October 2010
1 post
Blog being continued at TLiMono.com!
We’ve had a reboot! Please check it out at www.TLiMono.com! There are a lot of similar posts, but now expanded (and I think more interesting…)
-Ryan
March 2010
5 posts
198. Don't be your own quality gauge.
The more you vehemently argue that your art is good, the bigger the hack you look to those who disagree. Let your work (or others) speak on its behalf.
197. Be careful how you label your short in an...
Saying the short was shot on the latest camera that people want to see footage from is a quick way to get people to just scrub through your footage without paying attention much to your story.
196. If you're the only one that understands it, ...
It doesn’t matter if an element of the plot makes sense to you, if nobody else gets it, you need to explain yourself.
195. Do your homework on who you're going to meet.
Networking is what gets you anywhere, and knowing the background of whoever you’re going to meet with is more than flattering to them, it shows you do legwork.
February 2010
1 post
194. More crew means more noises.
“Quiet on the set,” means EVERYBODY has to be quiet the ENTIRE time a shot is running. The more people on set, the harder that gets.
January 2010
1 post
193. Don't ask for input from too many people.
If you constantly put things out for feedback request, they won’t stop giving you feedback when you’re finished since they’re used to that dynamic.
December 2009
1 post
192. Picture lock is scary, but you have to move...
Knowing that the first time you spot something that annoys you and you get to live with it forever is a scary thing, but never getting your work out for people to see is worse.
November 2009
1 post
191. Not everyone is going to like your movie's...
It’s an instant show-stopper and any feedback is going to be tinted by their genre proclivities.
October 2009
1 post
190. Work things out with your projectionist at...
Nothing better than having them fiddle with the settings on the screen for the opening 10 minutes of what you poured blood, sweat, and tears into… causing more tears…
September 2009
4 posts
Greyscale Official Teaser Trailer
189. Post is going to cost more than you think.
So will marketing. But nobody will watch if they don’t know your movie exists.
188. Don't switch up your file organization during...
Nothing like relinking all of your files to your project files.
187. If you've forgotten to put in a scene and...
August 2009
18 posts
186. Don't forget render times in schedule...
“Sure, I can get that out by tomorrow.” Might be easier to say, but never forget how long things can take to render… and have a backup plan if the render doesn’t work (or if you mess up a setting and everyone looks like they’ve been stretched)…
185. Park a truck in front of your generator.
If you’re using a naked generator, it’ll be noisy… parking a large vehicle in front of it will help bounce the sound up and away. Not an entire fix, but it may be the difference between fixing the levels in post and having to fully ADR a scene…
184. No ad-libbing in fight scenes.
It’s a given, but make sure every move is thought out, choreographed, and practiced repeatedly BEFORE the day you’re to shoot an action sequence.
183. The more takes you film, the longer you have...
After a while, it all bleeds into one. For the sake of time, get your 2 good takes and move on.
182. Know what you can knock out of the park.
Know what you’re good at and do that. Take on too much and you’ll be in over your head. Take on the right amount of difficulty and you can show something brilliant.
181. Don't stress your actors.
You get to live with their performances for a loooooong time.
180. The money is not there until the money is...
People can promise money or you can just assume you’ll pay for things with excess money from your job. Don’t count on it until you can count it.
179. Be able to defend your shot selections.
If someone asks you why you chose a closeup or why a character entered from the right side of the screen, be able to tell them. If anything it’ll make you think about the importance of each shot in the movie, give you a better handle on your craft, and make your work more intentional.
178. Don't forget why you're making your film.
When you’re looking at distribution and marketing and the movie turns into a bunch of numbers, don’t lose sight of that initial spark.
177. Rehearse, but don't overdo it.
Some scenes require blocking to make the lines feel more natural, but too much prep for a scene will make it feel like the characters aren’t experiencing things for the first time.
176. Shoot your nights/weekends movie in the right...
Do you have mostly night scenes? Fall/winter. Mostly day sequences? Spring/Summer. When golden hour passes you by, you had better be able to finish the scene on another day, soon.
175. There's nothing like a hard cap on time to...
If everyone knows you only have an hour to shoot a scene and you’re not likely to get the location back, people will move at an amazing rate. Don’t let this happen often.
174. Fake blood can ruin contacts.
173. Flip reaction shots occasionally...
When editing, try showing the thing being reacted to before you show the reaction… then flip them again… see which one is stronger.
172. Be aware of fake blood dripping while you...
Having effects makeup applied to you while sitting in a chair can lead to fake blood dripping on your wardrobe… specifically in areas that makes you look like you both need to wear adult diapers and are due for a hospital visit.
July 2009
30 posts
171. Burn your film critic hat before you yell...
Directors shouldn’t be allowed to be film critics… Tearing down another’s labor of love is like telling them how ugly their kid is. It’s amazing how dismissive people can be of so much blood, sweat, and tears, but a filmmaker should be more sensitive lest they be targeted for their non-perfect film.
170. No rewrites on set.
Dialog tweaks are fine, but remember that changing something related to the plot has ripple effects for many other scenes, some of which you might not remember under the stress of being on set.
“I think the toughest thing for a director to do is to know what he wants. It’s...”
– Stephen Spielberg
169. Save some of your later shoots for the...
Your first few days shooting your movie will not be as cohesive as when your crew hits their stride. Your first 10 minutes will help you sell the film, so wait to shoot that segment when you have everything together. Audiences will forgive a couple minor rough patches in the middle of Act 2 faster than the opening sequence.
168. Always get your master shot first.
If you’re kicked out, something happens to an actor, the sun goes down, your lights explode, etc… you can run the scene from that take (not ideal, but neither are the aforementioned calamities…)
167. Remember, things could always be worse.
When you’ve taken too long or the wheels fall off on set… things could have been worse.
9 Worst Movie Set Disasters →
166. Don't read your own press during production.
Make the best movie you possibly can, but “feeling determined to make a better product” and “giving up hope” are too close together if someone decides they don’t like what you’re doing and you care too much.
165. Location scouting is about who you know.
When you don’t have a lot of scratch to get good locations, it helps to have ties to the real estate and construction markets.
164. Watch out for special events in the local...
For instance, getting access to a great location on the weekend that a massive city-wide festival is playing makes you have to get even more creative…
“If you don’t have time to do it right, will you have time to do it again?”
– Scott W. Munro, Sgt. (referencing being a sniper, but works for filmmaking too)
163. During test viewings, occasionally watch the...
No matter how constructive the critique on the test viewings, it conveys “there are things wrong with your movie” and can wear on you if done repeatedly. Tossing in a viewing with someone who is there to just enjoy it instead of nitpick it will do wonders for your self-esteem.
162. "That's a wrap, now where does everyone want...
When people have options, they feel like they can have desires. When desires conflict, the losing options aren’t happy… you can’t win with a general opinion poll. Make the call yourself.
161. Shooting during the summer in neighborhoods...
Find some MOS b-roll to shoot during these times or face the dreaded ADR.
160. Approach people you can be of service to.
People in the industry get inundated by folks wanting something from them with nothing in return. Make yourself valuable before you go looking for help.
“I do not want to admit to the world that I can be a bad person. It is just that...”
– Tom Hanks