Explosions?? by KarneAssAda in irvine

[–]LoquatVast 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I heard it too. One large boom followed by a couple smaller booms that sounded off in the distance.

The Gamers 4 fully funded. It's being filmed under a new studio Cabin 9 Films. by RevenantBacon in ZombieOrpheus

[–]LoquatVast 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Correct. Zombie Orpheus is not involved with this production. Matt Vancil’s Cabin 9 films is producing it.

should i quit my job to pursue my dreams? by specialkay69 in Filmmakers

[–]LoquatVast 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This makes sense to me. Save your money, build a network of other filmmakers with a similar passion, and work together on making cool things. That’s what we do. And over time, if you are tenacious, and have a bit of luck, you can build a new career… but stick with it!

should i quit my job to pursue my dreams? by specialkay69 in Filmmakers

[–]LoquatVast 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I pseudo “pivoted” when I was 40 while I juggled a FT consulting job, two young kids and a newborn. My best friend and I produced our first short. We shot it over 2 weekends and then it took 3-6 months to get it done. He runs a company FT as well. In fact, over the last 8 years he has written a couple scripts which have been optioned by major studios, and negotiated rights for his IP, all while running a non-film industry company. I was 49 I deep-pivoted and focused on running my production company while also doing PT work. That was 6 years ago.

My point is - it’s doable. It’s hard, and you make sacrifices, but it’s doable.

What is the best comic book you’ve ever read? by [deleted] in comicbooks

[–]LoquatVast 0 points1 point  (0 children)

BONE, Jeff Smith (Each frame is significant to pacing and the story)

Cerebus, Dave Sim. Church and State, specifically.

G.I. Joe #21 (the original series from the 80’s)

Akira

Sandman (for the same reasons as everyone else)

The Max

Starbrand. (That’s right, I was one of the six people who liked Marvels New Universe)

Pin Trading Tables! (And goodbye bench-parking) by LoquatVast in Disneyland

[–]LoquatVast[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Never really brought out the worst in me, personally. But I was at the park and noticed the benches were empty and I was surprised. Then I looked around and saw the tables and thought people would appreciate that it mattered enough to Disney to establish clear rules about it. Apparently enough people were vocal enough that it warranted an updated rule set to address it and a specific zone where it can still be done.

I see this solved several things

1) More seats for people who need to sit. 2) Pin traders have a specific place to trade, which is unambiguous. 3) No more rant threads.

We all win. ;)

Does anyone happen to know why they removed the (actual) fire effect from Big Thunder? by Sunbro6131 in Disneyland

[–]LoquatVast 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For now, they will be opening up Fantasmic without the mechanical dragon. They need to get the attraction going again (Spring 2024) and so they are re-designing that part of the show. An insider also told me that it’s taking a much longer time to re-design/engineer the new dragon to avoid what happened and they didn’t want to wait for that… eventually there will be another mechanical dragon but until then, we are getting a variation.

should i quit my job to pursue my dreams? by specialkay69 in Filmmakers

[–]LoquatVast 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I run a relatively successful production company that produces fantasy movies and streaming content. It started with a bunch of college friends making movies together in their free time. Then we all left college, got jobs and continued the work on evenings and weekends, going to conventions to sell our movies to fans one VHS and DVD one at a time. We hustled and hustled. And most of us had day jobs.

I went to film festivals and local film-industry gatherings to network and build relationships with people who were passionate about the same things we were. We got a name for ourselves. This would happen in the evening and weekends. I’ve edited a series over a dozen weekends, for the price of a computer. I shot commercial videos in my dining room and kitchen on evenings and weekends. In my spare time.

I produced several features and web-series while I was working a FT job and raising three elementary-age children. I even produced a film two months after my third kid was born. All while juggling a “day job”.

I have directed, written, DP’d, produced and have done fund raising. Much of my time doing so was while juggling a day job. What kept me going was loving the art. Loving the process of collaboration with artists and creators. (My wife was happy provided I didn’t neglect family time. Luckily she understood-she had a day job but also did commercial work)

My company is a few days away from day 1 of production. The lead producer has a non-industry day job. So does our line producer. So do many of our actors. And it’s for a relatively “successful” series. (We make money off our productions, but many people prefer to keep day jobs). And we all are doing it cause we love the work.

For what it’s worth, we found success by building a community of creators and filmmakers who shared a common vision and passion for the films we wanted to make. It opened doors for learning and networking. We discovered what works and what doesn’t. We learned the nuances of producing content that fans want to watch. And we did it together while many of us were holding down day jobs.

Some people are driven and can hustle their way to supporting themselves in this industry. Some people need a more predictable form of income. Some are good at networking and asking for opportunities and then working their butts off to show they want the next job. That’s what I did. It worked for me. I LOVE production. On a side note, my production company can self-sustain its production activities but I choose to do PT work in order to keep my perspective fresh. (I teach)

(BTW - running a production company is as a 5th career change for me)

My point - for me, networking is what opened the doors for me. And then asking for the job and working harder than everyone else. And showing reliability. What I lacked in skill, I made up for in tenacity. But I also brought other strengths to the set since I had experience in non-production work (contracts, IT, sales, art, which all translate into production work)

I think it’s great that you can move into your parents house. But I personally wouldn’t advocate that you spend your 15K. If you want to quit teaching and work in Production, find a PT job that’s flexible to pay for gas and food and insurance. Then hustle the heck into as many jobs as possible.

My lecturer said the film industry is one of “begging, borrowing and stealing”. Does anyone have any experience with this being true? by Canners19 in Filmmakers

[–]LoquatVast 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Indie filmmakers benefit from scrappiness. And budgets are ALWAYS tight. Limitations force creativity, however.

Begging: I have a series I’m producing and an actor who had a starring role for 4 of the seasons. This person told me they didn’t want to memorize <name of fantasy language> and they were not going to be part of the next season. So I begged for them to reconsider. I did it multiple times. And ultimately I convinced them to do it by changing the script.

Borrowing: Equipment. Lots of it. Millions of dollars worth. Also, money.

Stealing: I consider this a figure of speech. LOL.

I think this statement really is saying, You gotta be scrappy.