| | No Budget Film School Student Becomes Guest Speaker |
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When veteran actor Blake Robbins attended my "Art & Science of No-Budget Filmmaking" class a few years ago, he was a successful character actor, which means, while you didn't know his name and probably couldn't remember his face, he was making a living as an actor in Hollywood, something probably 99% of actors aren't doing.
But he wanted more. Commercials were good money and he was thankful for the parts he was getting in films and on TV, (you might remember him as Dave Brass on HBO's Oz and Tom Halpert on NBC's The Office), but with a family to feed and an artistic hunger to quench, he yearned to do more, not only with his acting, but also with his writing and directing. He decided he would write a feature film that he would direct, starring himself. He didn't have much money to make it and he knew no investor would really give him any, as an untested writer/director, so he put his producer hat on and came to my class to soak up whatever knowledge and inspiration he could. |
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Following the class, he felt confident he could make his plan work: raise the money he needed on Kickstarter, bring a few talented friends and colleagues to Lawrence, Kansas, where he was from, and shoot his micro-budget feature The Sublime And Beautiful for about $20,000. He was so impressed with the footage he saw from one of my guest speaker's films, he tracked down the DP who shot it, Lyn Moncrief, and convinced him to join the team. Three months after attending No Budget Film School, Blake raised $21,000 on Kickstarter and with $7,500 saved, he was off to the races.
The Sublime and Beautiful premiered in Narrative Competition at the 2014 Slamdance Film Festival. After playing numerous other film festivals and winning 8 awards, it was released last fall by Candy Factory, an innovative new distributor. I gave Blake some advice along the way, watching rough cuts, etc. and was always so impressed with his passion and determination. Blake has so many great stories about how he was able to pull off everything he did with few resources, and he is so willing to share what he's learned, I knew I had to get him back into my class, but this time as a guest speaker, in a Lion King Circle Of Life kind of way.
Now, of course, there is much more to the story of how the film was made and what it's done for his career since it was released, (Blake not only has two features in development to direct, but he was just cast as the dramatic lead in a new film--rather than the supporting role). And I'm excited to have Blake to discuss all of this. He has great insights, many hard-learned lessons, and several terrific tricks he will be imparting to the class. If you're an actor or writer or director who is ready to step up your game and take control of your career, you won't want to miss Blake's inspirational appearance at the upcoming No Budget Film School!
No Budget Film School presents
"The Art & Science of No-Budget Filmmaking"
Feb. 28 & March 1, 2015 • Los Angeles, CA
Remember to use your Promo Code SUBS to get a 20% discount!
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| | | | | | | Early-Bird Deadline for Cinema Language This Saturday! |
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The Early-Bird discount for Tom Provost's terrific Cinema Language class expires this Saturday at Midnight. If you're looking to write or direct a film--at any budget level--do yourself a favor and sign up now. You'll save $50 and be well on your way to making that script or film much better than it was before.
Award-winning writer/director and Pepperdine Graduate Screenwriting professor Tom Provost will show you how to use the spoken and unspoken language of cinema to express yourself more fully and engage your audience in ways you didn't know existed. He also takes you deep inside the making of his recent Lionsgate feature film, The Presence, in his candid "From Script To Screen" portion of the class. As we like to say, "PREPARE TO MAKE A GREAT MOVIE" and sign up today!
No Budget Film School presents
"Cinema Language: The Art Of Storytelling"
March 7 - 8, 2015 • Los Angeles, CA
And remember, your Promo Code SUBS also works for this class--20% off!
(PRO TIP: There is a substantial discount available to those who want to take both courses. While the Early Bird discount for that package has expired on the No Budget Film School Eventbrite page, it's still available on the Cinema Language Eventbrite page!)
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| | | | | PAGECRAFT SCREENWRITING RETREATS IN ITALY
If combining a European vacation with your screenwriting pursuits sounds about right, then you'll want to check out PageCraft's unique screenwriting retreats in Italy, which take place this summer. There are two programs to choose from and as you can imagine, space is limited. To learn more and to register, visit the PageCraft Website. |
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