5 Cool Film Collaboration Tools

Let's face it, with the advent of the digital age, the world of filmmaking has been dragged, sometimes kicking and screaming, right along behind it. While the world seems to continue to shrink, this is a massive advantage for the aspiring screenwriters and would-be filmmakers out there. Ten years ago, situated in Houston, TX, my film habit would be sorely under-served. Today, however, I am able to somewhat easily connect with others in the independent film world and keep my acting bug at bay with active voice and on-camera work.
     The magic connection? Aside from persistence, constant personal/professional growth, and a modicum of talent, I chalk it up in large part to these five collaboration tools. Here they are in no particular order.

1. Meetup.com - Once a place where lonely singles and bored twenty-somethings created online forums to plan outings with similarly minded individuals, Meetup now features many thriving film communities. You may have to try a few out before you find the right one, but there at least four pretty decent groups in any major city. Not one near you? For a few dollars a month, you can start your own and pay for it by collecting small membership fees from those who join. (Fees recommended if you want to filter out those who aren't really serious about their film careers.)
2. behindthevoiceactors.com - Whether you're an aspiring or experienced actor or filmmaker, this is a great place to connect with talent. Actors - perfect your vocal performance and audition skills from your couch. (Even if a part isn't a fit, submitting an audition and getting feedback is a great way to hone your skills.) Filmmakers - find some outstanding unknown voice-over and musical talent to aid you with narrations or bring your animated/CGI characters to life. Sure, there's a lot of subpar projects and talent on the site, but you can easily filter through the noise with just a little bit of effort. Some of my favorite lines to perform have come from  original audio books/plays and cartoon projects I've encountered on this site. To get a taste, check out my member page here.
3. Skype - There is a misconception out there that you have to be an Apple fanatic to make films. Get over it. Today Android is taking over the small device market place and Windows remains present on over 80% of the world's desktops. If you want to communicate with your collaborators, FOR FREE, over video and IM, Skype is the only reliable tool today that works on all four of the major platforms (iOS, OS X/Mac OS, Android and Windows). I love this as a way to collaborate on everything from screenwriting projects to voicing cartoons. Filmmakers, got a screenplay you want to test/table read before you move forward? Skype it.
4. Create50 - Created and owned by the London Screenwriters' Festival team, this unique concept brings together writers and artists from around the globe to create collaborative short stories, screenplays and films. There is a good deal of structure around the projects, so you may have to check back if you first step in at the wrong phase of a project cycle for your particular talents.
5. OneDrive - I know, I know. Another Microsoft tool. Shoot me. But hey, this is the same storage technology James Cameron leveraged to house the mounds of 3D data it took to produce Avatar, so it should be good enough for the rest of us, right? Platform agnostic (as of late 2015), OneDrive is the ultimate of shared storage out there. Sign up for a Microsoft account (you can use your current email), and you automatically get 15 GB/month for free. If you have an Office365 subscription, 10 TB is included. The service features near-military-grade security and encryption and syncs to any Windows or Apple device to provide offline access to your files anywhere, anytime. I keep all my in-work writing, resumes, headshots and voice-over recordings on this service, in addition to hundreds of photos. If I'm recording lines for an active project, all I have to do is share my folder out to the filmmaker and s/he has immediate access to all my audio files. (I control who has read only or full access.) Working on a screenplay? Combine this with Microsoft Word's shared editing capabilities, and multiple writers can simultaneously edit the same document without tripping over each other's changes. (I love the comments and review features in Microsoft Word, which even sports a free screenplay template that conforms to industry standards,)

     I think that's enough geeking out for now. Happy filmmaking! If you have a favorite collaboration tool of your own (other than the standard Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo), leave a note in the comments. Like my grandmother used to say as she handed me a dustpan, "Everything is better when we work together."

Don't Tell Me, SHOW Me

In my July 2015 post "10 Tips for Film Fest Success," I mentioned one of my pet peeves is filmmakers using tired, over-used lines and phrases in the screenplay. My very, very favorite is the line that starts with "He is the best _____ I've ever seen." (Watch a dozen action movies and you'll hear it at least eight times.)
     Instead of telling me that Super Cop is the best police officer you've ever seen, SHOW me. Why? Well, for one, I don't know why the speaking character's opinion matters. Has he really seen that many cops? What does being the best actually mean? Does it have any bearing on the situation? Instead of dragging up another tired line or having a character I just met try to convince me (or another character), find a way to let me figure it out for myself. After all, if I wanted to have everything explained to me, I'd buy an audio book instead of going to a movie or watching TV.
     One easy technique to use is a quick montage, or series of shots. It might look like this:

(NOTE: All screenplay samples are the exclusive property of FracturedMom and require written permission prior to reprint or use.)
----------------
SERIES OF SHOTS - SUPER COP'S HOME OFFICE

A. Several award certificates framed on a wall in a cluster.

B. A framed newspaper clipping with the headline "Super Cop Saves Metro City Again!" sits on a shelf next to a large glass trophy inscribed "Your City Thanks You."

C.  A picture of a politician shaking hands with Super Cop.

D. On the desk, a case full of medals and ribbons sits next to another case holding a large brass key inscribed "Metro City."
----------------

     Without saying a word, you've established that your character is an exceptional police officer. This bears far more credibility than having someone say it.

     Another common over-sharing mistake you see are characters talking about what happened to another character in the past. In this case, a flashback will usually be more effective in conveying how past events have affected your character. For example, instead of having someone say "Jane's afraid to fly because she was in a plane crash that killed her dad," try something like this:

----------------
EXT. AIRPORT - DAY

Jane hesitates outside the airport door, letting Bob and Lily walk on ahead of her. Bob stops and turns back toward her.

BOB

          What's the matter, Jane? I thought you were excited to go to Paris.

INT.  SMALL PROP PLANE - DAY (FLASHBACK)

Jane and her DAD are sitting in the cockpit of a small twin engine prop plane. Her dad is piloting the plane. The propellers can be seen spinning outside the cockpit windows as they fly in and out of clouds.

JANE'S P.O.V. - ENGINE OUTSIDE WINDOW

The engine bursts into flame with a loud BANG.

DAD -

He struggles with the controls as the cockpit shakes. There is another loud BANG. His face twists in terror.

THE CONTROLS -

Alerts flash warnings as the altitude drops rapidly.

JANE'S P.O.V. - THE COCKPIT WINDOW

Trees crash against the window, cracking the glass. A huge tree looms into view. The window SHATTERS.

JANES P.O.V. - HER DAD

A tree branch crashes into the cockpit, impaling her dad in the chest. He collapses forward, draped over the branch like a rag doll. Jane SCREAMS.

JANE -

Jane's body is flung forward as the plane comes to a sudden stop. Her head hits the dash in front of her. Blood flows from her forehead.

END FLASHBACK
----------------

     Now, if Jane's character refuses to get on a plane, the audience understands the cause and severity of her fear far better than they would have from a few lines of dialogue.
     Instead of having characters describe an object or person, use an insert or cutaway. (See my January 2016 post on Cutaways.)
     The takeaway here is, before you have someone explain something in dialogue, try to figure out how you can tell the story visually instead. Unlike stage plays, movies and television shows give us the opportunity to tell a story with minimal dialogue. In the long tradition of abusing tired old phrases, when it comes to screenplays and dialogue, "less is more."

Why Cutaways Matter

I recently spent a couple of hours filming a quick little silent cutaway for an acquaintance who was adding the finishing touches to his latest short film. (Laughably, he had asked this 40-something single mom to play a trophy wife. I should get an Oscar for that one, hee hee!) It took me longer to wriggle into the sparkly little black dress than it did to film my bit, but it got me thinking: cutaways are critical, but you don't hear much about them.
     If you're new to the industry, this might be a new term for you, so here's the short definition: a cutaway is a short deviation from or interruption to the main scene used to convey information not visually present in the main scene. Cutaways seldom have dialogue, though there are no hard and fast rules preventing it. They are seldom more than a few seconds long, maybe 15 seconds max, and should be carefully placed to avoid disrupting the point of the main scene. (Again, no hard and fast rules.) In general, a cutaway is used to provide insight into a character's thoughts, a break in a long sequence of action, to simplify special effects or just to make a scene more interesting.
     In the example of the bit I filmed last month, the two main characters are talking about the trophy wife and the cutaway is used to briefly visualize the topic of their conversation. Most of the short film takes place in the same location, so my friend used a few strategically-placed inserts and cutaways to add color to the film and break up the monotony of the confined location.
     Cutaways can be the difference in a boring film and a work of art. Take "American Beauty," for example. The cutaway to Lester's dream about Angela in a bath of rose petals became the iconic image of the movie.
     Since cutaways aren't really scenes themselves, they are generally represented by slug lines in your screenplay. Again, using my little bit as an example, it might have looked like this in the screenplay:

-----------------

CUTAWAY - JENNY PRIMPING IN MIRROR

She fixes her makeup and quickly adjusts her cleavage.

RETURN TO SCENE

-----------------

     A cutaway is continuous to the action of the main scene and brief enough to avoid busting the pace of the action. It should always supplement the action of the main scene and differs from an insert in that it shows something that is occurring outside the scope of the main scene. It can be the ticking clock of a bomb your main character is racing to locate, an eavesdropper on the other side of a door, enemies gathering outside the heroes' sanctuary, and so on.
     What's most important is that your cutaway is the same quality and feel as the rest of your film. Yes, there are times where the cutaway may be old stock footage or intentionally different, but such disruptions to the main scene should not jar your audience out of the world you have created.
     Your cutaway needs to make sense within the scene. If you're tracking the countdown on a bomb's timer, make sure the elapsed time makes sense with the pace of your scene, especially if you return to it. For example, if my character is running down the street and I cutaway to my bomb, cut back to see him cross the street, then cut back to the bomb and it's counted down 5 minutes, my audience is going to call foul. I remember watching a film about a year ago that blew it big time with the cutaways. The filmmaker showed his main character in his car heading to the site of an accident. In his cutaway from the car interior to the accident site, it was raining. When the character arrived at the site moments later, the car was dry and there was no sign it had ever rained. That little inconsistency was so disconcerting I lost the importance of the location. He would've been better off skipping the cutaway altogether since the weather hadn't cooperated between shooting times.
     Don't use bad actors in your cutaways, either. It may seem like a great time to give Cousin Bob a little moment in your film, but if Bob sucks, it can ruin the whole scene. The most common sin you see here are actors over-doing it in an effort to steal the scene or make the most of their little moment. As a filmmaker, your biggest challenge is to get them to act natural for 10-15 seconds. (Unless it's slapstick, then all bets are off.) Help your actors understand that their moment will have more weight if it's believable, not over-baked. Don't be afraid to spend time getting the shot just right and never make the mistake of assuming your actor won't need direction.
     With the exception of "American Beauty" your cutaway should never over-shadow the main scene. Think of it as an illustration in a chapter book. It supplements the action, provides insight that can't be conveyed in the context of the main scene, helps time elapse, even lets the watcher in on a secret. Take this scene as an example:

-----------------

INT. GARAGE - DAY TIME

A MYSTERIOUS MAN sits at a worktable built into an alcove in the over-sized garage, a myriad of bomb materials scattered around a shoe with a thick bottom, a small, almost flat completed device amongst the mess. He peels back the sole of the shoe and begins scraping out the inside of it.

CUTAWAY - CIRCUS SECURITY GATE

Security officers are inspecting bags on a table and using metal detection wands as families enter the grounds of the circus.

RETURN TO SCENE

The Mysterious Man inserts the small device into the hollow now in his shoe and carefully seals up the sole, leaving just a bit of fuse sticking out. He puts on the shoe, grabs a small camera bag and climbs into the car.

-----------------

     In this scene, the cutaway builds tension by revealing to us that the mysterious man is placing the bomb in his shoe with the intent of attacking a stadium full of children. Without the cutaway, the audience can only guess at where and how he intends to use the bomb and will likely assume it's an airport. As a screenwriter, I can choose to leave my audience guessing and surprise them with the target later, or I can warn them of the impending attack and up the importance of my hero finding the villain before he can carry out his evil plot.
     In short, don't forget to plan your cutaways when you start developing your screenplay. If you're working with a screenplay that has none or seems a bit dry, take advantage of this technique to spice it up.

    For a great list of cutaway scenarios, check out this 2008 article by Eric Ossohou: The Art of the Cutaway.

Talent Agent or Scam?

The digital world has been a powerful enabler for everyone who ever dreamed of a career in film. Would be film makers and future stars are no longer beholden to the behemoth studios that seem to own Hollywood. Thanks to the power of the internet, anyone with an idea and a great camera phone can produce a film and get it seen by thousands, even millions of viewers. Use the right streaming service and you might even make a buck or two in the process.
     But thanks to the complete lack of regulation and the truly global nature of the internet, for every positive there are negatives. These normally take the form of charlatans and scammers who prey on the gullibility of those who dream of a career in film but have no idea how to start. Today, let's focus purely on the so-called "Talent Agents" out there who fall into this category. Whip out that notepad and pencil - here's how you can tell the real agents from the fake.

1. Money: The most common scam out there is designed to part you from your hard-earned cash with little to no service provided in return. You'll see this in the form of talent "sites" that promise you access to acting/modeling/voice over opportunities in exchange for an up-front or monthly fee. Real talent agents work for a portion of your earnings, not for excessive up-front fees.
2. Advertising: Incredibly, the scam artists and sham talent agencies do the most advertising. Your radio and TV blare out opportunities to work with top studios and even throw out a few star's names to add to their credibility. Usually they have nothing to do with any of the shows, people or studios they talk about. Most real talent agents do little more than maintain a small web presence and an ad in the trades. They almost never offer to take the inexperienced and turn them into an overnight star.
3. Headshots: Scam artists will charge you hundreds for mandatory photography fees and even offer comp cards as part of this bargain basement package. Show up at a real talent agency without your own headshots and you're not likely to make it past the receptionist.
4. Audition Listings: Real talent agencies don't charge you for access to a list of available auditions. A quality agent knows their talent pool and matches you with viable auditions rather than expecting you to figure it out on your own. Why? Remember, they only get paid if you do. Casting directors will also stop calling them if they don't produce viable candidates for auditions, which means they're going to pre-screen both you and the listings to ensure they keep credibility with the C.D.s out there.
5. SAG/AFTRA Affiliation: Union affiliation isn't easy to obtain. If the agency isn't listed on the SAG website, they're probably not worth your time. There are some exceptions as independent filmmakers have begun to rely upon some trusted talent listings online, but these are few and far between. If you want to get paid for your acting, SAG/AFTRA franchises are a no-brainer.
6. "No Experience Necessary:" Ha ha ha ha ha! Okay, if you're under 10 years old this might be true. Otherwise, no self-respecting agency is going to talk to you if you have zero experience. What you WILL find with these "no experience needed" agencies is the opportunity to drop 4-figures on mandatory training before they'll represent you. Now, there are a handful of well-known, semi-respectable agencies that offer training courses to youngsters. Just beware and do your research. If you get invited to a large group "audition" where everyone there gets an offer to attend class, it's safe to assume the agency is more interested in milking you for cash than helping you get started.
7. No Audition: Real talent agents will require a portfolio for models and/or an audition "reel" for actors. REAL talent agents do not create these for you but instead require you provide said portfolio or reel before they will agree to meet you in person for an interview/audition. They may assist you in producing higher quality audition screening materials, but only AFTER you've provided your own and they've decided to represent you. If you get invited to meet without providing your headshot, resume, portfolio and/or reel first, respectfully decline.
8. Cattle Calls: Open auditions are commonly held for extras near the location of the expected opportunity. (I.e. The C.D.'s for "Any Given Sunday" held an open call for football player extras near the stadium where the scenes were to be shot.) These open calls are almost never for a principal/lead role and inevitably require you show up prepared to work within a day or two of being accepted. (Sometimes on the spot.) A common scam is to hold "open auditions" for "new talent." You will spend hours sitting in a waiting room, may even get interviewed and asked to do a cold read. You are then offered positive feedback and invited to attend some very expensive industry event. This will get you nowhere 99.9% of the time except less rich.

If you REALLY want to become a paid actor or model, you need to first learn the trade and second get some experience. If you've never acted before or never done so on camera, attend a workshop or two. Plenty are generally offered by local colleges and industry professionals. You'll probably have to do some work for free before an agent will show any interest in representing you, so connect with your local independent film community and audition, audition, audition. Working for nothing more than SAG and IMDB credit is the most common way to get started.
     Attend local film festivals, media (headshot, resume or business card) in hand. Rub elbows with filmmakers and casting directors so you can get your name out there. Once you've built a little bit of credibility into your resume, start sending requests to talent agencies, but keep working for free in the indie world until you find representation. There is no EASY way into a film career, and you certainly can't buy your way in with a low monthly fee. It won't likely happen overnight, but if you're serious about your career, talented and persistent, odds are good you'll at least work enough to feed the need.

Casting in Color

The way things are today, you can't be too careful when it comes to racial sensitivity and attention to diversity. There are no rules, per se, yet everyone seems to be breaking them on a daily basis. In this overly PC, continuously offended world, how do you make the right decisions when it comes to casting roles? Do you cast based on audience draw or lean toward inclusion regardless of the story you plan to tell? Is there something in between? Will making the wrong choices hurt your film or does it even matter?

The answer to all of the above is YES.

There is a lot of noise out there about making movies to attract multi-racial audiences, and there certainly is some logic to that theory. If I'm a casting director working on a big Hollywood studio project, I'm naturally going to be sensitive to two huge facts: 1) more than 70% of Americans identify as Caucasian and 2) 18 of the top 20 grossing films in 2015 featured Caucasian leads. While item one is indisputable, it's easy to say fact #2 could be driven by the plethora of films featuring purely Caucasian casts or at least white leads.

That aside, several of the top 20 films this year have shattered traditional blockbuster casting molds. Okay, let's face it: Will Smith shattered those molds years ago. But is that repeatable? The jury is still out.

The truth is, when you're casting a film that includes time-tested characters, your first loyalty needs to be to your existing fan base. Does it make sense to cast Idris Elba as James Bond? No, it doesn't. Why? Because there is no way to "explain" the change to loyal audiences, no matter how awesome Idris Elba may be. (And we all know he is.) Every Bond in the history of Bond has been similar in look and feel. It makes no more sense to cast a black man as James Bond than it does to cast Tom Cruise as Wonder Woman. Iconic characters generally need to be left alone. Consistently we have seen "progressive" filmmakers attempt to recolor classic, well-known characters only to fail miserably. (Anyone see "Fantastic Four" lately? Yeah, I didn't think so.)

From a psychological perspective, audiences develop an "image" of a character based upon how they're used to seeing that character. Cinderella will always be a pretty blond white girl, assuming Disney wants to keep making hundreds of millions at the box office on Cinderella-based fare. Seeing a major change in a beloved character causes watchers to experience a kind of psychological dissonance that simply makes them uncomfortable. They may go see the movie, but those first viewers won't feel good about it, won't know why, but will tell their friends to stay away. Even a brilliant movie may bomb because of this.

Your second loyalty in casting needs to be to your story. If your film is a coming of age story about a boy growing up in China and dealing with the conflict between tradition and modern life, casting a person of any other race isn't going to make sense. Audiences will get stuck on that rather than seeing what an awesome story you have to tell. The recent backlash over the casting of Mara Rooney as Tiger Lily in "Pan" is a great example. Ms. Rooney did an amazing job from an acting point of view, but it was completely overshadowed by the fact that she just didn't fit the character. Her father was clearly Native American. She clearly is not. Even children pick up on these things. (My child is no Tiger Lily loyal but quickly realized that she and the band of natives didn't look like a tribe.) Casting choices should fit the story at all times, regardless of how badly you want to be inclusive. Now, that DOESN'T mean you cast to stereotype. There is a major difference between stereotype and character, and all good filmmakers can sense the difference.

Finally, you need to be aware of the character. Suppose my story is about a Southern girl who wants to be the belle of her high society ball in Redneckville, USA because it's a long-standing family tradition. I HAVE to cast that girl and her friends as Caucasians. Now, suppose my Southern girl wants to BREAK tradition and become the belle of the ball? Now, I can cast any race I like in that role and may even lean toward African American because of the natural conflict that will arise from that choice. If my character wants to play basketball professionally but must overcome the fact that he's short, again, race won't matter. I can cast black, white, whatever, and be successful. I might even cast the character as Asian to make the character stand out even more than his height alone. Before I cast the role, I need to understand the character: history, motivation, and how s/he fits into my story.

Let's face it: Hollywood's practice of casting white actors in non-white roles is a long-standing and irritatingly senseless tradition. However, audiences are more outspoken and sensitive to Hollywood's attempts to dupe them. So, if you want diversity vs. travesty, make sure you first tell a story where diversity makes sense, then cast based on the characters and the stories they have to tell, not upon whether or not it will make you appear to be politically correct in your choices. It's always PC to stay true to your story and character and audiences will appreciate your choices.

FYI - SOMEONE WILL ALWAYS COMPLAIN. There is nothing you can do about that, so just accept it and move on.

In the end, a typical cast in a modern American field shouldn't be monochromatic, but your casting choices should always serve the story and the characters foremost. No actor should ever be placed in the cast to serve as a racial token, nor to fulfill a stereotype. If the character is race-less as written, then cast the person who does the best job auditioning for the role, regardless of color. Audiences appreciate a film that feels true, not just politically correct.

Deadlines Matter, Even for Indies

For me, one of the toughest things about independent film is the complete lack of studio-imposed deadlines. I know, you're thinking I'm completely nuts and you're just about to click that little "x" to close the window. Before you do, consider this:

1. Projects that take years to complete suffer issues of relevancy once they finally wrap. I had a friend who started a wonderful story about the Cold War in the 1980's. I heard from her recently: it was finally finished, could I read it? Sure! The writing was brilliant, for 1985. It now needs a complete rewrite because younger audiences won't connect and it's no longer relevant to those who lived through that era. While it could have a cool retro feel as a film today, the story has to include more exposition than it did when the writer started it because of the loss of relevancy.
2. Casting can become a major issue. A filmmaker friend obtained the film rights to a book and went to work writing his screenplay. He was able to find the perfect lead, a local unknown, to star in his project, and shot a few scenes to garner interest in funding the project. However, he kept putting the finished screenplay on the backburner as he worked on other projects. By the time he was ready to start filming, that perfect actor had been cast in a TV series and was no longer available. He's now having to start over with casting and still, more than a year later, doesn't have a completed screenplay ready to shoot.
3. Actors' appearances change over time. The headlining film at our local festival a couple of years ago took several years to complete. This might have been okay except that two of the main characters were young girls when the project started, teens when it finished. The story itself covered less than a year of elapsed time, so the change in the younger actors' appearances was jarring and left audiences confused.

     These are just a few real-world examples where the lack of a hard deadline undermined what might have been successful projects otherwise.
     As an independent filmmaker or screenwriter, it's important to set deadlines for yourself to ensure your project remains relevant, you keep funding you've secured and you don't lose resources attached to the project. Make sure the deadlines you set are reasonable - you don't want to rush the project and produce something crappy, but you also don't want to take so long to get it done that six other people beat you to the punch.
     If you're not sure what makes a reasonable deadline, I recommend choosing a film festival or contest to which you'd like to submit your work. (Don't pick one that closes entries next month.) Alternatively, figure out the pace at which you best work and approximately how long it would take to finish your project at that pace. (Tip: it shouldn't be more than a year out.) For example: if you're a writer, setting a goal of 10 to 20 pages per day would set the goal of first draft for you in approximately 1.5 to 2 weeks out. Factor in time for your detailed proof-read and three or four review passes, and 2 months may be a reasonable deadline for you to have a copy ready to pass around to others to read before your final copy is complete.
     All in all, a deadline should give you a reasonable goal to work toward and put just enough pressure on you to get the work done before completing the project becomes impossible or pointless. It will also show others you want to bring into the project that you are serious about getting it done and that you are a true professional, improving the odds that they will commit the time and effort you need from them to produce quality work.
     So, get to it! Whip out that smartphone and add an appointment, as well as a few reminders, to get that project done. As we all know, once it's in the smartphone calendar, it's real.

"Home" = The Perfect Screenplay

While many screenwriting gurus vary greatly in the advice they give, there is one thing they agree on consistently for a feature-length screenplay: plot structure. If you're a budding writer, hopefully you've seen this basic rule:

It's simple, tried and true...and often ignored by screenwriters and filmmakers, especially in the independent side of the industry. (Hey, sometimes this works, sometimes it leaves audiences scratching their heads.)

For a new screenwriter, sometimes it's difficult to see this structure in modern films. (Try watching action films - they usually throw it in your face.) Since I'm a mom, though, I was compelled to see "Home" with my daughter, who absolutely LOVED that movie. I will be the first to admit, I did, too. So we watched it again and to my everlasting surprise, I realized why: that writer was a genius when it came to adherence to classic plot structure. Okay, and the film was a lot of fun to watch in general.

Not only was the overall story an excellent blend of fun, silliness and heart-string tugging, but the plot was easy for both me and the 10-year-old I brought with me to follow. Our well-trained movie-loving brains subconsciously responded positively to the near perfect adherence to classic plot structure without the slightest thought the story might be formulaic in design.

Whether you're a new screenwriter or an experienced pro, try drawing up your chart (based on the above), pop "Home" into your DVD, and see if you can attach the scenes in this perfectly-designed kids' movie onto the right points in the chart. How does the timing align? (Tip #1: times in the chart are approximate but should divide your movie into thirds at each of the turning points.) Does the setup establish the rules of the world it creates? Does the story stay within those rules (to maintain believability)? Does the action build from each point to the next? Where does the action peak? (Tip #2: It happens twice, as formula demands.) Does the resolution actually resolve every open thread? Evaluate other screenwriting elements "Home" executes well: Does each character have a unique voice? Do we care about what happens to the primary characters? Can you identify the primary antagonist(s)? Does each primary character have a friend/advisor? If you don't find the answer to each question, I have a now 11-year-old who will be happy to help you. :)

If you're not a screenwriter but a burgeoning filmmaker, I encourage you to view this as a guide to identifying excellent screenplays. In the end, they should follow the formula without appearing formulaic. That, my friend, (along with a killer cast and toe-tapping soundtrack), is how you pull in a $54 million weekend box office with a kid-friendly film that doesn't feature a princess or well-known toy anywhere in the story.

4 Ways Social Media is Changing Independent Filmmaking

About two years ago there was a rush by independent filmmakers to jump on the social media bandwagon for low cost film promotion. (Just search "social media independent film" for a rash of blogs, how-to's, etc., generally circa 2013.) Today, it's almost impossible to get your film seen without "posting" incessantly about it across a range of social media outlets, and it works.


There are more ways to leverage the power of social media to improve your success as an independent filmmaker than simply promoting your finished product. Here are some of the coolest/most creative uses of our social world I've seen recently (in no particular order):

1. Group story-building: As modern creative geniuses like Joseph Gordon-Levitt have proven, your followers on social media are a great source of creative, collaborative story-building. Check out his #MonthlyScriptWorkshop on Twitter. From developing an idea to finalizing a screenplay, there are hundreds of talented writers out there willing to contribute their time and energy if you just ask.
2. Fund your project: Crowd-funding is definitely the word of the day not only for independent filmmakers, but for many industries. Sites like Indiegogo and Kickstarter are excellent sources of funds for those with a project that's ready to go but needs a little extra kick to get started. (Most crowd-funding sites have rules around setting and making goals, so plan your campaign carefully.)
3. Meet your cast & crew: Creative independent filmmakers are expanding their reach to find locals who are willing to help make their dream a reality. I'm personally part of two Meet-up groups specifically targeting the local film community - one a general film-making group, the other targeting actors to cast current and future projects. (Make your group successful by including an educational element for newbies and networking with agencies, studios, etc.) The usual "casting" methods can be pretty difficult to navigate, and even harder to leverage effectively, when the pay for your stars is publicity (maybe) and peanuts. The promise of residuals will draw un-carded, experienced help, but we all know that's more a hope than a guarantee with most indies.
4. Test screening safely: With the increased focus on privacy, security and data protection, filmmakers now have several options to share their projects without losing their rights to them in the process. (Beware of user-agreements that hand your film over to the host. The most popular video-sharing service, to remain unnamed, is of particular concern if not used properly.) I personally like services like SmugMug and OneDrive to set up private shares that prevent download and duplication while providing support for comments and that social media feel. Instead of waiting to test the whole finished project, take advantage of social media and your circle of trusted friends to test specific scenes, different endings, even costumes, make-up, effects...you get the idea.

The digital age is a great thing for independent filmmakers. Take advantage of it!

10 Tips for Film Fest Success

I help out with a local film festival and every year I'm sad to see new, brilliant film-makers hobbled by the same mistakes. Here are 10 things I wish every film-maker/screenwriter would consider BEFORE they submit their entries.

1. The first 30 seconds are critical. Your film may be brilliant, but with thousands of submissions, if the first 30 seconds are hard to see, suffer sound problems, are unoriginal or just plain dull, screeners won't go any further. Your masterpiece will more than likely end up in the reject pile. (Tip, most festivals use a panel of pre-screeners before your entry ever sees a judge.)
2. Win in the first 10. That's right, whether it's a film or screenplay or anything in between, the first ten pages/minutes matter most. Again, most screeners/readers will bail out if that first 10 doesn't win them. Hook us, then worry about explaining who your characters are. We won't care about exposition if we're already interested in finding out what happens next. If your short film is only ten minutes long, make sure that first minute is brilliant.
3. Plan for the big screen. One of my (current) all-time favorite film festival entries (Republic of Rick) could've been a box office success if only it had been shot in the right format. 24 frames per second is a bare minimum (48-60 preferred), as is making sure you've selected the correct widescreen format and are ready to package to DCP. Once upon a time, you needed a bevy of $100,000 cameras to get there. Today, I can get pretty close with my $850 Canon Rebel Digital SLR and a stack of top-notch SD cards. In other words, budget isn't an excuse. Between the low cost of storage, (check out services like Microsoft's Azure, which actually hosted the data for Avatar during production), and the ease of converting your film onto Blu-Ray from almost any PC, there's no reason your film fest entry shouldn't be ready to hit theaters should it catch the attention of distributors.
4. Pay attention to light and sound consistency. As an independent film maker, keeping conditions the same over a period of time can be pretty tough on a shoe-string budget. However, post-production software is fairly low cost and can be used to level out both audio and light differentiations. Consistency in general can also be a real killer in an otherwise good film. I remember one film last year that was pretty decent overall, but suffered terrible consistency issues that left audience members shaking their heads. (I.e. a car driving through the rain but being completely dry when shot from the exterior, female actor's hair colors changing drastically between scenes, you get the picture.)
5. Skip the effects. Unless your digital effects are outstanding quality, they can really detract from an otherwise excellent film. Of course, student film categories are far more forgiving than the other categories at most festivals. If you can't afford the time, effort and/or talent to produce at least mediocre quality effects, skip them. We may not really need to see that space ship to know it's there, and might actually even be more intrigued by a film that cleverly avoids showing it to us.
6. Follow submission guidelines. Enter your submission in the right category and make sure it's complete and ready to go. If the film festival requires "premier" or "first run" in a particular category - don't submit a film that's already been shown at other festivals. (Usually there are categories for both types of film.) Submit in the right format, too. This varies by film festival. Some require printed screenplays, others PDF, others Word. For films, most prefer DVDs or Blu-Rays these days. Some may require you upload directly to a streaming service they use. Make sure your entry doesn't violate any intellectual property laws, either. Plagiarism may only get you kicked out if you do it in school, but it can result in a law suit when it comes to your film festival submission.
7. Stock footage should be unfamiliar or used in new, creative ways. Everyone has seen MLK's "I have a dream" speech over and over, along with "One small step for man..." Find other ways to get your point across if at all possible.
8. Skip the corny, tired dialog. Every time I hear a character utter the words "He is the BEST <insert description> I've ever known," (or any variation thereof), I dismiss the film right away. (Yes, big budget films make the same dumb mistakes, but they have 7-figure ad budgets and 8-figure stars to help them overcome bad dialog.) The key to a great screenplay or film is a modicum of originality. I don't need you to tell me he's the best cop ever. I figured that out the minute Will Smith's "Jay" ran down the insane alien in the early minutes of "MIB." Not once did you hear Tommy Lee Jones' "Agent K" tell us he was the best ever, even if he does reference the successful chase. Watch a few popular films in your category. If you hear similar lines, avoid them like the plague.
9. Submit early. While you may make the deadline with a last-minute entry, there's a good chance judges will have already formed an attachment to early favorites.
10. If you get accepted, show up to the festival and "sell" your film. Festivals are not only attended by the other entrants, but other industry insiders. I've often attended viewings of films I hadn't intended to see simply because the film maker was at the opening party and sold me on his or her film. If you're an artist in the industry, whether it's an actor, writer, sound mixer, effects artist, producer, whatever - show up and do some hand shaking. You just might actually find your next great collaborator or even a paid gig on an upcoming project.

I hope you find this information useful. Best of luck with your next festival entry!