Indie Film LA - Producers

CloseUp: 'The Dogs Of Kings' in development

2008-06-09T12:50:00.001-07:00

Tomato Production's latest film is current in development. The preliminary budget and schedule are being revised, locations are being scouted, and investors are being contacted.

After years of hiding and rebuilding their lives, a ring of thieves reunite when a crime boss uses one of them to find the group and retrieve a stolen artifact. On the cracked backroads of the desert, friendships are tested, loyalties are broken, and the true nature of the boss's power is revealed.

"The Dogs of Kings" is a low-budget feature-length ensemble crime story. It was written by Lynn Harrod and is currently being packaged for production. To inquire, please contact us at one of the email addresses below, or visit www.tomatoproductions.com.

Lynn Harrod - lynn@tomatoproductions.com
Olga Matlin - olga@tomatoproductions.com
Nathan McCoy - mccoy@tomatoproductions.com

All About the Oscars

2008-02-26T21:52:00.000-08:00

By Lynn Harrod

The Oscars (the Academy Awards) are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize excellence in the film industry. For those of you in film that may not know, the award ceremony is one of the most watched awards ceremonies in the world. Here are some tidbits you might not know about the Oscars. For more information, visit www.oscars.org.

The 1st Academy Awards ceremony was held in May 1929 at the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood. It was hosted by actor Douglas Fairbanks and director
William C. DeMille. The latest (80th) ceremony was held February 24, 2008, at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. It was hosted by comedian Jon
Stewart. Despite the valuable screen time, movie studios are strictly prohibited from advertising films during the broadcast.

THE ACADEMY

Founded in May 1927 in Los Angeles, California, AMPAS is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures. The Academy is composed of over 6,000 motion picture professionals, including filmmakers from 36 countries around the world.

In addition to the Oscars, the Academy gives Student Academy Awards to filmmakers at the undergraduate and graduate level, and awards up to five Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting annually.

LIBRARY AND STUDY

AMPAS operates the Margaret Herrick Library in Beverly Hills, California, one of the world's most extensive and comprehensive research collections on motion pictures. The library holds more than 32,000 books, 1,800 titles of periodicals, 60,000 screenplays, 200,000 clipping files, 30,000 posters, and various advertising, including over 8 million photographs, sheet music, music scores, sound recordings, production and costume sketches, artifacts, and oral histories.

The Academy also runs the Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study in Hollywood, California which will expand to include The Museum of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, to open in 2012. The collection includes over 100,000 items, covering some 70,000 individual titles.

ACADEMY MEMBERSHIP

All AMPAS members must be invited to join. Invitation comes from the Board of Governors, on behalf of Academy Branch Executive Committees. Membership eligibility may be achieved by a competitive nomination or a member may submit a name based on other significant contribution to the field of motion pictures. Although winning an Academy Award usually results in an invitation to join, membership is not automatic.

New membership proposals are considered annually. The Academy does not publicly disclose its membership, although past press releases have announced the names of those who have been invited to join.

Academy membership is divided into 15 Branches, representing different disciplines in motion pictures. Members may not belong to more than one Branch. Members whose work does not fall within one of the Branches may belong to a group known as "Members At Large."

Academy Branches

* Actors
* Art Directors
* Cinematographers
* Directors
* Documentary
* Executives
* Film Editors
* Makeup
* Music
* Producers
* Public Relations
* Short Films and Feature Animation
* Sound
* Visual Effects
* Writers

THE STATUETTE

The official name of the Oscar statuette is the Academy Award of Merit. Made of gold-plated britannium on a black metal base, it is 13.5 in (34 cm) tall, weighs 8.5 lb (3.85 kg) and depicts a knight holding a sword, standing on a reel of film with five spokes. The five spokes represent the original branches of the Academy: Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers and Technicians.

OWNERSHIP OF OSCAR STATUETTES

Since 1950, the statuettes have been legally encumbered by the requirement that neither winners nor their heirs may sell the statuettes without first offering to sell them back to the Academy for $1.00. If a winner refuses to agree to this stipulation, then the Academy keeps the statuette. This rule is highly controversial, since it implies that the winner does not own the award.

OSCAR CONSIDERATION

Today, according to official Academy Awards Rules, a film must open in the previous calendar year, from midnight at the start of January 1 to midnight at the end of December 31, in Los Angeles County, California, to qualify. The film must be "feature-length", a minimum of 40 minutes, except for short subject awards,
and it must exist either on a 35 mm or 70 mm film print or on 24 fps or 48 fps progressive scan digital film print with native resolution not less than 1280x720.

The members of the various branches nominate those in their respective fields while all members may submit nominees for Best Picture. The winners are then determined by a second round of voting in which all members are then allowed to vote in most categories, including Best Picture.

[www.oscars.org]

CloseUp: Mindfill Entertainment

2008-02-08T00:08:00.000-08:00

Mindfill Entertainment is a company devoted to the San Diego arts community with an emphasis on Film and Music production. Our intention is to create a strong, lucrative industry locally by networking artists and their services.

We hold events, showcases, talent shows, art exhibits and live performances at various venues throughout Southern California.

Currently Mindfill is teaming up with Mario Ortiz of Cinema Verde, Ryan Norr of San Diego Audio Visual (SDAV), San Diego Film Makers Group, Kristina Meek of The A-List, Barrie Kaufman of Cornfed, Daniel Jaure of 7/7 Photo, and North Park's The Ritual Tavern to help create and promote a strong united creative community.

Contact
http://web.mac.com/wilson1122/
www.myspace.com/mindfillent

ARTWIST EVENT

"DAY AFTER THE REVOLUTION"
Commercial for feature film

"INFATUATION"
A short film by William C. Wilson, Jr.

Getting an Actor, Manager and Agent to all work together

2007-07-27T23:07:00.001-07:00

By Brent Mather

Can you explain how an actor, manger and agent all work together?

First let me preface my remarks: I am not a lawyer and all my comments are from my experience as a SAG Talent Agent, from what I know of entertainment law and practices. Some of the information is fact and some is informed opinion.

To answer this question let me first define each role. I’ll skip to the agent first:

A Theatrical Talent Agent (booking agent) takes bookings for entertainment industry jobs; primarily union affiliated productions. Their primary job is to receive casting calls for the actor and to make sure the actor gets the information they need to arrive at their auditions. Additionally, it is the agent’s privilege to facilitate the signing of union contracts between the production company and actor or in depended lawyer or on the actor’s behalf. By law talent agents are bound to a 10% commission on a union job. Strictly speaking, it is not their job to solicit work for, or to educate their clients or to develop an actor’s career. Agent's cannot produce productions and are not supposed to manage their clients. Agents will bend those rules if their client is making a significant amount of money for them.

Agents would love to do nothing more than sign contracts all day because that’s all they get paid for. But that is not reality. Agents mostly do submissions all day and coordinate phone calls and auditions. As a rule, agents don’t like managers because, generally a manager’s influence overrides theirs with the actor.

The key is that any agent will sign a working actor when there is a deal on the table. The reason people feel that it’s hard to find an agent is because they don’t need one, and don’t understand what an agent does. Finding an agent is the easiest thing in the world if you have a deal.

Agents don’t like explaining these roles to actors. In my experience, this lack of communication causes serious expectation problems between agent's and their clients.

For non-union work agents are not needed. As I have discussed more work is going non-union with the decline of SAG this redoubles the tension between managers and agents because non-union work is up for grabs between them.

What qualifies as non-union? Anything that is not affiliated with SAG or AFTRA, meaning most work on commercials and music videos.

A Talent Manager’s job is to take raw talent and turn that person's aspirations and turn them into a successful career both artistically and economically. Managers are prohibited from “acting as a Talent Agent”. Managers are not bound to a specific union and therefore are not bound to a set of rules or laws. Managers can produce, educate, coach and promote their clients. They typically settle for 15% but some go to a much higher percentage, especially for new talent.

Finally, actors go without saying. So how does the actor get the deal? Well, that’s the trick.

1) An actor builds a career through commercials
2) They get lucky and meet the right person on the street (or a relative)
3) They make a move from another career, ex. Modeling/Sports
4) They get a manager who tells the right things to do to promote their career and helps them and educates them.
5) A student filmmaker does something unique with them…

Then they have a deal and they get an agent. Eventually, the actor will move on to a larger agency and do another deal etc…

So, how do they all work together? There is not a clear cut answer to that. Traditional arrangements are changing and the older institutions don’t have the same validity as they did in the past. Right now, it’s not clear that there will be a union industry here in Los Angeles at all in the future. Or more likely, it will adapt somehow. The actual arrangement that people come to today generally depends on the personalities involved and the types of jobs that are in the offing. Ideally managers do what agents cannot and agents do what managers cannot.

[Brent Mather Swan may be contacted at http://brentswan.com scriptmonkey@earthlink.net. Brent Mather Swan is one of the most innovative producers working in Hollywood today. He is applying the accumulated knowledge of a Screenwriter, a SAG Talent Agent and a Talent Manager in his current project The Stardust Film Festival.]

15 Must-Have Freeware Programs for Filmmakers

2007-07-15T21:34:00.000-07:00

With all the pricey cameras and equipment, filmmaking isn't exactly a hobby that screams "cheap." Lucky for all you free stuff-loving geeks, there are some options available that can help you make the most of your creative impulses.

Many shareware and freeware programs for film editing, screenwriting, sound editing and storyboarding are available for minimal or no cost on the Internet as alternatives to more expensive programs that might do damage to your budget. Here are a few freeware and shareware programs to help you save a few bucks and still make a film that can "wow".... [continue]

CloseUp: Overlooked Productions

2007-02-18T23:31:00.000-08:00

Though Overlooked Productions is based in Kansas City, Missouri, much of their work is done in the L.A. area. They specialize in film and video production. What sets Overlooked apart from other companies is their start-to-finish production capabilities, with an emphasis on pre-production to create a mental picture of the overall production. No detail is overlooked.

Overlooked Productions was founded by Chris and Ryan Knitter, brothers who have grown up in Southern K.C. all their life. Chris graduated from the Los Angeles Film School in Hollywood, California in the Spring of 2003 with a concentration in Cinematography and minor in Editing. Ryan is finishing his undergraduate studies at Central Missouri State University, where he majors in business. Both Chris and Ryan have worked in film and video production for over 10 years and plan to continue for many more years to come.

For more information, photo galleries, and a look at their short films and music videos, visit www.overlookedproductions.com

Below is their music video, "Blackberry Pie," for the Los Angeles band, Wall Of Tom.

Creativity is King in the World of Independent Film Production

2007-02-14T21:32:00.000-08:00

By Michael P. Connelly

A creative mind is a low budget filmmaker's most valuable tool. It all starts with an original thought; from there it is all about nurturing that thought until it grows to be a brilliant idea. After that it is a matter of getting that idea made into a movie using every ounce of energy and resources you can possibly muster up.

Most of the successful films that are showing at film festivals these days are movies that were made at a fraction of the cost that it takes to make a major Hollywood studio film. Advances in technology have made it so that just about anyone can make a movie. Film cameras, video cameras, sound recording equipment, and just about any other kind of equipment that one needs to make a movie can be purchased at very affordable prices these days. The equipment that is available these days can provide a very low budget movie with a production value that looks like James Cameron had something to do with the project. This professional look coupled with a unique story can help any film's chances at being accepted into film festivals like Houston Worldfest, Cannes, Toronto Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, etc...

Try as they might, the major Hollywood film studios will never have a monopoly on creativity. They spend millions of dollars on marketing research in an effort to figure out just what it is that the film-going audiences of the world look for when they go to the movies. Despite all of this effort, they still have not come up with a formula. The tastes of people who go to the movies are as hard to predict as an earthquake is, for the pattern changes all the time. Because of this fact, the door is left wide open for the creative types of the world to enter the game. All they need to do is come up with a unique idea that they can transform into a movie, enter their film in festivals like Sundance and then let the judges decide. While the big studios have tried to take over the film festival circuit in recent years, it is still the little guys with the small, yet creative films that are King in that realm.

It does not cost as much as you would think to make a movie that can be entered in contests like the Sundance Film Festival. Sony is about to release a line of High Definition camcorders that are perfect for anyone who wants to make movies on a shoestring budget. While movies made with these cameras will not be shot on "film" (like movies have been since the beginning), they will (almost) look like they were. These new cameras will be able to give a high quality image that is comparable to the image that film provides. The two camcorders are the PDW-F330 and the PDW-F350, and they offer all sorts of film production features that even the most film-loyal professional filmmaker must respect. Both cameras offer true 24P recording in both SD and HD, interval recording, and slow shutter recording to name a few. The F350 model also offers true variable frame rate recording capabilities which are also referred to as the "slow motion/fast motion" features.

Features like these are very valuable to anyone making a low budget movie for it allows them to include motion effects in their films without the use of an expensive film camera or a high priced film lab. Both of these cameras will be on the market in March of 2006. The F350 will cost about twenty five thousand, while the F330 model will only cost about sixteen thousand dollars. A PDW-F30 deck will be available in June for about nine thousand. These are small prices to pay to be a self-sufficient independent filmmaker.

A low budget filmmaker can invest in a relatively low-cost HD camcorder and deck and have everything they need to make as many movies as their mind and body can crank out. All they will need after that is a creative mind, a few thousand dollars, a few ambitious friends for their actors and crew, some script writing software like Final Draft, and an iron resolve to make a movie. They do not have to worry about the high costs of film stock, film processing, or film-to-DVD transfers. All they will need is their camera and a $30 disc (23.3GB) and they will be set to film an entire movie. Buying discs for a camera is a lot cheaper than buying film and all the financial baggage that comes with it.

Once they shoot their movie with one of these cameras, a low budget filmmaker can go right to their computer with the disc and start editing it using one of the many affordable editing programs that are available these days such as Final Cut Pro. They can do all of the post production work for their movie on their home computer, as long as they are willing to shoulder a mother load of work responsibilities.

Technology has allowed independent filmmakers to bypass many expensive steps in the filmmaking process. Instead of paying a bunch of people hundreds of dollars an hour for film services that are only available in cities like Hollywood and New York, they can now do all of these steps in the comfort of their own home on their own computer.

For anyone who has ever had a dream of making their own movie, there is no better time than now to make it happen. The playing field has been leveled in terms of technology, but you still need a creative story to get anywhere on the film festival circuit. The affordable equipment can get you on the field, but you must bring a good game to win. A creative mind is your best player in this game, so if you have that part taken care of you are halfway to making your film vision a reality. Nurture your creative idea until it becomes a unique script and then dedicate your life to making this script into a movie.

If your idea is as good as you think it is you will do quite well on the film festival circuit. If this happens it could lead to a decent distribution deal for your movie. If you stick with it and continue to make films you may even find that you have made yourself a career as a professional artist who makes independent films, and that dreams really can become reality.

[Michael P. Connelly]

Tips On Selecting A Film School

2007-02-14T21:30:00.000-08:00

By John Morris

Filmmaking is not only an interesting, enjoyable and fulfilling career but very lucrative as well. Unfortunately, realizing the big Hollywood dream entails hard work, commitment and great amount of skill, right attitude, guts and some luck, too. While it is true that you're not in full control of your fate, the initial steps toward being a successful filmmaker depend on you. Choosing the right or the best film school where you would hone your talents, develop more interest and learn more knowledge in filmmaking is your first step.

Your decision to choose a particular film school is very crucial to your success as a filmmaker since that film school shall equip you with or shall help you gain more knowledge, skills, techniques and experiences, which are essential to a filmmaker. Those are his tools in filmmaking that cannot be bought but are earned and cultivated through time.

1. Know What You Want

First of all, you have to know what you want. Ask yourself what realm of filmmaking do you want to venture in or what kind of films do you want to work on in the future? Do you want to be an independent filmmaker or a simple film artist? There are so many film schools in the country as well as in other parts of the globe and each has its own expertise. Knowing what you want in the first place would allow you to focus your research and thus refine your choices for good film schools. Also, this would help you save time and effort in searching for schools as you have already eliminated those that may not fit your interest and criteria.

2. What Are Your Considerations?

After deciding on what area you want to concentrate, you should also identify your major considerations in choosing a particular film school.

- the affordability of film courses - the facilities of the film school - the accessibility and proximity of the school - the film school's reputation and quality of education

3. Don't Skimp On Your Education

Remember that a good film education is really expensive so do not just choose a film school that offers the cheapest film courses. It is important to consider the quality of education and the reputation of the school above all else. Remember that with that school, you are building a career that is supposed to be a life-long profession. Short-term film courses, say a 2-yr filmmaking course may be a lot cheaper than a 4-yr course and is quite helpful as most provide hands on training and a lot of project work. If you want to really excel in this field, however, you might opt for a longer course as it is more comprehensive.

3. Identify Where You Want To Study

Knowing where you want to cultivate your skills and intensify your interest in filmmaking is essential in selecting the right film school for you. This would refine your search as well since you would have to concentrate in looking for film schools only in one particular area or locality. New York is one of the best places to study film. It has the most developed art scenes for film and a number of reputable film schools. If affordability of the film course is one of your major considerations, you can choose a film school in Chicago and Milwaukee, which are known for having the most affordable film schools in the country. If you want to make it to Hollywood, better start your search for the best film school there in Los Angeles and nearby cities. There are lots of renowned film schools there that offer short and long term film courses.

4. Explore Colleges and Universities

Now that you have refined your criteria: the area in filmmaking you want to concentrate in, your major considerations such as the affordability of the courses, the school's reputation and the place, you can now do some research. As you explore your options, consider the things you have identified earlier. It would be better if you list down every film school's advantages and disadvantages so you can easily compare and contrast them. Also, as you examine the school's film courses and their special attributes, you can add some more considerations to your list and see which of the film schools you have considered meet the most of your requirements.

5. Narrow Your List

After going through several colleges and universities, narrow now your list by eliminating those that do not meet your criteria. With your short but well researched list of the best film schools, you can be more confident now of making a right decision. But before you finally select the film school, seek for other people's advice and recommendations, especially those who are well familiar with filmmaking.

For more great Film Schools related articles and resources check out www.onlyfilmschools.com.

[John Morris]

The Motion Picture Association Of America And Copyrights

2007-02-14T20:37:00.000-08:00

By Charles Weber

The MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) is the national voice of anti piracy laws. The MPAA defines copyright theft as: signal theft, theatrical print theft, digital picture theft (from the internet), unauthorized public performance of copyrighted work, and optical disc and videocassette theft. In the recent years the MPAA has played a major role in identifying and filing lawsuits against people who are liable for these kinds of thefts.

Some people may ask: "what constitutes these kinds of thefts?" or "does the MPAA really go after the small fries?" The truth is that the MPAA considers any kind of illegal duplication or performance of copyrighted pieces of material theft punishable to the full extent of the laws broad arm. And yes, they will go after the "small fries" as well as the big profiteers.

Here are some definitive answers to what constitutes some kinds of actions considered thefts by the MPAA:

- Theatrical print theft: Stealing the physical film from an authorized showing establishment, or straight from the studio. This form of theft is serious because it allows the thief to make high quality duplicates of the film for personal use or to resell for profit.

- Signal theft: when someone illegally taps into cable TV systems and receives programs usually paid for by the viewer at no cost. Many thieves have made substantial amounts of money selling devices specially designed to tap into cable or receive unauthorized satellite transmissions.

- Digital picture theft (via the internet): the internet can be easily utilized to download stolen or decoded movies. Some people are unaware that this kind of action is a theft! These things are considered a theft because they are taken from the internet without prior consent to the copyright owner. Just because money was exchanged (which many internet download sites and programs may ask of you to do to trick you into thinking it is a legitimate service) DOES NOT mean that it is legitimate. Even illegally hosting and streaming music for others, who did not purchase the music, is considered illegal.

The MPAA goes through great efforts to catch and prosecute offenders. Besides, how would you feel if you spent millions of dollars and thousands of hours producing a movie to sell to the public and instead of seeing profit for your hard work and time spent, you see nothing? This is why the MPAA considers such acts as those stated above as stealing.

[Charles Weber is an upcoming writer who researches various topics concerning the internet, media production, and other current events topics. Content should be taken as information and not legal advice. His website with more information about copyrights can be found at www.aboutcopyrights.com.]

Shooting Your Own Music Video

2007-02-14T20:33:00.000-08:00

By Robert D. Brooks

Music videos can be expensive items. It hurts spending thirty, fifty or even a hundred grand of your hard-earned money on something you - basically - give away for free!

So, it can be very tempting to save some money by shooting your own music video. I mean, video cameras come on cell phones nowadays, and HDTV is becoming less expensive. Cameras are everywhere. They're ubiquitous. And, deep down, everyone really fancies themselves a director - sorry, an auteur, don't they?...

So, should you consider going it alone and shooting your own music video?

The short answer: NO.

Directors, producers, cinematographers and production designers are all artisans. It takes years of study and work experience to become a decent film-maker. You wouldn't leave your cd layout to some guy you passed on the street, would you? So why even consider doing something as important as your first music video all by yourself? It may look like simple work, but believe me, producing and directing ain't easy!

Can you tell the difference between a lower budget independent movie and a Hollywood summer blockbuster? Of course you can! That's exactly the difference between shooting the video yourself and hiring a professional. You don't know how to make the movie look that glossy and perfect - but the professionals do! The best you could hope for is a decent indie flick. Sure, every once in a while a home-made music video comes along and does well. But, can you even think of one (and, no, Fatboy Slim's "Praise You" was NOT an indie video, the budget was actually massive). So, stick with the professionals. Let them do it all for you.

However, the single biggest reason I would dissuade you from shooting your own music video is probably not one you would have guessed:

Insurance!

Film crews often contain twenty, thirty, or even hundreds of people. There's typically massive amounts of power being run through thick cables (often submerged in puddles) up to precariously hung lights with a virtual windmill of large, exposed, sharp metal edges (and all this at about 600 degrees celcius). A film set is literally an accident waiting to happen.

Plus, adding to the inherent dangers of a film set, music video shoots tend to be even more dangerous (music video productions don't tend to have very much money for things like saftey experts and safety harnesses). Maverick directors love to put their subjects into harm's way. And, on low-budget shoots, you can often hear things like: "We don't need an expensive car-mount - let's just throw the cameraman on the hood! Don't worry, we'll tie him down..."

So, if you do decide to shoot your video yourself, just make sure no one trips over a light stand! It could cost you your life savings.

Legitimate production companies will have production insurance that covers the workplace (this insurance would cost you around one or two thousand dollars - just for the one music video).

Professional producers and production managers will have access to much better crew members than you will. If you only have a thousand dollars to hire a director of photography (cinematographer), I guarantee you I'll be able to hire a MUCH better DoP than you will! So, unless you have contacts in the industry, you should probably consider hiring a production company to do all the producing for you. You'll get a much higher quality crew that way.

And, one final note...

If you're shooting on 35mm film (which I strongly recommend, unless there's a VERY good reason not to - and some channels like MTV and Muchmusic may not even accept music videos that weren't shot on film), you'll need to rent a camera that's worth around half a million bucks! And, that camera doesn't come with any lenses (or tripods, or dollies, or film magazines, etc...). You'll have to rent all that separately. So, unless you have a VERY high limit on your credit card, the camera house might not even be willing to rent to you. You might even have to mortgage your house to cover the deposit!

Established production companies rent camera packages all the time (a decent music video package will be at least one or two thousand dollars a day), and often receive significant discounts from the rental house that you wouldn't be able to get. So, by going with an established production company, you'll actually be getting a considerably better equipment package than if you had done it yourself (producers also know how to get film at about a quarter the price you'd be able to).

So, overall, you'll get a much better bang-for-your-buck by hiring a professional producer or production company to shoot your music video for you. It will also save you an unbelievable amount of time and effort. And, in the end, isn't that what you want for your first video: The abolute best music video possible?

[Robert D. Brooks is a professional music video director from Vancouver, BC, Canada. For music video production, Bob is represented by music video production company Triton Films Inc.]

How To Make Your Movie Sound Like A Real Movie

2007-02-14T02:43:00.000-08:00

By Sam Longoria

I get a lot of questions on if I can "do" sound sweetening, usually by frantic filmmakers, calling in the middle of the night. They are frantic because the sound in their movie or video is bad.

They've used a cheap mic, plugged into the camera, or worse, have used the on-camera mic.

They had a friend aimlessly point the mic at the floor, or the sky, anywhere but at the actor muttering his lines, and moved the mic randomly during shooting.

Some, from the sound of it, have pointed the mic directly at the whirring camera, or rumbling electric generator, or humming air conditioner, or buzzing fluorescent lamp. They've bumped the mic against the wall, or the ceiling, or trees or bushes.

They're far away from what they're recording, not even in the same vicinity. There's so much "room sound," you can barely hear the actor mumbling along.

So, the Sound Guy (whoever they can get for a few minutes - usually a well-meaning person with no experience) turns up the level too far, which just makes the sound distort horribly, or too low, which buries the good sound in the mud.

Sound Editing adds more mistakes, and compounds the problem. The filmmaker has the equipment, and wants the film to be good. You'd think he'd read a book on the subject. You would be wrong.

He chops the sound when he chops the picture, and that's it. He doesn't split it into tracks, or replace bad sound, or finesse the tracks, or otherwise spend time exerting care and craft on his precious film's soundtrack.

Essentially, when he's done shooting and cutting and laying music, he thinks he is done, without spending the minimum of time and care and money it takes, to have a good sound track.

So the filmmaker shows his movie, with its bad sound, to lukewarm audience reaction. Ouch!

People don't know why the movie is bad, actually. Not one in ten can recognize "bad sound," they just think the movie stinks.

If the filmmaker is very, very lucky, somebody will tell him the sound is bad. Otherwise, he has no clue.

He's disappointed, but he still wants to maybe fix it. Somebody says "sweetening" the sound will help. So he comes to me.

He wants to know if bad sound can be fixed. I have to tell him the bad news - no.

At this stage, unless he has a great deal of time and money, and is willing to start completely over and take the proper care, nothing can be done.

Bad sound is the product of negligence. If you spend the time and care, from the beginning, there is no reason for your film or video sound to be bad.

You've probably seen many commercial movies with good sound, so why doesn’t your movie sound like them? You probably don't really know how a good movie sounds, and what effort went into making them sound good.

Take some time, and actively listen. After a while, you'll notice what a good movie sounds like.

I was very lucky when I was starting out. I read a book by Ivan Watson from England, who spelled out precisely what it takes to record and edit and mix good movie sound.

You can still find "Uncle Ivan's" books, either online, http://snurl.com/brbu or at your library. If you haven't read any filmmaking books, you need to. Get going!

What can you do to make your movie track sound less like a video, and more like a real movie?

Maybe a better question is, "Why does video sound so bad?"

I think that's a fair question, because frankly, most video sound, (all elements music-dialog-effects), sucks. I've heard exceptions, so I know it's not just the video itself.

Film does sound very different than video, I am certain of that.

Real movies are rich-sounding, with only the sounds and music that move the story along. Video, even shot by filmmakers who should know better, often is tinny and muffled, with thumps and noise on the tracks.

How is film sound different from video? Making a movie sound like a movie starts with the production sound.

Film sound is recorded on analog machines (yes, they still exist), or on cool new 96Khz/24bit sampling recorders.

Mini-DV camera sound is uncompressed 48Khz/16bit sampling. That's better-than-CD audio quality, but camera makers save money by using cheap audio circuits in most under-$5k video cameras.

Cheap-and-dirty analog-to-digital circuits add noise and distortion to your high-quality mic's crisp analog sound.

The best video camera sound I've found is on the Panasonic DVX-100A. Its audio section is good as most DAT or solid-state flash memory recorders. Shooting with one is like recording on a separate digital recorder.

Film sound is recorded with a midrange bump, and an EQ raise above 6KHz.

6KHz is the high end of the human voice. “Midrange” is around 2.5KHz. The film sound "EQ raise" at 6KHz increases dialogue intelligibility and perceived crispness.

In video, sound is recorded without pre or post EQ. Video sound also usually uses inferior mics to those used in film sound.

Film sound mics have a cleaner sound, and flatter response, sounding better than the mics used to record video sound. They are highly directional (rejecting extraneous noise).

Give your video sound's midrange an EQ bump, and a raise at 6Khz, and it will be more like how film sound is recorded.

Get some decent mics, not the cheapies. A Sennheiser ME66, or an Audio-Technika 835b, is mid-level, not terribly expensive, and really works well. Those will give you a rich and full sound.

You may not want to record double-system (sound recorder separate from the camera), but if you can, do it!

If you have a Nagra or other analog tape recorder, use it. They just sound better.

35mm mag film to edit? Sounds great. It should – it’s a 1/4" magnetic track at 18ips, and if you fill empty spaces with slug stock, it's self-gating.

In film sound, the sound designer matches sound to the look of the film. A sad movie has mood lighting, and the sound will be designed to match it in emotional tone. Its dialogue is EQ'd less crisply, with a lower-frequency boost.

In a happy comedy, lower frequencies are rolled off, and it's EQ'd and mixed to be "brighter."

Film sound is "sweetened" by manipulating room tone, premixing audio levels, and carefully considering dialog, music, and effects for their proper audio EQ.

Film sound expects post-production sweetening, which makes film audio sound so different from audio for video. Video sound can be sweetened, but Indies use it pretty much as it is recorded. Yuck!

What can be done about it? How can you make your movie sound like a real movie?

First, notice how video procedures are designed for quick-and- easy operation, and not really for quality.

I think most video sound sucks because the camera operator is also the sound recordist, and the camera op doesn't care about sound.

He wants the framing and focus and color and bla bla bla. Sound is not his priority, and he's not really listening to what's coming through the mic and mixer and headphones. He can't.

For your sound to be good, you must care about it being good. That care will force you to listen to your track, something most video hobbyists, and many filmmakers, simply don't do.

Until they've lost a film festival, and notice the winner has good sound. Or they see the one Indy film that comes along in a blue moon, the one with good sound.

If you actively listen to your track, you'll start hearing (it takes time to train your ears) all the junk you're recording.

You'll take the steps necessary (filtering, mic placement, EQ, editing) to discard everything that is extraneous. Get rid of anything that doesn't create a mood, or push your story along.

You will put the mic just as close to your subject as you can, and roll off the wind noise, and use a fur piece on the mic, and only mix in enough room or ambient noise, and only when it's necessary.

If there's a single "most important part," I would say it is "gain staging." Set your levels carefully - at every stage!

When we recorded in analog, there was a certain forgiving quality to the recording process. Overmodulation would "saturate" the tape, limiting levels before actually distorting.

Now everything's digital, and if you're recording digitally (to DAT, CD, Mini-disc, or Flash Memory), there is very little "headroom," and much less tolerance for clipping, than in analog.

If your meter goes "into the red," the sound becomes a chattery digital nightmare. It is ruined forever. So make sure you use "-6Db" for your "0Db," to keep it clean.

Always "expect the unexpected" when setting your levels. I've noticed actors always "perform" 6Db louder than they "rehearse," and musicians do too.

I always feed one mono signal to both stereo tracks, with L at the "proper" level, and R backed off 6Db or so.

If the sound gets too loud, L will distort, but I'll still have a chance to salvage that section of R, when I'm editing.

How much is enough? Experience will teach you. Listen!

The major difference between how film dialog sounds and video dialog sounds is the EQ and compression that is used to make it intelligible and "fatter." With practice, you will learn how to get that sound. There is no shortcut - you must practice!

You will learn what distortion sounds like, and you will learn to set the gain properly, and boost the midrange or add compression in recording or mixing, when it's necessary, to push the important signal up out of the mud, and into your audience awareness.

How much boost? Again, experience.

That's why you need a Sound Mixer with sound as his only job, one who cares, with enough faith in his ears, and experience at setting the gain and EQ, and also a trained and experienced Boom Operator, with necessary skills to point and move the boom.

Make it clear to your sound crew that you consider sound just as important as the picture, and you expect good work from them.

Insist they yell "Cut!" if it distorts, and tell you when they need another take.

Don't make the mistake of letting "just anybody" volunteer to record sound. Make sure they've done it before.

Just hanging a mic on a boom stand is better than nothing, but not very much better. Care must be taken at every stage.

Get the best sound you can, when you shoot, so your editing will go smoothly.

Few things are worse than an edit session that becomes an audio salvage operation. It detracts from the creativity, replacing it with an air of desperation. You want to edit, when you edit.

After your picture is locked, start the sound edit. Split your tracks, so you can vary the gain on any element. If two characters are talking, you should have each on his own track.

Cut your dialogue, and then effects. Use your audio editing program to "normalize" your levels, and clean up the sound.

See what needs to be fixed, and fix it. Some stuff can, like Boom mic crashes, and ambient noise, but if something is bad and can't be fixed, replace it with ADR, looping, and foley.

Foley is extremely subjective, that is, it's not realistic. You don't notice footsteps at all in real life, but in the movies, if you need to know somebody's purposefully walking along, the footsteps are loud and pure and pristine. Tik, tik, tik.

Papers or clothes rustling, same thing. There are persons who make their living making clothing rustling noises, and walking and all those noises. They're called "Walkers," or "Foley Artists."

I don't mind having to record every footstep and line of dialogue. I've done it enough, I know how to make it seem real. How? From doing it and doing it, so if you want to learn how, get started, record something.

In fact, I much prefer replacing location dialogue. This frees me to shoot with literally any camera, noisy or not. Eyemo? Arri or Cameraflex? Mitchell, Eclair, Konvas?

All quite delightful results, if you record a track just to use as a guide track.

Or shoot two takes, one with the camera running, one without, but recording sound both times, and cheat the camera-less sound over the camera take, and cut it into sync.

Looney, but it works, and that's what I do, and I get good sound.

The harder and longer you work on your sound edit, the better chance your mix has to be good.

In my experience, looping or ADR are not all that expensive, when you have a vocal room in your house, and some good mics.

In a pinch, a closet full of coats works fine, or a tent made of carpet, hanging from the ceiling. Just put the mics away from your computer fan or open windows.

My friend Jimmy O'Brien, Editor and Dialogue Director at Universal for many years, told me he'd flown to NY and far-off places to record a few lines on occasion, if it would fix or change a line reading, or even change the whole plot line!

I know much of what I know about film sound from a long-ago interview with Walter Murch, in an issue of "Filmmakers Newsletter," where he advised to replace all the lines, rather than just one, so they'll all match. Die-hard attitude, but his tracks are lovely.

One of those that comes to mind is "Apocalypse Now," which had virtually no usable sound when they entered post-production. Think about that - everything was ADR and Foley!

Which brings me to the point in "making your movie sound like a real movie."

Real movies have real good sound tracks to start with, and are willing to replace most, and sometimes ALL the sound, to make it really good.

Use your imagination, to determine what process might make your sound "sound right." Create a sound space for each scene that serves the story. Use EQ and reverb and sound effects to create that space.

Compression is still a useful tool, even in these days of digital audio. It makes the "louds" quieter, and the "quiets" louder, raising the overall perceived level. That makes the track easier to mix, because it is "pre-mixed." The mix flies itself.

Use compression sparingly, so it doesn't make overall changes you don't want. Rather than compressing everything, use your audio editing software to draw in your gain changes.

This is actually a manual type of compression, with intelligence, (yours). Drawing in your level changes makes the track fatter and more intelligible.

Take all the time and care your movie requires, with only one outcome in mind, to make your movie tracks sound better.

Have the picture scored by a composer who knows what he's doing, and get the very best mix you can.

Good audio takes as much planning as good picture, from start to finish. Good audio doesn't "just happen," it is the result of careful listening, and time, and care.

Most video hobbyists don't give sound the attention it deserves, and that's why there's such an astonishing difference in quality between video and film sound. Be different.

Start listening! Take care!

[Sam Longoria is a Hollywood producer, working in film since 1970, in a variety of jobs. His work graces several Oscar-nominated films, and one Oscar winner. Sam teaches Independent Producing at hollywoodseminars.com and writes for his Filmmaking Blog.]

Filmmaking - Five Good Producer Skills

2007-02-14T02:39:00.000-08:00

By Angela Taylor

You may believe a thorough knowledge of filmmaking and the entertainment industry is enough to make you a good movie producer. While it certainly helps to know the nuts and bolts of movie production, and even the details of financing and marketing a movie, that knowledge is not enough to create a good producer. It might make for a good studio executive, or other job out of the fray, but you need to develop specific skills, to help you make an independent film.

The first and most important skill you need is organization. If you were the kid who kept the minutes of the club meetings, edited the yearbook, or organized the prop-closet by era, you already have this skill. It is something that is hard to teach, but you can certainly learn it, to become more organized.

If you are the person who can’t find his keys and has no idea how much is in your checking account, you need help. Get organized. There is simply no substitute for it.

Buy a book about getting organized. I recommend “How to Get Organized When You Don’t Have The Time” by Stephanie Culp.

Or take a Franklin - Covey course. Do whatever you have to do, but get organized.

Second, you need to be able to make decisions quickly. Despite the best planning, things change moment-to-moment during production. You will have to decide right now whether to set up the next shot despite the looming storm clouds, or to move on to another location, completely disrupting the schedule.

The best way to develop this skill is to completely bury your doubt. Know that you are in charge, any mistakes to be made are yours to make and you will suffer the consequences of bad decisions. If you act decisively, and accept blame when necessary, your cast and crew will accept your decisions unquestioningly.

Third, you must be a good negotiator. You will have to make deals for every single thing on the set - the equipment, the sets, the crew, the film stock, everything. Even if you’re borrowing your mom’s station wagon, you will have to convince her you will take good care of it, and return it washed, and with a full tank of gas. Everything will have to be negotiated.

When negotiating rates, know the maximum you can pay for any one line item on your budget and try to shave 20 or 30 percent off of it. If they negotiate up, you may still save 15 percent or so off what you expected to pay.

There is one thing you need to know when negotiating: You can always say no. If you can’t get the deal you want, just say no. Practice it. No. There is no need to be a jerk, just make it clear that you will take your business or offer elsewhere. If a crew member doesn’t want to accept your day rate, he doesn’t have to. You will find someone else (assuming you set your rate at a reasonable low-budget level).

Fourth, a producer also needs diplomacy. It’s surprising how often a film shoot devolves into a third-grade playground. In just a few short weeks, cliques form, rumors start and friendships are formed and ruined. Crew members and actors will, believe it or not, come tattle to you. Sometimes you will have to intercede in petty squabbles and personality conflicts. The trick is to smooth ruffled feathers while not making one combatant feel like you’ve taken another’s side. That will only set factions against you, and that’s the last thing you want on your set.

And fifth, of course, you will need energy. Lots and lots of energy. Caffeine helps to get you started after only a few hours sleep, but it is no substitute for real, healthy human energy. One of the things you must do during pre-production is get yourself in shape for the rigorous weeks of shooting. You’re in training, not for a sprint, but for a marathon.

Working on lower budgets, independent films often have a much tighter schedule, making for longer days and fewer days off. Take it seriously beforehand, and train like a champion. Exercise, eat healthy, and take vitamins and supplements to build your energy stores, so you can get through it.

After you have these five basic producer skills down, you will be ready to develop your knowledge of the filmmaking process and the entertainment industry, by producing a successful independent film.

[Angela Taylor is a Hollywood producer, and a seven-time Telly Award winner. She teaches Independent Producing at hollywoodseminars.com.]

Long Live Those Who Choose the Independent Path in Film

2007-02-13T23:25:00.000-08:00

By Michael Connelly

It seems like the only films being made these days by major studios are sequels to comic book hero movies, remakes of classic old movies and old television shows that have been turned into movies. Most of the projects of today's film industry are chosen by Wall Street instead of by some cigar chomping studio executive sitting behind a desk on a studio lot in Hollywood. It can be disheartening at times when you are standing in front of an eighteen-plex movie theater location and you want to see a movie with a story. However, just when you think that creativity is dead in the movie business a talented filmmaker will come along and remind the big shots that they ultimately depend on them for their product.

The fact of the matter is that the film industry is a business like any other in which the primary goal is to make money. Any deviation from that concept puts a studio at risk of having a movie that "bombs", or in other words loses money. When you are dealing with a major studio like Warner Bros or Paramount you have shareholders to worry about, and that makes studio executives nervous. When shareholders get nervous they shine a bright light on their investment and look for anything or anyone that is not making them money. This spells disaster for inept studio executives and their heads will roll. This is why they always try to cover their behinds with the safest investment, and that is why you will not see them taking any chances on something or someone that has not already been proven to make money.

A big studio is basically defined by the value of their stock, not the quality of their films. This is why major studios appear to be creatively bankrupt these days. Decisions about making movies are being made by financial people instead of creative visionaries like Jack Warner. Today's films are constructed around a host of commercial themes instead of artistic ones and that is why you get a whole lot of special effects and very little storyline. Explosions and clever product placement sell more tickets than gripping stories.

When you think about how the odds are stacked so heavily against the financial success of a truly independent film it is a wonder that any at all get made. It is a testament to the creative and irrepressible spirit of independent filmmakers around the world. While filmmaking is first and foremost a business these days it will always rely on its creative aspect to keep the customers happy. This is why creative people are drawn to this industry despite the odds of success being heavily against them. Film production is and always will be a form of art no matter how commercialized it becomes. Artists are drawn to this business because that is what they do; they work with art forms.

You have to understand when you take on a career in film production you are rolling the dice with your future success. It is really hard to break into this field as a major player without connections due to the fact that there is a great deal of nepotism involved in the hiring process. It is hard, but not impossible.

The best way for a Nobody to become a Player in Hollywood is to make a big showing at a major film festival like Sundance or Toronto. This always leads to some good publicity, which can launch a career from independent to mainstream.

We all remember The Blair Witch Project and El Mariachi. These were films made in the late nineties that cost less than fifty thousand dollars and crossed over from the film festival circuit to the major theater circuit. They were made by artists who put their budget second and their vision first. Persistence and an undying passion to make movies was the fuel that drove them, and it paid off in the end. Big studios bought their films and went on to make millions with them. It does not matter that the studios made most of this money, for the publicity that these filmmakers received was enough to launch their careers in Hollywood. In both cases the makers of these movies went on to create sequels, but with major studio budgets backing them financially for the second episodes of their stories. Their exploits in the world of independent film was a springboard to the big time. It worked out well for them.

It is good to see that every once in a while a really independent film makes it to the big time. Most films that are entered in festivals never get to see the bright lights of the mainstream, but it does happen every once in a while. This is because passionate and creative artists will always gravitate to this line of work to tell their stories, no matter how hard the big studios make it for them to join their money-making party. A truly great story teller cannot be silenced by nepotism. They will always find a way to get their story told. One thing is for sure; when it comes to the movie industry the cream always rises to the top. Although it has been smothered by commercialism lately it cannot exist on money and test marketing alone. The main nutrient it requires to survive is creativity. Even the most heavily laden special effects movie needs some sort of creativeness to build their explosions around. Once in a while the big Hollywood studio executives open the doors to their party and let the creative people inside, but only if their financial advisors tell them that it is a good idea.

[Michael Connelly]