So you want to make a movie. . . . .

OK, well, let's first define what a movie is. These days, anyone with a half way decent cell phone can capture moving images. The question is: do you have story to tell? And if so, is it worth investing the countless units of energy needed to actually produce a film? Notice I didn't say "is it worth telling?" Any story is worth telling as long as there's a warm camp fire close by. But telling a story through a film is a huge investment on many people's parts. (More on this in my next blog posting.) So before you jump in, take a deep breath and ask yourself these simple questions. Do you have a story? And is it worth making into a film?

Too many people think they want to enter the entertainment industry when all they really want to do is meet celebrities, become famous, or name drop to their friends as opposed to actually losing friends because you will have to work your ass off to really be in the film business. If you want to meet celebrities, my advice would be to go on EBAY and bid $100k on some charity auction to meet someone famous. It will probably be cheaper in the long run for you. Becoming famous is easy these days and I'll leave it to other blogs for ideas on how to do that outside of film. But if you really want to make a film because you have no choice other than to tell the story you have to tell and you know it is a story worthy of a film, this blog is for you.

This blog is for the true indie filmmaker. The one who lays awake at night staring at the ceiling trying to figure out how to make the film. If they don't, it will never happen. I am currently starting the process of producing my third feature film. My first film, Everything's Jake Everything's Jake Official Website, was a labor of love I co-"labored" with a good friend of mine Matthew Miele. We both co-wrote the script. Miele directed and I produced. We did this completely outside the Hollywood establishment. Eavesdrop Eavesdrop Official Website was my second venture into film production but this was Miele's labor of love. He laid awake at night with the worthy story he needed to tell and I just took the calls in the morning to help bring the project to completion. However, my next film is called "Trust Me" and this is my labor of love. It is my first solo venture into writing and I have no choice but to make this film. And yes, I feel that it is worthy of the effort needed to make this story into a feature film.

This blog will trace the exact steps to produce a film as I detail my journey to produce "Trust Me". It will be boring at times but always informative. My definition of a film is a story told through moving images and sound. More importantly, I want to define "produce". I define this as the most efficient way to use the resources available to tell the story without compromising ANY story elements and while ensuring the film has the best chance to reach its potential audience. The greatest film that no one sees is not a great film. It is just another great story and eventually the camp fire burns out.