WMM BLOG

Meet Curtis Bechdholt, Talent Manager and Acting Coach

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...

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How Community Helped Lift Up NYC Filmmaker Carly Wilkins On Her Series, YELLOW LINES

 

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...

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"So, what are you working on next?" How Tyler C. Peterson found his next project.

Picture this... your latest film is finally done. You're onstage at a festival, in the thick of a Q&A. An audience member leans into the microphone and clears their throat. “So, what’s next?”

What’s next? You don’t want to talk about the project you just saw? The one I’ve been pouring my soul into for years?

As a film director, this is a dreaded question you’ll always be asked, and you better have an answer. The last thing you want people to think is that your career lacks momentum and trajectory. While gearing up to tour my latest short film “Copper & Wool” across festivals in 2022, I took some time to really think about where my energies should be directed.

When you’re early in your career and still financing your own work, in some ways the world is really your oyster. There’s no manager telling you what your next step should be. No studio executives asking you to make your biggest hit again, but just...

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VOD Distribution For The Indie Filmmaker

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...

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Why & How Indie Filmmakers Should Use Payroll

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!


 

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Filmmaking 101: How to Navigate SAG-AFTRA Low Budget Contracts

Want access to the most professional and experienced actors for your next project? Then you'll want to make sure you're producing under a SAG-AFTRA contract so you can hire union performers.  However, we know navigating the signatory process and on-set paperwork can feel....daunting. But, we're here to break down the four most popular, low- budget, SAG-AFTRA contracts for you, so you can level up the talent on your indie project.  WMM President (and our in-house SAG-AFTRA consultant, as she has been involved with the organization for almost a decade) Aubrey Mozino, discusses the factors you'll need to consider such as how much the overall budget of the project is, where the project is slated to land (distribution? festivals?), specific elements of the project (nudity? stunts?), and the various paperwork that accompanies each contract (Exhibit G? Pension & Health Remittance Form?). It's a handful, which is why we provide services that can handle...

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Filmmaking 101: What Does A Line Producer Do?

Filmmaking is not for the weary and line producing is not for the amateur. A Line Producer is one of the most critical members of the filmmaking team, as they are responsible for planning and overseeing all operations and logistics from pre-production through delivery on a project. In short, they are the project manager and accountant for the project - the ones adulting so everyone else can focus on the making of a film. The primary order of pre-production business for a Line Producer is to break down the script to determine every specific need in order to create an initial budget for the project. Funds are allocated towards every key department (camera, set design, hair and makeup...), hiring decisions are made based upon rates available to offer, locations are decided upon depending on the particulars of each day, and a schedule is created considering all of these factors fiscally and for optimal efficiency. A good Line Producer will also take into account all the moving parts...

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Making A Challenge-Winning Film: No Reservations

One of the countless benefits of being a We Make Movies member is the opportunity to enter into the Rolling Production Fund Challenge in hopes of securing funding for a community-backed project. Our unique system of vetting and testing projects for an audience is made complete by actually allowing our members to vote on their favorite pieces based on staged readings done by professional actors who bring the scripts to life in the semi-final stage of the challenge. Numerous short films have been chosen by a live studio audience of WMM members, and consequently been greenlit through this process. Prolific writer Flip Kobler penned the comedic gem No Reservations, which became one of the four winning RPF Challenge films in 2019. The film went on to be directed by award-winning filmmaker Steven LaMorte, who then additionally documented the magic behind the scenes of making the film, including the resourceful techniques and swoon worthy gear and software...

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Films We're Excited To See At The 2022 WMM International Film Festival

film festival Aug 01, 2022

The past two years have had WMMINTL offering the ubiquitous hybrid festival, a mix of virtual screenings and Q&A sessions, with a few in-person screenings and special events sprinkled in. We delivered cinematic excellence despite the restrictions of the pandemic, but for our 4th annual We Make Movies International Film Festival we’re rolling out the red (well, blue) carpet from October 6th through the 9th with another stellar lineup of films from around the world, a few illustrious panels, and of course, an opening and closing ceremony. 

This year’s slate underscores some highly original and impactful features, shorts, documentaries, pilot episodes, music videos, experimental film, and everything (have we left anything out?) in between. From the intellectual and philosophical to the witty and absurdist to the unpredictable, personal, and political, our Festival Director Eric Michael Kochmer, Programming Director Whit Spurgeon, and Assistant Director Tehana Weeks...

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Making A Movie About Polyamory: The Unicorn Diaries

A mere two weeks away from production, the WMM Make Your Feature Competition winning film The Unicorn Diaries, is set to flip the RomCom genre on its head and set fire to the ideology of monogamy. Inspired by her own curiosity, quest for fierce authenticity, and love of love, writer and star of the film Datgirl Serene is prepping to bare her soul and leave no stone unturned in investor and director (and uber multi-hyphenate) Cate Caplin’s cinematic vision of the very personal journey into polyamory. 

The pair have tirelessly been refining the script, honing the cast, and curating the look and feel of the film for the better half of a year, amassing talented collaborators like veteran DP Erik “Wolfie” Wolford, boutique designer Jordan Terra, costume designer Shon LeBlanc, and specialty act GoGo Hoop Dancestars to name a few. The film stars Datgirl as “Lili'', Billy Budinich as''Tyler”, and Chad Doreck as “Brian”, with Niki J. Crawford as...

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