Many think you need film school to survive in filmmaking, just as many believe you need to live in Los Angeles to be a filmmaker. Both filmmaker meccas, both dubious as to how they can help you succeed in...

[Guest Post by Ron Dawson] I have to admit that I hate it when people criticize me. Oh, don't get me wrong. I can handle it. I've a pretty thick skin. You have to have one in this business. But, nonetheless, if I'm criticized, it bothers me. But, I have...

[Guest Post by Grampaw.] Youngsters, this is Grampaw, here, the old storyteller. I been making motion picture stories now for some time now and let me tell you it ain't easy, at all. My friend Len, here asked me to share with you some of my...

When people hear I'm into filmmaking they wonder why I do not move to Hollywood. The average person does not know what goes into making a movie and that all the elements needed to make a movie are available anywhere and everywhere. There has never been a better...

Every movie director will have a specialty. Some directors pay more attention to the performances, some to production design, some put all the emphasis on the camera work. No matter what the differences may be amongst film directors, the one thing that will ultimately lead to their downfall...

Filmmaking with little money is not the best situation. Just as in life, you would not choose to have no money. No movie director wants to have to come up with a unique way to eat when buying food would be so much more pleasurable. In low budget filmmaking you will rarely be in a position...

Foreign film directors and movies are cool, don't get me wrong. I love watching a film world other than my own where things are the same but different. I love movies filled with the rhythm of foreign tongues and the visual ...

Film directors can make cinematic masterpieces that don't tell a story in the traditional sense. Directing movies this way filmmakers might even meet some success, but not the success they could reach if their film had told a story. Movie directors may argue over...

Making a film is a big undertaking. For a film to reach its highest potential you will need other people to help you make it. These are people with desires other than to make your movie, though they may never say as much. People come...

It might seem once a screenplay reaches 70 pages it's ready to be shot, but that's usually not the case. It's easy to use a simple yardstick such as length to deem a story ready to be told, but there are better ways. This screenplay...

Independent filmmaking used to mean something distinct. It was not only a way to produce films but an ethos, principles to live by. Just as anything that gets popular, it was co-opted by many groups that change the meaning of...

If people would have told me being a film director would make me not enjoy watching movies, I may not have signed up. I'm fine now, but there was a good ten-year period where I didn't really enjoy movies. I just watched them and...

There's a popular notion that film directing is a hard thing to do. Lots of people doubt their ability to be able to direct a movie. There is a kind of awe that people bestow upon directors. Without a doubt it can tough...

There is a false notion amongst many aspiring film directors that any script can be made better by a great movie director. These film directors believe story is just a nicety and isn't the backbone of a good film. Movie...

Ideas are the lifeblood of any great piece or art. Though the ideas in certain art forms might not seem as important as the technique, most people are not impressed by a well-made film full of boring ideas. Ideas can come from...

Film directing is knowing everything yet doing nothing, some say. Movie directors are in charge of a great variety of disciplines and it can help to have a rudimentary grasp of all of them. There is no single way to become a film...

An experienced crew can get your movie shot faster and easier. An experienced crew needn't be taught how to do their jobs or watched over closely to prevent mistakes. An experienced crew wants to get paid, wants to follow union...

As much as you'd like to be able to make a film on your own without the meddling of others, it will significantly limit what kind of film you can make. Without the help of actors you would have to be in it or forgo the presence...

Some filmmakers denigrate film school, but they usually never went to film school and feel insecure about their status. We can't deny the negatives of film school detailed in an earlier article, but shouldn't...