Film Strategy

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Haffe Acosta , who works on films as a DP and an AC from low-budget indies to mainstream big budget projects, about the things a director and DP should do to make for a great working relationship and a great picture.  He suggested 3 things a director can do for the DP and vice-versa. "The relationship between the DP and the Director is like a marriage; there must be ultimate trust in this partnership." ~~Haffe Acosta. 3 THINGS THE DIRECTOR SHOULD DO TO MAKE THE DP's LIFE EASIER HAVE A LOOK BOOK OR SKETCH JOURNAL FILLED WITH NOTES, ARTWORK, PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIDEO CLIPS . A picture is worth a thousand words is never more true than when a director is trying to explain to the DP what shot they want.  The DP's life is made much easier when the director can point to pictures and other movies for what look they are going for.  BE REALISTIC (BUDGETWISE AND TIMEWISE) .  A good DP loves a challenge but some direc

Fast and Furious 6 | Justin Lin | 2013 | USA | Format: 35mm | 130 min Fast and Furious 6 had a monster weekend in terms of box-office but more importantly fans and critics lauded the film for its high-octane humor and its well-directed  action sequences. Director Justin Lin's efforts paid off in a big way and his storyboard artist, Anthony Liberatore , played a crucial role in helping Lin visualize the crucial action sequences and sight gags.  Recently, Storyboards Inc. interviewed Liberatore on his work with Lin and included storyboards from the infamous tank scene. In the interview, Anthony talks about what it takes to be a storyboard artist, his work methods and process, the importance of developing a shorthand rapport between the storyboard artist and the director. Below are excerpts of the interview discussing the visualization of the movie, some of Lin's storyboards and the related video of the chase sequence to compare and contrast.  I have added

Feeding your cast and crew is usually overlooked until the last minute. Then on the morning of the shoot there's a mad scramble to get coffee, water, bagels and granola bars.  Now this is understandable, since the director and producer are usually preoccupied with more weighty matters regarding the production.  However, providing food and water is crucial to morale and is even a form of compensation for many who work deferred or on no-budget projects.  Even on studio projects, above-the-line people will haggle over what's going to be on the craft services table.  Forward-thinking producers will plan out what to feed the cast and crew and even go as far as catering to people who have particular tastes, vegeterian preferences or allergies.   But what if the food you feed your cast and crew could do more than just satisfy a hunger and thirst.  What if it could improve performance on the set and sharpen their focus to get the job done?  That would be a boon since productions

  I-will-not-tell-you-whose voice leads us through three extreme situations that are actually the same… Will you survive? Voice-Over is an award-winning, global-spanning short film directed by Martin Rosete, written by Luiso Berdejo and produced by Koldo Zuazua, Sebastian Alvarez, and Manuel Calvo. "A short film on an epic scale, its main feature is the titular voiceover. The clearly agitated narrator informs you that the astronaut on the screen is you. And you’re in trouble. You see, you’ve crash-landed and your pressurized suit will only keep you alive for a limited amount of time. But before your air runs out, you’re whisked away to a totally different scenario. And then, with a similar race against time counting down, it happens again. Each scenario is gorgeously shot, making for three mini-action movies in one. But it’s the denouement that will have you cheering. Writer Luiso Berdejo is much more famous for his involvement with the horror films REC a

Pi , also titled π , is a 1998 American surrealist psychological thriller film written and directed by Darren Aronofsky . It is Aronofsky's directorial debut, and earned him the Directing Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival , the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay and the Gotham Open Palm Award. The title refers to the mathematical constant pi .    Like most of Aronofsky's films, Pi centers on a protagonist whose obsessive pursuit of ideals leads to severely self-destructive behavior. Pi was written and directed by Darren Aronofsky , and filmed on high-contrast black-and-white reversal film . It was produced on a sufficiently low budget of $60,000, but proved a financial success at the box office ($3,221,152 gross in the U.S.) despite only a limited release to theaters. It has sold steadily on DVD .  ~~ Wikipedia E xcerpts f rom director Darren Aronofsky's diary: January 31, 1996 Back From Sundance '96 Just go

Star Trek: The First Contact | Jonathan Frakes | 1996 | USA | Format: 35mm | 111 min

Most filmmakers don't have the luxury of ONLY working on production projects 24/7.  They have families to tend to, businesses to run, bosses to please and other non-film/video things that keep them away from their passion project.  It's even harder for those who couldn't even make it to film school but have a burning desire to shoot a story of some kind.  The thing is that the only way to become that filmmaker who is working on production projects 24/7 means you HAVE to find time to make that passion project NOW so that it opens those doors for you. You can buy all the  screenwriting and filmmaking books in the world but you will only improve and make it to the top if you write and rewrite alot of screenplays and shoot lots of stuff.   But you're busy with family, your main job and life, right? So how do you find time to do the time-consuming tasks required for writing, developing, producing, shooting, editing and/or distributing your production? Here are