He made indie film history with the classic Swingers, showed the real life of players on the Los Angeles rave…
THINGS I’VE LEARNED AS A FILMMAKER by David Magee Usually the scenes you think are most important at the beginning…
Never leave a leave behind. As a writer, you are constantly pitching to studios—original ideas, assignment jobs, rewrites. Often, after…
When you show up to make a film, it requires complete focus and you better mean business if you want…
1. Trust your script. It’s easy to fall in love with something that’s “set funny.” Trust the document that made…
1. If you are a writer-director, choose as your collaborators (director of photography and editor especially) people with strong opinions.…
Don’t try and compete with the studio films. Your film will never look as good or as polished as their…
Nothing matters but the characters and the acting. As a production designer, I would put so much effort into making…
Things I've Learned as a Moviemaker by Henry Jaglom Tell the truth. Trust actors. Don't let anyone tell you that…
For decades, cinematographer Guillermo Navarro has imbued the cinematic universes of Guillermo del Toro, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino and more…
On Breaking Into the Film Industry One piece of advice I give to people of both sexes in this business…
In celebration of our 11th year and the role that the Hands-on Pages newsletter has played in our success—throughout 2004,…
Don Burgess is a prolific and award-winning cinematographer originally from Santa Monica, California. Burgess is known for his collaborations with…
On Advice for New Moviemakers Watch as many old movies as possible. On the Importance of Film School Film school…
Smaller is scarier. When you do a movie for a studio, it’s gonna be somewhat homogenized. But a smaller movie…