Chris Jones Blog

Working at a school for wizards...

Having an open and frank conversation with young people is always a challenge. And that’s what I did today, at the Barbara Speake Stage School – with a group of about 50 or so aspiring performers, aged between 11 and 15… A long and deep chat… about wizardry!

That’s what I believe we story tellers do – we are wizards who cast spells on our audiences, and when we get good at our wizardry, we can hold audiences in that deliciously magical state for the duration of our work (Jack Bauer in '24' manages a whole day!)

Of course actors are on the front line of such sorcery, and having the privilege to speak to these guys at such a formative age was both exhilarating and nerve wracking. I had just one hour which I filled with anecdotes and hard won lessons I have learned on my own journey - about taking courage to commit to an extraordinary adventure, about learning to pick yourself up after repeatedly being knocked down and often kicked in the teeth while down, about helping pick up others when they are knocked down and thereby building a band of brothers and sisters… But most of all, we spoke about the magic that is created when your work powerfully connects with an audience and both transports and transforms the viewers in such a way that they live the vicarious lives of the characters in that work.

It went down a storm I am happy to report!

I also screened ‘Gone Fishing’ to them and got a few ‘ahhs’ and giggles in places I did not quite expect. It’s always a gift to screen your film to a young audience as their reaction is both honest and unrestrained.

At the end, I was mobbed by a sea of red jumpers, all shaking my hand confidently and asking to join my Facebook page! One particularly plucky chap asked if I could introduce him to Megan Fox! Ah, what it is to have ones dreams and aspirations unrestrained.

A great day and for me a terrific mid-week-pick-me-up as it helped re-connect myself with WHY I put myself through this job, day after day.

Now, back to the script…

Onwards and upwards!

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author

www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

Final 2 hours added to Online Masterclass, with many extra hours of bonus material added, including Alex Fazeli!

When I was in LA, I met with film maker Alex Fazeli, shot an interview, and I wrote about it on the blog at the time. His interview is a bonus feature of the now, 14 hour Guerilla Masterclass: Making The World Class Short Film, that is delivered totally online. His interview is about his experiences while on the festival circuit with his 35mm short, ‘In The Dark’. Just after the interview he won the Bermuda Film Festival, giving him the all important Academy Award Qualifier, so he is now in the running for the 2010 Oscars.

This kind of strategic film making is essential if you think your short is a possible Oscar winner, and that strategy is something that we go into detail about in the completely new addition to the online seminar, a further 2 hours about short film sales, exploitation, festivals, awards and of course, The Oscars. Make no mistake, winning awards and especially an Oscar is NOT just a matter of turning up, it’s a political and strategic chess game.

I shot the interview with Alex completely alone, and it was the first foray into self shooting 2 camera interviews with now crew at all! There was lot’s learned!

If you are interested in this online course, it’s still only £69.99 but will go up in the next few weeks. This is to reflect the all new content that has been added to complete the whole journey, from first world class idea, hopefully all the way to the Oscars. You can get the online seminar here… And remember it’s all online, so you can start RIGHT NOW!

And the feedback keeps flowing in, and it’s all amazing…With 100% positive feedback still! Here are two of the most recent comments left about the seminar…

Tue, 3/17/09 7:09 PM Insights, Strategies and just plain common sense filmmaking from the heart of a filmmaker who understands and is able to pull off an excellent film.
Chris Jones adheres to his mantra of 'excellence' in the undertaking of his film Gone Fishing and the Seminar Series. Moreover, he has actually made a film which is well... Excellent. I first viewed this film with my two sons, John 10 and Sam 7. Upon the first shot of the fish accompanied by a deep almost foreboding score my son John exclaimed, 'This is like Jaws!'. Chris has referred to Gone Fishing as 'Jaws for children'. We enjoyed the world that Gone Fishing propelled us into. We will eagerly wait for Chris' next project! The Gone Fishing Seminar: I found this filmmaking 'how to' seminar refreshing for two reasons. 1. The presentation comes across as sincere and spontaneous! Not canned like most filmmaking seminar or courses tend to be. 2. The Case Study film is actually GOOD! This is rare. Most filmmaking training courses must site popular films. This Seminar uses the actual film that was nominated to be nominated for an Academy Award. Again this is also very refreshing. The Seminar is very valuable to anyone interested in becoming a filmmaker or venturing into any field of filmmaking. I am so grateful for this course if for no other reason than I can watch the case study film by the filmmaker and NOT have to say, "I can do better than that!" Excellent Film. Excellent Seminar.
Michael, Producer, Florida

Thu, 4/2/09 11:55 PM For Newcastle United, it's "Howay the Lads"; for this one Newcastle film-maker, it's "Howay Chris Jones"!
I was lucky enough to attend Chris's "encore" performance of the first "Gone Fishing" seminar, not at BAFTA, but at the Film School College that's attached to Ealing Film Studios, on their back-lot (notice how I've typed "encore", instead of the more British word "repeat" ;), and despite the weather being absolutely depressing that day, and the train journey there and back from Newcastle, it was an outstanding, thought-provoking and well-produced masterclass (NOTE: apologies Chris if I was fidgeting whilst sat on the front row, while you were talking; you can actually see my ginger head popping up and down a few times).

When I heard he was giving a follow-up masterclass, this time on his experiences with film festivals, sales and distribution, and I couldn't make it, I was disappointed to say the least. But, I was so glad when he announced that he had every intention to provide the "sequel" seminar to those who had already attended his first 2 production seminars on "GF". And, after watching every single section and video, and as cheesy and cliched and predictable as this will read, I have never been more inspired to begin work on my own World Class 35mm Short Film, and take a shot at the Oscars myself. Granted, I am coming to the end of only my 1st Year at the fantastic Northern Film School in Leeds (but with only 1 year remaining on the course), but I graduate in the Summer of 2010, and hopefully, by then, I will have experienced the festival circuit myself with at least one five-minute very-low-budget comedy short, that I intend to direct and produce at the highest quality level of my abilities and capabilities, and afterwards, use both mine and Chris's enormous, full-of-wisdom and intelligent experiences, and both learn and adapt to those, in the hope of making it as successful and as big as him, and opening as many promising opportunities to myself as he has for himself, with my own World Class short film/script. Back here, in Newcastle, the fans of our football team regard former manager Kevin Keegan as "The Messiah". Well, I believe that everyone, who HASN'T been successful in the film industry yet and/or totally aspires to, should regard Chris as that Messiah. Take what he has learnt and what he has done, most of which, if not all, at his own very great and personal expense, and make a film that you like, not one that you are only making, just so you can win competitions and awards, because the bright-minded people of the industry and the world, will see right through you, and I also believe that, when you make a film that you like, and from that likeness comes your deepest and most heartfelt passion and love for that very film, just like what Chris has done and conveyed to numerous persons across the globe, the opportunities, the success, the fame, the fortune, and the respect, will come to you, and not the other way round. At least, that's what I'm hoping happens to me some day.
Martin Grant, Northern Film School Student/Undergraduate, Newcastle

You can read all the comments here

You can register and start your world class seminar here

Onwards and Upwards!

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author

www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

The Guerilla Film Makers Masterclass, The Aussie View

After the dust is settling on The Heart Of Gold Film Festival, I thought I would share with you some of the comments I received from the film makers who attended the two day Guerilla Film Makers Masterclass Redux! It seems the new first day, which is about much deeper and I believe important issues, such as career planning, story choice and a good hard look at oneself, ones dreams, ambitions and skills, really resonated with the group. I hoped it would as I know I could have used this kind of kick up the butt many times over the years. Anway, here’s what they had to say.

After producing a string of award-winning short-films and doco's, and frustrated at not being able to move to the next stage with our concepts, we were feeling spent and disillusioned. Then we met Chris Jones' at his Guerrilla Filmmakers workshop in Gympie, Australia. Wow, man he put the steel back into our rod. The passion is back...we are on the road again...watch out world...here we come.
Greg Hall, Producer - The Treehive, Australia

I left the masterclass totally inspired and excited by my future. Chris has so much energy and passion for the subject that you can't help but become wrapped up in and enjoy what he is talking about. I have no idea how he manages to speed talk and impart so much information in such a short time! I came to the class wondering how on earth to do my next film, and even if I had it in me. I left thrilled and I am now jumping in with this great new knowledge and energy. I loved talking about fears and what you need to make it work... Thank you for inspiring me!
Hailey - film-maker from Brisbane

It was truly an empowering experience and one that I know Jason, Greg and myself absolutely needed. In fact it was precisely what we needed. Chris was unquestionably the most honest, candid, and generous film maker I have had the pleasure to meet. He met each day with extraordinary energy and crammed those days not merely with information, but with affirmation and ultimately inspiration. He treated every participant with such wonderful respect and patience regardless of experience, and offered to us not only tools and ideas but himself. To be honest, I learned more in those two days than I have in years of filmmaking, not just about the craft, but about myself. If I was weary, frustrated and uncertain of my standing in a filmic world when I arrived, I have departed, energised, focused and tremendously excited about taking our work to the next phase. In short- a life changing experience.
Shane Emmett, Film Maker, QLD, Australia

As someone relatively new to filmmaking I was keen to learn more about the details of the film industry, but Chris Jones’ masterclass gave me so much more than that. It was a 2 day rollercoaster ride of inspiration, motivation and creativity, an invitation to live the dream, to feel the fear and do it anyway. Chris provides a unique insider’s view of filmmaking that doesn’t glamorise the process or dumb it down. There’s plenty of real-life examples and – yes – horror stories but it’s all so incredibly useful and inspiring. Chris shows that the stairway to filmmaking heaven may be dirty and slippery but it’s still there for anyone bold and creative enough to attempt it. I can’t recommend it enough.
Karen Jackson, writer and filmmaker, Gympie, Queensland, Australia

The class was somehow the exact inspiringly motivating kick in the arse that I needed. It was jammed packed full of crucial information that I as a film maker need to be armed with in order to take on the complex game that is Film-Making, Distribution and Production. On the way home on the plane I couldn't stop scribbling down ideas, scenes from films, dialogue. I feel like a new person, a truly creative person.
Emily Bissland, Award Winning Animator, Australia

I was particularly impressed at how you managed to pitch it to such a diverse audience with varying degrees of experience in film making.  I also loved the balance you struck between realism and inspiration - a fine line and perfectly pitched I thought.  I also loved your choice of content - steering away from the technicalities which anyone can learn / teach, focusing instead on the insider tips, career trajectory, useful anecdotes and sales and distribution ins and outs.  Thoroughly worthwhile and interesting, fun and inspiring.
Lucy Mayes, social activist, Sunshine Coast, Queensland

Thanks so much to Chris Jones for the Guerilla Filmmakers' Seminar. Delivered with sincerity, enthusiasm and humour, it was a fantastic insight into the world of independent filmmaking and beyond. Chris made the dream of making a film seem so much more achievable and I was inspired and motivated on many levels.
Su Foster, Sound Designer and aspiring Filmmaker - Gympie, Australia

I just wanted to say thank you so much for coming all the way to Australia to do the Guerilla Masterclass! Even though there were almost 30 other people in the room, it felt like everything you were saying was directed right at me - it was everything I needed to hear and learn. Parts of the seminar were challenging and really made me re-think what my goals are and how to achieve them. I feel like I'm a lot clearer on what I want to do now. Every part of the seminar was exciting, positive and useful. It was so great to hear about your experiences and what you've learnt from them. Having the chance to hear about the experiences of the other people in the group was also really interesting. Even though the seminar only went for two days, by the end of the second day it felt like home. I didn't want it to end. So, thankyou for reassuring us all that our movies are worth making and reminding us that every finished movie is a miracle. I really think that's true!
Candice Deere, Writer/Producer from Maryborough

Blimey! What can I say? Just planning the next UK Masterclass, and if you want to come, drop me a line at [email protected]. 

Onwards and upwards!

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author

www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

e-Rage

I have been working on the final section of the online Guerilla Masterclass about the making of Gone Fishing. One aspect we discussed is that of email communication. Clearly, it’s a fast and economic way to communicate.

But… it has many drawbacks.

I have just had some email communications in the last few days that really illustrates just how careful one needs to be. In fact I would go as far as to say that if what you need to communicate is important and not just ‘facts’, pick up the phone and make a call. The problem with email is that its soooo easy to be too direct, misunderstood and downright rude (even if you are not being rude, it can be read that way) – which of course makes YOU suddenly get all self important too, and before you know it, what was a simple email interchange has escalated to all out battle!

A case in point was today when a festival said that I had not given them all the info they needed, and I really should get onto it. I emailed back to say that I was unaware that my film was even showing! They emailed back and said that they emailed me some time ago – turned out that for whatever reason, they had a different Chris’ email address. A clerical error their end I can only assume.

I suggested they may have been talking about a different film, as there is another ‘Gone Fishing’ short out there, and when I asked Sara back in London, she did not remember entering this festival either. Maybe they had the other film, but no email, so had Googled it to find contact details and came up with my film, and so contacted me in error…? I suggested this… and this is what I got back…

We did not select your film because we googled it. We selected it because we watched a film and liked it…

Now, I have enough experience now to know now that it’s important to not ‘energise and emotionalise’ an email. It’s kind of like Road Rage, where you are in your little secure bubble and everyone else is a bad driver. So I call it email rage now! And we all seem to do it! The trick is to recognize it in both yourself and others.

So where possible, I try to get on the phone and make a call. It’s almost always resolved in moments then, person to person. It’s a MUCH better way to communicate efficiently.

Though I have had the ‘I don’t have time for calls…’ email too, which usually ends in a call some time later, but on much more difficult terms!

Onwards and upwards!

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author

www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

Gone Fishing Seminar Live Online!

I am delighted to announce that the Gone Fishing seminar that we shot at BAFTA, at the premiere, is now live on the internet. It’s taken us some time to get it all constructed because it’s so detailed and dense with information. We also went back and reshot some inserts too. But the big reason, is that we were waiting for the outcome with the Oscars (as some content raises the lid on how the Oscars work and we didn’t want to jeopardise our chances by revealing this insider info).

 The seminar reveals exactly how we made Gone Fishing, in such a way that anyone who watches it should feel that they were very deeply involved in its making too. I know from the feedback we have received that this unique approach creates powerful breakthroughs in both understanding as well as personal aspirations. 

As part of my commitment to the Associate Producers on Gone Fishing, we are also going to run a further day of seminars, about what has happened since we completed the film, such as film festivals, sales, and of course we reveal the whole story of the Oscars (there are several blog posts we could not include at the time, like the one about how red laser pens are given to judges to facilitate sudden death screenings for films! I know!)

Anyone who signs up now will get all the extra features when we film them over the coming months (and depending on numbers, may also be invited to the live event for free). We hope that this will become a kind of evolving film school experience where students can come back and refresh, watch new content and perform new exercises. It’s a very exciting development for us and I can’t wait to get more feedback on it.

We are charging £69.99 for the seminar, which runs for over eight hours.

You can sign up here, or just read more about it on the site at www.gonefishingseminar.com

If you want to know how it has gone down, you can read the original feedback from the event (last Jan) here, and below is feedback from the video version we recently completed. It’s a mail I got from Danny Lacey, an emerging film maker who was one of the first ‘beta testers’, to make sure that the experience worked in digital form.

I've been keen on the thought of making movies from a young age. However, it wasn't until more recently (my early thirties) that I finally decided to really give it a go. It was just over two years ago that I set my film making goal - to write and direct a 'blockbuster' movie within five years.
 
Here's the problem - I had many ideas for what I think would make a good movie, but absolutely NO experience of getting one made or even writing a screenplay!!! This was to be my first major hurdle. So I decided to get busy and work hard on learning as much about the trade as possible.
 
I scoured the Internet, book stores, DVD retailers etc. to look at what resources were available for someone in my position. In the beginning I was spending a fortune on various books, downloading various podcasts and the odd training DVD but none of them really gave me what I felt I needed. What I really needed was an idiots guide, a step-by-step to the different processes of film making and things explained in simple terms!! It was then that I discovered the thick green book - the Guerilla Filmakers Handbook written by Chris Jones and Genevieve Jolliffe. This book is responsible for kick starting my training. The book answered all of my questions and really helped to clear up the film making process.
 
The next minute I'm making contact with the authors - I wanted more! Chris Jones then mentioned the Gone Fishing seminar. Chris very kindly offered to allow me to beta test the course. This is when I really started to get to grips with the process and also found myself utterly inspired!
 
The seminar is very cleverly structured and guides you through the many phases of film making. You follow Chris on his journey through making Gone Fishing, from developing the screenplay, storyboarding, pre-production, production, casting, financing, post-production and so much more. There is NO film making resource like it on the market.
 
The Gone Fishing Seminar videos have without a doubt aided my development as a film maker. I'm putting what I've learnt into practice when it comes to screenwriting and producing my up coming short movie projects. I no longer feel like I'm stabbing in the dark - I have a real sense of knowledge and confidence about my film making skills. I've watched all of the videos many times and often have them playing in the background whilst I'm working on various projects. Not only do you learn lots from the videos, it's also a massive source of inspiration. Watching Chris talking about his journey and sharing his knowledge with you will give you a very clear vision of YOUR journey through the movie making process.
 
This is the best £70 I've ever spent - I would have paid so much more for the many hours of valuable film education. You get an honest education without any pretence. Chris has a genuine love for film making and helping fellow film makers on their journey.
 
Danny Lacey
STADA MEDIA
www.dannylaceyfilm.co.uk 

Blimey!

Onwards ans you bet, UPWARDS!

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author

www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

Crossing the first threshold...

My life is starting to fill up with choices. Tough choices. For the first time ever in my career I have been forced to turn down work, and to add to the amazement, really good work too. In the last few weeks I have been offered a really great little film for Ford, and also a HUGE two part period documentary with a major British actor in the lead. I didn’t turn down these projects lightly…

The work load with Gone Fishing and my own projects is so huge, that I have to be very careful. When I train new film makers I talk about the windows of opportunities that open up, and how important it is to recognise them, and to step through them. Right now I have a window in front of me, those who have done the Gone Fishing Seminar will know exactly which window I am talking about, and I MUST make that a priority. That involves getting outside of my comfort zone - perhaps you could also characterise it as moving from the Ordinary World to Special World in Chris Voglers / Joseph Campbells ‘Hero’s Journey’ model. (I am planning to run the Gone Fishing Seminar one last time here in the UK before it is released on DVD - if you want to attend, drop me an email at [email protected]).

No matter how exciting the future may look, it is also filled with uncertainty, and it’s that lack of rigid routine and mystery that on a very deep level can cause anxiety and fear. I have seen it in others, I sense it in my own choices now, but I embrace it as a part of the journey that I am on. If these fears were not present, on a very fundamental level, the journey I am undertaking would not be worthy or my time. An adventure is no adventure without risk…

So I am choosing, I hope, wisely, from a place of passion, and from a tactical perspective.

I am perhaps being a little introspective too, as I am just completing a feature article for Moviescope magazine on the whole Gone Fishing experience. I am writing about how, in the making of Gone Fishing, I applied my own teachings and processes that I have written about in the Guerilla books. I will let you know when this magazine hits the streets.

Onwards and upwards…

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

Where did that picture come from?

Since we began our Facebook campaign a day or two ago (which is going very well, so please keep up the energy), I have had a pile of emails about the photo that I have on my Facebook profile. This was taken last year at a Star wars Expo event in central London where I spent a day on stage explaining how movies get made, with particular reference to Star Wars of course. I originally wrote about it on the blog here.

The event ran twenty times or so during the day, and each time it began by plucking out a few members of the audience, getting them into costume, filming them on the set, then editing it into the movie and finally premiering it there and then – all in ten minutes! It was tremendous fun, and all my Star Wars mates turned up in order to be ‘randomly’ plucked from the crowd and inserted into their favourite movie!

Unknown to me at the time, lots of people were filming it and a bunch of clips ended up on YouTube. Below is a clip that gives you a real feel of what is was like to be there… But really, for Star Wars geeks only. Pass the popcorn!

Onwards and upwards!

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

Writing for Hollywood - Stuart Hazeldine Event

What an incredible seminar we had last night with Stuart Hazeldine. I think it was one of the very best we have ever held. Stuart talked for two hours about being a professional writer for Hollywood. His insights were candid, entertaining, practical and pragmatic, but most of all, extremely inspiring. I am delighted that we made the effort to record the event, and that Stuart was also good enough to allow us to share this recording with the world (it will take us some time to get it tidied and edited, but watch this space). So you will get the chance to hear it all in due course…

There was so much discussed, it’s impossible to get it all in here, but a few points that resonated with me would be…

Stuart loved ‘Blade Runner’, so without any contract, commitment, even any kind of legal clearance, he went ahead and wrote a sequel (he also wrote a spec script for Alien 4). While some may think this a crazy strategy, and while the film never happened, Stuart shared that of all the scripts he ever wrote, that one generated five times more heat in LA. So while he never sold it, it was a great way of getting into the room as a real player.

Stuart also talked about something that is close to my heart too - which is all about getting as close as you can to the completed film on the page, doing all your work upfront so you don’t have to fix it on set or in post. He shared that on the Nic Cage script he just wrote, when he got the green light and the shoot date, that shifted a gear in his mind and he knew he had to tackle all the stuff in the script that was being left for later… In a few weeks time there would be no later! As writers, I think we can lazily hold onto our favourite moments and scenes that will, in fact, get ditched later. So deal with it now. Stuart talked about how he enjoyed taking five pages out of any script and how it almost always improves it. As he said, 80% of work for the 10,000 writers in Hollywood is actually rewriting, where previous writers had been unable to ‘nail it’. That’s a lot of potential work.

As soon as we get chance to get this podcast up, I will let you know - it’s really worth two hours one evening.

Onward and upward!

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

Hollywood podcast goes live

What a week! I have been neck deep in courses and seminars and I am just grabbing five minutes now to write the blog - tonight I am hosting an event with Hollywood Screenwriter Stuart Hazeldine, which I hope will be cracking - it’s a sell out event with 120 people coming!

I have just uploaded a great little podcast I recorded with Andrew Zinnes, about breaking into Hollywood and the seminar that he will be running in May (which I am hosting - more info here). We did this last year and it went down really well, so we again expect a sell out event. Anyway, you can hear the podcast here…

Right, got to work out my questions for Stuart now…

Onward and upward!

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

There’s what you know you don’t know, but it’s what you don’t know that you don’t know that gets you…

I am exhausted this morning. Yesterday I ran a completely new course about career planning and strategies for success in film. This has been bouncing around in my subconscious for a couple of years now, and I formalised it a few months ago in a PowerPoint presentation. Unlike my Guerilla Film Makers Masterclass, this one is very structured…

We filmed it so that we can release it on DVD some time in the near future as a double disk set.

I thought I would share some of the feedback from that session…

‘I’d recommend this course to anyone wanting a career in film! It is brilliant, I feel energised and excited and I am going to make a phone call tonight that I’ve been putting off  - Chris should charge ten times more for this kind of insight!’
Alexandra Denye, Screenwriter

‘an inspiring and informative seminar that drives home the stuff you know but don’t pay enough attention to and fills in all the stuff you don’t know. I wish someone had told me this stuff when I was at film school. Thanks so much Chris’.
Sue, Film maker

‘Very helpful information, presented in an organised manner. Inspiring, useful and positive… I am glad I had the chance to listen to such an energetic mentor…’
Ori Sinai, Director-to-be!

‘Very informative and helpful. It has inspired me and helped clarify what I needed to focus on and work toward.’
Simon Drake, Film Maker

‘Great course. Makes you really question why you are involved in this crazy business and consequently helps you make informed strategic decisions for success, life changing decisions if you are brave enough!’
Jack Moscrop, Screenwriter

‘Really enlightening, you get to plan not only your career but also your life and consequently grow as a person…’
Elena Karathanasi, Writer – director

‘This is my second workshop with you Chris and I must say you are a great inspiration to me my film. I found so much of my deep beliefs in your words. It was great to be here! Also really practical help in how and what to do!’
Tiziana Callari – Film maker

‘The seminar has put my career strategy into focus – Chris answered all of my most ‘fearful’ questions I had about how to realise my next step into the industry.’
Mathew Bate, Avid FCP Editor

Blimey!

Onward and upward!

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

It begins at the beginning...

I have been working on my script and reading more and listening to other writing teachers. Aristotle’s name has come up repeatedly, and shamefully, while I knew the broad strokes of his work, I had never read his book on Poetics. Clearly it’s in public domain so I went to the web to find it, and discovered a free download of a reading - so it’s now on my iPod and I am working my way through it.

The most profound bits for me are about the beginning, middle and end.

What resonates most is that I believe that often, I (and having read many scripts I can safely say many others) don’t actually start at the beginning. We start sometime BEFORE the beginning. If we are lucky, this gets addressed in post production when you chop chunks off that are not needed. We usually dress it up as character back story, or the setup, but I fear that most of the time, it’s just dead weight… And it’s not just the script, but every scene has a beginning, middle and end, even every line of dialogue… that’s why in a movie, characters never lock car doors when they park up, the scene ONLY begins when the character arrives and to lock the doors is stuff that happens BEFORE the scene starts - yet we need to establish the location (setting the stage which is something different) thus show the car pulling up.

The original text is pretty hard going I warn you, but if you are into it, there is a free download of the text here… and an audio recording here (in a zip file)…

Onward and upward!

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

Win and come on a two day Negotiation Course worth £1,250!

LEARN NEW TACTICS TO POWERFULLY 'GET THE BEST DEAL'!

We are delighted to announce that we have secured TWO places on a terrific Negotiation course run by The Negotiation Academy, valued at £1,250 each… and you could win one!

I did this course myself last year and found it to be extremely useful, highlighting many many weaknesses we have in the film making business.

We all know that we need to negotiate, and we all believe we understand the process... But are we walking away from our negotiations with what we want? What are our weaknesses and how easily would a seasoned negotiator spot that? How do we handle negotiations with difficult people? How should we prepare for our negotiations to ensure that we achieve our goals? Most importantly, how do we recognise common negotiation tactics that often cost us not only money but our creative freedom as well?

Most people in our industry are more creatively inclined, leaving our negotiation skills a little neglected. This is why creative people get the sticky end of the stick.

Personally, I have found that if there is one area we all fall down at, it’s when we enter the professional sales and negotiations arena, working with tough people who make tough deals every day of their working lives. No wonder it’s often like lambs to the slaughter!

So now you have a chance to bag a two day seminar that will significantly increase your ability to close the best deal, the right deal. The Negotiation Academy is a leading provider of negotiation seminars in the world, so this really is a GREAT OPPORTUNITY GUYS! REMEMBER, FILM IS A BUSINESS.

All you need to do is send us an email here… …and in the email header, please put the phrase TNA COMPETITION, and add your name and phone number.

The competition will close at midnight on Friday 18th April (GMT) and we will then draw, at random, two winners and announce these winners over the weekend of the 20th (yes that’s next week! So get a move on).

Here’s what we ask you to agree to in return. First off, we will add you to our mailing list so you get notified about the winners, and of free podcasts and other events. Second, we ask the winners to make themselves available after the course to talk about what they learned, so we can podcast their new found tools and strategies to everyone who entered the competition. This means that even if you don’t win, you will still get a slice of the information.

To help you with your film deals, you can sign up to TNA’s regular bulletin here… where you can access a wide range of articles, pod casts and other resources.

So send us that email! I suspect only 100 or so people will do this so the odds that you could win are very good. Last time we did this, one guy walked away with GBP1,500 worth of free Avid software. Here’s the email again…

[email protected]

The seminar itself will take place at Henley Management College, Henley-on-Thames on Thu 24th Apr and Fri 25th Apr, 2008.

You can visit TNA’s website and learn more about this seminar here…

Looking forward to interviewing two lucky winners after they have experienced a great course…!

And if you are interested in film career development, we are running an amazing one off seminar on Sunday the 20th April at Ealing Studios. More information here…

NOTE - You can only enter once, so don't keep trying every day!

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

New Seminar - Building A Successful Career In Film - April 20th

I am running a completely new half day seminar. Got to pay for Cannes some way! Here are the details...

Building A Successful Career In Film is a new seminar by Chris Jones, author of The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook and veteran feature film maker.

‘Have you ever wondered why it’s been taking so long to get your career moving? I know I did when I started out. Even when I made incredible advances, like making a feature film at 21, somehow I didn’t seem to get the forward momentum I thought I would.

Do YOU know what to do next week? Next month? Next year? And beyond? These are questions I thought I had good answers for, but I was always unaware of where I was really 'at' in my career, and the effect was like trying to jog on sand… exhausting, slow going and frustrating! I have since found that the people who achieve real success often get the 'big picture' very early.

You know, there is what you know you know... there is what you know you don’t know... but it’s what you don’t know that you don’t know that gets you... And often it’s the simplest things… And I intend to share with you the steps you need to take in order to achieve success in film...’
Chris Jones

This intensive half day seminar is a powerful and completely new strategy for creative people who want to accelerate their ambitions. It’s a structured ABC of what to do, when to do it and what it will mean to your long term dreams.

Says Chris, ‘I spent a year or so thinking about this seminar. I have seen many film makers make the same mistakes that I made, over and over again… And I realised that no-one had ever sat down and written down the simple steps you need to go through in order to launch a successful career in film… Not even the best film schools in the world seem to teach this. So I wrote those steps down, researched lots of other film makers who were successful, and finally put this event together…’

At the heart of the seminar is a five step plan that details exactly what you should be doing, how you should be doing it, and how you can fund it. And also why you will probably fail if you do not successfully pass through each stage, recognise that passage and adjust your plans and attitudes for the next stage…

We are running this seminar only once, at Ealing studios on Sunday 20th April. Kick off is at mid day, and we expect to be wrapping up around 4pm. Light refreshments will be available throughout.

The seminar will cost £45 but is discounted to £40 (inc VAT) for SP / TC and members of the LSP newsgroup.

 Powerfully fast track your career now…!

Seminar Date - 20th April 2008
Venue - Ealing Studios
Start time - 12 noon sharp
Free parking on site
£45 discounted to £40

ONLY DATES IN 2008 - APRIL 20th, 2008 - BOOK NOW WITH THE BUTTON BELOW, or send a cheque for £40 payable to Hard Copy and send to Hard Copy, Ealing Studios, Ealing Green, London, W5 5EP.

Onward and upward!

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

Editing the Gone Fishing Seminar DVD set...

For the last month or so, editor James Barham and I have been working on the Gone Fishing seminar DVD set. It’s been much more work than I had anticipated, but we have now done an edit on the whole ten hour event.

It’s really turned out to be very good. In fact, better then we had ever hoped. The DVD seminar is best ‘done’ or viewed in a single day (or over one weekend), with a few friends - it is interactive and viewers are expected to get involved, discuss in a group and make notes, so that they can fully ‘own’ the experience. The real value of this seminar is that in doing it, you feel like you made the film itself and therefore fully own the lessons learned during the production.

I have bought and watched every single ‘film making’ DVD there is out there, and I can say that very few can compete with the depth of information we have delivered in this disk set (and those that do cost over $400!).

We are just making and testing the first DVD, of what we expect now to be a six disk set. I am still not sure what to call it, but ‘Making Your First World Class Movie’ comes to mind… Maybe we will go with something else. We have yet to set a retail price, but given it’s on six disks and comes with its own book, it’s going to be closer to £100 than I had initially expected. I have to pay VAT too, and unlike others, I list the prince inc VAT and swallow the VAT myself (rather than adding it on when you come to payment which always annoys me).

If you want to know more about this DVD box set, then drop me a line at [email protected]

Onward and upward!

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

Gone Fishing Seminar at Ealing Studios

Over the weekend, at the Met Film School at Ealing Studios, I held the Gone Fishing seminar for the last few people who had helped in the making of the movie. It was a stand out event, mainly because the group was small and intimate, giving us a chance to really have some great discussions. I also managed to get second unit director Simon Cox, costume designer Linda Haysman and sound designer Bernard O’Reilly to attend too, adding their experience and knowledge to the mix.

We also filmed it, to add to what we shot at BAFTA. This means more editing work for James, who is putting the DVD set together, but for now, it looks like it’s really going to be an exceptional box set.

Like making the movie in the first place, the seminar took on the qualities of a marathon… But we got to the end and survived! What is really great about doing these seminars is that I get as much out of it as anyone in the group. I should be exhausted this morning, but frankly, I am still buzzing and can’t wait to get on with my day. It’s such a pleasure to be in a room with a group of creative people who all want the same thing – to make something terrific that reaches an audience. So thank you to everyone who attended.

Here's what some of the attendees said...

‘extremely insightful... I would recommend this course to anyone who is interested in film making and production’ - Georgina Hurcombe - Production Coordinator

'...An in-depth, very well prepared and organised seminar, that gave me an awesome technical insight into film production... especially on a 2nd Unit... and how a talented, enthusiastic film editor is, in effect, actually the 2nd director on a production, and contributes a substantial amount. Good luck with the festivals and to everyone involved in GONE FISHING..." - Martin Grant, Film Maker

"Fantastic seminar! Packed with valuable information from first hand experience in making a high quality film. I've learnt so much in one day. Truly one of a kind. I would recommend it to all."
Desiree Densiti - Actor/Producer

Right! Now back to the movies…

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected] 

Gone Fisihing Seminar on DVD and March 16th

I have been working on the next ‘Gone Fishing’ seminar which we are running on March 16th, so just a couple of weeks away (more info here). This second and final event is for those who could not attend the BAFTA screening, and for anyone else who wants to come along (we need to raise more cash for the music licence and 35mm transfers – it never seems to end).

We will be filming parts of this seminar again, and hopefully, a month or so after this, we will be making the whole seminar available on a five or six disk DVD set with book. The plan is also to make a final disk next spring, a kind of festivals and awards catch up and final autopsy of the whole process. This seminar next spring will be free to anyone who attended these first two, and a DVD will be sent to anyone who bought the DVD set.

We are editing the first seminar right now, and it’s a mammoth job. It’s being headed up by James Barham, a young editor I trained about a year ago, who showed so much promise I gave him this job (though it’s pretty thankless at the moment!) My ambition for this DVD seminar is for it to be the very best film making seminar ever committed to DVD. I have seen most of the other DVD courses now, and they range form pretty good, to unbelievably terrible (both in content and presentation). And all are American.

In the next few weeks we will announce the DVD set with an option for anyone who attended the seminars to buy at a discounted price.

Onward and upward!

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

Richard Walter's Beyond The Basics DVD Seminar

I have been working my way through a DVD seminar by Richard Walter, called Beyond The Basics, a four disk set that is crammed with inspirational and exceptionally direct and concise advice on screenwriting. No, it’s more than that, it’s about storytelling, agents, managers, film editing and so much more. Richard Walter is an American professor at UCLA and the head of their screenwriting program. He has been tutoring for years and many famous and successful writers have been through his classes. And it shows. He knows his stuff and he doesn ’t mince his words (he is pictured here with Steven de Souza, writer of Die Hard).

What I loved most about this seminar is how he manages to keep technique and instruction fully integrated with his own narrative of tales from the trenches of film making. For me this makes it a great exercise in storytelling in of itself. It makes for an entertaining and instructional experience. I found myself laughing out loud, nodding in agreement, wincing (when I remembered making the same mistakes) and taking notes on what I will do next to my screenplay.

One of the amazing things Richard offers is, he will read your script if you buy his DVD or attend a seminar. Given his immense experience and status, that is an incredible opportunity.

The disk is flag wavingly American, which personally, I respond to in a very favourably way (American in a West Wing sensibility sort of way, not George Bush). I also ripped the audio off the DVD and put it on my iPod so I can listen while travelling, making use of those long tube journeys back and forth from Soho for Gone Fishing.

The Screenwriters store in LA currently has a February Sale where the disk set is reduced from $79.95 to $59.95. You can get it here, though you will need to buy it today to get the discount. I thoroughly recommend it.

On their site, there is also a short but free interview with him here…

Onward and upward!

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

After running the Masterclass this weekend, I have myself been pretty amped up! For me it’s the hidden benefit of doing something like this. You get to spend the whole weekend, out of closet, and screaming at the top of your lungs, I LOVE MOVIES! And everyone feels the same way too! I had not planned to do this course again this year, but this weekend was soooo entertaining and inspirational for me, I can’t help but start planning another for the Summer.

Of particular note for me is that the new career path section that I developed for the Gone Fishing seminar, really does seem to resonate with people and give them a clear and firm hook for their own aspirations. It’s a four step plan that details what should be done (and should not be done) in each step. It helps people focus on what to do and when, but most importantly, it helps people to NOT over reach too early, so that when a genuine opportunity emerges, you are ready and can take full advantage.

Here are some comments I received after the seminar.

'I can most definitely confirm that my life changed over the weekend, apart from not being able to sleep on Sunday evening until 3am, and Monday being a continual buzz of energy and excitement!!! I know I have stepped into a new phase of my life, been on the edge of it for too long… You can rest assured you not only have a talent for story telling, and making great movies but also changing people's lives. That's a gift! It was both inspiring and intensive - it’s film school in a weekend! It’s amazing what you can learn in a short amount of time… It made me look at life through the camera lens, you are totally exposed and suddenly everything makes sense…'
Heather Freedland, Film Maker and Marketing Expert

'Thank you for the weekend. Seriously. I learned more useful, practical and inspiring tips and advice in the two days than I had in four years at university on a film course. I came away fired up for the challenge ahead of me and motivated to tackle it. Feel the fear and do it anyway. It looks set to be a busy and exciting couple of months and beyond. Thanks again for giving me the additional shove I needed to get out there and seize every possible opportunity…'
Helen MacIntyre, Writer Director

'You displayed a great mix of "shoot for the stars" inspiration / optimism / enthusiasm, with a "been in the trenches and paid your dues" grounded, reality check. I really respected you for that...'
Alan Brash – Screenwriter

Blimey…!

Onward and upward!

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

The week from HELLLLLLL!

Last week was the week from hell. Aside from all the Gone Fishing stuff, I had to take care or an enormous corporate video job, and host one of my gruelling two day masterclasses over the weekend.

The corporate job was ENORMOUS and I enlisted the help of second unit director on Gone Fishing, Simon Cox. Together, we worked away for a week, editing and mastering three films in English, French and German, and in both NTSC and PAL, with the client constantly making changes to all three! We put in 20 hour days for four days in a row… and then I had to do my two day masterclass straight of the back. The class was an incredible event and everyone, including myself, left exhausted but amped up and ready for action…

The only problem for me is that the client on my corporate had changed their mind yet again, and more changes were needed, plus 100 DVD’s! And all by tomorrow morning at 9am for a presentation. So after the gruelling weekend, I then spent the whole night editing and mastering DVD’s, then duplicating. It was hell. Really very painful.

But… it also reminded me of just how hard we can push ourselves. And how often, we don’t push hard enough. In fact, almost all of the time. On this occasion, I was pushing Gone Fishing, my course and the corporate. Usually only one of those would dominate my time, but now I was managing all three. I was amazed at how much I could achieve in a 15 minute coffee break during the seminar – while others stood around chatting, I was beavering away on a DVD and setting off another one hour render… Effectively, how much you can do when you really need to do it with focus and no procrastination. To me, this is one of the real joys or working under pressure.

And I managed it – I did everything I needed for Gone Fishing, the course and I managed to deliver the DVD’s on time… And then I slept for a whole day. Really, it feels like Monday to me but I know it’s Tuesday.

Blimey…

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]

Rules, principles and guides...

This weekend coming, I will be running my weekend masterclass at Ealing Studios, and probably, the last one for some time. Every time I run one of these classes, I spend time beforehand reflecting on current trends and shifts in film making. Of course, I still have last weekends premiere bouncing around and I am still high as a kite! So that’s skewing my perspective.

During my seminar, I offer a number of what I would call rules, guides and principles. When I made Gone Fishing I was resolute that I take my own medicine, and I am delighted that adhering to all my own rules paid off. One of those rules is shooting 25 frames per second in the UK – and I feel more than ever, even on HD, this is the way to go (if you have a limited budget). Without getting too deep into techy jargon, the main reasons for shooting 25fps and not 24fps are all technical. But there is one counter argument I hear regularly from people who shot 25fps and then watched their film at 24fps in a cinema. They can sense the drop in speed of 4% - the movie is that little bit slower and voices that bit deeper. To my ear, that pitch drop is better than a pitch increase, which I now have on GF (and I know that it’s possible to re-pitch these days, but that comes with its own set of problems too). And as for people noticing their film is slower in pace, I think that has much more to do with it being slow film in the first place, and perhaps a movie that has not been cut as tight as the narrative dictates.

One regular problem I see are films being screened that are really not complete. There is still work to do. I believe this is also a rule too. I believe it so much that when Guy Rowlands, one of the writers who did a polish on Gone Fishing, came to me with a re-edit idea AFTER the premiere, we tried it out. Eddie Hamilton did a recut to accommodate this idea, emailed me a QT, and we watched it. In many ways this recut worked, but I felt it interrupted the narrative and was also slightly disingenuous (it was a flashback that implied a certain story ‘truth’ that was in fact ‘not true’.) So we didn’t use it. But the point is, we did try, and really gave it a good and credible attempt. So thanks Guy for pursuing excellence with us all.

Of course, all films have to be completed at some point, or as James Cameron says, ‘all films are abandoned…’ but you want to do that when you have exhausted every possible alternative and idea. I felt I owed it to everyone involved – cast, crew, contributors, audience, and of course myself, to know absolutely that the film we end up with is the best that it can be.

I also got notes from a few other film makers which were fascinating, but often veering off into personal opinion, or likes or dislikes of certain aspects of the film (some people like the wobbly cam of the ‘Bourne’ films, some don’t - it’s not right or wrong but a choice…) All fascinating stuff and good to get different perspectives from people whose opinions one trusts.

Onward and upward!

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]