I’m obsessed with films like Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, old Universal horror films, and even the B&W stuff from Japan like Kuroneko, Onibaba, etc. I’ve found a couple books from the 1920’s that detail working on such films, but would love more about special/practical effects, shadow play, etc. Give me your best recs.

Am I the only one who digs this stuff?

I'm a film student interested in creating my first short film. I already finalized the screenplay with my professor and am looking at shooting sometime in December. I can direct, I can write. What I don't know how to do is cinematography. I'm a good photographer, but as I understand it, shooting objects in motion are a lot different than shooting stationary ones. I have been looking all over my school's RTF department for cinematographers and so far have had no luck. I am at the point of considering just doing the cinematography myself in addition to directing, but the only problem is that there are a lot of visual based scenes with hardly any dialogue. Meaning that the cinematography has to sell the story. As a beginner, with only the help of another third year RTF student as a camera operater, do you think it'd be possible for me to sell the look below?

This a very specific request, so if it doesn't speak to you please don't be offended. Im looking for someone who can take the raw audio from a found footage thriller/horror film and mix it together so that it sounds very similar to the original blair witch project. (think making it sound properly mixed but at the same time entirely diagetic and raw, clean dialogue and audio, but as if it was from a found iphone recording). this is an indie film, it will be paid but a small amount. the plus side, you will receive credit, exposure, and the opportunity to be the sole sound designer/editor of the film.

Hi guys,

Just wanted to give my channel a lil boost. I run a film making channel call Planning to Fail (mostly in reference to our own, ultra low budget shorts that we make).

It's aimed at early career film makers and features 3 things:

Interviews with local independent film makers

Budget gear reviews aimed at start up film makers who don't have access to much money

Ultra low budget shorts with directors commentary

We put up another short just yesterday called The One With the Spooky Eyeball about the western worlds housing crisis.

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I am very upset that our contract ended and they published my film everywhere without informing me. Really horrible unprofessional company. I hope all filmmakers see this. They initially contacted me with a beautiful personalized letter about my film, then that person left and the company has behaved illegally by publishing my film without my consent or compensation.

Eternal Garlic | Award-Winning Indie RomCom Short Film | Produced by Indica Mullins

A young vampire tries online dating but each date seems to end in disaster.

https://youtu.be/rgR7CeJ-pRM?si=2MnBqNr2wA0SlIZV

Here it is, I hope it looks interesting. I think it'll be pretty cool! Not sure how to title this post lol

Ask if you have any questions

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Influences/inspirations for this project include - Vagrant Holiday, How To: With John Wilson, American Movie, Steve Wallis, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Connor O'Malley, Sean Baker, Channel 5 (w/o the allegations), Aftersun, Nathan Fielder, Joe Pera, On the Road, Suttree

Thx :)

More info on the production in the comments!

hi everyone!

I work as a photographer and videographer at a small marketing agency. to save time and resources, we often visit clients who need both photography and video content for their businesses.

the challenge is that when I need to shoot smooth, stabilized footage, I have to use a gimbal. however, using one makes it harder to capture all the photo angles I’d like due to its size, weight, and the extra time it takes to set up and maneuver. as a result, I often end up shooting without a gimbal to stay flexible and work more efficiently, but then my footage isn’t as smooth as I’d like it to be.

my question is, do you guys also offer photography and videography services at the same time? If so, how do u handle this?

For my most recent film I had to buy one specialist prop from a proper maker in the US - they weren't my employee, I just bought the item from their Etsy shop. Would you credit them? I'm happy to do it, especially as the prop was super cool, I just wasn't really sure what the norm was. Thanks!

I've been making my clients pay for music platforms like Epidemic Sound, Artlist, and Envato. But now I want to pay for my own subscription so I can post ads and have unlimited content on their channels.
I tried the free account on Epidemic Sound, and honestly, the music didn't quite convince me.
Artlist charges yearly, which feels like a big commitment for me right now.
And Envato, the music is also meh. However, it does offer other good assets for one subscription.

Do you know any alternatives that aren't crazy expensive but still have a decent library?
And allow me to post specifically on paid ads.

I came across audiio, seems to be kinda new someone has tried out?
Thankss

We made UP THE TOWN DOWN DOCK, a three-minute branded film for renewable energy company Ørsted, around a conversation inside an old Rover moving through Grimsby, UK.

Imported gas, energy prices and offshore wind could easily have become a corporate explainer, so we used the confined car scene to make the message feel more like entertainment. Snatch by Guy Ritchie was one of our references for pace, character and dialogue.

For those who have made dialogue-heavy car scenes: did the limitations ultimately help or hurt the storytelling?

And yes, former Grimsby Town captain James f&@*ing McKeown really is on sound. Please throw it a like on Vimeo if you enjoyed watching it: https://vimeo.com/1227679077

Hey! I’m Felicia Snyder and I direct this music video using the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

If you guys have any questions or suggestions or even wanna collab let me know!

Thanks 😊

Hello everyone,

I have been making and publishing a short film within 24 hours for a month now.

Please let me know what you think 😉

(And yes, it is freaking Papyrus)

I had the honor of designing the poster for BIOHAZARD, a Resident Evil 7 fan film starring Chandler Riggs! It genuinely means a lot to me to have had the opportunity to work on this project.
If you’re a filmmaker looking for a custom poster for your film, I’m currently open for commissions! I’ve been designing movie posters for 6 years, and I’d love to help bring your project to life.
Feel free to DM or email me if you’re interested!

Hi everyone, as i wrote in the title I will work at Studio Ghibli and become a Filmmaker.

I wanted to ask if any of you know how to get hired by Studio Ghibli and, if so, what kind of "requirements" are needed.

Should I contact them directly? Wait for them to post a job opening? Or show up in person?

Thanks in advance for your replies

Just finished my first short doc and its premiering tonight in Minneapolis at a small theater. I self-funded it and just wanted to share the trailer. If anyone has ideas on how to increase viewership and make connections to grow you career, would love to hear them. Otherwise, good luck to all you out there!

I want to start by Saying I’m not saying there are no good films made there are many good films made this is not a death of cinema post. I’m more saying I feel I almost never see films that feel fresh and as though I haven’t seen something like it entirely before. The few revolutionary films made recently I can’t think of I’ve seen are Bi Gans films and to a lesser degree Digger. Also I’m not talking technically there are always new tech jumps I’m talking narrative structure, ideas and editing etc.

Like I feel 21st century cinema is nowhere near as revolutionary in terms of transforming the medium of film like Orson Welles, Kurosawa, Tarkovsky, Bergman and many others did for example. There aren’t any major movements today as revolutionary to how films are structured, edited and politic and societal critiques that are new and innovative as the French Revolution or New Hollywood. The last 20 to 30 years feels largely like we are running out of new ways to tell stories and new ideas and things to say and it just feels we are repeating alot of what had come before. Like there’s not revolutionary films like citizen Kane or breathless today or styles of editing like Soviet montage theory. Is the canvas of cinema largely about as wide as it can be expanded or is it a stagnant period I’m having trouble thinking of what might be future evolutions that will be viewed as revolutionary as the films and movements I’ve mentioned. I just feel this century is getting a little boring and with all the political turmoil it is surprising there hasn’t been a lot of innovation was it just the 20th century was unique or what?

Would love to hear your thoughts?

I used to think the camera body was the main expense when shooting high-speed stuff, but once you factor everything else in, the gear is only half the battle.

Lighting ends up costing way more than expected because high frame rates demand massive amounts of light, and a lot of standard lights will flicker right on camera. Storage is another headache since high-speed clips fill up drives instantly, meaning you need serious backup solutions and proxies. Plus, set resets take forever—a splash or a shattering object takes two seconds to film and twenty minutes to clean up.

Out of everything, what usually eats up the budget the most on a high-speed shoot for you: the camera package, lighting, storage, time on set, or post production?

Hello, I'm Azmat and I make keyarts/ posters and all thing illustrations..If you have any upcoming project and need art done, get in touch at visualsofazmat@gmail.com

Is it just me or are employers and clients getting increasingly cheeky with their expectations and budgets?

I don’t know if it is AI or the state of the industry, but so many opportunities seem to expect you to be available from waking up to going to bed, without paying a decent rate.

Looking through LinkedIn is honestly depressing. Permanent roles want you to handle every aspect of video production but the salary hardly reflects that. Some descriptions practically scream burnout..

I have 10 years of experience as a videographer/video editor. For those with similar experience, **what is your freelance day rate and how many hours does that cover?**

And how are things going for you generally? Are you finding decent opportunities or are you struggling too?

I am mainly looking for answers from people in the UK as rates and demand vary between countries.

Logline: Harbir channels his envy of Ben by calling out his beliefs in Punjabi superstition and black magic at his cousin's birthday lunch. Harbir quickly finds there's more to this tale than he bargained for.

I’m super into fairytales and fables and so wanted to help create one that indulged all of that plus many other aspects of me, haha. I don’t get to see very many people of my background on screen and thought I would double down on that by making him not exactly your typical protagonist. 

I just think if you’re not challenging/experimenting on shorts I don’t when you can. I know everyone is obsessed (😉) with being/finding the next great thing but I think it’s worth swinging for the fences sometimes and just going with your gut. I’ve learned a lot more and hopefully that carries into the future projects as I refine that pov. 

Also the short was a big part of me getting some 2nd Unit Directing work so that’s a good sign I’d say! 

Any Q’s or thoughts about the film or the process are more than welcome! 

Hope you enjoy and thanks for stopping by! 

Submission statement: I'm a working AD sharing the call sheet template from my own kit for free, plus the fields that actually matter when you're starting out. Happy to answer AD paperwork questions in the comments.

Nobody tells you this on your first gigs: the call sheet is the first thing an AD gets judged on. It's the document that goes out the night before and tells every single person where to be, when, and what happens if something goes wrong. Get it right and nobody thinks about you before coffee. Get it wrong and it's 6 AM chaos with your name on it.

The five fields that separate a real call sheet from a pretty spreadsheet: nearest hospital, weather for exterior days, company moves with actual times (not "after lunch" — that is not a time), meal penalties and the 6-hour rule, and safety notes. Most free templates floating around online skip these because they were built by template shops, not by people who have been yelled at by a gaffer at dawn.

I cleaned up the one from my kit — PDF and Word, free. Drop a comment and I'll DM you the link.

Steal from it, make your next shoot day smoother. If it saves you one chaotic morning, it was worth the upload.

I'm in the middle of making a tracking cart type of thing for a film and happened to see this BTS shot of Clayface using this. Was hoping to get a closer look to get ideas for my own rig. Does anyone know what it's called?

Forgive me if this is a well worn topic but I’m conflicted about my next step. I’m already a bit hopeless about the state of the industry and how possible it is to succeed but I think I’m deciding to just run into the fire anyway so I just want some perspective from some other dreamers.

After making 4 no budget shorts in the last few years I have one more short film script already written, but I’m starting to feel like I should just start putting resources and time into making features. I’ve gotten my feet wet, worked with a small crew and feel like I’m starting to make a few contacts. However I don’t have a feature script done yet and the last short film script I have would require a small budget. I could probably pull it off for anywhere between 1,500 to 3000. Is it worth it? I don’t have that money stored up right now so I’d still have to save up and spend time in pre production finding a location and some child actors. Is there any benefit to shooting another short with a budget this time or is making an extremely low budget feature the next move. While I know I might be able to send a well polished short to a few film festivals, outside the fun of going and maybe meeting a few more people it doesn’t seem like there’s much reason. I know a feature is just as much risk, but I imagine that as long as the feature is well made and entertaining I could get it up on some streaming sites and possibly just start pushing out rentals, this seems way less likely with a short.

What have you all done during this fork in the road?
I’m also aware I can make a feature and return to shorts as often as I would like when I have the idea, I guess I’m just trying to decide where to focus the majority of my energy in the immediate future.