New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT)’s Post

Hi Everyone! Choosing the right film festivals is a crucial step in a screenwriter's journey. When I first ventured into the world of screenwriting, I was surprised by the sheer number of film festivals out there. Each festival has its own unique focus, audience, and level of competition. It's essential to research and carefully select festivals that align with your goals and the stage of your career. Starting with local festivals can provide valuable opportunities to showcase work, network with industry professionals, and gain valuable feedback from audiences close to home. As I gained more experience and confidence in my craft, I realized the importance of gradually progressing to more challenging competitions. Moving on to tougher film festivals allows screenwriters to test their work against a higher standard and reach broader audiences. These festivals often attract industry insiders, distributors, and potential collaborators, offering invaluable exposure and recognition. By strategically choosing film festivals that match my aspirations and level of expertise, I can maximize the impact of my work and take significant steps forward in my screenwriting career. #filmfestivals #writingtips #beginners This

I made a HUGE mistake... I wish I had planned more B-Roll for "ALL HAIL ANASTASIA"... One of the biggest learnings I had on my debut film was the importance and value of effective B-roll. Don't get me wrong, we got some beautiful B-roll for the film but what I should have done was take it just as seriously as the scenes themselves. We treated B-roll as quick pick-ups during downtime or secondary adventures for camera 2 operators. This was a big mistake that I wish I could go back and change. I wish I had dedicated a whole day to B-roll or even better, taken 10 minutes before every major set-up, shot, location etc... and decided what the most important visuals were without the actors present. Inserts, pick-ups, close-ups, empty rooms, props, you name it, I wish I stopped the rushing and took a few seconds to get some B-roll. Read my blog on tips for writing B-roll and my newfound love for its fundamental importance to storytelling. https://lnkd.in/ebvUAG2M

Once you have your first draft what is the best way to move on to the next step?

#moviemaking #howto #moviewritingtips #moviescenes #writebetter #screenwritingadvice #inglouriousbasterds #splash #backtothefuture Write Memorable MOVIE SCENES There are no throwaway scenes in the best movies. Here are some secrets to writing memorable scenes that draw the audience in.

Calling all film students! The new academic year starts next month so you might find this useful. ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ film editor, Eddie Hamilton, kindly endorsed my book for student filmmakers, so why not grab yourself a copy?! #filmbooks #filmmaking #studentfilm #editing

Need help rewriting your play or screenplay? I can do that!

After having collaborated for a few years writing and developing a feature film project with a collaborator, I'm excited to share that in the past two months, I broke the story beats and have outlined my first solo feature film--working title: "Per Un Sacco Di Soldi"--a crime-gone-wrong dark comedy that turns out to be a twisted queer love story. It takes place in San Francico's North Beach neighborhood, and in Portland, Oregon. I've taken a pause from it for a week, and will begin the process of scripting the first draft over the next month or two, and will then take a research trip and get some feedback, and write the 2nd draft in the late fall. I've been on schedule so far, and am really excited about this story, as well as the other projects that are going to be in my portfolio. Having my own feature in my portfolio has been important to me in establishing my own voice, so I'm thrilled to have narrowed down which of my many feature ideas to go with as my first, and am so geeky about this little story. It's my goal to shoot the movie myself, and have it be my first indie feature as a director. I'm also building pitches for my other current film ideas, and have exciting TV projects that I'm developing as well. (About the other Feature I mentioned): before this solo endeavor, and the TV projects I've been developing in the past few years, I've been co-writing a screenplay with a collaborator about Chicago politics and public housing crisis in the early 80s. It has been an enormous and long endeavor, and huge learning curve working with producers on a not small historical based film, but also a way I proved to myself that I could write and make Feature Films. It also helped me learn how to structure a writing schedule, to find a common voice with another writer, to practice and apply always working from story conception, to breaking story and character beats, to weaving beats, to outline, to pages. And to also be willing to go all the way back to story beats when needed in re-writiing. Writing the Treatment with my collaborator and having it be moved forward to pages was a huge affirmation and encouragement after leaving film school. And tho it took over a year, we got great feedback on our first draft, and have been on our second draft this year. If interested in learning more about these projects, please visit the WRITER/DIRECTOR page of my website:

Dive into the world of cinematic storytelling with our in-depth review of 'The Technique of Film Editing.' wisdom shared by authors Karel Reisz and Gavin Millar. Whether you're a budding filmmaker or a seasoned editor this book is for you. 🎬✂️ #FilmEditing #BookReview #CinematicCraft #linkedin #contentcreation #freelancer #students #editingskills #videoeditingmagic

Besides my day job, expanding creative horizons into storytelling and filmmaking. My 3rd short film in post-production. BURN BABY BURN. Been a 7 year journey to get to point of filmmaking. #followyourintuition #writing #film #stories