On the next episode of The Double Down Film Show we’ll discuss the craft of directing with Writer/Director, Darnell Martin.

Darnell is a D.P. turned director who started out as an A.C. with Spike Lee’s outfit, 40 Acres and a Mule, before launching her own successful directing career. Apart from her most notable films, I LIKE IT LIKE THAT and CADILLAC RECORDS, Darnell has established a reputation as a skilled and efficient director of more than a decade of hit tv shows including LAW AND ORDER, HOMOCIDE, OZ, SAVED, and dozens more.

· What does she always try to do on the first day of production?

· How well did film school prepare her for Hollywood?

· What’s the different about being a Black female in Hollywood?

· What the hardest part of television directing?

· How has motherhood affected her directing?

Find out on the next Double Down Film Show. Plus, we’ll be announcing the prize winner’s for this week’s raffle for early registrants of Indie Film Boot Camp. Join us for another session of film school through the back door.

Listen in live from your computer HERE
or from your phone @ 646-929-1956.

Tonight (3/6) at midnight YOUR 10% DISCOUNT on the $99 Early Bird Registration for INDIE FILM BOOTCAMP expires!

Don’t miss out on your opportunity to learn everything my team and I acquired over 25+ years of filmmaking and entertainment industry hard knocks.

On Saturday, March 27th in NYC you’ll be immersed in 6 classes, 3 instructors, and 8+ hours of content. INDIE FILM BOOTCAMP is designed to fill the gaps left by traditional classes and seminars, providing film and media makers with the insider tips, tactics, and techniques that will take ANY project from script to screen. As always, we will deliver the motivation and inspiration necessary for you to continue to put these elements into practice.

***LET ME BE CLEAR!
This isn’t just for directors. INDIE FILM BOOTCAMP is for producers looking to learn how to put a team together … actors who need to increase their web presence … brands/corporations interested in distinguishing themselves with new media content … it’s for any and everyone aware that the moving image is the key to success in today’s world and it shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg to reach your goals.

***FOR MORE INFO AND TO REGISTER

***ENTER THIS CODE FOR YOUR 10% DISCOUNT: D7LUV-327

$99 (w/a 10% discount) for this kind of access doesn’t come around often.

Invest in your career.

Standard registration of $119 begins at 12:01am tonight.

~ Pete Chatmon

Just a taste of what’s to come on March 27th @ Indie Film Bootcamp. Tickets are flyin today… be sure to get yours while the early bird discount still stands!

(VIA Indie Film Bootcamp)

* THE DOUBLE DOWN FILM SHOW — WEDNESDAY, March 3rd @ 9pm EST *

Listen in LIVE from your computer HERE OR from your phone @ 646-929-1956!

On the next Double Down Film Show we’ll have an open conversation with writer/director, Bridget Bedard.

Just five years removed from film school, Bridget now crafts scripts for two of the hottest new shows on the air, the runaway hit, Madmen, and the new series, Men of a Certain Age. Along with her writing colleagues, she recently won a WGA Award for Best New Series and was nominated for an award for Best Dramatic Series for her work on the first season of Madmen.

Bridget is a rare breed: a working female on a hit show in the heavily male-dominated writing segment of the business who didn’t have to work her way up from the bottom rung.

· How did she skip the normal path to the writer’s table?

· How does tv writing differ from feature writing?

· What do managers do for you that agents don’t?

· What did she learn in the “real world” that she didn’t in film school?

· What are the pros and cons of writing in N.Y. vs. L.A.?

Find out the answer to all these questions, plus a whole lot more practical wisdom and advice for aspiring filmmakers as we probe for the formula to a successful television writing career on the next Double Down Film Show.

By filmmakers. For filmmakers. No fluff, puff, or silly stuff…just the real answers you need to succeed every Wednesday night at 9pm. Listen and learn!

*** THE DOUBLE DOWN FILM SHOW — SEASON 3: EPISODE 3 — WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24th @ 9pm EST ***

Listen in LIVE from your computer OR from your phone @ 646-929-1956

On the next Double Down Film Show, we’ll take you inside the head of veteran U.P.M. (Unit Production Manager) and location manager, Jeff Stolow (Ghost Busters, Midnight Run, The Pick Up Artist ). From the 70’s to the present, Jeff has landed some iconic locations in big studio films and solved hundreds of hairy logistical problems.

· What do new filmmakers often not understand?

· What should UPM’s always keep in mind?

· What makes for a “good” location?

· What production red flags should you look for in a script?

· Who is it good to be friendly with?

…Jeff will be giving his answers to all these questions and more. From the firehouse logistics of Ghost Busters to swinging Wesley Snipe’s off a building, Jeff’s been there and done that and has wisdom and revealing anecdotes to spare.

The answer to all these questions, plus more filmmaking inspiration and education on the next Double Down Film Show.

Real problems. Real answers. By filmmakers. For filmmakers.

RSVP on the Facebook Even Page HERE!

In honor of Black History Month, I wanted to take the opportunity to write about one of the most incredible architects you probably never heard of. Paul Revere Williams is not only responsible for some of the most iconic architecture in California, but for breaking through major racial barriers.

Architecture and design careers are challenging enough. Some give up, many struggle, few shine like Williams. Not only did he design some of the most gracious homes and legendary public works in in Los Angeles, he did this while overcoming tremendous adversity as a black architect during his entire career spanning from the 1920s-1970s. Williams had to go so far as to teach himself to draw upside down. A skill which allowed him to circumvent prejudices by being able to present designs to white clients without making them have stand next to a man of color.

(more…)

An excerpt from my latest post on Tanqueray’s We Resist Simple Community:

Social Networking is a beautiful thing. You can have a Facebook fan page, music on MySpace, inner thoughts on Twitter, and all of these things connect you to your audience, friends, customers, whomever at any time of day, whether you’re behind the keyboard or not. It’s opened a lot of doors and democratized a variety of industries, particularly entertainment, but it’s important to remember that this tool should still be used intelligently.

Click HERE for the rest of the entry, and be sure to RATE + LEAVE COMMENTS!

(VIA WE RESIST SIMPLE)

Includes a shout out to my Double Down Film Show co-host Anthony Artis and a quick pic from when Troy came through our monthly Short Shorts event. Great advice peeps.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2nd @ 9pm EST

Listen in from your computer HERE OR listen in from your phone @ 646-929-1956

*********************

On the next Double Down Film Show, we’ll be going over film festival survival tips for indie filmmakers with our special guest, Chris Gore. Chris is the founder of the Film Threat magazine and website and also author of the wildly popular film book, “Chris Gore’s Ultimate Film Festival Survivor’s Guide”, which has just been released in a new and updated fourth edition.

• What are the best film festivals that you’ve never heard of?
• How should you network at a festival event?
• What should you be prepared to do the moment you’re accepted?
• Which festivals do distributors attend?
• What should be in your festival press kit?

The insider answers to all these questions and more will be laid bare in our no-holds-barred interview with the very frank (and funny) Chris Gore. We give you straight answers to pressing questions, for filmmakers by filmmakers, every Wednesday night…Listen and learn.

WARNING: This particular conversation contains some adult language not suitable for children under 18.

*********************

And check out Film Threat for reviews and info on hidden gems, like this little known Stanley Kubrick film, Day of the Fight”…

On the next Double Down Film Show we’ll celebrate the DVD release of the summer blockbuster, Star Trek, with a special encore of our interview with rapidly rising star, and friend of the show, Zoe Saldana.

From a slate of indies including, Co-host, Pete Chatmon’s debut feature, PREMIUM, Zoe has gone on to star in mega-films such as STAR TREK and James Cameron’s soon-to-be released 3-D mega-movie, AVATAR. Find out why she still loves working on indie films, her do’s and don’t’s for first-time directors and her candid real-world advice for aspiring actors.

Plus we’ll be giving out more golden nuggets with a special segment entitled 5 Eye-Opening Revelations for Film Students. If you’re dropping $20,000 – $50,000 on a film school education and just blindly following the curriculum, you’re only getting half of what film school has to offer. Get our best tips for maximizing the film school experience and building a solid filmmaking career while still in film school. We learned it all the hard way so you don’t have to.

*************************************************************

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18th @ 9pm EST

Listen in from your computer HERE!

Or listen in from your phone @ 646-929-1956