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This group of drummers were so good. I really enjoyed watching them so their stuff. I am off to the music shop to get a drumkit.

Zak Forsman originally from Pittsburgh but now in Los Angeles, the director of the movie 'I Fucking Hate You' talks about making movies. That movie despite the title is in fact a love story and I enjoyed watching it the actors were really good and natural for the part they were playing. Zak Forsman is an American independent filmmaker whose emotionally-charged work is known for highly authentic performances and beautiful compositions. His work has been praised by Ain’t It Cool News as “Brilliant” and “Absolutely Gorgeous.” His stories depict compelling human threads in a poetic and minimalist style. Zak has directed two shorts films, “I Fucking Hate You” and “Model/Photographer” which have won several international audience, jury and festival awards. He is currently developing two new features for production in 2010 and 2011 and serves as editor of the New Breed blog at The Workbook Project. His wish is simply to provide a safe environment for the actors to explore the hopes, longing and loneliness of their characters in an effort to capture their humanity truthfully, and without judgement. Considering himself less a director and more of an interpreter, Zak nurtures a family-like atmosphere on set through guided improvisation and radical collaboration to elevate each artist’s creative contribution to the project. The hope is to realize an understanding of the film that could not have been discovered alone. Further, for the stories to resonate in very real and unexpected ways with an audience starved for meaning in their motion pictures. FILMOGRAPHY I Fucking Hate You (2009) Heart of Now (2010) Eloquent Graffiti (2011) Sabi Pictures is his production company which he founded with his friend Kevin. He likes a high level of collaboration in his movies. Zak explains that he like to let the actors improvise  as the make the movie. We also discuss what got him into movies and how he got to discover film makers such as Tarkovsky after being into war type movies inspired by movies like Platoon. Zak is always itching to get the camera working on set filming something. Planing to write two screen plays in 2010. He will be working with people involved with Sabi Pictures. He uses the SAG ultra low budget (Screen Actors Guild) agreement to determine the money spent on his movies. Zak told me about the way he likes to use the casting process, letting the actor play off each other and see how the work together and how they can take direction . Video20Q News In my ramble at the start I talk about going to Girona and shooting video in a squat inhabited by some hippy types. They invited me in to see the graffiti they had in there place. This morning I got my Shure SM58 microphone which I connected to the Canon Vixia HF100 via a converter cable going from XLR to 3.5mm jack. Works a treat and I am pleased that I will be able to get better audio with my shooting video. It will do until I can get a wireless lavalier mic. Although I do have a clip mic I can use with my Zoom H2 audio recorder. I comment on a couple of cameras that I would like to try out. A JVC HM100 and the Sony NX5 which is only just becoming available now.

Tyler Weaver Movie maker, was introduced to movies by his Grandad. He would go out and rent movies that he thought the young Tyler should see. Tyler has a music background and has gravitated more to the visual aspect of the film making art. Tyler has been working for a non profit organisation and has produced some movies for them. There is 'Il Mio Canto Libero' in  which there is some totally enchanting music that just swept me away. Means something like 'Its my song of freedom' then there is Gather 'Round the Mic' which is broken up into parts and available on Vimeo. For more than 10 hours on a sultry Cleveland night, in a bar roughly the size of a small two-bedroom apartment and on a "stage" cordoned off by tables and place marked with an Oriental rug, musicians from all over the world played and sang their hearts out. Tyler also likes to produce movies using vintage footage and this can be seen in The Fourteen Minute Gap and also in 'Il Mio Canto Libero' The lastest movie that Tyler saw in the Cinema was 'Avatar' - Same for me too. We discuss the 3D quality of the film and agree that Cameron didn't overdo the effect and used it to give more depth rather than have loads of stuff flying out at you. Have a listen to the podcast and you will get the full details on our chat about movie making. Of course Tyler is a FinalCut Pro an Mac user too. Good man. If you would like to hear the podcast without any advertising then sign up for the news letter and this interview is available along with other interviews of  film makers and some Mac users. If you don't want to miss any episodes of Video20Q then go to iTunes and subscribe. You will get the newest podcast automatically as soon as it is published. While you are there in iTunes if you would put a review of the Video20Q show I would really appreciate it because it makes the show more visible so we can get it out to more listeners. Thanks again. If you would like to get this interview in the raw as it were without advertising or preamble sign up for the news letter and you can listen to this one with 3 other movie maker interview and 4 Mac20Q interviews. All without advertising or ramble from me. Give it to me in the RAW

'Libidoland' is the title of their latest movie short and the trailer for it looks like fun. Jessica and Julie told me that they have a weird sense of humour and like to combine that with social comment in their movies. They ask,  why should movies follow the Hollywood trait of having to have a tidy ending or even a tidy story. Life is messy and there is no reason why movies can't reflect some of that and still give a level of entertainment. I would say that you would get a higher level of entertainment if the story makes you think a bit too. Get those brain cells working for a change, while it is good to have a suspension of disbelief while watching a movie it doesn't mean that the thinking processes have to be dormant too. One of these two is a teacher and she challenges here student s to watch movies that are not the usual Hollywood blockbuster to get some critical thinking happening and an open mindedness that will lead to seeing more interesting films. They told me that they are serious about the movie making and look to generate and build upon ideas with a view to being able to sell them on. The shorts are the show reel that lets the movie business know what they are capable of with the writing and the film making. The tasks required to bring it all to fruition are shared between them and they work very much as a team with helpers coming in to ho;d the boom for the mic or take the acting roles. One of them does do a cameo role in the 'Libidoland' Hope you enjoy the interview and please put in a comment at the bottom of the post. I really want to hear back from you. here is the link to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes and while you are there please leave a rating and a review. It all helps to get the word out there and grow the listenership of the podcast. Their website: http://kingisafink.com Twitterfeed: http://twitter.com/kingisafink Email: kingisafink AT gmail DOT com Here is the 'Libidoland' trailer for you ... have a look at their 'Snow Bunny' trailer on YouTube also .

Phil Holbrook goes by the name of Philontilt on Twitter and also has a web site called CreativeJinx. He works in the TV business editing footage and during his free time he makes films. Phil runs a film festival entitled EgoFest Films and will be working hard on that up until February. One of Phil's' films is 'Honest Work' The story of two gas station clerks and how they deal with some semi-ordinary customers. This is one job you'll never forget! Honest Work. This film was shot in Brainerd, MN. The entire cast and crew all reside there as well. The HD version of this film, the movie poster, and the 5 song soundtrack, are all available for FREE download on our website. www.CreativeJinx.com Go to the Honest Work page. more info on this post to come It has got too late now to finish. For now enjoy Phil's work on YouTube and listen to the interview in the podcast.

This interview was conducted for Mac 20 Questions but the guy uses a Sony EX1 to make his video content, in which he interviews people at various shows and trade events, so he is without doubt a candidate for this podcast. He talks about the Directors Guild and Hollywood not really getting New Media and how to make money out of online content. Marcelo is the NewMediaDude an he talks to me about his new media business and about how he creates new media and gets paid for it. As you can see he is shy because he only supplied me with a very small photo of himself, despite being a handsome man. I thought at first that I should pronounce his name in the Italian way but he informed me that the correct way is the Argentinian or possibly French. Aren't we being very international here on Mac20Q. Honestly though I had a great talk with Marcelo and I know you will learn things from what he had to say as well as enjoy the interview. He has a pro camera with the Sony EX1, I know is good because my son who is a professional cameraman has one the same and the guys at Double Edge Films told me that either they would like one of they have one, can't remember which right now. Marcelo Lewin, CEO / Founder As the CEO and founder of Center For New Media Studies and CNMS TV, Marcelo Lewin is in charge of the vision, the day to day operations of the company and building strategic partnerships and alliances. Previously, Marcelo founded and was the CEO of Pixel Heads Network, which was acquired by ProMAX Systems in 2008. Prior to that he founded My Internet Desktop, which was acquired by Internet Appliance Network in 2000. Having worked with a variety of companies, from Walt Disney Imagineering to NBC to Toyota, he is always on the forefront of interactive and new media projects. I have looked at his site and it is certainly impressive and I have signed up to see on of his Webinars later this month. Marcelo was telling that sometimes it is just him working alone like a one man band with his camera, sound gear and the cymbals attached to his knees, a harmonica around his neck and a large drum on his back. That has got to be funny to look at. Seriously though he asks the questions and holds the camera and I can only imagine how difficult that can be trying to control some impressive technology at the same time. Marcelo is a great guy and I really enjoyed talking to him. Here is a movie from DV Expo

These guys are the fanatical producers and directors of Scream Queens Reality TV show and Beauty and the Geek Reality TV show. They are also making a documentary about a friend, Steve Mazan who is a comedian who has cancer and it is called 'Dying to be on Letterman'. They seem to do mostly reality TV shows but also do scripted work. As you will tell from their interview they are totally committed to what they do. As you have to be in a business that takes no prisoners. If someone can get in there before you with your idea but better then you should watch your back. Joke (her real name) and Biagio (Sicilian roots) als talk to me about the technical side of the work and about how they organise themselves using Macs, well they are using Macs to edit with FInal Cut Pro so it make sense to use Macs for everything. They can be found on Twitter and FaceBook. Like many independent producers they are building a following online to get their name and brand out there, and doing it quite successfully it seems. And their brand new Joke and Biagio Facebook page, which has 1 fan: Biagio. Would love to change that! They have  advice to folks that want to break in to showbiz: Become a Hands on Producer. Here's the post Well Joke and Biagio are not the only ones that recommend you just get in there and learn the process by doing it. here they say that making a short TV promo is a great idea for selling the project to the Television networks. maybe not making a full pilot episode unless you want to have the experience of doing it.

The Filmutopia company website, where people can see clips from my movies and Clive has a Filmutopia blog, The blog is  published with a new post every Sunday morning  - European time, which I then discuss with readers on twitter. Here's a little bit of blurb about about Filmutopia : Clive Davies-Frayne is a screenwriter and producer, whose company Filmutopia Ltd develops and produces feature films for cinema. So far, Clive has written and directed half a dozen short films, including one which won a UK Royal Television Society award.. and also two feature films. The first "Punx," never completed due to funding issues... the second "No Place" was made in HD with a $750,000 budget was completed in 2005, but has spent the last four years mired in distribution issues... Filmutopia was founded after "No Place" was completed, when Clive decided to walk away from his previous production company and a nine year business partnership, in order to change dramatically the way his movies were made, in particular the business strategies adopted. Clive admits "Everything I ever learned about how to make movies, I learned by first getting it completely wrong" Filmutopia's latest movie project, "Smoke" is a comedy and is currently in the development phase... the projected budget, €6M. "After making movies the indie way for years and seeing little in return for my efforts, I decided to look at different way to make, finance, market and distribute movies. My passions are movies and the movie business... I don't see the two as contradictions. All I want to do is entertain people and make a profit in the process." Please Leave a comment on this post about the Podcast

In podcast eight from Video20Q I am talking to the vibrant hosts of Film Courage, which you will find at L.A Talk Radio. We had a great conversation about film and movie making and I surely get the impression that these are people to watch out for. Most definitely going places in the movie industry. Writer/Director David Branin grew up near Hartford, Connecticut.   It wasn’t until his college career was almost over that the dream of making a major motion-picture burst into his head. David and three of his closest friends wrote an original screenplay together and moved to Los Angeles in 2000 to pursue their own Hollywood ending. He is the Director/Writer/Producer of Night Before the Wedding and Co-Host of Film Courage. His work has been seen by millions online.  His short films, Shoot-Out and Honey, I’m Home have garnered the most acclaim, having combined to screen in over 40 international film festivals while winning their share of awards. Actress/Spokesperson Karen Worden co-hosts L.A. Talk Radio’s “Film Courage”.  At age 18, Karen drove herself and her belongings to Los Angeles from the San Francisco Bay Area to pursue her acting career.  As many an L.A. transplant will do, Karen worked several odd jobs to pay the rent.  Karen’s had many interesting work experiences which have further flavored her character. Karen’s style is earthy with a slight touch of fire , easygoing, intuitive and direct. In hosting the new Internet radio talk show, “Film Courage,” .  Karen’s in-depth questioning discovers how individuals overcome the naysayers, along with quieting the harshest of critics – oneself!  She questions industry professionals on their fear of success versus fear of failure, overcoming self-sabotage, and developing one’s greatest strengths. Karen’s credits include Honey I’m Home, Road Therapy, Weekend Get Away, Religious Freaks Gone Wild, Mind Over Matter Man, Smoking – The Movie and the latest Night Before the Wedding.  Karen also wrote and starred in a one-woman play showcased at the Space Theatre entitled The Other Woman, as well as being featured in several commercials and print ads.  One of her favorite shoots was working with Richard Simmons on his Sweatin’ to the Oldies series. Indie Film News This is a new bit in the podcast and in this podcast I mention where you will find INK by Double Edge Films showing. I tell of a course available at the Raindance Film festival site in the UK. There are new iMacs out that look really good for editing movies with Final Cut. The top end version with the 27" screen looks great. I want one!

The guest today is Krystal Gault from Ireland and Peter Wobser from Germany who live in the North West of England. They organise CINEMATOPIA which is Preston’s only regular MOVIE NIGHT hosted by the Mad Ferret and Kitsch Monkey Productions Krystal is the Kitsch Monkey. They Screen a weird and wonderful, themed programme of short film, music video, animation and digital media and topped off with a cult feature film, this is surely the most relaxing way to enjoy a beer or two - and it's FREE! Be scintillated! Be dazzled! Be amazed! That's is what you get for having your movie nights in a pub, the films are the free bit and the beer you probably have to pay for. Peter is a lecturer in film and is into all the technical side of the film making and talks to us about cameras and sound equipment. He is a Mac user too so this will be put into Mac20Q also. Seems that is it a great idea to be making films and showing films too. Keep the interest up for film in general and it has to be good for meeting other people interested in film and movies.

Always good to talk to the next generation of filmmaker, musician, writer, artist and see some good things on the horizon. Very pleased to get talking a a guy with bucket loads of enthusiasm for making statement in film and video. Dale O'Keefee is just out of University and is keen to get using his talents with LivingProofFilms. He got himself a camera with the student loan and he reckons it has given him more fun than the alternative for the student funds i.e. parties and drinking. Sorry students, I am just kidding, honest. He prefers the Canon cameras and would like to move up to a HD camera when funds permit. Dale likes to work with a loose script and just get out there and film things. he says it seems to work for him. Due to being a only just released into the wild ex student and therefore skint. Ah the joys of student loans, and the having to pay the money back. Dale uses Celtx the software for screenwriting that is free and very capable too. I have tried it out myself, why pay for Final Draft when Celtx does it all. Dale talks to me about how he sees his fledgling film production business going and we talk the usual mix hardware, software and creativity with a dash of how he will try to make a name for himself and some money on the back of that. He uses family members to act in his movies and has to keep the costs of the filming to a bare minimum. We all have to start somewhere and as many film makers have told me the important thing is to have a good story and the content will be found by the public that are there to be entertained and amused by us creative types. You can catch some of Dales work on YouTube and definitely have a look at the ones where he has his dad acting for him. In the ramble part of the podcast I talk about the Power to the Pixel conference that was taking place in London today and had some very interesting speakers. I watched three of the talks and the talk by BRIAN NEWMAN, Consultant and Former President, Tribeca Film Institute was -- HOW TO BE ‘BETTER THAN FREE’ The Internet is a super-distribution machine that allows copies of digital media to flow in an almost frictionless way. As the wealth and survival of traditional media businesses are built on selling precious copies, the free flow of free copies is undermining the established order. If reproductions of media are free, how can we keep on financing films and how can we find value in the media we create and sell? He had some good examples of how some people have made money by giving away content for free. The idea of Connecting with your Audience - and then giving them a Reason to Buy, I thought was an excellent way to think about how to move forward in the age of digital content. My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-fd5959d7f7c6bd9bea6f3deca25e83bd}

In this podcast I am talking to a  film maker from New Zealand. I really enjoyed my chat with David and I learned a few things along the way. He is has made horror films such as Death Warmed Up and worked with some big names from the Film industry as you will find out in the interview. Presently he is taking trips around the world to visit film festivals to promote his movies. recently he was in Brazil His current project is a documentary which is family inspired and a follow up to one he did a while back. We hear about his influences from the film industry and talk about how he sees the business evolving. In this digital internet twitter age He talks about 'Transfigured Nights' he has had aired on NZ TV which was filmed via the internet via web cams and men wearing masks. Interesting and a bit kinky. David has a passion for film making and currently has a writing / film project in progress. We chat about screen writing and story boarding and some of the nitty gritty parts of making a movie. I think you will enjoy hearing what David and I talk about in the interview. A still from 'Death warmed up' News Section Come to "Filmmaker's Networking Free Mixer" Thursday, October 8 from 7:30 pm to 11:00 pm. Join us after the Meeting http://bit.ly/LwinK - Rain Dance Follow Wolfgang @eumagine Connecting filmmakers, screenwriters & broadcasters http://www.eumagine.eu @NoRestrictions: HD VIDEO: ONE HOUR FANTASY GIRL (2009) Preview http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x90u4o David Baker the Indie movie maker says that MissionX is now available for Pre order Transfigured Nights is now available for international distribution on filmbaby.com

What a coup to be able to interview the film makers Jamin and Kiowa Winans of Double Edge Films. They were great to talk to and impressed me greatly with their approach to the movie industry. The Movie INK was well received at the Santa Barbara Film Festival and now is being show around the country in the USA. It's been six months since premiering Ink at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and though we've been having a lot of successes, Ink has taken a path I never could have predicted. A lot of filmmakers have asked us about our strategy with the film and why we've made some of the decisions we have with the release of Ink. Here is a description of our experience and an explanation of why we're doing what we're doing. To read more click on the picture to the left. I have seen the trailer for the film and I am so looking forward to seeing the movie, it looks so exciting. Not only are they from Colorado but they filmed INK there and used actors from the area too. Kiowa tells me that Colorado has so many different types of scenery just perfect for filming a movie, no problem in finding locations and even helps to keep the film in budget when you know the area and the people of the area. Jamin has had a camera in his hands since he was 10 years old, making feature length films as a teenager learning how to cut and splice video tape, he must be so pleased to be using Final Cut Pro now. So you can see that he has quite a background in making movies. INK most certainly is not his first movie and he has other movies in the pipeline for the future. The exact details as a bit hush hush but I bet it will be scifi in its outlook, he seems likes that genre Kiowa  has a huge involvement in the making of the film INk and has been responsible for the Producers job and worked the sound for the film. They have a small sound studio in the house where they sometimes whip out the senheiser mic and record what they need and also to combine with foley sounds to further enhance the movie. Here is the trailer for the movie INK for you to enjoy. The music for  the outro of the podcast is by Louis Vig a track called Can You Feel It

The audio quality was poor for the whole of the interview, it sometimes goes like that with Skype. The next day I was interviewing a guy in Belgium for Mac20Q and it was as clear as a bell. Weird stuff. Despite that the interview with Robert the chancer when well and I learned a few things along the way. Not least of the answer to "What is the Best Boy on a film set?" There are a number of strange job titles in the film industry and that one had me wondering. Chance1234 on Twitter tells me about entering the two week film challenge as did Mike Peter Reed from a previous interview and it will be interesting to see what both of these indie film makers come up with in the next round of the Two Week Challenge. The movie has to be at least 60 minutes long to qualify and there is a lot of work to be done to fill sixty minutes of movie time. Robert told me that rather than go to film school he paid for his movie to be made and learned along the way. He reckons that he has operated as most of jobs required for making a film and would say that it is great way to learn the film industry. He was working with a production company that was involved with a King Arthur film and doing the armoury work for the movie. Sounds like fun. From where we talked about crewing and mentioned worked with a core crew, i thought photo might be appropirate this is myself with (im the one with the union jack shirt) most of my core crew. These guys have worked and working on all three of my projects below An Oktober Carol , film for the two week challenge   http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/An-Oktober-Carol/105886050950 Mortus Illumina - The one coming out of post shortly http://www.5ylac.biz/mi/story.php Silva Superior - The One in pre production  http://silvasuperior.com/ twitter http://twitter.com/Chance4321 From where we talked about crewing and mentioned worked with a core crew, i thought photo might be appropirate this is myself with (im the one with the union jack shirt) most of my core crew. These guys have worked and working on all three of my projects below An Oktober Carol , film for the two week challenge Mortus Illumina - The one coming out of post shortly Silva Superior - The One in pre production Twitter Contact me  if you would like to talk movies or video making on Video 20 Questions [contact-form 1 "Contact form 1"]

We get talking to the best people here on Video 20 Questions. Elliot Grove who recently got an honorary doctorate from the Open University for the work he has done with Raindance the Film Festival and the courses that Raindance runs to teach film making, has been talking to me about what Raindance does. How excellent is that? I have visited the Raindance site myself and the Raindance.tv site and have found it informative and entertaining. I find myself wishing I lived in London so that I could take some of the courses in film making. Not that keen on London or any big cities really so that tells you how interesting the courses were looking to me. Some course titles available. Script Writing, producing, directing and audio courses,  very inexpensive but packed with information. 22-Step Great Screenwriting Writer's Foundation Certificate Write and Sell the HOT Script TV Writer's Lab 99 Minute Film School Filmmakers Foundation Certificate Producer's Foundation Certificate Lo-To-No Budget Filmmaking Elliot talks a bit about the Macs they use in the office for the Mac20Q podcast but mostly we talk about film making. I learned a thing or two, for sure. "Record breaking crowds, sold out screenings, live music, loud raucous parties and great films. This is what an independent film festival should be. Raindance has become what Sundance used to be fifteen years ago." Why not contact me and arrange an interview so you can be featured on the Podcast. Lets talk video, film, movies and anything moving pictures. I will even talk to actors. [contact-form 1 "Contact form 1"]