it has no input for external mics or headphones, while the built-in mic is poor (as most tend to be at this level).

Panasonic NV-DS150

A step up from Panasonic’s entry-level DS-15, it has similar features but offers better value for money with the inclusion of a DV input socket. Features include 2.5" Smart-Turn LCD monitor with 112,000 pixels for a brilliant picture with stunning detail, 20x optical zoom and 400x digital zoom, 800,000 pixel CCD for excellent recorded picture quality.

We are not going to kid you. Making money making movies is hard work and it doesn’t come easy. This is the real deal: if you want to make a living from movies if not to be rich, you have to think business. Think about what the audience wants to see. It is NOT about what you want. This website provides a bunch of helpful articles to help you on your way of becoming a successful moviemaker.

Most feature films are produced either by the major Hollywood studios or by hundreds of U.S. and foreign independent production companies. The independents range from major companies just below the rank of the well-financed, all-purpose studios, to medium and small continuing companies, to firms that go bankrupt after just one production.

Since the introduction of DV technology, the means of production have become more independent; called independent filmmaking. Filmmakers can conceivably shoot and edit a movie, create and edit the sound and music, and mix the final cut on a home computer. However, while the means of production may be independent, financing, distribution, and marketing remain difficult to accomplish outside the traditional system.

Most independent filmmakers rely on film festivals to get their films noticed and sold for distribution. However, the Internet has allowed for relatively inexpensive distribution of independent films; many filmmakers post their films online for critique and recognition. Although there is little profitability in this, a filmmaker can still gain exposure via the web.

The filmmaking production cycle consists of five main stages: 1-Development, 2- Preproduction, 3-Production, 4-Post-production, 5-Distribution.

Technologies such as DVD, FireWire connections and professional-level non-linear editing system software make movie making relatively inexpensive.

Popular software (including commercial, consumer level and open source) includes: Avid Xpress Pro, Cinelerra, Kino, Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express, iMovie, Sony Vegas,

Popular digital camcorders, mostly semi-professional equipment with 3-CCD technology, include: Canon, GL2 XL-1s, XL-2, Panasonic AG-DVX100/AG-DVX100A/AG-DVX100B , Panasonic AG-HVX200, Sony VX-1000/2000/2100, Sony PD-150/170. Most of these camcorders cost between US$2,000 - $5,000 in 2003, with costs continuing to decline as features are added, and models depreciate.

Additionally, open source software holds the potential for increasing high-level editing capabilities being available for also increasingly lower prices, both free and paid software. I would recommend to take a look at this website http://www.internetvideomag.com/index.htm.

Posting videos for profit is a great way to make a lot of money from your own movies. Look at these sites: -eefoof.com - Make It. Post It. Profit., -Podtrac Podcaster Home, -Revver, -VideoEgg:,

Other High Traffic Sites are: -Google Video, -MetaCafe Funny Videos & Movies, -YouTube Broadcast Yourself.

Here are some more Video Sites: -blip.tv (beta), -Bolt: Watch Videos, Share Photos, and Upload Music to your Online Profile, -Buzz Net, -ClipShack, -Dailymotion Share Your Videos, -DropShots Free Video Hosting & Photo Sharing. Upload Video Now!, -Jumpcut [Make Amazing Movies Online], -motionbox: Videos, -Video Bomb - Most Bombed All-Time, -Watch, Share, Create - Grouper Video, -Welcome to eyespot, -Welcome to vSocial - The Video Clip Sharing Community.

ARTICLE BY filmanchor.com. © 21/08/2006 This article is available for reprint in your ezine, website or ebook. You MUST agree not to make any changes to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included. info@filmanchor.com Article Source: http://www.filmanchor.com/

About The Author

Film Anchor is an online resource for media makers. Here we can exchange information helpful to the production and distribution of projects. The site includes articles, FAQs, a dynamic database of links to other sites and film and video related files.

We bring you together at http://www.filmanchor.com. Learn the secrets of filmmaking.

If you want to broadcast across Hollywood that you are an amateur, pay the rental company’s published rate card amounts for your production equipment. No professional pays rate card!

I don’t even know why they bother to print rate cards, except to give you an idea of the top of the price range, how high not to go in your negotiations.

You can get a deal on anything, but you have to ask. It really is as simple as that. You don’t have to know anyone or say a secret password. Just ask.

Let’s use dolly rental as an example. Now, you don’t just rent a dolly. I mean, you can, but that’s all you’ll get: the dolly. No tracks, no wheels, no camera mount, no seat — just a dolly. You want to rent a “dolly package.”

When you call to rent your dolly package, plan to shave 20% or so off rate card. Ask if they’ll throw in extra days. If you need if for eight days, ask for the weekly rate. (Usually two to four days rental).

Get the dolly first, then start adding in the extras. You need dolly track. Pay for the curved pieces, and ask for the straight ones for free or half price. Go through the entire equipment list that way.

There are two things to keep in mind when you call for a deal:

1) The equipment isn’t making any money sitting there unrented. They’d rather have it out for half price than not have it out at all.

2) They never rent at rate card. Odds are good the person you’re talking to doesn’t even know what the rate card prices are.

It’s called haggling. They do it with every single person who calls. You aren’t asking for anything special.

As Americans, we are raised in a culture where “the price is the price,” but in most of the world, you haggle or negotiate for everything. In filmmaking, everything is negotiated. I recommend this book, to sharpen your negotiation skills. http://snurl.com/h5al

If you can’t get everything at the price you want, tell them you’ll have to check and get back to them. If you can call around and compare prices, do it. If you live somewhere where there’s really only one place to rent a dolly, be slow getting back to them, anyway.

When you call back, say, “Look, I just can’t go that high. Can you work with me some more on this?”

The person you are talking to wants to help. When she was eight years old, she was not saying, “When I grow up, I want to work at a production rental house.”

Odds are good that, like you, she is a filmmaker. She feels your pain and will work with you however she can.

If you’re working on an extremely limited budget, try this: Tell the person on the phone how much you can spend: “Look, I only have $1,200 budgeted for my dolly rental, and I need a jib arm, twelve feet of straight track, six feet of curved track, hard-surface wheels, and a seat, for ten days. What can you do for me?”

They’ll tell you what they can do for you. You may have to make concessions on your equipment list, but then again, you may be surprised to hear them say, “Yeah, we can do that.” You have to A-S-K to G-E-T.

Of course, there will be times when you just can’t get what you want, no matter how much sweet-talking you do. If there are a lot of shows shooting at the same time, rental houses won’t be as willing to let things go out cheap.

You still don’t have to pay standard prices, (I’m not kidding - no one pays rate card), but you may not get exactly the deal you want.

The Rolling Stones were on to something: you’ll get what you need. It’s more of a pain in the neck to work with less track, but you can do it. You may have to sacrifice the jib shot, but maybe you can get that hand-held. And maybe you can adjust the schedule so that you need the dolly less than eight days.

This process applies not only to your dolly and your grip and lighting equipment, but your post-production, as well. It’s a similar process, shaving percentages and getting extras, when you negotiate for your lab and editing.

The business of Hollywood is dealmaking. It starts when you put pen to paper. It continues through buying scripts, hiring actors and selling your movie. You have to make deals at every step along the way. Start haggling!

About The Author
Angela Taylor is a Hollywood producer, and a seven-time Telly Award winner.
She teaches Independent Producing at http://hollywoodseminars.com

© 2005 Angela Taylor, All Rights Reserved. You may forward this in its entirety to anyone you wish. Hollywood Seminars, Box 2449, Hollywood CA 90078 USA

When I was a Second AD (many, many years ago) I learned a valuable lesson from a dolly grip on how a film set works. Very simply, every film shoot is divided into four parts:

1) Block - determining where the actors will be on the set and the first camera position

2) Light - time for the DOP to light the set and position the camera for the first shot

3) Rehearse - camera rehearsal of the first set-up with the actors and crew

4) Shoot - shooting the first scene (then repeat the process)

Blocking is the first, and most crucial, aspect of this 4-part sequence. When you first start directing, blocking a scene can be one of the hardest - and most embarrassing - parts of your job. Get it wrong here, and you could waste valuable shooting time trying to get out of the mess you created!

a) Director Prep - Before you step onto any film set, you need to first do your homework on Script and Character Analysis. In the last two articles, we talked about Understanding the Script (what the story is about; the themes; the story points) and Character Development and Analysis (the development and objectives of the characters).

b) Blocking a Dramatic Scene - The first thing I do when the actors arrive for a blocking is to get them in a group and read the scene: no moving, no “acting” - just reading the scene through. This makes sure everyone is on the “same page”. (Sometimes actors do not have revisions and this is a good time to find that out.) Also, by reading together, the actors start to feed off each other - and you get to watch the process.

After the actors read the scene, I ask them to show me what they want to do. I just step back and let them go for it. If it is a set no one has been in before, I take a few moments to discuss the physical lay out of the room - the door an actor will come through; a window they can walk up to; which desk they can sit at etc.

The actors then begin their first walk through - they read the scene and walk around the set to get a feel of what they want to do and where they want to be. During this initial blocking, I try not to make any suggestions to the actors - it is important that they show me what they have in mind. Remember, this is the first time the actors have been together on the set and they need their time to explore. As you watch the actors, you get a feel for what they want to do, where they want to go and how they are relating to each other.

On the next blocking, you begin to make your changes. Maybe you want an actor to sit in a chair by the window instead of on the couch; you ask an actor if it would be okay to pace beside an actor and not in front of him so you can save a set-up; you make a suggestion to an actor to move across the room instead of standing by the door etc.

Once you have discussed the scene, and everyone agrees with the suggestions, the actors do it again. This time, you begin to figure out your camera placement based on their movement and what you first had in mind. As the actors go through the scene, you walk around them looking at all your camera positions. Usually the DOP is with you to discuss camera set-ups and positions. This is also a time where you can stop-and-start the actors - move them around to get a better background. During this blocking, a camera assistant will place marks on the floor whenever the actors stop.

When everyone is satisfied, the actors leave and you discuss the first set-up in more detail with the DOP and the camera operator. When the DOP begins to light, you go over all your set-ups with the First AD and the Script Supervisor.

c) Blocking Tips - having a shot list will help you during the blocking process. The shot list is like a map: it gives you a path to your destination but you don’t always have to follow it

- let the actors show you what they want to do first, then, when you make a suggestion, it is based on something you have already seen

- in Television, speed is essential, so try and block some scenes so that your action takes place in one direction (to avoid turning the camera around for reverses)

About The Author
Peter D. Marshall has worked in the Film and TV Industry for over 32 years. In 2000 he created www.ActionCutPrint.com as an online resource center for Filmmakers where you will find filmmaking tips, articles and directing workshops. Peter also publishes the free monthly ezine, “The Director’s Chair.” http://www.actioncutprint.com

You may believe a thorough knowledge of filmmaking and the entertainment industry is enough to make you a good movie producer. While it certainly helps to know the nuts and bolts of movie production, and even the details of financing and marketing a movie, that knowledge is not enough to create a good producer. It might make for a good studio executive, or other job out of the fray, but you need to develop specific skills, to help you make an independent film.

The first and most important skill you need is organization. If you were the kid who kept the minutes of the club meetings, edited the yearbook, or organized the prop-closet by era, you already have this skill. It is something that is hard to teach, but you can certainly learn it, to become more organized.

If you are the person who can’t find his keys and has no idea how much is in your checking account, you need help. Get organized. There is simply no substitute for it.

Buy a book about getting organized. I recommend “How to Get Organized When You Don’t Have The Time,” by Stephanie Culp. http://snurl.com/gqg5

Or take a Franklin - Covey course. Do whatever you have to do, but get organized.

Second, you need to be able to make decisions quickly. Despite the best planning, things change moment-to-moment during production. You will have to decide right now whether to set up the next shot despite the looming storm clouds, or to move on to another location, completely disrupting the schedule.

The best way to develop this skill is to completely bury your doubt. Know that you are in charge, any mistakes to be made are yours to make and you will suffer the consequences of bad decisions. If you act decisively, and accept blame when necessary, your cast and crew will accept your decisions unquestioningly.

Third, you must be a good negotiator. You will have to make deals for every single thing on the set - the equipment, the sets, the crew, the film stock, everything. Even if you’re borrowing your mom’s station wagon, you will have to convince her you will take good care of it, and return it washed, and with a full tank of gas. Everything will have to be negotiated.

When negotiating rates, know the maximum you can pay for any one line item on your budget and try to shave 20 or 30 percent off of it. If they negotiate up, you may still save 15 percent or so off what you expected to pay.

There is one thing you need to know when negotiating: You can always say no. If you can’t get the deal you want, just say no. Practice it. No. There is no need to be a jerk, just make it clear that you will take your business or offer elsewhere. If a crew member doesn’t want to accept your day rate, he doesn’t have to. You will find someone else (assuming you set your rate at a reasonable low-budget level).

Fourth, a producer also needs diplomacy. It’s surprising how often a film shoot devolves into a third-grade playground. In just a few short weeks, cliques form, rumors start and friendships are formed and ruined. Crew members and actors will, believe it or not, come tattle to you. Sometimes you will have to intercede in petty squabbles and personality conflicts. The trick is to smooth ruffled feathers while not making one combatant feel like you’ve taken another’s side. That will only set factions against you, and that’s the last thing you want on your set.

And fifth, of course, you will need energy. Lots and lots of energy. Caffeine helps to get you started after only a few hours sleep, but it is no substitute for real, healthy human energy. One of the things you must do during pre-production is get yourself in shape for the rigorous weeks of shooting. You’re in training, not for a sprint, but for a marathon.

Working on lower budgets, independent films often have a much tighter schedule, making for longer days and fewer days off. Take it seriously beforehand, and train like a champion. Exercise, eat healthy, and take vitamins and supplements to build your energy stores, so you can get through it.

After you have these five basic producer skills down, you will be ready to develop your knowledge of the filmmaking process and the entertainment industry, by producing a successful independent film.

About The Author
Angela Taylor is a Hollywood producer, and a seven-time Telly Award winner. She teaches Independent Producing at http://hollywoodseminars.com

© 2005 Angela Taylor, All Rights Reserved.

You may forward this in its entirety to anyone you wish.

Hollywood Seminars, Box 2449, Hollywood CA 90078 USA

This article is available for reprint in your ezine, website or ebook. You MUST agree not to make any changes to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included.