This week I leave you in the capable hands of our editor Scott Macaulay. One of the exciting aspects of this gig is learning from a fella like Scott. A producer of some of my favorite indie films, he has been a great mentor and producer of this column. I asked him to just go nuts and write what was on his mind. Voila!
Last fall, I posted a call for new columnists for this website, and the first to respond was John Yost with the idea for this “Micro-Budget Conversation.” I liked John’s proposal for a number of reasons, the first being that I’m always looking for ways to cover more films from a curated perspective here. I liked that John would have a different eye, and even a different set of criteria, and that more filmmakers would be able to use the site to get the word out about their films.
Last fall, I posted a call for new columnists for this website, and the first to respond was John Yost with the idea for this “Micro-Budget Conversation.” I liked John’s proposal for a number of reasons, the first being that I’m always looking for ways to cover more films from a curated perspective here. I liked that John would have a different eye, and even a different set of criteria, and that more filmmakers would be able to use the site to get the word out about their films.
- 5/12/2011
- by John Yost
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Short films can often be gateways to feature films, experiments in storytelling, or stand alone works of art. After film school I still made one short film every year, but for me they were ways to try out ideas before committing to something feature sized. For some folks they are end goals that are beautifully done and well thought out. Sometimes however, we get short films that are too long, or ideas that exist between short format and feature length. Plus, with the introduction of Youtube and Vimeo we also seem to have an over abundance of “short films” that are clips of pretty flowers, landscapes, lakes, and sunsets set to music to show off someone’s new camera. They need to stop. (The one exception is Jamie Stuart’s film Idiot with a Tripod. It’s an example of how these kinds of films should be made…he knocks it out of the park.
- 3/22/2011
- by John Yost
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Here is the introduction to a series of posts from filmmaker John Yost on today’s micro-budget filmmaking scene. Check back each week for John’s conversations with various filmmakers debating issues related to the making and distribution of ultra-low-budget movies. — S.M.
What is micro-budget filmmaking? What makes a film micro-budget? Is it simply the amount of money spent? Is it the quality of the story, image, and sound? Is it a cliché at this point? Where did it come from? What about the word “indie”? Is “indie” just a buzz word now? Is the sky falling? Are we going to be able to make better films in the future as equipment and resources become cheaper? Who is going to help us show these stories once they’re finished?
This series will try to answer some of these questions by having current micro-budget filmmakers talk about their experiences with their own process and journey.
What is micro-budget filmmaking? What makes a film micro-budget? Is it simply the amount of money spent? Is it the quality of the story, image, and sound? Is it a cliché at this point? Where did it come from? What about the word “indie”? Is “indie” just a buzz word now? Is the sky falling? Are we going to be able to make better films in the future as equipment and resources become cheaper? Who is going to help us show these stories once they’re finished?
This series will try to answer some of these questions by having current micro-budget filmmakers talk about their experiences with their own process and journey.
- 1/4/2011
- by John Yost
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Biophage, a film developed by Mark Rapp, will see DVD shelves and Netflix queues beginning February 2, 2010. The film envisions a post-apocalyptic world of tomorrow, where a "bio-chemical agent" has changed much of the populace into "biophages (Movies)." Hard to Get Productions was the support behind the film and while slightly of the radar, and very independent, the early material looks good. Also, Biophage was shot in black and white near Pittsburgh, so the film will likely appeal to those looking for a grainier look, with their cinema. Have a look at all the available info' on Biophage below.
The synopsis for Biophage here:
"Through the tattered remains of a post-apocalyptic civilization, Sgt. Cain and Dr. Bell make their way back from the Center for Disease Control. Their mission to find signs of human life is a failure. They are returning to Mt. Bethel, the military research hospital, from which they were sent.
The synopsis for Biophage here:
"Through the tattered remains of a post-apocalyptic civilization, Sgt. Cain and Dr. Bell make their way back from the Center for Disease Control. Their mission to find signs of human life is a failure. They are returning to Mt. Bethel, the military research hospital, from which they were sent.
- 1/31/2010
- by Michael Ross Allen
- 28 Days Later Analysis
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