Happy new year! I hope 2026 brings you new projects and growth as a filmmaker. And hopefully even money from your skills too. As they say in China on new years: “I hope you get rich.” This time last year, I wrote an issue about a different approach I was going to try for setting goals in 2025…
Happy holidays, I’m finishing up this last newsletter of 2025 from my parent’s house in Virginia, trying to work as little as possible, but I wanted to finish up what I talked about in last week’s issue… It was about the snowball effect and how valuable generating momentum is when making a film. However, my upcoming short film, The Lost Fortune of Oliver Brody, has been… does the math …20-months in the making. 💀 For the longest time, our biggest struggle was a serious LACK of momentum. But…
There have been a lot of exciting updates on my upcoming short film, The Lost Fortune of Oliver Brody. In fact, it’s almost done! I’ll share some of the specifics next week, but the recent flurry of progress on the film has reminded me of the importance of building up projects through people. Strong teams quickly compound to even stronger teams – ultimately creating a film an order of magnitude more professional than you’d hoped for. Here’s what I mean. This issue of…
Here’s something a lot of filmmakers don’t want to admit: Filmmaking is a mode. It’s not a constant state. It’s not something you can hold onto forever. It’s not always available on demand. And the truth is: You’re not always going to be in that creative mode. You’re not always going to be making films. You’re not always going to feel inspired, productive, or expressive. In fact, life is definitely not optimized for being a prolific filmmaker. Things have a way of…
Get your head out of the gutter, I’m talking short films. A couple weeks ago I posted this video about a filmmaking challenge I undertook: telling a story in only 3 shots. Then I challenged viewers to try making their own short films in only 3 shots. I didn’t expect so many submissions! The great thing is, not only are these films quick to make, they’re also quick to watch – most are under a minute long. So check out some of my favorite 3-shot micro films created by…
Today I’m going to be breaking down some of the biggest unexpected costs from my most expensive production yet, The Lost Fortune of Oliver Brody. Along the way I’ll be answering questions like: How much did this film cost? Why spend big bucks on a short film? What’s the status of it now? Read on to find out… This issue of Friday Film Notes is sponsored by: FilmConvert Nitrate Crave that dreamy celluloid look? FilmConvert Nitrate upgrades your footage with cinematic…
This week I want to talk a little bit about one of the most important — yet most tedious and boring — parts of making a film: planning your schedule for your shoot. Your schedule is probably the single most important document on any shoot day. It aligns the team, sets expectations, and it’s the only thing that lets you know if you’re actually going to finish your film or not. So here’s how to make a good one without killing yourself in the process. I always keep my…
I’ve been hooked lately on a podcast called Founders, which dives into the lives of history’s most successful entrepreneurs. Listening to it, reminded me that filmmakers are entrepreneurs in disguise. Every time we make a film, we’re essentially starting a new business – often, quite literally. For example, with a proper feature film you have to create a new LLC for it. But even short films, although they aren’t commercial projects usually, still require rallying resources,…
I’m writing this newsletter from Incheon Airport in Seoul, Korea – stopping over for a few hours en route to mainland China. Not a trip I thought I’d be taking anytime soon, but Hollyland was kind enough to invite me and some other creators you may recognize out for a week of fun and learning at their annual WeConnect event, in celebration of the company’s 7th birthday. Having never been to Asia, I couldn’t resist. 👆 Ok that’s as far as I got writing in the airport,…
Here’s the truth about filmmaking: no matter how much you think you’ve got it under control, the details pile up until you’re drowning. Props, costumes, locations, schedules, casting notes, shot lists, references… it’s enough to make your head spin. For The Lost Fortune of Oliver Brody, I needed something that could corral all of that chaos in one place. That’s where Milanote came in. Milanote is like a giant digital corkboard where you can dump every idea or reference…