Zooppa

Hi Zloog Readers, There’s a pretty great non-Zooppa competition coming up at the beginning of March. It’s the International Documentary Challenge! Make a short (4-7 minute) documentary in just five days. Top films will make their world premiere at North America’s largest documentary festival, the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. On the day it [...]

Crowd funding is a great way to get your film made, just don’t overdo it. If there is one thing that I’ve learned about asking friends, family and concerned strangers for money, it has to be don’t over-ask. Let them know, just don’t push your luck Letting someone know about the project and demanding they [...]

As a filmmaker, you aren’t always gifted with an endless budget. *Sigh*. Yes, it’s a wet dream to be able to spend thousands of dollars on cool effects, but sometimes you just gotta bite the bullet and work with what you’ve got. Even large stars and directors understand the concept of filming on a low [...]

What do Michael Arndt, Mark Boal, David Seidler and Sofia Coppola have in common? Hint: it has to do with a carpet that is red and a man that is small, heavy and gold. Chances are, you’ve seen at least one of their films – Little Miss Sunshine (Arnt), The Hurt Locker (Boal), The Kings Speech (Seidler) and Lost in Translation (Coppola).   These artists have [...]

The Super Bowl: It’s a waiting game. Some watch it for the game; but a vast amount (including myself) tune in for the awesome new commercials. (New York Giants, who?) Instead of fast-forwarding through ad segments or simply muting the TV to drown out sometimes awful acting, people actually get excited: almost unheard of in [...]

In my humble opinion, one of the most rewarding projects a team of filmmakers can undertake is the creative-thirst-quenching, ever-morphing medium of the music video.  Though short and sweet, these projects can sometimes be pretty costly, especially if you are shooting on film, have a lot of special effects or shoot in multiple locations. But [...]

  Happy Friday, cowpokes! You’ve made it through another week. January is almost over! Did you know that Listerine was first marketed as an antiseptic?   Go forth and fill your head with trivia for the next two days, kids, because it’s the weekend!    Here’s what went down at Zooppa HQ this week:   [...]

The Oscars: A tried and proven, blatant form of idolatry.  Sure awards are great, but do they really mean anything?  Are they really just an evil Pavlovian trick to keep us all seeking  the approval of others? Award ceremonies are alluring, what with all their pomp and privilege.  But what does it all really mean? [...]

Let’s face it, whether you’re just getting to know your camera, or you’re just beginning to get creative with your shots, its important to know the advantages of a wide-angle lens versus a zoom lens when telling a story. A great question to start with is, “What story am I telling?”. Depending on what your [...]

OK. You’ve finished your movie… and it’s brilliant! Your characters are developed perfectly, the storyline is beautiful, and your shots are exquisite. There’s just one more tiny step: Get people to see it! Anyone involved with showbiz knows, making the movie is one thing. Making money from it is an even bigger feat. If you [...]