Do Other Industries Work for Free or "Exposure"?

With Will Wheaton telling The Huffington Post off a few weeks ago, fair pay for creative services is back in the news again. The Star Trek: TNG actor clearly doesn't need "the exposure," but HuffPo tried. As much as HuffPo makes, the news site can pay Wheaton and other contributors.

Well, someone made a video! Toronto-based ad agency Zula Alpha Kilo approaches actual non-creative small businesses with the same requests creatives receive on the daily basis. Results were not good.



Just a little perspective.

Also, in case you need a reminder what "spec" is...



Happy Filmmaking!

"Indies suck," Says Iron Man

Thus enters the love-hate relationship with Robert Downey, Jr. On one hand, he is a great example of someone who works hard and beat an addiction that plagues some many creative people. On the other hand, he performed in blackface and used the “R-word,” even though the film is a satire on Oscar-winning roles.

During an interview with Entertainment Weekly Radio, Downey calls indie films “exhausting and sometimes they suck.” As an indie filmmaker and advocate, I find myself on the defensive of Downey’s comments. Upon further consideration, I have to admit Downey is somewhat right in his comments. Not entirely, but somewhat.

How Downey is right:
Indie films are exhausting: compared to big budget films, they are. Crews are smaller, which means more responsibilities bestowed on an already stressed out crew. Departments may share PAs, or even Heads. Indie films crews work long hours for little pay. Why do indie crews do it? Short answer: Because they love film.

Inexperience: I’ll concede this point because usually an indie film is the first film for many Hollywood actors and directors. However, inexperience is not a bad thing. Sometimes it’s a lesson in what works and doesn’t work. Most entrepreneurs are not experienced, either. You are not selling the skills set. You are selling the concept.

Low pay: Compared to a Hollywood film, indie films may have defferred payment or little-to-no payment. While I wouldn’t consider low pay a strength of indie films, indie films can be considered start-ups, as opposed to major corporations. The opportunities may offset the pay.

How Downey is wrong:
Indie film budgets: Here’s where Downey’s Hollywood beer googles kick in. $500k is a “Hollywood” indie film. When Downey hears “indie film,” he is probably thinking in the realm of $300K-10M budget. Most REAL indie films are done for much less.

Indie films scheduling: While the shooting days are long, the actual production schedules for indie films are usually short, maybe a month or two on average. This is practical as the longer you shoot something, the more expensive it becomes. Working on your birthday is normal in the adult world. Sports stars play games on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Comes with the job description. My birthday is Christmas Eve and I've worked on it most of my adult life.

Indie films are disorganized: It depends on the set. If an indie film made it to Sundance, odds are the set was run like a well-oiled (yet cheaply built) machine.


The actor’s roles in indie films: Yes, it is partially the actor’s responsibility to champion an indie film. Most indie film actors know this and willingly participate in the Q&As. It’s called marketing and branding.

Inexperience: Downey is wrong and right! Some filmmakers stay independent, but I would not call them inexperienced. Alexander Payne, Spike Lee, Robert Rodriguez, and P.T. Anderson, for example. Some actors like J.K. Simmons are known for their prolific indie film work.

The problems Downey cites about indie film are not exclusive to indie films, or to filmmaking. I think the larger problem is the apathy Downey may feel with the state of cinema today, which is a sentiment shared with other filmmakers, such as Steven Spielberg, Steven Soderbergh, or Spike Lee. Personally, I feel that indie films will save Hollywood from itself.

Happy Filmmaking!

Smartphone Filmmaking: An App Review

I previously wrote a post about using your iPhone to take decent photos. This post, I’m taking it a step further. Since I was short on cash, I’m using my iPhone to film a short film for the Mobile Film Scramble. I’m new to the whole iPhone filmmaking thing, but having such a portable camera that you carry around everywhere makes being a guerilla filmmaker even easier than ever. And I love being a guerilla! It’s an addictive adrenaline rush.

So, one setback to filming on your iPhone is the fact your iPhone reads exposure, white balance, and focus as the same thing. This leads to very average footage. To fix this, I downloaded an app called FiLMiC. There is a pro version and a classic version. The verdict?

The footage was surprising good! Here is an exterior shot, raw and dirty. There is some loss of quality due to upload.

And an interior shot:

Being able to set exposure and focus separately improves the video quality exponentially. Overall, I was happy with the results, even with my now ancient iPhone 3GS. Changing the frames-per-second is also a great feature, since it allows you to use Hollywood standard (that’s 24 FPS), Euro standard (25 FPS), and video standard (30 FPS). It’s hip these days to shoot digital video at 24 FPS, so if you are feeling like Scorsese, you are free to do so with this app.

You can also do some minor edits in this app, but I prefer to do most of my edits on a full size computer. Maybe in a few years my views will change, but right now, I am of Camp Towers of Processing Power. Still nice to do edits on the fly, though.

There are some problems with this app. First of all, even though the app allows you to have more control of the built-in camera, it still relies on automatic data entering your aperture. Many people like this. Control freaks like me who prefer complete manual control do not. But, you are using an iPhone, not a Canon 1D, so it’s a minor issue.

Personally, I don’t see too much variance with the white balance. Maybe this was fixed in FiLMiC Pro, but the classic version seems a little slow to read white balance. Also, the record button is slow to respond. It may be a programmed to record a few seconds after you stop recording. For me, this is a little annoying, considering your iPhone, iPad or iPod has finite storage space. This may lead to happy accidents for you, however.

Try it out! If you are like me, you might want to buy the classic version first, to see if you like it. The classic version is only $0.99 and will work on all iPhones. The pro version requires iOS 6 or higher.

Happy Filmmaking!

Gamechangers: Canon EOS 5D Mark III and the New iPad

Talk about a match made in heaven! The highly anticipated Canon EOS 5D Mark III and the uber-highly anticipated iPad have finally made their debuts. Both seem made for each other. The iPad 3--or iPad HD, whatever they are calling it--has the much predicted retina display previously touted on the iPhone and iPod. Given the new display, the iPad uses as a media display can be pushed into any filmmaking realm.

The Mark III is a step up from the Mark II. It has revolutionary features such as a silent shutter. As a still photographer and a filmmaker, I've never heard of a silent shutter. Since I'm too poor to afford either at this point, I guess I'll stick with renting.



It's nice to dream, though. Happy Filmmaking!

Is Memphis the new Tribeca?

The Indie Memphis Film Festival opens tomorrow, running through Sunday. Although still short for a film festival, Memphis is quickly becoming a hot bed for indie talent. Is it because Three 6 Mafia won an Oscar? Well...

I think I would "blame" the tax incentives. Tennessee has a phenomenal 32% tax rebate!

Happy Filmmaking!

Sunset: Claude Charbrol 1930-2010

One of the fathers of the French New Wave and a frequent contributor to the Cahiers du cinéma has died. Monsieur Charbol was 80 years old. His films include Bellamy, Les Cousins, and La Femme infidéle, which was remade in the US as Unfaithful. He joins Eric Rohmer, who died earlier this year, into the eternal stars. Rest in Peace, Claude.

Happy Filmmaking.

Blogging the LAFF

It's that time of year! The LA Film Festival is now in full swing. This year, instead of the rolling hills and glistening streets of Westwood, the festival takes place downtown at the recently-completed LA Live. Methinks this is part of the city's plan to gentrify the once-avoided area.

Anywhoo, I thought I would take the time to review the films I saw today and the festival thus far. While I still ponder the reasoning behind moving the festival downtown, I must admit it was a smart choice. Moving the festival to LA Live makes it more accessible to locals via Metro. Not to mention, everyone in Los Angeles knows where the Staples Center is. Despite its premier location, I must shake my head at the available food and rest options currently at LA Live. Last year, there was a plethora of cafes, fast food joints, convenience stores, restaurants, and sushi bars to keep the plebeians happy. This year, most of the food choices center around the sit-down restaurant experience and Starbucks. Needless to say, the Starbucks is seeing alot of action these days for festival-goers looking for a quick bite in-between screenings. There's a Subway three blocks up and one block east, but seriously, no one walks in LA. I found it by accident myself.

Moving on to the screenings. I saw two docs today. Great films. A quick review on both.

GasLand, directed by hippie-raised Pennsylvanian Josh Fox, protests natural gas companies' abuses of our most precious and vital resource: water. Interview after interview reveals how landowners' water reserves are now filled with undrinkable, flammable water. Yes, you can literally light what is supposed to be drinking water straight from the faucet. The citizens try to fight back in their own ways, but are ultimately at a loss for a final solution. God only knows what these folks are drinking. Interesting enough, Fox mentions during the Q-and-A how he is now the target of natural gas companies who are desperately trying to debunk his film. He wasn't lying.

The film was informative, however, Fox inserted himself in the documentary a little too much for me. I gave it a 3 in the audience choice vote.

Where are You Taking Me?, directed by Kimi Takesue, highlights life in post-civil war Uganda. Takesue uses a non-narrative, minimalist documentary style in order to create a living portrait of the Ugandan people. She uses plenty of close-ups, carefully capturing each nameless subject as they go by their daily lives. Scenes slowly reveal themselves, busting stereotypes wide open. For example, one scene shows young children breaking rocks in a quarry. Dirty and waif-like, they peer at the overseer. He's pushing them to work harder. Then, a boom mike and camera appear, and the word "cut" is heard. This is a movie set. As you watch, you come to the realization that despite the civil war being in the recent past, the Ugandan people are optimistic. They are also more athletic and multi-lingual than you will ever be! My vote was a 4.

Happy Filmmaking!

Film lingo list

Are people speaking another language to you on set? The good folks over at Microfilmmaker Magazine complied a really great list of industry lingo. Although I would not call it a complete list, it's a start for beginner people who can't quite talk the talk yet. Some examples:

Deep Focus:
A style of cinematography and staging that uses relatively wide angle lenses and small lens apertures by maintaining objects in the extreme background and foreground simultaneously focused. (Cinematography)

Dolly Shot:
Any shot made from a moving dolly. These may also be called tracking or traveling shots. (Production)

Room Tone:
The "noise" of a room, set or location where dialog is recorded during Production. Used by film and dialog editors as a "bed" to form a continuous tone through a particular scene. This is often confused with ambience, which might be sound effects and/or reverberation added when the dialog is mixed.

A/B Rolls:
Two or more rolls of film having alternate scenes intercut with opaque leaders in such a way tshat the 'A' roll presents its picture at the same time that the 'B' roll presents opaque leader, and vice versa. (Film Editing)

Pay or Play:
A contract provision which commits the production company to compensate a cast or crew member for a project whether or not that project ever goes into production.

The rest of the Film dictionary is here

Happy Filmmaking!!!

Year in Review--2009

Today, CNN posted this article in support of independent film (or at least low-to-mid budget films), as well as the dismissing the Hollywood blockbuster that has been dominating box offices in the recent years. Mr. Charity notes the the higher the Hollywood film budget, the less money alloted for smaller, but not as profitable, films. It's a recession trend that only makes sense to Hollywood.

Yes, 2009 has had many mediocre box office baits, but the article highlights some gems, mostly of the indie nature. The film that gets the top honors is the Coen Brothers' A Serious Man. Other films on the "best" list include the critically acclaimed The Hurt Locker and Two Lovers.

Hmmm, films that are considered the worst: well, Transformers 2 is one (I never can remember the entire name). Good job, CNN.

Happy Filmmaking!

Spooky Spooky Halloween!

Happy Halloween! In honor of America's favorite pseudoholiday, Film Experience Blog has included a list of movies of movies that remind the writer of Halloween. Awesome. I just want to add four more Indie-approved titles:

1. The Thief, the Cook, his Wife, and her Lover. An exercise of weirdness. Especially when you realize a naked Helen Mirren also played royal-old person Elizabeth II.

2. Dawn of the Dead (1978). How can this one not remind you of Halloween! Of at least our sick obsession with the dead.

3. La Cité des enfants perdus (or City of Lost Children). Children will always be a staple of Halloween and the dsytopic fantasy world that surrounds the children reminds me of Nightmare before Christmas.

4. Pink Flamingos. Another one of those exercises of weirdness. Singing rectums, sexual acts with chickens, and a black market rape/baby ring later, you realize this is just like your last Halloween in college.

5. Eyes Wide Shut. Okay, not technically Indie but two words: Venetian Masks.

Happy Halloween and Happy Filmmaking!

The Marketability of Independent Film

Exactly how marketable is independent film? All through college I was told that indie films are really not that marketable. And it seems my professors and industry insiders were right. However, Cinderella stories such as District 9 and Paranormal Activity are hard to ignore. And Precious, a film endorsed by Oprah and Tyler Perry may not be far behind.

So was I lied to? Were millions of film students lied to? Not really, but I believe the tides have turned. Nowadays, it is far easier to self-produce and fund independent films. Give me $10,000 or even $5,000, and I can probably make something watchable. With such a small budget, turning a profit on my film may not be as hard as people make it.

But will it sell? Ahh. There's the rub. One has to be completely original, yet remain within the framework of some familiarity. Such as District 9. At first, it sounds like a typical alien invasion story, but the twist reveals that these aliens live in the ghetto. And humans have put them there. And the movie takes place in Africa. The familiarity of the alien invasion story draws us in, while ghetto aliens in bras and panties who abuse cat food like crack keeps us there.

The genre rules are the same though. You still have the bankable horror film, crime drama, romantic comedy, or sci-fi adventure. Indies can play around with genre constructs, especially to drive up originality factor, but too weird and you might be another Ed Wood (one can argue Plan 9 was a genre experiment).

As much as we would hate to admit, the Industry is a business. You gotta play to the masses if you want to stay on top. Of course, the most bankable thing you can do is to bring "a name" to your project. Names come at prices, but sometimes the names alone sell. For example, Tyler Perry can take a crap on a piece of paper, call it Madea Goes to the Bathroom, and will still turn a profit because of the marketability of his name. Hell, may even be #2 at the box office, right after the Halle Berry/Angelina Jolie lesbian film, also co-starring Beyoncé as the jilted lover.

Are there some films that prove marketable even while failing at these "rules"? Sure, but for most of us, we might as well throw that $5,000 off a cliff because no one will see our films. Alternatively, you could shoot the money floating gracefully towards the bottom of the abyss and call it a social commentary about the American banking loan system. Then post it on YouTube. Take that, Keyboard Cat!

Happy Filmmaking!

More Images from LAFF

I never did mention the movies I saw. I am a working girl, so many of the films I wanted to see previewed on the weekends. I saw:

Zero Bridge-touching tale about a pickpocket teenage orphan in Kashmir.

I Sell the Dead-very quirky, but fun.

Wah Do Dem-which won the narrative award, by the way! White boy lost in Jamaica. What's not to love about that?

The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia-just like it sounds. Produced by Johnny Knoxville.

Not a large list, but I missed quite a few I intended to see. My boyfriend volunteered at the festival so my tickets were gratis! It was at this same festival that he decided he wanted to produce some projects I'm working on. In LA for less than two months and he already caught the filmmaking bug!

Us in the Filmmaker's Lounge.

More photos. Excuse my Blackberry camera:


Tap dancing king of West Virginia.

Happy Filmmaking!

Quick Filmmaking Technique: Rotoscoping

The rotoscoping technique is back with a vengeance! From Kanye West's "Heartless" video to Charles Schwab commericals, the trend is picking up again. What is rotoscoping? Basically, it's the technique of animating or tracing over either live-action or other representations of people or objects. In its most basic form, all elementary school children have done it to "show off their art skills." You remember? Of course you do.

Rotoscoping is not only the art of making a subject look animated, but it is also responsible for greenscreen effects (Forrest Gump) and those doppelganger effects in some films (Eddie Murphy's Nutty Professor).

Luckily for the filmmaker on the budget, rotoscoping is alot easier and cheaper nowadays. The effect is easily achievable on a computer with high-end motion graphics software. Adobe After Effects is optimal, but you may want to try out some open-source software as well.

When shooting, keep these steps in mind:

• You should plan for rotoscoping prior to reaching post-production stage, ideally, in preproduction.
• Shoot your live-action in a neutral and uninteresting location, such as a soundstage. This will help maintain a clean rotoscoping without looking cluttered.
• Pay close attention to light and shadow during the shoot. You don't want your subjects looking too 2-d!
• Rotoscope only works if your actors actually act. Rotoscoping maintains a human element to what appears to be living 2-d art.

When editing:

• Use a vector technique (such as the infamous "pen" tool) to draw around your characters or objects. Some programs can trace a subject automatically, but always check the accuracy first for a professional look.
• This would be used as a matte, which you can use to onionskin (superimpose) your image to sync with the live footage. Your matte and your live footage should have the same frame rate.
• For Kanye's look, you would need to flatten the colors of your actors. Stick to a limited palatte that creates a "pop art" look.
• For the A-ha or the Charles Schawb look, draw a visible outline around the subject. Make the line as thick as you would like. Emphasize the lines, not the colors.
• In both, resist the temptation to dramatically recolor actors' clothes.
• Don't forget keyframes or rendering!
• Practice before make significant changes to your rough cut.

For more great examples of rotoscoping, check out the master: Ralph Bakshi. His films like American Pop and Lord of the Rings inspired many filmmakers.

Happy Filmmaking!

Legal permits vs. good ol' fashion shoot-and-run

Coming home from work today, I noticed a "Notice of Filming" posted on the front door of my apartment building. I am very familiar with these signs, and every time I see one, my face lights up. They bring me back to my film school days, when students always ran into one universal problem: permit, or no permit?

Fundamentally in Los Angeles, it is illegal to shoot a film in a public area without securing a permit. Especially if you would be obstructing the normal traffic or pedestrian flow. Thus, Los Angelinos expect the notices. If you don't have one of these, there is nothing you can do when some asshole decides to take a shortcut straight through your shoot.

But permits take time away from your shoot, they cost money, and sometimes you find a locale you love, but you can't secure the location through a permit. What are you gonna do? Go guerrilla, of course! Guerrilla filmmaking tends to happen quite often in indie and student films. I did it myself. And despite the clearly laid-out rules at USC about shooting without permits, the school itself turned a blind eye to it in regards to its students. There was even a class at 'SC about Guerrilla filmmaking. Guerrilla filmmaking only works if you have a small cast and crew and very few equipment, or if you are shooting a documentary. That way you can shoot and move more quickly.

If you are caught by authorities, however, you could face legal issues. Big legal issues. And who wants that when they are trying to make something meaningful to humankind? The compromise is to secure a permit with a small crew. Here in LA, if your crew is small enough and you have no stunts or SFX, your permit may be free. Small crews are favored over large ones, and you can control the locale to your liking. In other cities, you may even get the support of the local chamber of commerce or film commission, and even some soft financing (that's price cuts and in-kind donations). Sometimes it's worth following the rules. For a list of film commisions, click here.

Happy Filmmaking!

Can Indies survive the bear market?

That is the question. Whereas most economists call the Hollywood film industry "recession-proof," the opposite exists for us small guys, the indie film geeks. Over at fivesprockets.com, blogger Ann Curry pleas with her readers to support those who give us more cinematic bang for our buck.

Indie filmmaking is similar to other small business. In a bear market, they are the first to fold, while the public still supports the big guys, deemed "too big to fail." Unlike other small businesses, however, the success of production companies depend more so on the public's opinion of its entertainment, rather than any inherent demand or need. John Q. Public may still go to blockbuster superhero movie rather than small art house film because he feels art house films do not speak to him or for him.

Filmmaking is an expensive and elitist endeavor, but as the nation's most recognizable artform, it preserves our American way of life. Who says it should only be for the studios?

Personally, I don't let my lack of funds or resources stop me from reaching my filmmaking goals. One just has to be smart and one step ahead of the snake oil salesmen on craigslist and the like.

Happy Filmmaking.

Hooray for Slumdog Millionaire

The Oscars are now old news and we shall rejoice once more that a very deserving film got all the recognition it needed. Slumdog Millionaire won a total of eight awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film will probably spark a new interest in Bollywood cinema that was waned in the past few years.

Other recognized indies that won Oscars:
The Reader (Weinstein Company)
Milk (Focus Features)
Man on Wire (Magnolia Pictures)
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Weinstein Company)
Departures (Regent Releasing)
Toyland (Mephisto Films)

If you are like me, you have some serious film watching to do! The rest of the winners are here.

Happy Filmmaking!

SAG to Producers: REJECTED!

What a busy day in Hollywood. The Academy Awards are tonight, but looks like there is a cloud of uncertainy after all the glitz disappears.

SAG rejected the final offer from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) Saturday night, Variety reports. So will there be a strike? Well, the board requires a voting member approval of 75% in order to strike. Saturday's vote fell short.

Will this affect Indies as well as Studios? The obvious answer is yes, but how exactly will the indies hurt is a more appropriate question. Only time will tell.

Happy Filmmaking.

A great (and cheap) concept

Recently, I came across this website called 5 Second Films. The site, as well as the videos, are created by two USC film school graduates (shout out to my fellow Trojans!). Not counting the titles, each film is exactly five seconds each.

I believe this would be a great exercise for any filmmaker. So much has to be conveyed in such a short amount of time, that it forces the filmmakers to get to the point. The 5 Second Films (or 5SF) usually consist of some type of joke concept easily conveyed in the time given. Some of the films seem pretty out there, but overall, not a bad idea.

You should make your own five or ten-second film. Come up with a concept and plan accordingly. As long as you have some type of camera, willing friends--I mean--"actors," some type of editing system, and interesting props, sky's the limit!

Kudos to the filmmakers for their editing skills. I had to post one of my favorite here!



Happy Filmmaking

SAG Winners Announced...

Even though SAG is still considering an industry-wide strike, the awards must go on. There were few upsets. Meryl Streep won best motion picture actress for her role in Doubt, and surprise, surprise, Heath Ledger wins another award for his role as Joker.

Surprisingly enough, The Case of Benjamin Button seems to be snubbed in the SAG awards. Although the film has 13 nominations for the Oscars, the film went home empty-handed at SAG. Maybe its luck will change in February. However, I think most indie lovers are pulling for Slumdog Millionaire. We sure love those "rags to riches" stories.

The rest of the winners are here.

Happy Filmmaking

One more reason to love indies!

On the eve of what may be another industry strike, Hollywood execs seem to be focusing on other entertaining entities: toys. After the success of Transformers, execs try their hand at other classic toys. This proves three things:

1.) Actors are disposable.
2.) "Male" toys are way more interesting than "female" toys.
3.) Studios and marketing wizards will stop at nothing to sell you something, even in a bust economy.

I'm pretty sure I am the not the only cinephile fed up with the two-hour commercials dressed up as movies. At least with indies, the focus lies on the story, not with product placement. Otherwise all indies would look like this:



How about this, Hollywood: instead of pandering to the 15-year-old boy who just grew out of his G.I. Joe stage, make some deals that will overall boost the quality of pictures that will put some butts back into the seats? That's the difference between today and the 1930s. I'm not saying the 30s were perfect--with the overmarketing of sound and all--but it did churn out some great classics. Learn from the past, Hollywood.

Happy Filmmaking!