Film Strategy

Cuz screenwriters can relate to this on the one hand... Captain's Log. Star Date - 9.2.13 Today is Labor Day and what better way to spend the day off then to spend it working on your script.  'Nuff said. What would Oscar-winning producer, Edward Saxon, advise his 18 year-old self ? How many feature length scripts should you write before you're 'ready' for Hollywood? What are 10 rules for writing the screenplay ? What are 7 rules for writing shorts ? How do you make a TV drama in the Twitter age ? What are some screenwriting tips from Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright and Nick Frost ? Who are some female screenwriters and screenwriters of color to inspire you? And why you shouldn't let rejection of your script/work/project get you down ? Bonus: Two podcasts for screenwriters and filmmakers: OnStory and ScriptNotes ...but also relate to this on the other hand.

Captain's Log. Star date: 08.26.13 August 26, 1948 - Hitchcock's Rope released By 1948, Hitchcock was considered one of Hollywood’s most distinctive, if not finest, filmmakers. And Rope , being his first film from his own production company Transatlantic Pictures, was going to show audiences just what he could do free from studios and producers, like David O. Selznick. Hitchcock settled on dark (even for him) material. The film’s story is a loose retelling of the infamous 1924 Loeb and Leopold murder case in which two very bright, gay students murder a child to prove they can. Patrick Hamilton wrote the play which was adapted by actor Hume Cronyn and playwright  Arthur Laurents. The film ditched all the details of the original crime except the homosexuality and the homicide. In the film, the central couple (played by John Dall and Farley Granger) are two brilliant men who live together and, for all to surmise, are lovers. While the

He just had your lunch... dinner is next. Captain's Log. Star date: 8.19.13 Forty years ago today, on.. 19 August 1973 - The Dragon Released The opening night of the kung-fu action film Enter The Dragon was a bittersweet celebration. It was the first martial arts film to be made by a Hollywood studio. Unfortunately Bruce Lee, the brains and brawn behind the project, had died less than a month before the film’s release. Lee, who’d carved out a career as both kung fu master and movie star, turned to Hong Kong after Hollywood shut the door on him in the late 60s. Although he’d had moderate fame playing Kato in the TV series The Green Hornet , Lee felt he was brushed aside for the lead in the Warner Brothers show Kung Fu . In China, Lee’s career exploded with a series of wildly popular kung-fu films that culminated in Enter The Dragon , a co-production between Warner Brothers and the Hong Kong-based production company Golden Harvest. For Lee, this film would

Captain's Log. Star date: 8.12.13 I just had breakfast.  I'm full.   So I'm keeping it light this morning. So... there are more new rules of screenwriting? How does the architecture in a movie influence the movie? How do you find a great composer for your film? Just for fun, what would you make after you learn how to create WebGL animations ? Why and how do you make a film that's a rebuke to commercial filmmaking ? This looks fun... designing the title sequence to Spring Breakers ?

Captain's Log. Star date: 8.5.13 Congress goes into recess in August but we in the film world never stop writing, reading, seeking funds, producing, directing, editing and screening.  But even though you're a busy artist-businessperson hybrid , take a moment to ponder the following: Will changes in the use of video in social media (like Twitter) have a large impact on entertainment and how it will be made? No one likes to think about this, but you're going to die one day and you should have a will to leave behind to distribute to your loved ones... things like the money in your account, your comic book collection, your library of intellectual property and any future residuals/royalties.  So don't be like these 5 celebrities ... Would you get this camera now that it's dropped to $2000? Compared to this 6K RED ? Or the 7D with Magic Lantern RAW Video? Now that you've probably moved on from FCP to Adobe Premiere Pro, want to know some shortcuts ? Ev

Captain's Log. Star Date - 7.29.2013 Start your day with tips, articles, interviews and a mindblowing video. Btw, here's a clue to the video... the "creators" were born today in 1958 when U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act into law, establishing a new federal non-military space agency known as NASA. What are 5 tips on script analysis directors should use? What's so good about Google Chromecast being cheap and dumb ? What are the movies on Spike Lee's "Essential Film List" ?  What does director James Wan have to say about the making of his movie, The Conjuring?  What are webfests and which are the best ones so far ? What are 5 keys to getting a distribution deal? What can you learn from the art and practices of 4 master sound designers? Alot . How effective and mindblowing can sound design be in creating a memorable experience? This effective and mindblowing.

Captain's Log. Star Date 07.22.13 The cycle continues.  A new day begins a new week to learn more about producing, directing, lighting and editing, read about what Hollywood cares about nowadays (hint: s_perh_roes) or get inspired by the rules of a master and the vision of a photographer (who was himself inspired by early films).  You see the cycle continues... San Diego Comic Con 2013 news roundup on all the movies and tv shows discussed, mentioned, poured over, screamed for, drooled about, hollered at and high-fived. Ted Hope and Christine Vachon's FREE 4-hour filmmaking masterclass seminar. Did I mention it was FREE*. (hat tip to nofilmschool ) Wim Wenders' nifty 50 rules of filmmaking. (hat tip to Roger Duck ) Pulp Art Book : a multimedia project by Los Angeles based artist Neil Krug in a creative collaboration with Joni Harbeck, wherein his photography can be seen in limited edition prints, books and films. Check out some pieces from Pulp Art Book: Vol.

Captain's Log. (Be a Future) Star Date 07.15.13 Your filmmaking strategy is being impacted as we speak by the people, places and things you stumble upon in your daily life.  Stories and concepts work their way into your brain and gel with what's already there to trigger that bright idea.  You can't help it, your brain is a sponge. And so to help you soak in useful knowledge and interesting tidbits, here are a couple of links and stories to start your day right, wherein... Evan Luzi recommended 5 IOS apps for filmmakers . Josh Golding explains how to create dramatic tension and suspense using the beat sheet . Film composer Rolfe Kent shares his experience advice on making music for indie film. You might be witnessing the birth of a new cinematic genre ? A phone with a 21-megapixel camera exists . Ryan Koo helps you decide what aspect ratio to use . Math and science can actually make you more creative. Alright that's it for now.  Feel free to share an