A filmmaker's film maker

Let's make a movie! How many times you've said that? After 30 years of filmmaking, there's still that moment of excitement when everything comes together and you hold your first production meeting. There's really nothing in the world like it, being on a set of a movie, working with talented people, actors, actresses and crew members. Yet, like everything exciting in life, filmmaking is an expensive and demanding profession. Nothing must be left to chance. All the technical elements must be attended to and production must be planned and executed according to the highest standards of the industry. Finally, the marketing and the distribution of a movie must be arranged with great care. The money that's invested must be recovered, if one is to continue making movies on a long term basis.

When you're an independent filmmaker, the most important thing you can do to start making movies is buy your filmstock a little at a time and begin shooting. By working all the time, even if it's four hours a day or a few days a week, you'll notice that in a matter of a few weeks you've nearly completed principal photography on a feature film. You can edit what you have, shoot some pick-ups and tie up the loose ends, and soon enough you'll have completed another movie. The filmmaking process is the same regardless of your budget. When you're an independent filmmaker, don't make a big production out of it, just shoot your movie one day at a time. Don't wait for the millions to roll in or to get picked up by the majors. If you already know how to make a movie, give it a whirl, roll cameras!

One of the best ways I know of succeeding in the business is to distribute independent-filmmaker movies co-operatively. I believe in good will among artists. Although it's hard to find people who'll risk everything on movies they believe in to make up a viable group, I'm optimistic that in time there'll be enough of us who'll get together and go to the international markets with movies we feel passionately about.

Enjoy your visit! Just pick one of the hyperlinks below and surf my filmmaker pages for everything you ever wanted to know about films, film production, studios, festivals, such as the Cannes Film Festival, markets, editing, labs, post production services, film production workshops, raw stock, production packages starting from $25,000, Internet technology-sharing and networking. I offer this page for independent filmmakers living the dream, it's one filmmaker's journey in pursuit of the fine art of filmmaking.

Living the filmmaker's dream requires keeping abreast of technological breakthroughs and seeing life in a new way. Some of the ideas that were impossible to realize a decade ago may be possible today, with the new equipment being introduced in motion picture trade shows and exhibits. More opportunities are now open to independents with limited budgets. The commercial film industry has moved toward computer generated imagery and the fantasy genre, leaving the window open for the independents to capitalize on the technology to tell ordinary stories in extraordinary ways. The background to a movie need not be some bizarre other-world. There are many exotic locations or historical settings that one could use with the same computer generated imaging (CGI) technology.

By maintaining a minimal production capacity, you'll be able to stay focused. Don't let yourself be bullied into projects that don't allow you to grow as an artist. It's not how many films you make that determines whether or not you're a true filmmaker, but what kind of films you make? It's not just a question of what makes money. It's nice to have a successful movie, but more importantly it's doing something that's never been done before, to stretch the envelope, to advance the state of the art. That's why I've remained an independent. So each time I start the same way, to make the most artistic movie that I can, keeping in mind the audience I'm targeting, and it's not been easy fighting off the entrenched commercial interests of the film industry. It's easy to throw in the towel and give the distributors what they want, but it depends on who's putting up the money. If it's my own money, I want to make the movie that I'm proud to put my name on.  I think after thirty years I've gotten better at it. Now I'm looking for that really great script that won't cost an arm and a leg to produce, but that I can sink my teeth into as an artist. In the final analysis, every filmmaker must write his own script, at least once.

Remember, for you as a filmmaker, the best investments aren't real estate, stocks or whatever your financial advisor tells you; it's making movies, that's what your best investment is. Of course, you need a place to live ... a place to store your movies, so there's nothing wrong with buying an adequate living space for yourself and your family. It should be a proper environment for yourself as a creative artist, and a place to work on your scripts and personal projects.

While developing my own projects, I don't mind working on other people's pictures, especially friends. I believe in sharing my knowledge and expertise, because other independents taught me everything I know about filmmaking. And one of the best ways to get involved in the film business is being on a movie set. If you want to learn filmmaking from the inside out, I have a workshop program for you. If you want to read about some of my ideas on filmmaking, here's a web page on the Language of Film.

Independent Filmmaking A to Z

This book is now posted in its entirety. It was written in 1995, but it's still a great reference for young filmmakers entering the Hollywood film industry. There are many pitfalls to watch out for and many essential facts to keep in mind.

You may take some of the bitterness in this book with a grain of salt; my intentions in writing this book were to spare the aspiring filmmakers some common disasters and heartaches of a chaotic industry.