Other News September 30th, 2008
True Independence?
Producer Ted Hope opened Saturday’s Film Independent’s Filmmaker Forum, and a complete transcript of his thought-provoking speech is available here.
Hope argues that the indie film community needs to be less focused on possible fame and intense individual productivity and more focused on creating a community that has the ability to transform the system into one where every filmmaker has to find an audience, nurture that audience, run an ad campaign online, etc.
Filmmaking Tips September 26th, 2008
Finding the Perfect Location
Scouting and securing locations for your shoot can be a daunting task, even for the most seasoned filmmakers. There’s a lot to consider, and even more that can go wrong if you don’t cover all your bases.
When in doubt, the best place to start is at your desk, with the script in front of you. Familiarize yourself with the characters, their background, their lifestyle, and their socio-economic class. Where do these people live, work, and hang out? And be realistic.
Other News September 26th, 2008
Thoughts on Film Posters
After recently coming across a collection of 50 Polish Film Posters, I can’t help but feel a little bit disappointed. Sure there are classics, like Saul Bass’s design for Vertigo, and Richard Amsel’s poster for Chinatown, but the majority of film posters just don’t seem to leave as much to the imagination.
Massify News September 26th, 2008
New Bloggers
The Massify Blog is growing! Two new bloggers will be joining us and writing on a regular basis:
Filmmaking Tips September 23rd, 2008
Using Non-Professional Actors
Pedro Castaneda, the star of the new film August Evening, gives, “a towering, Robert Duvall-style performance as a grantitic man in late middle age whose internal world of pain and love and knowledge occasionally flickers to the surface,” says a review in Salon. But before he acted in that film, Castaneda had never acted before. He ran a towing company.
Whether you’re using non-professional actors by choice or necessity, they present unique challenges and opportunities for filmmakers.
Other News September 23rd, 2008
No tickets to the fest? Stream it.
Traditional film festivals streaming movies online is officially a trend.
Tribeca did it back in 2007. This year, Fantastic Fest streamed ten films online from Sept. 14-20th, and invited online audiences to rate and review the films.
Other News September 19th, 2008
How important is the poster?
Speaking of movie posters (see: new Massify contest), an article in the LA Times today says that Dane Cook’s famous myspace rant about his image in the My Best Friend’s Girl poster may result in box office gold.
While this projection seems a little far-fetched, it does illustrate how important a movie poster is to the overall marketing of a movie. Reporter Josh Friedman points out that Cook’s famous rant was covered in People, the Huffington Post, EW, and others, and that all this media attention may give the rom com an edge over the grittier ‘Lakeview Terrace’.
Massify News September 19th, 2008
Poster Design Competition Announced
A horror film was conceptualized on Massify. It was even cast on Massify. And it’s going to premiere at Horrorfest 3. But first it needs a poster! With the launch of our latest competition, you get to show off your design skills to create the poster for Perkins’ 14. Check out these links for inspiration.
Filmmaking Tips September 17th, 2008
Help with Final Cut Pro
For editors, keeping up with new technology is as important as knowing when to cut away. If you’re working on Final Cut Pro, here are a few resources on the web to help you learn more about the program and also troubleshoot any issues you might run into.
Other News September 17th, 2008
User-generated Content for America
What better way to bring Republicans and Democrats together than a good old-fashioned video contest?
The Democracy Video Challenge, sponsored by the U.S. State Department, asks video makers from anywhere in the world to create a short video around the them “Democracy is…”, which sounds a lot like the prompt fora 5th grade essay contest, in the hopes of encouraging “a dialogue on democracy.”
