Independent Filmmaking
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Life on the Road
A little insight into living and shooting out of town.
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NYC After 911 – No Business as Usual
Making movies takes a back seat in New York City.
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Digital or Film?
A look at the different options of shooting in digital and film
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The Light Before the Dawn
Lo and behold the wonders of the last week before principal photography.
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The Roar of the crowd
The producer must become the eye of the storm - quiet, yet waiting for turmoil.
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"Welcome to your new home – Opening the Production Office"
They give you they keys and the office is yours!
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‘I Wanna Make a Movie’ – Getting Started
Get your money. Get your script. Get your director.
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Round Up the Usual Suspect – Please!
You can't go into battle without your best team behind you.
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The Making of "The Rook" – Part II
The adventures move to upstate New York
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The Making of "The Rook" – Part One
A story of coming onto a film already in progress, with lots of problems.
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Things I've learned along the way
Tips for working in film that I've learned over the past few years.
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Collaboration – It means you have to work together
A discussion on how the different players on set work together to create the film.
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Once more into the breach
A personal journey
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Below the Line Budget – Part One – The Art of the Deal
Developing trust with your crew and vendors is an important part of your budget.
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The Budget – The Above-The-Line – The Cast
A discussion on budgeting for actors and negotiating with agents and Screen Actors' Guild.
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The Budget – Defining the Beast!
Begining the process of determining the cost of an independent film.
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Goodbye, Dear Friend
A tribute to a comrade who exemplified the best of what working in this business can be.
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A Ghost Ride with Satan's Child
Many years of being driven by inexperienced drivers leads the author to a chilling realization.
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The Second Assistant Director: Copy That!
A one-time experience as a Second Assistant Director is as dismaying as the author imagined it to be.
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Show me the Money!
When is two million dollars not two million dollars? When it isn't in your bank account yet. A story about raising money for a movie.
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How Much is this Free Location Costing Me?
The author discusses what to look for - and look out for - when scouting a location.
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First Assistant Director – Sunglasses in the Rain
A First Assistant Director faces many challenges. Weather is one of them.
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What's my line, producer?
A discussion of the difference between a producer, a line producer, and a production manager.
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South Beach Diaries - Paradise Lost
Like a great Western, a producer and his project fade into the South Beach sunset. A conclusion to the story of a wacky project in South Beach, Florida.
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South Beach Diaries- Trouble in Paradise
The author describes how a hurricane and a couple of pimps can make filming just a bit harder, and a lot more interesting.
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South Beach Diaries - An Introduction
An introduction to an adventure the author had while producing a movie for a rap artist and a record company in South Beach, with a wild assortment of characters.
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First Assistant Director: The Breakdown
The breakdown is what the Assistant Director prepares when doing the schedule, and what he has if it doesn't work.
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The Seduction
Using film noir as a metaphor, the author warns of the dangers of the seductive project.
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He’s Not "Just a PA"
A discussion of the difficult, and important, job of the production assistant.
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We Still Don't Rent to Theatricals
A continued look at the relationship between production people and actors, and some advice on making the relationship better.
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We Still Don't Rent to Theatricals
A continued look at the relationship between production people and actors, and some advice on making the relationship better.
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We Still Don't Rent to Theatricals
A continued look at the relationship between production people and actors, and some advice on making the relationship better.
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We Do Not Rent to Theatricals
In Part I of a two part article, the author explores the relationship between filmmakers and actors.
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"JB-san" to the Rescue
This article describes some of the hazards of working on a production with people who speak another language.
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Stan Bickman – Part II – War Stories from the B-Movie Days
In a continuation of my tribute to a mentor, Stan Bickman, I pass along some stories from the B-movie days, when Shelly Winters is making a schedule, and Jack Nicholson directs a dentist.
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Stan Bickman - First You Have To Make the Movie
A tribute to a mentor, and the role of mentoring in film production.
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A mule teaches a lesson to a stubborn production manager
The author uses a story about how mules (mis)behave on a film shoot to teach a lesson in production managing.
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A Long Night with Killer Birds - My First Movie
The author's experience on his first film, a horror film where the lead actor was being a bit too much of a "thespian" given the subject matter.
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