Webinar Courses

Our on-line webinars combine on-line, computer presentations over the internet with simultaneous, high-quality conference calls and give anyone on the planet, regardless of their location, the opportunity to get the same information that's provided in our brick and mortar seminars.

Note: for on-line webinars, in addition to the seminar fees, seminar participants are responsible for the costs of dialing into the conference call. For United States residents, we can refer you to calling cards that allow you to dial into the seminar for as little as one cent a minute, or approximately 60 cents for a one hour seminar. For most international residents, we can refer you to calling cards that allow you to dial into the seminar for as little as three cents a minute, or approximately $1.80 for a one hour seminar.

Seminar courses can be bought as individual courses, or as a complete package at a substantial discount. All seminars include a question and answer session at the end.

Let's face it: no film gets made without money behind it. In this two hour course, we arm you with the information you need to find appropriate material for investors, how to find investors, form a legal structure to protect your investors, and how, ultimately, to raise money and split profits.

This course covers the following information:

• what kind of scripts are appropriate, and garner the attention of investors, for indie film making
  
  
• should you write a business plan, and if so, what, exactly should it look like and what should it include
  
  
• what financial structure should you use to raise money
  
  
• what elements (director, talent, etc) should you try to attach (or not attach) to help you raise money
  
  
• what, exactly, do investors look for when they are investing
  
  
• where do you find investors, and how do you get in to see them
  
  
• what kind of split of profits should you strike with your investors.

Okay, so we admit, talking about contracts and releases for 2 hours isn't the most exciting thing you can do with your time, but it may be the most important. The fact is, in today's litigious society, you need proper contracts and releases for everything and everyone you shoot. Without proper contracts, you CANNOT get errors and omissions insurance, and without that, you CANNOT get distribution. This course, presented by a moderator and an experienced entertainment attorney, covers the following information:

• script contracts and copyright issues
  
  
• music rights and copyright issues
  
  
• actor contracts
  
  
• crew contracts
  
  
• legal structures for raising money and producing your film
  
  
• clearances.

We all know the plan: make a great film, submit it to Sundance, Cannes, maybe Toronto, then sit back and let the money roll in.

Unfortunately, the film festival game isn't that simple. Moreover, the game is, sadly, rigged against you. Fortunately, we can teach you how to stack the odds in your favor.

This course covers the following information:

• understanding a film market versus a film festival
  
  
• what are the odds of getting into an appropriate festival/market
  
  
• how do you improve your odds
  
  
• what is a distributor screening, and how do you hold one
  
  
• how do play the film festival game to win.

Pre-production means planning. And more planning. And more planning. With the best pre-production possible, producing a film is controlled chaos; with poor pre-production, production a film is a disaster.

This course, presented by a moderator and partly with an experienced software engineer demonstrating script breakdown and scheduling software, covers the following information:

• where do you shoot - what tax deals/subsidies are out there
  
  
• what format should you shoot in -- pros/cons of HD, digital, super 16, 35 mm
  
  
• developing a shooting script, preparing yourself and script for pre-production
  
  
• finding great and cheap equipment
  
  
• script breakdown and scheduling
  
  
• casting - finding a casting director, checking an actors value, making offers, how do you get to actors, handling auditions, finding the best cast, finalizing your cast, finding extras
  
  
• SAG issues. Experiment versus limited exhibition versus modified low budget versus low budget
  
  
• hiring your crew (DP, hair/makeup, costumes, script supervisor, 1st AD, line producer, etc).

This course covers the following information:

• finding locations, what are the best locations?
  
  
• F/X, Stunts, Special Equipment
  
  
• shooting
  
  
• planning for crying scenes
  
  
• running Pre-Production Meetings, coordinating all departments, what is purpose of pre-production meetings
  
  
• rehearsals - rehearsing with actors, establishing relationship with actors, anticipating actor problems
  
  
• handling Payroll
  
  
• handling Insurance
  
  
• food/catering.

You have the money in hand. You've done a thorough job prepping your film. And now it's time to shoot. Suddenly, all hell breaks out. Your best defense? Be prepared. Know what you're getting into, and you can figure a way out of almost any problem.

This course covers the following information:

• preparing yourself physically and mentally
  
  
• the first day - how to chose what to shoot first, and how to immediately command the respect of the cast and crew
  
  
• technical problems and appreciating sound now
  
  
• script problems - how to handle them
  
  
• difficult actors - how to handle them, how to use your crew to help handle them
  
  
• difficult crew members - how to handle them, when to cut bait.
  
  
• weather problems - how to handle them, how to plan for them
  
  
• how to keep a crew motivated.

No matter how good your shoot went, if you don't have a great editor, and great music, and a great sound mix, your film simply will not meet expectations. Moreover, if you don't plan for your foreign deliverables as you post the film, you can incur tens of thousands of dollars of unnecessary costs when you sell the film.

This course covers the following information:

• onlining versus offlining
  
  
• choosing an editor
  
  
• how to edit: how to choose the right take, where to cut in and out of a scene
  
  
• why we advocate having the editing system in your house for months
  
  
• music spend the money, get good music, and how to find good music for cheap cheap cheap
  
  
• choosing a composer and getting the music you want and clearing it
  
  
• choosing an audio mixer and getting the sound you want
  
  
• keeping your foreign deliverables in mind.

You're home! You raised the money, made a film, and now, you've found a distributor who wants to buy it!

Unfortunately, you still have your biggest hill to climb. Because film distributors are notorious for, well, ripping off filmmakers. How do you protect yourself? Know what to ask for, and what to demand. And know when to walk.

This course covers the following information:

• what are the deals like, what should you ask for, what do you want
  
  
• theatrical versus straight to video
  
  
• what you will owe the distributor and when they will pay
  
  
• why distributors hold all the cards, and how you can protect yourself
  
  
• what clauses must you have (or walk).