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.

* 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!

Almost everyone in feature filmmaking starts out as a Production Assistant. It’s the standard gateway to many of the best jobs on set and off. Yet there are very few, if any, resources to explain the job, the expectations or how to do it better.

The Production Assistants Handbook is one of those rare resources to help the budding P.A. stay out of trouble and graduate from the bottom ranks of filmmaking. On the next Double Down Film Show we’ll speak with Caleb Clark, author of The Production Assistant’s Handbook.

* What tools should a budding P.A. never be without?
* What should you do if you screw up?
* What should you never be seen doing on set?
* What’s the secret to locking down of a public street?
* How do you get your first P.A. job?

From walkie talkie etiquette to what to carry in your fanny pack, Caleb will help us break down the answer to all these questions and give best practices for Production Assistants. (Yes, fanny packs have never gone out of style for film crew!) Come listen and learn as we once again open the backdoor to film school.

DOWNLOAD THE FIRST 10 PAGES (or buy the book) HERE:

*** THE DOUBLE DOWN FILM SHOW — SEASON 3: EPISODE 2 ***

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17th @ 9pm EST

Listen in live from your computer HERE:

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

Winter break is over and the new semester is in full effect which can only mean it’s time for another season of The Double Down Film Show! Season 3 kicks off with the return of our very first guest, indie filmmaker, Jameel Saleem. On that debut show, Jameel was trying to raise $$$ for his first feature film, “The Good, The Bad, and The Movie.”

Since that January 2009 interview, the financing fizzled out and Jameel left L.A. to move back home to Baltimore, almost giving up on filmmaking — ALMOST. A year later he triumphantly managed to get a feature film financed and to the finish line, but it wasn’t “The Good, The Bad, and The Movie” …

… it was his new project “CREAM SODA”!

There is no magic formula for financing or finishing and every indie filmmaker’s journey to final cut is unique. Jameel will walk us through his journey from project fizzle to indie film sizzle.

> What common problems plagued his first feature effort?
> How did he land the money and make a new film in less than a year?
> What did he do different the second time around?
> Why didn’t he just quit like so many others?

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.

(CLICK HERE TO ENJOY THE SHOW — 2/10/10 @ 9PM EST)

And check out the FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE!

Jameel Saleem was our very first guest on THE DOUBLE DOWN FILM SHOW back in January 2008. Well, since then, he’s written and directed his first feature film entitled Cream Soda. Check out the trailer above. Congrats, homie

The Double Down Film Show will return next month with Season 3! Join the Double Down Film Community HERE.

(VIA JAMEEL SALEEM YOUTUBE)

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

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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.

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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.

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18th @ 9pm EST

Listen in from your computer HERE!

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

Double 7 Film November Events! from Double 7 on Vimeo.

Here are the RSVP / Event Pages for all the events listed in the video!

ZOE SALDANA ON THE DOUBLE DOWN FILM SHOW

DIRECTING ACTORS TV

SHORT SHORTS — EPISODE 14

SHORT SHORTS TRAILER

Click the video above for a few more details