I've been using social media for years to promote my company’s work and occasionally my personal stuff, but LinkedIn stands out. While Facebook and Instagram are playgrounds for memes, shameless plugs and endless debates (that usually degenerate into name-calling), LinkedIn prides itself on being the epitome of professionalism. It's like the corporate headquarters of social media, where everyone wears a figurative suit and tie.
However, LinkedIn has remained one platform that I have a love-hate relationship with. I can't decide whether to embrace it or delete my account altogether.
Read MoreSometimes I wonder if indie filmmaking is worth the hassle. Every Monday I do accounting, updating spreadsheets, tracking the business expenses and sales. Almost every week there are columns marked in bold and red — money still owed. Sometimes these owed columns don’t change for months. Sometimes years.
As I write this, I have been emailing IndieFlix since October 2023, chasing payments owed since 2021. These payments are pennies, under $100, but since their policy is to payout every quarter if earnings are above a $1 threshold, I think it is fair to expect the license agreement we signed to be honoured.
IndieFlix is a funny one. We have two films with them, Friends, Foes & Fireworks and Daughter, going back to the start of 2019. In the beginning they reported and paid on time every quarter and our films would earn a small amount on their platform, barely over three figures. But then one year into the deal a funny pattern would begin to emerge: every quarter like clockwork they would still send the reports but always forget the follow-up part… actually paying the money owed.
Read MoreMalta is the only country in the EU where a woman will be arrested for having an abortion. Here, the path to a legal abortion is fraught with barriers: it demands a consensus from not one, but three separate doctors, all agreeing that abortion is the sole measure to save her life. Abortion is illegal even in cases of rape and incest, making Malta one of the strictest anti-abortion nations in the world.
So when No Woman is an Island was invited to screen in front of the EU Parliament in a bid to help change Maltese law, I was honoured. To screen in Parliament, where MPs advocate, deliberate, and enact laws to foster positive change across all member states, including Malta ... Well, that was precisely one of the motivations driving my documentary work.
Read MoreI was drawn to the nostalgia of the project. That warm fuzzy feeling of looking back at old footage, relieving memories of a younger, more innocent time, even if those memories are tinted with rose. The cast of Ordinary has long since drifted away from my life. Tragically, one has passed away, and I'm uncertain if any continue to act. Yet, revisiting this footage creates a unique connection; each person is frozen in time, preserved in their youthful moments – whether it's an outtake, a laugh behind the scenes, or just a candid shot. This creates an illusion of a lasting bond, as if we still know each other and share those original dreams of living life as artists. Living life beyond the ordinary.
Read MoreThe end of the year is here, and as cliche as it sounds, it is the perfect time to reflect. I think we all do it, and it is a healthy ritual for learning and growth. What did you achieve this year? What could you have done better? Did the year live up to your expectations? What do you want from 2024?
Read MoreWhat is it about filmmaking that attracts imposters and faux experts? Is it the allure of glitz and glam? Is it because the criteria for success and expertise is subjective? Or is it because this is an industry which has traditionally excelled at ego stroking, therefore attracting those personalities more prone to enjoy a good ego stroke?
Read MoreAny indie filmmaker knows what a struggle finishing and releasing a movie is. So imagine that you worked hard, single handedly sent hundreds of emails, knocked on doors for months to secure investors for your film or worked extra hours at your day job to be able to afford to pay your cast and crew a wage, only to have radio silence after the film is wrapped. Imagine that you’re the only one posting online about your film on release day and spreading the word at networking events and festivals.
Most of us filmmakers don’t have to imagine; it’s often a sad reality that many actors and crew members don’t promote the films they helped make.
Read MoreWhen my partner Ivan and I started diving into the world of documentaries as viewers we noticed many styles and multiple ways to film, edit, and present a documentary. From the talking heads interview style as seen in 13th (2016) by Ava DuVernay, which explores racial inequality in the American prisons; to personal point of view where the documentarian is the subject such as in Super Size Me (2004) by Morgan Spurlock or Tickled (2016) by David Farrier where he uncovers the strange world of competitive tickling; to investigative documentaries such as Into the Deep (2022) by Emma Sullivan which follows the murder of journalist Kim Wall on a submarine by eccentric inventor Peter Madsen – there are as many styles and techniques to present a documentary as there are stories waiting to be told. But one technique that stands out as a powerful tool to enhance your storytelling is animation.
Read MoreRight now, I am highly stressed. We are in pre-production on our seventh narrative feature film, After the Act, which is about a couple dealing with the fallout from infidelity over the course of a single day and night.
You would think having done this so many times before, organizing a feature film would be easy by now. Well, though experience definitely helps, it never gets easy. There are one thousand things to do, one thousand and one thoughts simultaneously running through my head.
These last couple of weeks I have typically been starting days at 7am and not stopping work until 11pm.
Read MoreThis is a question that we’ve debated many times and it is a question that divides filmmakers. Should you create a website for each new feature film or documentary?
The answer is it depends.
We have eight feature length projects. Numerous other shorts. Some have websites. Some used to have websites. Most only live at Nexus Production Group, our central production company website. But how do we decide which film needs its own dedicated website and which film can do without?
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