ABSTRACT
Nextwave Nextwave was a production branch of IFC before it closed in 2001. The website is still up and running and features case studies of some of the most successful low budget films like El Mariachi and Clerks. www.nextwavefilms.com
Infinite Monkeys A personal webpage that contains an impressive amount of information on film financing, particularly in the UK. The author explains key terms, demystifies the structure of the industry, and offers information on grants and financiers. www.ironworks.demon.co.uk
Film People Has an excellent indie producer’s guide which lays out the options for financing and gives tips on keeping budgets low. www.film-people.net
Indie Films Online network to help filmmakers find investors, grants, funds, and distributors. There’s a fee for membership, but has thousands of contacts. www.indiefilms.com
UK Film Council Established by the government in 2000 the UK Film Council is commited to fostering a competitive and vibrant film industry in the UK and has £20 million to allocate in training, production, and development funds annually. This website contains all the details on getting a piece of the pie for your production. www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk
Morrie Warshawski Consultancy An excellent bibliography with many links to resources and publications
about fundraising as well as to funding sources compiled by fundraising consultant Morrie Warshawski. www.warshawski.com
Writing Treatments Explains in simple terms how to write a treatment with several examples from major films. www.writingtreatments.com
DV Handbook Features a series of essays outlining the basics of writing, developing, purchasing, protecting, and breaking down a script. www.dvhandbook.com
Writers Guild of America A series of colourful essays which target specific issues in writing and developing scripts. www.wga.org/craft
Wordplay Many excellent essays by industry professionals about various elements of screenwriting and the screenwriting trade. www.wordplayer.com
Done Deal All inclusive resources for the screenwriter: contacts for production companies, agencies, managers and lawyers; information on contests; examples of all necessary documents; and latest news in script sales. www.scriptsales.com
Simply Scripts The best way to write better screenplays is to read the ones that work. This website provides thousands of classic and contemporary film and TV scripts a mouseclick away. www.simplyscripts.com
Script Shop Provides reading and story consultancy for reasonable fees and offers the possibility of showcasing your polished script on the website for producers to buy. www.scriptshop.com
Production
Pre-production Studio Small site with downloadable pre-production documents. www.preproduction-studio-advice.com
The Columbus Film Consortium Offers word and pdf templates for essential production paperwork. The site includes forms including location releases, call sheets, set safety and insurance paperwork, as well as other writer, actor, and director specific paperwork. www.thecfc.org
Arri Crew From clapper loaders to steadicam operators, this website offers profiles, references, and CVs of thousands of crew members for hire. www.arricrew.org
KFTV An invaluable portal for searching out full crews or specialised technicians with the right experience across the entire globe. www.kftv.com
Movie Services Guide Features an impressive cache of contact information for companies and individuals that specialise in anything that you might not. Including wardrobe, special effects, make-up, and more. www.movieservicesguide.com
Crew List This site provides a searchable database of crew member CVs with direct email contact between client and professional. The search can be specifically categorised by skill, location, title, etc. www.crew-list.com
Video University Articles on how to improve DIY no-budget production from building your own steadicam to making video look more like film. www.videouniversity.com
DV Central Features the lowdown on all products DV. Specs, product reviews, and explanations for the not-so-savvy. www.dvcentral.org
Cinematography Resouces and information on handling film, plus a directory of crews. www.cinematography.com
HD Highly detailed guides to High Definition digital video production. Comprehensive technical information unlocking the mysteries of the world of DV and HD. Also includes equipment specifications and a directory of rental services. www.hd-cinema.com
Location Sound Maintained by a Californian sound production company, this website lots of the information on how to record location sound yourself. Tips on mic selection and placement for in the field shooting. www.locationsound.com/proaudio/ls/techtips.html
Zero Budget Films Guides, articles, and clips with a specific emphasis on DV tools, electronic cinematography, and comprehensive digital cinema information. www.zerobudgetfilms.com/
DV Creators Brilliant guide to making a film in DV. Advice on preproduction, production, post-production, and delivery. Includes offers on various software and DV products. www.dvcreators.net
DV Links Links galore to infomation and resources on all aspects of technical DV making. Includes reviews and comparisons on DV products. www.adamwilt.com/DV.html
DV Hub for news, reviews, and features on DV cameras, hardware, software, and all other things digital. Features articles on current artists doing significant work with DV and a community forum for tips and discussion on indie filmmaking. www.dv.com
Post-production
Hardware Central Step-by-step explanations of the technology required to effectively edit professionally on a desktop system. www.hardwarecentral.com
Creative Mac Specifically oriented towards those using Final Cut and After Effects, this website offers tips and tutorials to make the editing process faster and more sucessful. www. creativemac.com
Computer Video Website of a magazine by the same name offers reviews of new and classic desktop editing programs and a wealth of basic information that will help you turn your computer into a fully equipped editing suite. www.computervideo.net
Evan Evans Website of the famous composer Evan Evans contains a how to section focusing on film scoring theory and creative devices. www.evanevans.org/filmscoring101.asp
Shop JT3 Articles and how tos on the technical side of scoring. Information on makes and models of recording equipment, synths, and midi devices. www.shopjt3.com
Film Festival
Withoutabox New international exchange that makes the process of submitting work to film festivals easy and efficient for filmmakers. Includes extensive information on film festivals around the world. www.withoutabox.com
Film Festivals International film festival site with links to submit. Information and news on film festivals and festival films, and links to watch festival films online. www.filmfestivals.com
Movie Maker Extensive database of links to information on film festivals. www.moviemaker.com/festivals.html
Exposure Listings of festivals, awards, and grants. www.exposure.co.uk
Publicity
Fair Investment Contains links to various PR companies in the UK. www.fairinvestment.co.uk/compare.aspx/Public_Relations/
101 Public Relations Comprehensive and highly informative PR site with links to resources which advise filmmakers of the dos and don’ts of public relations. www.101PublicRelations.com/homeb.html
Indie Films Short but very helpful advice on publicising independent films. www.indiefilms.com/bag/pub.htm
General
So You Wanna... Overview tips from pre-to post-production on a low-budget film project. www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/makemovie/makemovie.html
Web Film School Part of Dov S-S Simens website for his renowned teaching methods which provide a crash course for writing, producing, and directing independent feature films. The resources section of his web film school site contains an exhaustive list of industry specific links from A to Z. www.webfilmschool.com
Indiewire Unbeatable source for news, buzz, and gossip on independent productions, festivals, and personalities. The site also contains a variety of well-kept message boards which harbour a community atmosphere and key contact information for companies you won’t find anywhere else. www.indiewire.com
Filmmaking.net Large site that contains links for various aspects of the UK film industry from production information to film festivals to film reviews. www.filmmaking.net
Filmmaking.com An attractive site containing an abundance of great information on a mammoth scale of filmmaking topics. www.filmmaking.com
Film Underground Dedicated to helping independent filmmakers do what they love by offering links and information on current projects that are underway and on fellow filmmakers in your area. www.filmunderground.com/
Indie Talk Online community for independent filmmakers with a forum for communication, free ad posting, and a screening room to post your film for discussion and feedback. The discussion board is also browseable, providing a substantial resource for general filmmaking information. www.indietalk.com
Shooting People Massive newsgroup site that provides up-to-date bulletins to filmmakers regarding production, screenwriting, casting, animation, documentary filmmaking, and much more. The subscriber community is over 30,000 strong. www.shootingpeople.org
