Three West

25. September 2008

Documentary Filmmaking In 10 Steps

This past spring I flew to Florida from New York to film my latest two documentaries, Our Side of Joy and Charise: A Portrait of an African American with Albinism. I’d filmed my first documentary back in 2002 but I was very new to filmmaking at the time. That doc turned out pretty good but [...]

29. November 2009

0 Comments

New Developments on The Creative Front

In light of my ramble about being the filmmaker I want to be, I have been taking it upon myself to be a more active filmmaker. At 1am the night before Thanks Giving, I made a crazy impulsive decision to drive to Plymouth, MA for the National Day Of Mourning gathering near Plymouth Rock. It [...]

29. November 2009

0 Comments

Being The Filmmaker I Want to Be

This past month has been a real eye opener. Besides reinforcing my realization that I need to start hiring editors for my projects, it has lead me to think a little more carefully about being the filmmaker I want to be instead of going with the “norm” when it may not be the best for [...]

17. October 2009

0 Comments

Useful Tools For Independent Filmmakers

Becoming a filmmaker is a big step that requires you to use and have access to many resources in order to not only make the best films you can but to handle all tasks not related to a specific film project. There is a lot more to making films than just the movies themselves. I [...]

11. October 2009

0 Comments

So Much To Do – Moving & Refining Life Goals

It’s been a little longer than I would have liked since my last blog post but I still really enjoy having this outlet to share my thoughts and creative experiences. However, sometimes there is just too much going on in life to sit down and take time to write. But the more wonderful and supportive [...]

13. July 2009

0 Comments

Tampa Bound – More Shooting for Our Side of Joy

Well, I had to make a very difficult decision to shoot more footage for my documentary “Our Side of Joy”. After having returned from an excellent workshop on documentary story structure given by Fernanda Rossi, I knew I was going to have to do more shooting. The best thing is that the workshop was so excellent [...]

8. May 2009

0 Comments

Going Mobile – Portable Filmmaking

So, I’m planning another trip out of the country and the fist thing that came to mind was how heavy my bags and gear were on my last trip. After my last trip, I’d already decided that I absolutely had to travel lighter on future international excursions. I have always made an effort to travel light [...]

7. May 2009

0 Comments

Tips for Authors, Acting Talent & Film Crew: Why No One Responds

I never thought I would need to write an article of this nature, however, due to the overwhelming flood of snore inducing e-mails from readers hoping for publishing deals or to obtain acting and/or film crew jobs, I feel I must offer some advice. I’m not exactly sure what is being taught in school these days [...]

16. February 2009

0 Comments

Two Hours or Less – Almost There

I’m just about finished getting Our Side Of Joy down to two hours or less. It’s still a very tough process. It feels as if this film is really two complete films in one and most likely that’s pretty much what it is. It has caused me to think about my documentary career. Before [...]

22. January 2009

0 Comments

Do It Yourself LCD Production Monitor: Part 4

I’m back to share with you all that has happened since Part 3 of this project. *Smile* Several things… First, I received the 26″ HDTV and realized it was enormous. Then I opened it up and realized it was scary. Then I fixed it for $21.99. *Insert Diabolical Laugh Here* The 26″ HDTV did indeed [...]

9. January 2009

0 Comments

Do It Yourself LCD Production Monitor: Part 3

There have been a few new and exciting developments in my quest to create my own production monitor. First, I have to say up front that it is cheaper to buy a broken LCD TV (with a good LCD panel and controller board) and fix it, than it is to try to use a laptop [...]

See more articles in the archive