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Freedom Fighters of Nili Documentary
Hello Marcus ,I wanted to link your site to mine and I was hoping you could do the same. We have a similartheme and I think my readers would like it. We filmmakers help each other!My blog:Sincerely,Leora Chai
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Aspect Ratio : Native aspect ratio without letterboxing (examples: 4:3, 16:9)- Resolution: 640x360 (16:9) or 480x360 (4:3) recommended
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Money 101 for screenwriters
Tags:
money
John August publishes the best posts on screenwriting I've seen. His blog is one of my favorites.
1. Don’t quit your day job — until you have to.
Before writing this post, I asked a dozen working writers for their recommendations, and this was by far the most-often made point.
The natural instinct is to immediately quit your crappy day job once you’re hired to write something (or sell a spec). After all, isn’t that the dream? Isn’t this why you came to Hollywood? Every waiter and barrista in
Los Angeles considers himself a screenwriter, so quitting your day job is an important way to distinguish yourself as a True Screenwriter, the kind who gets paid actual money to push words around in 12-pt Courier.But don’t. Don’t quit your job right away.
Even if you sell a spec for $200K, it will be months before you see a cent. The studio will sit on your contract as lawyers exchange pencil notes about things you can’t believe aren’t boilerplate. When I was hired for my first job,1 it took almost four months before I got a paycheck. I was living off of money from a novelization, but when that ran out, I had to ask my mom for help paying rent.
Nearly every screenwriter I speak with has a similar story — you’re never as broke as when you first start making money.
Beyond the initial delay in getting paid, keep in mind that there’s no guarantee you’ll have a second writing job. I haven’t seen numbers, but my hunch is that a substantial portion of new WGA members aren’t getting paid as screenwriters two years later. A career is not one sale. As one writer friend says, “I always think of myself as six months away from teaching community college.”
If all goes well, the needs of your career will eventually force you to give up your day job. You’ll have meetings at 11 a.m. on a Wednesday, and no more excuses to offer your boss. Or you’ll be hired on a TV show, which is at least two full-time jobs. So don’t panic when it comes time to quit. Just try to leave on good terms, with back-of-mind awareness that at some point you may need to get a normal job again.
Here’s how the transition happened for my former assistants:
Rawson finally quit working for me because the movie he was directing (
Dodgeball ) was in preproduction. He went from being an assistant to having an assistant in less than a week.Dana had a movie greenlit and another script under a tight deadline.
Chad met with Aaron Sorkin on a Tuesday morning — and got hired in the room. He had to start working on Studio 60 that afternoon.
Each of them left, but only after the needs of their writing career made it impossible not to. In the meantime, they had regular hours and health insurance. That last part is especially worthy of attention, because it may take months to get WGA health insurance started after making a sale.
2. It’s less money than you think.
We’re used to getting paychecks that have all of the taxes and expenses taken out. Maybe you’re bringing home $850 per week. The math is relatively straightforward: you know how much you need for rent, food, utilities and whatnot. And next week, you’ll get another check.
Screenwriting is nothing like that. You get paid in chunks, from which you have to pay taxes and percentages to all the people working for you. The money shrinks at an alarming rate. Worse, you have limited ability to predict when you’ll get paid again.
To see the rest of the post, read Money 101 for screenwriters.
Dan's TopTenTips for Short Film Makers
Tags:
short film
Some important tips that can make your short film the best it can be
Here is a list of some of the most important elements to keep in mind when making a short film. Following these guidelines will help you avoid the more common pitfalls. While these are only suggestions, they will almost certainly improve both your film and your filmmaking experience.
Make sure you have a story worth telling
Would you sit through the short film if someone else had made it? The answer for a surprising number of shorts is No. Ask yourself this question before you even start writing the script.
Don’t start production without a budget
Films, no matter how simple, cost money -- and money is always limited. By making sure you have a budget (a simple spreadsheet will do), you can decide in advance where you want to spend whatever money you have. Without a budget, you can almost guarantee that you will either spend more money than you plan, or end up without the finished film.
Get all clearances before shooting
You need, need, NEED releases from actors, music/artwork contributors, and anyone else who produces content that appears in the film. Getting clearance signatures before the shoot is simple and takes you moments. After the shoot, it can be difficult to impossible. Don’t get caught, do it now.
Make the film shorter than you want
Writer/directors always often leave things in the movie that the audience can really do without. It’s so painful to trim away things that were difficult to shoot. Make sure you do it. Your audience will thank you.
When using non-professional actors, cast with personality
I believe bad acting is so common in short films because people are asked to play characters that don’t resemble their personalities. A dirt-poor professional actor can portray the swagger and confidence of a billionaire – but most amateurs can’t. If your lead is an anal-retentive tightwad, don’t cast a slovenly slacker to play him.
Invest in good sound
Bad sound makes many short films (even ones with good stories) unbearable. There are no real replacements for a decent boom mike. Beg, buy, or borrow one and it will triple the chances your film will be watch-able.
Fix it now, not in post-production
WithoutDigital Domain or WETA working for you, most post-production fixes don’t look/sound very good and take A LOT of time. If you have a mistake in framing, dialogue, or anything else that can be fixed on the shoot, do it!
Don’t zoom in a shot
Don’t touch that zoom switch! A really good cameraman can make a zoom look OK. In almost all cases, though, using zooming is the hallmark of a sad effort. If you need to push in on a subject, use a dolly, camera glider, or a cut.
To see the final two tips, visit Dan's page.
Lighting for Youtube and Webcam
This video is available in HD. The title is in no way intended to limit tips presented in the video to a certain medium. Lighting is an important aspect of photography to understand.
Sharon A. Fox - 10 Minute Recipe For A Perfect Screenplay
Tags:
advice,
encouragement,
screenwriting,
video,
youtube
Learn screenplay writing and structure if you have any interest in the filmmaking industry.
The money is there. It is available to you. Producers are looking for great screenplays. Be the goose that lays the golden screenplay. The whole world will thank you.
When you have that great screenplay it doesn't matter where you are located. A truly great screenplay will find it's way to the silver screen.
Sharon A. Fox recommends 7 books that will help you write a great screenplay. I have read a majority of the books she has mentioned. If you aren't familiar with the Hero's Journey, you owe it to yourself to become familiar with it.
Other tips she mentions in the video are to learn the dynamics of family relations and write strong roles for women. Sharon cites Nia Vardalos as one of her idols. Vardolos wrote the indie gem My Big Fat Greek Wedding and took home a few awards for it.
My Guide to using Digsby
Why you Should Use it:
Are you the type of person who finds themselves using multiple IM programs, logging in and out of email accounts, and refreshing Facebook for new updates from friends? It's time to simplify. Digsby is here to help.
What is Digsby?
Digsby is a free program that helps you manage all your IM, email, and social network accounts from a single application. Log in once and have access to all of your accounts (a free Digsby account is required).
Digsby (Build 19212) is faster than ever with optimized RAM usage, a snappier interface, better connectivity with IM networks, and fewer bugs.
Who can use Digsby?
Digsby is currently Windows only. Users of other operating systems might try:
1. Adium (Mac OS X)
2. Pidgin (Windows and Linux)
3. Miranda IM (Light Weight, Windows)
See a full list of Instant Message clients.
Digsby is coming soon to Apple and Linux users.
Receive an email Digsby is available for OSX or Linux.
My Experience with Digsby:
I was cautiously optimistic when installing Digsby for the first time. I've used Pidgeon and Adium before to some success on Linux and OSX, respectively.
I wondered what features from AIM (or other clients) might be limited under Digsby. I haven't tried video or audio chats yet. I've been using Digsby everyday while logged into my computer for a week. I track 5 gmail accounts, Twitter, Facebook, 2 Myspaces, LinkedIn, AIM, MSN, and GoogleTalk.
Digsby uses around 50-60,000 K of ram or about 1/4th that of my Firefox installation with a few add-ons. I absolutely love the uniformity of
having this single program combine multiple other programs and browser windows. All of the themes match and look great under Vista. Digsby offers most all of the customization options I want.
While the program is still considered beta software, it functions well. I've had problems staying connected to MSN and AIM, but those are more than likely caused by issues with my router.
Below I have listed the features I like about Digsby. Some of these features are exclusive to this program.
Instant Messaging
Support for:
- AIM
- Facebook Chat
- Google Talk
- ICQ
- Jabber
- MSN
- Yahoo
Coming support:
- IRC
- MySpaceIM
- Skype
1. Tabbed conversation window removes clutter and keeps your conversations in one place.
2. Hide both the “Formatting Bar” and the "Menu Bar" at the top of the IM window.
3. Reply to IMs from the new IM popup.
4. Integration with iTunes and Winamp to display what you are playing in your Buddy List.
5. Rename contacts with an alias or use their real name.
6. Combine your friends multiple IM accounts into one contact.
7. Support for sending SMS messages.
8. One place to log your chat history. It is searchable as well.
9. Makes updated status on multiple accounts simple.
10. Complete control over the layout of your buddy list.
11. Custom sorting options for buddies.
12. Dock your buddy list to the side of your screen.
13. Choose whether to let people know if you are typing a reply.
14. View your allow and block list in one place for all IM accounts.
15. Check your spelling while you type.
16. No annoying ads.
You can set up your IM window anyway you'd like. I like it clean and minimalistic.
Managing Email
Support for:
- AOL/AIM Mail
- Gmail
- Hotmail
- IMAP and POP
- Yahoo Mail
1. No need to keep refreshing your email.
2. See all of your new email at a glance.
3. You send emails from the website.
Social Networks
Support for:
- MySpace
Coming Support:
- Bebo
- Hi5
- Orkuk
- Plurk
1. Don't waste time logging in to all your accounts. Updates are delivered to you.
2. Choose to recieve alerts as popups on screen.
3. Keep up with your friends activity in real time.
4. Keep track of multiple Myspace and Twitter accounts.
5. Update Twitter status and include shortened URLs.
You can click the double down arrows to hide your IM connect/disconnect list in the buddy list.
Customization
1. Keep a consistent look. Choose the colors and styles you like.
2. Know where to expect pop up alerts (choose the location on your screen).
3. Unique themes for your IM conversations.
4. Your personal settings are backed up to Digsby servers and can be accessed from any Digsby client.
5. Customizable notification system: choose what events display notifactions.
6. Choose how often Digsby should notify you when your friends post updates.
7. Set one folder destination for all file transfers.
8. See your accounts listed in your icon bar.
9. Easily disable sounds.
Integration
Digsby offers users a Flash widgit to post on their site that enables users to send messages to you when you are logged in to Digsby.
Add Digsby Widgit to Facebook now.
More About Digsby
blog.digsby.com
1. As of November 24, 2008, Digsby is in public beta.
2. It is released under a proprietary license and is currently free to download.
3. Digsby is written in wxPython and uses Webkit for rendering.
4. The developers and software company are looking at various business models to earn revenue.
5. Developed by dotSyntax, LLC of Rochester NY.
Awards
About.com readers voted it Best Third-Party Instant Messenger with 65 percent of the votes (1893 votes)/
Vote for Digsby for the 2nd Annual Open Web Awards (Closes December 14th, 2008)
Digsby Links
Check out the getting started guide to get an idea of Digsby works
FAQ and Common Issues
Wikipedia Entry
Digsby skins, themes, emoticons, sounds and more at digsbies.org
My Digsby Features Wishlist
1. Support for sites with APIs like Digg, Reddit, Stickam, BlogTV, and Youtube.
(I wish all of my favorite sites has APIs.)
2. Built in RSS support.
3. Firefox integration via an Add-on.
4. The ability to store chat history online.
5. More quailty themes!
6. Integration with Songbird to display songs you play.
Have you used Digsby?
1. What did you think of it's features?
2. What did you think of it's compatibility?
3. Would you recommend it to other Geeks?
Please let us know in the comments.
Time Wasters and Relaxing Your Mind
Tags:
just for fun
After a long session of writing, I find that my mind needs to relax. Other times my mind will relax when it wonders away from the task at hand to something tangentially related. Ten minutes later I'll wonder how I arrived at a Wikipedia entry.
What do you guys do to take a mental break?
Sometimes I play stupid flash games. Like this one:
Hollywood script sales report from ScriptGirl
Tags:
screenwriting,
video,
youtube
Wondering what types of scripts are being produced in (and more importantly: sold) in Hollywood?
youtube.com/user/scriptgirl411
For the last 2 years I've been working as an assistant to an old school Hollywood producer. He's sort of a Jack Warner/Benito Mussolini hybrid, infamous for sleazy-ish behavior and general jackassery.
Also, lucky for me, he hates "those f***ing internets!" Not only am I woefully underpaid, but he also demands that I compile daily script sales info and read it to him as if he were a dimwitted child.
Now I've decided to grab hold of the affirmative and use my "job skill" to make the world a better place for my fellow screenwriters while simultaneously making online mega-stars of my desk and office wall. Please aggressively disseminate my reports to that end. ;)
Filmmaker Magazine: Blog
Tags:
magazine blog
I'm not a magazine and can't offer you the amount of content of such a publication. Maybe I'll get around to reviewing the magazines I do subscribe to. Until then, here is a magazine (that I don't have a subscription to) with a blog for you.
Filmmaker Magazine: Blog
Pay for advice about your project
"In an uncertain economy, why not give your film or event the competitive advantage
of access, knowledge and real-world advice that works."
That's a great question.
The folks at Reel Plan would like to provide that advice for you. For a fee.
This might not be an affordable option for independent filmmakers, but it could save you from making a costly mistake. I looked around to try the name of the founder, but I couldn't glean much from the shiny website.
Visit Real Plan.
Happy Halloween and Wes Craven
Tags:
just for fun,
video,
youtube
Here's some thoughts from horror Director Wes Craven on filmmaking.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaWg50QG5dM
Hot Hollywood writers share information with you
Tags:
resource,
resources,
screenwriting,
script
Academy Award ®-nominated writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio want to share with you what they know about writing a script that will sell.
With 52 to-the-point columns about screenwriting, you can spend less time reading and more time working on your script.
After you've read them all. That is.
There is even an option to have them emailed to you. There simply is no excuse not to read them.
Check out these great Wordplay columns!
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