Read this if you are: An Editor A Director A Writer We live in an era of binge-watching, and someone realized this when they put together The Godfather Epic. I was fairly young when my Mom showed me The Godfather. She simply prefaced my 11 year old eyes and ears with: “This is the best.” She was right. The Godfather Series (or at least Part I and Part II) represent that rare phenomena: movies hailed as some of the greatest cinematic achievements actually live up to the hype, through and through. They really are that good. Now, I’m dating myself, but I remember when AMC (before they had hit shows like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and The Walking Dead) used to run what was called The Godfather Saga: the first two Godfather films, rearranged chronologically and combined together. So this is what I’d assumed I was getting into when I saw The Godfather Epic pop up on HBO GO. The Godfather Epic mashes together the first two films and rearranges them, beginning in 1902, … [Read more...]

Here are my favorite film industry and production articles + videos from around the internet from the last month. There is an awful lot of junk to sort through every month, so I’ve broken down my favorite articles and videos to help cut through the clutter. VIDEOS Director/Editor Joey Scoma is here to talk to you about something simple: cuts and transitions. Except... there are so many different kinds!! In this video essay, Joey lists and defines the different cuts and transitions available to you as an editor, with examples from classic and modern films. It's up to you to decide when and why you'd use them!   How do you film a conversation? Most likely, you’re going to block the actors, set up the camera, and do shot/reverse shot. But where do you put the camera? What lens do you use? And how do you cut back and forth? Today, I consider the Coen brothers — Joel & Ethan — and see how these choices lend a particular feel to their version of shot/reverse shot. We … [Read more...]

Read this if you are: • Unable to get your film produced • Starting out as a filmmaker • A first-time feature filmmaker Since his 1995 breakout indie hit The Brothers McMullen, Edward Burns’ story has been the stuff of filmmaking legend: a twenty-something, moonlighting at Entertainment Tonight in NYC pulled together a feature film for $25,000 and struck gold. But it wasn’t always roses for Burns, as he outlines in Independent Ed: Inside a Career of Big Dreams, Little Movies, and The Twelve Best Days of My Life. His career took some serious downturns wherein he couldn’t get a movie made to save his life. He blossomed as a filmmaker when movies were few and costly, and, at 48, he’s progressed through the turn of the tide, films growing less expensive and more abundant. If you’re an independent filmmaker, I can’t recommend Burns’ book enough. Drawing from his 14 Directing credits, and 33 acting credits with collaborators like Steven Spielberg, Robert De Niro, and Dustin … [Read more...]

You’re a fraud. Those are the words I repeated to myself the first day of my new job. I had made the leap from working for a TV show to the studio at an ad agency. Though I was excited for my first day and week on the job, I couldn’t get over the fact that I felt like I didn’t belong. Over time I began being promoted within the company, but this feeling kept coming over me with each promotion. “You don’t deserve this. They’ll find out you’ve been faking this whole time. You’re a fraud. Wherever I’ve been in my career, whether it was my first internship, my first PA gig, my first time as a leader or a manager, I feel like I’m a phony. Like I don’t belong and that everyone can see right through me. Though I hustle and make sure I’m working as hard or harder than everyone around me, this feeling persists. The old adage for those starting out in their career is, “fake it til you make it.” But how do you balance projecting confidence in your job, with the feeling that … [Read more...]

#OscarsSoWhite has swept the internet over the past few months and sparked very important conversations about racial and ethnic diversity in the film and television industries. Diverse shows like Master of None and films like Dope being the exception—not the rule—tells us quite a bit about the state of filmmaking in America, on a few levels: Filmmakers need to be aware of the stories they tell, who represents them, and why the system leans toward certain perspectives, while writing off others as “too niche.” Producers, Distributors, and Financiers still believe that Audiences aren’t interested in diverse perspectives. Filmmakers of all racial and ethnic backgrounds have stories to tell and are growing increasingly empowered to tell them. Diversity cuts two ways in contemporary American cinema: Audience diversity, and Filmmaker diversity. The sad fact is, in 2016 it is far more difficult to be a person of color in the United States’ film industry than it should … [Read more...]

When you think of production companies, there are few that match the consistent quality of Pixar. Why is this? The book Creativity Inc shows us why. Recently I wrote a post asking, what kind of films do you want to make? This was a question for Christopher and I as much as it was for you. If you are thinking of starting a production company, you’re probably more worried about how to handle logistics, rather than focusing on the type of movies you want to make. But the quality of your films will determine your legacy and the legacy of your production company. If you want to understand how to create an amazing creative culture and start producing amazing work, Creativity Inc. is the book you need to read. Creativity Inc. was written by Ed Catmull, the co-founder and president of Pixar. When I started it, I simply assumed it was a business book for creative companies, but found so much more. I walked away from reading Creativity Inc. feeling so much more prepared to put a … [Read more...]

Cinema is young. From Disney, to The French New Wave, and, up to Pixar, the amount of evolution sustained in just over 100 years is the beginning. Every step of this growth has met resistance—a resistance that makes one thing clear: we must have respect for the past, without running from the future. It’s as true in cinema as it is in every aspect of human history. On-screen storytelling has found new ways to entertain audiences, while exposing personal artistic complexity. Money and technology have only ever been obstacles until filmmakers learn they must adapt to their times. Not just for their own sakes, but for the audiences’. THE “BAND” ANALOGY I used to dream of the day when making films would be as (technically) accessible as starting a band, playing around, and recording finished pieces. Growing up in Portland, Oregon, I was surrounded by band culture. In college, I shared a house with 3 musicians. This not only immersed me into the nuances of another art … [Read more...]

Here are my favorite film industry and production articles + videos from around the internet from the last month. There is an awful lot of junk to sort through every month, so I’ve broken down my favorite articles and videos to help cut through the clutter. It looks like everyone is refreshed and energized after the New Year because there was some awesome stuff published this month! VIDEOS The behind the scenes of The Revenant "Inspired by true events, THE REVENANT is an immersive and visceral cinematic experience capturing one man’s epic adventure of survival and the extraordinary power of the human spirit. In an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy)." Every Frame A Painting "How do you emphasize to the … [Read more...]

My parents saved things: either of their personal storages holds a timeline of my life in the form of school papers, teacher notes, drawings, stories I made as a child, clothing, and other mementos. I never look at these things and I’m sure they don’t either, but the idea of recording my life through creations that have accumulated along the way stuck with me. As filmmakers, we amass a good deal of recorded history: paperwork, toys, art, discs of saved documents (yeah, that’s antiquated), and all sorts of items that remind us of every step in our filmmaking journey. I’m sure some folks trash this stuff  or just lose track after a project ends. I’ve opted to strategically save things. This post explains why that’s been essential for my growth, helpful in the dark times, and why I think we could all benefit from keeping a box. WHAT IS A FILMMAKING BOX? A filmmaking box is your personal recorded filmmaking history, collected in a singular location. In the digital age, a … [Read more...]

What do you stand for? Recently, I dove into a wonderful book called “Start With Why” by Simon Sinek and it has challenged my thinking about ShoHawk. Christopher and I have always wanted to make movies. Ever since we met that’s been our goal, nothing else. What we’ve never fully discussed is, why? I know that’s a silly question. I know if you’re reading this, you probably think we shouldn’t even have to dive into this topic, but it’s incredibly important, and very seldom talked about. Why do we want to make films? What kind of films do we want to make? What stories do we want to tell? In the book Sinek talks about the Golden Circle of how we operate as humans. In this TED talk he dives into the Golden Circle: The three points of the Golden Circle are: Why How What Sinek states, "Everyone know what they do, most know how they do it…but very few know why they know what they do.” Why do you do what you do? Why are you telling the stories you’ve decided … [Read more...]