The following information has been based on the fantastic book “The Art of Film Funding” by Carole Lee Dean (I strongly recommend that you read the book as well as visit her website) Carole Dean runs The Roy W. Dean Film & Video Grants. Whatever information you find in this article, use it as a…
Filmmaking and Writing
The Russian and Soviet Cinematography: Great Art From the Big Country
The history of the Russian cinema may be divided into three periods: the Russian Empire period, the Soviet Union period and the period after Perestroika and the fall of The Soviet Union. The cinematography was first brought to the Russian Empire by the Lumiere brothers themselves in the very same year it was invented. Also in 1896…
Film History: The First Film Ever Made
It was a cold December night three days after Christmas in 1895 when guests filed curiously into the dimly lit basement at the Grand Café on the Boulevard des Capucines in Paris. It was the age of marvels, of new inventions, and what the people had come that night to see was a magic show…
The Film Director’s Journey With Mark W. Travis.
During the Munich Short Film Festival Mark W. Travis, the film director, ran one of his workshops called “The Director’s Journey”. I attended the workshops and found it useful. Below are some pointers, thoughts and ideas from the workshops which I thought I would share with you. WHY AM I MAKING THIS MOVIE? – This is a vital question…
Director Actor Relationship Seen By The Actor
A subjective attempt to describe the relationship between a director and an actor during their creative work on a film or a theatre play based on my own experience. FIRST MEETING OR HOW NOT TO LOSE FACE IN FRONT OF AN ACTOR I’ve been an actor for over eight years. Doing what I do I…
The Cinematography of Vietnam: Documenting the Wars
The history of Vietnamese cinematography dates back to the 1920s when a group of intellectualists from Hanoi formed the Huong Ky Film Company producing mainly documentary movies. The history of Vietnamese cinematography dates back to the 1920s when a group of intellectualists from Hanoi formed the Huong Ky Film Company producing mainly documentary movies. The first…
The Brazilian Cinema: Much More Than Just Soap Operas
Brazil takes a special place in the cinematic landscape of South America. The roots of Latin American cinema itself came from Brazil. In spite of many storms and spells of stagnation, it is also the most significant cinematographic power on the continent. In 1886 in Rio de Janeiro the first films were made and shown…
The Austrian Cinematography: Great Cinema of Small Country
Austrian cinematography evolved in parallel to the other European cinematographies since the Lumiere brothers presented to the world their incredible invention – the cinematography. The first recorded Austrian film company, which went down in history as Wiener Kunstfilm, commenced production in 1910, and this point is often referred to as the starting point of Austrian cinema. Already two…
Should I Go to Film School?
This is a question I get asked a lot these days, and answering it is far from easy. I’ve been to film school, but it doesn’t mean that everyone else should. I went thinking I had no other option if I wanted to pursue a career in filmmaking. I didn’t have any equipment, and since…
How To Write a Film Script?
When writing a film script, you should start by picturing the film critic, the person who is going to read and review the script first of all. Winning over a critic is your first step to success. It will be up to them to decide whether what you have written is notable enough to get…