WMM BLOG

Love Is Literally A Fire With Director Sofie Somoroff

“Soon after moving in together, a couple is forced to confront their challenges with intimacy, exacerbated by a toxic yeast infection and deep rooted insecurities, as their relationship slowly devolves.” No matter your cinematic sensibilities, if that logline doesn’t pique your interest in director Sofie Somoroff’s short horror film Love Is A Fire, you may need to check your pulse. With a world premiere at the end of this month at Portland Horror Film Festival, the film will also enjoy a run at our We Make Movies International Film Festival this October.

No stranger to films centered around coming to terms with bodily functions, Somoroff’s directorial menu includes a series of musicals; My First Night In Los Angeles about a girl learning self-love while crashing in her friend’s living room, and My Worst Night In Los Angeles about needing to eliminate (yes, her bowels) while on a Hinge date. To follow with a film about an acidic yeast infection...

Continue Reading...

Trust, Communication, Love, & Pain In Kayshawn Wallace's Shadows In The Mirror

production services Jun 27, 2022

Award-winning, Boston-bred filmmaker Kayshawn Akime Wallace got into storytelling at Syracuse University while acquiring a degree in U.S History and Cultural Anthropology. Channeling his passion for history into filmmaking, his first official short film Out of Time won Best Horror Film at the Hollywood Gold Short Film Festival and Best First-Time Filmmaker at the San Francisco Indie Short Film Festival. His latest project is the 39 minute short film Shadows In The Mirror, which delves into the tense, boundary-crossing, secret laden breakdown of an open relationship between James (Kameron Basseri) and Veronica (Anna Maria Mojo).

Through his production company Mural Productions, Wallace creates and directs independent films and collaborates with fellow filmmakers’ story development. Attributing his drive and creative spirit to his immigrant, Caribbean parents Ingride Francouer (Haitian) and Tasfa Wallace (Jamaican), Wallace’s work gravitates towards intersecting themes of...

Continue Reading...

Marketing Tips For Indie Filmmakers - Why Is BTS So Sexy?


One of the worthwhile ways for independent filmmakers to build their audience for their projects is to procure entertaining, shareable BTS. To be clear, we are not referring to the K-Pop sensation that has swept the world over, but instead, the behind-the-scenes snapshots and footage that showcase the developmental stages of your project, offer a sneak peek into your world, and unleash the potential of attracting partners, investors, and everyone else you hope sets eyes on your work. For a production company and filmmaking collective centered around helping artists practically, efficiently, and authentically materialize and deliver on their dreams, sharing the story behind the story is just as essential as cultivating a voice or expressing a point of view.
 
We Make Movies CEO Sam Mestman emphatically advocates BTS as an invaluable marketing tool for filmmakers, stating that "BTS gives a look into your process and your process as a content creator is what...
Continue Reading...

Ushering In A New Generation of Filmmakers Through An Intern University

Filmmaking (like raising a child) takes a village and the team behind our Make Your Feature Competition winning film Under The Influencer, is birthing their film with exactly that in mind. By creating what they term Intern University, the production team (comprised of all queer women) is  supporting their budgetary, workflow, and (wo)manpower requirements while elevating a fresh crop of queer, female filmmakers. By employing 12  film school interns in various positions on their crew after putting them through a training program prior to the shoot, the team has provided an exceptional opportunity for those who may not otherwise be afforded a chance to gain experience which would in turn connect and qualify them for future assignments in Hollywood. “With a diverse cast and crew, our priority is that everyone feels safe and welcome, and by setting and articulating those expectations before filming begins, we hope to see our goals of positive and respectful...

Continue Reading...

Transcending A Score: A Conversation With Michael Cashmore

A film score has the power to elevate a scene, drive the story forward, and heighten a film's impact beyond the visual medium. The sonic landscape provided by a score helps create a mood, convey the psychological state of the characters, color the scenery, and deliver a collective emotional tone. It is no wonder that the winner of our Make Your Feature Competition, Mars Roberge sought out English composer and musician Michael Cashmore to design the score for his feature film Stars. Cashmore has been a longtime staple of the underground progressive folk and industrial new wave scenes, well known for creating music under the moniker Nature and Organisation (since the 80's), his own namesake (since 2006), as well as as his extensive contributions composing for Current 93 (for over 20 years).

Currently living in Berlin, Cashmore is respected as one of Britain's most influential and inspiring composers. His...

Continue Reading...

Production Post Mortem on Stars With Mars Roberge & Kenneth Shaw

Behind every successful film is usually a lengthy list of producers and associate partners. A savvy filmmaker understands what it means to discover, foster, and cement these lucrative and instrumental relationships. Securing a resourceful, competent, and benevolent cheerleader can oftentimes spell the difference between simply finishing a project, and enjoying the process of making a piece of art. For filmmaker Mars Roberge, winner of our We Make Movies Make Your Feature Competition, his trusted partner in crime on several projects (five in total) has been New York based Kenneth Shaw. The two have collaborated alongside associate producer Debra Haden (also Roberge's wife) on Roberge's past two feature films, and for Stars, added WMM and executive producer (and investor) Sam Mestman to the mix. 

Aside from supporting Roberge on his cinematic endeavors, Shaw runs Four Shaw Entertainment, a full...

Continue Reading...

Artistic Tour-de-Force Debra Haden Talks Filmmaking Survival

competition production May 04, 2022
Equal parts regal pixie pinup, quirky coquette, and elegant bibliothecary, artistic maven Debra Haden is a dizzying multi-hyphenate. The actress, model, designer, animator, musician, producer, and ventriloquist (!) truly embodies each of her talents and curates her various portfolios on several platforms. It's only fitting that she be Mars Roberge's (our Make Your Feature Competition winner) energetic counterpart, creative comrade, and life-partner, on top of inhabiting the role of Bianca Jagger in his winning film Stars. A few things are certain. Haden may be the pinnacle of all things "feminine" in presentation (as witnessed by the photography of Heidi Calvert in the title image), but her special brand of whimsy and eccentricity elevate her above being anyone's muse. She's the thinking man's enchantress, unapologetically accomplishing her visions with dexterity and grace. 
 
Haden has been channeling her B.S. in Clothing...
Continue Reading...

Matt Marder's Feature Debut Is A Gold Mine of Memory, the Old West & Virtual Reality

 

Princeton University and AFI alumnus, writer / director Matt Marder gives WMM the scoop behind his sci-fi western feature Gold Mine, about an up and coming pop singer who decides to enter a virtual reality program to try and recharge her dad's memories and bring him back to life from a coma. Marder reconvened with producer Sydney K., co-director Adam Chase Cohen, and actress Alanna Fox (Black-ish, Curb Your Enthusiasm, I'm Dying Up Here), who previously all collaborated on Marder's series Shifter.

The visual aesthetic of Gold Mine is a mix of Wong Kar-Wai, Alex Garland, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Denis Villeneuve. The creative team tirelessly worked to create the looks (KC Mussman), visuals (Nocturnal Designz), set decoration (Bailey Gerdy), and costumes (Roberto Andrade) for this film, heavily inspired by the works of Christopher Nolan, Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch, Kathryn Bigelow, and Edgar Wright.

WMM: What compelled...

Continue Reading...

Director Mark Hensley Helms Activist Film "Uncut"

"Like art, revolutions come from combining what exists into what has never existed before." 

American activist and reproductive rights crusader Gloria Steinem's words ring true through director Mark Hensley, who helmed Uncut, a short film inspired by the recent Texas abortion law. The film opens with a speech by the newly elected president of the New Republic Patriot Party, talking about the new law that requires all males over 35 to be sterilized to keep the gene pool strong. The main character, about to turn 35, doesn't want to submit to the forced sterilization. He learns about an underground railroad that helps men like him to escape the country, and he goes on the run.

Conjuring up imagery and conceptually in line with yet another feminist icon's work, novelist  Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid's Tale), the film boasts an all-star cast of Sam Meader (Pam and TommyInto The Arms of Danger, Bosch), Max E....

Continue Reading...

How To Copyright & Protect Your Script

We Make Movies has provided venues and platforms for independent filmmakers of all ilks to share their work in a safe, constructive, positive environment. All of the labs in our lab pipeline provide opportunities for artists to bring in their work (at whatever stage they are in)  with the hopes that our audience of creatives will share feedback for how to improve and optimize the project. Our Writers Lab allows writers to bring in fresh pages (from portions of their scripts) for actors to stage read so the writers can hear their ideas, dialogue, and craftsmanship come to life, but this means that there is a room full of others who are also privy to these new ideas, dialogue, and craftsmanship as well. So how can writers protect their intellectual property and safeguard their originality? What constitutes a script or screenplay? What is copyright and why do writers need it? We explain it all below!

A script is a written blueprint of a play, show, or movie. A screenplay...

Continue Reading...
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Close

50% Complete

Two Step

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.