How can I fund my movie...?

This is one topic every indie movie maker wants to master... yet there is not much openly available info. Here is what I stumbled upon, will add more later:

• http://filmfundingsources.com/
• http://www.selffundingmagazine.com/article-detail.php?issue=issue-10&article=reeducing-self-funding-costs-through-tax-
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_finance

I also stumbled upon this book The Hollywood Economist: The Hidden Financial Reality Behind the Movies. You should read it. I will try to summarize some interesting topics soon.

Look right at you!

Have you ever debated if you would want your actor to look straight at the lens or off to one side? You are not alone. I personally want my actors to bond with my audience. Here is a blog article from one of my instructors at De Anza. What do you think?

Screenwriting: What makes a good script?

Here is another good website that I stumbled upon: http://www.screenwriting.info/01.php Here is a snippet.

Characters: The movies you loved most featured characters that swept you up, who captivated your emotions, got you involved. The audience viewing a movie not only wants to be interested in and care about the people they see on the screen, they want to be passionate about them, whether they like them or not. Great heroes and heroines inspire us; great villains make us want to jump into the screen!

Quest: There is always something at stake in a good movie. Not
just something someone wants, something that must be acquired, no matter what
the risk, as in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Or something
highly desired by as many main characters as possible, like the small black
statue in The Maltese Falcon. Some times it can be an intangible thing, like the
freedom of a people in Lawrence of Arabia or Gandhi. All these things drive the
character's quest, even gives the hero superhuman strength. It can be something
personal (romance) or for the good of all (saving the world from aliens) but it
must be powerful and grow more desperate as the story unfolds.

Conflict: There are always obstacles, which provide that catchword that actors love so much -- conflict. This is the heart of drama. Someone wants something and people and things keep getting in the way of them achieving the goal. At times, the obstacles can be common to
both the hero and villain, and the ultimate goal a laudable one for both
parties, as in Jingle All The Way. In that film, Arnold Schwarzenegger and
Sinbad battle to achieve the same goal--the acquisition of the last popular
action figure for sale that Christmas season. Both of them have promised their
son, and they must not fail. Conflict and obstacles can be physical or
emotional. But they have to be in your story or you don't really have a story.

Wound: In most good stories, the protagonist will also have an inner obstacle, some
mental or even spiritual problem, that will be resolved by the time s/he reaches
the outward, physical goal of the story. Some people call this inner demon a
"ghost," while others call in a "wound."

Hook: You need a hook. That's a songwriting term that describes that thing that catches the public's attention. A popular Hollywood term is a "high concept." A better idea might be a simple "What if?" In Galaxy Quest, for example, the concept is "What if the washed-up actors from the crew of a cancelled but still popular sci-fi TV show are pressed into a real war in space
by aliens who think the TV show broadcasts they received were documentaries?" A
good enough "what if?" will set your script apart from the pack. It is why
people will leave the comfort of their homes and plunk down their hard-earned
bucks at the local cineplex.

This site has lots of information. Check it out: http://www.screenwriting.info/

Tips

IN THE SCREENWRITER'S COLUMN

Check out --

■CONFLICT: A WRITER'S BEST FRIEND!
Looking for more helpful hints?

■NON-LINEAR NARRATIVES: THE ULTIMATE IN TIME TRAVEL
■THE ESSENCE OF CHARACTER

Here is a sample of a script from BBC's Standard format for films and single TV drama

Something on Computers

Recently I was browsing the web and found these good wikipedia articles.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public-key_cryptography
• List of computability and complexity topics
• List of important publications in theoretical computer science
• Unsolved problems in computer science
• Category:Computational problems
• List of complexity classes
• Structural complexity theory
• Descriptive complexity theory
• Quantum complexity theory
• Context of computational complexity
• Parameterized Complexity
• Game complexity
• Proof complexity

Scriptwriting formula

Have you ever checked out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scriptwriting ?
Checkout the section on the "theories on writing a screenplay". I liked Syd Field's Paradigm.
Here is a copy/paste of the same:

Syd Field's Paradigm
Screenwriting guru Syd Field wrote the seminal book
Screenplay, and posited a new theory, which he called the Paradigm. Field
noticed that in a 120-page screenplay, Act Two was notoriously boring, and was
also twice the length of Acts One and Three. He also noticed that an important
dramatic event usually occurred at the middle of the picture, which implied to
him that the middle act was actually two acts in one. So the Three Act Structure
is notated 1, 2a, 2b, 3, resulting in Aristotle's Three Acts divided into four
pieces.

Field also introduced the idea of Plot Points into screenwriting
theory. Plot Points are important structural functions that happen in
approximately the same place in most successful movies, like the verses and
choruses in a popular song. In subsequent books, Field has added to his original
list, and students of his like Viki King and Linda Seger have added to the list
of Plot Points. Here is a current list of the major Plot Points that are
congruent with Field's Paradigm:

Opening Image: The first image in the
screenplay should summarize the entire film, especially its tone. Often, writers
go back and redo this as the last thing before submitting the script.

Inciting Incident: Also called the catalyst, this is the point in the
story when the Protagonist encounters the problem that will change their life.
This is when the detective is assigned the case, where Boy meets Girl, and where
the Comic Hero gets fired from his cushy job, forcing him into comic
circumstances.

Plot Point 1: The last scene in Act One, Turning Point
One is a surprising development that radically changes the Protagonist's life,
and forces him to confront the Opponent. In Star Wars, this is when Luke's
family is killed by the Empire. He has no home to go back to, so he joins the
Rebels in opposing Darth Vader.

Pinch 1: A reminder scene at about 3/8
the way through the script (halfway through Act 2a) that brings up the central
conflict of the drama, reminding us of the overall conflict. For example, in
Star Wars, Pinch 1 is the Stormtroopers attacking the Millennium Falcon in Mos
Eisley, reminding us the Empire is after the stolen plans to the Death Star
R2-D2 is carrying and Luke and Ben Kenobi are trying to get to the Rebel
Alliance (the main conflict).

Midpoint: An important scene in the middle
of the script, often a reversal of fortune or revelation that changes the
direction of the story. Field suggests that driving the story towards the
Midpoint keeps the second act from sagging.

Pinch 2: Another reminder
scene about 5/8 through the script (halfway through Act 2b) that is somehow
linked to Pinch 1 in reminding the audience about the central conflict. In Star
Wars, Pinch 2 is the Stormtroopers attacking them as they rescue the Princess in
the Death Star. Both scenes remind us of the Empire's opposition, and using the
Stormtrooper attack motif unifies both Pinches.

Plot Point 2: A dramatic
reversal that ends Act 2 and begins Act 3, which is about confrontation and
resolution. Sometimes Turning Point Two is the moment when the Hero has had
enough and is finally going to face the Opponent. Sometimes, like in Toy Story,
it's the low-point for the Hero, and he must bounce back to overcome the odds in
Act 3.

Showdown: About midway through Act 3, the Protagonist will
confront the Main Problem of the story and either overcome it, or come to a
tragic end.

Resolution: The issues of the story are resolved.

Tag: An epilogue, tying up the loose ends of the story, giving the
audience closure. This is also known as denouement. In general, films in recent
decades have had longer denouements than films made in the 1970s or earlier.

The Real Deal

As I think more and more about creating a realistic character for a screen play, I am more and more drawn to shape the character based on learning from great authors (thanks Dad for suggesting this).
As you might know thoughts lead to actions; repeated actions lead to habits; such habits form one's character; and character leads to destiny. So to change your destiny change your thoughts.
Use the same formula to shape or transform a character.