ASK & DISCUSS

I flick through the SP bulletin every day and I have recently noticed something that is not sitting well with me. On a number of occasions, a film has been offering work in both t…

surely there's a market principle here. some actors will work for just a reel. some crew will work just for experience. some will work for the fun. the market might mean that soun…

We are shooting our first feature and have same ideas in mind for our poster which we're hoping to take to festivals and use on the website, but would rather pay to have it done p…

It saves hours and hours of messing around, that font. Work of genius :-D

Hello. My Canon 7D developed an odd fault last year where it won't record films with the SOUND RECORDING ON. If I turn sound recording Off it works fine, no problem with the im…

I'm about to start pre-production on a low budget feature, do I need the crew members to sign a non-disclosure agreement before I hand out the script?

Without wanting to offend Paddy or Dan, I think that this is a very good question and one which should be taken quite seriously. Ideas, concepts and scripts do get plagiarised, of…

Can I use clips form an old 1961 monster film (Gorgo) that is now Public Domain on the TV in a scene in my own film?
It’s free to download on many sites and I'd like it to be use…

Your best bet would be to find a filmmaker who may have made something similar to what you're after who can license you the rights.
Of course, I don't know what it is you're after…

I will be shooting a crowd scene long lenses, in a similar style to 'The Conversation' (Dir. Coppolla). I'm not realistically going to need to get release forms from faces in th…

Another late one from me...

Nobody mentioned insurance - your E&O/indemnity policy will almost certainly require you to have the releases in place if anyone is recogniseable,…

I've been asked to produce an animated short to promote a local small business. The client has given me an outline of what she wants, and has asked for a rough budget. The problem…

Bit late, but here's my 2p.

With such a loose brief, there's not a lot you can do to fully cost the thing. If each cell takes 5s to draw it'll be cheaper than if each cell takes…

Hi,

Low-to-no budget shooter here... I've been working with a GH2 and Zoom H4N, both of suit me well for lightness and unobtrusiveness. I edit in Final Cut Express on a 2008 Mac…

Thanks, Paddy!

I saw an ad in Shooting People recently for The Peoples Film Festival in Harlem, NYC, and I emailed them it took them a while to get back to us but they said they thought our trai…

I'm Brit filmmaker based in Nepal and have just come across an extraordinary local film. It's called Badhshala and is set in a military interogation camp during the Nepalese civil…

Try an indie distributor like dogwoof and get some DVD's struck from the print so you can send them out. Make sure you keep the prints somewhere safe in the meantime if it's as c…

Please can anyone suggest a subtitling service which can translate into French subtitles?
I have 2 short films accepted in a French festival but need them titling before 7 March!…

Thanks.

Hey Shooters,

SCI-FI-LONDON film festival has turned producer and we are shooting our first film next week,

I wanted to ask recommendations for catering, we will have around 20-…

Without knowing the duration of the shoot, location, facilities, shooting hours, etc it's impossible to say.

If it's your typical 2-day all-day short, then do a deal with a local…

Hi all,

DSLR cameras offer a bright future for bold, experimental independent films. So why aren't we making them?

http://cuttingroomtales.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/anyone-for-re…

Thanks Connor, I think you have a point about the generational thing... up to a point. Godard and Truffaut were teenagers in Nazi occupied France, Polanski saw the holocaust at fi…

I've recently completed a short that is narrative - but leans on the art / experiemental side (http://arterialshortfilm.com/).

I'm interested to know anyone's thoughts on which …

The Ann Arbor Film Festival. Definitely has a history of programming more experimental fare.

John Harden
www.johnfilms.com

Trying to film an event in a basement nightclub, very small, crowded, lots of noise, sound bouncing all around.
If anyone out there knwos how to get around this please let me know…

If the performers are using a PA - get a feed from their sound desk... this will tether you to the desk as it sounds like cable-bashing would be a nightmare. With two cameras one…

We have a crowdfunding campaign going, and though we have eight backers, it's reached a stalling point. A lot of people have expressed interest in our film, but they haven't cont…

I took a look at the Underwater realm, after you both shared it. They seemed to not really need the money, having everything in place other than a green screen tank (which they s…

Hi,
How do I create the best CV for myself as an entry level Runner/Production Assistant? I know there are are various examples over the Internet, but what do UK Producers/Di…

I've written a book about writing a CV for TV, which goes through exactly how to write a CV and covering letter for the TV industry, as while Film and TV CVs follow similar format…

Hi,

I'm trying to figure out whether we should submit our film to the Shooting People film of the month competition, but am concerned that we'll scupper our chances of getting in…

Hi Patrick,

Thanks for taking the time to share those details, very very useful info. I think we're going to keep our film offline for the time being, until the two years festiva…

I am researching an article I am going to write about the original TCM. I'd like to know shooters views on what makes the original TCM stand the test of time and remain head and s…

We are developing a situation comedy series, initially the intent is to build via a moneyterised web channel platform, to eventually having enough material to secure a fully fund…

Hi,
I'm guessing the best way to break into filmmaking is through working on local short films, feature film & TV productions made around my home town of Croydon, altho…

Hello,

We are looking for a runner soon...
https://shootingpeople.org/castcrew/project/view/4661
Would love for you to apply! :)

Lorna

I am looking for a place to hold an audition of probably 2 days. As it is for a short film, we don't have a budget to rent the place, but hoping that someone kind has a place ((e.…

Hi,

Get a deal at a proper audition rooms such as http://www.spotlight.com/rooms/. The cast will be of a better caliber as they'll know your short is of a certain quality from th…

The films are in QT format and under 2GB but it just won't upload. Help very much needed.

Thanks
Eloy

Hi Eloy,

Try using MPEG Streamclip. It's free and can do the conversion you need, plus any others in the future!
http://www.squared5.com/

Best,

Rich

I've researched A LOT online - the likes of the Canon Vixia range to DSLR's, such as Sony NEX VG10/20.
I am fairly new to the technical side of filmmaking (am a writer and actor)…

re: GH2- i mentioned earlier start with a 50mm, so with a GH2 the equivalent would be a 25mm. (50mm i guess is the same as how your eyes sees things that's why i advised this). re…

Hello,

I hope someone can help with this query. I'm saving up to buy a camera and my initial budget should be around £2,600 which I hope should be enough to get started as I can …

I have been shooting with a Panasonic AF100 and although I've been really pleased with it I'd agree with a lot of the negatives listed above (low light performance - though this r…