It Takes an Iron Resolve to Make an Independent Film Production Happen

Commitment is an independent filmmaker's most valuable resource. Without a lot of money to grease the wheels of production, a low budget film producer must rely on creativity and determination to get their films made. If a person wants to get their film made badly enough, there is not much in this world that can stop it from happening.

Making a film on your own with your own money is a very daunting task. It can also be very rewarding. When you decide to take on the awesome responsibility of writing, directing, and producing your own independent film, you better know what you are getting into beforehand. Once you set the ball in motion, there is no going back. You either succeed and your film makes to the film festival circuit (which is a major accomplishment in and of itself), or you crash and burn halfway through the film production process and your film vision never sees the light of day.

The next time you watch a movie I suggest that you pay particular attention to the credits at the end of the film. Take a look at how many names scroll across the screen and this will give you an idea of how much work goes into the making of a motion picture. Then take away all of the names on the screen and picture your name in front of every credit for every job and this will give you an idea of how much work YOU will have to do to make your own movie.

When I first graduated from film school I hit the ground running. I landed a decent job as the Director and Animator on an independent film that had Pat Boone's name attached to it. I was hired to film clay animation stories about The Bible. I worked on that job for about four months and was paid fairly well for my efforts. I decided that the best thing I could do with the money I saved was to make another film. I would take the knowledge and money I gained and use it for my own benefit. I decided to make my own movie with the idea in mind that I would enter it in on the film festival circuit and hopefully win some awards. If that happened it would almost certainly be a boost for my fledgling film career.

I wrote a script for a short film that involved a combination of clay animation and live action, and I was ready to make a film. My plan was to use all of my knowledge and talent and do almost all the work. For the parts that I could not do myself I would hire friends and business associates at a substantially discounted rate. These people agreed to work for cheap in return for a little creative control, a credit for their demo reel, and possibly exposure if the film does well at any major film festivals. I only had to hire them for the filming of the live action scenes and for some of the post production work (like sound design, mixing, foley sound effects, etc...). The animation I would do entirely on my own.

I contacted a couple of friends of mine that managed camera and sound equipment rental houses. They set me up with a 16mm camera package and a DAT (digital audio tape) package to rent at discounted prices. I rented these packages on a weekend (to get the extra 2 days for free) and I started filming the live action part of my film right away.

I worked extremely hard that first weekend. I basically filmed most of the time with only about two to three hours of sleep each day. When I was not filming/acting/directing, I was setting up lights, moving furniture, making meals for everyone, setting up props, distributing and apply makeup, rehearsing with actors, fixing costumes, and performing script rewrites on the set, to name only a few things. By the time Monday morning rolled around, I was mentally and physically exhausted, but I still had to bring back the camera and sound equipment packages by 10:00 am or I would be charged for another day of rental. You do not have that luxury to just sleep in and not worry about it when you are making an independent film on a shoestring budget. There is no rest for the weary when you are making your own movie. Time is money, and you do not have a lot of either one of these resources.

I returned the camera and sound equipment packages just in time on Monday morning. Then I went straight to the film lab and dropped off my film. I then made an appointment for the following week (the soonest date I could get) to see my dailies (developed film), and counted the days until the day of my appointment arrived.

I arrived at the film lab a half hour early for my appointment to see my dailies. As I sat in the lobby waiting for my big moment, I began to get very nervous. Unnerving thoughts began to fill my head. What if one of the rolls of film somehow got damaged in the lab? Maybe the machine that develops the film broke when my film was running through it and all of my film rolls are scratched? What if the cameraman I hired was not as good as his demo reel implied and all my rolls are under or over exposed? What if the guy who took my film at the front desk of the film lab is a disgruntled filmmaker who only took that job so he can ruin other people's film when they hand it over to him? What if there was a mishap in the film vault involving fire sprinklers and all my rolls of film got ruined? Of course, all of these are irrational thoughts, but nonetheless they are the kind of thoughts that go through the mind of an independent filmmaker as they are quietly waiting in the lobby of a film lab facility prior to their appointment to see the fruits of their efforts.

As it turned out, everything was fine. My dailies looked great and that only inspired me to keep the ball rolling with my film project. I put every ounce of effort that my body and soul possessed into that project, and it paid off. That film (Mike And The Magic Lamp) won several awards at several film contests that year (1998) including a Silver Award at the Houston Worldfest in the same category that had seen past winners with such names as Steven Spielberg, Oliver Stone, and Quentin Tarantino. It was a perfect springboard for my film career. I have made several films since then and all of them have led to bigger and better projects. My latest film is a ninety minute science fiction love story. I already have a couple of distribution offers for this film, and I have yet to enter it in a single film festival. I should be able to make a very decent profit if it does well on the film festival circuit, and I owe it all to my iron resolve to make my film career dream a reality. Where my budget was lacking, my determination picked up the slack.

By: Michael Connelly

About the Author:

Michael P. Connelly is an Author and Filmmaker who travels the world making low budget independent films and writing about his enriching exeriences.

Source: FreeArticles

Video Production and Using Quality Lighting

Artistic lighting can be the perfect mood creator and emotion enhancer. Notice how even game shows like Who Wants to be a Millionaire? feature dramatic lighting? That's not an accident. In fact, lighting that incredible takes a lot of work and costs a lot of money.

Aren't you on the edge of your seat every time Millionaire introduces a new contestant with the intense back lighting and reverberating BONG!? All that fanfare makes the audience think God Almighty is about to come strolling out. Nope, just another housewife from New Jersey who loves the show.

I was convinced one of the reasons for Millionaires massive success was because it was the first game show to add lighting techniques usually reserved for a horror flick.

The more stark and shadowy the light, the scarier your Halloween video will be. Dark shadows created by low-angled, intense, direct lighting is one of the first things you'll ever learn about lighting for film and video production if you go to film school.

If you're not real picky, dark, shadowy, spooky effects are easy to create. It helps to have professional lighting equipment but todays cameras are so adept in low light situations that a standard 25 watt light bulb stuck in a cheap lamp without the shade can be used to good effect.

One of the most basic things to learn about lighting for video is to realize the difference between two types of light.

Directional light is harsh. It creates deep shadows. Outside on a bright sunny day is a good example of directional light.

Diffused light is like being outside on an overcast day. If the sky is completely cloudy, the clouds act just like a diffusion gel used by a professional photographer. The sunlight bounces around in all the clouds and the result is diffused, shadow less light.

Diffused and directional light create completely different effects and therefore have totally different uses when lighting for video.

For a more technical explanation of diffused and direct lighting, think back to high school physics. Light always travels in a straight line. Turn on a flashlight and the beam goes straight, it doesn't curve around the building. In order to get the light on the side of the building, you'd have to move your flashlight or else bounce the light coming off the flashlight.

Diffused light happens when light is restricted by something which causes it to change directions, bounce, if you will. Clouds cause the rays of the sun to bounce around in every direction which makes the light look soft and diffused. Essentially, the clouds make the light seem like its coming from a million different sources and not just one, blinding source. A professional photographer uses many things to create diffused light from directional light.

Have you ever wondered why most light bulbs are painted white inside the glass? The white paint acts to diffuse the light, just like clouds. Diffused light is more pleasing to the eye. On top of light bulbs being painted, people further the diffusion process by adding lamp shades.

One blinding light source like the sun outside can not only be irritating, it makes you look ugly in pictures. Quality pictures of faces are always diffused light unless the face is Freddy Krueger.

On an overcast day, the light is diffused and soft. Almost no shadows are seen except perhaps some faint ones with fuzzy edges. This is why most video producers would prefer to shoot outdoors when its cloudy. Diffused light simply looks better is almost all situations.

If you're shooting inside, most professional photographers go to the effort of creating diffused light, not directional. Lighting manufactures have invented lots of simple gadgets to make professional photographic lights mimic this cloud effect. Silver and black umbrellas, diffusion cloths and gels, reflectors and bouncers. Professional lighting equipment is fun if you have the budget for it.

The act of diffusing your light does decrease your intensity however. Some people argue that painting the inside of light bulbs white just wastes money since your burning 50 watts but only getting the light intensity of a 40 watt bulb. However the majority of people are willing to waste a bit of energy in order to get a more eye-pleasing effect. When youre taking professional quality pictures, it becomes critical.

If you want diffused light but don't have an expensive soft box, simply point your light source toward the ceiling or wall and bounce it. Never point the light directly at your subjects. A white ceiling or wall is the most evenly reflective and so works best. If your walls and ceiling are black, you can tape white poster board to your wall and bounce it against that.

(Dont get it too close to the poster board with your lights though, because fire is truly an issue. Lights get hot! Be careful when you handle them. I always tried to turn my lights off for at least ten minutes before touching the fixtures.)

Bouncing your light against walls and ceilings does wonders to create a bright, diffused look that looks nice on video. Unless you purposely want a spooky, dramatic look with lots of shadows, no doubt diffused light is the look you need.

By: Shawn Hickman

About the Author:

Get more information at http://www.VideoProductionTips.com Read more articles like this one at http://media43.com

Source: FreeArticles

Film Festivals Can Be Very Kind To Independent Filmmakers

If you are one of those people who went to film school and still cannot understand why they did not teach you how to get a job in the film industry, then I suggest that you stop complaining, gather up all the creative, hard working film production people you know, make yourself an independent film and enter it in some film festivals. If you win an award at a prominent film festival your life may change very dramatically for the better. Even a small award at a small film festival will more than likely set you on the path to having a career in the film industry.

Most people attend film schools with big dreams of working in the Hollywood film industry and possibly even making a name for themselves. They have visions of red carpet interviews, Academy Awards acceptance speeches and stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. However, most of them will never see those dreams come to fruition and they will face endless frustration and disappointment instead.

After graduating from film school most people are expected to break into a business that is considered to be one of the most difficult in the world to find employment, unless you have connections, of course. For the ones without connections, it can be very frustrating. Unfortunately for them, the Hollywood film industry is run by a tight knit community that practices nepotism and rarely opens the door to newcomers.

If you want to break into Hollywood but your last name is not Barrymore, Begley, Cyrus or Sheen and the only connection you have is a cousin who manages your local movie theater, then your best chance of success is to make an independent film and enter it in film festivals. If you place in the top three of any category you enter you will usually be asked to send a film print of your movie so it can be screened to audiences that attend these events.

Film festival audiences are a combination of film critics, media reporters, film distribution representatives, film fans, celebrities and local residents. These are the people that can create a buzz about a movie after they see it. When a buzz is created about a movie at a film festival it usually starts in the theater lobbies and then works its way out into the media where it can take on a life of its own. If this happens to any independent film it is destined to succeed, and the independent filmmaker who made the film springboards into a career in the film industry. Just ask Robert Rodriguez or Quentin Tarantino about the value of film festivals and they will tell you.

Winning a top award at any film contest is a good thing for anyone who makes movies. With an award comes publicity, and publicity is the life blood for filmmakers and their careers.

Film distribution companies send people to film festivals to purchase products and they always follow the publicity to find their products. Many of the purchases they make are small movies made by people with very small budgets. An independent filmmaker can make a good profit from one of these distribution deals and make themselves bankable at the same time. If they can sell their movie to a distribution company, there is a good chance that they will be able to make more films with bigger budgets using money from investors, instead of their own hard earned money.

It is very important that you choose the right film festivals to enter your movie if you want to increase your chances of winning an award. Of course it would be nice to win a major award at an event like the Cannes Film Festival, The Toronto International Film Festival or the Sundance Film Festival. But you have to be realistic and set your sites on a contest that is friendly to small independent filmmakers and their independent films. Worldfest Houston International Film Festival and the Austin Film Festival are two examples of the type of film festivals that are friendly to this type of people who work with small budgets and big ideas. There are hundreds more contests out there and they come in all shapes and sizes.

The Cannes Film Festival, The Toronto International Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival are the biggest and most publicized movie contests in the world. Unfortunately, they are also the most difficult ones for small independent films to be accepted into because of the high standards and politics that they employ.

Most of the films that win awards and get screened at the Big Three film festivals are made by independent film production divisions of the Big Six film studios like Warner Bros and Disney. By definition they are still considered to be independent films if no more than 50 percent of the funding comes from a major studio. But that fifty percent is usually millions of dollars, and this puts the production value in a whole different league than the movies that are made by small time independent filmmakers with miniscule budgets. Also, most of these big budget festival films have big Hollywood stars attached to them which makes them irresistible to the contest judges and management.

The Big Three film festivals have been invaded by the Big Six film production studios with big budget movies masquerading as independent films. This makes it very hard for a film that was shot with a digital camera on a shoestring budget to compete at Cannes, Toronto and Sundance. These kinds of films have a much better chance of winning an award at a film festival like Worldfest Houston or the Austin Film Festival because they are more interested in showcasing film talent than they are catering to the Hollywood film industry. Choose your film festivals wisely and you will increase your chances of winning an award and securing a distribution deal.

By: Michael Connelly

About the Author:

Michael P. Connelly is an Author, Artist and award-winning Filmmaker who writes on a variety of topics that effect people in their every day lives.

Source: FreeArticles

Is Film School a Must For Future Filmmakers?

A number of aspiring filmmakers will try to get into the best film schools in the country to learn film-making. Not everyone however will get in as there is only a certain amount of room; not everyone will be able to attend these big name film schools. But it doesn't have to mean that you are destined to fail if you don't attend one of these schools. Many filmmakers didn't attend film school at all and yet have done very well.

The reasons why some people skip film school may come as a surprise and may even sound reasonable. You probably think that the only way to learn how to make movies is by getting formal training and maybe a degree in film. That is not necessarily the case. There are actually many sources of the same information online that will show budding filmmakers the techniques and tools that they will need to make a film, and the bonus of skipping film school is the time and the money you will have saved, that allows you to explore other options to getting films made.

Of course, getting formal training is a great benefit. However, the one complaint that many people have about film schools is that they teach the same techniques and methods to everyone. This can limit the amount of creativity the film students will have when they complete their education. On the other hand, many filmmakers learn techniques in film school that they never knew existed.

One benefit of attending film school is the amount of detail about the entire process that you will get. You will receive a great amount of information in the short time that you are there, and experience every aspect of creating a film. This can be a great benefit for budding filmmakers. The disadvantage is when the film school you attend fails to provide you with adequate hands on experience for your to put to practice what you have learned.

Filmmakers who do not get this amount of experience in film schools will often feel as though they are not able to make the kind of movies they want to make. It can be very difficult for these filmmakers to work around these problems. The filmmakers that are able to take criticism and learn to grow from it are the ones that will be able to overcome these issues. If you are a filmmaker and wish to have all of the experience that can be gained in film school, you must make sure that you select a good school for your education. The school must be a place that you feel comfortable working in. This is no small consideration.

If you are not comfortable working at the school that you choose your creativity can be severely limited. If you are spending all of your time trying to feel comfortable and not concentrating on your films you are wasting your time. You must take the time to check out all of the schools available to find one that will be comfortable enough for your to work in. Ask questions and take the time to visit the school to get to know the environment. When you finally decide on a film school to enroll in, you must be certain that you have selected the right one.

By: Roy Sencio

About the author:

Learn to write, shoot, edit, score and produce your own film at Asia's Premiere Film School, the International Academy of Film and Television.

Source: EzineArticles

Top 10 Film Schools

The ever-expanding film industry has given rise to a number of film schools. Due to this, the prospective students are faced with a difficult task when it comes to choosing the right school for their film studies. It is always recommended to gather detailed information about the different schools regarding the facilities and educational exposure provided by them, the course curriculum, fee structure, and the placement opportunities available before choosing one. Since these courses cost a lot of money, a carefully planned decision must be taken to avoid any problems later on. Students should ensure that their careers have the best kick-start and gain the best value of the money spent. A quick survey of the top ten film schools might help the students in evaluating and selecting the right school to begin their career in the film industry.

One of the most prominent features of the top ten film schools is their highly qualified and experienced staff, who play the most crucial role in shaping up the students' future. Also important is the course curriculum and the number of streams offered by the schools providing flexibility and yet taking care of the specific interest areas of the students for specialization. The school infrastructure, with the latest equipments and facilities, is one of the other major distinctive features of the top film schools. This includes the teaching methods, workshops, projects, and seminars. Exposure to a diverse culture encouraging students from all strata of society ensures a healthy and supportive environment contributing to the students' overall outlook.

The course fees of the top schools are usually quite high and hence, most of them provide financial aids and scholarships to the deserving students. Additional events such as alumni meetings and inviting special guest lecturers are also an essential part of the top film schools. Some schools even invite renowned film personalities to share their expertise with the students. The learning period is not just confined to textual knowledge but also complemented with extra-curricular and cultural activities. Based on all these criteria, a list of these top ten film schools can be found online, categorized according to the different states.

By: Marcus Peterson

About the author:
Film Schools provides detailed information on Film Schools, New York Film Schools, Top Film Schools, American Film Schools and more. Film Schools is affiliated with Italian Cooking Schools.

Source: EzineArticles

Top 5 Film Schools And What Sets Them Apart

Having gone to film school three times and being a member of a family where education was held in the highest esteem, obviously I am a fan of becoming film educated. However, I do stress becoming "educated". School is not the only way to become educated, and in certain situations, there is no official school to learn critical information. Never the less, school is a time tested successful method for laying down a formidable foundation.

The Big Five

The Big Five films schools are The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), The University of Southern California (USC) and The American Film Institute (AFI) on the West Coast in Los Angeles, and New York University (NYU) and Columbia University on the East Coast in New York.

UCLA is best known for their writers who dominate the summer movie screenwriting credits, USC is better know for their powerhouse directors, AFI often has incredible cinematographers, NYU is heralded for its East Coast filmmaker style, and Columbia is an all around great school with exceptional film theory for all programs. Any school you go to at the Big 5 will be an incredible experience for each program. You will also have big name professionals and heads of big companies teach courses or speak as guests because of the school's notoriety. You can't lose.

The downside to USC is that they run it like a studio. Only 5 people get to direct a thesis project if you're a graduate directing student. Every directing student comes in to be one of those 5 and then 20 or 30 people in the end don't get a thesis project, but get to help crew on the 5 people who did get to make one's film. The upside to USC, is again, that they run it like a studio. USC is often unparalleled in its networking capacity and markets its students aggressively to the industry.

UCLA is most known for its screenwriters. USC might be capable of out-networking UCLA, but its writers can't out-write UCLA writers. An average UCLA Graduate Screenwriting student will leave with 8 feature length screenplays. UCLA screenwriters write a feature-length script in a 10-week quarter, which most resembles a real life 8-week writing assignment. USC screenwriters will write 1 feature-length screenplay over a period of 1 year. You do the math.

The Peter Stark Producing Program at USC is great for producing movie executives, but the UCLA Producing Program is great for teaching producers everything there is to know to go out there and just start doing it.

Similar to USC's "only 5 will direct a thesis project", AFI is even more hardcore. Not only are there are a limited number of thesis projects, not every filmmaker is always invited to come back to school for a second year. It's harder to get into any of these film schools than it is to get into Harvard Law School, simply because Harvard takes a higher percentage of its applicants than the big film schools do, so for me AFI and USC really wasn't worth getting cut or snubbed over after you had to already defeat the odds of winning the lottery to even get accepted. Having to win the lottery a second time just wasn't desirable.

Other Film Schools

Another school worth mentioning is Florida State University, which accepts an equal amount of writers, directors, cinematographers and editors so they can form teams for thesis projects. This seems to make the most since. Temple University in Philadelphia is great, and a must-apply for experimental filmmakers.

But in general, any film program is a great film program as long as you are learning.

By: Christopher C. Odom

About the author:

Christopher C. Odom is a Director, Writer, Author in Nashville, TN, USA. He loves filmmaking, roller skating, partner dancing and metaphysics. You can see the things that Chris writes about and publishes at http://www.odombooks.com

Source: EzineArticles

Three of the World's Best Film Schools

There are many really good film schools around the world. Some of the world's best film schools are located in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Many of the are located in California, New York, or have places across the world. Examples of the world's best film schools include Vancouver Film School, New York Film Academy, and UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television. All of these are considered to be some of the best in the world, and a person going to one of them is sure to learn a lot about filming.

Among the world's best film schools, Vancouver Film School stands out in filming. The school actually gets over 50% of their students from outside of Canada, which makes it a very international filming school. The school also has representatives from top filming and entertainment companies such as Pixar, Electronic Arts, and Dreamworks.

Another of the world's best film schools is the London Film School, which is another international school. Over 70% of its students are from countries other than Britain. The school teaches its students on the actual film sets, rather than through classrooms. It is one of two schools in the United Kingdom that has been recognized as a Center for Excellence by Skillset.

Located in Los Angeles, The UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television is yet another internationally recognized film school. Students at this school will not only learn about filming, but they also combine theory and practice. This filming school teaches many different aspects of the industry, including acting, playwriting, and screenwriting.

The world's best film schools are considered the top places to learn about movie making. Places such as Vancouver Filming School, London Filming School, and UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television rank among the world's best film schools and they all produce some of the best filming eduction available. They all are internationally recognized as the best, and all teach the many aspects of filming. Anybody who goes to one of these schools will be able to learn a lot about filming.

By: Gottlieb Wendehals

About the author: 

Gottlieb Wendehals owns and operates http://www.film-schools-helper.com
Top Film Schools

Source: EzineArticles

Do You Know What It Takes To Become A Professional Photographer?

Most successful potographers start out as assistants to experienced photographers. Assistants acquire the technical knowledge needed to be a successful and also learn other skills necessary to run a portrait or commercial photography business.

Portrait photographers take pictures of individuals or groups of people and often work in their own studios. Some specialize in weddings, religious ceremonies, or school photographs and may work on location. Portrait photographers who own and operate their own business have many responsibilities in addition to taking pictures. They must arrange for advertising, schedule appointments, set and adjust equipment, purchase supplies, keep records, bill customers, pay bills, and if they have employees, hire, train, and direct their workers.

Commercial and industrial photographers take pictures of various subjects, such as buildings, models, merchandise, artifacts, and landscapes. These photographs are used in a variety of media, including books, reports, advertisements, and catalogs. Industrial photographers often take pictures of equipment, machinery, products, workers, and company officials. The pictures are used for various purposes for example, analysis of engineering projects, publicity, or records of equipment development or deployment, such as placement of an offshore oil rig. This photography frequently is done on location.

Scientific photographers take images of a variety of subjects to illustrate or record scientific or medical data or phenomena, using knowledge of scientific procedures. They typically possess additional knowledge in areas such as engineering, medicine, biology, or chemistry.

News photographers also called photojournalists, photograph newsworthy people, places, and sporting, political, and community events for newspapers, journals, magazines, or television.

Fine arts photographers sell their photographs as fine artwork. In addition to technical proficiency, fine arts photographers need artistic talent and creativity.

Self-employed, or freelance, photographers usually specialize in one of the above fields. In addition to carrying out assignments under direct contract with clients, they may license the use of their photographs through stock photo agencies or market their work directly to the public. Stock photo agencies sell magazines and other customers the right to use photographs, and pay the photographer a commission.

Working Conditions

Working conditions for photographers vary considerably. Photographers employed in government and advertising studios usually work a 5 day, 40 hour week. On the other hand, news photographers often work long, irregular hours and must be available to work on short notice.

Some photographers work in uncomfortable or even dangerous surroundings, especially news photographers covering accidents, natural disasters, civil unrest, or military conflicts. Many photographers must wait long hours in all kinds of weather for an event to take place and stand or walk for long periods while carrying heavy equipment. News photographers often work under strict deadlines.

Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement

Employers usually seek applicants with a good eye, imagination, and creativity, as well as a good technical understanding of photography. Entry level positions in photojournalism or in industrial or scientific photography generally require a college degree in photography or in a field related to the industry in which the photographer seeks employment. Freelance and portrait photographers need technical proficiency, gained through a degree program, vocational training, or extensive photography experience.

Individuals interested in a career in photography should try to develop contacts in the field by subscribing to photographic newsletters and magazines; joining camera clubs; and seeking summer or part time employment in camera stores, newspapers, or photo studios.

Photographers need good eyesight, artistic ability, and good hand eye coordination. They should be patient, accurate, and detail oriented. Photographers should be able to work well with others, as they frequently deal with clients, graphic designers, and advertising and publishing specialists. Photographers need to know how to use computer software programs and applications that allow them to prepare and edit images, and those who market directly to clients should be familiar with using the Internet to display their work.

Portrait photographers need the ability to help people relax in front of the camera. Commercial and fine arts photographers must be imaginative and original. News photographers must not only be good with a camera, but also understand the story behind an event so that their pictures match the story. They must be decisive in recognizing a potentially good photograph and act quickly to capture it. Photographers, who operate their own business, or freelance, need business skills as well as talent. These individuals must know how to prepare a business plan; submit bids; write contracts; keep financial records; market their work; hire models, if needed; get permission to shoot on locations that normally are not open to the public; obtain releases to use photographs of people; license and price photographs; and secure copyright protection for their work. To protect their rights and their work, self-employed photographers require basic knowledge of licensing and copyright laws, as well as knowledge of contracts and negotiation procedures.

After several years of experience, magazine and news photographers may advance to photography or picture editor positions. Some photographers teach at technical schools, film schools, or universities.

Earnings

Median annual earnings of salaried photographers were $26,080 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $18,380 and $37,370. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $15,000, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $54,180. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of salaried photographers were $32,800 for newspapers and periodicals and $23,100 for other professional, scientific, and technical services.

Salaried photographers, more of whom work full time, tend to earn more than those who are self employed. Because most freelance and portrait photographers purchase their own equipment, they incur considerable expense acquiring and maintaining cameras and accessories. Unlike news and commercial photographers, few fine arts photographers are successful enough to support themselves solely through their art.

By: Herb Williams

About the Author:

Herb Williams is webmaster for a photo news web site.
Stay up-to-date with all things photographic. Reviews, news sources and cutting age information for and about photography.
http://www.photo.articlecontentsite.com will open up new channels of information for you.

Source: FreeArticles

Should you go to film school?

What are the "fors" and "againsts" of going to film school if you want to make low-budget movies. It depends on many factors of course, one of which is whether you plan to work for a studio or not. I've never personally had an interest in working for a studio so I've never asked but my life experiences would indicate that the big studios would require some kind of formal training. If they have a choice between hiring someone with it or without, well you know the rest. But if it is your dream to make independent movies whether working for yourself or with others you may not necessarily need any formal training for that. I snuck into a few college film classes when I was in high school and realized it was pretty much exactly what I've learned on my own by reading books and magazines on the subject. Here are some reasons to consider.

- For -

* Professors can act as a form or mentor that can give you advice about the industry. * You can get a lot of breaks on film equipment and rentals. * You can network with other people that have the same interests. * You may get a grant to make a non-profit. * You get the opportunity to screen your work and get feedback. * You get that cute little diplopa to put your wall.

- Against -

* No school tuition and other school fees (spend it instead on making your first flick). * You get to learn some stuff the hard way which almost guarantees you will never forget it. * You make your own contacts. * Equipment changes rapidly and your film school education may become obsolete. * You get to make the movies you want to make without constraints.

By: Bryon Blakey

About the Author

Founder of Black Meadow Financial Group and writer of Independent Filmmaking

Source: GoArticles

Tips On Selecting A Film School

Filmmaking is not only an interesting, enjoyable and fulfilling career but very lucrative as well. Unfortunately, realizing the big Hollywood dream entails hard work, commitment and great amount of skill, right attitude, guts and some luck, too. While it is true that you're not in full control of your fate, the initial steps toward being a successful filmmaker depend on you. Choosing the right or the best film school where you would hone your talents, develop more interest and learn more knowledge in filmmaking is your first step. Your decision to choose a particular film school is very crucial to your success as a filmmaker since that film school shall equip you with or shall help you gain more knowledge, skills, techniques and experiences, which are essential to a filmmaker. Those are his tools in filmmaking that cannot be bought but are earned and cultivated through time.

1. Know What You Want

First of all, you have to know what you want. Ask yourself what realm of filmmaking do you want to venture in or what kind of films do you want to work on in the future? Do you want to be an independent filmmaker or a simple film artist? There are so many film schools in the country as well as in other parts of the globe and each has its own expertise. Knowing what you want in the first place would allow you to focus your research and thus refine your choices for good film schools. Also, this would help you save time and effort in searching for schools as you have already eliminated those that may not fit your interest and criteria.

2. What Are Your Considerations?

After deciding on what area you want to concentrate, you should also identify your major considerations in choosing a particular film school.

- the affordability of film courses
- the facilities of the film school
- the accessibility and proximity of the school
- the film school's reputation and quality of education

3. Don't Skimp On Your Education

Remember that a good film education is really expensive so do not just choose a film school that offers the cheapest film courses. It is important to consider the quality of education and the reputation of the school above all else. Remember that with that school, you are building a career that is supposed to be a life-long profession. Short-term film courses, say a 2-yr filmmaking course may be a lot cheaper than a 4-yr course and is quite helpful as most provide hands on training and a lot of project work. If you want to really excel in this field, however, you might opt for a longer course as it is more comprehensive.

3. Identify Where You Want To Study

Knowing where you want to cultivate your skills and intensify your interest in filmmaking is essential in selecting the right film school for you. This would refine your search as well since you would have to concentrate in looking for film schools only in one particular area or locality. New York is one of the best places to study film. It has the most developed art scenes for film and a number of reputable film schools. If affordability of the film course is one of your major considerations, you can choose a film school in Chicago and Milwaukee, which are known for having the most affordable film schools in the country. If you want to make it to Hollywood, better start your search for the best film school there in Los Angeles and nearby cities. There are lots of renowned film schools there that offer short and long term film courses.

4. Explore Colleges and Universities

Now that you have refined your criteria: the area in filmmaking you want to concentrate in, your major considerations such as the affordability of the courses, the school's reputation and the place, you can now do some research. As you explore your options, consider the things you have identified earlier. It would be better if you list down every film school's advantages and disadvantages so you can easily compare and contrast them. Also, as you examine the school's film courses and their special attributes, you can add some more considerations to your list and see which of the film schools you have considered meet the most of your requirements.

5. Narrow Your List

After going through several colleges and universities, narrow now your list by eliminating those that do not meet your criteria. With your short but well researched list of the best film schools, you can be more confident now of making a right decision. But before you finally select the film school, seek for other people's advice and recommendations, especially those who are well familiar with filmmaking.

By: John Morris

Source:FreeArticles