A brazen meditation on isolation in modern America, Rick Alverson’s “The Comedy” is a depiction of one male’s avoidance of reality. Following the subversive Swanson – played with brimming disillusionment by Tim Heidecker in a performance that echoes Harvey Keitel in “Bad Lieutenant” from afar – the film plays out scenes of antagonizing encounters that leaves his illusions shattered and him subdued by the repressed yearning of adolescence.

Whether you are a producer, director, screenwriter, novelist, or photographer, it is imperative you stay focused on copyright, privacy and publicity clearance issues.

It is possible to have too many ideas. Yes, even the root of all success and failure can be had in abundance. That, mated with a pencil thin budget (there are levels lower than a shoe string budget), no contractual agreements or studio backing will lead to a meaningful development process. One where the cycle of new ideas - initially received as improvements - are recognized as dead or bloated weight to the achievement at stake. Your script can become littered with too many references, puns or cliches; therefore becoming splintered into a hodge-podge of potential without any serious form taking shape.

I hope that this holiday season finds you well, and you’re ready for 2012, because as everybody knows, according to the Mayans (or actually probably not, if you do any research beyond a terrible movie by John Cusack), the world will end this coming year.

I never thought of myself as a documentary filmmaker. I had always considered myself a narrative fiction guy, until one day when that all changed.

It’s time to take a quick break out of your busy holiday routine (which may or may not mainly consist of hiding underneath a pile of coats until the first week of 2012), stop paying attention to whichever 24 hour cable news channel is screaming at you about what’s wrong with America (my guess is not nearly enough Republican presidential candidates—is there time to squeeze in another Mormon with nice hair before the actual nomination?), and take a gander at Film Slate Magazine’s latest arbitrary list.

Sometime last month Jason Fried (@jasonfried), co-Founder and President of the web industry standard-bearer 37Signals, decided to break new ground and hire a full-time filmmaker. This is nothing new for a company that has prided itself on always jumping on trends before others: It’s flagship project BasecampHQ was one of the earliest mainstream web-based applications. Not only that, the code Basecamp is built on has become an internet juggernaut forming the backbone for sites like Twitter, Soundcloud and Hulu.

“The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch,” directed by Jérôme Salle and adapted from the popular Largo Winch graphic novels by Jean Van Hamme and Philippe Francq, is international filmmaking at its best, and an adrenaline fueled ride to boot (it was named an Official Selection at Action Fest 2011).

You can never prepare too much before shooting a film. For instance, I just watched “Saving Private Ryan” for the umpteenth time and there it was: a mistake that I’d never noticed before. The translator has rounded up a group of Germans. One of the Germans mouths off and the translator shoots him, then tells the rest of the group to move off. We cut to a shot of the Germans marching off and there’s no dead German on the ground.

Celebrating its 25th year as a program of the American Film Institute, The AFI Film Festival Presented by Audi opens November 3 with a gala screening of Clint Eastwood’s “J. Edgar”. But this, and the other gala titles (such as “My Week With Marilyn”, “Shame” and “Carnage”) are well-covered films that will enjoy wide theatrical campaigns. So let’s discuss some of the sleeper titles that, while not backed by massive PR machines, should also be considered by festival-goers this week.

A screening of Drake Doremus’ Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning “Like Crazy” opened this year’s edition of the Film Independent Forum, which ran from Friday, October 21 through Sunday October 23 at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles. Following the well-received screening were two days of panels, case studies, and networking opportunities designed to help aspiring writers, directors and producers ascend the convoluted ladder to the top of the industry. And given the mixed message of “follow your dreams, but it never gets easier,” that was generally espoused by the 70+ industry experts that took the time to contribute to the weekend, that ladder is as rickety as it has ever been.

“Measure three times, cut once.” That’s a commandment in the world of carpentry and construction and it should be a commandment in the world of filmmaking.

There are usually two questions to answer after watching a short film.

The first: Did it work on its own? That is, was it a completely self-contained story, and didn’t necessarily need to be fleshed out any further? And the second would be: Would you want to see it fleshed out? Did it leave you wanting more?

Does anyone have any idea how many movies are made each year as opposed to how many get distribution of some kind? It has to literally be in the thousands. DVDs sit gathering dust on shelves everywhere and every single one of those DVDs is responsible for at least one person who calls themselves a producer. Usually it’s more like five or six people who have that title on that DVD.

Independent moviemaking has changed forever. If you are still holding out for the Sundance dream, you are wasting your time. What is the Sundance dream? It’s the thought that you’ll make a movie, get into Sundance and garner a gazillion dollars.

My last blog entry discussed why studios are making so many fantasy and science fiction movies. And while Hollywood certainly loves to ride a trend until it dies a painful, protracted death, there must be a reason why audiences continue to flock to these movies--why we love them so much.

Movie distribution is changing fast. A few years back, it was impossible to get your movie seen and sold without finding a traditional distributor willing to take a gamble with your title. And in those days, if you did not garner a deal, your movie died in quiet obscurity.

First things first. Why can't this Alex Dawson gal spell karma and why is she hanging upside down? Well, it all started with a baby possum. Until you see the film, you'll have to trust me on that one. 

Aspiring filmmakers often let the contract and business details of film production be an afterthought, thinking “that’s not fun, or creative. And I don’t have the budget for that un-fun, un-creative stuff. I’m working with my friends… it’ll all be fine.”

A Freelance Filmmaker’s Guide to Making a Living is an ongoing series to help artists from all walks of the filmmaking spectrum work their way through the trenches of the indie film world and a guide on how to come out fiscally ahead.