What Does a Key Grip Do?
Key Grip Defined The key grip is the head of the grip department and supervises all of the grips on a film shoot. If the film production is a feature film, the key grip usually has a second person to assist them in managing the grips, called the “best boy” or “best girl” who make […]
How to Become a Filmmaker?
How to Become a Filmmaker? Where do I start? The term “filmmaker” means different things to different people. To some it means anyone who works on a film in any capacity. To others, including the Film Connection, a filmmaker is one who writes, directs, and even produces, shoots and edits their films. They are the […]
How to be a Screenwriter
1 – Watch Great Movies If you want to learn how to be a screenwriter, one of the very best things you can do to start learning and imbibing screenplay structure is by watching lots and lots of great movies. Now, even if your personal preference is for obscure avant garde films, horror movies, or […]
How to Start a Film Production Company
A film production company is responsible for nearly every aspect of the movie-making process. Once a movie has been given the green light, the production house goes to work. For smaller companies – or even individuals – getting the most out of a shoestring budget is paramount. If you want to start a film production […]
Original Movie Ideas: Is my idea good enough to be a movie?
(Updated Sept. 13, 2022) It’s been said, most recently by Christopher Booker, that there are just seven basic plotlines in all of the storytelling. Booker’s book, The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories, was written in 2004 – an exploit that reportedly took him 34 years to write! To put that in perspective, the […]
What do Movie Production Companies do?
Usually operating under the umbrella of a major studio like 20th Century Fox, either as a sister company, subsidiary, or division, production companies are responsible for getting movies made. Production houses are tasked with securing finances for a feature film as well as scripting, casting, and even the marketing of a film. For the larger […]
A Day in the Life of a Screenwriter
We recently asked longtime Film Connection mentor Ron Osborn (Meet Joe Black, Moonlighting, Duckman, The West Wing) to tell us a bit more about how he manages his day-to-day life as a screenwriter. What the seven-time-Emmy-nominee sent back was nothing short of spectacular (and funny), so we’ve included Ron’s response here in its entirety. Pay […]
Film Connection apprentice Ron Reid learns the shared expression of filmmaking
Some forms of artistic expression are very solitary and personal—for example, an artist painting on a canvas usually paints alone. But film is a special art form that relies on the collaboration of many creative people—and perhaps that’s what drew Ron Reid to a filmmaking career. “I served as a U.S. Army officer for eight […]
Filmmaking: Why Smaller and Intimate Can Be Better
Today’s average Hollywood feature film has a budget that’s north of $100 million dollars. Not only is that a daunting figure, but it pretty much means that unless you have a proven track record in the industry, you’re not going to have that kind of budget to work on your film. Instead of looking at this […]
Roundtable with Film Connection mentors Daniel Lir and Bayou Bennett
Providing great, real-world education, opportunities, and support is something we take very seriously at RRFC. In order to ensure we continually set our students and mentors up for success, we recently started having bi-monthly meetings in which RRFC mentors come into our “headquarters” in Los Angeles for a roundtable conversation with our Admissions and Academic […]
FILM CONNECTION STUDENT STEVEN DELEONARDIS WORKS HIMSELF INTO PAID GIGS FOR HIS MENTOR’S STUDIO
It took very little time for Film Connection student Steven Deleonardis to begin to feel part of the community at EQ Studios in San Diego, where he has been externing under Film Connection mentor Hector Ramos. “It’s really laid back, everyone there,” he says. “All the guys there are really helpful. They know a lot about lighting, […]
FILM CONNECTION GRAD MARK DOSTER WINS AN ACCOLADE AWARD, PURSUES FEATURE FILM!
“[Alfred Hitchcock said], ‘It’s not in the bang, but the anticipation of the bang,’” says Film Connection graduate Mark Doster. “People don’t really get that anymore, and I want to, try to bring that back. I don’t like jump scares. Instead of having a clown pop in front of my face, I would love to […]
