FEATURED POST
WRITE LIKE A PRO: How Our Screenwriting Experts Overcome Common Hangups
There are times when writing can be exciting, effortless, and fun. And then there are all the other times: when you don’t know where to start, or can’t remember why you started, or when you’re buried so deep you don’t even know which way to dig to get yourself...
Read More
RECENT POSTS
VALUABLE MISTAKES: 5 Lessons We’ve Learned the Hard Way
You know the usual rookie errors: white walls, bad sound, haphazard composition, etc. But there are many more mistakes that are worth learning from. Here are five mistakes we’ve made, and the lessons we took from them! 1. Careless Collaborations...
NORM HOLLYN’S LEAN FORWARD MOMENT
Last weekend, editor, author, and educator Norman Hollyn died unexpectedly while lecturing in Japan. He was a thoughtful and accomplished filmmaker; his first book, The Film Editing Room Handbook, is considered a must-read for aspiring editors; and he...
STRIPPING DOWN: 5 Tips For Casting Nudity
Unless you’re working exclusively in children’s content, sooner or later you might have to deal with a role involving nudity. As awkward as that might seem for you, imagine how difficult it can before for the actor. It’s the very definition of...
STICKER SHOCK: 5 Surprising Expenses That Could Bust Your Indie Budget
One of the best ways to stand out in the film business is to make a successful low-budget movie. Like Paranormal Activity, shot for only $15,000. Or Get Out, made for $4.5 million. Or Split for $9 million. Or A Quiet Place, $17 million... Hold on! This...
DOING HIS THING: Director Xavier Burgin talks about his new doc HORROR NOIRE
About Xavier Burgin Xavier Burgin is a writer-director from Alabama. A graduate of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, he's a Sundance Lab Fellow, an HBO Short Film Finalist, a part of the Ryan Murphy Television Half Foundation, and one of Fast Company's...
BELOW THE SURFACE II: Another Look at the Making of RUST CREEK
Lunacy Productions' Rust Creek is a hit with critics and audiences, and it's now available on all your favorite VOD platforms! We've already brought you some great behind the scenes featurettes about the script, shooting in the Kentucky cold, and our amazing...
IT’S A PEOPLE BUSINESS: Blumhouse Televisions’ Jeremy Gold On The Importance Of Relationships
About Jeremy Gold Jeremy Gold is the Co-President of Blumhouse Television, where he oversees scripted and unscripted TV series. Previously he served as the Senior Vice President of comedy for Fox. A friend of Lunacy, he took time out of his busy...
FIND YOUR PEOPLE: An Interview with RUST CREEK Cinematographer Michelle Lawler
About Michelle Lawler Michelle Lawler is a Los Angeles based cinematographer. She is a graduate of San Francisco State University and the American Film Institute, and a Cinematography Fellow at Film Independent. Her feature documentary, Forever's Gonna...
A GOOD TEAM: Candi and Priyanka Guterres Discuss Their Work on RUST CREEK
About Candi and Priyanka Guterres Candi and Priyanka Guterres are a production designer / set decorator team that created the world of Rust Creek. Candi’s work experience spans from Asia, Russia, Iceland, Mexico, and the Peruvian Amazon, from period...
BELOW THE SURFACE: An In-Depth Look at the Making of RUST CREEK
Lunacy Productions' Rust Creek is in theatres across the country and on VOD platforms now! We've been getting a lot of love from the critics too! Keep checking the Lunacy Productions blog for all the exclusive behind the scenes footage from the making of...
GO WITH WHAT YOU LOVE: An Interview with RUST CREEK Director Jen McGowan
About Jen McGowan Jen McGowan is a director based in Los Angeles. Her first feature, Kelly & Cal, premiered at SXSW where she won the Gamechanger Award. Her award winning short film Touch has played at over a hundred film festivals worldwide, and...
LEARNING HOW TO ADAPT: An Interview with RUST CREEK Sound Mixer Kari Barber
About Kari Barber Kari Barber is a writer, director, and sound designer from Southern California. She holds degrees from Bowdoin College and Harvard University, as well as an MFA in Film and Television Production from USC. Kari was the sound mixer on...
IT’S NOT JUST FASHION – YOU’RE TELLING A STORY: An Interview With Costume Designer Alexis Scott
About Alexis Scott Alexis Scott is a costume designer with over 30 years of experience in the entertainment industry. She has designed over 40 films and TV shows for directors including Wim Wenders (Land of Plenty), Vincent Gallo (Buffalo 66), Alex Cox...
THE QUANTITY BREEDS THE QUALITY: An Interview With CREED II Writer Juel Taylor
About Juel Taylor Juel Taylor is a graduate of the University of Florida and holds an MFA in Film & Television Production from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He and his writing partner, Tony Rettenmaier, have several projects in development, and...
DON’T LET THE GREEN GRASS FOOL YOU
It’s Thanksgiving week. Time to forget about all your grand wants and ambitions and just be grateful for all those blessings we don't count nearly as often as we should. Things like your eyes. Your health. First Responders. Electricity. Laughter. The roof over your...
GREATEST HITS
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 purposes,...
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 “sticks,” and gets...
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 the history of...
