You're probably familiar with the saying that "audiences are more forgiving of poor video than they are of poor audio." If you've ever watched a film whose audio mix is too low or the background noise is too intense. you've probably lost interest pretty quickly and shut it off. Capturing and mixing audio professionally is truly one of the most crucial steps in filmmaking. So, we're bringing in sound designer, audio post mixer and composer  Mark Menza to share his expertise with the WMM community during a free virtual Industry Lab on April 5th 2023.  (No RSVP necessary - grab the Zoom link here!)

Mark has been creating scores, sound design and sound mixes for network television and independent feature films for 30+ years and is going to walk us through what your audio and creative team needs to plan for when capturing and editing sound on their project. Check out this interview we did with Mark to learn more about his experience and what we'll cover on April 5th! 

Can...

Hopefully you've gotten acquainted with another core member of THE USUAL BS PRODUCTIONS already, Brandon Goins, but we now we've gotta introduce you to Teresa Cicala! Remember, you can meet the Usual BS Crew Wednesday, March 22nd at our live Lab Mixtape!

Teresa is an Emmy winning editor, producer, and associate director with over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry. She currently works as an AD and editor on "General Hospital," the longest-running entertainment program in ABC television history. Teresa also produced and edited the feature film "Women and Sometimes Men," as well as the Emmy-Nominated streaming series "Tainted Dreams" (Amazon). Other favorite projects include "90 Day Fiancé," "Pawn Stars," and "Tiny House Nation." She is a member of both the Directors Guild of America and the Motion Picture Editors Guild.

Where are you from? 

Teresa Cicala: Born in Brooklyn, NY. Moved to LA in 2018. 

What is your education/background? How did...

We first got to know Yu Jung Hou when she attended some of our events back in 2016, then we started to become really smitten when she brought her short film Fa Fu into our 2020 WMMINTL Film Festival. Since then we're fully head over heels and asked her to join the ranks of our festival judges (and essentially became our golden buzzer judge since it's not easy to impress her!) and have cheered from the sidelines as she became a full time editor working on projects such as The Mandalorian, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, American Born Chinese, Incredibles 2 and recently the feature WILDER THAN HER by Jessica Kozak with Sunita Mani, Kate Easton and Danny Deferrari.

ISomehow, we also convinced her to moderate one of our upcoming post production workshops -- our Rough Cut Lab on 3/29 (more info + sign up to participate via our calendar) so we took the opportunity to get to know her a bit better. 

Where are you from? What do you do?

Yu Jung Hou: ...

Winning isn't everything, but the creative forces behind THE USUAL BS PRODUCTIONS have collectively won over 12 Emmy's! We're lucky enough to have these artists guest moderate one of our upcoming LA Lab Mixtapes on March 22nd, so we took the opportunity to get to know some of the team a bit more. 

BRANDON GOINS, is co-owner of THE USUAL BS PRODUCTIONS,  and has worked in the entertainment industry for over 20 years. Brandon's most recent projects include Amazon’s 8x Emmy nominated series, Tainted Dreams, in which he received 2 Emmy nominations (2017 & 2018) as the show’s Story Producer and co-writer. A member of both SAG/AFTRA and Actors's Equity, Brandon is currently starring as the longest reoccurring 2nd lead in the hit Off-Broadway production of My Big Gay Italian Wedding and the sequel, My Big Gay Italian Funeral in NYC as well as the touring company around the country. 

Fellow co-owner of THE USUAL BS PRODUCTIONS and 3x...

Cindy and her husband/writing partner, Flip Kobler, have penned in every medium. They were on staff at Disney for several years where they wrote the best selling video premiere of all time, LION KING 2, "Simba's Pride," as well as several other animated films for the Mouse House. They wrote for STAR TREK DEEP SPACE NINE, have over four dozen published shows that are done world wide and three non fiction books, plus two dogs, no cats (Cindy's allergic) and a passion for empowering other writers to help tell their stories.

Their comic book noir feature BURY ME TWICE streams this year. Their holiday horror film, (which had a hugely successful 5 week theatrical run over Christmas 2022) THE MEAN ONE will finally be available to stream this holiday season and their upcoming short film, THE CLOSET will be making it rounds through the WMM Rough Cut Labs shortly...

We're pretty damn lucky to call these two talented and prolific artists, WMM family. That's how we snagged them to...

Longtime WMM member Curtis Bechdholt is a Vancouver character actor who has transitioned into one of the industry's top acting coaches and talent managers. Countless of our actor- members have coached with Curtis when those important self-tape auditions come in (including yours truly!) Curtis has a knack for not only quickly breaking down the scene but finding something organic in each actor that puts a unique spin on the tape. If you're one of the few LA WMM members who hasn't worked with Curtis, here's a bit more about our in-house audition coach. 

Where are you from? What do you do?

I’m originally from Vancouver Canada and I’m currently an Acting Coach and a Talent Manager.

What is your education/background? How did you start working in the film industry?
I had a few scholarships to study Shakespeare for college. However During that summer I walked into a talent agency and immediately started working as an actor in film and T.V.

What other professions...

As with many professions, filmmakers thrive when surrounded by a healthy community of fellow artists. We Make Movies has established a chapter in NYC and even in its early years, this community has already seen a few filmmakers get projects off the ground. One of those members being Carly Wilkins. 

Carly is an actor and filmmaker based in NYC. She started writing her short series, Yellow Lines, during the pandemic lockdowns. After having all her scripts drafted the inevitable question of “What’s next?” came up. Many projects can die in this stage. Unsure where to go next or feeling overwhelmed by the uphill battle ahead to get your project made. However, Carly found the We Make Movies community which gave her a perfect next step. She submitted her scripts to the monthly NYC Writer’s Lab. The WMM Writers Labs host free, staged readings of new work that are fully cast with professional and feedback is then curated from the...

If you make a film and no one sees it, did you really make it? Ouch. This one hurts, we know. By this logic, most indie filmmakers have been made to feel morally defeated (not to mention financially compromised), however technological advances have ushered the era of VOD platforms for the indie filmmaker to be seen. Select festivals have invited access for films and series to be picked up by industry big-wigs (like HBO picking up Issa Rae's Awkward Black Girl and turning it into the sensation that is Insecure), and there are several modes of self-distribution for indie artists to gain visibility for themselves and their projects. There is, no doubt, a lot of sweat equity goes into gaining any recognition and landing on a respectable platform, but a filmmaker has to first know what the options out there actually are. In this piece, we cover the basics by outlining the three main types of streaming platforms indie filmmakers should understand to know which platform will be best for...

We Make Movies has streamlined the process of filmmaking, starting with simplifying the bureaucratic paperwork behind pre-production and production. There are many legal and practical variables in figuring out how to handle all aspects of production, and knowing how to pay your cast and crew is one of the most important ones. We thought we'd break it down for you through our infographics below. We're here to help you manage the tedious elements of handling payroll. We're always just a click away!