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No Budget Film School - Los Angeles

NO BUDGET FILM SCHOOL is a unique series of classes specifically designed to help the NO-BUDGET filmmaker, whether he or she is working with a budget of $200,000 or $2,000.  The lessons, tools, and techniques gained from these courses are are intended to maximize very limited resources and minimize critical errors that can doom otherwise worthy projects. 
 

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NEXT CLASSES SCHEDULED!

It's back.  After safely finishing my new micro-budget feature, Pig, I'm ready to teach another one of my famed "Art & Science of No-Budget Filmmaking" classes.  It's been awhile, so to make up for lost time, I'm combining it with Tom Provost's popular "Cinema Language" class, which I presented last November.  The two courses will be offered on back-to-back weekends, and for the first time, you can sign up for all four days in one bundle and save money.  Of course, you can take each course separately, and even any individual day by itself, but the two weekend package represents the ultimate no-budget filmmaking immersion.  You'll be raring to go after these classes and certainly better prepared to get there! 

Instructor Mark Stolaroff

 

 Instructor Mark Stolaroff
So, my original class, "The Art & Science of No-Budget Filmmaking" will be August 20 & 21, 2011; Saturday, August 20th is Course 101: "The Art of No-Budget Filmmaking" and Sunday, August 21st is Course 201: "The Science of No-Budget Filmmaking."  And then "Cinema Language: The Art of Storytelling" is the following weekend, August 27 & 28, 2011; Saturday, August 27th is Course 103: "Mastering Film Grammar" and Course 204: "From Script To Screen"; and Sunday, August 28th is Course 104: "Introducing Your Character" and Course 105: "Disclosure of Information." All classes are being held at Raleigh Studios' Chaplin Theater in Hollywood, CA, and include a complimentary lunch and course materials, plus all attendees get Movie Magic Screenwriter absolutely FREE! (a $250 value!). Attendees will get other special discounts, like 20% off Quick Film Budget's budget-making tool, (a $40 value!), and big savings on Showbiz Software's Budgeting and Scheduling. We'll also raffle off some great prizes. 

Bellflower's Medusa

 

 Bellflower's Medusa
Guest speakers this time around include distribution consultant Peter Broderick, considered the world's leading authority on distribution strategy; producer Matt Radecki, co-founder of production and post house Different By Design, who will discuss no-budget post production; actor and director Joshua Leonard, perhaps best known for his roles in seminal no-budget films like The Blair Witch Project and Humpday, and in studio films and TV shows like HBO's Hung, will discuss his directorial debut, The Lie, which premiered at Sundance this year and is being released in the Fall; and filmmakers Evan Glodell and Vincent Grashaw, the writer/director/star and producer (respectively) of the hit film Bellflower.  Made for only $15,000, this apocalyptic feature premiered at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in January and was promptly picked up for distribution by Oscilloscope Laboratories.  It opened theatrically August 5th to sold out audiences and will eventually play in over 500 cities throughout the country.  Pretty good for a film shot on a homemade camera. We'll talk about that and the homemade flamethrower and fire-belching muscle car featured in the film!  

 

Movie Magic Screenwriter is the best screenplay formatting software, an industry standard, and the choice of Hollywood professionals. Screenwriter formats while you write so you can focus on what you're writing, not where it goes on the page. It also formats for television, stage, novels and comic book scripts so you've got an all in one package for any story you want to write. With a massive set of features designed to make the rewriting process fast and simple you can get from FADE IN: to FADE OUT effortlessly. Developed by writers for writers, Write Brothers is the first and ony creative team ever to receive a Technical Achievement Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science for screenwriting software. All No Budget Film School attendees get this terrific product FREE for registering.

 

Showbiz Software's Budgeting allows production accountants, production managers and independent producers to create all types of budgets for film, TV, commercials, music videos, web series and corporate videos. The program also actualizes, so you can see what you've spent and how it affects your overall budget. Showbiz Scheduling has become the go-to software for producers and production managers who want the most control over their shooting schedule, combined with the flexibility to change elements on the fly. The program comes with fully customizable reports, including call sheets, production reports, shooting schedules, Exhibit G's, and more. All No Budget Film School attendees will receive a generous discount on these two products, and we will be giving away the bundle, (worth $700!).

 

QuickFilmBudget.com is a revolutionary budgeting tool that helps independent filmmakers move toward production by automating the budget-making process and delivering a professional customized budget in minutes.  Quick Film Budget can create budgets for Short Films, Micro-Budget Features, and Studio Films. You can select to have your budget delivered in a modifiable file format such as Showbiz Software, EP's Movie Magic, Excel, or Numbers. Attendees get 20% off this incredible budget-making tool.

For more information and to register for "The Art & Science of No-Budget Filmmaking," click here.   For more information and to register for "Cinema Language," click here. 

Got a script and are ready to shoot? Can't make it to the next class? I offer private, one-on-one Consulting for no-budget filmmakers who need some guidance. Check out my No Budget Consulting Page for more information.


And I blog, Facebook and Tweet, so feel free to follow me here:

- Film Radar Indie Producer Blog
- No Budget Film School Facebook Page
- Mark Stolaroff Twitter Page


GET THE "PIG" PICTURE!

PIG!

 

Rudolf Martin in "Pig"

I've finishing my new no-budget feature PIG, my third collaboration with award-winning writer/director Henry Barrial. It stars Rudolf Martin (Swordfish, NCIS) as a man who wakes up in the middle of the desert with no idea who he is or how he got there. Pig is a "lo-fi sci-fi" that plays like a mystery and a drama, all the while messing with the audience's head.  We've just started our film festival journey and were thrilled to win BEST FEATURE FILM at Sci-Fi-London, our international debut.  Join the fun! Sign up on our PIG mailing list at our official PIG website: www.ThePigPicture.com.

You can also join our Facebook Fan Page and follow us on Twitter.




BOOK CORNER

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX OFFICE

Think Outside!

Filmmaker Jon Reiss has written THE guide to indie film distribution in the new decade--THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX OFFICE. If you think selling your movie means making it and then waiting for distributors to come a-calling, then you're living in 1998. That reality is a pipe dream for most filmmakers, but the good news is there are new ways and new tools that will allow you to get your film out into the world yourself. Jon's book is the manual for DIY and Hybrid Distribution. He's taken what he's learned from distributing his own film, the successful documentary Bomb The System and also interviewed countless experts in every relevant area of DIY distribution to come up with the most comprehensive and up-to-date book on the subject. When should you be thinking about how you're going to market and sell your film? The moment just after you've come up with the idea for your film!


Buy your copy today:
www.ThinkOutsideTheBoxOffice.com

BE THE MEDIA

Be The Media

Renowned media consultant and author David Mathison has assembled a who's who of new media experts and compiled his essential guide to the "personal media renaissance"--BE THE MEDIA. Until recently, publishing books, music and film required years of education and the expensive assistance of publishers, labels, studios, distributors and lawyers. Today, artists can leverage low-cost tools and new methods of distribution to connect with their audience directly, and keep more of their royalties and rights. This book covers everything from how to blog and podcast to the ins and outs of social networking and internet syndication. Specific chapters help authors, musicians, and filmmakers, (yours truly contributed to this chapter).


Buy your copy today:
www.bethemedia.com

THE REEL TRUTH

This Is The Truth!

Journalist, professor and marketing executive Reed Martin has written one of the most exhaustingly researched books on the pitfalls of independent filmmaking ever written--THE REEL TRUTH: EVERYTHING YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MAKING AN INDEPENDENT FILM. Already considered a classic, this best-selling tome has quickly become the indie filmmaker's bible. Martin has interviewed just about everyone (including Yours Truly) in the industry to uncover nearly every conceivable mistake that the first- or second-time filmmaker might make when they go about developing, writing, shooting and selling their film. Experts like producer Ted Hope, filmmaker Chris Nolan, and entertainment attorney John Sloss lay it on the line and give the reel deal on what it takes to avoid all those nasty pitfalls that are out there just waiting for us!


Buy your copy today:
The Reel Truth Amazon Page

 
NO BUDGET NEWS
For information on where and when the next No Budget Film School classes will be held, subscribe to THE NO BUDGET NEWSLETTER.
 
For the latest No Budget news, films, and filmmakers, check out THE NO BUDGET REPORT.
 
For information on some of the best no-budget films out there, check out the NO BUDGET FILMS PAGE .

Questions? Email questions or comments to: nobudgetfilmschool@earthlink.net

INSTRUCTOR, MARK STOLAROFF
Mark Stolaroff (is losing his hair)

Producer Mark Stolaroff (former principal of Next Wave Films) shares what he's learned from years in the trenches of independent filmmaking. 

He and other no-budget professionals will offer their first-hand knowledge of production, post production, marketing, and distribution.

Click here for more information on Mark Stolaroff and future guest speakers.

Know other filmmakers who might be interested in this class? Click the below link to let them know about this site!