Screenwriting

TOC

1. "Turning Books into Scripts"
2. "From Idea to Story"
3. "Screenwriter's Toolkit"
   
4. "10 Great Mistakes Writers Make"
   
5. "Character Questions"
   
6. "Generating Ideas"
   
7. "Prequel to a Screenplay: Before Writing Begins"
   
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• #1 "Turning Books into Scripts"
  (via http://independent-magazine.org)
  

  "Scott Heim’s 1995 novel, Mysterious Skin, makes for an unlikely film. The story of two eight-year-olds from Kansas who are sexually molested by their little league coach is dark and sad, rife with poignant and haunting detail."
  

  read more
  (source: http://independent-magazine.org/node/468)
  up
  
• #2 "From Idea to Story"
  (via http://www.independent-magazine.org)
  

  "Suppose that you’re thinking of doing a documentary film about Elvis Presley, or a diner in your home town, or images of Islam in American popular culture. Something about the topic has caught your interest, and you think you want to take it to the next level."
  

  read more
  (source: http://independent-magazine.org/node/470)
  up
  
• #3 "Screenwriter's Toolkit"
  (via http://www.raindance.co.uk)
  

  "In this section you will find dozens of articles we have commissioned and collected since 1992. enjoy them."
  

  read more
  (source: http://www.raindance.co.uk/site/index.php?aid=168)
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• #4 "10 Great Mistakes Writers Make"
  (via http://www.raindance.co.uk)
  

  "Can you tell us a little about your new book, The Anatomy of Story, how it came about and what sets it apart from other screenwriting books?
  (...)
  Great Mistake 1:
  The story idea isn't original.
  Great Mistake 2:
  Writers often use the wrong genre to develop the idea, or they impose the pre-determined genre beats onto the idea instead of finding events that are original to the idea.
  ..."
  

  read more
  (source: http://www.raindance.co.uk/site/index.php?aid=4327)
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• #5 "Character Questions"
  (via http://www.raindance.co.uk)
  

  "A successful film has to have believable and interesting characters that an audience can get involved with and relate to. One way in which to add realism to your characters is to add depth to their personality and history. Here is a list of 50, yes 50 questions to ask yourself when creating convincing characters.
  1. What about your character is heroic/dastardly?
  2. What does your character like/dislike about people?
  3. What is your character’s favourite food?
  ..."
  

  read more
  (source: http://www.raindance.co.uk/site/index.php?aid=2423)
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• #6 "Generating Ideas"
  (via http://www.raindance.co.uk)
  

  "In order for a writer to carry on storytelling it is essential that they continue to come up with fresh and innovative ideas that both challenge themselves as well as secure more work! But what to do if you’re imagination doesn’t let you reach beyond your favourite era or if you just can’t think of anything new to write about?!?!"
  

  read more
  (source: http://www.raindance.co.uk/site/index.php?aid=2422)
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• #7 "Prequel to a Screenplay: Before Writing Begins"
  (via http://filmmaking-101.suite101.com)
  

  "Before a script is written, there are some vital first steps necessary to smooth the transition from what's in a writer's head to what appears on the big screen."
  

  read more
  (source: http://filmmaking-101.suite101.com/article.cfm/prequel_to_a_screenplay_before_writing_begins)
  up
  

Thank you

Dear visitors,

I want to thank you soooo much for your feedback, your comments and for spreading the word about my blog. This really helps.

Thank you all.

All the best,

Jessi

Photos Berlin

Here are some photos I shot in Berlin:

Charlottenstrasse, Gendarmenmarkt







Deutscher Dom, Gendarmenmarkt








Leipziger Strasse

DIY tutorials, tools, equipment

TOC

1. "Basic Color Correction and Image Manipulation for Digital Film and Desktop Film Makers"
2. "Tools and Utilities for Filmmakers"
3. "DIY Filmmaking: Make Your Own Equipment & Tools"
4. "202 DIY Filmmaking Tutorials"
5. Video editing and audio software lists

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• #1 "Basic Color Correction and Image Manipulation for Digital Film and Desktop Film Makers"
  (via http://www.kerberosbites.com)
  

  "Over the past several years, doing the post processing on BLOOD TIES and several music videos, my short film AM SESSION, and starting in on KERBEROS, many people have asked for advice and help in tackling the color correction and enhancement of their own projects. I hope this page can help and at least point some people in the right direction. Note that I realize that that direction may be different than the one I am going, and that there are other talented people out there, some with more skill and experience, and certainly better tool sets, but maybe some one can benefit from this basic advice."
  

  read more
  (source: http://www.kerberosbites.com/pages/digital_color_correction.html)
  up
  
  
• #2 "Tools and Utilities for Filmmakers"
  (via http://www.dependantFilms)
  

  "You've now entered the Dependent Films Download Center. It's unbelievable 1) how much these files can help, and 2) how hard all of these tools are to find on the net."
  

  read more
  (source: http://www.dependentfilms.net/files.html)
  up
  
  
• #3 "DIY Filmmaking: Make Your Own Equipment & Tools"
  (via http://filmlinker.com)
  

  "DIY (Do-It-Yourself – in case you’re not familiar with the popular acronym) filmmaking is a necessity for most indie filmmakers on a tight budget. There are several online resources available that give step-by-step instructions on how to build your own equipment and tools – for much less than you would pay from a commercial vendor."
  

  read more
  (source: http://filmlinker.com/blog/2007/11/diy-filmmaking-make-your-own-equipment-tools/)
  up
  
  
• #4 "202 DIY Filmmaking Tutorials"
  (via http://filmmakeriq.com)
  

  "Why buy it when you can build it? Well… most of the time you don’t have a choice. Other times it’s just way too much fun! In our first DIY (”Do It Yourself”) featured list we will focus on the production side of filmmaking."
  

  read more
  (source: http://filmmakeriq.com/filmmaking-360/202-diy-filmmaking-tutorials.html)
  up
  
  
• #5 Video editing and audio software lists
  (via http://en.wikipedia.org)
  

  Video editing software:
  Open source software
  Proprietary Software
  Closed-source freeware
  Online software
  

  read more
  (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_editing_software)
  
  

  "List of free software for audio:
  This list of free software for audio lists notable free software for use by sound engineers, audio producers, and those involved in sound recording and reproduction."
  

  read more
  (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_free_software_for_audio)
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Actors&Actresses, Casting, Crew

TOC

1. "Online Movie Casting: A Filmmaker's Guide to Casting Actors on the Internet"
2. "My Actors can Improv& 19 other deadly myths for microfilmmakers"
3. "Indie film Q+A:I can't afford to pay anyone,how do I keep cast and crew from hating me"
   
   
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• #1 "Online Movie Casting: A Filmmaker's Guide to Casting Actors on the Internet"
  (via http://www.associatedcontent.com)

  "Casting independent films can be challenging. Filmmakers usually do not have enough money in their budget to hire a casting director. This causes the filmmaker to cast a movie on his or her own."
  

  read more
  (source: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/97547/online_movie_casting_a_filmmakers_guide.html?cat=9)
  up
  
  
• #2 "My Actors can Improv& 19 other deadly myths for microfilmmakers"
  (via http://www.microfilmmaker.com)
  

  "Each year, we get lots and lots of films to critique, some are amazing and some have a large number of problems. In between these two extremes lie the most common kind, one with a good idea, saddled with a healthy number of problems due to a variety of low-budget filmmaking myths."
  

  read more
  (source: http://www.microfilmmaker.com/tipstrick/Issue36/Improv_1.html)
  up
  
  
• #3 "Indie film Q+A:I can't afford to pay anyone,how do I keep cast and crew from hating me"
  (via http://filmindependent.org)
  

  "Q: I’m broke and can’t afford to pay anyone, what can I do to keep cast and crew from hating me… you know, more than usual. A: Everyone’s broke these days, so no one is expecting you not to be, but that doesn’t mean you don’t want your cast and crew to get paid some day for this film they’re helping you make (unless you’re an a-hole, of course)"
  

  read more
  (source: http://filmindependent.org/content/indie-film-q-heidi-van-lier-i-can%E2%80%99t-afford-pay-anyone-how-do-i-keep-cast-and-crew-hating-me)
  up
  
  

About distribution

TOC

1. "Self Distribution:Abandon All Hope???"
2. "Prepping Your Film For Distribution"
3. "Three Methods for Getting Your Movie Distributed"
   
4. "D.I.Y. Distribution Methods for Your Indie Film"
   
5. "Preparing a Script for Film Distribution"
   
6. "You Can Make and Distribute a Movie Yourself"
   
7. "Independent Filmmakers Distribute on Their Own"
   
8. "How To Tips: 7 Deadly Self Distribution Sins"
   
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• #1 "Self Distribution:Abandon All Hope???"
  (via http://www.microfilmmaker.com)
  

  "Since the year 2000, I’ve traveled the festival circuit with three features and one short. I remember taking my first feature film, Makebelieve, to IFFM in New York and hustling the rough cut around the market."
  

  read more
  (source: http://www.microfilmmaker.com/tipstrick/Issue18/selfdist.html)
  up
  
  
• #2 "Prepping Your Film For Distribution"
  (via http://www.independent-magazine.org)
  

  "How to make the transition from the editing room to the marketplace."
  

  read more
  (source: http://www.independent-magazine.org/magazine/2009/03/prepfordistribution)
  up
  
  
• #3 "Three Methods for Getting Your Movie Distributed"
  (via http://filmmaking-101.suite101.com)
  

  "So, you have made the great American film classic, but how do you convince the world to check out your masterpiece? After all, you didn't get into the movie business to starve! First some bad news: it may not be as easy as you think to convince an established company to take a chance on your movie, and even if you can, you may find that distribution is so expensive that you'll never see a dime. Now the good news: there are more ways than ever to bypass the traditional routes, get your movie in front of an audience, and make a little money at the same time! Let's dive in..."
  

  read more
  (source: http://filmmaking-101.suite101.com/article.cfm/three_routes_to_indie_film_distribution)
  up
  
  
• #4 "D.I.Y. Distribution Methods for Your Indie Film"
  (via http://filmmaking-101.suite101.com)
  

  "Handling marketing and distribution yourself is a great way to ensure that you retain your rights, and maximize the amount of money you are able to earn with your independent film. The tradeoff is that you’ll need to do the work yourself, but in many cases you can make more money this way than if you have a traditional theatrical release. Unless your film has broad mainstream potential and a star or two, a theatrical release is often not even an option unless you are willing to effectively give your movie away."
  

  read more
  (source: http://filmmaking-101.suite101.com/article.cfm/diy_distribution_methods_for_your_indie_film)
  up
  
  
• #5 "Preparing a Script for Film Distribution"
  (via http://filmmaking-101.suite101.com)
  

  "Numerous filmmakers struggle with the ability to objectively analyze the quality of their finished film; however, taking a look at the finished product as an outsider is crucially important for determining the potential success of a film. An even more important step, and possibly one that can override the necessity of analysis after the fact, is assessing a project from the development and pre-production stages."
  

  read more
  (source: http://filmtvindustry.suite101.com/article.cfm/preparing_an_idea_for_film_distribution)
  up
  
  
• #6 "You Can Make and Distribute a Movie Yourself"
  (via http://www.jokeandbiagio.com)
  

  "Everyone talks about making feature films. Some claim they’ll distribute the movie themselves. Most never get past the wishful thinking stage.
  (...)
  David gave us an interview about his career, his movie, and his experimental strategies that have branded him a pioneer in the world of indie filmmakers.
  
  What we love about Mr. Baker is the fact the he’s not afraid to open up and tell his stories in the spirit of helping other indie filmmakers succeed.
  ..."
  

  read more
  (source: http://www.jokeandbiagio.com/you-can-make-and-distribute-a-movie-yourself)
  up
  
  
• #7 "Independent Filmmakers Distribute on Their Own"
  (via http://www.nytimes.com)
  

  "When “The Age of Stupid,” a climate change movie, “opens” across the United States in September, it will play on some 400 screens in a one-night event, with a video performance by Thom Yorke of Radiohead, all paid for by the filmmakers themselves and their backers. In Britain, meanwhile, the film has been showing via an Internet service that lets anyone pay to license a copy, set up a screening and keep the profit."
  

  read more
  (source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/business/media/13independent.html)
  up
  
  
• #8 "How To Tips: 7 Deadly Self Distribution Sins"
  (via http://www.raindance.org)
  

  "Getting your film made is easy, compared to the struggles filmmakers have in getting their films distributed.
  
  At Raindance Film Festival we work with countless filmmakers trying to get their shorts, features and documentaries screened to as wide an audience as possible.
  
  Of coure the filmmaker's wet dream is to have their film picked up at a film festival by an international distributor who hands them a fat cheque - a cheque large enough to pay back all the investors, all the bills, and leaving enough left over to enjoya few months secure living.
  
  This scenario rarely happens."
  

  read more
  (source: http://www.raindance.org/site/7-deadly-self-distribution-sins)
  up