The Take That Made Her Cry Alyssa had never acted before. Not in high school plays, college improv, anywhere. Yet here she was on the set of Going Home, supposed to cry on camera after reading shocking news from a letter She was terrified. First take: nothing. She apologized. Second take: forced grimace. More apologies. … Read more
The Day Everything Almost Fell Apart Picture this: Day three of shooting “Going Home.” My lead actress needs to cry—not just tear up, but full-on emotional breakdown. I’m standing there like an idiot saying “be sadder” while she stares at me like I’ve lost my mind. Because I had. That’s what happens when you don’t … Read more
The $20,000 Grant That Almost Didn’t Happen Austin Film Festival, 2018. I’m standing in front of three judges, pitching a concept I’ve lived with for months. The story is solid. The vision is clear. I finish strong. One judge looks at me like I just explained quantum physics in Klingon. “I don’t get it,” he … Read more
Answer First Section: Filmmaking Budgeting Strategies (2026 Summary): Successful film budgeting in 2026 focuses on “Operational Precision.” Key strategies include allocating 30-35% of funds to Above-the-Line (creative) costs and 45-60% to Below-the-Line (technical/logistics). Modern filmmakers utilize AI-assisted scheduling to reduce shoot days and maintain a strictly protected 10-15% contingency fund for unexpected costs like equipment … Read more
The Footage I Lost in Victoria (And What It Taught Me About Travel) Three years back, I’m standing in Victoria, BC with my Sony and a dead backup drive. The entire first week of footage—gone. Not corrupted. Just… gone. I’d been so focused on getting the perfect shots of the Inner Harbour at golden hour … Read more
Three Views After Two Weeks I’ll never forget uploading “Going Home” to YouTube in 2024. Spent six months making the film. Three views after two weeks. Two of those were me checking if it actually uploaded correctly. The third view? My mom. The problem wasn’t the film. It was pretty solid for what it was. … Read more
The Day AI Saved My Shoot (And My Sanity) A few years ago, I was three days from shooting “Dead Space Between Us” when my location scout bailed. No notice. Just gone. I had a skeleton crew, a $2,000 budget, and exactly zero backup locations that matched the dystopian aesthetic we needed. Normally, this is … Read more
The Shot That Changed Everything Three years ago, I was shooting “Going Home” in a cramped Victoria apartment. The scene: our lead actress discovers the final letter from her high school friend’s mother. We’d planned a wide shot showing the entire room, the letter, her hands trembling. But something felt off. My DP looked at … Read more
The Moment I Knew Post-Production Was Going to Hurt March 2019. We’d just wrapped “Going Home” after 12 brutal days of shooting. The crew was celebrating, actors were hugging goodbye, and I was sitting in my car with five hard drives full of footage. 47 hours of raw material. For a 14-minute short film. I … Read more
How to Run a Film Festival: What Nobody Tells You About Running One The first year I became president of CineVic Society of Independent Filmmakers, I thought I understood film festivals. I’d submitted to dozens. My short “Going Home” played at SOHO International in New York. I’d attended screenings, networked at parties, watched other filmmakers … Read more