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How To Make a Movie for $700

Amy Allen — 2009-07-28T15:02:28Z

For all DIY fans, Mark Cabaroy breaks down how he was able to complete a feature film for only $700. His film, Life's Passing Me By, is currently screening at festivals.

Build Your Own Snorricam

Amy Allen — 2009-07-21T18:09:32Z

I'll admit that I didn't know what a Snorricam was before coming across this Indymogul video. For those of you who are into homemade camera mounts, this tutorial is useful and entertaining. You might also want to check out the article on (non-homemade) DSLR accessories in this summer's issue of Filmmaker Magazine. It breaks down the different options by price. Let us know what else you want to learn about in the comments, by going into this article's detail page. (Side note: Yes, we have comments now!)

DIY Steadicam

Amy Allen — 2009-07-15T16:37:52Z

Via Lifehacker, YB2Normal shows off a homemade steadicam. The home movie footage shot with the device is surprisingly smooth considering that the cost of building the DIY video stabilizer is, well, around $10.

Discussing Distribution

Amy Allen — 2009-06-23T19:09:04Z

At the 2009 FIND Film Financing Conference, keynote speaker James H. Stern told the crowd of producers that “We are lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time for great opportunities,” speaking specifically about digital funding and distribution options. Indiewire has a useful summary of the lessons gained from the panel that followed those opening remarks. If you have the time, here's the full podcast.

TGIF, Film Edition

Amy Allen — 2009-06-19T17:56:18Z

It's finally a beautiful day in NYC (for now!), and in honor of Friday, here are some positive links that will - hopefully - make you smile.

If you ever doubt the importance of making movies (for instance, at the exhausted "I have to raise money again?' phase), just look at Iran, where the troubled government situation has awakened an artistic spark in the country's youth and a renewed reverence for the moving image. From an article in Variety: "'This is a cultural revolution and an Internet revolution,' says director Mohsen Makhmalbaf, who has been an active opposition voice. 'All the students have become filmmakers now on the streets with their mobile phones.'"

Yes, that counts as happy news. More after the jump.

Wah Do Dem: A Conversation with the Filmmakers

Amy Allen — 2009-06-16T13:10:33Z

Wah Do Dem, a beautifully shot new film with a kick ass soundtrack about a young man who finds himself stranded in Jamaica, will premiere at the LA Film Festival in a few days. Co-directors Ben Chace and Sam Fleischner sat down with us to talk about their experiences making the low-budget feature, including what it was like to work with non-actors (their lead was musician Sean Bones) and limited resources. The audio interview (below) is useful to any guerilla filmmaker. Enjoy!

Click To Play

Filmmakers & Marketers

Amy Allen — 2009-06-05T18:03:00Z

Scott Kirsner's interview on B-Side, which draws a lot of material from Scott's new book, is about how filmmakers now must also be marketers. It's worth a read, especially when he breaks down a few simple steps filmmakers can take to market their work:

"Your question about juggling lots of different sites and social networks is really good, because I think filmmakers can be overwhelmed by everything that’s out there. What I suggest is:

- Start with something simple and non-intimidating… like a Facebook fan page for your film, or a blog with a really simple, free service like Posterous.

- Pay attention to new places online where people are spending time. It may be worth your while, for instance, to join something like Twitter and give it a whirl when you hear everyone is talking about it. When your audience gravitates toward something new, it’s a good idea for you to be there.

- But while experimentation is important, if you don’t feel like you’re connecting with a significant audience through any of these channels — whether it’s your blog, a Facebook page, Twitter, or something new — drop it and spend your time on something that you think will have a better pay-off."

Fun with Crowd-Funding

Suraj Das — 2009-06-05T17:28:49Z

Have a terrific idea for a feature film, but strapped for cash? Being part of a tight-knit community of filmmakers and movie-buffs may be more helpful than you think. More and more filmmakers are turning to crowd-funding to finance their films - and this helpful article from 'The Age of Stupid' provides a great crash course for anyone interested in trying the method themselves.

Crowd-funding is a relatively new approach to raising money, but there have already been a number of notable success stories. Early last year, singer-songwriter Jill Sobule launched a campaign to raise $85,000 for a new album via fan donations on her website, jillsnextrecord.com. Fans received gifts and swag, such as free song downloads and the opportunity to attend studio recording sessions, in return for their donations. The complete amount was raised in roughly 50 days, and Sobule was able to use the money to produce, manufacture, distribute, and advertise a brand new album, "California Dreams."

Mid-Week Resource Links

Amy Allen — 2009-06-03T18:38:31Z

If you live in Brooklyn, are between the ages of 18 and 30, and have made at least a short and written a screenplay, you might want to try for this grant. It's for $2000, the application process is simple, and the deadline is June 22nd.

This article in The Workbook Project about how to achieve professional quality on a budget is worth a read for all stop motion artists.

Another funding opportunity, this one for documentary filmmakers has a rolling deadline.

52 Reasons Why American Indie Film Will Flourish

Amy Allen — 2009-05-26T17:02:26Z

Ted Hope, always a master of the fact-packed list, just posted 52 Reasons Why American Indie Film Will Flourish. Since he asks others to add onto the (extremely comprehensive) list, I would add:

53. For those starting out, there are more networking opportunities outside of film school. While a formal program has never been a prerequisite for quality work, it's still important as a place to network. While important, film school is also expensive, and if you're only plucking those who can pay from the talent pool, the quality almost certainly diminishes. Tutorials and film theory distributed to the masses online can help everybody develop their skills. The best training is to go out and make something anyhow, which has never been easier.

54. Unions like SAG are embracing the importance of independent film. SAG Indie has an intuitive website and offers affordable contracts to movies with lower budgets, allowing everybody access to experienced talent.

55. Building on #42, while a lot of attention has been placed the falling prices of digital production equipment, projectors are just as important. As more studios pay for digital projectors to be installed in major theaters, those theaters will be better equipped to screen independent fare and indie filmmakers won't have to budget for that expensive 35mm print, allowing both small films and theatrical distribution to survive.

Ted's List is a must read. Check it out.

Notes on Building a Fan Base

Amy Allen — 2009-04-28T15:53:24Z

Scott Kirsner recently participated in a panel about building an audience for your work, along with Brian Chirls, Sean Flynn, and Chris Holland. The complete audio is available for streaming and downloading on his blog, CinemaTech. If you don't have time to listen to the entire clip, here are the main points, as they apply to independent filmmakers.

-Since it's easier than ever to make and distribute your work, more filmmakers are doing so, which means there is a tremendous amount of noise you must break through.

-To do this, think about the marketing aspects of your film before you even begin production. As soon as you have a name, put up a website and start from there. Own that presence. Marketing today is dependent on being found if somebody wants to find you. So name your film something that is able to be googled, like a memorable phrase that you don't hear all the time. Own that phrase and start building awareness around it.

Like College, But Free

Amy Allen — 2009-04-16T18:36:54Z

If you're looking to expand your knowledge of film theory, there are more than a few substantial resources on the web to inspire and educate.

My new favorite is the 5 part series up right now at The Museum of the Moving Image site about Wes Anderson, complete with superbly annotated videos. Leading film scholars also contribute about various themes.

There are also excellent e-journals and film journals that have a presence online, including Refractory, Senses of Cinema, and the prolific Catherine Grant, who pulls together scores of links presented in hyper-informative posts based on topic.

Let us know about any more links and we'll post them here!