When loading shells in a mortar, try to drop them in with your non-dominant hand (if you’re right-handed, drop with the left hand). That way, if you experience Sudden Massive Tissue Loss, you still have your favorite hand.
(more…)Your Script Supervisor is supposed to get in your face and interfere — their job is to make sure you aren’t screwing anything up. Listen to what’s being said.
(more…)Network, network, network! Meet other people making movies! You’re all in this together and you all offer unique talents. Yes, there’s a lot to be said for keeping your head down and working, but once in a while, you need to get out and meet other filmmakers.
(more…)Be secure. Lock your personal stuff in your car or keep it on your person.
(more…)On a low budget movie set, a lot of people have double, triple, or fourple duties. On a low budget set, “fourple” is a word. No matter what you’re supposed to be doing, chances are, you’ll wind up doing some other things, too.
(more…)You can’t just eject the warp core and hope a matter/antimatter explosion will produce a shock wave that let’s you surf out of the event horizon. That’s stupid. Find a more down-to-Earth solution to problems for your story.
(more…)Watch out for drama queens. Drama belongs in front of the camera, not behind it. If they are indispensable, contain them severely. If they are not indispensable, dispense with them.
(more…)When writing a script, keep track of each character, and always try to know what they’re doing at any given point in the narrative, even if we never see it in the script or in the movie. Doing this helps keep the timing right, and the rhythm of the movie benefits from it.
(more…)Anyone who thinks animation has to be hyper-realistic in order to be emotionally connective never cried watching Bambi. Conversely, the more realistic an animation is, unless it is indistinguishable from real life, the creepier it is, even if it’s supposed to be happy. At best, you can achieve a creepy sort of happy. Usually, that becomes a “fail.”
(more…)The Director, the AD, and the Cinematographer should always get on well with each other. Find time to make that happen.
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