Filmmaking / Directing

As a former comic book addict it kind of pains me to see the perpetual reboots of some of the popular comic franchises (and the quagmire that is the Marvel/studio licensing shenanigans). Preview makes it look like they are trying the "X-Men: First Class" "retro" formula. The two potential draws for me from the preview: 1) Vanessa Kirby, and 2) GALACTUS.

Meh. Im not digging this Jetsons vibe at all.

I am not entirely impressed.. I still think Pedro Pascal was a terrible choice for Reed Richards. He looks like a used car salesman in the trailers. The Thing looked okay but the kitchen stuff was dumb. Herbie is just a toy licensing ploy and Sue looked tired. The 60's vibe didn't make sense to me nor did I get the idea they were taking the story seriously. Robert Downey Jr as Dr. Doom is a half court desperation shot and a budget bloater. I'm hoping I'm just tired of having my fingers burnt and the film will be good, but I'm not feeling it right now.

Hi Sam, I can't wait to see

Gave me goosebumps!

Most welcome, Vincent Weberink. It's a great separator and one, I can promise you, is appreciated by managers, agents, development execs, producers and financiers alike.

Totally agree, especially for indie filmmakers. Marketing often feels like a huge challenge when budgets are tight. The truth is, the "tricks" are usually the basics we’ve all heard before: using social media to build an audience, collaborating with others to expand reach, or entering festivals to get some visibility. But even those require effort and consistency, which can be hard to maintain when you’re wearing so many hats.

What I’ve found is that it’s less about reinventing the wheel and more about doing those things really well. Posting behind-the-scenes content, engaging directly with your audience, or simply reaching out to local communities can go a long way when done with authenticity.

At the end of the day, it’s about finding creative ways to stretch what little resources you have. If you or others in the community have stumbled on any fresh ideas, I’d love to hear them—it’s always inspiring to see how people make it work!

Great points, Vincent. Focusing on strengths, controlling what you can control. These are the themes. And, I can tell you straight from the source, this was the commonality in most of the films and projects at Sundance this year.

Thanks Richard "RB" Botto That’s a great point. It’s encouraging to hear that this approach was a common thread at Sundance. Makes a strong case for staying focused and making the most of what you have.

Vincent Weberink These 5 insights are more like using a common sense approach. To disagree with these concepts is detrimental, but the industry isn't changing for the times so independent filmmakers are kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"Understand Your Market : Know your audience and tailor your film to meet their expectations." Knowing your market should be easy enough if you are out to make an entertaining movie. Know your market shares according to genre is more accurate. Dramas usually hover around 4th-5th place in market shares coming in at just under 10% with about a 5:1 ratio of the number of films to hit the market. Therefore your budget needs to be smaller and you really need to push your filmmaking skills in order to compete with the pure volume of other films in your genre and the markets share genres above you.

"Budget Wisley : Plan your finances carefully to avoid overspending and ensure profitability." This falls mostly on talent since equipment rental is mostly a constant and the crew, the working blood of any production, is sadly, the first people to be forgotten. Their salaries don't differ that much. Talent is where you get into trouble. "A-List" doesn't mean what it once did. More celebrities are content to upset audiences with their "superior knowledge" of life and according to Rachel Zegler, she doesn't need your business. They like to take the new stance that if you don't like their movie, it's your fault! Star power is dwindling. Just find some actors that are nice people in real life.

"Networking is Key : Build relationships with industry professionals to open doors and create opportunities.". Be careful what industry professionals you network with. Remember; you're all competing with each other and backstabbing is a negotiating tactic. Network with industry professionals that have skills you are lacking in and that compliment yours. Together you can work on something like a short that will show how you both meld together to be a force to be reckoned with. Film composers are great people to network with. Even if they have some snippets of music laying around in the void of their database, 15 seconds can change a scene. Just make sure you give them the credit they deserve and respect their art with bringing them with you on bigger jobs,

"Marketing Matters : A great film won’t succeed without a solid marketing strategy." A solid marketing strategy doesn't mean anything if it's implemented too late. With social media being bombarded with view farming content and five second attention spans that can't wait for the "Skip" to become active, commercial advertising has not only lost its reach, but companies in charge of marketing have no goals to hold them to as far as creating awareness and no accountability as to how many people they actually influenced. If you ask them for data, it'll just be another cost they can take off your film's revenue. AND if you do try and attempt your own self-promotion, then "You already gave away your film and it's no longer an exclusive." Meter your marketing plan. Create interest without telling the whole story. If you generate enough buzz, you can control your marketing costs.

"Stay Informed : Keep up with industry trends and adapt your approach accordingly." If you are trying to work for someone that wants a story and can't write it himself but will take your story and put in his little changes so he can feel important, that's fine. It's a job. Otherwise write what you think will look cool on screen and what you love. Trends are cyclical so you can write one genre and sit on it until the trend comes back around. That way, you'll be ahead of the curve. Just make sure you copyright everything with The Library of Congress because a a WGA Registration can prove to be as about as useful as wet toilet paper.

That's the reality of this industry. You gotta love filmmaking.

Great tips to create an eco-friendly production, Vincent Weberink! And reusing and recycling sets can save money.

Leadership flows down, never up. If the bosses in charge dont care, the workers under them dont care either.

Thanks, Maurice Vaughan Reusing and recycling sets is a great way to save both money and materials—plus, it’s a fun challenge to get creative with repurposing props.

@Dan spot on—leadership sets the tone. Maybe another tip should be “Lead by Example”—when directors and producers make sustainability a priority, the whole crew is more likely to follow suit.

You're welcome, Vincent Weberink. Yeah, I think it'd be a fun challenge to get creative with repurposing props, like turning Action movie props into Sci-Fi movie props.

Wow... that was thought-provoking!

Willem Elzenga compelling melodrama!

I've been a spec writer for fifteen years and a painter and visual artist for 25 years, and I have taken enough "sabbaticals" to feel like I've quit or given up a dozen times, but really I just need time between projects to renew my concepts and create a fresh idea and approach to a new project,

after studying the film industry from the sidelines for 15 years I just made my first film, so I'll probably find reasons to continue to expand from here, until I do retreat to a crumbling seaside town, haha, I think I have already done that too once or twice so far.

Thanks for this post! I've been using Claude AI for some great production planning and best practices, business plans, marketing plans etc., which AI are you using?

I am already looking at AI production methods for the near future projects, although in my latest new film I used miniatures and I enjoy the physical set building as well.

I used Chatgtp for this and other stories. I also made a casting wishlist with Chatgtp but that wasn't to good. Also a financial forecast for a movie in development. I did a logo with Goggle's gemini. I like AI but think it should be free and in the public domain.

At first, this post read like the beginnning of a film noir about a filmmaker and I wasn't sure where it was going - I felt terrible for the unpaid asistants. But even a story about not telling a story can be a great story. And that't my answer. It's always about story telling and always will be. Nobody invited me to the world of filmmaking - it was a choice - and nobody will univite me because my choice is made. And supporting other filmmakers and this community gives me such joy and hope so there can be no stopping. The show must go on!

Great video for filmmakers, screenwriters, actors, etc. to watch and study, Tucker Teague!

I think a Horror movie has to be more than a Horror movie to be nominated for an Oscar and win. The movie needs a deep story and complex characters with a theme and topics that resonate with people, like a Horror movie mixed with a Drama movie.

You said, "One more example of why it's good to rewatch great films multiple times and see how they work." I like to look for new things when I rewatch a movie, like things I can use in my own scripts or what's going on in the background.

Awards season always sparks some great discussions, and I love looking back at the films that have won the "Big Five." It’s fascinating that only three films have pulled it off, especially considering how many classics have come close. Regardless of awards, I completely agree that revisiting great films is essential for filmmakers—there’s always something new to learn from the storytelling, performances, and direction that made them stand out.

Each of these films is so different in genre and tone, yet they all mastered character, tension, and narrative in a way that resonated across the board. Makes me wonder—are there any recent films of the last few years that you think had the potential to sweep all five categories but didn’t?

Ashley Renee Smith - when you look at the last 20 years of Best Picture winners so few have the balance required for Best Actor and Best Actress together, much less the other awards. MOONLIGHT and GREEN BOOK don't have a best actress canditates and NOMADLAND didn't have an actor candidate, just as three examples. 2004's CRASH could have pulled it off, perhaps. Clearly the closest to actually pulling it off was EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE which won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress with Ke Huy Quan winning Best Supporting Actor. All are great films but having that balance across the board and the roles worthy of the top acting awards is clearly very tough to pull off. Think I'll rewatch IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT this weekend.

Smart and relevant comments, Tucker and the rest of you, about a genre that generally does not get awards recognition. // As a jokey aside: you know those robo-calls you get where there's no one on the line...nothing... I've begun calling those "The Silence of the Spams". [I know...groan.] // Enjoy Awards Season!

Pamela Jaye Smith "The Silence of the Spams" Haha

I thought there would be a big push for SPFX firearms after Brandon Lee's death! I guess VFX then were not quite up to the level they are today. Isn't it the John Wick director who never uses real firearms on-set?

Yeah, Chad Stahleski, Mike Childress. www.gamespot.com/articles/john-wick-director-there-is-no-reason-for-holl...

Firearms are obviously a huge topic and in the midst of an evolution. Adding flares and blood in post is the safest route and becoming the norm, but not the absolute. Some filmmakers still like bkanks and squibs and with a profesisonal team rhere should never, or very rarely, be any issues. That said, we added everything in post on GENIUS, whenever there was gun play. But safety comes in so many forms - from lights and generators to wet streets to unloading and loading trucks and moving heavy gear often around practical locations on top of any stunts or tough-to-get shots. We usually take it day by day and round everyone up each morning for a quick safety meeting to walk through the schedule, point out any potential safety concerns or logistics, remind everyone of where the nearest emergency room is just in case, and what we have on set just in case, and answer any questions anyone may have. It usually takes 10 minutes and it gets everyone in sync for the day and lets the crew know that safety is our #1 concern each and every day.

Safety first! The only dumb question is the one not asked.

It's great to hear you and your team take so many safety precautions, Sam Sokolow. Safety should be the #1 concern on every set. Did you hire security guards?

This is an excellent and grounded blog with actionable steps and terrific advice for filmmakers. Great share, Maurice Vaughan!

Hi Charlotte Verminck - the location sounds truly stunning (would love to see a picture if possible). Hard to say how to handle it without all of the details but Crew & Cast safety is always the #1 priority and it sounds like everyone made it through the day unscathed.

Hi Sam Sokolow!

Thank you so much for your reply! Absolutely, safety was our top priority throughout the shoot! The location was breathtaking but required careful planning to ensure everything ran smoothly. Luckily, we had an amazing team that adapted to the challenges on the spot.

You can get a better look at the cliff and how we handled the shoot in the BTS video: https://youtu.be/Hn6580ltFUM?si=gFcQqi6AmRRCarBu

Let me know what you think! I’d love to hear your take on it!