John G asked:


Hers my story. I am an aspiring film editor. Film editing has long been my passion. I am planning to attend USC, UCLA, or NYU for grad school to get my masters degree. If I decide to become a professor of film instead of film editing, would a masters degree from one of these schools (three of the top film schools in the world) get me a career as a professor of film at a university?

Eva

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Daniel Lafleche asked:


Copyright (c) 2008 Daniel Lafleche

So, you have an indie film and you want to find distribution.

Never have so many options for distribution been available; never has it been so confusing to decide what is right for you and your film. The industry is experiencing a transitional moment; everyone knows online downloads are the future, but nobody knows exactly how it will play out. As well, distribution has gone online too, offering a plethora of choices for the indie filmmaker and producer. What to do, what to do.

This article is the first of a 5-part series that looks at all of the avenues open to you as a filmmaker and distributor. We'll offer some tips on how to find your film a home.

Regardless of your film's ultimate destination, your goal is to find a license buyer for your film. Who are film buyers? We're talking about broadcast TV (cable, satellite, and terrestrial), home DVD companies, VOD service providers, and mobile content providers.

Let's start this series by examining the psychology of this rare and overworked professional. Here are five things you should know about Film Buyers and 5 tips for putting the best face of your film forward.

1. Film Buyers want a 'story'. This little bit of terminology here might create some confusion. We're not talking about the plot of your film or the subject matter of your documentary, but a story that will sell the film–on paper. You should be doing everything in your power to create that story. To do this, you have to distance yourself from the film you know and love and ask yourself: What will sell this film to somebody who does not know and love it the way I do? The answer to this question is the 'story' you will use to sell your film.

The most obviously valuable raw material for a sales story is…star power. Film stars often fail to attract their audience, but nothing makes film buyers feel more peaceful than the presence of some known names in the mix. If you are bereft of any bona fide name power, do not fear, you have other options. Festival play and any press generated are also incredibly important. You should be knocking yourself out to find some kind of festival and press exposure for your film. Even if it's not a top festival or a top publication, festival and press play will take your film from having no story at all to having a first chapter. Hype is over-hyped, but your film is going to look more valuable to buyers if it has a story. If you can say, "This film already had some exposure. This film has been reviewed. This film has played at a festival. This film has a response. This film has an online presence. This film has the beginnings of an audience or a niche audience," then you have a story buyers will want to cuddle up with.

If you are looking for ideas you should check out the industry trades. Look at how distributors market their films, and figure out how to do this on a small scale. You want your story to be a comfortable and familiar one. "But my film is original, beautiful, heart-breaking, unique…and my marketing must be the same," you say. This brings us to the next point…

2. Film Buyers think in dollars, not passion. When selling your film, don't rely on your own enthusiasm and passion to make the sale. Again, channel your enthusiasm into a narrative the film buyer can understand, a narrative about how and why this film is going to attract people to it. Has this genre of film had any recent notable successes? Does your film intersect with any issues or topics that are garnering attention? Save your passion for your filmmaking, and focus your remaining energy into crafting a professional marketing campaign and learning the highly efficient language of film buyers.

3. Film buyers are overextended, have short attention spans, and don't want to waste time. Film buyers are professionals. Hook them fast with a comprehensive one sheet (or sell sheet). The circumstances in which you are pitching your film are going to vary, but one thing that everybody will need at some point is a one sheet as part of their promotional package. Here is the crucial thing: your sheet should be short and to the point. This sheet is a cliff notes to the strongest features of your film. Do you have a few positive reviews? Great, use them in the press kit, but on the one sheet just use the best line from each one. Do you have some seasoned talent? Stick their names on the one sheet with 1 or 2 of their best-known films, but save full biographies for later. Any film can create a ton of paperwork, but nobody is going to go through it all. Don't bury the selling features of your film and assume buyers will get to it. With that in mind, don't assume a buyer will watch a screener. Most buyers accumulate hundreds and hundreds of screeners every year and many of these remain unwatched. Save your screeners for buyer's who show interest, or even for buyers who you have a good feeling about.

4. Film Buyers want to work in their comfort zone. To save your time and your buyer's time, you should always do research beforehand, especially if you are making the first move. Are you targeting a buyer that makes sense for your film? Why do you think so? What else had this buyer/company done that makes you think the company is right for your film. Again, these points can be, if not part of your one sheet, an introduction to the story of your film. You will look professional and on the ball, you will stand out if it seems like you have done the research and are personally addressing a buyer's specific skills, past successes and proven strengths.

5. Film Buyers are freaked out. By and large film buyers are a worried bunch, cowering in the ruins of the decimated music industry and wondering if their business is going to disappear out from under their feet. Film and music are different animals, and the future of film in the era of online exhibition is still not completely foretold, but the mood is certainly wary. The film industry is in transition and everyone is handling it in their own way, some better than others. You'll see conservative streaks, but also canny entrepreneurs looking to exploit the changing terrain. Overall, though, most buyers want to minimize advance spending. This practice, in itself is not suspicious, but for your own protection do your homework and make sure you are dealing with a reputable company and a company that is in a stable financial position.



Marie

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juncojuncojuncosj asked:


I am an independant flim maker (aspiring). I have the use of a green screen studio as well as the outdoors. How would you recommend filming a scene in a taxi? Is there a site with insertable green screen sets (backgrounds) or is it better to film in the car. Someone please give me some tips!

Debbie

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Ernie asked:


You can't see the black film until you wipe it with a paper towel, and when the film gets on something like a spatula it stays on there. I also believe this black film is on areas of our sink. What is this film and how do you get rid of it? We use a regular electric oven. Thanks.

Susan

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smpfilms asked:

TRUE STORY. Who are your phoenixes? RATE and FAVORITE to help spread the ashes. Music by: Mark Petrie www.markpetrie.com

Jeff

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GGG asked:


A thin plastic film with an index of refraction of 1.3 is put on the surface of a car window (n=1.5) to increase the window reflectivity. What is the minimum plastic film thickness required if light of wavelength 550 nm in air is reflected from the two sides of the film and interferes constructively?

Gail

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Roswell asked:


I have declared a double major in film and journalism in order to pursue avenues of work that I know I will enjoy but many people are telling me it is impractical to double major in two things that don't significantly enhance the other major (such as Journalism and Broadcasting; Film & Broadcasting; Film & Photography; English and Film, etc.) Do you think that I will inevitably forego one field for the other and later on look back and believe that I wasted my money on school? Input? Advise? Has anyone else done this?

George

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Dig It asked:


I just dropped off some disposable cameras, and one expired in 2004, the other in 2006. The one roll of actual film I have no clue how long I've had it. How long can it be undeveloped and still get viable pictures from it? Or should I say, what happens when you try to get old film developed?

Troy

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Patrick Omari asked:


The British Film Industry has seen many peaks and troughs since it began around the turn of the 20th century. Cinema began in the UK with William Friese Greene's producing the first known projected moving image on celluloid film. In the following 119 years there have been many successes and failures that have influenced not only the film industry but British culture.

Film fans will have their only favourites that have thrilled, inspired and entertained them throughout various times in their lives and this list is exactly that. I have been watching British films for nearly thirty years now and have seen the likes of Gandhi (1983), The Full Monty (1997) and The Queen (2006) impact world cinema while various others have just tasted success in the UK.

There is no particular formula to a successful British film, although my choices for the 'Five British Films That You Must See' do tend to have a distinctively British feel. Whether it is the location, accent, dialect or cultural references - each of my top five British films is a quintessentially British production.

A Clockwork Orange ( 1971 )

Directed by Stanley Kubrick and set in a futuristic London, A Clockwork Orange is based on the novel of the same name by Anthony Burgess. The film received critical acclaim on its release including gaining four nominations for Academy Awards. However, following a string of so-called copycat crimes, Kubrick withdrew the film after receiving several anonymous death threats.

It was only on the film's re-release in 1999 that the British public were legally able to watch this celluloid masterpiece in almost 27 years. The film appears timeless as the futuristic setting hasn't aged at all in almost three decades on the shelf. The characters speak in a blend of cockney and Russian that adds additional dimensions to the dystopian reality. Heavily influencing pop-culture from a Blur music video to Bart Simpson's halloween costume, A Clockwork Orange remains one of the most influential and controversial films of all time.

Trainspotting ( 1996 )

Directed by Danny Boyle, Trainspotting follows the story of Mark Renton and a group of his 'friends', most of whom are heroin-addicts. Set in Edinburgh, the story shows explicitly the problems associated with intravenous drug use and far from glorifying it, ensure the audience condemn the characters' actions.

The role of Renton helped to launch the career of Ewan McGregor as he escapes his parasitic friends and makes a new life for himself heroin-free. The unpleasantness that envelopes the film and its characters make each scene unmissable as Renton continuously attempts to break free and 'choose life'. As the protagonist succeeds and the closing credits roll you will feel like you've just watched a very special film.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels ( 1998 )

1998 saw the arrival of the modern British gangster movie with Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Cool, dirty and classy, the film was a smash-hit when British gangster films were virtually non-existent. The film also introduced ex-footballer Vinnie Jones as an actor as well as Jason Statham. Combining an uber-cool soundtrack with cockney accents and sharp suits and you have the perfect London gangster film.

Based around the theft of drugs and cash, the plot weaves together multiple stories into a climatic shoot-out that results in almost everyone being killed. The film sparked a flurry of interest in Brit-flicks and many other films tried to replicate its success, however, Guy Ritchie came closest when he reused a lot of the cast for a similar film called Snatch. The modern British gangster film was back, 26 years after Michael Caine set the standard in Get Carter.

28 Days Later ( 2002 )

The only true horror film on the list, 28 Days Later broke the mould when it exploded onto the silver screen in 2002. Seemingly influenced by the George A. Romero 'Dead' films, the second Danny Boyle film on the list was predominantly shot on digital video. This however was not the major talking point when the film was released, for a new zombie was born. A highly contagious virus has spread throughout the UK and infected the majority of the British population, but in contrast to Romero, Boyle's zombies are fast, aggressive hunters.

The plot follows Jim as he awakes from a coma to find the streets of London deserted. These dramatic, beautiful scenes where Westminster Bridge, Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Street are completely empty were achieved as police helped temporarily block off areas of London for short intervals. The result is truly breathtaking and adds a haunting solitude to Jim's plight as he searches for fellow survivors. The film clearly influenced the 2004 remake of Romero's Dawn of the Dead as the zombies behaviour bears an uncanny resemblance to that of those in 28 Days Later. Zombie films would never be the same again, and I must mention the other Brit-Zombie film 'Shaun of the Dead' that again changed the face of modern horror with its comedy twist on the classic zombie movie.

Dead Man's Shoes ( 2004 )

Possibly my favourite performance by any single actor in any film, Paddy Considine exacts perfect revenge as Richard in Dead Man's Shoes. Set in the Midlands, as with all of Shane Meadows' films, Considine returns to his home town after a period serving in the British army. The audience quickly begins to realise that Richard is looking to avenge a group of bullies that have tormented his brother. Considine's performance is mesmerising as he shifts from psychotic to fraternal in the blink of an eye.

As the story progresses, the film shows various flashbacks to when Richard's brother Anthony was victimised by a group of local petty criminals. Anthony is played superbly by Toby Hebbell in his breakthrough film role. Richard dispatches of each member of the gang one by one until it is just him and the more passive bully left. He pleads to be killed so he can lay with his brother and after threatening the man's children suffers a fatal stab-wound to the heart.

This is an amazing film with some of the best performances from some low-profile actors. Shane Meadows has written and directed other films that come extremely close to the Top 5 including A Room For Romeo Brass and more recently This Is England. Meadows is a rising star in British cinema and has the potential to be one of the world's most prestigious directors.

So that is the Top Five British Films To See Before You Die. Agree or disagree, you must ensure that you watch these films and you won't ever feel that Hollywood is the only place that good films are made. The British have been making fantastic films for many years and will continue to do so for many years to come.



Ruben

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coolbryce14 asked:


This film opens with a river and shows a baby riding from its cradle and soon lands ashore. What film is that?

Jesus

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