Change the Weather (Tip #44)

Most screenwriters at one point or another get stuck somewhere in the process of writing. It can happen anywhere in the process and sometimes it amounts to a small bump in the road and sometimes it causes writers to abandoned what they’ve written altogether. In On Writing, Stephen King writes that at one point he [...]

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A Quote Worth Repeating (& Memorizing)

In the short film I recently produced, No Day at the Spa, I actually used part of the quote by screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, who wrote,“Don’t give up. You’re going to get kicked in the teeth. A lot. Learn to take a hit, then pick yourself up off the floor. Resilience is the true key to [...]

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“No Day at the Spa”

No Day at the Spa, one of two films produced last weekend by the River Run Production Team for The 48 Hour Film Program in Des Moines. (Click 720p HD settings—not 360p— at the bottom of the screen to watch best version.) The genre that was picked at random and for which we had to [...]

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Making Two Films in 48 Hours (Part 6)

Allow me to filibuster for one day before I post the two films that we made last weekend. (Need to double check the rules.) Since I’ve covered the major aspects of the production except for budget and equipment, let me cover that ground now. The total budget for both films combined was less than $500. with [...]

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Making Two Films in 48 Hours (Part 5)

Tomorrow is the big screen debut of the two films that the River Run Productions team produced as part of The 48 Hour Film Project/Des Moines. If you happen to go to the screenings at the Fleur Cinema & Cafe then we’d appreciate a big shout out for the films “No Day at the Spa” [...]

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Making Two Films in 48 Hours (Part 4)

Waking up after making two films in 48 hours must be like waking up after partying after two days—execpt instead of a hangover, you have two films. (And just for the record, I don’t think in my wildest days I ever stayed awake for two days straight.) You know there is much written about what [...]

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Making Two Films in 48 Hours (Part 3)

It’s late Sunday night and I only have the energy to say that we did in fact make two films in 48 hours and our team made the delivery deadline in Des Moines with 10 minutes to spare. Thanks to everyone who helped make it an interesting weekend. More about the process (and the films) [...]

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Making Two Films in 48 Hours (Part 2)

Okay, the two films we shot in the last 24 Hours were #1) A Foreign Film And #2 a Film de Femme (strong female character): Both films completed principal photography within 24 hours of the genre selection. Now both of the 4-7 minute films have to be edited and turned within the next 24 hours. [...]

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Making Two Films in 48 Hours (Part 1)

Starting tonight at 7:30 River Run Productions will be working taking part in the 48 Hour Film Project. That’s were you have 48 hours to write, shoot and edit a 4-7 minute film. This will be the fifth year I will lead a team to compete in the film project. It’s an opprtunity to work [...]

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Filmmaking Quote #11 (Michael Goi)

“I was speaking at a conference in Florida recently, and a young guy stood up and said, ‘Don’t you think your job is obsolete?’ I said, ‘What do you mean by that?’ He said, ‘Well, anybody who picks up a digital camera today is a cinematographer.’ I responded, ‘Well, if I gave you an electric [...]

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