The Storyboard Artist - MANAGING YOUR STORYBOARD TIME
March 31, 2010
I have been fortunately busy this year. I’ve gone from feature to commercial blocks to features to jobs on the weekends. Like, almost every weekend. I still have yet to get my taxes done.
When you are freelancing, you will fine that you will sometimes get more than one job at a time. You have to figure out should you take the job or just deal with the one you have.
Things to consider are how much is each job paying you, how bad do you need the money, and can you do them both without screwing either client. The last sentence is VERY important.
I had a friend in New York who was a better artist than I was technically, but he would “double dip” and ending up missing deadlines. He’d be late to meetings, oversleep and get things mixed up. His reputation went into the toilet. I had to stop recommending him.
When I take on a second job, I have to work out a schedule to where I can get the first job done but giving myself enough hours at day or night to do the second gig. You have to take care of the first job.
It helps to know your limits in how late can you stay up and still do effective work. Also (here is where my friend messed up) how much work can you put in where it doesn’t effect you the next morning.
If you feel yourself crashing or dipping, STOP. There is a point where the extra work hits you the next day and you can’t do your first job properly. This isn’t just for storyboards. It’s for anyone who works two jobs. And being an artist is murder on the eyes, if you didn’t guess.
I would start my main gig at about 9-9:30 in the morning, after a late night. I work it until about 6PM, and then after some family time, I’d go from 9-1 or 2 in the morning.
Thankfully, my wife took or son to school during these hard times, as that is usually my job.
James Cameron one wrote ALIENS, RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART 2 and a TERMINATOR rewrite at the same time. Cameron divided his day into thirds and went to work. He was the master of mind over matter and proper scheduling. But then, he is James.
Tags: Film, Movie Blog, Television, Film Blog, Director
The British Film Director - Are you on % points for a movie? read this…
March 30, 2010
A quick blog today and I promise to get back into it…This is an amazing book that breaks down how the studios creatively account for their income and profit participants. ANYONE who ever gets a percentage point on a movie should read this it is quite amazing… No wonder things …
Tags: Film, Filmmaking, Movie Theatre, Film Blog, Filmmaker
The Background Actor - The Graduate: Why I Got Into Movies
March 28, 2010
I have been in love with motion pictures for so long my life is a mix of my own memories and movie memories.
The other day, I remembered wandering around a college campus wistfully thinking of a lost love named Bliss Arneberg with Simon and Garfunkel’s Scarborough Faire playing in …
Tags: Filmmaking, Movie, Movie Theatre, Television, Film Industry
The Independent Filmmaker - TOUCH at Method Fest
March 27, 2010
Alright readers if you’re local to the LA area come out tomorrow and check out my latest film, TOUCH, at Method Fest, a great local festival.
Sunday, March 28 at 9:15pm - 11:15pm
Regency Agoura Hills 8, Theater 5, 29045 Agoura Hills Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301
(we screen fifth of six films in the program)
Tickets can be purchased in advance here for $7/$11 for our shorts program “That’s What Friends Are For”
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/producerevent/103131?prod_id=2315
You can check out reviews and the trailer for the film on IMDB or on our website here…
Tags: Movie, Actor, Film Blog, Movie Blog, Film Industry
The Documentary Producer - Kaziah at the Documentary Festivals
March 25, 2010
I recently had the wonderful opportunity to visit Brattleboro, VT. A sleepy little town just on the southern border of Vermont, naturally. The Women’s Film Festival found our little film, Kaziah the Goat Woman, and invited us to screen at their very important festival. This festival is a fundraiser for the Women’s Crisis center there.
It just so happens that my cousin also lives in that town! So I got a very personal and up close look at this town. Even though it was in the mud season, I knew this place was quite special. No traffic, clean air and tons of artists mulling about.
Our film was scheduled to show on the first Sunday of the festival. We were programmed with what turned out to be a very special film called Motherland. What made this screening extra special for us was that Kaziah had flown in a portrait of a fallen hero that I was to give to his mother. I was nervous and honored all in the same breath. Kyle Gilbert was accomplished in martial arts and his mothers only child.
I am happy to say that Regina was thrilled. She said Kaziah captured her baby. It was like he was right there in the room with her.
Kaziah Hancock is an amazing woman doing amazing things. I am honored and blessed to have been able to capture her true being on film to immortalize her. If you read this and are touched, she really needs support to continue gifting these portraits to families of fallen soldiers.
Thank you.
Tags: Oscars, Filmmaking, Director, Television, Movie
The Background Actor - Health: The Altman film that nearly killed me.
March 24, 2010
HEALTH: Have you ever seen a tomato try to swim? Only on those rare occasions that HEALTH is on late night TV. It was a strange film and it was a life-changing experience for me but I don’t regret a minute of it because I got to work with him. …
Tags: Movie, Oscars, Movie Theatre, Film, Movie
The Standby Painter - Timely Advice for That Job Search
March 22, 2010
As promised, I am continuing to keep a record of the typical job search process for me as a standby painter and a scenic artist (or a designer or set dresser, or a whatever-I-can-find at this point given my experience in the aforementioned job categories). Unfortunately, by the time I …
Tags: Film Blog, Director, Filmmaking, Television, Movie Blog
The Casting Director - I just want to control your mind…
March 21, 2010
Wow…I have been delinquent in my blogging. I think it is because I have been so busy casting the feature film “Vinyl” and concentrating on getting the actors we want into the film. It is like a huge juggling feat to try to get the actors you want, meet with the actors the agents want the director to meet with and still manage everyone’s expectations. Being a casting director is sometimes like being thrown into the middle of a giant shit-storm and having to sort through a ton of crap in order to finally get to the finished product. Hopefully on the way you haven’t burned any bridges or forgotten to email or call back too many people, or forgotten to pay the office rent and phones! With “Vinyl,” we are shooting in Canada and the U.S and many of the actors we are looking at are not only based in L.A but also the U.K and Australia. Casting is now truly a global profession. I have to be aware of actors coming out of other countries before they are getting into bigger studio films. It’s a cool way to be ahead of the curve in finding talent and it can be helpful at the end of the day when the producer needs to find a distributor, which can be a year or three years after filming ends. For example, when Sam Worthington (“Avatar”) was in L.A several years ago and meeting with casting directors, I was telling my producers on films I was working on, that he was defiantly going to be something. You could tell when he was in his first film, BOOTMEN, in 2000, that as the supporting role to Adam Garcia (who?), that Sam had something special. In the meeting with me, he was quiet and reserved but he had an intensity to him that kept me focused on him, which is a good sign of someone with the quality of becoming a future star. It would have been very smart to find him a cool indie to cast him in a year or two before he got “Avatar.” So that is what I am doing on “Vinyl” (hopefully), really trying to pinpoint who is being overlooked by Studios, who is capable of giving a great performance and seeing if they fit into one of the characters. It can be a very frustrating process. An actor I cast in a production before “Vinyl” was perfect for one of the roles in “Vinyl” and I got her a straight offer. The film I cast her in she was making scale and with “Vinyl” it would have been decent money, plus a little more high profile of a gig and a really cool character to play. But she didn’t respond to the script or want to meet with the director! How crazy is that? If you are an actor and you are given an opportunity to meet with a director, why not see what the gig is all about before passing on the job? Especially when the offer is coming from a casting director who already loves your work and wants to keep casting you. I was kind of upset about the whole thing, for like 5 seconds, and then had to move on; I will always be baffled by her choice not to meet with the director. But this business is about people not numbers and if you could control people, well, that would be awesome!
Tags: Filmmaking, Movie Theatre, Movie, Film, Film Industry
The Manager - Choosing a Film Producer to Pair Up With - 4 Tips That You Must Know!
March 19, 2010
We just had a very hot film project that everyone wanted to partner on. It’s a nice change of pace to be the prom queen everyone wants to ask out instead of the last girl desperate for a date.
In a very short time period we were in a situation where several big producers were interested in pairing up with us and we had to pick which producer we wanted to work with.
We decided that, with the author of the book, we’d take meetings with all the producers to see who we liked the most and who we thought would be the best partner. And one of the results of our week of meetings is that I now have several important tips that every young producer or writer or director should know:
1. DON’T Be Afraid to ask Tough Questions
Even though you might be meeting with fancy producers, ask the tough questions so you can see if their vision of the project fits with yours. Some examples of questions:
- Why are you the right person for the project?
- What’s your vision of the story?
- Who are the directors and writers you think would be good?
2. DON’T Be Star Struck
Just because someone might be a very big producer it doesn’t mean he or she is the right person for the project. Listen to your gut and don’t be blinded by the flash and sizzle.
3. DO Your Research
Take the time to do your research and find out as much background info as you can on the producer. Some examples of intel to gather:
- Do the studios want to buy from them?
- What is the producer’s reputation?
- Does the producer work well with young producers?
- Does the producer treat book authors well?
4. DO Pick Someone You Like
Pick someone that you actually want to work with. Think about if you will want to work with these people for the next 5, 10 years. Ultimately it comes down to a gut feeling — and some due diligence.
Thus while you might be meeting with very big producers or producers that have a name for themselves but are still hungry, you have to go on your gut feeling — after doing your research — as to who is the best fit for a specific project.
Tags: Movie Bloggers, Filmmaking, Movie Theatre, Television, Film Blog
The Background Actor - Calling Services Are On Your Side
March 17, 2010
Calling services are in business to find background work for you.
Granted, they charge a fee to register and a monthly charge, but casting services are generally not scams because they’re usually staffed with people who worked in big casting companies in LA, people with industry networking connections, and they’re there …
Tags: Film, Film Industry, Television, Film Blog, Movie
