Urban Movies Continue To Rise

Urban movies continue to grow in popularity. This can be seen in the exploding direct to video market where urban movies reign supreme. The rising quality of independent urban movies has made them much more attractive to DVD consumers.

Some talented film directors behind this urban movement are Charles Dutton, Damon Dash, Sid Kali, Hype Williams, John Singleton, Dale Stelly, Mike O'Dea and Quentin Tarantino.

The diversity of the urban genre continues to grow because the storylines are connecting with a larger audience by going beyond what you would expect to see in an urban movie. Filmmakers are pushing the complexity and overall look of the urban genre to new levels.

Exploring the urban landscape and culture makes for entertaining films that offer viewers a look into a slice of americana they might not otherwise experience. Collaborating with dedicated individuals that work in front of the camera and behind the scenes to create quality urban movies has always been a life goal of Director Sid Kali.

Sid Kali made his directorial debut with the urban feature "Consignment". The spirit of independent filmmaking came together. We felt "Consignment" was best served highlighting a Latino and Black perspective of the events that were going to unfold in the film.

The plot centers around a Virginia Beach drug dealer that runs into trouble and has to lay low in Southern California. This being the movies all the problems that come with power, drug money, fast women, and jealous rivals has to come out. It was nice to be able to mix in the subtle cultural differences between the two places.

This West Coast and East Coast mix worked out because Co-Producer and Editor Tim Beachum had lived in Ohio, Detroit , and Virginia Beach during his years. While Sid Kali has only lived in Southern California his entire life. By working together they were able to blend these influences together. "Consignment" is being released on DVD November 2007 by Maverick Entertainment Group, Inc. Support independent film and add this feature to your DVD collection.

An important aspect of making an urban movie is keeping it authentic. At the independent level budgets are tighter, so it helps if you write a script that has elements you can realistically translate from the page to the screen. The basic idea is to write a script that you can shoot using your resources. The cool thing with urban movies are they lend themselves to many more backdrops than before.

It used to be when you attached the word urban to a film the story had to take place in the inner city. That's changing as urban culture and style is moving beyond those pervious boundaries. This makes for an exciting time to shoot urban movies.

The word "crime drama" is used to describe films like "Training Day", "The Departed", "Heat" and 'Scarface'. To some movie buffs these are urban masterpieces done by highly talented and respected filmmakers at the top of their creative game. This shows the diversity of the urban genre.

After the experience of shooting "Consignment". Slice Of Americana Films wanted to expand their take on the urban genre with "In With Thieves". This urban movie brings together a unique blend of creative elements.

"In With Thieves" features a Cuban cartel that practices their own version of Santeria, an African based crime group that deals in blood diamonds, ruthless Albanian gangsters, and an American burglary crew that is Latino, Black, and Irish.

This unique blend of creative and visual elements we felt would make for a provocative urban film. The inspiration was to show that urban stories can have global influences.

Career criminal Jack McGee (Tony Napoli) is out of prison facing hard times. His trophy wife Karen (Jennifer Day) spent all the money they had stashed away and found time to fall in love with another man. Max (Edward Gusts) his junkie brother-in-law, made enemies with the Albanian Mafia leaving Jack to hold the bag on a large debt. The release date for Jack insn't a surprise to anyone who runs in criminal circles. Former gang member turned burglar Hector Garcia (Walter Pagan) and street huslter Frank Washington (Jerome A. Hawkins) are his partners in crime. When Jack was running the robbery crew they were flush with cash. After he went inside the scores dried up. Now it's time for them to reconnect and go back to work.

Anton (Jayson Matthews) a savvy and vicious Albanian boss, has his trusted solider Vicktor (Marek Matousek) carry out a brutal act of violence to send a message to Jack. The message is clear to Jack. Pay the debt or everyone close to him will be murdered. Over friendly welcome home drinks Jack asks Hector and Frank to come through on the money he needs to pay off Anton. They both refuse his request turning the reunion bitter and bringing some old wounds to the surface.

Karen halfway walks back into Jack's life pushing him into a frantic mix of anger, confusion, and dark alcohol fueled thoughts. She's still involved with the other man. Adding to his problems is a gunpoint reminder that he has a short time to pay his debt or Karen will be killed. Pressed he hooks back up with Hector and Frank to steal the money he needs to pay Anton. They come up short.

He falls into a heated sexual affair with contract killer Rita Desouza (Arnita Champion) to numb his pain. Sex turns to conspiracy when she lays out a plan to have her husband ripped-off during a 5 million dollar diamond deal. Her husband is ruthless Cuban kingpin David Desouza (Art Parga). He's heavily into his own version of Santeria and the blood diamond market. He depends on Rita and his most bloodthirsty enforcer Voodoo (Jesse James Youngblood) took keep people in line.

Jack brings in Hector and Frank to help him pull off the robbery. Out of time on his debt he's forced to let Anton in on the job for a large cut of the take. They crash in on illegal blood diamond deal between a Cuban cartel and an African based crime syndicate headed by an ambitious upstart known as Omar (Keion Adams).

The rip-off erupts into deadly violence. This sets off a frenzy of double-crosses and brazen executions that entwine everyone in a bloody conflict that plays out to an explosive ending. Friendship, loyalty, and love run short in a world of greed.

The trailer can be viewed on YouTube.Com, Yahoo Videos, Google Videos, AtomFilms.Com, and iFilm.Com

"In With Thieves" is in the final stages of post-production and is being represented to interested distributors by Mark Steven Bosko the author of "The Complete Independent Movie Marketing Handbook". A must read for independent filmmakers that want practical advice on the business. While filmmaking is an art you should be prepared for the harsh realities of the business side. All filmmakers take lumps coming up through the game.

Urban movies will continue to rise as talented filmmakers show their passion for making movies with an independent heart. Slice Of Americana Films has started pre-production for their third urban movie titled "Stash Spot". Rival criminals fight to find a fortune in cash ripped-off during a drug deal gone bad. When the stick-up artists responsible turn up dead, a bloodbath erupts as each vicious criminal makes their ruthless play to locate the money.

You always learn things with each film you produce. Hopefully filmmakers will continue to push the urban genre beyond what it is now.

* Quick and dirty tips if you're going to produce your own urban movie:
(* does not apply to filmmakers that have Hollywood connections or access to big money)


Avoid writing an amazing scene like the shoot-out in 'Heat' if you can't pull it off.

Write realistic locations into your script that you have shooting access to.

Action scenes are always going to take longer to light and shoot than talking head scenes.

Make sure your dialogue is authentic to the culture of the street. If you're writing your own script the right words will cost you nothing.

Wardrobe can't make Corey Feldman (nothing against The Corey) a Latino gangster by having him wear a bandanna and a flannel shirt buttoned only at the top. You see that type of phony wardrobe in some really bad urban movies.

Nothing will go as planned.

Leave your ego behind.Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

Isolated Expedition

Imagine an expedition to the Antarctic in 1914. There is no GPS, no world-reaching radio, and no satellite phone. Brutal conditions, rationed food, tight living quarters. Sounds pretty bleak. Now imagine that something goes horribly wrong. As days turn into weeks the rationed food is exhausted. As weeks turn into months hope is all that is left. When hope diminishes, all that is left is the will to live.

Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914 voyage turned into a disaster just before he and his crew of twenty-eight could reach Antarctica. Their ship The Endurance was held up by ice for ten months and then crushed by it's frozen, unforgiving force, and that is just the beginning of this two-years long journey. It is amazing what he and his crew endure over this time period just to survive.

This is an excerpt from a diary kept by crewman Thomas Orde-Lees that recounts a very cold and desperate time some six months after the men abandoned the crumpled, mangled wreckage of their ship on three lifeboats.

"As the water splashed into the boats it froze instantly forming thick incrustations of ice on the inside of the boat and over all the gear freezing up the sail as stiff as a piece of corrugated iron. Fortunately the water which ran into the bottom of the boat did not freeze at once so that by frequent bailing we were able to keep pace with it and prevent the accumulation of ice along the keels, where, had it once formed, it would have been next to impossible to eradicate it on account of the cargo.

Much sleet covered us, and what with this and the sea spray we were all more or less wet through and our outer clothing was frozen stiff. Our time was largely occupied in picking the ice off each other's backs. It would be a lie to say that we were at all happy under these circumstances but now and again we made a feeble effort to assume a cheerful, hopeful air in spite of ourselves. We were being sorely tried, indeed, though.

"Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

Stallone Filming New Boxing Movie

The next biggest boxing film, a new Rocky sequel, is set to be released in December 2006 or early 2007. Written and directed by Sylvester Stallone, Rocky VI, also called Rocky Balboa, has primarily been filmed throughout Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. However, in December 2005, the production team for the new boxing movie set out to Las Vegas for a series of fight scenes, which were filmed over a four day period. A call for extras was placed on sylvesterstallone.com, as well as at beinamovie.com. Fans traveled far and near for their opportunity to spend several days with the cast and crew, obtain autographs and to have the chance to say "I was there." The film has been closely followed by local news stations based in Philadelphia, which is noted on Stallone's official website.

The latest boxing saga for the one-time prize fighter, Rocky Balboa, played by Stallone, is said to parallel the comeback story of boxing legend, George Foreman. According to a statement printed on BeInAMovie.com, Stallone said that he wanted to tell Foreman's comeback story.

In the newest boxing release from the Rocky series, Balboa is now a restaurant owner grieving over the loss of his wife, Adrian. After deciding to return to the ring for local fights, Balboa is confronted with the opportunity to fight the reigning heavyweight champion. This act garners major boxing media attention, as does any major bout that Balboa has faced, and so is the story of Rocky VI.

While focusing on the story of boxing, the films from the Rocky series are geared more toward not giving up and staying in the fight, whether you win or lose. Fans who have followed the films since their inception will recall Balboa, a struggling boxer, never turned away from a challenge. It is the story of preserverance that has not only kept the boxing career of Balboa going, but also the desire to do what he loves.

Rocky VI, also called Rocky Balboa, is currently defined as being in post-production. While it's exact release date is not yet confirmed, industry experts believe it to be in late 2006 or early 2007 as previously noted. Some believe the film is slated for a Christmas Day 2006 release, but only time will tell. After a long hiatus from filming the world of boxing, Rocky makes yet another visit to the big screen with a crowd of eager fans anxiously awaiting the next storyline in one of the most anticipated boxing sequels ever made.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire DVD Review

Harry Potter's success worldwide is simply undeniable. The books have all been best-sellers, the movies top the charts, and Harry Potter merchandise is always in hot demand. With such high popularity and such a devout following of Harry Potter fanatics, high expectations result. Thus far, the movies have, for the most part, delivered in their task of bringing the books to life through glamorous special effects, excellent sets and environments, and solid acting.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was, in the eyes of most critics, the most successful movie thus far in the Harry Potter series and the DVD follows through with only some minor problems. Although some of the performances in the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire movie were a bit lackluster, to say the least, the movie held true to the novel and delivered exactly what fans wanted to see. It took the series on a darker path, similar to its paperbound counterpart, and movie-goers enjoyed the experience. Although the high budget of the films can probably be accredited for the fact that some of the acting is overlooked, the quality of the movie was still spot-on in most regards.

The DVD also delivers in most respects. The audio is delivered beautifully in high quality with plenty of options. The movie transferred well to the small screen in all but one area. The main problem with the DVD lies simply with the night scenes. The scenes are much too dark and the problem should have been noticed and resolved prior to the release of the DVD. This problem isn't major and won't even be noticed by many, but it still does exist and that knocks the DVD down a couple points. The extras offered on the DVD are simply spectacular.

There are quite a few lengthy, interesting features and many intriguing additional scenes that didn't make the final cut for the theatrical release. However, even more fun and engaging are the demos and interactive games that can be played through this DVD. These games are surprisingly fun and fans of the movie who purchase the DVD will definitely want to try them out. The Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire DVD turns out to be a solid offering.

Fans of the series and of the movie will undoubtedly want to pick this one up to add it to their collection and so they can view the movie on demand. The extras are well worth it and aside from the slight problem with the presentation, the movie make a successful transition to DVD form.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

Bollywood on Your Phone

The Bollywood craze has swept around the world, as fans of "Hindi Cinema" have fallen in love with the kietschy (and yet unusually addictive) high-pitched songs, exaggerated hand and eye movements, and tendency of characters to break into large-scale musical numbers at the oddest moments, and often against anachronistic settings like the Swiss Alps.

But music is an integral part of Bollywood films, so that even a dark and edgy drama has to have at least one catchy song and corresponding dance number woven into the script. In fact, in India, the sound track is released before the movie, so that everyone is humming the song as they enter the theatres.

Most Bollywood songs are actually lip-synched by the actors, the voices "borrowed" from professional playback singers. (The exceptions are Kishore Kumar K. L. Saigal, Suraiyya and Noor Jehan, who are known for both their acting and their singing). were also known as both singers and actors. Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan also sang in their movies. However, playback singers have their own following-like Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi and Yesudas.

Today's Bollywood songs are known for how they remix filmi songs with modern beats and rhythms, adding an interesting edge to the ancient folk dances and steps that make up a typical Bollywood number (although it is not uncommon to see current hits incorporating MTV or Broadway twists).

While some Bollywood songs are directly related to the plot, there are also item numbers where someone performs a catchy number-like a courtesan dancing for a rich client in a cabaret scene, or disco scenes, or dancing at celebrations.

Bollywood soundtracks usually become big hits, and there are cases when the music outsells the movie. Due to their incredible popularity, it is not surprising that many of the songs are now available as ringtones. Now you can listen to "Kabhi kushi kabhi ghum" or " Bolein chooriyaan" on your phone. Some come in polyphonic form, but many are already available as true tones.

With such a rich music tradition, the amount of Bollywood ringtones available are staggering-we're talking thousands, ranging from the sweet love song with choral "dialogues" between two star-crossed lovers, or funky dance remixes that combine techno with traditional Indian folk music.

Bollywood's appeal has spread across the world, and now across mediums. From Bombay to Brisbane, the movie screen to the mobile phone. Get it now.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

Funny Cartoons for your Health

We live in a chaotic world where the power of smiling has been forgotten amidst the cities' traffic, job's pressures, conflictive relationships, and many other issues stressing people at the point that it has become a major health problem in modern society.

Funny cartoons are perhaps the easiest way to cope with stress and there is nothing easier to obtain, whether browsing a newspaper or magazine, or surfing the net visiting web sites providing graphic entertainment.

Stress is the source of numerous diseases, including chronic fatigue, headache, anxiety attacks, mood swings, peptic ulcers, and in more severe cases, migraines, respiratory problems, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

However, medical research has found that humor is helpful therapy that not only reduces our chances to be at risk for these problems, but also can eradicate them. Funny cartoons promote relaxing smiles that enhance anyone's mood with ease.

Scientific evidence found that an estimated 40% to 80% of visits to the doctor's office occur due to illness directly linked to stress. When there is no humor to cope with stressful situations, people tend to abuse alcohol and drugs, to escape from stress.

Other people may suffer from eating disorders and smoking problems, but as soon as they find a good source of laughter, such as funny cartons, the situation changes, finding prompt recovery and over time suppressing all the stress in no time.

Cartoons are graphical depictions that provoke a smile after people look at them, so there is no need to undergo complicated and costly therapies to recover your good spirit by laughing aloud.

When you see the funny side of the miracles in life that can happen and you soon will be recovering from stress. Seriously, it is not a joke that you can find emotional support and alleviate most diseases with just a smile.

"Spend 1 minute - get 1 smile", why not make this simple phrase your motto for a healthy life?

Funny cartoons provide you with humor and a positive attitude in your life. Web sites such as GeneralComics.com is one of the greatest places online where people can find the most funny cartoons on the net, categorized by subject.

Starting a day with a smile is the best way to rejuvenate the energy of your body. Even though taking a break to smile again is a refreshing opportunity for the spirit to keep your mood high.

Author Bio
Michael Brykov is webmaster of General Comics. For more information about General comics, Funny cartoons, Love cartoons and Black humor cartoons visit www.generalcomics.com

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

Directing Movies

Please put away any initial thoughts of the way you think a real movie director should sound and act doing their job. It's tough not to want to emulate directors you respect both in style and attitude.

I learned that during my first two independent feature films Consignment www.consignment-movie.com and In With Thieves www.inwithtthieves.com that were produced under the flag of Slice Of Americana Films with the soundtracks being put together with the help of Jackin4beats.Com.

Consignment is the explosive and violent story of Tommy Jones, a Virginia Beach drug dealer who is fed up with the dangerous world in which he has been living. Frequent panic attacks and the desire to go legitimate with his new wife begin to dull the street instincts that have allowed him to prosper working for sadistic drug kingpin, Detroit Mike. When Tommy shows weakness, Detroit Mike makes plans to have him killed. In need of fast cash to go straight Tommy hooks up with his cousin Carmelo, a reckless drug dealer in California. The pair quickly get in over their heads, taking a large shipment of crystal meth on consignment from a ruthless Latino gangster. Double-crosses, a series of brutal murders, and an old secret from his wife's past force Tommy into a lethal showdown with Detroit Mike.

The soundtrack highlights tracks from up and coming East Coast & West Coast artists that include Custom Made Recordings, Ayreon The Don™, Malice & Da Commission and others.

IN WITH THIEVES is a crime saga that blends together a Cuban cartel deep into voodoo, blood diamonds being pushed by an African based crime group, ruthless Albanian gangsters, and an American burglary crew. This makes for a provocative film that expands the urban genre to a broader group of viewers.

Who can forget how hardcore of a director Robert Rodriguez looked on the cover of 'Rebel without A Crew'. Rodriguez's story inspired guerrilla filmmakers everywhere that they could shoot an ultra-low budget action movie like 'El Mariachi' that was entertaining, while giving the finger to the traditional way of getting a movie done.

Quentin Tarantino is a cool as they come. His style is often 'borrowed' from because he knows how to tell a good story using pictures. Tarantino has creative influences like all directors who grew up watching movies. The difference is Tarantino turned those influences into his own unique style.

There are many more directors who make great movies and look cool doing it I didn't mention for the sake of brevity. There's even more directors who's personalities and colorful nature keep them in the publics even if they haven't had a hit movie in years. The cult of personality is a real factor in the world of movies. It can keep some directors working or at least in the media eye until they can turn out a good movie. In Hollywood that may work, but on the true independent side of filmmaking your image won't get you anywhere unless you can make entertaining movies.

Instead of wasting your energy to create a colorful image and developing your own cult following like a rock star. Focus on learning what a director does and has to deal with during a movie shoot. You don't want to be all style and no substance. Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, The Coen Brothers, and Kevin Smith all had to prove themselves by making good movies before anyone knew who they were or cared.

It takes more than deciding where the camera goes to be a movie director, especially when you're directing an indie movie where you won't have the luxury of sitting in video village cut off from all the other production gyrations going on. I've wrangled cable, broke down equipment, dressed sets, and a dozen other jobs as 'director' on indie movie shoots. It's not glamorus, but it gets the job done.

General rules of thumb that will help you become a stronger director.

A strong grasp of the entire process it takes to make a movie is important. There's different departments that work together to bring a film together. The camera department, sound department, make-up/wardrobe department etc. You need to know what they do and how to maximize their efforts to help achieve your creative goal as a movie director. On big budget movie shoots the departments are very distinct and well supported. They remind me on a smaller scale of Roman Legions who together comprised the Roman Army. As a director you are the Ceaser of your filmmaking army small or large. Knowing how to best utilize your team comes from understanding how these departments work. On indie shoots more often than not the departments blur together out of necessity. During the shooting of the urban movie Consignment we had one person with an assistant doing key hair and make-up while also heading the wardrobe department. These two departments were put together because I knew how they worked and how to bring them together to keep the production moving.

You should learn basic camera shots, angles, and moves. Know what a medium shot is. Know what a reverse-angle shot is. Know what a dolly shot is. Know what a two and three shot are. I suggest you pick up 'Film directing Shot By Shot' by Steven D. Katz'. It can provide the technical foundation you will need as a director to help your creative vision come to life. Keep in mind their is only so much you can learn from books. When you get on set you'll hear terms for shots, like 'cowboy guns' and 'cowboy no guns' not covered in a book. It's a medium shot from the waist up no guns to thigh up guns. People will yell 'Wolf!' which means stop. "Flying in (insert film gear here) means bringing in. No shame in asking what a term means when you do not know. Ignorance is not bliss on a movie set.

I was a grunt production assistant (PA) acting as a human stop signing controlling traffic with another PA. I got called on the walkie we were rolling and to not let any cars through. I gave the hand signal to the other PA, production had limited walkies, that we were rolling. He nodded knowingly for two takes. During the middle of the third take he let a motorcycle roar through killing the take and getting us both chewed out. I later asked if he missed the signal, he told me he had no idea that signal meant rolling. He never worked on a movie before. Asking what i meant would have saved us being chewed out.

That story ties into how crucial communication is when your making a movie. You have to be clear to with everyone involved in your movie about what you're going to do, what you need, and what you're looking for them to do. People look for this, they expect this from a director. Don't leave cast and crew guessing about what you want. There's never enough time or money to play that game during production. Communication runs two ways. Make sure people can ask you questions if they're not clear on something you said. What might make total sense to you can be lost in the translation as it goes out to the troops.

Accept you're not always going to make the right call on every shot. You're never going to be totally happy with the way some scenes turned out. You'll always want to go back and re-shoot certain scenes again. Fight through it. It might not seem like it during crazy times of filming, but if you have paid attention to the details you will have shot yourself a movie at the end of production. Trust your instincts. I was a nervous wreck after CONSIGNMENT was in the can. I could barely sit down with the editor Tim Beachum to watch the raw footage because my neck and back were seized up with stress.

Sure enough a couple of the camera moves I chose for a few scenes did not turn out like I had envisioned. A few of the calls I made as a director just didn't work. i was a mess, editor Tim Beachum was surprisingly relaxed about it all and talked me down from the proverbal ledge. I was positive my movie was doomed. What saved the day?

A tip I got from an old school Director of Photography (DP) I listened to before shooting. No matter what kind of amazing camera move you want to experiment with to shoot a scene grab at least one take of a master or a standard three shot for coverage in case your wonder shot goes to hell. Turns out the coverage I thought was never going to use because surely my awesome camera moves would work. Some didn't. The extra coverage I grabbed did end up covering my ass in post.

The editor had enough coverage from those few takes to cut the movie together without losing continuity. I had spent three or four takes on what I thought were the coolest shots only to end up using the basic takes that worked. The other side of the coin of that is some of the shots I had taken chances on worked beautifully. Nothing like hearing an editor say, 'that was a real pretty shot' or 'loved the way you shot that scene'. So if it all goes to hell with your experimental shots have at least a little standard coverage to get you through. If it comes down to time. Plan ahead to give yourself a take or two with the shot you really want and a take going by the book for coverage

Having a solid sense of how to tell stories using moving pictures and thinking about how a scene will cut together before you yell 'Action!' is a smart. It gives you much more flexibility as a director to be creative, take chances, and experiment with a scene. Knowing the basics how to cover a scene allows you to bend the rules.

Stay away from being a paranoid and insecure director. Yes, you have to keep firm control of your movie because a movie directed by committee doesn't work, but there is a fine line between control and paranoia fueled by insecurity.

I was working on a shoot film in Los Angeles with a director that was wired pretty tight. He asked me once if any of the cast or crew said things about him behind his back. Of course they did. That's what people do. Of course I lied like people do in that situation and said no. He was completely convinced that one of the actors were forgetting their lines on purpose to undermind him and the DP was just waiting to hijack his movie all together. He was wrong. They were talking about what an absolutely paranoid hard on he was.

It all came to ahead when a camera shot wasn't working after numerous takes and the director went off into one of the most colorful profanity laced fits I had ever seen. I mean for a tiraid it was a beauty to watch. Arms flailing, a prop glass being thrown against the wall like a child, and everything else you expect from a person who lost control. "Why isn't this working?" was the last thing he yelled. The 1st A.D. smartly told everyone to take five while things cooled on set.

The director got himself back together and we took another take that didn't work. We were losing daylight and had a lot of other scenes to shoot to make the day, so the DP suggested a way the shot could work, by using a different camera position and move to get the action the director wanted. Right on cue, the paranoid director completely over reacted. He told the DP to piss off he. He was the director and wasn't going to let him hijack his movie. The DP cooly said, "stop being so insecure. I'm here to make your movie, not mine." The director blew off the suggestion without a second thought. He never got the shot he wanted to work and scraped the scene from the final cut. Who knows if the DP's suggestion would have worked? It would have made sense to try it considering the other shot wasn't working.

It was a different story on another shoot all together. A friend of mine was directing his first feature. He didn't have a lot of money, but he brought on a DP with a resume an arm long and for the lead this hot B list actress that had some slasher movie credits. He invited me out to visit the set. My friend was a director with energy and enthusiasim to spare. He knew exactly what he wanted from everybody on the set. He gave the DP detailed notes, his shot sheet, and they had already gone over in detail the storyboards my friend drew up himself before shooting began. My friend was in total control.

I was looking over his shoulder into the monitor during the crucial shooting of the final scene of the movie. He had the actress in this amazing bikini being chased by a knife wielding killer. After the first take there was a problem. The actress ran slower than the actor playing the killer. On the next take he told the actress to speed it up and the actor to slow it down. Still didn't work. My friend watched the playback with the DP. Then asked the DP what he thought would work to get the shot. The DP got the shot to work by changing the blocking and moving the camera. My friend got the shot and the ending he wanted because he was secure enough as a director to utilize his DP, not nutralize him.

Those two experiences really gave me some perspective on getting through directing a movie. During CONSIGNMENT I ran into a major problem that threatened to cost us shooting a crucial murder scene. We had been working all night and instead of chasing daylight we were trying to beat it. We had a shooting scene that had to be shot before the sun came up, we had about an hour of night left, and there was no option to push the scene. We were losing that location for good after we wrapped. After a couple less than stellar takes I turned to my DP Royce Dudley. We have to make this work, we can't lose this scene I said. I took the actors through a last minute rehearsal without rolling on the camera to see if I could cover the scene a different way. Royce stood back like he did sometimes watching. After the walk through rehearsal he said, "I can get your scene" and he did. Thanks Royce!

On the IN WITH THIEVES shoot I brought back an actor from CONSIGNMENT I really enjoyed working with named Jerome Hawkins.
I write and direct my own movies, so I get really involved in not only the action, but that the lines are delivered the way I want them. So here we are shooting a scene, when Jerome tells me he's really feeling adding something to a line, keep in mind this movie is my baby, but I felt his vibe. I gave him one take to run with it his way. The line he added to close the dialogue was great. We added it to the script and kept it in the movie. Did I feel he was underminding me? No. I was secure enough as a director to let an actor I respected contribute creatively to the movie.

These last couple of stories might seem to go against what I said about not directing by committee, taking chances that don't always work, and keeping control of your movie. I still feel that a movie can't get done right when you have a weak director who listens to everyone on what their movie should end up looking like. I still feel you can't be afraid to take chances on shots that don't end up working. I still feel you have to keep control of your movie. It's one thing to be overly paranoid about someone hijacking your movie, but it's equally destructive to you as a director to cave in when someone is trying to tell you how to do your job as a director.

You also don't want to become so completely narrow minded that you can't brainstorm with your key production personal to problem solve, work creatively with your DP to see your vision materialize, allow your talent to spread their wings from time to time in a scene, or see when you need to be open minded enough to change the way you're shooting a scene so that it can work. You surronded yourself with a good team let them help you make your movie. They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well it takes a production team to make a movie.

it will always be your overall vision behind the way a movie will turn out, but being open to collaboration with your cast and crew creates a more positive set. You don't want mindless robots going through the motions. You want fired up people eager to lend you all their talents to make your movie rock. Don't let your ego get in the way of you seeing the big picture.

Some myths I do not buy into about being a director.

You're not a real director if you don't shoot on film. Nonsense. Once you've completed a movie on any format you're a real director.

A director needs to know how to light scenes. The more you know about any aspect of film production the better, but if you don't know about lighting a scene you can still direct. What I do is make notes on the look, feel, and mood I see in my head for each scene. I pass that along to the DP so we can discuss how to make it happen. I also like to suggest to the DP movies to rent with scenes I feel lighting wise are close to what I'm going after. Your DP is the master of light. He'll deliver the lighting set ups you need.

The director needs to know how to run the camera. Not true. It's very possible you will never touch the camera once during a shoot. I myself for the most part watch through a monitor. I do look through the camera after the DP has set the frame for the shot, but I rarely run it.

It's easier to direct a low budget indie movie than a mainstream Hollywood movie. Wrong. Directing a low budget indie or a Hollywood blockbuster both have their own challenges for a director to numerous to list. In the end you still have to be able to tell a good story using pictures. It's never easy.

A director sits in video village all day while everyone else works. I wish that was true. A director has to be on top of everything going on during shooting. They deal with the actors, check with camera and sound to make sure there were no problems with the take, and put out a dozen other fires that pop up.

Some ideas I do buy into as a director.

Never let anyone give your actors direction or notes, unless they are coming directly from you. You're the director It's your role and your role alone to work with actors to get the performances you want. No one else should ever be allowed to work with the actors. One time I was on a roof looking at a scene. I didn't like the way the blocking was playing out, so I walkied the 1st A.D. some directions to pass along to the actors. That's as far as I felt comfortable having people work with talent.

It's your set and you should be the only one to yell CUT! I had an actor once in the middle of the take turn to the camera and say cut because they flubbed a line. It wasn't their call, it's not anyones call but the director. They were warned and when it happened again they were released from the movie.

The director is the driving force behind a movie. Nobody is going to care as much about your movie as you do. You have to keep everyone pumped up and on track to finish a movie. You want your passion for what you're shooting as a director to be contagious on the set.

A director needs to be able to be secure enough to listen and collaborate with cast and crew. This is not directing by committee but having the leadership ability to fully maximize everyone's talents. Your movie can only turn out better because of it.

You have to be a cheerleader and a salesmen. When things are not going well on set you need to be able to keep morale up. After a particulary rough day of shooting I let everyone know what a great job they were doing and how excited I was by the dailies I looked at each night. I had to keep them excited about the movie now, not when they would get paid a week later. The next toughest thing is keeping people going after you've hit 12 hours. You have to sell them on your ability as a director to not only finish the movie, but turn out a good one that people will want their names attached to in the credits. You would be surprised how many people worked on a movie for credit only and the movie never got done or turned out terrible. Let them know you're not that director. If they stick with you and dig a little deeper you will put out a good movie.

Send this page to:Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content