Daniel Grzeskowiak: Actor, cinematographer and director in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

noise-cancelling is very critical if one is to do serious sound / audio monitoring with the intent of hearing what actually is going on to the audio-track It would seem good equipment vendors would have an ambient-cancelling feature available though ↑do not↑ rely on it for feature-critical work, and expect even then some of it will have to be fixed in post ~ but that is what they get paid to do. Very remarkable ambient-noise / background competing sounds can be removed with audio-processing in the audio-pickup but since I am not employed at a major I cannot provide useful report. When I spoke on a stage at U. Texas at a film-meeting much to my surprise a completely normal looking microphone picked up my voice so well that I had to hold it at the waist to avoid over-driving the speakers, so it can be done and would seem major vendors would have it as stock item.

I've only tried a pair (ages ago) once on a noisy flight, but never for a gig. If the headphones are within of "earshot" of the dialogue you're trying to capture, would they subtract/cancel those frequencies from their output along with any external environmental noise?

I can think of a few things you need to do. First, know how much money you need. Second, make sure they actually give you the money. Projects are not made with promisory notes. Third, watch your spending or you may find yourself with an incomplete project.

Well Daniel, the issue about color grading is that you try to avoid grading on a smaller format. Most colorist would not want to grade on anything less than Prores HQ. For me, I go a step down to Prores and that is only provided that the footage is not going to be graded heavily. For the color profile method to work, yes it is possible. For Premiere, I think you can get the colorist to send a Lumentri preset back to you and this should include the primary grade and the secondaries. SHOULD BE...I have not tried this out but it should work. So the colorist have to grade in speedgrade or premiere itself and then send you the project file with the effects so that you can copy onto your timeline. I know that if you edit in Avid and grade on baselight, all the grades can be transferred easily using the Baselight plugin in Avid and the aaf. It's very cool. I have used Baselight, Scratch and Resolve, sadly not speedgrade so I can't advise in depth to it. If you want to test the remote workflow, I would be happy to do a test with you. Send one or two files over and I can send you a Lumentri preset, CDL or LUT. Eric.

I checked out the Moavi converter. Sadly it does not transcode to a codec that is good to grade on.

check out theamproduction.com

Thanks Lynn, I've taken advantage of Vimeo and Distribber. I wish I would have known about Tugg.com when we finished the film, but might look into doing a few theatrical releases through them and see if we can build interest. Would love to find a traditional deal for VOD, hopefully the next film will have a better marketing budget to help with that.

Hi Daniel! I am about to launch a similar campaign and I too am interested in distribution. Welcome to Stage 32!

True, I could see that working against some of the actors auditions.

As an actor, I would say a few days is more than enough. That way, everyone knows that there's work to be done, and the the actor can be better molded to how the director wants to portray his vision.

If I got sides a month ahead I would probably work them then forget about it until the night before. Unless it's something I was really excited about, life would get in the way. You also run the risk of some actors bombarding you with questions (I had that problem and didn't even use sides for my audition!) I agree with the recommendation of a week or less.

Will be looking for funding for my first film soon too - putting the cast together right now. Have you seen www.slated.com? Apparently some films get funded from there. Have a feeling you get more attention once you've done your trailer, which I haven't yet. Good luck!

Talya, there's a free seminar on film fundraising this Thursday night @ 7 pm (Pacific time) FREE CONFERENCE CALL: Raising Money From Investors & Other Funding Options Film Funding Club with Nancy Fulton Thursday, September 10, 2015, 7:00 PM Free Dial In #s 310-626-1864 or 323-452-6900 Limit 200 People. No Pin Required. Call Starts at 7pm. If one number doesn't work, call the other. Los Angeles, CA In addition, have you checked the many Stage32 webinars on this topic? I've used many different ways to raise financing, including investors, banks, and distributors. This list assumes you already have a great Business Plan to start with. 1) First, make sure your script is rock solid, reviewed ahead of time by potential distribs/sales agents. 2) Get at least one "name" actor lined up, even if for only for a minor role, who has clout with distribs and sales agents, both foreign and domestic. Use imdbpro first to check their latest starpower rating. Many will work for as little as $1000 per day if they like the project/script. Offer them a share in the film's profits (2% to 5%) if necessary, overseen by a professional company such as Freeway Entertainment, to get them onboard. Without name actors you CANNOT assure investors of recouping. It's a MUST! 3) Have some "skin in the game", either money of your own or deferred pay until breakeven or something similar. Both investors & distribs feel more confident putting money into your project if you show you're also "on the hook". It also helps if you show other key players on your team are working for minimal pay, such as $100 per day plus small percentages of profits. 4) If you don't have an impressive track record of your own, make sure you have people on your crew who DO have great track records. That impresses investors/distribs. 5) When you have just enough to start shooting, shoot one or two key scenes with "name" players. Then take clips of those scenes and show them to potential investors or distribs or feature them in your crowdfunding campaign. It reassures investors or distribs or crowdfunding donors that your project is high quality, already "on the move", and worth their jumping aboard with the rest of the necessary financing. Hope this helps some and gives you ideas. Erik

You have to make a business plan, approach business people, friends, etc... Anyone who you think it won't hurt them financially to invest in your movie. Give them the business plan and pitch your project. It takes a lot of time and work... Days, weeks, years... But you definitely need a business plan.

I can't speak to crowdfunding, but Stage 32 just launched it's Periscope to HUGE success: https://www.stage32.com/blog/Stage-32-Takes-You-Backstage-Before-On-Stag...

Alex, I see you're from Omaha. Do you know of any writing groups in town that might accept a new amateur scriptwriter?

I don't know of any groups, but I'll see what I can find out.