Spike Lee says when he went to film school, he and his friends just wanted access to the equipment. They didn’t care about the degree. Now things have changed.

As a film director what was the worst thing your actor said to you that still hurts you to this very day?

Taken from the music video for Gary Numan's Complex

I think this effect looks so cool, how did one achieve this kind of effect back then and how could you do something very similar with modern technology?

Gary Numan - Complex

Full disclosure: I star in this film, I did not direct it. It is called Curtain Call, directed by Garrett Lee Pollack, released on YouTube on 15 October. I play Theo, and the film is a psychological thriller that stays close on my character for most of its 16 minutes. I am posting it here because I want the kind of feedback actors do not get from friends. Does the performance hold your attention across the full runtime, or is there a point where it drifts for you? Is there a moment where you stopped believing the character? Craft notes are as welcome as general reactions, from actors and directors both. The full film is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm_QrlNm3s4 I will be in the comments and will read everything. Thanks to anyone who gives it 16 minutes.

I was DP/shooting a short film shoot in a restaurant and no meal break was scheduled or accounted for. All I could think of was getting some food in me after 9 hours of working my ass off for a friend's project. I guess prod assumed we would eat once wrapped, but we went long.

It was the first time I had filled 2 cards on a shoot with my Pyxis 12k, and wasn't paying close attention after I hit record to realize . My AC was also burned out and hadn't eaten in over 10 hours, since he had to travel.

By the time the shoot ended, the kitchen was closed, so dir/producer said sorry and gave us each extra 20 to buy our own food once we were wrapped.

Obviously I should have been paying closer attention,and learned a lesson, but at the time all I could think about was getting some food in me. I barely took time to even drink during the day.

Production saw the footage and emailed to ask where the missing insert setup was and I defended my mistake by saying we hadn't been fed and didn't realize the cards filled.

Obviously it was my error, one I won't make again, but should I feel bad about loosing an important insert shot?

I believe the restaurant will let us shoot it again, since it's a closeup on an object, or can be shot in another location. Should I still charge something for the pickup, or do it for free since it was my mistake? I provided all my camera, lighting and sound, for a rate that I would charge with no gear.

I posted on here about 3 years ago when I was previously "about to make a feature". As many here probably know, things happen, money didn't happen, and that project fell apart.

Well, I'm back, and this time it's ACTUALLY happening. We start shooting in 1 week!

I got tired of trying to convince investors to fund a project, so I pooled a micro budget from my savings along with support from my wife and a close friend to make my first feature film, which stars Whitney Moore and Laura Bailey of Critical Role! I am directing it from an original script that I wrote.

It's a contained horror film called "The Devil Downstairs". Logline: A struggling artist rents out her basement to an elderly tenant for quick cash—but after the tenant’s sudden death, she starts to believe something else has moved in.

Follow the link(s) to find our film's Instagram page and follow us to stay up to date with our journey to create this cool, creepy movie!

This is a completely independent film. It is self-funded and crewed by my friends and colleagues whom I've worked with over the past 20 years. We've built a profit-sharing system within the project's layout so that if it's a success, everyone involved wins. We start filming in Los Angeles at the end of the month and will be wrapped by Thanksgiving (15 days total in that stretch). We'll be submitting to festivals next year and, from there, figuring out how to get this project out for the world to see!

I'll come back to post on here as often as I can, but for the quickest updates, please follow our Instagram Page.

Hit me with any questions or comments along the way!

I'm thrilled to finally be doing this. I have an incredible support system in my crew and cast, and we're all psyched to be putting something awesome out into the world. Can't wait to share it with you all!

After one year, it's finally out. I directed this music video August of last year to DRKMTS' track Promises. A class little song that's been sitting awaiting a label to release it. The video is starring scottish actor Doug Russell (Adolescence, The Batman, Knights of the Seven Kingdom).

I knew immediately I didn't want somone who was young or slick to be in the video, but an unusual protagonist. So I reached out to Doug who was nearing 60 and had no previous dance experience. When I approached him, he was super down to give it a shot, depsite never danced or been in a vide like this in his life.

We had half a day with choreographer Hannah Collins to work out the dance, then 2 shoot days on location. The intention was to make the movement feel personal to him, and to the story of his character, with room for it to be imperfect. He’s playing a man caught up in memories and repeating a ritual beneath the city, so the performance needed to feel like something he was doing for himself

We shot in an underpass in Glasgow. I prioritised one location so we could concentrate on the performance, choreography and how the camera moved around him - Shoutout to DoP Alan C Mclaughlin

Glad to finally be able to share it. Would be interested to hear what you make of the casting and how the performance comes across. Happy to talk through the shoot as well.

Cheers!

Behind the scenes of our latest 48 film 'Possession'

Recently directed a 48 hour film project in Cleveland using the ARRI Mini and a Ronin 4D! Always amazing what our team can accomplish in such a short time.

If the mods allow, I'll be happy to post the final film after it premieres on the 28th 😁

I suppose i am just looking for reassurance that my path right now is a logical one.

for context, i am a first gen student who loves filmmaking, but decided to pursue a career in healthcare. i like science dont get me wrong, and i'm good at it, but i love film more. however, at the end of the day, i know i need to pay my bills. my parents worked hard to give me the opportunity to go to college, and it felt selfish to use it to pursue film school. psa no hate to anyone in film school right now, this is purely a rant and my own circumstances. i admire anyone who is studying film. but yeah, my plan is to go into the healthcare field as a PA and once i am financially stable i can freelance some film stuff on the side.

heres the thing, i am a double major right now, on the healthcare track and a film major. its just that, with all my healthcare classes, i've been so busy i havent had much time to actually professionally film anything or do much on sets. i see all my film peers who have so much on their portfolio, while i only have the stuff i was required to do in my classes (which, tbh isnt very good since the equipment my school has is very old and limited. plus class requirements limit the creative freedom i can have) . i feel behind, and im questioning whether or not i made the right choice - would it have been better to go into film all in, head first?

i guess what im looking for in reassurance that my plan isnt dumb haha. thanks!

I organized an AMA/Q&A with Dave Koz and Mickey Duzyj, subject and director of the new doc SMOOTH WORLD, about the world of Jazz. Dave is a 9-time Grammy nominated saxophonist.

It's live here now in r/movies for anyone interested in asking a question:

https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1x8cgzk/hi_reddit_im_saxophonist_dave_koz_9_grammy/

They will be back at 4:30 PM ET on Tuesday 10/20 to answer questions. I recommend asking in advance. Please ask there, not here. All questions are much appreciated!

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/1225286270

Synopsis: Exiled from radio for being lame, the world of smooth jazz has secretly thrived as an underground paradise for senior citizens. Now, as the last smoothies face extinction, they band together to find a new leader who can save their beloved Smooth World.

Thank you :)

Hi all,

I've been an actor, comedian, writer for 21 years (I've written on a few shows and acted in dozens), so I have a good overall understanding of the industry. I've written and directed quite a few short films and the hardest part is always getting a crew together...

So I wrote a short film with one location, 3 actors, and I want to just shoot it myself on my iPhone. I'd like to point out that I have a deep respect for the craft of DPing, but due to not having much income and wanting to create more content, the idea of just saying screw it and shooting it myself has gone from a half joke to "why not?". I don't plan on making this short film my masterpiece or expecting to win an academy award...

With all of this said, I have no knowledge of the technical part of cinematography. Does anyone have a resource for beginners? Like a youtube channel, an online course, etc. where I can learn the basics from aperture settings, to f/stops, and beyond?

I plan on using whatever budget I have on paying for audio, post, location, and meals.

Any other tips or pitfalls you can help me avoid would also be welcomed!

Thank you in advance.

Hi,

I have a question that has been bugging me, before DCPs and digital post production, how did films reuse shots?

I’m watching an old miniseries called Centennial, it’s very good, I usually watch it alongside Deadwood. The series was made in the 70s, so shot and presumably edited on film, but often the same footage is repeated. Each episode begins with a recap and then some episodes have extended flashbacks.

My understanding is, editors would work on a copy of the negative, cut it, then once all of the decisions were made, the negative would be cut in a clean room.
However if a shot is repeated, there is still only one physical occurrence of it on the negative. So how was that duplicated?

I’d know a copy can be made at the lab, but that causes generational loss, I’m not noticing that here.

I know some of the Star Trek films reused the same shots. Mostly special effects, so probably a larger neg like vista vision and they’d just go back to the source, but I think a few stunts were reused also so there would only be the 35mm copy that was used previously.

Also, how did TV show openings handle this? I remember the opening credits of MASH always looked rather worn (and once I’m sure I saw writing as if someone had used a chinagraph pencil on the film), but other shows don’t seem to have this (Star Trek for example).

How was this sort of thing managed?

I’m trying to find an old YouTube creator and a series of vlogs I used to follow around 2010-2014. Can’t seem to find any trace of these videos.

He was a guy who was trying to get an independent animated Christmas/holiday movie made. I think his nickname or channel name was something like Independent Movie Guy, but I’m not positive about the exact name.
Here’s what I remember:

He made regular video updates documenting his journey to get the movie made over a period of years.

He had written the script while in film school, and I remember his professors being encouraging about it.

He went through a lot of ups and downs trying to get funding and a studio attached to the project.
He attended film festivals and industry events to meet people and pitch the project, and he built up a following through his updates.

His videos often ended with an echoed audio clip of him saying something like “I’m just trying to make my movie, man.”

Years later, he uploaded what I remember as a very short (possibly under two minutes) digital 3D animated test for the movie.

The weirdest part is that I remember following this guy for years, but now I can’t find his channel, his name, or even much evidence that the series existed.

Does anyone remember this creator, his channel name, the movie’s title, or any articles/videos that mentioned him? Even a partial lead would be hugely appreciated!

Yo so I'm planning to make a Mafia Series, Crime is kinda my playground when it comes to filmmaking and it's the genre I love the most. I plan to do a twist where the main character loses a loved one and eventually meets a guy, becoming good friends with him. The guy tells the main character to enact revenge on the murder and take what's rightfully is, and eventually it's revealed this guy is a figment of his imagination trying to cope with the loved ones murder [I guess kinda like Fight Club but not really]. So I wanna put a song over the reveal at the end of an episode and I'd love to hear some suggestions on what would go along with it well lyrically and musically. I think Lithium by Nirvana would be a very cool pick myself but I'm curious

Submission statement: Work in progress from our medieval fantasy project BLADES of BAVARIA - filmed a while ago in the forest with a really skilled sword master. Now, experimenting with foley fx and some temp-music. Using the BMPCC4K and some vintage lenses... yadda yadda.

The bigger issue with this sequence that I quite like: It will most likely not fit into the final cut - whenever that will be done.

I’m an independent filmmaker in Los Angeles, working on an interview project. The first episode is finished, and the second is in production. I already have a technical team, but I’m looking for creative people to work with me on developing ideas, brainstorming, exploring new concepts and formats, and figuring out how to turn ambitious ideas into successful projects. I’m interested in people with a creative producer mindset — people who are ambitious, proactive, full of ideas, and willing to put in the hard work to build something meaningful. My long-term interests include documentaries, science and educational content, and TV-style shows. The challenge is that I have a very limited budget. How can I attract people like this at an early stage? Is it realistic to find people who share the ambition and want to build something together before there’s much money involved? And what are some fair ways to compensate creative collaborators when the budget is minimal? I’d appreciate advice from people with experience in independent filmmaking, creative producing, or building media projects. I’m also open to connecting with like-minded people in LA who are excited about creating something ambitious together.

Camera images:

https://imgur.com/gallery/sony-venice-1-dvf-el200-viewfinder-tilta-carrying-case-axs-a1ts48-1-tb-memory-card-axsm-sxs-memory-card-reader-james-wesellsaas-com-aLxbhno

Timestamp:

https://imgur.com/a/ONvfrhL

Includes:

Sony Venice 6K + hard carrying case

DVF-EL200 viewfinder

Tilta Cage

Tilta Battery Plate

AXS-A1TS48 1 TB memory card

AXS-AR1 memory card reader + soft carrying case

--

Price: $25k via PayPal F&F, Venmo, etc.

*No dialogue, but English subtitles are still available ("hello").

Hi all,

I am continuing my speedrunning filmmaking challenge with this horror short, which I shot yesterday and edited at lunch while my son was sleeping.

It was fun to shoot, and I really enjoyed watching this one today (especially since I am not in it).

Feel free to tell me what you think.

Love you

I had a genre short screen at a festival last week that wasn’t genre-centric and we ended up in a totally chaotic screening block that was a mix of experimental, drama, horror and comedy.

There was absolutely no flow from one film to the next - it went from a drama about grief to a splatter film and I was just sat there laughing at the continual mood whiplash.

It was an interesting experience as I’m programmed in genre blocks 99% of the time, but from a curation perspective I found it totally baffling. Would love to hear others’ experiences like this.

Is there a term for when Scene A shows characters speculating about a suspect, and right after in Scene B, they show a random character doing something totally normal and even though it’s not explicitly stated yet, you just know it’s the culprit?

I used to think it was just a coincidence, but it happens in so many shows and movies, i find it so satisfying 😭

(It’s even better when you know for sure who is the suspect 😋)

Doom Squad is my first short film. It’s an 11-minute dark comedy about a men’s support group confronting loneliness, masculinity, and an unexpected crisis that throws the meeting into disarray.

I wrote, directed, and starred in the film, which premiered at the Flagstaff International Film Festival and won Best Comedy.

As a first-time filmmaker, I’d love to hear what other filmmakers think- particularly about the directing, performances, and how the film balances comedy with its more sincere moments.

https://youtu.be/MjjumT3Bs_U

Hi Filmmaker Friendz,

I posted on here in the past, but my name is Jeff Ryan. I'm a filmmaker based in New York City. I've made four feature films, and I love making movies, but it can be years of your life that you're not on set practicing what you do. I personally miss going into the woods with a camera and making something... So, that is what this post is about!

This is the first video of me trying to challenge myself for an afternoon to write, direct, and act in a short film. I hope you all like it. It's by no means perfect, but I'm thinking about doing this as a series and trying to post the process a little bit. If you like it, let me know, and I appreciate your time.