I was drawn to the nostalgia of the project. That warm fuzzy feeling of looking back at old footage, relieving memories of a younger, more innocent time, even if those memories are tinted with rose. The cast of Ordinary has long since drifted away from my life. Tragically, one has passed away, and I'm uncertain if any continue to act. Yet, revisiting this footage creates a unique connection; each person is frozen in time, preserved in their youthful moments – whether it's an outtake, a laugh behind the scenes, or just a candid shot. This creates an illusion of a lasting bond, as if we still know each other and share those original dreams of living life as artists. Living life beyond the ordinary.
Read MoreReel Reflections: Success, Failures & Aspirations
The end of the year is here, and as cliche as it sounds, it is the perfect time to reflect. I think we all do it, and it is a healthy ritual for learning and growth. What did you achieve this year? What could you have done better? Did the year live up to your expectations? What do you want from 2024?
Read MoreThe Problem with Filmmaking Advice: Everyone's an Expert
What is it about filmmaking that attracts imposters and faux experts? Is it the allure of glitz and glam? Is it because the criteria for success and expertise is subjective? Or is it because this is an industry which has traditionally excelled at ego stroking, therefore attracting those personalities more prone to enjoy a good ego stroke?
Read More5 Reasons Why All Cast & Crew Should Promote an Indie Film
Any indie filmmaker knows what a struggle finishing and releasing a movie is. So imagine that you worked hard, single handedly sent hundreds of emails, knocked on doors for months to secure investors for your film or worked extra hours at your day job to be able to afford to pay your cast and crew a wage, only to have radio silence after the film is wrapped. Imagine that you’re the only one posting online about your film on release day and spreading the word at networking events and festivals.
Most of us filmmakers don’t have to imagine; it’s often a sad reality that many actors and crew members don’t promote the films they helped make.
Read MoreAnimating Realities: Elevating Documentary Storytelling
When my partner Ivan and I started diving into the world of documentaries as viewers we noticed many styles and multiple ways to film, edit, and present a documentary. From the talking heads interview style as seen in 13th (2016) by Ava DuVernay, which explores racial inequality in the American prisons; to personal point of view where the documentarian is the subject such as in Super Size Me (2004) by Morgan Spurlock or Tickled (2016) by David Farrier where he uncovers the strange world of competitive tickling; to investigative documentaries such as Into the Deep (2022) by Emma Sullivan which follows the murder of journalist Kim Wall on a submarine by eccentric inventor Peter Madsen – there are as many styles and techniques to present a documentary as there are stories waiting to be told. But one technique that stands out as a powerful tool to enhance your storytelling is animation.
Read MoreHOW TO DEAL WITH PRE-PRODUCTION STRESS
Right now, I am highly stressed. We are in pre-production on our seventh narrative feature film, After the Act, which is about a couple dealing with the fallout from infidelity over the course of a single day and night.
You would think having done this so many times before, organizing a feature film would be easy by now. Well, though experience definitely helps, it never gets easy. There are one thousand things to do, one thousand and one thoughts simultaneously running through my head.
These last couple of weeks I have typically been starting days at 7am and not stopping work until 11pm.
Read MoreDo Filmmakers Need a Website for Each New Film?
This is a question that we’ve debated many times and it is a question that divides filmmakers. Should you create a website for each new feature film or documentary?
The answer is it depends.
We have eight feature length projects. Numerous other shorts. Some have websites. Some used to have websites. Most only live at Nexus Production Group, our central production company website. But how do we decide which film needs its own dedicated website and which film can do without?
Read MoreInterview with Noam Kroll: Making a Feature Solo & Embracing Micro-Budget Filmmaking
Noam Kroll is an LA-based filmmaker and a well-known proponent of micro-budget filmmaking. Ivan Malekin was lucky enough to interview Noam about his new feature, “Disappearing Boy”, which he filmed with no crew. In this interview Noam reveals exactly how and why he made a film this way, but also talks about the benefits of micro-budget filmmaking and his creative and work philosophies in general.
IM
I'm amazed that you pulled this off as a one person crew, I think it's a little crazy, to tell you the truth. We shot a feature late last year, and for most of it was myself and my partner Sarah were the only crew. Some days we had an production assistant as an extra pair of hands, but we were absolutely exhausted at the end of each day. When it was done, we were pretty much burnt out. So the fact you would have done this all by yourself is just amazing to me. Would you do this again?
NK
I definitely would. And I think it's funny because I totally hear what you're saying and like I've had those experiences too, where I've had small crews or done things just with a friend and then felt exhausted. And I think I've done it enough times that by the time I made this film, one of the intentions I had for it was that it would feel sustainable.
Indie Film Distribution: Why We Use Filmhub
Despite filmmaking being more democratized than ever before with readily available technology enabling almost anyone who wants to make a movie able to do so, film distribution remains somewhat obfuscated. They don’t teach you the business of selling movies in film school.
So many filmmakers are left naïve, confused on what to do with their completed film, and gullible to the sweet words and empty promises (and one-sided boilerplate contracts) of the many sharks out there also known as film distributors.
Here is a sad story we have seen play out time and again. Broke independent filmmaker finishes their first feature after many years of blood, sweat and tears. Broke filmmaker signs a contract with a shady distributor …
Read MoreIndie Film Distribution: DVD is Not Dead
Can you remember the last time you watched a DVD? I can’t. And I assumed most people were the same, hence why for many years we didn’t bother with DVD and Blu-ray distribution for our films.
But last year, when we distributed Machination, we decided to include DVD and Blu-ray in our plan. It is a film with elements of horror and we knew horror fans were more likely to buy physical media, merchandise, and collectables.
We didn’t really have any expectations on how it would perform. But then the first performance report came in and Machination was doing well. Very well.
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