WORK THE SCRIPT.  The most fundamental aspect of film storytelling is the script.  Without a good script you simply cannot make a good movie.  So why is it that the vast majority of films, including huge Hollywood productions, fail on the level of script?  There are two issues involved. First, many filmmakers do not honor [...]

EACH DAY IS A GIFT. Our cat was recently diagnosed with cancer. Last week, we rushed home from vacation because we thought she might be in her final hours. Miraculously, she made a comeback, and we have had several wonderful days with her. This helped teach me that each day is a gift. What does [...]

YOU WILL MAKE MISTAKES. Okay, this is a tough one, but an important one, so let’s get through this. In the course of making a movie (and in life!) it is invevitable that you will make mistakes. Lots of them. Costly ones, stupid ones, all kinds. If you’re perfectionistic like me, this can be really [...]

PAINTED DOORS AND BREAKING THROUGH WALLS. When you set out to make a movie, you learn a few truths. First, there are no open doors. The film industry is not waiting for you with open arms. Why? The obvious answer is that there are hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of people who are looking for [...]

RAY NITSCHKE came to me in a dream last night. Ray was a tougher-than-nails linebacker for the Green Bay Packers during their glory years in the 1960s. One of those really scary toothless guys who just knocked the cr__ out of people. Anyway, in the dream, Ray was in street clothes, with a friend, paying [...]

THIS BLOG HAS TWO PURPOSES: 1) to keep you, dear reader, informed about the trials, tribulations and joys of making & distributing an independent film, and 2) to understand how that, and everything else in life, is a spiritual practice. Today’s issue is distribution. Originally, I envisioned raising sufficient capital to self-fund distribution. This would [...]