Screen Writing Rules & other stuff

August 4, 2009

Happy Birthday to my sister, Leslie! I hope it’s a good one.

I know too many people who want to make movies for all the wrong reasons; apparently I’m not the only one who feels this way. I just pulled this off my buddy William Akers blog (http://yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com/) and he stole it from, well you’ll see.

“I share these six items from a talk I give called “Fatal Errors Beginning Writers Make.” Will Aldis (STEALING CARS, KEEP COMING BACK) is a staggeringly talented writer and I love his list.
Number One: trying to write what you think the biz wants you to write.
Number Two: writing for the cash only.
Number Three: writing to get laid.
Number Four: writing a screenplay because you think it sounds like a cool, hip thing to do. It isn’t.
Number Five: writing about something, anything, other than yourself.
Number Six: taking a screenwriting class from someone who doesn’t fully grasp the horror.
Keep Number Six firmly in mind when selecting a teacher, because the very last thing you want is a teacher who gives you any hint that this foolishness is easy.

It isn’t.”

This is what I have been saying for years, what we do isn’t easy, it’s damn hard work. And yet I keep meeting all of these people who think they’re going to write a screenplay or make an independent movie and they’re going to make a bunch of money and everything will be good.

Wake up and smell the coffee! If this shit was so easy there would be a lot of good movies made. The streets of Hollywood and New York are littered with the carcasses of people who think this is easy! If you are gonna make a movie do it for the right reasons: Because you have to. If you don’t make this movie you will explode! Making movies is all you’ve ever wanted to do. You don’t care if you ever sell this because if you don’t find a distributor you’ll take it on the road yourself and show it where ever possible. You think Park City, Utah is a horrible place winter or summer and you never want to see Robert Redford or Paris Hilton in person!

Make the movie for yourself and enjoy the whole process. Don’t make a movie for any of the reasons that William Akers outlines. Like I’ve said in the past, read his blog, (http://yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com/) it’s one of the best blogs out there.

If you still want to make a movie, then buy my book, The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide Part One Making The Extreme No Budget Film. Which is available on my site, (www.angryfilmmaker.com) for a mere $16.95 + $3 S&H. At least you’ll have a better idea of what you’re getting in to and hopefully you won’t make the same mistakes I have.

Here’s another comment about the book.

This book is Kelley Baker’s declaration, on no uncertain terms, to reclaim and specify the definition “Independent Filmmaker”. He pulls no punches calling out both Hollywood and very specific directors for being creatively bankrupt. The author then presents his philosophy on the physical process of filmmaking with tips and advice that could only come from someone who has been there and had scars and debt to prove it. That being said, he does not hold anything back, he tells the whole story, warts and all.
Microfilmmaker Magazine

Remember,

“This business is not for the faint of heart, I don’t care how much you think you know.”
from The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide

And I have been around the block quite a few times so I should know.

On to other stuff.

I am putting together the Fall Tour so if you want Moses and I to come to your college, university, media art center, high school, theater or even to your house for dinner this Fall send me a note, angryfilminfo@aol.com.

Don’t forget to check out my tour sponsors, Show Biz Software, (www.showbizsoftware.com), Pollard Design (www.pollarddesign.com), Zoom Creates (www.zoomcreates.com), and Cheezy Flicks (www.cheezyflicks.com ). If you haven’t checked out their sites and their services, you better.

And I’m welcoming a new Sponsor, Film Slug, (www.filmslug.com) but more about them later…

As always, feel free to link to my site and you can subscribe to my blog. So what are you waiting for?

Talk later.

Kelley

www.angryfilmmaker.com
www.facebook.com
www.myspace.com/theangryfilmmaker

Common Film, Thank yous, AF Survival Guide, Neil Jordan & more

July 27, 2009

Check out Common Film’s website (www.commonfilm.org). Jon just did a podcast with me about my new book. I actually sound like I know what I’m talking about! It’s also a great site run by a guy who loves films. Thanks for having me on your podcast last night.

I want to thank everyone who responded to my call for a Web Designer in my last blog, I got some fantastic responses! I got to look at some great work that is being done out there. I am going to list them all on my blog next week as a thank you. I’m still trying to figure out a few things but hopefully will be working with someone shortly to upgrade my site. Thanks again, I was a bit overwhelmed by the response.

“Too many people finance their films on credit cards, and they go broke! Their films end up not getting a distributor and they’re left paying 30% interest on a film that no one wants.”
From The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide

Heed the words of noted financial consultant and former NBA player, Charles Barkley, “Credit cards exist to keep poor people poor.”

DON’T USE YOUR DAMN CREDIT CARDS FOR ANYTHING!!!

Does that mean I’ve never funded something with credit cards? I have. And I have lived to regret it. Not the eventual movies, but the financial shape it left me in. I sold my home of twenty years to get the IRS off my back, all because I listened to the wrong people. People who said they would help me. I was gullible because making movies is all I’ve ever wanted to do.

So please, don’t do what I did. The stress isn’t worth it.

Figure out how to make your movies without breaking the bank. You’ll thank me later.

Check out my book @ www.angryfilmmaker.com. Hopefully it’ll help you avoid the mistakes that I have made over the years.

Here’s another quote…

“Packed with facts, and laced with humor, this book is more than a road map of independent filmmaking. Unlike many other books about filmmaking, Kelley’s doesn’t pretend there won’t be potholes along the way; instead, it does its best to point them out in advance, so you’ll know how to recognize them from a distance and avoid them like the plague. A definite must for any wannabe filmmaker.”

David Fechtor
Former Editor & Foley Supervisor

I just watched Neil Jordan’s, The Butcher Boy. What an unexpected pleasure. I can’t believe I hadn’t seen it before. I am much happier when he makes films in the UK as compared to what he has made here. I still think The Crying Game is one of the best films of the 1990’s. I also loved Michael Collins. The films he makes outside the US seem to be much more personal and definitely more of a challenge to watch. I still like filmmakers that make me work, there is a time and a place to watch mindless entertainment, but I foolishly still think of film as an art form in the right hands.

I will say that Breakfast On Pluto was a tough one to figure out and to stay with, but well worth watching. I hope to see more stuff by Neil Jordan. If you haven’t seen The Butcher Boy, check it out!

On to other stuff.

If you want Moses and I to come to your college, university, media art center, high school, theater or even to your house for dinner this Fall send me a note, angryfilminfo@aol.com.

Don’t forget to check out my tour sponsors, Show Biz Software, (www.showbizsoftware.com), Film Baby (www.filmbaby.com), Pollard Design (www.pollarddesign.com), and Zoom Studio (www.zoomstudio.com), and Cheezy Flicks (wwwcheezyflicks.com). If you haven’t checked out their sites and their services, you better.

As always, feel free to link to my site and you can subscribe to my blog. So what are you waiting for?

Talk later.

Kelley

www.angryfilmmaker.com
www.facebook.com
www.myspace.com/theangryfilmmaker

Website Designer wanted, Good Audio & other stuff

July 22nd

NEWS FLASH (or something like that)

I am looking for a Website Designer! It is time that AngryFilmmaker.com got a make over! I have a new logo and I really want to make some changes and update the site so it will be more fun and hopefully more irreverent!

I HAVE NO MONEY!!!

I do have swag. If you’re willing to help me out I can give you copies of my films, an AF T-shirt and a signed copy of my book.

If there is anyone out there who is interested, and skilled, contact me at angryfilminfo@aol.com.

And now on with the show…

I have recovered from my birthday so it is time to move on. How many of you bought my book for my birthday? Not nearly enough! So what are you waiting for, www.angryfilmmaker.com, it’s right on the home page.

Here’s what David Fechtor a former Editor & Foley Supervisor had to say.

“I’m impressed as hell by the amount of solid, practical advice that Kelley Baker was able to squeeze into his new book. No, it won’t write your script for you, teach you how to operate a Steadicam, or find you an agent. What it will do is show you how to get your movie made, and made well–even on a budget that’s slimmer than Olive Oyl’s waist.

Here is today’s AF Tip.

“A film can look like shit and people will think it’s arty. If your dialog sounds like shit, people won’t watch your movie.”
From The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide Part One

How many times do I have to say it! If filmmakers would spend just half the time dealing with sound that they do dealing with camera their movies would look a lot better. You are so worried about what kind of a camera you’re going to shoot with and what your shots are going to look like that you ignore sound all together. And if you are stupid enough to think you can just add the sound later in post you probably shouldn’t even be working in this business.

On all of the major films I have ever worked on we tried to use as much of the location sound as possible. Yes, you can get the words to match the lips if you do your sound in a studio after the fact, but you will never ever match the performance. Actors work much better on the set, working off of another actor and being in character than they do in a sterile studio surrounded by technicians 6 months later. Get some quality microphones (they are much cheaper than your camera) and someone who knows how to use them and you will be surprised how much better your movie will look because it sounds good!

And speaking of sound…

Check out the review of my Sound Design Workshop DVD at http://www.microfilmmaker.com/reviews/Issue43/Sound1.html. While you’re there check out some of the articles. It’s a great site.

Here is a clip from the Sound design workshop.

On to other stuff.

If you want Moses and I to come to your college, university, media art center, high school, theater or even to your house for dinner this Fall send me a note, angryfilminfo@aol.com.

Don’t forget to check out my tour sponsors, Show Biz Software, (www.showbizsoftware.com), Film Baby (www.filmbaby.com), Pollard Design (www.pollarddesign.com), and Zoom Studio (www.zoomstudio.com), and Cheezy Flicks (wwwcheezyflicks.com). If you haven’t checked out their sites and their services, you better.

As always, feel free to link to my site and you can subscribe to my blog. So what are you waiting for?

Talk later.

Kelley

www.angryfilmmaker.com

John Sayles, the library and other stuff

July 12, 2009

“If you’re a PA, and you’re fresh out of school, and this is one of your first gigs, let me give you some advice: the director doesn’t give a shit about your opinion!”
From The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide

It’s harsh, but true. When we were making Birddog, there was a PA who asked me why I was doing a particular shot from a particular angle. It didn’t really look that good to her. As politely as I could, I told her that her input was not needed, especially since this was her first day on the shoot and we had been shooting for two weeks. I tried to remind her what her role was, what mine was, and she needed to take care of her job, and let me do mine. Then I spoke to the AD and said to keep her the hell away from me! Trust me, you have enough on your mind, and unsolicited input from a young PA isn’t what you need.

And speaking of books…

Please ask your local libraries to purchase my book.

On most library websites there is a place to suggest books for purchase. Or just send an email.

Here is the information they will need:
The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide: Making the Extreme No Budget Film
ISBN #: 1-4392-3273-3
Author: Kelley Baker
2009

When asked for the publisher direct them to my website: www.angryfilmmaker.com
(The publisher is BookSurge but I make more money if they buy from me…)

Thank you!

On Saturday, August 29, 10am I am going to be at the The Rappahannock Independent Film Festival teaching a workshop. If you’re in the area drop on by. Check it out at http://rifilmfestival.com/.

I am in the midst of re-watching some old John Sayles movies (Return of The Secaucus Seven, The Brother From Another Planet, and Matewan), and I am still blown away by his writing. Some of the acting is a little rough, but the stories are so good. I can’t get enough of him. Whether his films are good or not so good, they are always worth watching. I always learn something about story telling from him. Go back and check out some of his older work, most of the films hold up surprisingly well.

Don’t forget to check out the review of my Sound Design Workshop DVD at http://www.microfilmmaker.com/reviews/Issue43/Sound1.html. While you’re there check out some of the articles. It’s a great site.

On to other stuff.

If you want Moses and I to come to your college, university, media art center, high school, theater or even to your house for dinner this Fall send me a note, angryfilminfo@aol.com.

Don’t forget to check out my tour sponsors, Show Biz Software, (www.showbizsoftware.com), Film Baby (www.filmbaby.com), Pollard Design (www.pollarddesign.com), and Zoom Studio (www.zoomstudio.com). If you haven’t checked out their sites and their services, you better.

As always, feel free to link to my site and you can subscribe to my blog. So what are you waiting for?

Talk later.

Kelley

www.angryfilmmaker.com
www.facebook.com
www.myspace.com/theangryfilmmaker

Rough Cut Advice & other stuff

July 7, 2009

I was talking to a friend who had just gotten some negative feedback on his current film which is still in rough cut. He was feeling a bit depressed, I know, I have been there before. So I thought I would re-print something from my book, my feelings on showing people something that isn’t finished…

“Thoughts on showing stuff that you’re working on to your friends: A lot of people don’t understand what a movie looks like when it’s “in process,” i.e. not completed. I have seen people show friends sequences from their movies out of context and not even close to finished. This never helps a filmmaker. I know you’re excited about your movie and you want to show stuff as soon as you can. If people don’t start jumping up and down and say what they’ve just watched is the greatest thing ever, then you get bummed. What are you thinking, jackass?

Of course they’re not jumping up and down. It’s not finished, it’s out of context and they don’t have the vision you have. I don’t care how much you think you or your friends know about movies. What many of you learned came through watching the special features and director’s commentaries on some DVDs. That doesn’t tell you anything. I have watched major movies in rough cut that looked like crap and went on to do great business at the box office. But I knew what work needed to be done to get them ready. Most people don’t.

I will NOT look at individual completed scenes from a movie.

They tell me nothing! I would rather look at a really long rough cut of the entire movie, than a couple of scenes that have been cut. To judge a movie, you have to feel its pace, see the whole story. A particular scene could be brilliant! But the scenes around it aren’t. I need to see something from start to finish so I can get a feel for the movie and give quality feedback.

I made the mistake, once, of showing a local film critic the first 15 minutes of one of my features while it was still in rough cut. Boy was that stupid! A year later, when I was set to premiere it, he told one of the local art house theater owners that he wasn’t going to be reviewing it. He had seen it already and it wasn’t very good! He assigned someone else to do it. All he had seen was a 15-minute piece! And there he was telling a theater owner no less it wasn’t very good. I wonder who else he told?

I will never, ever make that mistake again. I learned my lesson.”

From The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide Part One. Which is available on my site for a mere $16.95 + $3 S&H. Quite a deal…

“This is a killer book. It tells you what your teachers can’t, because they haven’t done it. It tells you what your friends can’t, for the same reason. Jammed with tons of useful advice, Baker’s book is an invaluable “think before you shoot” guide for beginning filmmakers, as well as people who’ve been around the block, but need a refresher course.”

William M. Akers
Author of Your Screenplay Sucks! 100 Ways To Make It Great
teaches screenwriting and filmmaking at Vanderbilt University
Lifetime Member of the Writers Guild

Also check out the review of my Sound Design Workshop DVD at http://www.microfilmmaker.com/reviews/Issue43/Sound1.html. It’s a good one!

On to other stuff.

If you want Moses and I to come to your college, university, media art center, high school, theater or even to your house for dinner this Fall send me a note, angryfilminfo@aol.com.

Don’t forget to check out my tour sponsors, Show Biz Software, (www.showbizsoftware.com), Film Baby (www.filmbaby.com), Pollard Design (www.pollarddesign.com), and Zoom Studio (www.zoomstudio.com). If you haven’t checked out their sites and their services, you better.

As always, feel free to link to my site and you can subscribe to my blog. So what are you waiting for?

Talk later.

Kelley

www.angryfilmmaker.com
www.facebook.com
www.myspace.com/theangryfilmmaker

Advice, blogs and books

July 3, 2009

If making a movie is just one of those things you think would be cool to do, then don’t do anything. There are already enough posers and bad movies out there.
From The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide

That should be pretty self explanatory. If you are going to make a movie, do it because you have to make a movie. If you enjoy the process of making the movie, then do it. The odds are your movie won’t make you money or famous. You have to enjoy the ride and if you work hard enough and have a huge amount of luck, maybe you’ll get your investment back.

I encourage you all to read William Akers blog posts (http://yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com/). He’s a great writer who understands the business, especially the business of screen writing. He’s also funny as hell. You can buy his book off of his website, (http://yourscreenplaysucks.com/).

I have been re-watching early John Sayles movies and I have forgotten what a great story teller he is. He’s someone people should study. For writing not for editing, sorry John your films are too long, if it weren’t for the great writing you’d lose me.

Don’t forget to check out my book, The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide: Making the Extreme No Budget Film. It’s available on my site (www.angryfilmmaker.com) for a mere $16.95 + $3 S&H.

“Kelley’s frank, truthful — and realistic — advice is borne from years as an industry insider who chose to turn outsider. Through the creation of his own films, projects he as worked on, and the hundreds of movies he encounters every year at festivals and events, gives Kelley a unique insight into the state of the modern independent film movement. The text might read as angry, but the knowledge is honest and altruistic.”

Jon Gann, Director, DC Shorts Film Festival

Check out the review of my Sound Design Workshop DVD at http://www.microfilmmaker.com. It’s a good one!

On to other stuff.

If you want Moses and I to come to your college, university, media art center, high school, theater or even to your house for dinner this Fall send me a note, angryfilminfo@aol.com.

Don’t forget to check out my tour sponsors, Show Biz Software, (www.showbizsoftware.com), Film Baby (www.filmbaby.com), Pollard Design (www.pollarddesign.com), and Zoom Studio (www.zoomstudio.com). If you haven’t checked out their sites and their services, you better.

As always, feel free to link to my site and you can subscribe to my blog. So what are you waiting for?

Talk later.

Kelley

www.angryfilmmaker.com
www.facebook.com
www.myspace.com/theangryfilmmaker
www.youtube.com/theangryfilmmaker
www.filmbaby.com

New Book, Reviews and other stuff

June 25, 2009

Where have I been? Too much work not enough hours in the day. I am consulting on a few films, booking the Fall tour, promoting my new book, teaching a 3 week workshop, and trying to find time to work on my own stuff. Does anyone out there know anything about cloning? I could use a little help here.

I am thinking about becoming a Republican and running for office. No, I am not in to it to help people I am just in the mood for an affair. They seem to have that market cornered.

I’m going to start posting some tips again on the site from my book and here is the first one…

When it comes to budgeting remember, Everything is Negotiable! Don’t pay full price for anything!
– - from The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide

So here’s the deal, my book, The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide: Making the Extreme No Budget Film is finally here. How good is it you ask?

“Finally, a film resource that tells it like it is! As a film festival director, I watch hundreds (if not thousands) of films a year — some good, many flawed. I wish I could afford to send copies of “Survival Guide: Part 1″ to every director I encounter, to help them identify and correct potential issues before they roll the camera.”

Jon Gann, Director, DC Shorts Film Festival

Or this…

“YOU’VE REVEALED THE MAGICIAN’S SECRETS! NOW, ANYONE WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE A FILM OR EDIT THE SOUND. DAMN YOU BAKER, DAMN YOU I SAY!”

Jim LeBrecht
Berkeley Sound Artists

Or…

Hurray! This book is Jiminy Cricket on your shoulder, telling you what you need to do. And what you need to do is listen to Kelley Baker and heed his advice. Pinocchio did. Well, in the Disney version he did. In the original Italian, he kills the cricket with a hammer. Don’t do that. Listen to Kelley Baker, and this book will keep you out of more trouble than Jiminy Cricket.

William M. Akers
author of Your Screenplay Sucks! 100 Ways To Make It Great
teaches screenwriting and filmmaking at Vanderbilt University
Lifetime Member of the Writers Guild

So buy the damn thing already!

Also check out the review of my Sound Design Workshop DVD at http://www.microfilmmaker.com.

On to other stuff.

If you want Moses and I to come to your college, university, media art center, high school, theater or even to your house for dinner this Fall send me a note, angryfilminfo@aol.com.

Don’t forget to check out my tour sponsors, Show Biz Software, (www.showbizsoftware.com), Film Baby (www.filmbaby.com), Pollard Design (www.pollarddesign.com), Zoom Studio (www.zoomstudio.com). If you haven’t checked out their sites and their services, you better.

As always, feel free to link to my site and you can subscribe to my blog. So what are you waiting for?

Talk later.

Kelley

www.angryfilmmaker.com
www.facebook.com
www.myspace.com/theangryfilmmaker
www.youtube.com/theangryfilmmaker
www.filmbaby.com

The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide is Finally Ready!!!

Well, almost…

I just finished the final rounds of proofs and it looks great.  I am told it will officially be available very soon.  Is it any good?  Listen to these people…

The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide: Making the Extreme No Budget Film

“When it comes to independent filmmaking Kelley Baker is the real thing.  His experience, observations and practical advice reveals the raw truth about an important art form that has been hijacked, over-romanticized and betrayed by everyone from the mainstream media to its very own champions.  This book is about real filmmaking.”
Brian Johnson
Author, Screenwriter, and Director

We are taking orders for the book now ($16.95 + $3 S&H) and it will be shipped when it becomes available.  For those of you who Pre-Order your copies, you will receive a signed copy when the book ships.  (www.angryfilmmaker.com)

“Like any good survivalist, Kelley Baker doesn’t beat around the bush … His 12 chapter Survival Guide is a compact, no-holds-barred 12-step program to creating what Baker calls “The Extreme No-Budget Film.”  Baker is on fire about making films.  You will be too after reading this brutally honest compilation of personal stories and practical advice from the front lines of independent filmmaking.”
Morrie Warshawski
Consultant and Author (Shaking the Money Tree: The Art of Getting Grants and Donations for Film and Video – 3rd Edition)

Excerpt

I am the poster boy for bad decision making in the Independent Film world!

I have made eight short films, three features and a couple of documentaries, along with a ton of corporate videos, and commercials.   I have whored myself on other people’s movies for the last 20+ years.  There are certain truths I have learned, and certain things and people I shouldn’t have listened to.  I have messed up my life financially, emotionally, and probably physically and it’s all been for my love of movies.  My movies.

“Angry or not, Kelley Baker knows his stuff, and he tells it all in this book that’s part indie film war story, part instructional manual for true independents, and part furious rant.  It’s always entertaining, and it might just tick you off, but – most important – the advice contained within these pages will help you get your film made…
Chris Hansen
Writer and Director “The Proper Care and Feeding of an American Messiah.”

Excerpt

Too many people finance their films on credit cards, and they go broke!  Their films end up not getting a distributor and they’re left paying 30% interest on a film that no one wants.  Heed the words of noted financial consultant and former NBA player, Charles Barkley, “Credit cards exist to keep poor people poor.”

DON’T USE YOUR DAMN CREDIT CARDS FOR ANYTHING!!!

Does that mean I’ve never funded something with credit cards?   Yes!  And I have lived to regret it.

“Kelley Baker is the genuine article, a skilled craftsman and a passionate artist who is committed to sharing his love of true and independent film to whoever is lucky enough to cross his path, he is to be listened to”
Bill Dever
Indie Producer, Founder of The Indy Film Co-op and fan of Kelley’s
Dog Moses

So go to my website (www.angryfilmmaker.com)
and Pre-Order your signed copy today.
$16.95 + $3 S&H

Whoa Pardner, don’t forget to buy a T-Shirt for Mom!

Hi, Remember me! And thoughts on Sound

May 5, 2009

I am off the road for awhile.  Moses and I returned home a few days ago.  It was a long 10 weeks.  I’m almost caught up on my sleep (not really) and I’m back in front of the computer.  I do apologize to those of you who regularly read the blog, sometimes it gets really hard to post from the road consistently.  I do my best, but there are times when I am just too tired.  At that point I am just working towards survival.  Every time I hit the road I tell myself I’ll be better at posting… maybe next Fall.

A special Thank You to Bill Dever and the Indy Film Co-op.  Bill worked with me on a lot of new venues and he and his family always had their home open for Moses and I.  Thank you.  (Next time I’ll bring more wine.)

A buddy of mine just sent me this link that I thought you would get a kick out of.   I don’t know how old this is, but enjoy…

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/04/22/ranting-lemonade-lab.html

And you think I’m Angry!

The BIG news is I finally saw a proof of my book, The Angry Filmmaker’s Survival Guide from the publisher and it looks great!  We have a couple small things to correct and I am hoping to have it up on the site available for purchase within the next couple weeks.  It has been a long time coming.  This has been a bigger ordeal than making any of my films.  Go figure.  Anyway, it will be available shortly.  Stay tuned.

Once again one of the things I have learned on this tour is how little most filmmakers and film students know about sound.  I can’t figure this out, sound is really not that difficult and yet it’s the thing that separates amateur films from professionals.  Too many people don’t think about sound at all and if they do they feel like they’ll go out and shoot and deal with it later.   You don’t go out and shoot with a bad camera, why are you going out and shooting with bad sound equipment, or none at all!

Check out my work book, 58 Things You Had Better Know About Sound Before Making Your First Feature.  It’s The Dialog Stupid!

This is a companion to my other work books on independent filmmaking.  It is available on my website, www.angryfilmmaker.com/buy.htm.

What good is it you ask?  Well, it tells you about the 3 different types of microphones, (ribbon, dynamic, and condenser) and the 3 basic microphone pick up patterns.  It gives you helpful hints about sound design, and tells you that I will threaten you with physical violence if I ever hear you utter the word “sweetening” when you really mean MIX!  (Sweeten is what you do to ice tea, not audio tracks!)

Other things in the book include:
8.)  There are three basic microphone pickup patterns, omnidirectional, cardioid, and hypercardioid.  Omnidirectional is a microphone that picks up everything in all directions.  A cardioid microphone picks up in a single direction, like a lavalier, or a wireless mic.  A hypercardioid is a “shotgun” mic.  It picks up everything in a cone-area of about 50 degrees in front of it.
30.)  If you hire a good location recordist, you won’t need ADR.  You don’t want to use ADR.   ADR is not, and will never be, as good as the original audio take!  The sound quality won’t be quite right.  The performance will be close but not as good.     There are all sorts of new software programs that can match the words to the lips, but just matching the words to the lips is not what’s important.  It’s the feeling of the entire scene.

47.)  There is a trend, not to clear music for your movie if you’re going to send it to film festivals to find a distributor.   Then WHEN it’s picked up for distribution, you get the distributor to pay for the music rights.  If anything, WHEN should read IF, because the odds are, it’s not going to happen.  A lot of distributors won’t pick up a film if the music rights aren’t cleared.

You can pick this work book up for a mere $10 plus $4 S&H.   How much are you spending on a camera?

Be the first one on your block to own it.  58 Things You Had Better Know About Sound Before Making Your First Feature.  It’s The Dialog Stupid!

There is a rumor that all of my work books should be ready for downloading soon.

Until then you can still buy the hard copies on my site.

On to other stuff.

If you want Moses and I to come to your college, university, media art center, high school, theater or even to your house for dinner this summer or Fall send me a note, angryfilminfo@aol.com.

Don’t forget to check out my tour sponsors, Show Biz Software, (www.showbizsoftware.com), Film Baby (www.filmbaby.com), Pollard Design (www.pollarddesign.com), Zoom Studio (www.zoomstudio.com), and The Indy Film Co-op (www.indyfilmco-op.org).   If you haven’t checked out their sites and their services, you better.

The first two Workshop DVDs are selling well.  You can find them at, www.angryfilmmaker.com, and at www.filmbaby.com

As always, feel free to link to my site and you can subscribe to my blog.  So what are you waiting for?

Talk later.

Kelley

www.angryfilmmaker.com
www.facebook.com
www.myspace.com/theangryfilmmaker
www.youtube.com/theangryfilmmaker
www.filmbaby.com

ABC TV, Wife Swap, The Searchers, John Ford, and More!

March 31, 2009

I am still on the road (6 weeks).  The last few weeks have been great!  A lot of new places on the tour (Thanks to Bill Dever, The Indy Film Co-op, The Strand Theater, and Nova Cinemas), a lot of new faces, and a lot of old friends.  Moses and I have 3 more weeks before we head home.  I just hope the weather holds for us.

You’re not going to believe this…  I just got this in my email.

WIFE SWAP, ABC’S HIT PRIMETIME SHOW, SEEKS SUPERSTAR FAMILIES OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS!

The premise of Wife Swap is that one parent from each household swaps places for a week to experience how another family lives.  It is an incredible family experience and opportunity to both learn and teach different family values.

Wife Swap is a fascinating story of what happens when two couples see themselves and their partners in a whole new light. The New York Post says, “It should be called ‘Life Swap’ because it’s not just the wives who learn something here. It’s the families.”

Potential families can live anywhere in the United States, but we ask that families applying for the show consist of two parents and have at least one child, age 7 or older, living at home. Specifically, I’m looking for families of independent film makers!  If you, along with your family, are hustling in the independent film scene, then I want to talk to you!

I think I’ll pass on this.  Isn’t the life of an independent filmmaker tough enough?  I saw an episode of this show once and thought it was so horribly contrived I would be embarrassed to make something like this, let alone be on it.

I have a great idea; let’s do a show called Producer Swap.  Let these rich, spoiled TV Producers switch places with a Real Independent Filmmaker and see how they fare in our world!   We wouldn’t have to contrive anything.  But you know what?  I know what their lives are like, and I wouldn’t trade places with them for anything.

On to other things…

I just had a chance to see The Searchers (John Ford) on the big screen last week at the newly renovated Strand Theater in Shelbyville, IN.  (Great job on the renovations guys!).  I had forgotten how good that movie is.  Bill (Dever) told me that as I was watching it I tuned everything else out.  (Sorry about eating all the popcorn…)

Too many filmmakers and film students don’t take the time to watch movies made before 1980 and that is a shame.  There is so much in The Searchers and so many of the classic films.  Why aren’t people interested in past cinema?  Too many filmmakers get in to the business to make money and be “successful”, not enough people get in to film to make films that actually mean something.

Bill and I were discussing westerns on the drive home, John Ford, Howard Hawks, Sergio Leone and many other directors who did westerns (but not just westerns).  We talked about the changing image of the western from the 1950’s in to the 1960’s and 70’s.  The rich traditions the early directors maintained in the beginning and how that changed later.  Even John Ford’s westerns changed as he got older.  John Wayne is psychotic in his obsession to find “Debbie” and once he finds her he wants to kill her because she is “no longer white”.  It is an amazing performance by John Wayne as an outsider, a man who will never be allowed to come in to civilized society.

The westerns that were made in the 60’s and 70’s were truly revisionist.  Check out films like, The Left Handed Gun, The Wild Bunch, The Searchers, Once Upon A Time In The West, McCabe and Mrs. Miller and others.  These are amazing films, whether you like them or not.

Learn film history, learn the rules of filmmaking, then you can break them.  Remember, many of the filmmakers who made the classic films didn’t sit around watching other people’s movies.  They lived life and put their imprint on their work.  It sure would be nice if the new generation of filmmakers would realize that there is a lot to learn from the classic films, and filmmaking is so much more than making money and being famous.  I wish some of these people would get off their butts and live life.   Then make movies.  Give me a reason to go back in to a theater again.  Show me something that has thought behind it.  Take a chance and try to say something with your movie.

It’s all about the work!

I’ll get off my soapbox now.

On to other stuff.

If you want Moses and I to come to your college, university, media art center, high school, theater or even to your house for dinner send me a note, angryfilminfo@aol.com.

There is a rumor that my work books should be ready for downloading soon.

Don’t forget to check out my tour sponsors, Show Biz Software, (www.showbizsoftware.com), Film Baby (www.filmbaby.com), Pollard Design (www.pollarddesign.com), Zoom Studio (www.zoomstudio.com), The Indy Film Co-op (www.indyfilmco-op.org) and Cheezy Flicks (www.cheezyflicks.com).  All great people, all great companies.

If you haven’t checked out their sites and their services, you better.

The first two Workshop DVDs are selling well.  You can find them at, www.angryfilmmaker.com, and at www.filmbaby.com

As always, feel free to link to my site and you can subscribe to my blog.  So what are you waiting for?

Talk later.

Kelley

www.angryfilmmaker.com
www.facebook.com
www.myspace.com/theangryfilmmaker
www.youtube.com/theangryfilmmaker
www.filmbaby.com