Blog

Media People: Stop Using Compilation Reels

2012-05-10T17:41:57+00:00

Producer Phil Cooke shows why it's time for you to stop using compilation reels to showcase your work.

HC Classic: The Quick and the Dead

2012-02-15T17:54:29+00:00

A few years ago, I found myself in a place in life in which I couldn’t drive my car for several months. So a generous friend bought me a good bicycle, for which I was truly grateful. Yes, it got me where I needed to go, and, sure, it got me in pretty good shape, but that bike helped me to do something even more substantial and worthwhile. It got me to slow down.

HC Classic: My Motorcycle Diary

2012-01-05T23:23:55+00:00

A couple years ago, I decided to take motorcycle lessons. Okay, I’ll admit it: motorcycle lessons appealed primarily to my over-developed sense of adventure, but in my defense, it’s not a bad skill for an actor to be able to list on his résumé. So I got all geared up and drove my car out to the nearby community college parking lot with visions of me whipping my bike around pylons with Matrix-like precision and ferocity...

Five Great Apps for Filmmakers

2011-11-18T00:04:32+00:00

A few recommendations of some worthwhile tools for your smart phone or computer tablet that will help you get the job done but won’t break the bank.

Breaking the Rules

2011-10-05T21:44:50+00:00

Every art form has certain rules that are inherent to it, whether that form is writing, filmmaking, painting, or something else. With that said, there is a place to break those rules sometimes. In fact, some creative artists have become truly great because they broke the rules...

Making Something Out of Nothing

2011-08-04T18:57:36+00:00

One of the things I hear pretty often from fellow creative artists as they wrestle with their aspirations is that they don’t have the equipment, finances, relationships, (insert your own word here) that they believe is needed to get started on their projects. That's not necessarily the case...

The Greatest of Ease

2011-05-29T22:48:46+00:00

In preparation for an acting role, I started taking martial arts lessons. It looked so easy at first...

Taking a Time Out

2011-04-24T23:04:06+00:00

We all have those days when we try to tap into our creative juices and come up dry. There are a lot of ways to address that problem, but here's one you may not have thought of: take a nap.

HC Classic: Courage

2011-04-21T02:39:54+00:00

Anything that requires real Courage, by definition, also will run the risk of hitting those occasional pockets where Courage is stolen away, where it is in rare supply, where you find yourself gasping for it like oxygen at high altitudes. Where you are dis-Couraged.

Searching for Significance

2011-03-18T01:38:27+00:00

I’ve got a good friend who is a successful writer for television sitcoms. At an event one evening, a woman approached him and asked, “How can I help my young daughter to become a successful Hollywood writer?” In his characteristic wit doused in friendly sarcasm, my friend replied: “Withhold your love from her for the next ten years.” One of the main reasons many creative people come to Hollywood – and this is at the same time rarely mentioned and rarely denied – is that they are looking for significance, a sense of actually mattering in and to this world.