<![CDATA[Sideline Pictures - BLOG]]>Wed, 20 Dec 2023 13:49:34 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Making Money with Amazon Video Direct (One Year Review)]]>Mon, 23 Apr 2018 22:57:56 GMThttps://www.sideline-pictures.com/blog/amazon-video-direct-year-oneWe review our earnings and reach after one year of using Amazon Video Direct. We were very satisfied with the platform as an alternative to YouTube for free distribution... then in August of 2017 we were hit with a big surprise that made the experience even more amazing.
Do you have any experiences using Amazon Video Direct? Let us know in the comments.

Having your movie show up as a Amazon Prime Movie is easier than you might think. Watch our in-depth, step by step guide on how to start making money with Amazon Video Direct (and how to score great captions or subtitles) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-7y_zw3VU0

Our feature film on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Leaves-Imani-Khiry/dp/B01M4IZBU7/
]]><![CDATA[Setting Up Tax ID and LLC for Your Movie]]>Tue, 20 Dec 2016 01:57:26 GMThttps://www.sideline-pictures.com/blog/llc-taxesTwo things in life are guaranteed: death and taxes.
Whoa there! No need to get all dark about this. Taxes aren’t that scary. Neither is setting up an LLC. Don’t get too intimidated by all this!
Here are the three steps you'll need to take to legitimately get your movie off the ground:

1. Setting Up An LLC.

The first step you should take is to set up an LLC for your film. This will be the foundation you’ll build your movie house on (legally and financially).
An LLC is short for Limited Liability Company. It gives you an entity to operate business through that is not your personal bank account or personal liability.
Note: you are still liable for the actions of your business as the owner.
Most states allow you to register an LLC online now. Follow the instructions exactly and you won’t have much trouble. You don’t need to hire a lawyer yet, but if you feel REALLY uncomfortable with all this, then go for it.
The cost will vary depending on state, but here in Pennsylvania it costs around $150 depending on what other forms you submit.
Part of this will require you to name your company. Don’t worry too much about the trademark, but follow your state's rules that should be clearly laid out when signing up for the LLC.
DO NOT DWELL. This name IS NOT your production company name. It’s ONLY the legal name for the film. Nobody is going to see this other than your investors and the people you pay.
Part of the LLC formation is making an Articles of Incorporation and/or Operators Agreement. This is a legal document, but don’t let that scare you. You can use a template like this one to start out. Start super basic; you will return to this later on to add the complicated stuff.
The difference between Articles of Incorporation and an Operators Agreement can be hard to understand at first. Here is an really good explanation of the two. Depending on your state you may or may not need Articles of Incorporation but you will ALWAYS need an Operators Agreement.

2. Applying for Employer Tax Identification Number

Once you’ve set up an LLC you’re going to have to wait awhile, but what you should do next is apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the big bad IRS.
It’s really simple actually. Go to the IRS website and you can do it all online.

3. Setting Up Bank Accounts

Once you’ve done all that and you get your paperwork for the LLC. it will be time to set up a bank account. You NEED a separate bank account for your film.
Most banks don’t charge anything for these accounts, but many require a minimum balance. They make their money from the additional services like checks.
Using a bank you're familiar with is a good idea. You’ll feel better about asking questions and you probably will have questions at some point.
Make sure you have everyone there with you that should have access to the account administration if possible; it’s really annoying to try and add people later.
You should set up two different accounts. Have one labeled checking and the other labeled escrow.
There is another post coming soon about what an escrow account and how it can help you finance your film. Subscribe to our content mailing list to be notified.
Take a deep breath.
That’s all done for now.
Congratulate yourself on laying a strong foundation on top of which you can build your film.
The next step will be challenging. If you like telling people about your project, you'll love this! Now is the time to go out and pull together some funding for development and preproduction.
]]><![CDATA[Alternative To Film School]]>Fri, 16 Dec 2016 17:03:13 GMThttps://www.sideline-pictures.com/blog/altfilmschoolMany great filmmakers never went to film school. In part because there was much less competition.

The reason there is so much more competition these days is because resources are so widely available. This is EXACTLY why you don't need to go to film school.

Some concentrations lend themselves better to formal schooling (like cinematography, sound, editing), but even those might be better off mentoring under a professional.
Here are five steps you can take to educate yourself and start a filmmaking career without spending tens of thousands of dollars:
Alternative To Film School Infographic
Download Infographic For Reference

1. Choose a Concentration

Do you want to be primarily a Producer? Director? Cinematographer? Editor?

Many newcomers have trouble deciding. Director is the most popular, but also the most crowded. Each come with a specific skill-set that will need developed in order to compete.

Try checking out descriptions of different positions on GetInMedia. That site has a wealth of knowledge that will help make the decision easier.

Still stuck? Reach out on Twitter or by Email letting me know what your strengths, experience, and interests are. I'll see if I can help point you in the right direction.

2. Get Up To Speed (For Free)

There is SO much free content to learn from online. Make a list of at least five blogs/channels/etc. that pertain to your concentration and read everything you can for a few weeks.
Take your time with this step and really immerse yourself in these pools of information. It doesn't hurt to leave comments asking questions too. Never too soon to start getting your name out there and get individualized answers in the process!
We're working on compiling a few lists that make good resources for each concentration mentioned in step 1. Until then, start with sites like Filmmakers Process, No Film School, Film Riot,  andSideline Pictures.

3. Find a Master Course

Master courses come in many shapes and sizes (and costs). Find one on your concentration and dig deep into it. Take it very seriously and interact with your fellow classmates.
This is close to being mentored in real life. There are some excellent master courses out there that will get you started in the right direction for under $100.
One of my favorites is Masterclass. These classes in directing, acting, and writing are top level stuff.

4. Find A Tribe

The most important part of a film career is your network.
Start by joining a "tribe" that already exists.
Go local first with city film organizations, local theaters, student films, and meet ups. If that's not enough to get the ball rolling, move online with your masterclass community, forums, Facebook Groups, and Twitter.

5. Take Action!

"Take a step and don't look back."
Tweet:
Okay. You have started learning the ropes.

You're likely in as good of a position at this point as most college graduates.
Now it's time to get out there and get something made! Every action is a chance to learn. Adopt the motto: Fail Faster.

No matter what your concentration, this is the secret to success. It is WAY easier said than done, but it's the yellow brick road.
Make something. See it through. Make something else. See it through. Repeat.
If you GET THINGS DONE, then people will respect that. You will only get better over time.

Everyone in and out of the film industry watch millions of potential filmmakers falter because of excuses they make up in their head.

It's a one foot after another process.

Take a step and don't look back.
Download Infographic For Reference
]]><![CDATA[How To Write A Screenplay Faster (Sideline Movie Maker #4)]]>Wed, 14 Dec 2016 13:58:57 GMThttps://www.sideline-pictures.com/blog/writefaster
Write Faster
The biggest antagonist to writing quickly will be self-doubt.

Follow our first two steps of advice on choosing the right genre and testing ideas to KNOW that you’re writing something people want to see.
There’s all kind of advice out there on writing quickly and most of it boils down to this: GET THE FIRST DRAFT DONE FAST.
"The biggest antagonist to writing quickly is self-doubt."
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The step before that is outlining. Go through and use whatever method works best for you— I use notecards with roughly the amount of scenes I need to plan out all the ups and down the characters will face.
Having a writing partner in this stage can drastically speed things up. Take an afternoon you both have free and commit to finishing that outline in one sitting.

​Two brains will be better than one and you’ll keep each other accountable for finishing.
Now you are ready to write the first draft! Set aside a day or two and open up your favorite writing software (I use the free screenwriting software Celtx).
Get rid of as many distractions as you can. Unplug your internet if you have to. Play a soundtrack from a similar movie and start writing.
Don’t waste time making revisions as you go.

​Your first draft should be horrible. I know everyone says that, but seriously.

​Make. it. bad. Just get everything on the page.
Just keep going until you're utterly burnt out. Take a walk. Eat something. Come back to it before working on anything else.
Obviously this isn’t possible for everyone. ​If you CAN’T take a few days solely to write or you’re like me and your attention span won’t allow it whatsoever, do as much as you can. Try to write for a solid two hours each morning.
Another piece of advice is to find a writing contest or festival.

The hard deadline will help motivate you to get it done. Setting a deadline for yourself is one thing, but having something like a festival looming over your head will add extra immediacy.
Make sure that writing partner is holding you accountable too.

​Tell them how much and how often you’re planning to write so they can check in on you. Tell them to be hard on you if you’re not following through.
The added benefits of a festival will be getting feedback early. This will be important.
Once your draft is done, do as many major edits in the same fashion.

​Sit down for a given amount of time to fix spelling errors. To make dialogue better. To cut stuff out. To add references to later items or themes.
Then submit.
"Make it bad. Just get everything on the page."
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Now you’ll have a full screenplay (I never like to say completed). That means you’re starting to have a movie on your hands!
Don’t slow down now! It’s time to put your producer hat on. ​
The next few posts will talk about LLCs & Taxes, Fun Legal Stuff, Funding, and then we’ll return for MORE revisions to the screenplay. ​
Remember. Have fun! Let us know what works for you when writing. ​
Subscribe to our mailing list to be updated when new posts go live. Thanks for reading!
]]><![CDATA[Share the Love: The Importance of Guest Blogging (Sideline Movie Maker #39)]]>Tue, 13 Dec 2016 20:06:54 GMThttps://www.sideline-pictures.com/blog/guestblogging
Guest Blogging for Filmmakers
It's not enough to have your own blog anymore. Professional marketers will go back and forth over how important guest posting (and backlinking) is to your search engine optimization. 
I'm here to tell you that it IS IMPORTANT, regardless of the effect on SEO.
In 2016, we released our first feature film and tried everything to get the word out. Local press was the best draw for the independent theater screenings. Our social media was working, but it was nearly impossible to stand out in the crowd of other films coming out.
Then we started submitting guest posts to other websites and going on podcasts to be interviewed. This strategy started to spark interest in the film community about our project.
One caveat that we learned from Blood on the Leaves is that the filmmaking crowd is great to earn respect among your peers and grow your network of potential collaborators. It is not great at driving sales of your film.
Look. Most filmmakers aren't rolling in cash and already love movies. Getting them to spend money on your film is tough. How many films (honestly) do you buy just because you read a behind the scenes article or follow the filmmakers on Twitter? If you do this a lot, then pat yourself on the back, you're awesome.
The average filmmaker doesn't do this. THE POINT here is: You should try to get in front of movie lovers more than movie makers. Reviews, Film Festivals, Local Screenings, Podcasts, etc. can be a great option for that.
Below are the main guest content we produced for Blood on the Leaves and the outcome of each:

Film Courage Video

Film Courage asked our Director of Photography to shoot a video about the camera gear we used. He made this awesomely insightful video that became Film Courage's most viewed new video of 2016! Sideline Pictures gained a few active subscribers from this video and our website unique viewers spiked slightly each time Film Courage shared the video themselves. It's unclear if any of this drove actual sales, but it's reach was undeniable.

Filmmaker Stories on The Filmmaker's Process

There's this awesome site called The Filmmaker's Process that focuses on the non-gear aspects of filmmaking. I personally love the blog, so I wanted to submit our own story. The creator of the site at the time was post a series of articles about it being okay to do unpaid work.
In the context he was referring to, I agree. However, I thought it would be interesting to look at it from a different angle considering that our film paid our crew as much as we could.
A flat out opinion piece doesn't do anyone much good. So I laid out why and how to pay your crew including some information on financing.
That article has done really well on the sight (and is one of the site creator's favorite posts this year). The awesome thing is how many people have reached out after reading the article to either check out the movie or ask for more advice. (Which we're always happy to give).
The Filmmaker's Process accepts submissions for the Filmmakers Stories, so you can easily write an article and get it onto the site. It's a good idea to research the topics already on there and take a different angle on something already covered.

Film Courage Interview

One of the first guest-content we had was from Film Courage. They're some really great people and we already loved their content. They run the site by charging a really reasonable fee to conduct interviews on filmmakers or write about them.
We forked up the cash and had them interview our director for what turned out to be a really interesting article. (It also led to them asking us to do the GH4 video.)
Even though we had to pay for it, this was a crucial early step to build credibility online. AND there was the added bonus of that awesome video Ryan created.

Local Podcasts

Podcasts are huge in Pittsburgh. It happens that Ryan works at the same office that one of the major podcast networks does. (and they're some really cool people). 
We ended up doing interviews on the Cinema Psychos podcast and AwesomeChat before our first screening. Many of those that showed up to our Pittsburgh screening were from those podcast audiences or friends of the creators. That was absolutely worth it, and we got to hear some cool behind the scenes stuff from Ryan and our actors.
After release we did a live screening at Black Forge Coffee House in Pittsburgh. Then we were guests on a live episode of the Drinking Partner's Podcast. We had some truly insightful conversations during and after the podcast. You can't put a dollar amount on the value of that.
This should give you some of ideas of how & where to create guest-content that can widen your reach online.
Oh! I almost forgot to mention, we accept requests to guest post on Sideline Pictures too!
Shoot us an email with a topic idea and we'll let you know if we would like  you to cover it. When it's done, we'll post it and promote it through our network.

​BONUS POINTS: Submit a request for a topic already listed on the Sideline Movie Maker Guide but not yet covered by us.
]]><![CDATA[WARNING! Test Your Story Ideas Before Writing (Sideline Movie Maker Guide #2)]]>Tue, 13 Dec 2016 17:10:09 GMThttps://www.sideline-pictures.com/blog/testingideas
Test Ideas First
So you know what genre you want to make your film for. You’ve studied the market and have balanced passion with realism. Good.
Time to start writing, right?
Wrong.
Slow down there. The horror stories are countless— and I’m not talking high ROI horror films— I’m talking about how many filmmakers run with an idea without testing it. ​
To be honest. We did it a few times before we learned our lesson. Learn from our mistakes. That’s what we’re here for.
What do I mean by testing?
Time to start writing, right? Wrong. 
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You likely have a whole folder full of story ideas, partially written scripts, or screenplays you have access to. If not, that’s great too: Time to start brainstorming.
Using the genre you chose based off market data and the genres you’re most passionate about, write down every idea that comes to mind.
With about five to fifteen ideas, send them out to non-filmmakers in your circle. Friends and family are fine; since they are all your ideas (or at least they think they are) the feedback you get will be fairly neutral.
This is easier said than done, but you HAVE to try. We did a survey through surveymonkey asking people to rank all the story ideas we’ve been tossing around. We only five out of a hundred people respond in the short timeframe. It was still useful.
The chart was a bit of an eye opener. The people that responded were from our target audience of casual movie watchers. It differed greatly from the ideas we were dead-set on before.
Movie Idea Research Survey
Chart representing averaged interest in all ideas ranked against one another.
Our top choices prior to testing were probably 26 Innings and The Heartless Kind. We still loved these other ideas, so it’s not like we would be sacrificing anything by going with any of them.
Look which ones stood out. A horror (The Woods). Two comedy (One of Those Things and The Ones Who Stayed). A thriller (Crescent Valley Cabin). Those are movies we can bank on!
The idea that ranked number one is a fantasy romance set in present time and the 17th century. It might be worth exploring that one in the future; however, we felt that it was too far out of our skill-range right now.
Don’t waste your time and money (or time that is money) on writing a story nobody is going to care about. Write one that at least a few people are already excited about. ​
Take note of who responds with which favorites; these people might be your first fans. Ask them to sign up to your mailing list.
You can do a few more steps of testing if you’d like after this. Take the most popular story ideas and create a short treatment— basically an overview of all three acts of your idea— and send it through the same process.
The more testing you do the better, but eventually it will be time to move on to the writing stage.
In the end, you don’t want to make story decisions all based on data. It will undoubtedly come out uninspired. You DO want to consider other opinions.
Go with your gut, but let the numbers sink in first.
"Go with your gut, but let the numbers sink in first."
​- Share This Quote On Twitter.
Feel free to send us your survey personally at craiginzana@gmail.com or cbarnard93@gmail.com when you follow this advice. HOWEVER, the idea is generally to send it out to non-filmmakers to get an idea of general audience opinion.
Good luck with your testing. Check out our next article on How To Write A Screenplay Faster or find another topic on the Sideline Movie Maker Guide Overview.
Subscribe to our mailing list to be updated when we make new posts.
]]><![CDATA[Method for The Genre Factor (Finding Out Which Genres Have Best Return on Investment)]]>Mon, 05 Dec 2016 18:41:14 GMThttps://www.sideline-pictures.com/blog/method-for-the-genre-factor-finding-out-which-genres-have-best-return-on-investment
Method for determining best genre based on ROI
Genres with a high potential return on investment are appealing to investors and therefore important to identify as a producer.
Aside from genre, this study also identified two other key factors in potentially high ROI. They weren't that surprising, but they're important to stress. These two factors are Source Material and Name Talent Attached.
As mentioned in the main article on The Genre Factor, the four genres that do best without name talent or well-known source material are: Horror, Comedy, Thriller, and Faith-Based.
All of these are still dependent on execution, but less likely to fail compared to genres like romance, science fiction, action, and drama. 
​

The Hypothesis

Established audiences exist for name talent (stars), well-known source material, and some genres. Certain genres will stand out if we take the "starpower" element out of the equation.
​

Data Collection

The data used was from the-numbers.com and IMDBPro. Most of these numbers are rough and sometimes estimates, but it will work for the relative nature of this test. 
Each theatrical film from 2016 was added to a spreadsheet and a few types of films were removed. Animated films, those produced solely for foreign audiences, films without available budgets online, sequels, and mass-culture spinoffs were all cut from the list. These films weren't useful for testing the type of information needed.
Information for each film included Studio, Director (with IMDBPro Starmeter ranking), Two Highest Ranked Actors (on IMDBPro's Starmeter), Genre, Budget, Box Office Earnings, Largest Theater Weekend, and Home Video Earnings.
View and Sort Data For Yourself


​Calculated Information


​RETURN ON INVESTMENT (BOX OFFICE)
With the information from IMDBPro and the-numbers.com, the ROI was determined as Box Office Earnings less Budget divided by Budget. This returns a percentage representative of return on investment.

It's worth mentioning that this percentage doesn't take into account where the earnings are going (as most ROI projections do not). An investor would actually only be returned a portion of that percentage; however, in terms of testing the hypothesis, this ROI calculation will work to determine relative returns.
EARNINGS PER THEATER
The earnings per theater were also calculated and not used later. It wasn't clear if that information would be useful... it's not. ​
RETURN ON INVESTMENT (AFTER HOME VIDEO)
The Home Video (BluRay and DVD) earnings were added to the Box Office earnings and run through the same formula. Home Video plus Box Office less Budget divided by Budget. This returns another flawed representation of ROI, but satisfactory in relative terms.
ATTACHED TALENT "STARPOWER"
The Starmeter Ranking numbers for the Director and two highest ranked actors for each film were added together to come up with a "starpower" for each film.

This number is a bit misleading, because the smaller numbers actually mean more starpower. Think of it like golf.
ACTING STARPOWER
The starpower was also calculated using only the two highest ranking actors; however, this number wasn't used later.​

It proved to be too important to consider the director with names like Steven Spielberg and Woody Allen on the list.
REFERENCE RANKS
The data was sorted and given numbered ranks by categories Attached Starpower, Actor Starpower, ROI, and ROI after Home Video. These are just an easier way to see how films stack up against each other with varying factors and compare across factors.
ROI RELATIVE TO STARPOWER
This was the most important data piece to figure out. The number needed to represent the films relative to one another based on how high their ROI was if Starpower was negated.
The formula was ((ROI after Home Video x 100 + 100) / starpower) / 1000.​

Basically the ROI after Home Video needed converted from a percentage back to an usable positive number. Then it was dived by starpower to negate starpower from the earnings. It was then divided again by 1000 just to make the numbers easier to handle.
​

Results

With films sorted by the ROI Relative to Starpower, it is clear which genres are least effected by name talent attached. Although that factor still weighs heavily on some of the top films, there are a few with very low Starpower that made significant returns at the box office.

The clear outliers here are Horror, Thriller, Comedy, and Faith-Based genres. 

These results show that Starpower and Source Material are still influential factors in drawing audiences to the theater.

​The conclusion from these results also show that Horror, Thriller, Comedy, and Faith-Based movies have the potential to draw audiences as well without the prior two factors necessarily. 
If you would like to see or use this data for yourself, I have made the spreadsheet public through google sheets.
Notice any glaring errors or have different interpretations of the data? Let me know in the comments.

Technical Errors

The ROI percentages leave out a variety of factors such as theatrical split, distribution costs, and marketing costs (if not included in budget). These would be impossible to test in the circumstances.
The ROI Relative to Starpower formula may favor films with lower starpower disproportionally. This was intended but has a very significant effect when further out from the center of the scale. An example is how highly Blood on the Leaves ranked far above any other films if the exact IMDBPro numbers are used ranking Vincent nearly 18,000,000 behind any other director on the list. Another example is how low Cafe Society's starpower number is and it ends up far on the bottom of the list.
]]><![CDATA[THE GENRE FACTOR: SIDELINE MOVIE MAKER GUIDE #1]]>Mon, 05 Dec 2016 18:30:57 GMThttps://www.sideline-pictures.com/blog/the-genre-factor-sideline-movie-maker-guide-1One of the first key decisions a producer has to make is the genre of the film. This will guide most decisions through production. Each genre is different and there are some other factors to consider.
There are plenty of articles about the best genres for Return on Investment (the difference between the budget and the box office returns); however, I wanted to find out what other factors can push high Return on Investment (ROI).
Six factors with established audience appeal have been identified through my research of 2016’s theatrical releases. These categories cross over in many ways, but they distinctly have the ability to draw an audience.
The Genre Factor - Sideline Movie Maker

1. Source Material Based

A script with well-known source material has a built in audience. These films generally do very well regardless of execution. That is because there are thousands (if not millions) of fans ready to line up and pay for a ticket the moment the movie is announced.
This source material ranges from comic books and novels to video games and board games. The latter of those two generally don’t make “good” movies, but they do make money.

2. Name Talent (Stars) Attached

Another clear draw for audiences are familiar stars. Either actors or directors that are well known will almost certainly lift ticket sales. This isn’t a guaranteed, so it had better be a good movie… or at least decent.
Attaching big stars comes with the obvious drawback of inflating the budget and is likely an unattainable goal for most relatively new producers.
Getting familiar faces on screen is something to think about though when trying to convince an audience your film is worth paying for.

3. Thoroughly Scare-Filled Horrors

These next four factors are genres that are derived from the study I referenced earlier in the post. They all seem to stand on their own without source material or attached stars.

​Adding the factors of source material and familiar stars to these genres only boost them further up.
Horror is the clear champion of the unknown filmmaker. It continues to draw large audiences and keeps costs relatively low. No stars attached is fine as long as it’s scary or compelling.
The most important part is to have a polished execution and script that is actually scary. Word of mouth does wonders in the horror genre, so get people talking.

4. Hillariously On-Point Comedy

Comedy ranking so high actually surprised me. Even without big stars attached, they were able to pull in large audiences.
The strongest ones play off socially relevant trends or pop culture. Alternatively (and usually) they fall in an consistently strong sub-category of comedy such as wedding comedies or black comedies.
A word of warning is obviously be respectful of the sub-genre. If you’re making a movie for a community, you should be part of it or be inclusive when developing the project.
Again, it’s important to actually be funny with substance. Word of mouth again will be your biggest friend if the movie is written and executed well.

5. Heart-Pounding Thrillers

The thriller genre often crosses over into horror, so it’s no surprise it ranks so high. There were a few thrillers, however, that we not technically horror films.
These heart-racing films are hard to make, but can be pulled off with a great script and solid execution. Attaching a big name like The Shallows did with Blake Lively can help a lot, but it’s not necessary.

6. Inspiring Faith-Based Films

Films that tell faith-based stories have a strong following. If you’re part of this community already, then it might be the best place to start.
A lot of religious stars are willing to participate in these movies for lower fees. Even without name talent, however, there’s a lot of potential in this genre.
Again, I would stress that it’s important to be respectful of this genre. If you’re not particularly religious yourself, it probably won’t be a good fit for you.
Figuring out which factor you might want to lean on will take some time. Think through the pros and cons of each one before diving in.
If you’re deeply entrenched in a certain genre that’s not on this list, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make a movie in that genre. You’re likely to make the best movies when you’re passionate about the genre.
Making movies in other genres that are successful will require more attention to the first two factors and film festivals.
In the next post, we’ll be covering what to do once you have selected a genre to focus on.
You can always refer to the overview if you want to skip around to different topics and wrap your head around everything.
If you’d like to be updated when the next topic is posted, subscribe to our email newsletter.
Take a closer look at the data and method used for these results.
Comment below if you have any opinions about these factors or any that I might have missed. 

Thanks for reading.
]]><![CDATA[SIDELINE MOVIE MAKER GUIDE: OVERVIEW]]>Fri, 02 Dec 2016 18:34:47 GMThttps://www.sideline-pictures.com/blog/moviemakerguideA mentor of mine once said, “the best way to learn something in-depth is to teach it.”
Sideline Movie Maker Overview
We here at Sideline Pictures made our first feature film in 2016. We self-released to independent theaters and online.
The experience of producing our first feature film has taught us a massive amount about the process. Now it’s time to move onto movie number two. This time we’re going bigger and better; to do that I made this guide.
Originally the guide was for my own personal use to make sure I never missed a step learned during the first movie. A lot of these steps were things we didn’t do for our first movie, but maybe we should have.
Our mission is to find a balance between making movies on our own terms and making movies that can support a living as a creator.
Sideline Movie Maker will put a spotlight on every step we go through. Over time, the series will grow into a full guide that can help you make your own movies.
We love independent film and independent movies. If you use any of the advice on this blog, podcast, or videos please let us know! We’d love to hear from you and learn about what you’re working on.
Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when we post about new topics.
Here is a complete guide to the topics the Sideline Movie Maker Guide will cover:
Comprehensive Sideline Production Guide 
​F- Financing S- Script Development PP- PreProduction P- Production E- PostProduction M- Marketing D- Distribution

  1. S - Choosing Genre
  2. S - Test Loglines & Plots
  3. S - Steal Like A Great Artist
  4. S - Writing Fests w/ Deadlines
  5. F - Form LLC.
  6. F - EIN
  7. F - Bank Account
  8. F - Lawyer
  9. F - First Round Investors
  10. S - Blacklist Analysis
  11. S - Slated Script Analysis
  12. F - Slated Financial Analysis
  13. F - Biz & MRKTNG Plan
  14. F - Budget
  15. F - Escrow Account
  16. F - Investors
  17. F - Accountant
  18. PP - Script Breakdown
  19. PP - SAG Signatory
  20. PP - Payroll & Deposits
  21. PP - Insurance, Permits, ETC.
  22. PP - Hiring Crew w/ Experience
  23. PP - Casting (Casting Directors)
  24. PP - Deal Memos
  25. PP - Rehearsals
  26. PP - Scheduling
  27. PP - Donations & Sponsorships
  28. PP - Locations Scouting
  29. PP - Equipment Rental
  30. PP - Prop & Wardrobe Collection
  31. PP - Prop, Wrdrbe, SFX Fabrication
  32. PP - Lodging Planning
  33. PP - Catering Planning
  34. PP - Transportation Planning
  35. M - Website
  36. M - Google Analytics
  37. M - Email List(s)
  38. M - Blogging
  39. M - Guest Blogging
  40. M - Social Media
  41. M - Press Releases
  42. M - Local Papers
  43. E - Music Composition
  44. P - Payroll Management
  45. P - Contracts & Taxes​
  46. P - Union Production
  47. P - SAG Production
  48. P - Call Sheets
  49. M - On Set Photos
  50. M - BTS Video
  51. P - Communication
  52. P - Equipment (Management)
  53. P - Audio Considerations
  54. P - Lighting Considerations
  55. P - Production Design
  56. P - Actors (Directors)
  57. M - Interview Videos
  58. P - Wrap Party!
  59. E - Organization, Sound Sync
  60. E - Editing (Rough to Picture Lock)
  61. M - Influencers (Cold to Hot)
  62. E - Feedback & Implementing
  63. D - Family & Friends Screenings
  64. M - Screen Captures
  65. M - Design Elements
  66. E - Color Correction
  67. E - Sound Design
  68. E - Visual Effects
  69. E - Color Grading
  70. E - Music Licensing
  71. E - Trailer & Video Promo Elements
  72. E - Closed Captions
  73. D - Private Online Screeners
  74. D - Sales Agents & Reps
  75. M - Marketing Companies
  76. D - Film Festivals
  77. M - Reviews
  78. D - Deals & Distribution (Collection Account)
  79. D - On Demand Screenings
  80. M - Radio & Podcasts
  81. D - Physical Merchandise
  82. D - Order Fulfillment
  83. D - Cable & Other On Demand
  84. D - Online Video on Demand
  85. M - Paid Ads
  86. D - Educational Speaking
  87. D - Streaming Distribution
As new videos, articles, and podcasts are made covering each of these topics, this list will be populated with links that can serve as your directory for filmmaking topics.
Bookmark this page sot that you can return frequently and work your way through every topic. 

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]]><![CDATA[Successful Filmmakers Without Film Degrees]]>Thu, 01 Dec 2016 15:31:20 GMThttps://www.sideline-pictures.com/blog/successful-filmmakers-without-film-degreesHi. I’m Craig and I have a film degree.

It feels a little dirty to say. With so many resources online and the ability to get your hands on a video recording device for the price of a videogame, the value of paying for film school has diminished drastically.
I do still think there is value in film school. Networking, focusing solely your craft for two to six years, and being forced to work on deadlines are just a few of the benefits you’d have trouble finding without it. (Here's a guide on how to do all that on your own)
Even though I think film SCHOOL has value, I’m not convinced that a film DEGREE does. I would argue that getting a degree in creative writing, psychology, financing, business management, or marketing would be a MUCH better use of your time and money. Those degrees would all help you achieve the same filmmaking goals-- maybe even moreso.
Here is a list of successful filmmakers who never got a film degree:
Picture

Part 1: Honorable Mentions

These filmmakers did technically get their film degree eventually, but started their career before doing so. To be fair to them, resources like the internet weren’t readily available to learn from.
Richard Linklater - Studied English, dropped out and worked, started filmmaking, attended school in Austin for Film.
Richard Linklater
Photo of Richard Linklater from Darren Waters on Flickr.
Steven Spielberg - Rejected multiple times from film school. Eventually was accepted after having some success with shorter projects.
Steven Spielberg
Photo of Steven Spielberg on Transformers 3 from Ricky Brigante on Flickr

Part 2: Non-Film Degree Holders

These filmmakers have degrees in a field other than filmmaking. The first few have very similar, but highly focused degrees. Notice that they are all about storytelling in some way.
  1. Tim Burton - Degree in Character Animation
  2. Robert Rodriguez - Degree in Communications (Cartooning)
  3. Nancy Meyer - Degree in Journalism
  4. Sam Mendes - Degree in English with focus on Theater
  5. Christopher Nolan - Degree in English Literature
  6. Tony Scott - Art Degree focused in Painting​
Christopher Nolan
Photo of Christopher Nolan on Dark Knight Rises from charlieanders2 on Flickr.

Part 3: No Degree

According to the information I was able to find, these filmmakers never graduated college. Most never even attended.
  1. James Cameron - Dropped out of Physics and English
  2. Akira Kurosawa - Trained Painter
  3. Kevin Smith
  4. Stanley Kubrick
  5. David Fincher
  6. Terry Gilliam
  7. The Wachowski Siblings
  8. Julie Taymor
  9. John Waters
  10. Miranda July
  11. Gary Ross
Stanley Kubrick
Photo of Stanley Kubrick from Lucius Fox 60 on Flickr

Part 4: Not Even A Diploma

This is a special category for a filmmaker that dropped out of high school to pursue his career in making movies:
​Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Photo of Quentin Tarantino from Neo_11 on Flickr
Okay. Okay. I did hear that Quentin eventually received his high school diploma, but still.
I hope this list helps you think independently about going to college. Like I said: I have a film degree.

​Would I do it again? Yes.

​I met some of the people I still work with to this day during film school (and my long-time girlfriend) which is worth every penny.
What do you think? If you aren’t going to study filmmaking in college, what would you study instead? Do you think college is even worth it these days?
For further reading, here are some good articles on filmmaking without film school:
Download alternative to film school guide
Did I make any major mistakes you can help me correct? Let me know in the comments down below.
You may have noticed that there aren't exactly 24 filmmakers on the list. I've recently removed a few after further research and comments pointing out that it us unfair to count someone like John Lasseter, Linklater, or Spielberg that all have degrees in the field they make movies. Still all interesting though. Let me know what you think in the comments below. 
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