FEATURED POST
FINDING THE STORY: How Narrative Filmmaker Tamar Halpern Directed Her First Documentary
About Tamar Halpern Tamar Halpern is a writer and director with 9 feature films behind her — all low-budget and produced for less than $1.2 million. She graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts with an MFA in 1998, the same year she started...
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This post is based on material from producer Stu Pollard's popular Film Independent seminars. Visit our new online education portal, lunacyu.com, for more comprehensive film production and financing resources! When it comes to raising money, consider the long game....
MOVING TO LA: 5 Financial Tips for Taking the Leap!
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ACTING FOR A LIVING: How Daniel R. Hill Books Work
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FIVE ON FOURTH: 5 Movies to Celebrate on Independence Day
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THE ART OF SAYING THANKS: The Power of Gratitude
This post is based on material from producer Stu Pollard's popular Film Independent seminars. Visit our new online education portal, lunacyu.com, for more comprehensive film production and financing resources! We've talked before about the importance of...
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LOVE ON THE BRAIN: Wedding Movies Through the Years
Our indie rom-com Plus One opens today in theatres and on select digital platforms! Maya Erskine (Pen15) and Jack Quaid (The Boys) star as lovelorn friends who agree to partner up in order to survive a hectic wedding season. We think the film is...
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LOW-BUDGET FILMMAKING: How Much Does It Really Cost To Make Your First Feature?
Fellow indie filmmakers continue making micro-budget feature films. Glen Schultz (Red Trail 90) says he did it with $10,000. Mark Duplass (The Puffy Chair) suggests you only need $1,000. Those figures notwithstanding, keeping costs low can set you up to turn a...
RENAISSANCE DISNEY: 5 Filmmaking Lessons from Disney’s Mulan
The term “Renaissance” has been used by fans to describe the awakening and reinvention that brought public and critical interest to Disney Feature Animation in the 1990’s, starting with 1989’s The Little Mermaid and ending with 1999’s Tarzan. No matter...
Z-AXIS MOVEMENT: 5 camera techniques to help you raise stakes, create unease, and more
There are three directions you can move your camera: along the horizontal x-axis (pans and dollies), the vertical y-axis (tilts and booms), and the z-axis (moving forward or back). Used separately or in conjunction, these movements can serve utilitarian...
BETTER SLATE THAN NEVER: The Importance Of The Slate To An Assistant Editor
“Rushing Ramona” is a 2nd AC (camera assistant) working on a feature in Kentucky. Before each take she updates the slate (also called clapboard, clapperboard, or sound marker) with the appropriate scene and take. She announces the take, claps the...
WOMEN ON THE CUTTING EDGE: 5 Female Film Editors Behind Your Favorite Films
In honor of Women’s History Month your friends at Lunacy will be posting content celebrating the contribution of women to the film industry. We continue this week with a look at female filmmakers who aren't household names but have nonetheless shaped...
