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Big or small! On a film shoot? Writing? Whatever! If you do something for your film, even something small, every day, it WILL get made! Eventually. ;) Let this blog help you. Don't procrastinate! Even something as small as proofreading or shopping for batteries counts. So what are YOU working on today? Post below! And if the answer is nothing, think of something! Film Production: On Set of 'Pendant'" by vancouverfilmschool is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Backstory: I've completed three independent feature films, plus countless shorts and adverts. My first feature was a no budget slasher I shot in 2007 for a budget of $600 called "Wulf". It played a few festivals and then I buried it, considering it my trunk novel. In 2009, I turned my back on horror and decided to be the Christian I considered myself to be. I still wanted to make movies and had an idea to combine parkour and the last days into a movie that was ultimately called "Leap". I shot it in 2009 on MiniDV (a Canon ZR800) for a budget of $200. I spent three months teaching my actors parkour and they did most of their own stunts. It screened at a local theater and we sold 200 DVDs. Let's be honest though- it's bad. My...

Since today is Halloween, I'd like to share a short scene I made up a while ago. I have been writing bits and pieces, and I'm wondering if I should make short films of them, if only to see if I really want to be a filmmaker, as opposed to just an aspiring writer who talks of being an aspiring mogul. Anyway, here's the scene. I have no idea what comes next, or even what comes before. Perhaps I should join a writers group again, just to get the juices flowing.

Good morning, If you read my posts on this section, you'll see I've been writing on various story lines, most of which have nothing to do with each other. In other words, my writing is disjointed. But, for now, I like doing that, because, just as a pianist may enjoy pressing on the piano keys, so too do I enjoy typing on the keyboard. I've read the biography of Mozart, and I found out that, when he died, he was working on several compositions, and others have told me that they work on several projects at the same time, so I may be doing what others are doing. With that in mind, I would like to post these bits and pieces, and, with your kind indulgence, have you encourage me - everyone needs feedback, and everyone needs encouragement...

Ciao everybody! Today's discussion is about "net profits" as they exist in the world of indie film. Depending on your contract, net profits can be your best friend ... or your worst enemy, which will haunt you forever. For our hypothetical discussion, let's assume you just graduated from film school. Congrats! Then a month later, two producers offer you the opportunity to direct a feature. You read their script, and it's f***ing kooky -- a sci-fi sports flick about Mussolini traveling through time to lead the Detroit Lions into the NFL playoffs. Because you've never been hired to direct a feature before, you decide to take the gig if you can rewrite the script and if they will pay you DGA scale. So, you meet in a Beverly Hills...

Ciao everybody. I wrote this in Plain English to help producers and filmmakers navigate a difficult area of film production. First, a legal disclaimer: DISCLAIMER. This is a simple guide to a complicated topic, and it involves state and federal law. This is not legal advice under any circumstances. There are a million different ways to structure the financing of an independent film, this is but one, and a simplified guide at that. These concepts will not work for everyone, nor every film. If you’re going to raise money for a film, you must hire a qualified attorney or you could make huge expensive mistakes. Still here? Cool, grazie. Here we go! Private Equity – In Plain English. The first time a new producer gets in a...

TikTok seems to be where all the eyeballs are at these days. So I wrote something sexy and short enough for tiktok. One half of a page! It's very... "spy vs spy" https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a7gXUFqH1pSEjb3Cs7RNkRTKg2hUwALj/view?usp=sharing

[EDIT: REMOVED Silent Night Link 9/1/22] here is current version of the film if anyone wants to provide feedback The significant change are: 1) Opening scene recut with new music 2) Improved gun sounds 2) Prayer/Grace at kitchen completely removed 3) Improved shotgun fight sequence 4) Removed girl crying after her mom died, moved that footage to the flashback later on 5) Dramatically improved color grading for foster home hand-to-hand combat scene 6) Added a transition from yippie-ki-yay bathroom to the courthouse 7) Dramatically improved the big shootout finale at the end of the film 8) Added screaming when the woman is set on fire at the end 9) Every actor now given a spotlight in the end credits over traphouse version of Jingle...

Save Point is a unique project that allows independent creatives to put their skills to work on a crowd-sourced project. Save Point is the name of both the organization, and the online series it produces. It's an animated series, which allows people all over the world to collaborate, producing one flagship product with a better chance of success in the market than would be possible with many tiny projects. Here's how it works. You can learn about Save Point in one of three places. 1. The web site at https://www.savepointofficial.com 2. Here on Indietalk, where there are many posts discussing aspects of the project 3. By joining us on the Discord server, and asking us questions you can join the Discord server using this...

I'm on a roll, so I just finished an article based on alternate history. This is taken after my hero, Winston Churchill's imaginery essay, "If Lee had not won at Gettysburg". Instead, I pretend to write as Churchill in a similar essay, "If the Americans had not won at Philadelphia". Churchill's essay speculated on what would have happened if General Lee had won at Gettysburg. I, writing as Churchill, speculate would have happened if the Americans had won in Philadelphia in 1777 against the British. This is supposed to be the background to my alternate history novel, though I haven't had the time to do the research. I enclose the link to Churchill's original essay Is there a way to put my essay into film?

I have been writing this in my mind for awhile, so, with some time in the new year, I did write it, and, as always, I feel good. I have a different version, about derelict ships that are in an orbital shipyard, and they're corroding because of eons of cosmic radiation. The thing is that, if I was to stick to one universe, I could be restricted, but, since I am just writing out random thoughts, I can go through the permutations and combinations. I have been writing out bits and pieces of several storylines, a few which are mutually exclusive, and, if all goes well, some of them may become good stories. Thanks for taking the time to read my writings, and you have given me the best holiday present possible.

I am now in preproduction on my action movie that is shockingly reminiscent of 2004's The Punisher. Loved the editing in that movie. John travolta not so much. I am all by myself planning and executing this lol. Filming starts december 12th. Movie effects that i haven't done before: Shooting someones head off with a shotgun. Shooting a row of 10 aluminum cans with two pistols. Shooting walls full of bullet holes and debris Hand to hand fight with pencil stabbing (I hear john wick killed three guys with a pencil.. a fucking pencil!!) Shooting a car full of bullet holes and blowing the windows out Fake 3D bullet casings when the guns fire Buy better prop guns that use co2 cartridges - there aren't any with fake casing ejection i can buy...

Hey everyone, I'm Cam. I like making these production threads as a fun way to share what's going on in my life and where I'm going with my projects. I just recently finished a script for a short film, taking the lessons learned from my last scifi short "Infinitus". That film was a great experience, and a lot of fun to make. You can find all that pre-pro stuff on its thread here: Infinitus Pre-Production Thread I learned some great lessons with that, mainly that story and plot are king. The script for Infinitus was written around the focus of practical FX. I had an idea, but it wasn't a story. I made up a lot of plot devices as I got closer to filming.... Which in hindsight may have not been a good way to go. With this new script, I...

Hi everyone. So I'm embarking on a short film written and produced during lockdown. Its going to be 100% greenscreen and is both an exercise in VFX and a proof of concept for a larger idea. I have a couple of drafts of a script under my belt, and I have already started making the CG assets. A few ships, some are older ships I made, some things are kit bashed and some are total originals. Its a mixture of where can I save time, what will look great, and where will 'good enough' do. Welcome to the production diary of 'Sorry We Missed You'. Logline: 'A deadbeat interstellar delivery driver is returning to Earth after a long haul journey to the other side of the galaxy. A temporal event occurs that erases the Earth from history before...

Hello Indietalk fam! I'm finally working on filmmaking again after a little break to recoup passion and funds. This one is based on a poem I wrote about impulsive natures, addiction, and the struggle to silence the mind in order to avoid heartbreak and destruction. It's a heavy topic, so I thought going full on experimental would help propel the tone and imagery of the film. Got some raw footage so far, with me Acting in it as well as Directing. Jeeeez, let me tell you..... The bathtub scene was hard to do!!! SO MUCH WATER UP MY NOSE HOLES!!!!! Hated every minute, but I think that just adds to the mood of the scene. Haha. Below is a thumbnail of the upcoming teaser trailer. Next will be a "gluttony" scene in the kitchen...

Hello everyone! Thanks for stopping by. Can I offer you a drink? Coffee? Sure, I'm going to need some coffee too for this thread. It's gonna be a long one. I am posting because I wanted to bring you all along with me on my journey to making a Science Fiction film called "Infinitus". My plan is to make something with practical FX, while retaining the moody/artsy atmosphere I like so much. Science fiction is one of my favorite genres. I grew up watching the Alien films, Bladerunner, 2001, Terminator, etc. It seems like lately, SciFi might be coming back strong again. I am ready for it! Interstellar was great, The Martian too, and I'm hoping Ad-Astra can pull it off. For my film, I want to create a vibe similar to Stalker (1979)...