How to Make Your First Short Film: What I Wish I Knew Before I Started My first short film was supposed to be a 10-minute Christmas comedy. It ended up being a 48-hour sprint through script rewrites, last-minute prop changes, and enough caffeine to power a small city. We shot “Noelle’s Package” in one frantic … Read more
The 2 AM Reality Check Wrapped Maid at 1:47 AM. Crew gone. Gear packed. Body wrecked. I sat in my car, staring at my gym membership card on the dashboard. Hadn’t used it in three months. Paying $68/month to not work out. That’s when it hit me: I wasn’t avoiding fitness. I was avoiding the … Read more
The Terminal C Panic That Taught Me Everything Toronto Airport. 5:47 a.m. I’m speed-walking through Terminal 1 with two Pelican 1510 cases—one stuffed with $22,000 in camera bodies and lenses, the other packed with batteries, monitors, and hard drives containing the only existing footage from our “Going Home” shoot. Gate closes in 11 minutes. My … Read more
Introduction: Choose the Right Computer for Video Editing Every filmmaker knows the feeling. You’ve just wrapped a shoot, you’re excited to dive into the edit, and then your computer starts chugging along like it’s climbing Mount Everest in flip-flops. The timeline stutters, previews freeze, and what should be a creative process turns into a frustrating … Read more
Introduction: Why Your Screenplay Sucks You’ve spent months crafting your screenplay. You’ve rewritten scenes until your eyes bled. You’ve poured your heart into every line of dialogue, every character arc, every twist. And then you send it out into the world with nervous excitement, imagining the call that’s going to change your life. Instead? Crickets. … Read more
Introduction: Seattle Filmmaker’s Walking Tour Look, I’ll be honest with you. As someone who’s made the trek from Victoria to Seattle more times than I can count (thank you, Mariners, Seahawks, and Kraken for draining my wallet), I’ve learned that this city is an absolute goldmine for content creators and filmmakers. Whether you’re vlogging your … Read more
YouTube Video Lighting for Beginners: What Actually Works (From Someone Who’s Lit 50+ Shoots) I screwed up the lighting on my first short film so badly that my lead actor looked like a ghost having an existential crisis in a poorly lit bathroom. We shot “Going Home” on a $2000 budget. I thought natural window … Read more
The $47 Film That Changed Everything I’ll never forget standing in that Victoria alleyway at 2 AM, filming a homeless character for “Going Home” with a crew of eight people who believed in a story more than a paycheck. We had $2,000. An airport that gave us four hours. And a script about a hearing-impaired … Read more
Why Choose a Mirrorless Vlogging Camera? I learned the hard way that your camera matters more than your ego. Three years ago, I showed up at the Soho International Film Festival with “Going Home“—a short film I’d shot mostly on mirrorless cameras, mixing footage from a borrowed Blackmagic Pocket with some Fujifilm X-series work. Sold-out … Read more
Nutrition for Long Shoots: Fueling Your Creative Stamina Long shoots—whether on a bustling city set or a remote wilderness location—demand physical and mental endurance from filmmakers. Hauling gear, framing shots, and directing talent can drain you, especially when hours stretch into double digits. A solid nutrition plan is your secret weapon to stay sharp and … Read more