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
The $47 Light That Saved My Shoot Last month I was filming B-roll for a client project in this tiny coffee shop. Natural light? Gone by 3 PM. Budget for rentals? Also gone. I pulled out the Godox RGB Mini from my bag—cost me around $90—and stuck it behind a potted plant. Suddenly the whole … Read more
An iPhone Just Beat My $3,000 DSLR (And I’m Not Even Mad) I shot a back-alley scene last month. One practical bulb, no fill, just vibes and prayers. I used two cameras: my iPhone 16 Pro and a Canon EOS R5 Mark II that costs more than my first car. The iPhone won. Cleaner shadows. … Read more
My Nephew’s $1,200 Mistake (And How You Can Avoid It) Last year I watched my nephew walk into Best Buy with his savings and walk out with a $1,200 camera kit. The salesperson convinced him it would transform him into a professional photographer. Three months later, that camera collected dust in his closet while he … Read more
Location managers keep film sets running I remember standing in a muddy field outside Victoria, camera crew waiting, talent shivering in costume, and absolutely zero permission to be there. We thought we’d just “shoot quick and leave.” Bad idea. A local farmer showed up, threatened to call the cops, and we scrambled. That disaster could’ve … Read more
Sony ZV-E10 Review 2026: Still Worth It Over the Mark II? I bought my ZV-E10 in summer 2022, back when it was Sony’s newest vlogging camera and the Mark II didn’t exist yet. Fast forward to January 2026, and everyone keeps asking me the same question: “Should I just save up for the ZV-E10 II … Read more
When the Slider Shot Almost Cost Me the Location Picture this: 2 AM on the set of “Blood Buddies,” and we’re racing against a location permit that expires at sunrise. I needed one establishing slider shot to tie the entire opening sequence together. Simple dolly-in to reveal the abandoned hospital room where our characters wake … Read more
The Day I Finally Got It Take 28. My DP hadn’t spoken to me in an hour. The actress was visibly exhausted, her eye makeup smudged from actual frustration tears. We’d been on this single dolly shot for “Going Home” for three hours. Just a woman walking through a doorway. Simple. Except it wasn’t. Take … Read more
The Casting Session That Changed How I See Everything Twelve actors showed up for the lead role in “In The End.” Three of them were in their 50s. The rest were 20-somethings with theater degrees, headshots from expensive photographers, and agents who’d submitted them. The role? A daughter dealing with her mother’s death. Complex emotional … Read more
I Almost Quit YouTube After Three Months With Just 47 Subscribers Here’s the thing nobody tells you about starting a YouTube channel: the first 90 days are brutal. When I launched my channel to showcase the short films I’d been making—projects like “Going Home” and “Married & Isolated“—I thought people would just… find it. I … Read more