NOT DOING-IT-ALL

by Michael Chasin   Before you realize your ultimate filmmaking dream of being a screenwriter or director or producer or DP—you will likely first—be a hyphenate: Writer-Director-Producer-Prop Master DP-Editor-Set Designer-Production Assistant Writer-Director-DP-Editor-Producer-Prop Master-Set Designer And possibly even—Actor This is because at the zero or micro budget level—where you will probably start—you will be compelled to…

OBJECTS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

by Michael Chasin Screenwriting Mentor, IAFT/Miami   Film’s power is the result of that masterful mosaic of many distinct elements—story—acting—voice—visuals—colors—sounds—and music. An equally important element is production design—the overall look of a film. Within production design is set design—covering the space of a specific set. And within set design is set decoration—the objects/props that are…

THE OSCARS 2013, Part 2

by Pete Wassell    IAFT/Los Angeles   No love for Llewyn Davis?! I wanted to open with that because I wanted you to know my motivations.  To me Llewyn Davis was the one of the best films I’ve seen all year.  It tells the story of literally the most unlikable character you can imagine who…

HOW TO DEAL WITH WEIRD & UNPREDICTABLE HAPPENINGS!

OPEN DOOR SEMINAR ON FILM PRODUCTION INSURANCE by Frederick Bailey    Digital Film Production Mentor, IAFT/L.A.   Production Insurance is something professional filmmakers have to deal with on a regular basis. IAFT has scheduled a Presentation on Production Insurance with Luke Gelineau who specializes in Entertainment Insurance for United Agencies in Burbank. Let me tell…

BARRETT & JIMENEZ ON SUCH GOOD PEOPLE

IAFT Mentor David Michael Barrett reports that his new movie, SUCH GOOD PEOPLE, is just about finished in post, after completing principal photography last summer. Barrett (Bad Actress), whose class on Non-Scripted Television is a third-term staple at IAFT, serves as screenwriter/producer on this new take on an old-school Hollywood screwball comedy. Michael Urie (Ugly…

FOUR-WALL, Part 2

by Frederick Bailey Directing Mentor, IAFT-LA   Reading Michael Chasin’s blog here last week brought to mind those Billy Jack movies back in the ’70s:  Billy Jack (1971) and Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977).  Tom Laughlin was writer/director/star. He couldn’t get distribution, so he four-walled it and made a fortune.  Which bank-rolled other projects…

FOUR WALLING

by Michael Chasin      Screenwriting Mentor, IAFT/Miami   You’ve completed your feature. Your friends and family love it—but film festivals and distributors don’t (yet). Is there a future for your feature? A next-step option could be to four wall your film. Four walling—as the name implies—is the renting of the four walls of a…

An Interview with SEAN AKERS, Part 2

IAFT Producing Mentor Sean Akers served as co-producer on the recent Robert Redford/J.C. Chandor picture, ALL IS LOST.  We sat down with him for a recent talk about how he got his start in the business. IAFT:  You’re from Pennsylvania originally.  What led you to want to be a producer? SA:  I don’t know that…

An Interview with SEAN AKERS, Part 1

IAFT Producing Mentor Sean Akers served as co-producer on the Robert Redford picture, ALL IS LOST.  We sat down with him on October 25 for a talk about the movie, written & directed by J.C. Chandor.   IAFT:  Tell us about ALL IS LOST. SA:  ALL IS LOST was shot for 10 million.  It was…

TITLE TELLS ALL

by Michael Chasin Screenwriting Mentor, IAFT/Miami   As much as it’s movie making, it’s also movie marketing—and as any marketer knows, the success or failure of a product often rests on—its name. Great product names are selected—or invented—to describe what the product is about. PayPal, Post-its, Band Aides, Photoshop, TurboTax—are all names that explain the…