Follow Our Production Path

There is something about coming up with a schedule for a production that really sticks in people's craw. They think of scheduling as finding dates that work for filming and leaving it at that. However, there is so much more to it than just a few 12-hour days where everyone should know their lines and should be on time, and where every piece of equipment should work. Consider the terms: pre-production production post-production Each of these is so important to the process

Here's the thing about directors: They come in all types. And the problem is that people put them into one of two categories. Either they are "good" or "bad". There are no in betweens. However, this is hardly the case in real life. A bad director can have any number of faults, and they may only have to do with certain aspects of the job. And, in the end, a director is often only as good as the people with whom they surround themselves. A good director with a less-than-

Something to think about: How do you make a five-episode series for as little money as possible while still having the integrity to make the best product you can? I'll give you a minute. Here's where you start: Talk to friends and family. Talk to their friends. Find businesses that are willing to work with you. Find actors and crew who are willing to work for film credits. Find people with their own equipment who love to use it. These are some of the basics. When it cam

So, I'm new to the casting process. Before Margaret Stone, I felt very...icky about watching audition tapes. I always feel strange watching people be so vulnerable in front of the camera. But you get over that quickly. Plus, we had Julia Borkowski, casting expert and owner of JB Talent Konnections , who is also one of our co-producers. She was all over this part of the process. When you go out and throw a wide net for something like Margaret Stone, you find that you're

When I write, I tend to write fast. That's always great...at first. But then after that it's important to slow down. Really slow down. So Jason put the task in front of me and I wrote him one episode every day for five days. It was the beginnings of an idea but it felt so ready for the page, especially after seeing Jason's previous work. I felt like I knew his style and what he'd be drawn to. Once Jason approved the ideas we had to make some changes. Episode five was n

Jason and I have been going over this a million times. How the hell are we going to present this idea? There are so many different options but Jason has worked in short film and has done a number of features. He knows both how to get in and out quick and how to give the plot some time to sit and simmer. Both are great but what about a TV show? Limited series (and let's also say "prestige" because that always sounds better) are becoming quite the thing right now. We see

When Jason came to me with his idea for what would become The Trial of Margaret Stone, he had two requests: It needed to take place in the old Berryville Courthouse (now the historical society) and it needed to be a mix of 12 Angry Men & The Exorcist. From that, the two of us worked to create a basic idea. What if the plot was set in the 1890s? What if it had the makings of a morality tale? These were questions that we put to ourselves as we designed what would become the fu