How to Make a Good Movie Trailer: For Your Short Film (Part 2)

Okay, so last week we went over the organization of creating your trailer. However, this week is when the fun begins, actually creating a timeline to bring that idea of your trailer into reality. But, if you’re just joining us, make sure

How to Make a Good Movie Trailer for Your Short Film

Yessss!!! The BloodGuilt short film trailer is finally here and I’m so proud of it! And Yes, I’m that excited about a one minute piece of video content, because you all don’t understand. I mean, there were times I scrapped a week’s worth of work to

How to Get the Film Look: Adding Atmosphere

There are all sorts of attributes to consider when achieving the film look. Most amateurs think that it’s all about the camera. And although certain cameras can play a role in achieving the filmic look, it only plays a small role. Besides, the knowledge of how to use a camera (any camera) will play a bigger role than the type of “lens box” that is used.

But, I digress…

One of the most important attributes that should be added to any shot, is

BloodGuilt: Short Film Production Diary (Part 4) Post-Production

Finally!

We were able to wrap our BloodGuilt short film production. And if you’ve been keeping up with my other posts, you already know how difficult it’s been to get here. We had to rise above

BloodGuilt: Short Film Production Diary (Part 3) Storyboards & Shot Lists

Okay, so we recently wrapped our third day of production for BloodGuilt (our next short film). And let me tell you, it was another cold one; which wasn’t too bad, since we were mostly indoors. Still, there were some shots that needed to be done outdoors. 

However, in this post:

I mainly want to talk about the epiphany I experienced that night.

BloodGuilt: Short Film Production Diary (Part 2)

Here’s the deal:

We were finally able to wrap up all the exterior shots for my next short film, BloodGuilt, over the holidays. They all took place in one location, which allowed us to get them done in two nights. But, that’s not to say the journey was easy; because it wasn't. In fact, the journey to getting those shots in the can was filled with all sorts of setbacks.

And that’s not all:

“Why” Are You Producing Short Films?

Here’s the deal:

In this digital age of social media and online commerce, I believe that everyone has the power and available resources to thrive just as well as any other major player in their industry. For us indie filmmakers, I’m specifically talking about rising our respective production companies to the level of a major studio.

Yeah right!

No, I seriously believe that with today’s resources it’s possible to only make a career out of your short films (and other content), but to also thrive in the industry as well. 

But there's a catch:

BloodGuilt: Short Film Production Diary (Part 1)

Here’s the deal:

I decided to start a production diary for my next short film, BloodGuilt. I wanted a place to chronicle all the challenges I faced, as well as my successes. I also wanted to note down any thoughts I had about improving my process. And this blog seems like the perfect platform to do so. Because, one day, I could look back on these notes and reinforce what I’ve learned about filmmaking, while also getting an overall picture of my journey. Hopefully, you all will get just as much value from this diary as I will.

Look:

This all started a few months ago. I wrote the BloodGuilt script, and rewrote

The Challenges of Creating Careers out of Independent Short Films: Filmmaker Problems

Here’s The Deal:

No one believes in you, or in what you’re doing. You’re telling everyone that you’re the next big director and they should check out your short film. But, the ratio of people who look at your work (compared to the people you ask) is nominal, at best.

Then, there are the select few that decide to give your short film a look
(outside of your relatives and close friends). But, those people seem to be other filmmakers/performing artists that are desperately seeking to gain an audience of their own.

So, what do we do?

Careers in Film/ Short Film Don’t Come Easy: Or Do They?

I Wanted to be a Screenwriter

So, this all started with me wanting to be a screenwriter. But, after years of knocking on Hollywood’s doors without an answer, I realized that I needed another strategy; because writing screenplays, and asking that they be read and/or produced was not getting me anywhere. At least, not as fast as I would’ve liked.  The literary agencies either said “we don’t accept unsolicited material” or that they weren’t looking for new clients at the moment. So, I looked for smaller production companies that would be willing to produce my work. But, those companies either didn’t get the vision, or wanted to make script changes that drastically altered my original intentions of the story.

All the Filmmaking Info We Need

Now, you may be saying, “Hey Daymond, that’s just how the filmmaking industry is. You’re gonna have to get used to it.” But that’s just it! We don’t have to get used to any of that anymore!!! In this day