I've talked about different ways to get started with entertainment careers through LinkedIn and informational interviews. I think it's important to talk about what to expect once you actually start. My first day in production was terrifying. I’m pretty sure I threw up. What can I say? I’m a nervous Nancy. I've been racking my brain to think of a good story when I failed my first week, but everyday was a struggle. I really wish I had been more prepared. I’m sure I’ve built up a lot of this in my mind, and no one remembers how terrible I was at first, but that’s beside the point. I literally (yes, that word is overused) remember thinking, “Oh my God, what have I gotten myself into?” Fortunately my excitement powered me through the long days, and I managed to navigate through without anyone confronting me. When I first started, I tried reading up on what it took to succeed, but couldn’t find a whole lot other than The Hollywood Assistants Handbook. Which, to be fair, … [Read more...]

These are tips that I’ve learned over the years, and that have informed quite a bit of my growth. Business and numbers do not come naturally to me. I’m right-brained. If you’re reading this and you are too, fear not! If you think you’re just wired a certain way and you’ll never learn the business end, I’m begging you to think again. I used to believe this about myself, but at a certain point I was tired of feeling victimized and intimidated by the money-people. Whether I was talking to clients or prospective financiers, I got tired of feeling like the “idiot” in the room. I wanted to meet them where they were and not fall victim to any misunderstandings or oversights. So, I worked hard and over a couple years, I learned enough about business that I can now walk comfortably into a room full of MBAs and know I’m capable of keeping up. There’s so much I don’t know, but at this point there’s even more I no longer fear. I hope this post starts you off in that direction. There’s … [Read more...]

I always had this idea that if I wanted to be a success, I needed to do it myself. I think this goes back to the John Wayne Lone Ranger mentality that successful people do it themselves. The myth of the self made man holds back too many people. If you’re like me, you probably have the same outlook. You think that in order to “make it,” you have no one to depend on but yourself. This simply isn’t true. “A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could because someone else thought they could.” - Zig Zigler If you had asked me in college how to find a mentor, I would’ve given you a long blank stare. I’m not sure I would’ve even been able to tell you what a mentor really is. So if you’re already familiar with mentorship, you’re already way ahead of me when I started out. Think of a mentor as an informal coach. Mentors can come in lots of forms, but they’re always someone at a high level that will be able to give you a ton of value. These are people that have … [Read more...]

80% of how to become a screenwriter is sitting down to illustrate your imagination on the page. The other 20% is knowing your fundamental characters, places, sequences and milestones well enough that they are real to you. Simply put, it’s making your story’s world second nature. While the 20% never really ends, it can certainly take a backseat to the 80%, once you begin on the script itself. These percentages represent the time you put in, not the amount of work they each require. If the 20% is as fully imagined as possible before you sit down and begin writing, the entire process can be far more fluid and rewarding. No two writers have the same methodology. I consume a lot of interviews with writers and my ever-evolving “method” is a hybrid of many common approaches. I hear writers discuss outlining their scripts, versus not outlining. Some create a master document—much like a short story—and pull their script from that. The best approach must really be discovered by … [Read more...]

Since Christopher talked last week about being his own production studio, I thought it would be important to go step by step through how to start a production company. Before we dive in, I want to tell you that I am not a lawyer or a CPA. We've learned this information over the years from setting up our own companies. You should consult the right people before jumping into anything. If you are itching to get your production company up and running a great legal guidebook for filmmakers is The Independent Film Producer’s Survival Guide, where entertainment lawyers walk through the legality of setting up your production. I’ll be referencing LegalZoom frequently in this post, linking to specific pages so you file your business quickly. Full disclosure as usual, these are affiliate links, but are incredibly helpful to get you started. Some of this stuff can be a little dense, and it can be a lot to take in at once. If you’re reading this for the first time, don’t get too … [Read more...]

WHY PACK LIGHT? As a freelance videographer, I’m on a constant quest to refine my creative and logistical approaches. The more time you spend working, the more equipment you pile up, and the more scattered that equipment can become. It also grows increasingly difficult to transport all that equipment without a huge trunk, free back seats, and a few trips back and forth between where you keep your gear, and the car. I don’t know about you, but I hate leaving my gear unattended in the car (even if it’s locked), and multiple trips are always a drag. A while ago it occurred to me: there must be a better way to condense my production suite, pair it down to the bare minimum, and make transportation as easy as humanly possible. THE PURSUIT OF LIGHTNESS I’ve observed freelancers carrying all their gear from gig to gig, and it’s always seemed inefficient. Piled up tubs, boxes, bags and pelican cases are a recipe for early-onset back problems. I’ve spent the better part of ten … [Read more...]

The Pixar Braintrust is something I first heard about from Ed Catmull's book, Creativity, Inc. When I first heard about The Pixar Braintust, Christopher and I struggled to find a balance between our creative vision and criticism from outsiders. The idea of The Pixar Braintrust had a huge impact on the way ShoHawk conducted our creative projects -- it helped us define our strengths and weaknesses, which opened our eyes to bigger possibilities within filmmaking. How can we get feedback in a safe environment from advisors we like and trust? The answer is to emulate Pixar’s brilliant feedback system – The Braintrust, which is explained here: THE PIXAR BRAINTRUST, HOW THIS IDEA EFFECTED ME  Hi. My name is Michael Hall and I have a problem. I struggle with criticism. I have a tough time opening up and accepting feedback. This is something Christopher and I have worked on recently, but struggled with for years. When we started, we had a grand plan – we would take the world … [Read more...]

I met Timon Birkhofer in 2012, when he and his co-director Jørg were in our hometown of Portland, Oregon, filming XOXO Maker’s Fair. They were working on their recently released documentary, Capital C. Over the past few years, Tim and I have kept in touch and I was excited to see Capital C’s release come to fruition. As Tim noted in our interview, many films get produced, few get finished, and fewer are released. Tim and Jørg’s hard work and multi-year process paid off: the first crowdfunded film about crowdfunding is beautifully executed, informative, and inspiring! It’s also very focused and far more emotionally gripping than one might expect a film on this topic to be. If you’re looking to crowdfund a project, or are simply interested in this fascinating cultural revolution that has transpired over the past few years, I cannot recommend Capital C enough! It’s available on all major VOD platforms including iTunes and Amazon [Click these links to watch it now]. Having … [Read more...]

The expectations for young filmmakers have certainly evolved in the past ten years—probably faster than ever before. There continue to arise new production and distribution options, weekly. Many of those resources are covered here on ShoHawk, and on a plethora of other wonderful filmmaking sites. But here, now, I’d like to cover some life lessons and filmmaking advice.  Life lessons are among the most important tools a starting filmmaker can acquire, and these are 17 I wish I’d known before leaving high school. Many of these came to me the hard way, over time. Some were things I’d heard, but ignored. All of them prove that hindsight is 20/20. The old story: if I’d known then what I know now, the struggles along the way would have been far less dramatic, and the hurdles less intimidating. I hope these 17 lessons will help filmmakers who are just beginning, and remind working filmmakers of some important things that inevitably get hazy. 1. KEEP PRODUCING Whether you aim to … [Read more...]

This is my second time putting together my favorite film production and industry articles + videos from around the internet. There is an awful lot of junk to sort through every month, so here is the best stuff according to me! Film Production News - Videos This Month This is an amazing breakdown from Freddie W. over at RocketJump about the ongoing CGI vs practical effects debate. I know that I've fallen into the trap of arguing the CG is terrible, and if you feel that way, you need to check this video out. As Freddie eloquently explains, bad CGI is easy to pick out, but we rarely talk about good CGI. If you didn't know, Louis C.K. edits all of the episodes for his show. I'm sure you're thinking, "that's insane!" I definitely did when I first heard about it. This quick video walks through why he feels it's best for the artistic integrity of the show to always do his own editing. Here's a another great video from Simon Cade over at DSLR Guide explaining why he won't invest in … [Read more...]