Filmmaking Resources
Below is a list of resources that Brooklyn Young Filmmakers has used and recommends for low-budget filmmakers.
Free Scriptwriting Software
Free Published Scripts (Read the scripts of some of your favorite films) www.simplyscripts.com
Best Book for Beginning Screenwriters The Screenwriters Bible by David Trottier
Best Book About the Different Careers in Film Movie Sets 101: The Definitive Survivor’s Guide by Paul J. Salamoff (Great book for an overview of all the major departments in filmmaking and how they work together. Includes terminology and set etiquette for each department, as well as personal stories about solving problems that happened on the set.)
Posting Free Casting Announcements
www.craigslist.com & www.mandy.com
Director of Photography w/ Camera Package
Tai Kanyarat www.taikanyarat.com email: taidp@tailanyarat.com (347) 580-9679 (Brooklyn Young Filmmakers works with cinematographers who have their own camera equipment. We have worked with a number of DPs over the last three years and our favorite, who we continue to use, is Tai, who is a triple talent – DP/Gaffer/Editor. She has a great eye, gorgeous lighting, efficient planning, a wonderful work ethic, and reasonable prices!)
Renting Lighting Equipment
(Brooklyn Young Filmmakers prefers renting from and supporting smaller lighting companies run by gaffers. Their prices are usually better. Plus if you need a gaffer you can hire them or ask them to recommend student gaffers who work with them.)
Directed Lighting www.directedlighting.com 132 Dwight St, Brooklyn, NY 11231 (917) 885-8964 Dan Choy Boyar (co-owner) dan@directedlighting.com
Justyn T Davis http://www.justyntdavis.com/equipment.htmljustynt.davis@yahoo.com (201) 281-0939
Renting Sound Equipment
Professional Sound Services 311 W. 43rd St., Ste. 1100, New York , NY 10036 (212) 586-1033 www.pro-sound.com (They give great lessons on how to use their equipment)
Props & Set Dressing
Got Props www.gotprops.com 63 Flushing Ave. Unit 342 (Brooklyn Navy Yard Building 10). Brooklyn NY, (718)624-0842 They can help you put together a complete café or create office sets. They also rent for apartment stagings and
Film Biz Recycling www.filmbizrecycling.org 540 President Street Brooklyn, NY 11215 (347) 384-2336 (A wonderful non-profit that recycles props and set items from film, TV, and commercial shoots. You can rent as well as buy items. They have truly unique items, including period pieces, which can help make your sets look more distinctive cheaply. You can also find great gifts for friends! Support them!)
Pearl Paint www.pearlpaint.com 308 Canal Street, Manhattan, NY 10013 (212) 431-7932 (Sometimes we have created our own props or set design. This is the best store for art supplies.)
Understanding Actors HB Studios
www.hbstudios.org 120 Bank Street, NYC 10014 (212) 675-2370 (If you want to be a better writer or director you need to understand what actors do. HB Studios has a lot of different types of acting classes and most of them you can audit a session for $10.)
Networking & Information Resources
NYC Mayor’s Office of Film http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/index/index.shtml
Subscribe to their free online monthly newsletter for information on the film industry and special events. Also check out their lists and links to:
- Film Schools and Professional Training Programs (including the MADE IN NY PA Program)
- Major Film Festivals in NYC
- Unions and Guilds
- Studios and Stages for film production
- Film Productions Shooting in NYC
- Getting a Permit to Shoot in the Streets of NYC
Independent Feature Project www.ifp.org 104 W. 29th St, 12th Flr, NYC 10001 (212) 465-8200 (The largest filmmakers membership organization in NYC. It holds workshops, seminars, and private screenings of independent films before they are released to theaters. You can do volunteer hours in exchange for a membership.)
Online“Production Bible”www.newyork411.com (Film, TV, & Commercial industry professionals’ one stop production resource for listings of businesses that serve all their needs)
www.meetup.com (A free online services that helps people with shared interests in local communities form online clubs and plan meetings. There are numerous meetup groups that meet to view and discuss films, as well as filmmaker support groups. It is also a great research tool. We once needed a Serbian consultant for a film we were producing and we found a Serbian meetup group!)
Fundraising
www.kickstarter.com and www.indiegogo.com are two sites where you can post a fundraising campaign for your film project. (Here’s an article about the differences between the two sites: http://www.alchemistintraining.com/2010/09/indiegogo-kickstarter-winner/)
Brooklyn Arts Council www.brooklynartscouncil.org(718) 625-008055 Washington St # 218, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (Does small grants to individual artists. If you live in a different borough, check out your local arts council.)
Youth Media Resources
Despite the “young” in our name, Brooklyn Young Filmmakers works primarily with adults of all ages and older teens. For younger teens check out these Youth Media Organizations. (link to pdf)
Survival Resources
Low budget filmmakers are usually also low budget in their living styles. Brooklyn Young Filmmakers also shares basic survival information.
- LEGAL HELP Have legal problems related to housing, work, family, bankruptcy, disability, or immigration? For referrals to free and low cost legal services in neighborhoods near you (and around the country): www.LawHelp.org
- PRESCRIPTION DRUGS DISCOUNT Please pass on to those who don’t have health insurance and need to buy prescription drugs (or those who have insurance with high co-pays):www.bigapplerx.comThis is a wonderful New York City resource. It’s free. You don’t have to sign-up! Just go to the website and print out an online card, then look up in their online directory the pharmacies that accept it near you (most major ones like Duane Reade and Walgreens, and some smaller ones). Then use it! Using this card one prescription that would normally cost $70 was discounted to $11! Discounts of course may not be as big for all drugs.
- FREELANCERS UNION A national non-profitwww.freelancersunion.orghelping people who live as freelancers, not working for one company but many, and not working an everyday job but on projects as they are offered. You can get help with figuring out your taxes and getting health insurance.
- LIABILITY AND HEALTH INSURANCE Fractured Atlas www.fracturedatlas.org is a national non-profit that provides support services for the independent arts community, including low cost Liability and Health insurance, and fiscal sponsorship.
- FREE MAP OF NYC If you don’t have GPS or a smart phone, and you’ve got to do pick-ups and deliveries in areas you don’t know, you will need a New York City street map. Great a free one at your local bike shop! The city produces a NYC Cycling Map each year that includes all the best bike routes in the 5 boroughs – and it also includes all the streets. It does not though include a guide listing all the streets and the coordinates for finding them, so get some general directions in advance to help you pinpoint on the map where you want to go, and then use the map to keep you on course.
- FREE BUSINESS CARDS www.vistaprint.comWill give you 250 free business cards (they put their logo on the back as advertisement)
- FREE 411 INFORMATION CALLS 1-800-FREE411 In exchange for making a free 411 call, you have to listen to an add.
Actor/Actress Resources:
Mandy Actor’s Database
http://www.mandy.com
Break Down Express Actor’s Database
http://www.breakdownexpress.com
Fundraising Websites for film projects:
KickStarter
http://www.kickstarter.com
Film Distribution:
Without A Box
http://www.withoutabox.com
Short Film Depot
http://www.shortfilmdepot.com
ReelPort Distribution
http://www.reelport.com/
(Tell us about other great survival resources that you know about and we will add them: communityfilm@wearebyfc.org )