“Who and what can I use to make my movie? Where do I even begin?”
You may remember, if you’ve been reading MovieMaker for a while, an annual directory that included in every annual Complete Guide to Making Movies edition, called the “Motion Picture Production Guide.” Over the course of 10 pages or so—and in a font size that usually befits grains of rice—the MPPG listed anything and everything you might employ while making a film, from stock footage to sales agent. You may have noticed that this encyclopedic appendage vanished a couple of years ago—not retired, but under renovation. Well, it’s back in business, and merged with our Indie-Friendly Business List into this new iteration. We’ve done a bit of pruning, reducing the listings to just five essential categories with five items each, and this year asked some working independent producers to nominate their favorite products and services (thanks for the help, Anne Clements, Chris Ohlson, Nick B. Case, Kelly Williams and Kyle Martin!). So voilà! We present the more streamlined, more personal, just-as-helpful 2017 MPPG.
Screenwriting Software and Apps
Final Draft
“Whether I’m developing a project with a writer or tracking changes throughout the life of a production, Final Draft is what I’ve found to be the most robust and useful software out there, for an indie film’s needs.”
Weekend Read
CeltX
Movie Magic Screenwriter
“With old standbys like Movie Magic, once you learn how to use them, it is hard to switch to another software.”
Fade In Pro: Professional Screenwriting Software
Camera Rental Companies
AbelCine
Chicago (877/880-4267), Los Angeles (888/700-4416) and New York (888/223-1599)
ARRI Rental
New Jersey (212/757-0906), Miami (954/322-4545), Atlanta (678/248-5432) [Los Angeles (818/686-6400) and Charlotte, North Carolina (704/679-9400) as Illumination Dynamics]
“ARRI has been incredibly kind and solution-oriented. They are more than indie-friendly.”
Chainsaw
Los Angeles (323/785-1550)
MPS Studios
Austin (512/220-9456), Dallas (214/630-1655) and Denver (720/381-0038)
“If we shoot anything in Texas we always use MPS. They have a great, knowledgeable staff and are always willing to work with indie filmmakers.”
Stray Angel Films
Los Angeles (310/277-6900)
“Suren and the team at Stray Angel bend over backward to help indie producers.”
Studio Facilities and Soundstages
Austin Studios
Austin, Texas (512/322-0145 x 3216)
Brooklyn Fire Proof Stages
Brooklyn, New York (718/456-7571)
“When we need to shoot one day on a stage, we always shoot at Brooklyn Fire Proof. They’re very easy to work with.”
Second Line Stages
New Orleans (504/528-3050)
Siren Studios
Los Angeles (323/467-3559)
Thunder Studios
Long Beach, California (310/955-0231)
“Thunder is in Long Beach and maybe that’s one of the reasons they seem to go the extra mile when accommodating indie producers. Their team is friendly and the facility is amazing.”
Production crew prepping a scene for Martin Guigui’s upcoming feature Nine Eleven, shot at Thunder Studios. Photograph by Ian Fisher and Kathrine Thorbek
Grip and Lighting Companies
ANC Productions
Burbank, California (818/640-5019)
MBS Equipment Co.
Multiple locations across California, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, New Mexico, New York and international (844/462-7326)
Brooklyn Lighting and Grip
Brooklyn, New York (347/915-6005)
Quixote
Los Angeles (323/851-5030) and New Orleans (504/465-8321)
Texas Film and Light (Austin)
Austin, Texas (512-659-4233)
“Texas Film and Light is run by a working gaffer and his support team, so they know (and have, in-house) exactly what you need to make your feature come to life—from truck packages, to à la carte packages and one-off requests.”
Post-Production Services
Fall On Your Sword
Brooklyn, NY (718/387-8790)
Final Frame
New York (212/691-2580)
Heard City
New York City (212/255-6737) and Brooklyn (347/627-0950)
“Heard City may be known for high-end commercials and bigger ad agency-style projects—but they’ve also mixed some of the most critically acclaimed indies in recent years. Incredibly talented, with all of the tools at their disposal, Heard City is an amazing audio post facility.”
Stuck On On
Austin, Texas (512/535-4760)
“We always try and work with post based in Austin whether we shot the film there or not, including Stuck On On for sound and color.”
Tunnel
Los Angeles (310/260-1208)
“Heather Toll there is amazing. They’re filmmaker-friendly, budget-friendly, fast—great to work with.” MM
This article appears in MovieMaker’s Complete Guide to Making Movies 2017.
Top image: Cast and crew of “Architects of Crime,” directed by Chris Derrick (orange), shoot a rooftop scene in downtown Los Angeles on a Red Dragon. Photograph by Ana Montgomery
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