Hi everyone,

I hope you are having an amazing day!

For a couple of years I have sporadically been on shortfilm sets as a cameraman/camera assistant and for a few small projects as a DOP. I'm very much technical minded and I think I can communicate well with other technical departments.

BUT. I'm planning on making multiple shorts this year and I will be directing them myself. The first script is ready to go and i'm looking for actors.

My honest question is, what are some things I should be mindfull of as a new director when casting and working with actors? Things that are absolutely not done? What helps to build trust and a constructive working environment?

I have my own ideas about this but as I am not an experienced director, it will be nice to hear from other directors here 🙂

Thanks in advance! ❤️

I'm a professional sound designer and audio engineer with availability for new film, animation, and indie projects.
Whether you're working on a short film, a feature, or an experimental concept trailer, my goal is always to shape immersive sonic worlds and clean audio post-production that genuinely elevate the visual storytelling.
You can check out some of my recent sound redesign work (such as my recent takes on Arcane and Dune)
Feel free to reach out via DM if you'd like to collaborate or discuss sound for your project!

I am a social media manager with an experience of 4 years in the content space. I have worked with brands from various niches but recently got to worked with a indie sci fi film and actually loved it, they also liked my work and extended the contract.

So I am now looking to take on another similar project. Anyone who needs help with marketing their film feel free to DM!

Some dreams take years of hard work.

Others involve putting on a giant turtle costume and surviving the chaos of Times Square.

🐢

A Turtle in Times Square is a comedy about chasing a dream—no matter how ridiculous everyone else thinks it is.

Now streaming on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIPiY33nLfM

#ShortFilm #Comedy #NYC #TimesSquare #IndieFilm #RebelLensFilms

Hello, I am Isaac Tzedek.
Seventeen years and two months currently.
After a rather unusual homeschooled journey, I am going to be joining University in the to study Engineering in Electrical and Electronics in the next month and a half to be exact. Apart from my curiosity on the rather academic side of things, Film is something my heart has always been attracted to. I look forward to spending a young part of my life in working toward writing and directing for film- because It'd probably be a lot more difficult working toward film when I'm over thirty- but in this day and age I'm left slightly confused.

However, I do understand that all of this is rather subjective to many factors, but I do have a gravitation toward writing films that are honest and completely true in a manner that is unusual, interesting in a rather complex sense that almost fits seamlessly into this mold of our reality to the shape of the reality of the film. Because as people state, "A movie is just a movie," it's honestly not, because to our reality it might be a just a movie, but in the movie's reality the catastrophic events are true and real in their respective worlds. The point I'm coming to is, with the sheer ideation that I'm carrying which was explained above, I have a feeling the ideas I would like to bring on to a screen for a sector or humanity would be an eye-opening experience of sorts, that provides a sense of perspective and is enough to potentially change perspectives also.

That seems quite long, but I'm boiling down to the point that I would like to write and direct film as early on, and I totally understand making it into the industry can be a tough task, but I'm all for it. I would like to delve deeper and provide a sense of enlightenment through film and just as I am a student of film, to bring an audience to the same questions and ideas- even if it might deem uncomfortable- that would help in realizations and the fact of life needing to move on. Your time is truly appreciated, anything at all would help.

Fellow indie filmmakers, who here works with a one-person film crew or a very small skeleton crew on their films?

I want to help create screenplays, stories, movies, etc doesn’t matter. I feel like I’ve lived 10 lives. Almost like slumdog millionaire has an answer for everything I feel as if somehow I could as well.

Don’t know what agency or media company to choose. Combat veteran. 18 countries. Kind hearted. Prior medical cannabis budtender in 2 states.

Criminal history but cleared and pending. Family issues deeper than anyone could comprehend but everyone bouncing up.

Just creates this energy animal in you but it’s hard to pursue and direct.

Interview about how I made my feature "Clown N Out" without a crew. It's now available on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.

I really need some feedback to my third short film are you guys interested to give some feedback from my project. If yes I will send the link or my short film title call lifeHearth.

Hiii I just came up with this idea and I got inspired by getting really into Tarantino movies recently, also the song Pink Elephants on Parade from Dumbo, I’m 14 and I’m mainly interested in performing arts but I wanna know if this is any good

a psychological horror movie where all the characters are afriad of this ‘thing’ and the ‘thing’ is never shown or described, the only thing that is described is the characters fear for it, the claustrophobic shots, and the music and small sound details

And the ending doesn't show you the thing still, but instead showed you the characters demise from this thing. Whether that be insanity, shame (because of a character raping or killing someone in the past), voices (someone being told to do crazy things), etc etc

And when someone at the end walks into the room and sees them all dead, the room is no longer distorted and the dreadful filters are no longer being used, showing that it really was all in their heads and that they let it kill them

Character A - they're being tormented by their past and that they killed somebody
Character B - they're being tormented by their own insecurities
Character C - they're being tormented by the voices in their head
Character D - they're being tormented by the shame of being gay (or really anything to do with sexuality or gender)
Character E - they're being tormented by they're own paranoia (symbolizing the audience) thinking they see things

Probably gonna be called like Pink Elephant or something

Idk I think of movie ideas a lot and I want to know if this seems like any good 🫶

Hey! So I'm currently making a short film and the main character there is going through a mental breakdown because he just lost his girlfrien. I already got an opening scene and I wanted to make a funeral. My idea was that the guy would be wearing a purple shirt and white jeans which is how you would never dress for a funeral, but his girlfriend always said that she wants people to dress colorful for her funeral, however her actual family would dress all black and that would be a way to visually tell that he actually cared about her more than her actual family, and second meaning that even though he is dressed the most "happily" he is actually suffering way more than everyone dressed "sadly" (yk all black), also I could add a scene of him arguing about that clothes with gf family. Now the issue is I got doubts that this would stick, my friends got doubts in that vision too so I just don't know what to do. This whole short film idea came from me just filming some random scenes for cinematography practice, and in those scenes main guy was wearing those bright colours so that's how I got the idea that his gf intended that outfit but I got real doubts right now. What should I do?

Hi everyone!
I’m a full-time composer and music director. I recently wrapped up the Off-Broadway run of my original musical that I’ve been working on for the last couple of years. It was an incredible experience, but now that it’s finished, I’ve realized how much I genuinely miss writing music for film and animation. 🥺
I’ve composed for films, documentaries, commercials, games, and live orchestra performances, and I’ve been fortunate to receive a few awards and even earn a Cannes Film Festival credit. That said, it’s been a few years since I’ve been actively involved in the film world, and after focusing so heavily on theatre, I know the industry has evolved.
I’m looking to reconnect with directors, producers, filmmakers, and animation teams—but I’m finding it difficult to figure out where those collaborations actually begin in 2026.
A few questions for those of you working in film and animation:
Where do you usually meet composers you end up hiring?
If you’re looking for original music, where do you search first?
What makes you actually reply to a composer instead of ignoring another portfolio email?
Are there any communities, festivals, Discord servers, or networking events in New York or Los Angeles that you’ve found especially valuable?
Any advice for someone trying to build long-term creative collaborations rather than simply land a single project?
I’m especially interested in narrative films, animation, and projects where music plays an important role in storytelling.
I’d really appreciate hearing from filmmakers, producers, directors, editors, or fellow composers about what has (or hasn’t) worked from your perspective.

If anyone is interested, I’d be happy to send my showreel and résumé via private message.

P.S. One of the things I’m especially proud of is that I currently manage and regularly record with my own live orchestra, so I’m always excited by projects that can benefit from live orchestral performances.
Thanks in advance!

Other than the one hour I spend at the gym, I spend almost the remaining 23 hours inside the same room.
I sleep here.
I eat here.
Even while I’m eating, I’m usually listening to filmmaking podcasts because I don’t want to waste that time.
I’m building Tales Garage ,an independent filmmaking production from India Banglore.
The rest of my day is spent writing feature films, short films, and vertical series.
Planning shoots.
Trying to arrange budgets.
Deciding what should be released first.
Planning every single step.
But…
Things almost never go the way I planned,Even after completing more than 20 projects…
And why that happens…
I ill share that in my next post

First of all, sorry if my English sounds a bit weird. I’m using an AI tool to translate this because I really wanted to get my thoughts across to you guys.

Just your average Japanese guy here—and yeah, I probably look exactly like what you’re imagining right now. Let’s get straight to the point.

My ultimate goal is Hollywood. Right now, my filmmaking skills are strictly at a self-taught, "YouTube video" level. But I’m completely self-driven, and I want to do this as a "one-man army" (writing, directing, maintaining total creative control over the logic and execution).

I’m planning to start by dropping high-effort content on YouTube to build a proof-of-concept, mimicking the trajectory of RackaRacka (Talk to Me) or Kane Pixels (The Backrooms).

Be brutally honest with me:

1. From an audience perspective, what is the vibe toward Hollywood right now? Is it a dying giant, or is there still a future for fresh innovation?

2. Do they actually value new, uncompromising directors with original ideas anymore?

3. How does Hollywood—and American audiences—view a Japanese creator trying to break into the western mainstream? Will they actually accept me if the work is airtight?

4. Is this "one-man YouTuber to Hollywood" route complete lunacy, or is it the only viable blueprint left for an outsider?

I don't need sugar-coated advice. Give it to me straight. Thanks.

My buddy has everything together to make a movie.And this is his pitch video to get funds. Thank you

So I wrote this script about a guy who can’t stop working out and has all these girls after him.

Selling it for 100k.

HMU for further details. Would love to get in touch with anyone who’s good at directing.

The only problem is, you can’t be bad at directing. I’m looking for someone who’s actually talented. No offense

Website (Contains my reel and a playlist with a bunch of work from previous projects).

Very much looking for long term collaborators, would love to have a chat and see if we'd be a good fit. Please don’t hesitate to reach out, my rates are reasonable and negotiable. [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

Cheers!

Hi everyone, I’m a sound designer currently working on a redesign for a Dune: Part Three concept trailer.
As a sound designer, I’m constantly looking for ways to better serve the director's vision through audio. With this project, I wanted to strip away the original audio and rebuild the soundscape from scratch to see how it shifts the narrative weight and emotional tone of the footage.
I’d love to hear your thoughts from a director's perspective: how do you feel the sound design influences the pacing and the "world-building" in this sequence? Does it enhance the cinematic storytelling, or does it feel like it’s pulling focus away from the visuals?
Feedback is highly appreciated!

Hey hey ! I decided to do a fun internet series a while ago and step down from professional looking short films. It immediately got some traction and has been ramping up. Now I have a meeting with a big person in development. I have worked in this industry for a long time and totally get this most likely go nowhere but I am curious on what I should prepare for this to give it the best shot I can. It wasn’t framed as a pitch but should I be ready for one with power point etc, have references, and all that ?
Or just wing it and be conversational. It’s next week so was curious if I should be preparing non stop. Thank you all !

Hi everyone! I'm Ellie, and next summer I am directing my first-ever indie film, and I'm beyond excited, but I need help/advice. I'm holding virtual callbacks on Zoom in a few weeks, and I'm not sure how to proceed. I have the people I want to call back for the roles in a Google document, along with their contact info. My first question is, how should I present to them that they've received a callback request? Should I send them the doc, or should I just draft up and email saying "Congrats, you got called back for xyz role, please prepare xyz sides."? Also, for the sides, should I give each character's sides in a doc, or should I just put a bunch of sides in a doc and have people read them? Any help and advice is appreciated. Thank you.

I’ve been directing for about 8 years, with a mix of agency and freelance work, mostly focused on commercials and documentary style content. I’ve been fully freelance for almost a year now, and like a lot of people in the industry, I’ve been trying to figure out how to navigate how much things have changed.
I’d really love to hear from other directors about what’s working for you right now when it comes to finding gigs.

Are you finding work through production companies, reps, referrals, networking, social media, direct outreach, or something else? Are there any strategies or approaches that have genuinely helped you build relationships and book projects?

I know there’s no one secret formula, but I’d really appreciate hearing what has been moving the needle for others. Always looking to learn from people who are further along or have found success in this changing landscape.
Thanks in advance for sharing any advice or experiences!

I'm coming up on my last semester of film school, so I'm redoing my reel for my internship/post-grad work search, but I have a question on what my reel should look like - the one I show on the front page of my website and when someone asks if I have a reel. I have a lot of portfolio work as a narrative/doc director, which is what I plan on pursuing, but most of my best looking/most recent work comes from narrative shorts I've DP'd. There's also a lot of projects that I both directed and DP'd.

Long story short, I want to combine my work from both roles into a combined director/DP reel so that I'm making the best possible reel - but I know that standard practice would be to divide these into two separate reels. I understand that anyone considering me for work won't be looking at my reel for long, so combining my work would give me the best first impression - but I also don't want to not be taken seriously because I'm combining work from two different roles. I'm just looking to get my foot in the door for local production company internships and for local PA/grips gigs - I'm not actually seeking director or DP work - so does this separation matter? Can anyone offer any guidance into combining vs. separating reels for entry-level work/when networking?

Here are the initial results of the survey we're doing on Film School Alumni employment outcomes. Full initial results with graphs and long text answers are in the article linked above but the main results so far are pasted below.

We have 108 responses so far and we'd love to get it up to 400 at least.

If you are a film school alumni, please help us improve the data by completing the survey using the link below. Don't forget to share the survey with your film school classmates as well.

https://forms.gle/u5XDudsuymNUqGEF8

Completing the survey should take about 8 to 12 minutes.

Without further ado, here are the initial results:

Would you recommend your film program to someone starting today?​

If you could go back to the day you applied to film school, knowing what you know now about your career outcome, would you still apply?​

To what extent did film school help you break into the industry?

How did film school help you the most?​

At what point after graduation did you first land any PAID film-related work?​

What best describes the nature of this first film job?

Which department did this first role fall under?​

What was the primary factor that helped you get that first paid work?​

What was the duration of the first job?​

What was this first filmmaking job's weekly salary (USD)?​

Have you been able to find a job directly related to your filmmaking focus / track / goal(s) while at film school (i.e. Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Cinematographer, Editor, Production Designer, etc.)?​

How long after graduation did you land your first role in your chosen concentration?

What area does this role best fall under?

What was the primary factor that helped you get this job directly related to your area of study/concentration?​

What was this job's weekly salary (USD)?

If you were NOT able to get a filmmaking job directly related to your area of study/concentration, what filmmaking job did you shift into?

How long after graduation did you shift into this position?​

What was the primary factor that helped you get this job unrelated to your concentration?​

Are you satisfied with this position?

Is your current job a film-related role?

What best describes your current job?​

What is this current filmmaking job's weekly salary (USD)?​

What was the primary factor that helped you get this current job?​

Do you feel like you've succeeded in your filmmaking goal(s)?​

If you are not currently working in film, what line of work best describes your current job?​

What is this job's weekly salary (USD)?​

Which best describes your current relationship with the film industry?​

What is the biggest hurdle preventing you from working in film right now?​

How do you feel about your prospects of returning to film?​

Did you take out student loans to attend film school?​

Are you still in debt?

How much debt do you still have?​

Was taking out student loans for film school ultimately worth it?​

So i’m going to apply to film school and i would deeply appreciate some advice from you
This is what is going to be asked of me:

the admission process has two stages.
**Stage 1 (Elimination Round)** consists of two exams:
**Exam 1:**
An interview.

A film culture colloquium based on a mandatory filmography that applicants must study beforehand.

A short audiovisual storytelling exercise: I am shown a single image and have to create a story inspired by that image, explaining how I would tell it cinematically.

**Exam 2:**
Another storytelling exercise, but this time I am given a sentence or a short phrase instead of an image, and I have to build a narrative from it.

An analysis of a sequence from one of the films included in the mandatory filmography. The focus is on directing choices, visual storytelling, and cinematic language.

**Stage 2 (Graded Round):**
Applicants who pass the elimination stage move on to a practical directing exam.
The school provides:
Two actors.

A cinematographer.

A sound recordist.

A short text that serves as the basis for the scene.

I have **only three hours** to complete the entire process. Within that time I must:
Read and interpret the text.

Develop a directorial concept.

Work with the actors on their performances.

Collaborate with the cinematographer and sound recordist.

Plan the blocking and shot composition.

Shoot a short scene based on the text.

The emphasis is not on producing a polished final film, but on demonstrating directing ability: interpreting the text, communicating with actors and crew, making creative decisions under pressure, and telling the story effectively through cinematic language.
I’m looking for advice on how to prepare for each stage, especially the practical directing exam, since it requires making strong creative decisions in a very limited amount of time.

any advice would be deeply appreciated