The CDDP’s Dominique DeLeon offers up a few reasons why he thinks you should think about getting into commercial filmmaking.
As filmmakers, particularly documentary filmmakers, it’s our job to do the digging. It can be uncomfortable and it’s never clean, because the truth is never simple. This is why documentaries are so important—they offer the time and context needed for the truth, as long as we can extract it.
Welcome back to our second article in a series exploring The Commercial Directors Diversity Program, or CDDP. In this installation, we had the opportunity to speak with Vanessa Black and Jane Qian about the specifics of their productions and how they overcame challenges to make them a reality.
Podcasts are especially great for filmmakers. We’re constantly bombarded by the visual side of things, and that leaves a perfect gap for audio to fill those in-between moments or long days at the editing bay. So, here’s our big list of film podcasts.
Take Stink Studio’s Executive Producer Omid Fatemi, for example. He’s behind the TUMI x Chris Pratt spot, which is simple on the surface, yet infinitely effective—a funny film about a man packing for his first trip to Hong Kong. Of course, it helps to have Chris Pratt as your talent—but, there’s so much more to this project than that. And that’s where Omid’s magic tricks come in.
Amanda is the director of integrated production at Wunderman Thompson in Chicago. If you don’t know what that title means, it roughly translates to “person who does just about everything.” Our conversation about her producing philosophies is an apt reminder that if you’re in the film industry, you’re a creative. You have to be. She’s a veteran in an industry that’s always changing—and she seems comfortable riding the wave of that change way out in front.
Iz Harris has done a lot of things. She’s created wedding videos, branded content, tutorials, vlogs, and more, which she attributes to “creative ADHD.” We attribute it to being a good creative—and her YouTube channel is blowing up because of it. Her personality, authenticity, and editing make for a compelling watch on a consistent basis, but most importantly she can tell a good story. Simple as that. And, as we discuss in this interview, that’s all you truly need as a creator on YouTube.
Finding music for your films is not easy. It’s a little bit like a treasure hunt, and not always the fun kind—it’s the kind that can really slow your edit if you don’t have the right tools at your disposal. We know because we’ve been there. You’re in the middle of a project and it’s time to start thinking about the soundtrack, then it all comes to a screeching halt.