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There are a bunch of canned reports with the ability to customize predefined parameters. You can export your report to MS Word for customization. A free-form report designer is under development. I know this is an important feature so I want to get it right. Thanks for checking out Sunfrog.

Thanks for checking out Sunfrog!

A good source of music is magnatune, http://www.magnatune.com . They have quality artists and a streamlined licensing mechanism. Most tracks are $44 each for film fests and art houses. You can preview all of their tracks for free because the low-fi tracks are availble under the Creative...

This is exactly the kind of info that I'm talking about. Okay, children's films it is. I imagine children's horror films aren't allowed (although perhaps that was Lemony Snickets).

I have the crazy idea of finding out what particular distributors are looking for before writing/directing a feature. Everyone knows about genre distributors like Troma that sell MiniDV horror-schlock type DVDs, but that genre isn't really my thing. I'm hoping that there are other genre...

An overseas deal can be great as you would still be able to sell the film in other regions. However, gross points do sound unusual and "sketchy" as it's unlikely that you will ever be able to audit their books (without going through much expense and travel, foreign attorneys and accountants...

Yes it is generally a bad idea to send blind copies of the film. Read Peter Biskind's "Down and Dirty Pictures" for insight into the distribution game. The standard route is to apply to festivals and screen it there. You can also screen it for distributors privately, but many prefer to build...

Here in the US there have been a couple of attempts at digital theatre distribution. One is Emerging Pictures, lead by indie veteran Ira Deutchman. Landmark theatres have implemented digital projection, although I don't think that has translated into better indie distribution opportunities...

Make friends with a good DP that can point the way to best deals on film stock, labs, etc. He might even have a spare 400' roll of 16mm laying around.. It's fun to learn this stuff on your own but the process will be faster if you work with a good DP.

I'm not against a shot list per se. It is probably even essential for certain kinds of films. Sure, shot lists can help your crew and help in post production. Techs love shots lists. But my point is that, if you are serious about directing, this probably isn't the highest priority for you...

Clive is totally right re. Marketing, most filmmakers make this an afterthought, and they are usually too exhausted by the end of postproduction to do a good job. Re. marketing via a website before the film is done - my opinion is that the best thing is to build a community - such as the one...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4297865.stm "...The world's first digital cinema network will be established in the UK over the next 18 months. The UK Film Council has awarded a contract worth £11.5m to Arts Alliance Digital Cinema (AADC), who will set up the network of up to 250...

Then again Woody Allen shot practically everything with just a master. It depends on what you're making. A lot of comedy is just a master with one or two over-the-shoulders thrown in. The director's focus goes to working with the actors, not worrying about shot lists. I'd rather see great...

Since I'm on a roll.. Here's another idea I had. To make a $250k film you need 2.5k people to give you $100. I was thinking of a lottery system with filmmakers. Get 2500 filmmakers to submit a feature script and $100. One of them gets to make a film. Repeat every month until you win...

In large part this was how Police Beat was made (http://www.policebeatmovie.com) . It is a for-profit film produced through a non-profit entity (the Northwest Film Forum, http://www.nwfilmforum.org). If you are newly forming your nonprofit, you cannot get 501-3c status instantly - the IRS has...

I was hoping that guy from American Movie, Mark Borchardt, would try it out and get back to me. I just looked him up on IMDB though. He's making another film! http://www.scarememovie.com/ It looks like another low budget effort with no financing. Now would 10 people each give $25k to...

I can't help but notice that most of the film finance threads are pleas for money. Filmmaking has got to be the "hungriest" art, apart from architecture. What is a better thing to do with 250k? Build a house or a movie? If nobody likes your movie you're out $250k. If nobody likes your house...

Here is what an IATSE DP friend of mine had to say: "Yes, the future of electronic cinematography will be the marriage of the 35 digi still camera and the HD camera. Panavision's new HD camera has a chip about the size of a 35mm frame. It is getting closer. My hope is that the HD makers take...

I'll do a test piece soon - Probably a montage type film.

Best picture will be RAY. Jamie Foxx kicked butt, it's well written, it's about show biz, it's historically significant, and we all love the music. MILLION DOLLAR BABY deserves best pic but probably won't get it. Just my gut feeling about the academy. I think the academy picks films that...