Filmmaker or Business Person? Common Misconception #1
Filed under: Film Distribution, Film Promotion, Filmmaking, Getting Started
Orson Welles, March 1, 1937
If you are an independent filmmaker you probably see yourself primarily as a creative person. The major skills you focus on developing are around screenwriting and directing and you aren't probably very interested in developing business and marketing skills.
Big Mistake!
Orson Wells once famously said many years ago that filmmaking is 2% about making a movie and 98% about hustling. That is probably even more true today. Read more...
Film Festivals – Who Needs Them?
Sundance Fim Festival
Now that your film is finished the next step is to submit it to film festivals, Sundance in particular, and wait for the distribution offers to come pouring in. Right? WRONG!
First of all, "getting into Sundance" is not a distribution strategy. Lot's of great films don't get accepted to the Sundance Film Festival so your odds of getting in are slim at best. Of the films that do make it into any major film festival only a very small number of them get a distribution deal. Read more...
India Photography Tour – Filmmaking Adventure
Taj Mahal - Image via Wikipedia
This isn't exactly about filmmaking but still something I think many of my visitors might be interested in. To be a good filmmaker requires understanding and having experienced the world. Nothing is quite as experiential as a visit to India.
I'm posting this to help out a neat friend of mine who has organised a new tour. It will be an India photo tour and will start December 31 of this year and end January 15, 2012. It will start in Calcutta and end at the Taj Mahal and Delhi.
My friend, Mark Tuschman a world renown, award winning outstanding photographer/tour guide, has teamed with the best India tour organiser, Louise Nicholson, for this India photography safari. Louise is a recognized expert on India having traveled to India more than 200 times and having written The National Geographic Traveler: India guidebook.
Have you ever conceived of yourself photographing and experiencing a nation and civilization as fantastic as India. This India picture taking safari is not only for photographers. Anyone who is a creative person, writer or adventuresome traveler who would like to experience the visions, sounds and culture of India without the rush of typical tours will love this trip. I would also like to note that Louise invariably builds comfort into her tours of India so you do not need to worry about this being too challenging.
If this sounds interesting then check Mark's internet site where you can get in touch with the travel organizer directly. Click here for this India photo tour or his blog at photo tour of India.
Related articles
- Top adventure destinations revealed by expert | British Airways - Travel Industry News (travelnews.britishairways.com)
Need a Film Idea? Look At Yourself
Christopher Plummer, Melanie Laurent, Mike Mills and Ewan McGregor of Beginners. Image by Getty Images via @daylife
I always encourage young filmmakers to avoid a lot of film making courses and just start making films as the fastest way to learn.
The problem is they never know what to make the film about. Then they typically attempt to do a slight variation on the latest science fiction or action adventure epic they saw at the mutiplex.
Of course without a gazillion dollar budget the results are lame and no one but their mother is willing to watch it all the way through. Time for a lesson in storytelling.
Online Film Schools – A Good Option For Learning?
Butch Cassidy as part of the Wild Bunch - Image via Wikipedia
Is an online film school a good option for learning filmmaking? This is an important question because no matter where you are in your filmmaking career there is always a lot more you can learn.
When the great screenwriter William Goldman (Butch Cassidy, Princess Bride, Misery, etc.) first attempted to turn one of his novels into a screenplay he discovered that there was no information available on how to write a screenplay. No books, no classes and of course nothing on the Internet because it didn't exist then. (By the way if you want to learn the truth about Hollywood and screenwriting read his hilarious bestseller book Adventures in the Screen Trade: A Personal View of Hollywood and Screenwriting
Online Film School For Learning Facts
Today you will find tons of in-depth information on every aspect of how to make a movie in books and on the Internet. But are online film schools a good option for starting or continuing your film education? Read more...
The Scandal of For-Profit Colleges And Film Schools
Film School no different than Cooking School
Last week a cooking school in San Francisco agreed to refund up to $20,000 in tuition to each of more than 8,000 students who were led to believe they would get high-paying jobs as chefs after they graduated. You're wondering why I'm writing about a cooking school on a blog about filmmaking.
You came here wanting to learn more about filmmaking but you need to understand that you are at much at risk of be ripped off as those kids at "culinary arts" school. Read more...
U.S. Colleges For Film
Filed under: Film Schools, Getting Started, Learn Filmmaking
Master List Of U.S. Colleges For Film
Filmmaking of 'Black Thursday' - Image via Wikipedia
I've just updated my master list of film making schools to include some thoughts about the effectiveness of getting a filmmaking degree from one of these film schools.
There seems to be more and more doubt amongst the people I've spoken to lately about the effectiveness of colleges for film teaching the skills needed for a career in filmmaking.
The time and dollars spent may not be the best way to go. Read more...
Is A Degree In Film Worth Anything Today?
Degree In Film = Hollywood Fame?
Why Do You Want A Degree In Film?
I just added an article to the 4Filmmaking.com lessons about the value of a degree in film. Click on over to have a read. As film schools crank out graduates with degrees in film faster and faster I hear more and more industry insiders saying they think most of those students are wasting their time and money.
One prominent film educator has created some controversy by claiming that only 1% of those degrees in film will lead to even a marginally successful career in filmmaking. If that's true what are some other options? Read more...
Film School In New York? – How NY Film Schools Stack Up
NYU's Tisch School of the Arts - Image via Wikipedia
NY Film Schools - Any Better?
Last post I wrote about Los Angeles film schools and I feel I should give equal time to the NY film schools situation. Doesn't seem a lot better. Although NYU's film program brags about some impressive graduates the percentage who end up in satisfying careers in filmmaking seems to be very low.
NY Film Schools - Very Expensive
Pretty much everyone has an idea that living in the Big Apple is incredibly expensive. Being a student at a NY film school is also very expensive beyond just the very high tuition.
What are some options?
Film Schools In Los Angeles – Excessive Failure Rate?
Film Schools in Los Angeles - Image via Wikipedia
Top Film Schools In Los Angeles
The two highly acclaimed Los Angeles film schools, at UCLA and USC, turn away most applicants each year for lack of room to handle them all. But what of the candidates that are successful at getting in? The dream of Hollywood fame and fortune is so strong that none of the many film schools in Los Angeles have any problem getting students will to pay the high tuitions. Read more...
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