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Want to Be a Director but Don't Know Where to Start? Vimeo Shows You How to Direct Like a Pro

06.8.13 @ 8:30PM Tags : 101, directing, funny, howto, lessons, tutorials, videoschool, vimeo

I’m sure that when we all decided we wanted to become film directors it was a very serious and impassioned decision. We watched films made by the best directors in the industry, read the books that documented their entire life’s work, and waited for the day when we could pull off screaming into a bullhorn while wearing safari jackets and jodhpurs. However — it is the weekend, so why don’t we take a little break from the weightiness of our dreams and take a lighthearted look at what Vimeo’s Video School says about what it takes to be a good director. More »

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10 Lessons Learned From My First Tugg Screening as Promoter

04.7.13 @ 9:00AM Tags : bully, lessons, promoter, theatricalondemand, tugg

A while back, I wrote a post about theatrical-on-demand services like Tugg, Gathr and OpenIndie that let individuals program one-night theatrical screenings of festival darlings, current documentaries and even catalog classics at their local movie theatres. Personally, I think these services will change how independent filmmakers use theatrical screenings as part of their release strategies: think theatrical tours after or conjunction with the festival circuit instead of or prior to traditional theatrical releases. Also, since I hope theatrical-on-demand services will survive so I may be able to use them one day when I have a feature film to share with audiences, I wanted to test out one of the services as a promoter. Today, I’d like to share the lessons I learned as a promoter of a successful Tugg screening in Albuquerque, New Mexico. More »

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5 Lessons Screenwriters Can Learn from The Black List 2012 (Plus 2 Bonus Lessons!)

12.18.12 @ 10:45AM Tags : lessons, screenplay, screenwriting, theblacklist

Each year, The Black List surveys approximately 300 film executives and asks them to name up to ten of their favorite screenplays from the current calendar year that have yet to begin principal photography. The votes are tallied and published in order of screenplays with the most votes in, well, The Black List. As Franklin Leonard and his team at The Black List put it: “The Black List is not a ‘best of’ list. It is, at best, a ‘most liked’ list.” So, why should we care? Well, if you’re a screenwriter fortunate enough to have a screenplay on The Black List 2012, your stock just went up in Hollywood. If you’re a screenwriter outside of the system, The Black List can provide insights into what storylines, concepts and genres have recently made the rounds, picked up producers and found financing. In addition to the list itself (link below), here are five lessons screenwriters can learn from The Black List 2012: More »