Learning Modules

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Hollywood Hints and Tricks of the Trade

Getting started, getting creative, getting focused and getting organized are critical if you want to make a professional Hollywood quality film that will capture your audience. Film makers will their creations into life. To join them, you must know what to do, how to do it and where to find necessary resources.

Each of these Learning Modules provides priceless tips and tools. They contain tons of information, hours of research, free resources and clickable links to help you save time and get you up and running quickly and efficiently. Please note that all material is copyrighted and is for your personal use only.

MOVIE MAKING MADNESS
Getting started, getting creative, getting focused and getting organized are critical if you want to make a professional Hollywood quality film that will capture your audience. Film makers will their creations into life. To join them, you must know what to do, how to do it and where to find necessary resources. Then you must take massive action to make it a reality. Get into a positive and playful emotional state, "Think and declare "I can do it," believe you can make it happen and take the actions we teach you and you will see positive results and become more certain that you are 100% capable of making your dreams a reality.

Learning Module 1: This learning module will cover various topics so that you can get a firm grasp on the various moving pieces of producing a film. It has some movie making mantras to keep you focused and positive while you build your own personal Back Door to Hollywood. It will also walk you through the planning stages of making a movie step by step, including pre-production, post-production, choice of music, sound effects and voice overs, transitions, free online resources and sample form agreements needed for independent films, including actor and location releases, (which are subject to review by attorneys).

Click the video to the right to listen to the audio that goes along with the learning module. You can also download the MP3 here: Movie Making Madness MP3.

TRICKS OF THE TRADE

Producing a film becomes easier and more enjoyable when you think out of the box and learn tricks of the trade that can save you time and money. One thing I learned from experience is to never underestimate what you can do on the set and in the editing room. It liberates you to have fun filming

Learning Module 2: This learning module will go cover some tricks of the trade I learned while on the set and from my own creative thinking when filming on a shoe string budget with tight deadlines and resources. It includes sections on how to use cheap props effectively, filming tips when shooting yourself, others and/or scenery, post production editing tips and where to file your copyright claim for your movies and videos.

Click to the right to listen to the audio that goes along the learning module. You can also download the MP3 here: Tricks of the Trade MP3.

VIRAL VIDEOS

The internet is the largest stage in the world and it’s yours for the taking if you know what you’re doing. You want to gain as much exposure as possible in order to build a very large fan base. The fastest way to do that is to make a viral video so that it attracts the networks and cable stations to you.

Learning Module 3: This learning module discusses the key elements to making a video go viral on the internet so
that you get star recognition and build a large fan base quickly. It includes traffic building strategies, viral video promotion techniques (where and how to’s), including link
bait and the launching of coordinated strikes that will
increase the likelihood of you appearing on the first page of search engine ranking pages.

There’s an enormous amount of material here that goes beyond just entertainment videos in case you are taking this course to make professional and entertaining videos for your products and services. For more information, you can do searches on Google and learn from different internet marketing gurus and case studies of videos that go viral, which I highly recommend. Pick one social media platform from the social media wheel to the right - the one where you already have a presence, even if small, and start posting there.

Click the video to the right to listen to the audio that goes along with the learning module. You can also download the MP3 here:

GREEN SCREEN DO'S AND DON'TS

Green Screens are a great way to add different backgrounds and special effects to your movies. It is one of the best tricks of the trade in Hollywood and opens up infinite possibilities for the creative film maker. Green screening ultimately saves you time and money in shooting different sets.

Learning Module 4: This learning module will help you get started using green screens, including how to set up your green screen, the do’s and don’ts during filming and proper lighting. If you choose to use an iphone or other smart phone for some the filming exercises in the course or any of your clips, you can find smart phone accessories that contain professional LED ring lights, tripods, phone filming kits, focus and pan accessories. It's very affordable. Just go online and Google professional filming equipment for smart phones and LED rings.

If you need a visual tutorial on green screening in Final Cut Pro X, you can google the editing software you have and there are plenty of video tutorials. Advanced techniques including layer, motion trafficking, key framing, masking and many others require patience but they are easy to master. If you want to avoid editing problems, work with a green or blue screen and make sure you don't have green or blue on your clothes (remember people may have blue eyes), and you have good lighting. You can also key out backgrounds of other colors with luma keying, masking tools and layering.

When you master green screening, you can use some of the special effects Bonus material that came along with this course as backdrops to make some great looking green screen clips. You can also find free video backdrop loops at https://pixabay.com/videos/. If you want to pay for a membership service, you can also use https://www.storyblocks.com/.

If you learn green screen technology, you become a very valuable resource in this industry, especially because the industry is pivoting to sound stage production given the pandemic and uncertain state of affairs in major cities across he country.

Click on play to the right to listen to the MP3 as you follow along with the Learning Module. You can also download the MP3

SUPPLEMENTS

The Supplements contain additional tips and priceless tidbits of information that you don’t want to miss, including filming tips like the 180 Degree Rule, Social Media Marketing & Networking Wheel, Viral Video Tips, Getting Your Film on the Big Screen with Film Festivals and Niche Festivals, SAG-AFTRA considerations, Film Festival Networking Checklist and Networking Secrets, How to Make Your Film Title and Action Safe, Top Film Markets, and creative project funding suggestions in How to Run a Successful Kickstarter Campaign.

180 RULE/KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGNS/STAR BRANDING

The 180 Degree Rule

In filmmaking, the 180 degree rule basically states that two characters in the same scene should always have the same left/right orientation and relation to each other. This way you maintain continuity of the scene and create a seamless sequence of events.

So if you do a two shot and then go to close ups of your individual characters, make sure they maintain their left/right relation to each other. The only way you should violate this rule is if you do a panoramic shot so that the camera moves around 180 degrees on screen so that the left/right orientation changes. The other benefit to this rule is that you maintain the same cohesive lighting which makes things easier in the editing room.

Kickstarter Campaigns

Kickstarter campaigns are a great way to fund your creative projects. It involves a sincere and dedicated marketing effort on your part with continuous follow-up emails and social network postings to raise funds but if you do it right and offer people incentives for investing in you, even if it’s a small amount from a lot of people, you may be pleasantly surprised to find your project funded at the end of a specified period of time. The downside is that if you don’t meet your projected budget with enough donations, all donations that have been pledged will disappear. So it puts the pressure on you to really market and push your project and get people as excited about it as you are, especially at the end when the deadline for donations is almost up.

So how do you run a successful kickstarter campaign? These are the seven essential elements which increase the likelihood of getting the full amount of your projected budget funded with enough donations.

Propose and Disclose Components of Your Budget: You must have a donation goal to reach that matches your projected budget. Don’t use an arbitrary dollar amount. Do some research to make sure it’s accurate and disclose the components of the budget so people know where their money is going. It does not have to be a line item budget but a general disclosure to satisfy your potential funders.
Presell Your Project: Offer a copy of your record or DVD when it’s done if they make a specified donation.
Offer Credit to Large Donations: Offer credit on the project to people who offer large donations. People love to see their name in print and call themselves producers or contributors to a successful creative endeavor.
Limited Editions: Offer your pre-sold copies as a special limited edition with personal signatures from you. Offer a limited number of these personally signed copies.
Share Your Story: Give them photos and tidbits from the creative process to bring them along for the ride so they feel involved and an integral part of the project.
Creative Experiences: For your largest donators, the ones who invest thousands, offer them an opportunity to be on set or in a recording session with you. Rarely does anyone get to experience this and the chance to be a part of your creative experience and see it first hand may go a long way in getting large donations.
Campaign with Emails, Social Networks, Phone Calls, Radio Shows, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin and Blog Sites: Contact everyone you know, especially friends and family and ask them to do some campaigning on your behalf. It’s fairly easy to get a lot of people to donate $1 to $10. Don’t be shy about strutting your stuff and asking for help. Blog about it. Post it on your web page, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin and other social networking sites. Try to get on a radio show, podcast and TV show (local channels are great for this) and be interviewed about your project and plug your kickstarter campaign. Be sure to give the listening audience a sample of your work. If you don’t already have a personal website, get one immediately.

Where can you conduct kickstarter campaigns? Do a Google search for kickstarter campaigns for the full listings. Here are two of the most common crowdsourcing sites to fund creative projects:

http://www.kickstarter.com/

http://www.indiegogo.com/

If you haven’t already downloaded the bonus e-book How to Run a Successful Kickstarter Campaign, download it now. The e-book has step by step instructions to keep you organized and on track to meet your projected goals. Keep it nearby as a checklist if you plan to run your own kickstarter campaign. Click on the red download buttons to access it.

Star Branding as a Business

You are in the business now of branding yourself as a star which means you are in the business of you. Anyone who has succeeded in Hollywood will tell you when you get right down to it, it’s a business just like anything else so you need to put your business hat on as well as your creative hat.

That means you must also think like a business person. You will have to get up to speed on how much it costs to bring your creative projects to life as well as distribution costs. If you do that ahead of time, you can stick to your budget and seek financing from friends, family and people in the entertainment financing business. If you plan on producing a film, you must have a business plan with a budget in addition to a treatment to get financing. Also look into tax incentives and grants in different locations for filming.

If you plan on using your personal name, a stage name, a band name, a sketch comedy group name, or a television series name in connection with your career, make sure you reserve a website domain name for each right away so that no one else can take it. You can do that at http://www.godaddy.com. It doesn’t matter if you are not ready to build your website yet. Still reserve the domain name. You will be surprised how many people there are out there with your name and if you start to gain popularity, you want to make sure no one else reserves your name as a domain to hold you hostage to pay an exorbitant fee for it, especially since as word gets out, people will begin to search for that name online. Domain names should cost $10 per year. If you plan on using it a long time, you can reserve the domain name for several years. Do the same thing on Facebook for free.

You have an option to create a permanent link to your Facebook Page. Do this right away because there are many people out there with the same name.

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING & NETWORKING WHEEL

This supplement will help you stay focused on the various social media platforms and stages you can promote yourself on. You can add affiliates and partners with fans and followers on digital stages who can also help build your own fan bases.

Do not get overwhelmed. Start with the platform where you have the most knowledge and presence.

VIRAL VIDEO TIPS SUPPLEMENT

GETTING YOUR FILM ONTO THE BIG SCREEN

These supplements contain priceless tips on improving your chances to get your film on the big screen with casting choices, applying to top film festivals, niche festivals and Oscar qualifying festivals, as well as SAG-AFTRA category and budget choices. It also contains clickable links so make sure you download it.

FILM FESTIVAL CHECKLIST AND NETWORKING SECRETS

Film Festivals are a great way to network with celebrities, producers, directors and other filmmakers who already established in Hollywood. So don’t be shy about strutting your stuff and getting to know people while you’re there. You must promote yourself and your film if you want to be in this industry.

In this Module, you’ll learn how to make the most of your film festival experience with networking secrets on and off the red carpet, ways to promote yourself and your film, what you need for your press kit, press interview tips and information you will need to apply to film festivals. It also includes links to niche film festivals.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR FILM TITLE AND ACTION SAFE

TOP FILM MARKETS/VARIETY

Knowledge is power and if you know where to sell your films and network, as well as get stars, talent, producers, directors, distributors, etc. on board, you are halfway home. This supplement gives you priceless tips and clickable links as to where to sell your films and television shows.

PRODUCTION TIP SUPPLEMENTS

These Supplements contain (1) Additional Royalty Free Photo Sites and Public Domain Sites (2) Sample Call Sheet for On Set Production, (3) Sample Shooting Schedule Template (4) Transportation and Company Move Considerations (5) Budget Issues and Budge Spreadsheets (6) Prop & Wardrobe List Sample with Continuity Issues and (7) Other Useful Production Documents and Templates for Production.