How to:

The Plastic Boots came to me with a couple tracks and a concept. Like all music groups I shoot, I ask what they are “about”. Immediately they said they were rock n’ roll with a country blend. They explained how they weren’t about heavy eye makeup, ironed hair or the latest fashion; they just wanted [...]

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow I’ll be participating in a screen writing workshop through Chicago Filmmakers in Action. The first five hours will be run by two professors from Columbia College who will explain format etc. Then I and a friend will take the last three hours and run it as a workshop. It’s [...]

This is a very interesting series of videos, forwarded to me by a friend, that talk about the potential to make money off of short films. This is a panel hosted by Queer Lounge at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Their focus is on gay content, but what they have to say is applicable to [...]

“How much does a music video cost?”, “How much does a website cost?”, or “How much does a commercial cost?” are the most frequent questions I get from potential clients. The answer is always: “It depends”. I remember, early in my career, when I was trying to hire someone for creative work and I would [...]

Ahhh yes. The cheapest Steadicam in the world (or should that be called the cheapest Steadycam?) I managed to follow the instructions well enough. The real problem was the drilling, but it turned out great! I can’t believe I’m geeking out over something so small, but I can’t stop smiling. The strange things I’ll go [...]

What to expect: First, call and tell them what kind of project you are doing and they will forward you the correct agent. Then, they will ask you for lots of personal information including address, phone numbers, email address, and who this policy should be written under. This information is for the policy application, essentially, [...]

First, let’s go over some of the terms you’re going to hear when talking on the phone with an agent. It’s a good idea to get familiar with these terms because they’ll throw them around pretty fast. The types of insurance coverage you’ll be looking at are: Annual DICE (Documentary, Industrial, Commercial, & Educational) – [...]

One of the less exciting, but necessary aspects of producing films is tracking down and buying video production insurance. This is insurance above and beyond homeowner’s insurance and applies to equipment, general liability, workers comp, and errors and omissions. The city of Chicago will not give you a permit to shoot in public unless you [...]