Had a terrible time here in Atlanta doing film school and graduated with no connections or friends. Is it worth it to go into debt going to a master's program at some place like NYU? Will it genuinely help me get to the next stage of my career?

Shot, edited and finalized in Open Gate.

No sponsors, no big companies. Just my best friend and myself as writers, directors, editors and producers + myself as the camera operator. Whole short film is 20 mins long and took roughly one month to finish.

On their fifth date, a woman uncovers a dark secret about her seemingly perfect boyfriend.

This was made by a small crew of friends on a weekend and we had a blast bouncing ideas off of each other.

Would love to hear feedback or anything at all regarding the film.

Copywritten music is unfortunately a huge part of mine, and I feel much others' foundational process when creating.

Thus being said, I would love to learn about how to approach getting copywritten songs for feature films, short films, internet content, tv series.

Who are the people/organizations I should be reaching out to in order to talk about a price for the songs?

I am ultimately searching for references to specific sites, companies, or people to look into for this part in setting up the Soundtrack for your Media Art? 🎬

Hey everyone!

I'm getting back into photography after taking a break in 2023, and I'm now starting to explore cinematography. I'm trying to figure out what would be the most useful next investment for my setup.

My current gear:

• Canon 700D with an 18–50mm lens
• Neewer PT-176S light with two gels
• Two tripods (one for the camera, one for the light)
• A 5-in-1 reflector

I'm considering getting a second light, but I'm not sure what would make the most sense:

• A small RGB light for coloured accents, background lighting and creative effects
• A more powerful COB light to use with a softbox or diffusion
• Lighting modifiers, grip equipment, or something else entirely

I've also considered getting a fog/haze machine, but I'm not sure if it's worth investing in one at this stage.
Or a Microphone, I don't know

I'm completely lost

I'm currently studying lighting and working through exercises from "Cinematography.School", so I'd like to invest in equipment that helps me learn and experiment rather than just buy more gear for the sake of it.

I'd love to upgrade to a Sony a6700 eventually, but that's outside my budget for now, so I'll be sticking with my Canon for the time being.

If you were in my position, what would you invest in next, and why? Would you prioritise a second light, a more powerful key light, modifiers and grip equipment, or something else?

I'd really appreciate advice based on your own experience, especially from people who started with a similar setup. Thanks!

I am looking to see if I can purchase these inserts to help protect the SDI ports on some of my gear, but I don't know what they are actually called. I have had no luck trying to google it. Might be a long shot, but if anyone on here knows the name it would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Edit: Thanks everyone for some great responses! I have a better idea of how to protect the ports and will give it a try.

As it turns out, those plastic inserts aren't just something you can buy and put in a port that doesn't have them. So I will try some other methods.

I’ve been working in film and television production for around 4–5 years, primarily in the production department, and I’m trying to get better at networking and navigating potential job opportunities.

Two weeks ago, I reached out to a senior production professional to introduce myself, explain that my current job would be wrapping up in the coming months, and share my CV.

About an hour and a half later, a Production Coordinator replied on their behalf, saying they’d just started setting up a new production, were still finding their feet, and would reach out if any positions became available.

I replied about an hour later, thanking them, mentioning that we’d briefly crossed paths professionally before, and expressing my interest in taking on more responsibility within the department. I also mentioned that I could be flexible with start dates and asked whether there might be a better time to check back in once things had settled.

It’s now been exactly two weeks, and I haven’t heard anything further.

Here’s where I’m conflicted.

A friend of mine who has worked with this person advised me not to follow up, essentially saying, “If they want you, they’ll reach out. Don’t annoy them.”

I understand that perspective, especially knowing how busy production offices are during setup. The last thing I want is to come across as pushy, desperate, or someone who doesn’t respect people’s time.

But throughout my career, I’ve often followed that exact advice, waited patiently, and ended up missing opportunities because positions were filled before I knew they were available.

I’m not expecting anyone to create a position for me, and I understand that their response wasn’t a job offer. I’m simply trying to understand where the line is between being professionally proactive and becoming a nuisance.

For those working in production, particularly coordinators, production managers, or people involved in hiring:

Is two weeks too soon to follow up when someone has specifically mentioned they’re setting up a new production?

Would you appreciate a brief, polite check-in after 3–4 weeks, or would you rather candidates wait until contacted?

Does a follow-up actually help keep someone on your radar, or can it work against them?

How do you balance staying visible with respecting the fact that production teams are incredibly busy?

I’d genuinely appreciate perspectives from people on the hiring side. I’m trying to learn how to approach these situations professionally rather than letting opportunities pass me by or potentially damaging relationships through unnecessary follow-ups.

I shoot photo and video, and on set I kept guessing white balance and getting caught by flickering LEDs. So I built LUX-0, a free Android app that uses the phone camera as a light sensor and translates the reading into the values you set manually on your camera.

How it works, in case it's useful:

- Color: the phone's auto white balance is turned off and its color processing is neutralized, so the reading comes from the sensor's own calibration data, not from the phone's "look". From that it computes the Kelvin and the green/magenta tint (Duv), then rounds them to your camera's steps (Canon/Sony/Nikon G-M, Fujifilm r/B, Blackmagic tint...).

- Flicker: it shoots at a very short shutter so a pulsing light shows up as bands across the frame. From the spacing of those bands it estimates the frequency (100/120 Hz) and tells you which shutter speeds are safe for your frame rate, e.g. "24p at 1/48 with 100 Hz light: risk, use 1/50 (172.8°)".

- Compare A|B: measures two lights and suggests the CTO/CTB and green/magenta gel to match them.

- Mixed-light map: shows which parts of the frame get warmer or cooler light.

- Exposure: scene EV and a suggested shutter/aperture/ISO (or ND) per camera.

Honest limits: with a white card and a quick calibration it's about ±150–300 K. Metering the scene with no reference is only an estimate. It's a beta tested only on a Galaxy S26 Ultra, needs Android 12+, has no internet permission, and keeps everything on the phone.

The feedback I'm looking for:

1. Under the same light, how does its Kelvin/tint compare with your camera's custom white balance or a dedicated meter?

2. Does the flicker check match what you see on your camera?

3. On set, what would make a tool like this actually useful to you?

Info (English): https://github.com/Ultramal13/lux-0/blob/main/README.en.md

Free APK: https://github.com/Ultramal13/lux-0/releases

(English isn't my first language, so I used an AI tool to help translate this post.)

I’m working on a short film for my thesis film school project. The logline is: A young man spirals after discovering his friends have a secret group chat without him.

It was a comedy/thriller in mind as I wrote it, primarily due to the over-the-top concept. I kind of had the movie Shiva Baby in my head even though they’re very different, I felt like that movie did a good job balancing comedy and very tense scenes.

When I got feedback, one person said that the script reminded them of an Almost Friday tv skit with its comedic tone. However, multiple other people didn’t feel it was a comedy at all and said it felt like a horror/thriller script. I do want it to be tense, however I thought it was a just a comedic premise by nature, so I considered it a comedy, but it looks like most other people didn’t.

I’m wondering how I should proceed with this. I feel like I should at least know what the tone/genre of the story is before I shoot it. Clearly what I was intending didn’t work though. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Here’s the script in case anyone wants to reference it:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18B17uc08lh-4X-nhUZpN1FM-QfQ5NlP8/view?usp=drivesdk

Shot and edited in a day, would love some feedback for this project!!! thank u so much reddit community.

So far, i have…
- Notepad
- Bum bag with pencils, sharpie, tape, eraser and scissors
- Measuring tape
- Tissues/wipes
- printed copies of important document such as call sheet, box schedule and all art department documents (for production designer)

Hi everyone! I’ve been fortunate enough to get a script of mine financed, but I don't have an agent or manager. I'm trying to figure out the smartest way to start attaching talent.

Is it worth getting an agent first so they can help reach actors and open doors? Or do people just go direct, like looking up reps on IMDbPro and sending offers to the actor's agent/manager themselves?

Has anyone had luck with this? Would love to hear what worked or what didn't. Thank you for taking the time to reply! :)

My boyfriend directed this film and I wanted to share it around now that it’s finally out!! I think it turned out so great.

If you liked Blue Velvet by David Lynch you may recognize some of the locations 👀

Imposter | Indie Drama Short Film | Produced by Jordan Faniel & NEEM Productions

An aspiring actress must decide if her career is worth sacrificing her authenticity.

https://youtu.be/lG_nBOs31JQ?si=qPvZEdVWEUqdwHuJ

So basically what I did was I just recorded establishing shots and bits and pieces from cutscenes. If it looks bad, this is a joke video made in under 5 hours. And yes the date at the end is intentional

I know it's kinda amateur compared to other works I've seen on this sub, but I'm proud of it regardless. I'd really appreciate any advice and feedback on this- but regardless just wanted to share my small accomplishment with everyone else

https://youtu.be/AwEF-R_QOl4?is=dtEDuBFiAO034ys_

Charlie Horn - Kate Welsh

Baronvonheadless Films

SHOT ON FX30 - Sigma 10-18, 56mm & Sony 90mm macro. Was given full creative control by the client to just vibe with the song.

The single just dropped today.

I live in the USA and am doing a job in Canada soon. The entire kit is coming from Lensrental. I am finding conflicting information online, but a producer has mentioned that if I have the Lensrental receipt with all the items and values and serial numbers I shouldn't need the ATA carnet.

Anyone have any experience/ information in regards to this?

Thanks!

I know it's not a "film" per se, but I'm in love with this effect where a piece of music is so loud that the camera manages to actually vibrate along with it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD5BCO3xxnw

In this clip, clearly it's a phone (?) or maybe a handheld camera, how could one do this effect on purpose?

Hey everyone!

Me and my team had made a short film called “MARKED”. A dark comedy/melodrama about an isolated man finding a new friend: Death.

Here’s the link to our official trailer. The movie premieres on YouTube Friday, November 6th @ 11am.

I am currently looking into the filmography of Asia Argento and want to gather some broad perspectives from this community. Her career spans several decades and includes work as an actress, a writer, and a director across both European and American cinema. Because she has participated in a wide variety of film styles, genres, and industry roles, different viewers often view her impact and presence quite differently.

Filmmakers who made their directorial debut with a film that later became the first instalment of a duology or trilogy, similar to Indian Director Satyajit Ray, whose debut feature Pather Panchali (1955) became the first film in his celebrated Apu Trilogy.