Zooppa

There is nothing worse than a hard drive failing with your entire project on it. Unless you failed to back it up.  That is much, much worse. I recently had a 4 terrabyte G-RAID external drive fritz out on me.  Did I mention it had my entire project on it… a project I’ve been working [...]

Most big time movies cost millions of dollars to make. The latest Michael Bay or Wes Anderson flick probably required tons of funding and years of preparation. But you don’t need a trust fund to tell an amazing story and rake in the profits. You won’t be able to quit your day job for 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 [...]

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 [...]

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? [...]

More and more films are using natural lighting.  It’s bright, it’s free and it majorly reduces your carbon footprint. With the advent of HD cameras, the lighting game has changed.  Cameras are picking up more light than ever and you really don’t need an entire lighting trailer to make your actors visible anymore. You definitely [...]

Do film adaptations ever really do a novel justice? Purists cry no. But you might be shocked to discover a majority of award-winning and even legendary films started as novels. Adapting a novel is a terrific way to hone your filmmaking craft. Think of a moving, inspiring, or gripping book. How would you communicate its story [...]

If you were to asked to script a conversation between two women, what would you base it on? Motherhood? Cooking? The old hag of the block? Well, according to Alison Bechdel, when women are portrayed on-screen, the dialogue between them will most likely be centered around men. The theory surrounding this claim, the Bechdel Test, [...]

Trailers can be fun.  Trailers can be frustrating.  Either way, trailers are important. The idea for a trailer is to introduce your film to audiences and have them wanting more.  How you go about doing this is completely up to you. According to Wikipedia, “Trailers tell the story of a film in a highly condensed [...]

  Every filmmaker dreams about making a living doing what they love.  But according to Keith Rivers, there’s nothing to it but hard work. Since 2009, Keith has been racking up awards for his short films and cinematic ads.  His dream-like style of storytelling is captivating and difficult to forget.  His list of accomplishments include: [...]