Category: Indie Film & Video

Bri Castellini: Directors, What Do You Do Again? – @BrisOwnWorld

Some film director doing something the unions don’t allow

by Bri Castellini

Hello, and welcome to “What Do You Do Again?” a series of posts profiling different film production roles because many in the web series community don’t come from film school and don’t really know who all makes up a bustling film set. I certainly didn’t; in fact, for the longest time I thought a producer and a director were the same. And to be honest, I still don’t really know what the heck a gaffer is. Apparently it’s not Samwise Gamgee, which comes as a bit of a disappointment.

Every week, I’ll pick one production role to profile, so without further ado:

What does a director do? Lightning round: read article

Web Series: ‘The Vamps Next Door’

NOTE FROM LB: Want to see what a web series episode with a million and a half views looks like? Click “play” on the video below.

by Larry Brody

There I was, on the back deck of the Brody home that isn’t Cloud Creek Ranch, having a fine old end of summer convo with my wife, Gwen the Beautiful, and two old friends, and suddenly the Missus of the friends, Laura Conway, casually mentions, “I’ve been making a couple of web series. They’re a lot of fun.”

And without missing a beat, the Mistah of the couple, Gerry Conway (yes, this Gerry Conway), equally casually says, “Laura’s shows have over three million views.” read article

Indie Video: Who Says a Public Service Announcement Can’t Pull Your Heartstrings?

Even one made specifically for the web.

In a language spoken almost exclusively by the people of the Philippines?

Intentions count! read article

Bri Castellini: How To GET FIT While Making Your Indie Film – @BrisOwnWorld

by Bri Castellini

Hey you. Yeah, you. The sleep-deprived indie filmmaker who just tried to film 25 script pages in a single day. Things seem bleak, but there’s a silver lining to this whole mess of a process- you could be making your passion project AND getting fit at the same time!

Here’s how!

  1. Don’t eat on set. You don’t have time to stop working anyways!
  2. Insist on setting up all the equipment alone. It’s your project, after all, and people will judge you if you aren’t doing enough to help out.
  3. Take public transportation to and from every shoot. Nothing says “FITNESS” like carrying a 50 pound lighting kit up and down subway stairs while balancing a costume bag on your head.
  4. Only write walk and talk scenes. Not only will this filming style keep the energy up in a scene, but you’ll get to 10,000 steps on your FitBit NO PROBLEM!
  5. Stare into the void. The void doesn’t care that you’re hungry or tired and will offer no sympathy, so you may as well get over it.
  6. Offer actors piggy-back rides to and from holding. Your cast will appreciate the break, plus you’ll really tone those glutes.
  7. Have all of your equipment with you all the time. Sure, it’s inconvenient to drag your lighting kit to the park when there’s nowhere to plug in, but you never know, and your biceps have never looked better!
  8. If you MUST eat on set, only eat fruit snacks. Fruit is good for you.
  9. Buy costumes one size too small for yourself. Nothing says “thinspiration” like constant discomfort and self-loathing!
  10. Always be working. Done with one project? Start another! If you’re a workaholic, you can’t ALSO be a chocoholic! #Logic #Paleo

What are YOUR Get Fit Tips for indie filmmakers? Tell me in the comments! read article

Web Series: ‘Fighting Isis’

Don’t let the title of this Australian web series scare you away. It’s good. Really good.

Luke Buckmaster of The Guardian.Com – a majorly smart and literary and all the neat stuff UK news site ranking right up there with (ulp) the BBC – has to say about the show:

It’s King of the Hill meets Down Under meets Team America: World Police in this sassy, yappy, yobbo-lampooning animation from creators Sebastian Peart, Mark Nicholson and Pete Corrigan. Four stubbie-wielding Aussie blokes meet in a garage and resolve to wipe out Isis terrorists once and for all; an alternative title could have been “Straya, Fuck Yeah!” read article