Networking
After working in low budget film for a number of years, I started running into people I’d worked with before. At a certain point, I realized this was a bad sign. As they say, you’re the average of the five people closest to you. Professionally, the five people closest to me were all working on […]
Self Perception
I ran into someone I knew from another show. We hadn’t seen each other in a while, so we caught up on the usual “How ya doin? What’ve you been working on?” stuff. Then she said an odd thing. She said she always remembered me as the guy who smiled a lot. Me? Really? Don’t […]
Faking It
I went to a screening of Frost/Nixon, yesterday. (If you’re not aware of Creative Screenwriting Magazine’s screening series, you should totally sign up.) Good movie, but not half as entertaining as the gaggle of film students sitting next to me. They were arguing over pointless trivia (“Was Temple of Doom the first PG-13 movie?”) and […]
After Film School Special
There is an important thing that I neglected to mention in my discussion of film schools last week. It has more to do with what happens after you graduate than choosing a school. See, the thing is, you don’t know anything. Well, you know a lot, but you also know very little. Film school can […]
New Year’s Links
Like many Americans, I’m busy looking for a job. I’m just more used to it than most. So, instead of writing a real post, here’s some links! Cracked has the most inspirational, patriotic piece of writing I’ve read in a long, long time. Ken Levine complains about Standards & Practices, as well he should. He […]
What Film School is Right for You?
How to decide between the hundreds of film schools in the world.
Speaking of Mr. Bordwell…
David Bordwell has an interesting post on his site about the sorry state of action scenes in American films today. Girl on Girl action concurs. A lot. (Check both posts out; they’re pretty awesome.) I have to agree, too. They just don’t make them like they used to.
Who Wouldn’t Want to go to Film School?
Yesterday, I told you why going to film school is stupid and pointless. Today, I’ll explain why it can be smart and pointful. When I graduated from high school, I didn’t know any more about filmmaking than what I’d read in Entertainment Weekly. I knew there had to be a writer, and actors. I knew […]
Who Needs Film School?
Reader Sarah asks: I recently graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature, but am very interested in becoming involved with film production. Problem is: I live in Wisconsin. But am very close to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Not exactly the hub of film production. Anyway. The question is: where to start? Obviously, moving to L.A. seems […]
Practical Jokes
There’s a lot of downtime on a film set. Sometimes you play games. Sometimes you play practical jokes. Here are some of my favorites– A friend of mine had one of those screensavers that plays a slideshow of pictures from your computer. Naturally, he chose a file that consisted mostly of Rebecca Romijn in a […]
Merry Christmas, et al.
A while back, I had a Jewish boss. Around this time of year, he told me he didn’t understand how people could possibly be offended by “merry Christmas.” It’s just wishing someone well, after all. So, he sent me Hanukkah cards, and I sent him Christmas cards, and all was right with the world. Makes […]
Who the Hell Watches NCIS?
My parents, apparently. One of the great mysteries for those of us who make television (and if you’re feeling generous, that would include me) is who the hell watches those procedural dramas that take up a good chunk of the Neilson’s weekly top 20. I literally don’t know anyone who watches them. Then, just today, […]