Hello all! Wanted to share about a project I'm working on, called Fading Wilderness.

Fading Wilderness will explore the alarming trend of Americans' dwindling interest in outdoor activities such as fly fishing and hiking. The documentary will highlight the societal shift towards a lifestyle dominated by technology and urbanization, where every moment is filled with digital distractions and natural spaces are increasingly replaced by concrete and metal. Through personal stories, expert interviews, and stunning visuals, the film will examine the consequences of this detachment from nature and emphasizes the importance of preserving our wild spaces for future generations.

I've spoken with several psychiatrists, researchers, and teachers about the scientific stuff, and have begun the interview process to collect the media for the film. I'm hoping to include some BTS and shorts to post on social media sites to keep interest and awareness up.

A quote that's been sticking in my head during this pre production cycle is - “Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing it is not fish they are after.” - Henry David Thoreau

Anyways, if anyone would like more information, or to follow on the process, I'm going to do my damndest to not be just a lurker lol.

Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@fading.wilderness Email - fadingwildernessfilm@gmail.com

And believe me, the irony isn't lost here. Anyways, thanks for reading. Hope you have a great rest of your day.

Hey everyone, I am a writer and filmmaker, and I wanted to know if anyone has been able to get PR while being in the film/media space, and if so, how have you done it?

From what I understand right now, CEC (Canadian Experience Class) is the only program that I can apply to for PR. And CEC demands that we have about 1 year of Canadian work experience in a TEER 0,1,2,3 job, which means I would need to have an employee job in a film/media space to qualify for this program.

Now as most of you might know that most film work that is out there is a contract/gig which makes getting an employee job in the media/film space very difficult.

I thought of doing a minimum wage job and learning French for a chance at PR, but a minimum wage job won’t qualify me for CEC and just knowing French with 0 work experience will be pointless.

I came to Canada on a student permit and did two one-year courses. I now have an open work permit till 2027. The issue, though, is finding a TEER job that I can qualify for. I have the qualifications for an entry level film job, but after months of trying I am realizing maybe there are only gigs in the film world and no jobs that would have me as an employee.

I hope I can gain some valuable insights from the community. Thank you in advance!

Hi everyone,

I’m a director based in São Paulo, currently prepping an indie feature to shoot in July. I’m looking to buy an Ikonoskop A-Cam dII — I’m after that gritty 16mm-style look, and this camera is the perfect fit.

The problem is, I can’t find one anywhere. If you have one for sale, know someone who does, or have any leads at all, I’d be seriously grateful. Open to international shipping and ready to make a deal.

Thanks in advance!

So I want to go into vet school which you need a bachelors degree for first. That’s my main plan but I’m wondering if I could be in film school/program while working on the bachelor’s so that I have those done and can prioritize vet school after those.

Planning on going to a&m which has a vet and film school program so I could theoretically do it if I make 100% sure my schedule is flexible. And it technically is already since I’m homeschooled for high school I know how to manage my time while still having a life.

Just wanting a second opinion

Hello, I am trying to shoot a short later this year and looking at the budget and the script.

Currently, I have it so I hire a sound recordist to record the dialogue on set, but I'm having second thoughts: do I really need to hire one? There is not a single line of dialogue outside the character's full & stuffy house, so there would be little-to-no sound bouncing. There is also never dialogue between two characters, just the lead to herself, so this is not a complicated film sound-wise.

I have a Sennheiser MKE 600 with a boom pole & windshield, would anyone else agree that it would be needlessly expensive for me to not just buy a decent recorder and have a friend hold the pole and watch the peaks while filming? Or am I forgetting something necessary that they provide before I cut the recordist out of the budget?

Has anyone gotten their short film or feature sponsored by a local business or corp? I have friends in theatre who tend to get them easier, but I was considering reaching out to local businesses in the catering/crafty/monetary tip. Any tips?

I thought this might be the answer, but it was the last one I filled in.

Hello,

I'm shooting my thesis film in the fall, and I'm searching for an armorer and stunt coordinator based in or around Ohio. Do you guys have any leads or places I should turn to? My next step is to contact my local IATSE.

Since the past year, I've had a couple of films doing the festival rounds, and I have had a few filmmakers (mostly young) send me their synopsis/script and almost always, it's quite evident that they have used Chatgpt. When I confront them about it, they usually defend its use by saying that the basic idea was theirs and they used ai just to give the idea structure. My problem with this is the sheer laziness. Why should I engage with your work if you can't even do your own thinking? Giving structure to an idea is the job of a writer, and how can someone get good at their job if they keep outsourcing it to an algorithm?

Personally, I have no problem with generative AI. But AI generated synopsis are so generic and soulless. I don't understand why anyone would put it forward as an example of their work and ask for feedback.

Hey fellow filmmakers— wanted to share something I’ve been working on that might make your prep days a little easier. It’s called PREPT — a web app built for DPs, ACs, and production teams to build and share gear lists, manage inventory, stay within budgets, and prep efficiently for each shoot.

You can break gear down by camera, lighting, grip, etc., link vendors, set rental durations, and even collaborate with the rest of the team in real time. It’s meant to simplify all the scattered Google Sheets we’ve been juggling for years.

Still in development but looking for feedback and early testers — if you’re interested, happy to share more!

What up everybody. I’m a DGA 1st AD. I love my job and I want to keep doing it.

But I also want to direct (flipping my scarf over my shoulder right now). I’ve been an AD for 10 years and I’m ready to branch out. The most likely trajectory for me would look like non-union commercial work and maybe some shorts.

I don’t really feel like hitting up my union rep to discuss this in case the answer is no (lol).

Anybody in the DGA or with working knowledge who can weigh in?

Hello! I’m a cinema master student and now that I’m about to finish my studies, I’m looking for internships. I’ve thought it could be nice to work in a film festival so I’ve sent a message to the responsible asking for opportunities and she asked for my cv. Later, she said that for interns they are looking for people with production experience but said I could still volunteer

I’m ok for volunteering as long as the position sounds interesting, but they’re only offering positions as hostess, event accreditation or cloakroom. I don’t wanna be rude, but I don’t really see much potentional on these positions and I don’t understand how this could improve my cv later. These positions are too simple, anyone without education could do them.

Did anybody ever volunteer and could give any thoughts on this? One friend said this could be a good opportunity to network, but another person said that taking into consideration that these positions are too « simple », that it’d be difficult to actually be seen by others because they’d only see me as a worker, not really someone that they want to exchange so max I’d exchange would be with other volunteers, but I’ve checked the linkedin of other volunteers and they look more cinema lovers than actually people who want to develop in the field.

So I have written my first short script and I got some feedback, obviously the script is bad as I expected. My question is if I should start shooting the short with this script or not? I want to direct my scripts to start and learn shooting but dont know if I should wait until my script is better or what. Any help is welcome. Thanks

Hi guys I'm currently a junior in high school and am looking to study in the United States for film. I currently live in Asia so I'll be paying out-of-state tuition, and my budget per year is 50,000 USD. My academics are solid with a projected unweighted 4.00 GPA, a big portfolio with many creative and non-creative written pieces, films, and music. I also have decent extracurriculars and a background in humanities and literature. I'm looking to see if with my budget (my family doesn't qualify for any financial aid), what would be the best deal out there?

My current plan is to go to CSULB for film due to its proximity to Hollywood and affordable tuition. I want to know if it's worth it to go even harder for a better university, or if I can just stay where I'm at academically for senior year since my budget doesn't allow for it, or maybe it's not even worth it to even go to a much better film school.

Any input would be appreciated.

Hello fellow filmmakers!

I have just finished filming my debut (releasable) short film - a 15min political, crime drama. I created the film with an amazing group of fellow grad students for roughly £700 (self funded).

I love to edit, but every other part of post-production I have always skimped out on so want to properly invest into high quality colour grading, sound mixing and sound mixing. I am also writing an original score with my best mate who is a composer. Still, the costs of hiring a recording studio and a small string quartet adds up big-time.

Has anyone got any experience getting funding for post-production? What is the process? Should i contact production companies who specialise on short films? Or only apply for funds/competitions?

Appreciate any advise :)

I am a first time producer working on an indie short film. Wrapping it up now, and reflecting on the process, I'm seeking advice from seasoned producers.

I started the project in 2023 after the director pitched me the idea. He didn't have much experience, but me neither. We were both eager to break into the industry, so we took the leap together, self-funding the project despite it being set in another country.

I delivered with equipment, planning, emotional support in the first few months, even though the director was showing signs of disorganization. But he's a first time filmmaker, was a student as well, so I cut him some slack.

Fast forward to the core of the development phase. He never met the deadlines I was giving him. Always came up with excuses and a big smile. This pissed me off so bad, and I said it to his face. He said he would change and totally understood why I was upset. So we continued. It was alright (not perfect) for a while but he soon went back to his old ways.

When the time came to book flights for the shoot, he hesitated, wanting to postpone for irrational reasons. I had to push hard to keep things moving. We shot the film—it turned out well—but by then, I was already questioning whether to stay on. Still, I believed in the film’s potential, so I kept going.

Post-shoot, I hustled for funding, attending pitch sessions, networking with industry professionals. Meanwhile, the director got involved in activism and neglected the project. I practically had to force him to write. I met with interested broadcasters and producers, he dismissed them outright. Still, I convinced him it was the way to go.

Now in post-production, the same patterns continue: missed deadlines, delays despite my best efforts to anticipate them. I'm coming from the news sector, where deadlines are non-negotiable, so this has been incredibly frustrating.

So yeah, very few things ran smoothly in the making of this film. I'm looking for advice. How was your first project as a producer, director? How do you deal, if at all, with these diva-like behaviour? How do you look at a potential collaboration with a director before getting involved?

This outstanding podcast, by indiewire's toolkit, about the state of independent film and distribution offers a good insight into the present retraction trend that has been running for some time. https://open.spotify.com/episode/3YTYzjCmnmbCZTqrePa6x8?si=atlZgkbrQD-4R8PE2Diotw We have sent our debut feature film to festivals in search of distribution. The whole ecosystem is consumed by the major tech sharks, who will pay pennies if any. Everyone involved appears to be settling into a sense of dread and futility. Does anyone have a recent (the last couple of years) successful outcome with their feature film returning the capital cost of making the film? Please give us some hope.

I’m a college senior graduating in May who is extremely passionate about film and has made a number of independent films in school. I go to college in the middle of nowhere in Western Mass and love it more than anything. I honestly hate cities, and the closer I get to graduation, the more I realize there is nothing I want less than to live in one. Would it be completely insane to move to a quaint New England town after graduation as an aspiring filmmaker?

I recognize that there will be far fewer commercial opportunities in film, which is why my plan would be to work part time jobs (I have a couple in particular in mind) and continuing to make independent films like I’m doing in school now and sending them to film fests. I feel like I would be so much happier doing this than draining my soul living somewhere like LA, but I don’t know if it would be instantly killing my chance of getting anywhere as a filmmaker.

Do you think it’s possible to try and be a filmmaker in a quaint New England town?

Hey guys!
Day 2 of NAB announcements and its a good one: We're proud to announce that we've designed a 3-light kit for the popular STORM 80c and its available now!

In addition to the three lights, there are a variety of modifiers and other accessories included so that the kit can be used to augment larger lighting packages or used as a complete lighting solution on smaller shoots.  The full kit comes in a rolling hard-shell case with precision-cut foam.

The kit includes:

3x  STORM 80c lights with AC power supply

3 x 35° reflectors

3x Mini Lantern diffusers

2x  CF4 Compact Fresnels

2x CF4 Barn Doors

1x  Mini ProLock to Bowens Adapter

3x  D-Tap to 5.5mm Barrel cables

1x  STORM 80c Handheld Bracket

1x  Light Dome 40 diffuser with grid

3x  Mounting Clamps

3x  Universal Mounting Arms

1x  Rolling hard-shell case

You can learn more about the new Aputure STORM 80c 3-Light Kit at here.

The film production will start in July. I have no experience. But I’m dying to do ANY JOB on that set. I’ll do for free. I don’t know who to contact or how to audition. Do I email managers? If it is announced that the production will start in months, does that mean every crew member or actor were already cast?

I work in animation & design. It would be a dream to work in that part but like I said, I’ll fly overseas to mop the floor.

Curious to know if there are any no budget full features on YouTube that have barely any attention. I’d really wanna see them. I’m working on my 2nd feature right now, which is a massive time travel action movie, and I wanna see other filmmakers who attempt such large scale projects with no budget. Anyone know of any, or even made some?

Preferably ways that don’t cost much. I’m on an extremely tight budget, so anything involving complex lighting rigs isn’t really an option right now.

Me and a few friends(we are 5 in total) have recently been talked with filming small scale local documentary about the build up to an event that's coming up in our area in a few months. We are very passionate about making this film, but still quite new to filmmaking. The biggest question I've had stuck in my mind are what role we need to assign to make the workflow of this project as smooth as possible. Everything going into this film is essentially between the 5 of us.

People who are stunt co-ordinators/doubles/performers, how do you get "in"? I feel like this is rarely talked about but I always see the stunt double lists, especially for big movies, and they're full of people. Does it help to have a background in martial arts or gymnastics?

The reason I ask is that I'm doing some basic stunt coordination on a friend's film and am just a bit curious. I mostly have experience with stage-fighting and melee weapons, which is why I was asked. Idk, stunt performing seems like a very specific set of skills that you don't hear being advertised for.

In my project a character is shot and falls into a pool and I want it to be all bloody obviously but I'm using a relatives pool and I don't want to completely mess it up.. anyone have any ideas that doesn't include just pouring fake blood in it