(Check out the Film Courage Top 25 most viewed videos for 2016 here).
1. Mozambican Filmmakers Ask For World Support To Make First Feature Film – RESGATE on Indiegogo
Mozambican filmmakers Mickey Fonseca and Pipas Forjaz hope to raise money to produce their provocative first feature film, RESGATE, through a crowd funding campaign on Indiegogo, a tool still mostly unknown in the southern-African country. Their goal is to raise (read the full article here).
“I grew up in Port Allegany, PA. It’s a super small town in Northern Pennsylvania – about 2,200 people surrounded by woods. Everyone knows everyone there, it’s very tight knit, but there are pros and cons about living in a place like that. There aren’t a ton of things to do close by, like in order to go to the latest movies we had to travel 28 miles; but then there’s the fact that you can leave your door unlocked, walk down the middle of the street to your friend’s house at night and look up at the stars the whole time. You can’t have all of that in cities so I feel pretty lucky, perhaps was bored at times, but overall lucky to be from a truly small ass town like that (read the full article here).”
Watch the film on iTunes here!
Three filmmakers receive an unsettling postcard from an estranged friend living in a secluded commune. The filmmakers take their cameras into the wilderness of Montana to document the mysterious inner workings of the group. On their disconcerting road to self-sufficiency, witnessing something more shocking than they ever imagined (read the full article here).
“My family and friends were very supportive, thankfully that’s never been a problem. The tough part about graduating early to move to LA was the fear that comes with leaving what you’re most familiar with in exchange for the unknown. But even then, I had already spent long periods of time in LA and knew for certain this was the only path I wanted to take – so I embraced it. Those earlier LA trips included 2 stays during pilot seasons, in which my mom literally dropped everything to live with me in a one bedroom Oakwood Apartment for a month so that I could audition. After a childhood of chasing my dreams, growing my career inch by inch and sometimes having to live across the country from family, the ‘big move’ after graduation wasn’t something I was uncertain about whether or not to do; I just knew it was my next step (read the full article here).”
“I started out – by following my hunger and drive to succeed – by doing anything/everything that would put food on the table for my family. I drove a taxi, delivered milk (night shift), painted houses, and performed a number of other odd jobs. I read an ad in the paper about a real estate sales position in 1997, applied, got the job and grew from there. When I first got involved in real estate, one of my good friends, (with a similar educational background – or lack thereof) tried to discourage me. He noted that all of his “loser” friends with no job claimed to be “working” in real estate, waiting for commission checks, which never came. His words – combined with the will that my father instilled in me – inspired me and I took it upon myself to become a success story and not another “loser” with no education, and unable to feed my family. (read the full article here).”
About The Project:
Amy and Sarah unknowingly visit the same therapist years after their romantic relationship ends. Now, as young adults, they’re forced to come to terms with what actually happened, Amy fueled by hope and Sarah smothered by guilt. As they retell the experience of their first love from first kiss to final break-up, we see their love story unfold in reverse. Signing Out depicts how organically a relationship can start and end and the lasting impact a first love can have along the path to discovering oneself (read the full article here).
“I live in Los Angeles. It’s become a second home. But, there’s something about growing up in Montana that will never quite let you go. It will always be home to us mountain kids. My parents and much of my family and friends live up there. One of the main goals of my film career is to build a bridge between LA and MT. My ideal life would be some sort of “here and there” situation. It’s definitely a place to dream. A place where a lot of my stories live (read the full article here).”
8. 14-Year-Old Filmmaker Nathan Ambrosioni Talks About His iTunes Horror Movie HOSTILE
“Like everybody I suppose, I like when critics are constructive. People can love or hate a movie, it’s normal for everyone to have a different point of view, but when it’s nasty and there is no constructive advice, I don’t like that (like everybody I suppose). The critics are very important for the audience and viewers. We are often influenced by the opinion of the others (read the full article here).”
9. Biggest Lesson I’ve Learned on Writing by BONED Screenwriter/Director Laura Lee Bahr
“I know lots of times people classify creative blocks as separate from practical blocks, but to me they are part of the same thing. Time — how to work around it and with it. Money — how to make what you have enough to do what you want. People — how do they work together toward a common goal? To me, time, money, logistics, these are PART of the creative process. And finally, how do I get the finished thing OUT THERE to the people who will ‘get’ it? (read the full article here).”
10. 6 Things Film School Didn’t Teach Me by ALIENATED Movie’s Writer/Director Brian Ackley
“Everybody seems to go to film school to learn the art of filmmaking, but few seem to realize that the art of selling them is equally important. I fumbled around for the longest time trying to figure out what producing was and trying to find someone to do it for the short films I wanted to make. I should have taken more than the one producing class that my program required. You have to learn how to market a film, which films sell the best and who buys them. You have to learn these things before you spend all your student loan money on an experimental art house drama that you can’t even get your friends to see. Furthermore, developing the organizational skills necessary to put a production together will deepen your appreciation for the creative aspects of the filmmaking process and make those artistic choices that much more focused and efficient (read the full article here).”
With help from a team of passionate filmmakers, director Dillard Brown is creating his senior thesis film for Loyola Marymount University. This dramatic short is called Love Child – and it is anything but a simple student film. It pushes cinema to be its best: narratively, creatively, visually, and logistically.
Originally from the small, agricultural town of Davis, California, Dillard Brown grew up in wide open space, swimming in neighboring irrigation ditches, and exploring the open farmland. In high school, Dillard was very involved in theater, and originally decided to move to LA to pursue an acting career. It was shortly after his arrival however, that Dillard realized his passion lay in creating and telling the full thematic story rather than acting as the character in one. So Dillard decided to pursue Film Production at Loyola Marymount University, and he has since written and directed multiple short films including his award-winning film, Eliyah (read the full article here).
“The only [job] I ever regretted though was when I took a job that forced me to give up my audition flexibility. I knew instantly I made a mistake and it went downhill from there. And fast. I think it was a mistake for them as well and they replaced me. Part of the reason I started creating my own content was to have acting roles, but the other part of the plan was that I eventually wanted the projects to make money. I know the first feature I sold wouldn’t make me rich, but hopefully I can continually build the productions until they support themselves and me (read the full article here).”
“I went to school for “film studies” for about a year. I remember speaking to someone who graduated the film studies program from the college and said that that they “could talk to you for an hour about film theory, but I never put my hands on a camera at all through the program.” When I heard this, I knew that wasn’t for me. I tried to take some community college classes in film production, but I was way too advanced for the classes and was really bored by them. All throughout this, I was making short videos with friends and then I got a job as Director and Producer of music videos for the rap group Three 6 Mafia, particularly Juicy J. After I started making their videos, I stopped school altogether (read the full article here).”
14. Top 10 Things To Consider When Writing A Short Screenplay By Lee Hamilton
….The group of activists in Transparentsea have been involved in other direct action awareness campaigns over the years. This includes a mission to the infamous “Cove” in Taiji Japan where they slaughter the dolphins. We documented that years earlier and I felt it needed to be in this film. It helps to show how involved this crew of people in Transparentsea are with the issues of the ocean and the creatures in it. They are legit activists in so many ways (read the full article here).
16. 8 Ways to Shoot 100+ Pages in 6 Days by ALIENATED Movie’s Brian Ackley
“These obvious things aside, there’s plenty that you can do to help you film a feature in a week’s time. If I sound like I know what I’m talking about, I only do to the extent of my limited experience. Consider my words as inspiration for you to go out and make your own mistakes to learn from. For many, doing something yourself is the best way to become better at it….Think Minimalistic – Write as few characters as possible. Or, if you must write an ensemble, devise scenes wherein the fewest number of characters are interacting at the same time. It’s faster to block, rehearse, and shoot 2 actors in a scene than 3 or more. Keep it simple. Keep your locations minimal, too. The fewer location changes that you have to make, the more time you’ll save (read the full article here).”
18. “Thinking About Writing is Not Writing” and More Thoughts from Author John Dufresne
As a child, John Dufresne enjoyed reading. Rarely were characters similar to the people with whom he grew up with reflected in most literature. John cherished childhood time spent with mother and grandmother in the family kitchen. He listen to them tell stories about neighborhood events in his Massachusetts town. He likened fiction to gossip about people who don’t exist, interesting stories about trouble.
Having been a social worker for 12 years, John Dufresne went back to school obtaining an MFA from the University of Arkansas. He recalls being one of the oldest in his class at U of A and (what he felt) was one the least talented writers in the program. The first day of class his teacher informed John “You really know how to write, but you don’t know how to tell a story….(read the full article here).
19. It’s Not the Camera that Makes a Good Photograph by DP/Co-Producer Pipas Forjaz of RESGATE Movie
Pipas Forjaz – Co-Producer/DOP for RESGATE Movie
I remember when Jean-Luc Godard came to Mozambique to teach about filmmaking to the few Mozambicans at the Film Institute and my mother was one of the students there, and one day my mother invited him for dinner and that is when I met him. It was the early 80’s (read the full article here).
20. It Doesn’t Cost a Dime to Make a Great Story by ZombieCON’s Co-Writer/Director Kyle Valle
It’s been a building block of our business since day one but personally I believe we all started long before either Big Squid or MewNow and it was more something that just rolled over with us. In regards to this movie it’s important that we show the world who we are and what we are capable of. Last year we thought creating and producing 10 original series and creating a new platform would have been enough for us to establish a good bit of credibility; and, it did. But not to the degree that we wanted. What we heard over and over again in a number of ways was that we needed to make a movie to create a name for ourselves and it all clicked. We could make a movie. From that point onward we have been focused on continually evolving and upgrading mewnowtv.com and ‘ZombieCON.’ Our team is focused, driven and determined. I have complete faith that we will create something truly special in this movie (read the full article here).
It’s important because we don’t have enough female centered films especially that involve action and I wanted to show a woman can be strong in character, as well as good for action especially for silat. It’s the first time a female plays a main character in a silat based film (read the full article here).
Most people my age are worried about their Saturday nights and who they’ll hook up with. I’m not concerned with that. I look at the entertainment industry like dating. If someone in the business doesn’t want to work with you then you can always move onto the next one. What’s key to me is the ability to let go, business and personal. Someone stops talking to me after two weeks? Let it go. If they don’t want to be part of what I have going on, there’ll always be someone who will. So, you must be able to prioritize for the long run what’s important. I could worry about the girl who just stopped talking to me, or I could rather stay focused on the string of international vacations I plan on having sometime down the line. You’ll know who you should let stick around based on who wants to stick around. Rock with me and I got you. When I make it, you make it (read the full article here).
Born and raised in Orlando, Florida, I have always had the desire to tell stories as a young child. My imagination would, and continues to this day, run wild with all sorts of eccentric story ideas that I hope to bring to big and small screens all over the world.
The stories I tell will shock, inform or simply entertain you, and I’ll gladly take one of the three any day of the week. I’m primarily self-taught as both a writer and director, though I did obtain technical training as a producer at a vocational tech school back in 2007 before making the leap out to Los Angeles.
I’m always on the lookout for interesting stories to tell. I especially enjoy building fictional worlds from the ground up. It’s what I’m good at. Always for taking risk and doing things outside the box is the type of filmmaker I strive to be (read the full article here).
1) It’s Worth the Money- This is definitely one of those occasions in life where you “get what you pay for”. There is no doubt, even to a non-musician, that a custom made score sounds far superior to “free” music that is plastered onto the track from public domain because it sounds like it has the right vibe. When I scored Alienated I literally wrote/composed as each frame moved along. Evidence of this can be heard especially towards the end of the film when tensions are mounting and the central relationship is spiraling downwards (read the full article here).
I wanted to go to college for film and I did for a few years but had a lot of trouble getting the classes I wanted. The prerequisite classes I had to take before getting into certain film courses had repeat curriculum from my high school years and I felt like I was wasting my parents’ money. I started teaching Martial Arts full time and decided to make my own short films and learn how to shoot and edit as I went along (read the full article here).
(Check out the Film Courage Top 25 most viewed videos for 2016 here).
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Watch ORIGIN on iTunes Starting December 13, 2016
ORIGIN: Three science students are on the verge of making a breakthrough in their research into biohacking and cell aging. When one of them is diagnosed with a terminal illness, they break moral boundaries and use their untested research on him, in an attempt to save his life.
Watch it on iTunes here!
COLD NIGHTS HOT SALSA takes you inside the international dance world of Victor and Katia, aspiring young salsa dancers from Montreal, who seek to win a World Salsa Championship.
During their three-year quest Victor and Katia draw upon the talents of Eddie Torres, Tito & Tamara, Billy Fajardo, and Katie Marlow. Central figures in the salsa dance world, these mentors put their passion and professional dance skills before you and reveal what it takes to perform and compete at the highest level.
Victor and Katia’s story is a love story. It’s the story of their love to dance and of how being a couple enhances and also complicates their life together and dance ambitions. After winning the Canadian Salsa Championship, we watch as they first compete in the 3rd World Salsa Championship. They return home to Montreal to work on taking their dance skills to a higher level. After months of preparation, including working with a number of key mentors, they put their dreams on the line and travel to Florida to compete in the 4th World Salsa Championship.
Along with Victor and Katia’s story, the film explores some of the social and historical roots of salsa, as told through Eddie Torres, Billy Fajardo, Tito Ortos, and Edson Vallon.
Experience the beauty and excitement of competitive dance, the compelling force of world leaders in salsa, and the romantic charm of two young dancers who want to make their mark on the Latin dance world.