I was asked a question recently while eating lunch at the E Squared Cafe.  "How in the world do you find the time to work, spend time with your family, and make films?"  That is a very good question.  I have a day job, my own video production business, a family, and then this passion for filmmaking that seems to keep me from ever being bored.   Sometimes I'm not sure where all the time comes from (or where it goes), but I do my best to keep track of it.

Tools

I need to use some tools to keep me on track.  The old memory just isn't what it used to be.  I have tried tons of task management, or "to do" programs, ranging from really simple to having many features.  ToDo, Toodledo, Awesome Note, and Remember the Milk are just a few.  For one reason or another, I would quit using the programs and go back to just using my Mac's iCal. One of my big issues had always been syncing everything between home, work, and my ipod touch.  This should be easy.  It should just work.  Perhaps it's one of those "you need to be smarter than the equipment" type of things.  Lately, I've been using google calendar, and I really like it.  I can put in tasks, and, no matter what computer I use, it's always there and up to date.

Plan the Obvious

I'm going to write for a while today.  Do I really need to put that on my list?  Why, yes. Yes, I do.  I know it's not like a meeting or something with a specific time, but it should be.  I need to put a specific time on it, or it might not get done.  There are many things that I could be doing with my day, and, if I don't put on my list that I will be writing from 7-8, what's to stop me from doing something else?  I can get involved in a project, and the blinders go on.  Without setting aside time to do some of the basic things, I might get unbalanced and start ignoring what's really important.  This may sound really stupid, but I specifically set aside time to spend with my kids.  They are important to me.  Why shouldn't I give them at least the same respect I give someone I have a lunch meeting with?  But if I have time set aside to do certain tasks, what happens if something pops up, you know, surprise-style?


Plan Spontaneity

Can you really plan to be spontaneous?  I think so.  For starters, I try not to jam too many tasks into one day.  I realize that it can't always be helped, but ,for the most part, you don't have to be 100 mph all the time.  This does two things for me.  One, it's nice to get to the end of the day and know that you were able to finish everything you were hoping to accomplish.  I don't care who you are - that's a good feeling.  And two, (here's the spontaneous part) if I don't have my entire day mapped out, it leaves time for those things that just "pop up."  I can go outside and play with the kids, work on a new idea, work on the what I feel artistically pulled to at the moment, or even just sit back and listen to the latest episode of Film Courage (@FilmCourage).

I may be busy, but I'm living a life.  I also know I'm not the only one who has to tackle these time issues.  How do you do it?

The Man. The Myth. The Legend.  Here it is.  The one you've all been waiting for.... I think.

Watch out!

Today's Video Blog features Tilt writer Julie Keck.

Here is a video blog Phil did after watching the Oscars. Yes, he's all into it. So go ahead and watch the sleep deprived ramblings of an Oscar nut.

By Jeremy Doyle

What an exciting time to be a filmmaker!  Sure, it's a tough time as far as funding and distribution go, but, as a cinematographer, I can't help but be excited by all of the great toys, all of the great options for shooting.  Equipment prices continue to fall, and it's easier and easier to obtain the tools of the trade.

I have a confession to make: I am a geek.  A tech geek, to be exact.  As a result, I'm always trying to figure out the latest trends and what's coming around the corner.  I scour the rumor pages, I follow the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) announcements, I look to see what's new at CES (Consumer Electronic Show), and I even check out Reduser from time to time.  If you follow the Red phenomenon, then you understand how rumors and speculation can create a market all of its own.

Before we talk equipment for TILT, I have one more confession: I've never worked with film.  All of my experience is with video or digital acquisition.  Certainly, in the overall scheme of things, film is far from dead, but I personally don't believe it has much of a place in indie film.  Unless you have a thorough storyboard with no plans of ever straying, for me it's too cost prohibitive.  In my humble opinion, because digital acquisition is so good now, if you have a budget that would include film costs, the money would be better spent on practical FX, post, casting, or personnel...even catering.  Like I said, I've never worked with film before so maybe I'm way off base.  Have an opinion? Please share it.

So - TILT equipment. Let's take a quick look at equipment options past, shall we? 
    •    Had we begun shooting in the early 2000's, we would have gone with the Panasonic DVX100;
    •    5 years ago, we would have used HDCAM. (I only say this because I have access to cameras; otherwise it's a relatively expensive acquisition format for this discussion and could blow a budget fast, especially when you have no budget);
    •    Four years ago, probably some sort of HDV camera;
    •    Three years ago, a P2 or a XDCAM camera ;
    •    Two years ago, ANY of those options coupled with a DOF adapter;
    •    Last year (ooo, we're getting closer), the dream camera would have been the RED ONE; 
    •    And now, in 2010, we have ALL OF THESE OPTIONS, plus HD-DSLR.  Nice.

Let me say it again: NOW IS AN EXCITING TIME TO BE A FILMMAKER!

So how do we start?  The acquisition is the first step in the workflow, but to figure out the workflow we need to know the final destination.  What is our final output going to be?  DVD? The net? Film out?  Blu-Ray?  These are all questions that need to be answered before we begin shooting.

The next part we'll need to figure out is what were are going to use for post tools.  AVID?  Final Cut?  Premiere?  Media 100?  Again, each offers a different workflow and treat each of the acquisition formats differently.

OK, so I'm bringing up a lot of questions and not many answers.  Guess we still have a lot to discuss, and we could use your help.
    1.    If you were (or are) shooting a movie right now, what would you use? 
    2.    What do you prefer to use in post? 
    3.    Good experiences?
    4.    Bad ones? 

Thanks in advance.  We're all ears…

by Julie Keck & Jessica King

What’s the TILT / Twitter connection? TILT was initially conceived 5 years ago by Phil Holbrook in a dream (see where the magic happened here), but it was actually born this winter on Twitter. A sterile environment? Not exactly. More like a petri dish where lots of wonderful things can thrive, as well as some grody ones. We hope that in the end our experiment in feature film ends up resembling penicillin more than streptococcus.

So what exactly happened on Twitter? We joined Twitter late in the summer of 2009. Soon after, we bumped into Phil. We can’t remember exactly how we all hooked up, although we suspect it had something to do with either Gary King, Film Snobbery Live or both. What we know for sure is that we were instantly tickled by Phil’s humorous and intelligent tweets as well as his genuine interest in what we were doing. (Never forget: flattery will get you everywhere, and this applies to getting people to follow you and share helpful hints on Twitter.)

As a result of our positive Twitter interactions, Phil checked out our work; we checked out his. Eventually we submitted some shorts to his film festival (EgoFest), and then we made plans to meet each other face-to-face. Later, once we started discussing TILT, we were introduced to Phil’s longtime friend and collaborator Jeremy Doyle. And the Tilt team was complete.

Can you really know what someone’s like by their Twitter demeanor? I’m sure there are some cases in which someone’s real life personality is different from their Twitter persona, but, in Phil’s case, the carpet matched the drapes. Er...that’s not quite the right metaphor. What we mean is that when we finally met Phil in person, he was just as funny, smart, and charismatic as his Twitterfeed had led us to believe. No bad blind date stories here.

Do we expect that most folks who seem fun and supportive on Twitter to be fun and supportive in real life? Our experience points to yes. Maybe there’s something intrinsically kind about Twitter. It takes just as much time to type “You rock!” as it does to type “You suck!” And, to our delight, we see WAY more of the former than the latter. Maybe it’s sort of like how it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile...

Does this mean that Twitter always bring the best out in people? Not necessarily. We’ve seen a few negative, ego-driven, downer posts on Twitter, but everyone’s allowed to have bad days. However, when we see that someone we follow is incredibly negative on a regular basis, we unfollow. Why? Because Twitterlife is too short for that sort of bad juju.

What does Twitter have to offer TILT? Lots, we think.

• Encouragement & support: Phil has described the indie film group that we interact with as a family, and we think he’s spot on. Filmmaker Gary King, for example, is the Twitter equivalent of the brother who’ll always let us borrow his car. Multi-hyphenate Tyler Weaver and filmmaker Travis Legge are the fun cousins who’ll bail us out of jail without any questions. Producer Maria Lokken and marketing and publicity consultant Sheri Candler will undoubtedly be the sensible aunts who’ll slap some sense into us if they see us fall in with the wrong crowd. Writers Jeanne V. Bowerman and Karen Quah are the cool sisters who’ll tell us about the birds and the bees (the REAL story). And our New York / New Jersey crew - Eren Gulfidan, John Trigonis, Marinell Montales, Matt Shea, Jerry Cavallero, Kim Garland, Alain Aguilar, Raffi Asdourian, and more - well, they’ll probably come to crash on the TILT couch and raid the TILT fridge, but they’ll make us laugh the whole time to earn their keep. These are just a few of our valued Twitter friends, people who make our Twitter lives (and our real lives) more rich. When we have questions about time management, contracts, how to find agents, etc, everyone has an opinion - a valuable opinion. And when we hit low points where we doubt our trajectory or talent, they boost us up and remind us of what we’ve accomplished so far.

• Honest feedback: Just because our Twitter friends support us does not mean that they blow sunshine up our hoo-has. None of us on the TILT team wants empty compliments. We want to interact people who will push us, challenge us, and help us make the best decisions (and films) we can.

• Examples of what to do on Twitter: We’re lucky to follow many hardworking indie filmmakers at various stages of their production, marketing, and distribution journeys. Many help us by sharing their mistakes and successes. Some share helpful articles. Some just share their dreams and ideas about of they hope to do someday. All inspire us.

• Examples of what not to do: Sometimes we come across people who promote their wares in ways that feel unsavory to us. This includes people who use Twitter only to promote their movies or to ask for money as well as people who ceaselessly naysay or criticize other people’s ideas. We take note, learn lessons, and move on.

Ultimately, TILT owes a lot to Twitter. It brought our team together, taught us how to move forward with our feature project, and, hopefully, will help us build an audience that will make it a success.