From Idea to Story
Suppose that you’re thinking of doing a documentary film about Elvis Presley, or a diner in your home town, or…
Making Films
Money Matters
Ed Pressman and I started ContentFilm two years ago, and we have produced eight films in that time with more…
Final Cut Pro 4
Digital non-linear video editing has crept into the life of nearly every filmmaker. From independents on shoestring budgets to high…
“What I Want My Words to Do to You” Voices of Women in Maximum Security Prison
The documentary, What I Want My Words to Do to You, tracks a writing group led by playwright/activist Eve Ensler,…
Building a Killer Press Kit
The press kit is the most important tool for any filmmaker seeking media coverage, but many independent film press kits…
Getting Coverage
One of the great truths of media is that there is no such thing as bad press, but how to…
High-Tech Homebrew
The past few years have seen significant advances in the tools for creating visual effects with desktop computers. Yet these…
The Strange and Wonderful World of “American Splendor”
From American Splendor’s first shots, you know you are watching something unusual: It’s Halloween, 1950, and the neighborhood runts are…
Site Seeing
While cleaning out my attic in 1998 I had an idea for a short film. I found a box of…