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Directing on a Dime
Directing on a Dime: Summer Reading List
After pulling a 33-hour sprint through post-production on my final project, I am now officially done with my first semester of film school at the University of Texas! As you can tell from the start of the sentence above, it was a bit of a doozy. But now summer is here, and I’ll be busy seeing new movies, doing interviews for MovieMaker, taking some summer school classes and shooting my next short film. And, of course, catching up on some books I’ve been meaning to read. For this week’s article I decided to make a “Summer Reading List” of books I want to recommend to other low-budget moviemakers. These are some of my favorite books of all time, books I’ve read and studied a thousand times over that have really influenced the way I watch movies and work on set.
May 11th, 2012 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
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' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Directing on a Dime: Six Lessons from Year One
As of yesterday, I’ve been writing for MovieMaker for a full year now. In that year, I’ve interviewed several of my moviemaking heroes, attended festivals both as press and as a moviemaker, won a few awards, crewed on over 30 different short films and tried my hand at directing commercials, episodic television, animation and live theater. Oh, and after two years of banging on the door, I finally got into film school.
In the first article I wrote for MovieMaker, I shared six things I learned while making my 2010 feature film The Legend of Action Man. Here are six things I’ve learned since:
April 27th, 2012 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
Directing on a Dime: Meet DC Pierson, Man of Many Hats
When I interviewed Mystery Team director Dan Eckman back in August, he dropped the news that he was going to turn one of my favorite books into a movie. The book is called The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To, and it was written by fellow Derrick Comedy member DC Pierson.
I know what you’re thinking: This is a moviemaking column, and a moviemaker DC is not. That’s fair enough. However, he is the textbook definition of a modern multi-hyphenate artist capable of wearing several hats (his credits on Mystery Team include actor, screenwriter and art director), which I believe makes him a very relevant case study for young low-budget moviemakers.
April 19th, 2012 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
Directing on a Dime: Adventures in Moviemaking
The Invasion of the Robot-Monster from Mars... with Chainsaws for Arms!
Looking back through some of my old articles, I realized how little I’ve been talking about actually making my own low-budget films. So I’m starting a new series within my blog called "Adventures in Moviemaking," where I’ll take you step-by-step through the process of making one of my short films. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at the highs, the lows, the good, the bad, the miracles, the monstrosities and everything in between that goes into making a low-budget short film. This week I’m going to talk about The Invasion of the Robot-Monster from Mars... with Chainsaws for Arms!, my first 16mm film. Let's make a movie!
March 30th, 2012 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
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' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Directing on a Dime: The (Budgetary) Highs and Lows of the Duplass Brothers
This is an interesting week to be the Duplass brothers. Jeff Who Lives at Home, Jay and Mark’s biggest film to date, is hitting theaters in wide release today, less than a week after they had another new movie, The Do-Deca-Pentathlon, premiere at Austin's SXSW Film Festival. With no other projects currently in the works, Do-Deca looks to be the brothers' last Mumblecore film, at least for now. As a long-time fan of their films, taking a look at Jeff and Do-Deca back-to-back makes me wonder: How much has changed for the duo, how much remains the same and what's in store for them in the future? I sat down with them at SXSW to ask just that.
March 16th, 2012 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
Directing on a Dime: "Zombie Girl" Emily Hagins Spills Her Guts on My Sucky Teen Romance
If you ever want to feel lazy, take a look at the career of Emily Hagins. She already has three feature films as a writer/director under her belt, the latest of which, My Sucky Teen Romance, premiered last year at SXSW and has been picked up for theatrical distribution by Dark Sky Films. Not only has she made films, she's also been the subject of one: The 2009 documentary Zombie Girl: The Movie. Oh, and did I mention? She’s not even 20 yet.
March 2nd, 2012 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
Directing on a Dime: 10 Things to Never Go On Set Without
I live my life on set by Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go will go wrong. You have to expect (or at the very least pray for) a certain amount of responsibility from your cast and crew, hoping they will be prepared and have all the tools they need when it’s time to shoot. Naturally, they expect the same level of responsibility from you, the director. When it comes to Murphy’s Law, you can’t be expected to take care of each department’s every need, but at least you can be prepared. So here are 10 things I’m always sure to have with me on set.
February 17th, 2012 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
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' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Directing on a Dime: Shorts, Austin and Bradley Jackson
Bradley Jackson is quickly becoming a rising star on the short film circuit. His latest short, The Man Who Never Cried, won the top prize at last year's Doorpost Film Project. The win, not to mention the $110,000 that came with it, has definitely helped the up-and-coming writer/director get his foot in the door out in Hollywood. While Jackson currently has two scripts in the works and anticipates a later move to features, one question remains unanswered: Will this proud Austinite stay in Texas... or make the move out to L.A.? I sat down to talk with Jackson about how he got into making movies, his experience at film school and how he lucked upon a well-known actor to star in The Man Who Never Cried.
February 10th, 2012 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
Directing on a Dime: How to Get Your Short Film on the Big Screen
We live in a world dominated by YouTube, where your short film has the potential to be seen by hundreds, thousands, even millions of people without you ever having to leave your living room. But what moviemaker dreams of one day getting "20,000 views" or seeing their movie on somebody’s iPhone? No, you want to see it on the big screen! To many, this would be a dream come true, but making the dream into a reality can be intimidating. Fortunately, there are a still some great ways for moviemakers to get their short films on the silver screen.
January 20th, 2012 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
Directing on a Dime: The Great Film School Question
For many of you, this is the time of year where you're pulling up to that big fork in the road that every young moviemaker eventually approaches: Film school. Should you go? Or is it best to just jump headfirst into making movies? Whether it's worth it to go to film school is something that every budding moviemaker has to answer for themselves, but for those needing some guidance, here are what some successful indie directors and producers—ranging from Dan Myrick (The Blair Witch Project) to Jay Duplass (Jeff Who Lives At Home)—have to say on the subject.
January 6th, 2012 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
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' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Directing on a Dime: Animation Pioneer Jerry Rees on His Kid's Classic The Brave Little Toaster
If you’re a 90’s kid like me—or if you’ve been to Disneyland or Disney World in the last 15 years—chances are you’ve seen the work of Jerry Rees. Now a staff director for in-ride attractions at Walt Disney World, Rees had been involved with some amazing films, like TRON, The Fox and the Hound and Space Jam... but he’s best known for writing and directing the 1987 animated classic The Brave Little Toaster. Rees took the time to chat about his early interest in animation, his experience getting Toaster made (and the shock he had when he took it to Sundance), a possible sequel to the film and the legacy it has left behind.
December 9th, 2011 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
Directing on a Dime: Ezra Miller Has Another Happy Day
Ezra Miller is one to look out for. One of the youngest up-and-coming actors working today, this year alone he was in two of my favorite films on the festival circuit: Another Happy Day and We Need to Talk about Kevin. In the former, out in theaters today, Miller plays Elliot, the troubled middle son of main character Lynn (Ellen Barkin). And as the title character in Lynne Ramsay's Kevin—a teenager who goes on a high-school killing spree—Miller delivered one of the most talked-about performances out of this year's Cannes Film Festival. In both films, Miller not only holds his own against established actors like Barkin, Ellen Burstyn, Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly—he often steals scenes from them. I spoke with Miller about the two films; the differences between working with Another Happy Day's Sam Levinson, a first-time director, and Ramsay; and how, when meeting with a director, "you always want to trick [them] into thinking you’re the character."
November 18th, 2011 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
Directing on a Dime: Jeff, Sal, Franco, Beavis and Butt-head Take Over the 2011 Austin Film Festival
With its location in one of the world's biggest film cities and its impressive slate of U.S. and world premiere screenings, it’s no surprise that this year’s Austin Film Festival (AFF), which took place from October 20th to the 27th, brought some of the biggest stars in the world to Austin, Texas. But even though AFF brought in its share of A-list actors, it stayed true to its reputation as a "writers' festival" with its many panels about the art of writing movies and TV.
November 4th, 2011 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
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' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Directing on a Dime: The Duplass Brothers on Jeff, Cyrus and Austin
Jeff Who Lives at Home is the Duplass brothers’ best movie yet. Slated for a release in March 2012, the movie is about Jeff (Jason Segel), a slacker who tries to find his place in the world while running an errand for his mother and spending the day with his estranged brother (Ed Helms). Former Austinites Jay and Mark Duplass originally made a name for themselves on the independent circuit with films like The Puffy Chair and Baghead, but since their first studio film, 2010’s Cyrus, the two have been slowly easing into the studio system. I sat down with the Duplass brothers at the recently-wrapped Austin Film Festival to talk about their new movie, the lessons they’ve learned from Cyrus and why they love Austin.
October 28th, 2011 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
Directing on a Dime: Doing Craft Services on a DIY Budget
In my first article for MovieMaker, I got some nasty feedback to my comment that “if we wanted to use an actor we’d promise them an IMDb credit, footage for their reel, a chance to see themselves on the big screen and lunch. Though we didn’t always give them lunch.” A year after shooting The Legend of Action Man, I now fully appreciate the importance of feeding your cast and crew well. The last thing you want on set is a mutiny, and a full crew is a happy crew. So here are a few popular (and inexpensive) DIY catering options that you can use to keep your set satisfied.
October 21st, 2011 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
Directing on a Dime: Exploring the "Crazy, Gory, Weird, Uninhibited Gem" That Is Fantastic Fest
Werewolves, dueling Hobbits, fake proms and (yes) The Human Centipede II took center stage at the 2011 Fantastic Fest.
Over the past seven years Fantastic Fest has quickly become a staple in the genre film festival circuit. Held every year in Austin, Texas at the Alamo Drafthouse, co-founders Tim League and Harry Knowles work to bring moviemakers and movie lovers alike the best in horror, sci-fi, cult and Asian cinema. This was my first year attending Fantastic Fest, which took place from September 22-29, and the lineup of films was far from disappointing.
October 6th, 2011 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
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' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Directing On a Dime: Tom DeLonge on Music, Movies and Love
Tom DeLonge is a busy guy. Though the Blink-182 frontman might not be who you’d expect to see in an article about low-budget moviemaking, it’s a fitting combination given that he recently finished producing and scoring his first feature-length film. Love is the story of an astronaut, cut off from all human contact, who begins to struggle with loneliness and insanity against the backdrop of outer space. I sat down with DeLonge at this year’s Fantastic Fest to talk about shooting the sci-fi epic on a $500,000 budget, finding the cast and crew for the film and the future of both the music and film distribution industries.
October 3rd, 2011 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
Directing on a Dime: Coming For Dinner and Staying For the Show
Using gimmicks to get your movie seen
A few weeks ago, Phil Hawkins wrote a great article about how he was able to shoot a feature-length film in 48 hours. It’s an impressive feat to pool together the necessary resources to make a film in a few weeks, months or even years, let alone a single weekend. I myself am no stranger to the power of gimmicks in moviemaking. Making The Legend of Action Man on a budget of $200 was more necessity than a conscious choice, but feature-length films aren’t made for less than the cost of an iPhone every day. If that was going to convince someone to check out Action Man—a film by a first-time director with no stars, controversial humor and a shoestring budget—then I might as well exploit that, right?
September 16th, 2011 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
Directing On a Dime: How to Make Your Auditions a Success
Once your script is finished, it's time to bring it to life, and for that you'll need actors. Last weekend I helped out at the auditions a friend of mine was holding for his next short film. As with any other aspect of moviemaking, some parts of it went smoothly and some parts did not. Here are some tips on how a director can make their auditions better for themselves, the actors and the project as a whole.
September 9th, 2011 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
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' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Directing on a Dime: Derrick Comedy's Dan Eckman on Mystery Team
Anyone who doubts that creating short films and posting them online can actually start ones career needs to take a look at Derrick Comedy. The five members of the Internet sketch comedy group--director Dan Eckman, Dominic Dierkes, DC Pierson, Donald Glover and producer Meggie McFadden--have created online shorts that have gathered well over 100,000,000 views on sites like CollegeHumor and Funny or Die. In 2009 their first feature film, Mystery Team, premiered at Sundance and was later distributed by Roadside Attractions. Dan Eckman has recently directed Worst. Prom. Ever for MTV as well as the music video for "Freaks & Geeks" by Childish Gambino (a.k.a. Derrick and "Community" star Donald Glover).
August 12th, 2011 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
Directing on a Dime: Legendary Producer's Rep John Pierson on the Current State of Indie Film
She’s Gotta Have It. Roger & Me. Clerks. Slacker. You may not know John Pierson’s name, but you know some of the movies he’s brought to light. The producer’s rep is famous for working with directors like Spike Lee, Michael Moore, Kevin Smith and Richard Linklater on their first films, kickstarting the careers of directors who would become defining personalities in the indie movie scene of the '90s.
August 5th, 2011 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
Directing on a Dime: The Story Behind The Blair Witch Project
"In October of 1994, three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland while shooting a documentary. A year later their footage was found." Thus starts one of the greatest success stories in the history of independent film. If you're reading this, you've probably already seen The Blair Witch Project. But a lesser-known aspect of the now-classic horror movie is the story of its creation. I had the chance to speak with Blair Witch co-director Daniel Myrick about his film education, the movies that inspired him and his opinion on the current state of independent film.
July 29th, 2011 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
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' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Directing on a Dime: Puffy Chairs, Cyrus and the Film School Question
Mark and Jay Duplass have become posterboys for the new generation of low-budget indie directors. Their first feature, The Puffy Chair, was completed on a budget of $15,000 and went on to be a festival hit. It was followed by Baghead and Cyrus; their next film, Jeff Who Lives at Home, is their biggest project yet. I spoke with Jay Duplass about the on-set differences between indie and studio movies, what he thinks about film school and his role in the highly-anticipated re-imagining of Richard Linklater's Slacker.
July 22nd, 2011 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
Directing on a Dime: Interview with Mumblecore Moviemaker Joe Swanberg
It’s hard to go to a festival these days and not see one of Joe Swanberg’s movies. At the age of 29, Joe has already built an impressive body of work. Three of his films have been released so far in 2011, with a fourth scheduled for VOD release later this month. A darling of the independent Mumblecore scene, Joe has worked with up-and-comers like Greta Gerwig and the Duplass brothers. I talked with him about film school, his huge body of work, the festival circuit and the current state of the film industry.
July 8th, 2011 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
Directing on a Dime: Scoring the Low-Budget Movie
After weeks or months or even years, your movie is finally coming together: The script has been written, the footage has been shot and your rough cut is gradually making its way to what the rest of the world will eventually see. But something is still missing: Music. What’s the penniless filmmaker to do? Well, you have a few options:
June 10th, 2011 | Category: Directing on a Dime | By Andy Young
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