ATTENTION: This blog has moved

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Thanks!

Ian

Steven Spielberg's TOP 5 TIPS to become a film director, Part 3 of 3

I know I said I would finish off this 3 part article series about Steven Spielberg last week but I've been very busy working on my upcoming movie Bend & Break and a few other personal projects.

However, I'm back and I'd like to discuss Steven Spielberg's last two tips on becoming a film director.

4. Push Your Limits

“Human beings have a need to get close to the edge, and when filmmakers or writers can take them to the edge, it feels like a dream where you're falling, but you wake up just before you hit the ground,” says Spielberg.

Until 1993, Spielberg's palette of film work was mostly rooted in the world of make-believe. From a monstrous man eating shark to a lovable alien, Spielberg had not really ventured into any film projects that tackled tough, provocative, real life issues. Like a serious real life drama.

All the changed when Spielberg decided to push his personal and professional limits and direct Schindler's List.

“Schindler’s List changed my life completely,” said Spielberg

Steven Spielberg had the personal conviction and courage to tackle the difficult issue of Jewish concentration camps in Nazi Germany World War II. Stretching himself beyond his limits earn him a Best Director Oscar for his work on Schindler's List and respect from his filmmaking friends and peers.

5. Follow Your Passion

“The only time I’m totally happy is when I’m watching films or making them,” says Spielberg.

What else can I say. When you think Steven Spielberg,you automatically think movies. More than any other determining factor: talent, contacts, money or resources. Your passion is paramount.

All great human achievements on this earth both past,present and future are born from passion. Those who have a passion for something are willing to do whatever it takes. When you are willing to do whatever it takes...you can be,do or have anything you want.

“I’d love to build a company that will continue to make movies well beyond me someday,” says Spielberg.

Discover the 4 Habits of Successful Filmmakers

What separates successful filmmakers from others who continue to struggle along, wishing and hope that fate will give them an opportunity?

I like what Elliot Grove the founder of Raindance Film Festival & Raindance.tv had to say about this topic.

Elliot has produced 150 short films, 5 feature films and teaches screenwriters and film producers in the UK, Europe, Japan and America.

He is a filmmaker's filmmaker and practices what he preaches...4 habits of Successful Filmmakers:

1. Goal Setting

"If you want to make a film in one year's time, target to
increase your work rate and break down your goal into manageable steps." - Elliot Grove

Setting goal is something I talk about often on my blog and I know from firsthand experience the powerful results it can produce in your life and for your film career. I wouldn't get all Dr. Phil on you about the importance of having clear, written goals with deadlines but I really like this quote from the late J.C. Penny.

"Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I’ll give you a man who will make history. Give me a man with no goals and I’ll give you a stock clerk." - J.C. Penny

2. Investing in Learning

"Invest in learning and discovering new filmmaking techniques is the next keystone to success. Film is changing rapidly right now. The last big change was the introduction of sound. This time around it is movies on th internet and mobile telephones." - Elliot Grove

Continuous learning is so important for those who want to be in the top of the chosen profession. I usually spent at least 30 minutes each day reading books, articles and websites to build specific knowledge about the art and business of moviemaking. I'm sure you've heard the saying "knowledge is power" and usually the most successful filmmakers are experts (extremely knowledgeable) in at least one area of filmmaking.

For example, James Cameron has become an expert on the topic of using 3D film cameras to make movies. After Titanic he just didn't go off, get fat and count his money...ok...maybe he did? Haha. But seriously, he as been spending the past 5 to 6 years researching, learning and developing state-of-the-art 3D filmmaking. Avatar becoming December 2009, I'm excited.

He didn't just rest on his laurels but continued to learn, grow and educate himself.

3. Investing in Good Tools

"Treat your career as a business. Invest your earnings into good tools that can enhance your business. Film businesses are the same as non-film businesses. Ploughing part of your earnings back into your filmmaking business would grow career exponentially." - Elliot Grove

This is so important and I'd like to even take it a step further. Invest in great people. Successful filmmakers treat filmmaking like a business and the best investment you can make is the people you chosen to hire to work on your film. I know that as indie filmmakers sometimes we're working with a micro budget for our movies but spending a few extra hundred dollars here or there for the services of professional,experience people i.e. cast and crew will pay off long term dividends to the success of their films and your career.

4. Apply What You Learn

"The most successful filmmakers are not always the most knowledgeable ones. They are the ones who put action to what they learnt. They do, not talk about doing." - Elliot Grove

Earlier in this article I mentioned that knowledge was power. Well, knowledge is only half power. The other half comes from taking consistent, determined action until you've reached your goal.

Just keep in mind that you shouldn't compete or compare yourself to other filmmakers to measure your success. You define your own success through your individual goals. It can be something simple like wanting to make a 5 minute short film with some friends to making socially conscious documentaries to the desire to win an Oscar.

"Anyone who is on course towards a worthy goal is successful." - Earl Nightingale

Well, enough talk. I have to go now and work on my next movie.

Steven Spielberg's TOP 5 TIPS to become a film director, Part 2 of 3

I'm continuing where I left off last about Steven Spielberg's TOP 5 TIPS to become a film director. Let's jump right into in.

2. Know Where to Draw the Line

“You can’t dictate creativity to someone else, and if you do, the project fails,” says Robert Zemeckis, director of such hits as Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. “Steven understands that, which is why we all want to work with him.”

Steven Spielberg is known throughout Hollywood as a man who knows what he wants and that usually means doing things his way.

Well, who could blame him?

With countless blockbuster hits and a few Oscars mounted in his trophy case, doing it the Spielberg way is almost guaranteed money in the bank.

Despite the amount of control that Spielberg likes to have over all aspects of his film, he also knows where to draw the line. When directing actors, he gives the experienced ones the room they need to manoeuver and the freedom to do so, typically only stepping in if he is working with less proven talent.

It takes a strong person to not overuse and abuse their power. Even successful people like Spielberg must know their limits.

3. Find Inspiration Around You

“My mom and dad gave me free reign at expressing myself, up to and including torturing all of my sisters,” he said. “They were my first audience.”

From an early age, Steven Spielberg took every opportunity to turn simple everyday situations into something more fascinating and imaginative for his own amusement.

“It was like, wow, great affirmation, you know, that I had told a story that had somehow succeeded.”

The genius to Spielberg's work lies deep within himself. He's a man who never wanted to let go of his childlike imagination and curious nature for telling stories that appeal to the kid in all of us.

"When I grow up, I still want to be a director" - Steven Spielberg.

How many times have you ever had an idea for a movie or flash of creative inspiration? Only to let your inner critic quickly convince you that your hunches were silly and frivolous.

Steven Spielberg claims people don't daydream enough.

I once saw Steven Spielberg being interviewed on the Oprah Winfrey show (promoting his movie Amistad) and he boldly told the audience that constantly following your intuition is the seed to greatness.

I will finish off this three part article about Spielberg's tips for becoming a film director, later this week.

Steven Spielberg's TOP 5 TIPS to become a film director, Part 1 of 3

Steven Spielberg is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer. Forbes magazine places Spielberg's net worth at $3.1 billion. In 2006, the magazine Premiere listed him as the most powerful and influential figure in the motion picture industry. Time listed him as one of the 100 Most Important People of the Century.

Hate him or love him, Spielberg is truly a Hollywood icon and superstar who is a shining example of success. Over the next few days I will discuss the five tips that Steven Spielberg suggestions you embrace in order to maximize your full potential as both a filmmaker and a human being.

1. Overcome your fears.

“He was scared of just about everything,” recalls Leah Adler, Spielberg’s mother. “When trees brushed against the house, he would head into my bed.”

Fear is something we all must deal with as human beings. Some people remain in your comfort zones and never venture into the unknown. You might want to become a writer or director but you're afraid what others might say about your new ambitions. The naysayers might plant doubt and fear in your mind. "Working in film is too unstable" or "It's all about luck and who you know". Maybe the thought of giving your filmmaker dream a shot and not becoming successful will leave you looking like a fool.

Spielberg also had to learn to conquer his fear of failure. After being rejected by the extremely prestigious film school at UCLA, upon which he had pinned his hopes and dreams, Spielberg was unsure what the future held in store for him. While he knew film was his passion, he began to wonder whether or not he would be able to succeed at it. Unwilling to give up his dream, he enrolled in California State University and continued on his path. But, again, after getting a C in his television production course, Spielberg had to wonder whether he would ever amount to anything in this industry. He then took the even riskier decision to drop out of school and pursue his passion on his own.

Spielberg is a living example of the success that is possible when you move beyond your fears, when you put away those nagging worries in your head and focus instead on your goal

Watch out for the next time when I reveal 2 more tips from the master of cinema Steven Spielberg.

How to be a film screenwriter: 2 Quick and Powerful Tips

Are you interested in making a living as a movie screenwriter?

If so, this article is for you. Back in 2000, I watched a video interview with Oscar-award winning screenwriter Ron Bass (Rain Man, My Best Friend's Wedding, Entrapment) discussing how in order to become a successful screenwriter you just need to do two things. The simplicity of his advice has still stuck with me today and I'd like to share it with you.

1. Write everyday.

Ron Bass highly recommended that anyone who is serious about screenplay writing (or writing in general) must invest some quality time working everyday on your script. Ron Bass himself said he has a daily routine where he writes for 1 hour everyday from 6am to 7am. 7 days a week.

2. As soon as you finish writing one screenplay, start writing a new script that same day.

Bass said the biggest mistake novice screenplay writers make is that they'll finish writing a certain film script and immediately fall in love with it...thinking it will become the next great spec screenplay sold. They will begin to fixate on how original and clever their story is and start looking for ways to sell it and get it produced. (I'll admit, I'm guilty of this)

Bass mentions that your screenwriting ability will only get better from writing not deal making. Also, that the first couple of screenplays from newbie writers usually lack what it takes to become a produced film.

So, say today you just finished writing a screenplay...don't fall head over heels in love with it just yet. Start on another new script that same day, even if it means just doing some research about your proposed story line or main character. The faster you write a few bad screenplays, learn from the experience and keeping writing. The faster you'll be able to become a professional screenplay writer.

After 20+ years of following these two simple tips, Ron Bass has had 25 screenplays produced into movies and won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

ATTENTION: Discover how to Stop Waiting and Make your MOVIE

"The Most Helpful and Inexpensive guide booklet you Could Possibly Get"

Are you planning on making a feature film?

Tired of being stuck in the same old rut...you have a film script you're excited about but have no money?

I know how that feels. Being an independent filmmaker myself, I know how disheartening it can sometimes feel when you're so passionate about your film project (the creative side) but the thought of securing the necessary funds (the business side) may leave you flustered and bitter.

I believe I can help change all that for you today.

Imagine if you could finally get some simple, useful, practical information that you can apply and get $5,000 to $500,000 to make your film.

STOP WAITING and MAKE YOUR MOVIE is a feature film financing guide with 32 information-packed pages of valuable tips and strategies used by both established and emerging filmmakers to secure money for their film productions. Within this e-booklet you'll get:

• 9 knowledge-packed lessons on how to raise money for your film budget
• Learn the film financing techniques that helped launch the careers of Hollywood directors of such movies as The Wrestler, Fast and Furious and Sin City
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• Contains 119 helpful links and resources that will allow you to learn BOTH the art and business of moviemaking
• 378 KB of information that is immediately downloadable
• Discover the powerful KEY that will free you from struggling and speed up the feature film financing process

It took me over 80 hours to create this guide and you won't see this anywhere else. It's unlike any other. Here's what others are saying:

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- Merle, Cambridge,ON

"Good easy read"

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"It's very good. Pretty straight forward and clearly written"

-Garett, Scarborough,ON

Okay, so what's the cost for this Beneficial Resource?

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You have 30 days (more than enough time to

go through the entire guide) to see if "Stop

Waiting and Make Your Movie" is the

"real deal" or not. If you ever feel that it wasn't

worth your money,please let me know and

I will issue you a full, NO HASSEL refund for

your investment.

There is no risk whatsoever on your part. The burden to deliver is entirely on me.

For a novice or expert. If you are an indie filmmaker who needs $5,000 to $500,000 to make your feature film, then you should buy my ebooklet right now.

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Thanks for taking the time to read this. I wish you the best of luck on making your film.

Sincerely,

Ian Agard

Film Producer

VIDEO: Alfred Hitchcock was a film genius

After watching Alfred Hitchcock's movie "Rope" I have become inspired to shoot my upcoming feature film "Bend & Break" in real time. You can watch Hitchcock's movie Rope on youtube...and enjoy the work of one of the greatest film directors of all-time.

VIDEO: Robert Rodriguez: 10 Minute Film School

Before Dov S-S Simens created the 3 minute film school (which is hilarious) and worth watching after this video. Film director Robert Rodriguez coined the phrase "10 minute film school." Learn from one of the masters of DIY filmmaking.

Most influential film director of the 21st century?

I was thinking the other day, who has been the most influential film director of the 21st century?

After from research I came up with some candidates:

1) Ang Lee

2) Darren Aronofsky

3) Paul Greengrass

4) The Coen Brothers

5) The Wachowski Brothers

6) Peter Jackson

7) Christopher Nolan

8) Martin Scorsese

9) Steven Soderbergh

10) Andrew Stanton

11) Quentin Tarantino (thanks for the suggestion Garett)

I’d say Peter Jackson has been the most influential simply because the vast majority of young people I know who are passionate filmmakers tell me that the LOTR trilogy inspired them to make movies.

Well, just some food for thought.

Are Two Heads Better than One?

As I continue to do my "read one good book a week" route I read a book that once again tested my beliefs and has changed the way I think about certain things. Don't you love those kind of books?

The book is called Mentored by a Millionaire:Master Strategies of Super Achievers by Steven K. Scott. The book talks about how there are 15 important strategies that superstar individuals like Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg all use to experience uncanny success in their career and business.

The chapter that had the most influence on me was the strategy of "effective partnering". Basically, effective partnering is when you work closely with a mentor, advisor, key employees, consultants, lenders, legal partner who compliments your weaknesses with their strengths towards achieving a goal. Based on decades of research about success, this is a quick explanation from the book:

Below-average person

Someone who tries to achieve success all on their own...when obstacles appear, they quit.

Average person

These people pursue modest, realistic goals for their life and only partner with others when its absolute necessary. Most of these people believe that the only way to get something done is to do it yourself.

Superstars

Someone who sets and pursue goals that are so lofty that the only way they could possibly achieve them was to partner with other people.

Once I read this, my mind started racing. For virtually all my life I have adopted the mindset of the "below-average & average" person. But now I've changed.

What about you? What category do you fall into?

To further prove the truth behind effective partnering. Take I look at the background of any super successful filmmaker (or person) and I'll be willing to bet that the moment they effectively partnered with others was the moment their careers began skyrocketing towards greatness. I look at my mentors and see Ang Lee who was a struggling, unknown filmmaker until he partnered with writer/producer James Schamus. Since their partnership Ang Lee's films have been nominated for 27 Oscars, winning 8 including Best Director.

It is clear that when two or more people work together in harmony towards a common goal...magic happens.

VIDEO: FILM IS DEAD (PART 1)

Best Screenwriting Programs

When you are embarking on your journey to take your movie idea and put them onto the page. It helps to use top-notch script writing programs. This article will explore the top five best scriptwriting programs used in the movie industry today.

5. Montage (Mac users only)

The only screenwriting software exclusively developed for Mac OS X. Melding the theory that a simple user interface, combined with powerful and intuitive features, provide the best writing experience, Montage makes it easy to create, edit, and manage screenplays on your Macintosh. From the ability to import and export Final Draft documents, to using custom, pre-formatted templates for film, TV, and theater, Montage guides both the first time screenwriter or the seasoned veteran, from start to finish.

Retail Price: $139.95 U.S.

4. Scenewriter Pro
SceneWriter Pro is totally different in that you don't have to worry about pages or writing in a linear fashion from start to finish, you write on a scene-by-scene basis and you may write in any order you wish!
However, SceneWriter Pro formats your script to Hollywood Industry Standards, but that's only a small fraction of the benefits that writing your script in SceneWriter Pro offers.
From outlining, character development, location lists, project notes and of courseindustry standard formatting, SceneWriter Pro's non-linear, scene-by-scene approach to writing will make writing that multi-million dollar blockbuster a piece of cake.

Retail Price: $99.00 U.S.

3. Celtx

This program is ideal for you writer/director/producers. Celtx helps you pre-produce all types of media - film, video, documentary, theater, machinima, comics, advertising, video games, music video, radio, podcasts, videocasts, and however else you choose to tell your story. Unlike scriptwriting software and sites, you can use Celtx for the entire pre-production process - write scripts, storyboard scenes and sequences, develop characters, breakdown & tag elements, schedule production, and prepare detailed and informative production reports for cast and crew.

Retail Price: free. An indie filmmaker's favourite word.

2. Final Draft
This screenwriting software is excellent for writing and formatting a screenplay to meet the screenplay submission standards set by the theater and film industry. It is the only preferred screenwriting software using WGAW Registry for online submission.
The current version, Final Draft 7, contains over 50 movie and television templates. It also offers the feature of allowing users to assign computer generated voices to their characters, who then read the script aloud. How cool is that!

Retail Price: $229.00 U.S.

1. Movie Magic Screenwriter

Used to format screenplays, teleplays and novels. Magic Screenwriter is the grand daddy of them all. It's the official script writing software of the Writer's Guild of America and has been used by writers of the following movies: Pirates of the Caribbean, Crash, Babel and many more. The newest version has an outlining ability that really helps you organize your scenes.

Retail Price: $209.95 U.S.

If you are serious about making screenwriting your profession, Movie Magic Screenwriter or Final Draft would be a wise investment.

Also keep in mind that a few of these programs offer free demo trials of their software.

How to write a screenplay in just 5 minutes at a time

Last week I read the book One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way by Robert Maurer and quite enjoyed the wisdom that it had to offer. The basic premise of the book revolves around the fact that we can achieve any goal or change any challenging and difficult thing in our lives through simple, small baby steps forward.

As I poured through the book it got me thinking about how some filmmakers (especially screenwriters) could benefit from this type of mindset. I know from my experiences that sitting down to write a feature length screenplay can sometimes become a painful test of will power and self discipline.

So if you're a writer, instead of sitting down and promising to write 5 pages before you get up...start by just writing for 5 minutes a day.

That's it.

Once you have built up the habit of writing for 5 minutes...then stretch it to just 10 minutes working on your story everyday. Feel no pressure to increase your writing sessions. Just work at your own pace. But I'm sure that as you continue to faithfully work on your story in 5,10 and 15 minute sessions you'll easily build up your writing stamina to 30 minutes to one hour per day.

Next time when the thought of writing your screenplay comes to mind and that small voice tells you that you're too tired or too busy or not feeling inspired. Just walk right over to your computer, turn it on and invest just 5 minutes towards your future film.

50 cool movie websites

I recently came across Moviemaker magazine's 50 best websites for 2009. I haven't checked out all 50 but I'm sure you'll find some of these websites either useful or entertaining. I like Makingof.com because it gives you intimate interviews/making of clips from some of the Hollywood's upcoming films. Also, JoBlo.com is quite entertaining but I feel it's mostly for guys.

TOP 5 - Female film directors in the last 10 years.

My favourite film directors are Ang Lee, Ridley Scott and Paul Greengrass. All men. That got me thinking the other day.

Who are some of the most successful female film directors?

The only names that quickly came to mind were Penny Marshall, Kathryn Bigelow and Sofia Coppola. Curious, I started to search and found that quite a few films I enjoyed like Deep Impact and Bend it Like Beckham were directed by women. Embarrassed by my lack of industry knowledge regarding women filmmakers, I wrote this article.

Let us take a closer look at five successful women movie directors who have made a significant contribution to film within the last 10 years.

5. Jane Campion

Jane Campion is an Academy Award-winning film maker and screenplay writer. She is one of the most internationally successful New Zealand directors, although most of her work has been made in or financed by other countries, principally Australia where she now lives and the U.S.

Notable film: The Piano (1993)

Oscar History: 2 nominations, 1 win.

4. Gurinder Chadha

Chandha is a British film director of Indian origin. Most of her films explore the lives of Indians living in the UK. In the 1980s she began making documentaries for the BBC, and in 1989 released "I'm British but..." for Channel 4, which followed the lives of young British Asians. In 1990, Chadha set up a production company, Umbi Films. Her first film was the 11-minute "Nice Arrangement" (1991) about a British Asian wedding.

Notable film: Bend it Like Beckham (2002)






3. Sofia Coppola

Sofia Carmina Coppola is an American film director, actress, producer and Academy Award-winning screenwriter. She is the third female director, and only American woman, to be nominated for an Academy Award for Directing. The daughter of legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia Coppola began her show business career making several appearances in her father's films.

She eventually moved on towards directing making films like Lick the Star (1998), The Virgin Suicides (1999) and Lost in Translation (2003).

Notable film: Lost in Translation (2003)

Oscar History: 3 nominations, 1 win.

2. Deepa Mehta
Deepa Mehta is a Genie Award winning and Academy Award nominated Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter. Deepa Mehta's films focus around the Indian community, in India and in the diaspora. Mehta is best known for her Elements Trilogy: Fire (1996), Earth (1998) and Water (2005) all of which were set in India.

Notable Film: Water (2005)

1. Catherine Hardwicke

Catherine Hardwicke is an American production designer and film director. Her works include the independent film Thirteen, which she co-wrote with one of the film's co-stars, Nikki Reed, the Biblically-themed The Nativity Story, and the vampire film Twilight. The opening weekend of Twilight was the biggest opening ever for a female director.

Notable film: Twilight (2008)

VIDEO: FILM IS DEAD (PART 2)

Having a successful movie career without going Hollywood

First, let me be clear that I am not anti-Hollywood or against those who choose to relocate to Hollywood. I lived in Hollywood/LA for 3 years and did some acting work there and it is quite a fun city to live in.

However, with this article I would like to explore the alternative to going Hollywood and how it is possible to have both a critical and commercial successful film career without making The City of Angels your permanent home. Let us take a look at three successful filmmaker, who have all made some decent movies over the years while remaining outside the Golden State.


M. Night Shyamalan

Works and lives: Philadelphia

M. Night Shyamalan, is a two-time Academy Award nominated Indian filmmaker and script writer who resides and works primarily in the United States, known for making movies with contemporary supernatural plots that usually climax with a twist ending. He is also known for filming his movies (and staging his plots) in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was raised. Shyamalan released his first film, Praying with Anger, in 1992 while he was a New York University student. His second movie, the major feature film Wide Awake, made in 1995 but not released until three years later, failed to find financial success.
Shyamalan gained international recognition when he wrote and directed 1999's The Sixth Sense, which was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. He followed The Sixth Sense by writing and directing Unbreakable, released in 2000, which received mixed reviews. His 2002 film Signs, where he also played Ray Reddy, gained both critical and financial success, but The Village (2004) was a critical disappointment whose box office fell hard after a strong opening weekend, and Lady in the Water (2006) performed even worse. His latest film, The Happening (2008), did financially better than his previous effort but was also panned by critics; in its entire American run, it grossed only slightly more than Signs made in its opening weekend.


Guy Ritchie

Works and lives: London, U.K.

Guy Stuart Ritchie is an English screenwriter and Filmmaker. The profits that he made from directing these promos was invested into writing and making the film, The Hard Case (1995), which is a twenty minute short film that is also the prequel to his debut feature Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). Sting's wife, Trudie Styler, saw The Hard Case (1995) and invested into "Lock, Stock..." (2000), which was written and directed by Guy. Once "Lock, Stock..." (2000) was completed, the hard task of getting it distributed then came about with ten British distributors all turning it down before the film eventually got the attention of Tom Cruise. It was distributed by a North American Distributor, Columbia Tristar

His second feature film was Snatch, released in the year 2000. Originally known as Diamonds, it was another caper comedy, this time backed by a major studio following the previous success of Lock, Stock. The cast featured such Hollywood big names as Brad Pitt, Benicio del Toro and Dennis Farina, along with the returning Vinnie Jones and Statham. Similar to "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" in featuring a complex and inventive storyline in which the characters weave in and out of each others' lives, the film also plays with time, depicting events from various perspectives and recalling such classic crime films as Stanley Kubrick's The Killing.


David Cronenberg

Works and lives: Toronto, ON

David Paul Cronenberg is a Canadian filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional actor. He is one of the principal originators of what is commonly known as the body horror or venereal horror genre. This style of filmmaking explores people's fears of bodily transformation and infection. In his films, the psychological is typically intertwined with the physical. In the first half of his career, he explored these themes mostly through horror and science fiction, although his work has since expanded beyond these genres.
In 1999, Cronenberg was inducted onto Canada's Walk of Fame. In 2002, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada, and in 2006 he was awarded the Cannes Film Festival's lifetime achievement award, the Carrosse d'Or.Two of his films, Dead Ringers and Spider, were voted for in the 2002 Sight and Sound Poll.
Cronenberg has appeared on various "Greatest Director" lists. In 2004, Science Fiction magazine Strange Horizons named him the 2nd greatest director in the history of the genre, ahead of better known directors such as Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Jean-Lu Godard and Ridley Scott. In the same year, The Guardian listed him 9th on their list of "The world's 40 best directors". In addition, in 2007, Total Film named him as the 17th greatest director of all-time.

Now that I live in Toronto I often look back to the few years a spent in Los Angeles to reflect on what I did not do right that lead to my less than successful stay in Hollywood. Three things always come to me were, I lacked vision, an action plan and stick to itness. I do not know the three above mentioned directors personally but I would be willing to bet that they all had at least three things in common that had a dramatic impact towards their success.

1. They had clear career goals
2. They were tenacious and relentless
3. 100% committed to your career

If you have these three characteristics as a filmmaker then you will enjoy a successful film career no matter where you live. Not only that but Hollywood will find you and come knocking at your door.

From my whole experience I would say move to Hollywood because you want to, not because you think you need to.

The Best Quotes by Famous Filmmakers

I am a big fan of quotes. Especially quotes that come from successful men and women that I both admire and respect. What I find beautiful about quotes is how they offer you the opportunity to gain wisdom, inspiration or insight on a topic based on the experience of others.

Here are some quotes about filmmaking. Some are informative, some are encouraging and others are just plain entertaining. Enjoy.

First cuts are a bitch for a director, because it is been so many months and you put your trust in your editor and you're going to see your film assembled for the first time. You look at it and go, This is terrible. I hate it.
Richard Donner

A good director is not sure when he gets on the set what he's going to do.
Elia Kazan

A lot of times you get credit for stuff in your movies you did not intend to be there.
Spike Lee

Casting is 65 percent of directing.
John Frankenheimer

The biggest mistake in student films is that they are usually cast so badly, with friends and people the directors know. Actually you can cover a lot of bad direction with good acting.
Brian De Palma

Cinema should make you forget you are sitting in a theater.
Roman Polanski

If somebody has a better idea than me, I will take it if it surpasses what we have on the page because at the end of the day, it is me that takes the credit anyway!
Guy Ritchie

Do not be told something is impossible. There is always a way.
Robert Rodriguez

People say I pay too much attention to the look of a movie but for God's sake, I am not producing a Radio 4 Play for Today, I am making a movie that people are going to look at.
Ridley Scott

In England, I am a horror movie director. In Germany, I am a filmmaker. In the US, I am a bum.
John Carpenter

My three Ps: passion, patience, perseverance. You have to do this if you've got to be a filmmaker.
Robert Wise

There is no reason why challenging themes and engaging stories have to be mutually exclusive - in fact, each can fuel the other. As a filmmaker, I want to entertain people first and foremost. If out of that comes a greater awareness and understanding of a time or a circumstance, then the hope is that change can happen.
Edward Zwick

You can not second-guess yourself as a filmmaker.
Ralph Bakshi

You've got to believe as a filmmaker that if a movie's good enough, it is going to survive; and if it is not, well, it will not.
Sam Mendes

An Oscar means a lot of things because it is like the ultimate award for a filmmaker so it feels great. But I think you have to consider awards with some distance and not get obsessed with it. When you are creating you should not think about it.
Alejandro Amenabar

A typewriter needs only paper; a camera uses film, requires subsidiary equipment by the truckload and Wellington several hundreds of technicians. That is always the central fact about the filmmakers opposed to any other artist: he can never afford his own tools.
Orson Welles

If it can be written, or thought, it can be filmed.
Stanley Kubrick

People told me I could not kill Nicholson, so I cast him in two roles and killed him off twice.
Tim Burton

I became quite successful very young, and it was mainly because I was so enthusiastic and I just worked so hard at it.
Francis Ford Coppola

I steal from every movie ever made.
Quentin Tarantino

The best way to advance your film career

Would you like to know the single most important thing you can do to advance your movie career?

Set clear, specific written goals.

Goal setting is something very few people do and is absolutely essential for achieving anything extraordinary throughout your profession, whether working in movies or not. From my own experience I have always had dreams and desires (in my head) of things I wanted to accomplishment in my career but the problem was that they remained just in my head. With my dreams and desires just floating around in my head it became quite easy to be sidetracked, forget or simply give up on achieving anything worthwhile. My struggle and frustration from my lack of progress in my movie career had me searching for answers.

Was success in the movie industry really based on luck? Maybe I was not lucky? Maybe making movies was not my calling? However, everything changed for the better for me once I read a book by Brian Tracy called Goals: How to get everything you want faster than you ever thought possible. I strongly recommend that if you are not currently in the habit on setting goals for yourself and your career to read this book.

Basically, the book details how we as human beings are fully responsible for creating the type of life or career we want and the single best way to guarantee our success is through setting goals. Here are the benefits of setting clear goals for your career:

6. CLARITY:

You will have more CLARITY: You have to know where you want to go to get there. Setting goals requires you to develop clarity. This is the first and most important step to creating a career that you love and want.

5. FOCUS:

You will develop a stronger FOCUS: Whatever you focus on your get more of: if you have clear goals and focus on them, you will get more of what you DO want (your goals) and less of what you don't want.

4. EFFICIENCY:

When you get clear about where you want to go, you set up steps and actions to get there. This increases your efficiency because you are working on what is really important. When you work on what is important, you will accomplish more than you ever expected.

3. DREAMS

You will get what you really want in life, rather than settling for whatever comes you way.

2. INCREASED SELF-CONFIDENCE

As you set and reach your goals, you become more confident in your ability to do what you say and get what you want in life. Success breeds more successes.
And the number 1 benefit of setting goals is:

1. RESULTS

There are numerous studies that prove that less than 3% of people walking on the face of this earth have written goals, and according to research, these people accomplish 80% more than those who do not. That is an astounding difference,
is it not?

Your goal could be as simple:

I finished writing the first draft of my screenplay by July 20th, 2009.

Or

I directed my second feature film by October 10th, 2009.

I know for a fact that since I started setting career goals for myself starting back in 2008 that I have achieved more in my film career within the past 12 months then I have in the previous four years combined without having any writing goals.

What about you? Are you happy with the progress or stage your career is in? Do you want more or feel you have the talent, drive or ambition to accomplish more?

Man is a goal seeking animal. His life only has meaning if he is reaching out and striving for his goals

Aristotle

How to find work in the film and television industry

Working in the film and television industry is without a doubt the most exciting and rewarding career I have ever had.

I always feel proud when people ask me what do I do and I reply I am a film producer.
But that proud feeling was not always there for me in the beginning. I remember the days when I was just starting off looking to work in the entertainment industry and however frustrated and overwhelmed I felt about attempting to make it the industry. People would constantly tell me this is tough business to get into or it is all about who you know. Now I agree there is some true to these statements, however, from my five years so far of industry experience the biggest stumbling block for those looking to transition into the industry is LACK OF THE RIGHT INFORMATION.

Once you have the right information, everything in life becomes easier. So this article will give you some of the right information you might need to find work within the film and television industry. These websites are not in any particular order but just good solid sources for emerging filmmakers to build your work experience and skills.

4. Mandy.com (International)

Mandy.com has been around since 1995 and was the first database of film/TV technicians and facilities on the web. The site offers a wide variety of services and resources for film industry people all around the world like:

A) Yellow pages of technicians and facilities. Search for "Sound recordists in
Scotland", "Camera rental in South-West USA", or "Producers in Asia Pacific specializing in TV Documentaries".

B) Casting calls searchable by actor age and ethnicity.

C) Search for current job vacancies in film / TV production in your area.

D) Buy/Sell your production equipment.

E) Database of Films and TV Programs for sale. It assists independent producers find niche sales in our fragmenting marketplace.

Once you have your resume on file with mandy.com it is quite easy to search and apply for both paying and non-paying work.

3. Variety The Biz (Canada & U.S.)

This website reminds me of workpolis.com but for the entertainment industry. Again once you have setup a profile and uploaded your resume, searching and applying for work becomes quite easy. I find that the majority of the jobs advertised on this site are more office/internship type of positions with very little to no on-set production work. However, if the office/internship type work is something that interests you. Then you should check out the Variety career site.

2. EntertainmentCareers.net (U.S. only)

This site provides job seekers with hundreds of entertainment jobs and internships opportunities. The positions available range from associate producer to audio engineer. From a non-paying gaffer position to part time receptionist and everything in between. If you live or plan to live in the LA or NY area, this is a great resource for seeking a wide variety of entertainment industry jobs. Another cool thing about this site is the several of the big Hollywood studios, TV networks and production companies post job openings here.

1.Craigslist.org (International)

Thank God for craigslist. I am sure a lot of us have benefited one way or another from using craigslist. Just in case you have not heard of or used craigslist, it has free online classified advertisements with sections devoted to jobs, housing, personals, for sale, services, community, gigs, resumes, and discussion forums. It serves 570 cities in 50 countries. Once you go on the site and find the city/area that interests you, search the following sections for film/TV jobs:

1. TV/film/video
2. crew
3. writing
4. talent

It might take you sometime to sift through all the job ads to find the ones the interest you but apart from that craigslist is a great place for newbies and more experienced industry players to find work and build both their resume and skills set.