Making Choices Between Books and Acting Careers

Your teenager is not an adult yet, and is not a child either. We all know how moody and temperamental they may get. This is also the age where they want to find themselves or establish themselves. It is also the most rebellious stage your child will go through. If your child is thinking of joining the entertainment of fashion industry, this stage might be a challenge to go through. It is also the time that both of you will have to make decision that will influence your child's life.

So if your child is called for a breakthrough career singing auditions for teenagers that will be held on the same day as the SAT tests, which one will be pushed to the background? Here are 2 important things to consider before you make that choice.

1. Nothing is written in stone, but some rules are in indelible ink

The entertainment world is dynamic but so is the academic world. Most modeling agencies will take models that are below 25 years old. Will this be too late to go back to school? Some test come periodically and can still be taken on the next season. Going for auditions may not mean that you have landed the part and this needs to be taken into consideration. Some opportunities come once in a lifetime while others have to be created.

Before trying to choose whether your child will sit the test and not the audition try to see if one of them can be moved to a later date.

2. All work and no play makes jack a dull boy, but all play an no work makes him irrelevant

The choice between rehearsing for auditions for teenagers and studying for an important exam is a choice that will have to be made daily. Most agencies will make considerations when your child is in school and will get work for him during weekends and on holidays, but when nearing the examinations this schedule may need to be adjusted. Your child may also need a social life and may need some weekends and holidays left free for family and friends.

There is always the choice of home schooling if the schedule becomes too demanding. It is up to you as a parent to help your child maintain a balance and make good choices. Make sure that your child understands that the minor decisions that they make now will in the future affect them. Graduating 3 years later than normal may reflect wrongly in a job interview in the future but if the plan is to stay active in the entertainment industry, this may not matter.

Planning A Wedding Shoot

Planning a wedding shoot is the most important part of creating a superior wedding film. Every venue is different, every bride is different. It is extremely important to get to know everything you can about the bride and groom at least a month before the event date. One of the things that I do is to provide a detailed questionnaire to the bride about 30 days before the wedding. This gives me all of the information that I will need to effectively shoot good video clips on the day of the event.

Here is a sample of my questionnaire:

Brides Name Grooms Name Rehearsal Dinner Date and Time Wedding Date and Time Phone number the bride can be reached at before and after the wedding Emergency contact person Emergency contact person name and number on day of wedding Ceremony location with phone number Ceremony coordinator name and phone number Reception venue name phone number and contact person Photographer name and phone number Caterer name and phone number Florist name and phone number DJ or Band name and phone number Some pre-ceremony questions would include the following:

Will the bride and groom see each other before the ceremony? If you are seeing each other before the ceremony, do you want this moment filmed? What time do you want us to start filming on your wedding day? Where will the bride be getting ready on the wedding day? Do you want us to film you and your bridesmaids getting ready? If yes, what time should we be there? Where will the groom be getting ready on the wedding day? How long does it take to get to the ceremony from where the bride and groom and getting ready? Are there any particular activities that you want captured before the wedding begins? Questions about the ceremony would include the following:

Is the ceremony inside or outside? What denomination is the ceremony? Is it OK to place a wireless mic on the lapel of the groom during the ceremony? Tell us about any activities that may take place during the ceremony. Are you reading / writing your own vows? Will there be a unity candle, full mass, sand pouring, or anything else we should be aware of? Tell us about any guidelines or restrictions at the ceremony location. How long is the ceremony scheduled to be? Will there be scripture readings? Any soloists? Any musicians? If yes, how many and what instruments? Will there be a photography session after the ceremony? Would you allow us to create some fun shots of the bride and groom at the photo shoot? Would you make sure that we have 10 to 15 minutes either before or after the photo shoot for this? Questions about the reception would include the following:

How long does it take to travel from the ceremony to the reception? Is the reception inside or outside? Number of guests? When is the reception scheduled to end? Is the meal buffet or sit-down? Are there arrangements made for us to eat? Are you having a band or DJ? Is there anyone in particular that we need to film? If so who? Are you planning a formal exit in front of all the guests? If so, please give us details. List any unique activities that you want filmed. Are there any family politics that we should be aware of or careful around? What is the dress for the wedding? There are a number of other questions that can also be asked but these are the main ones that I focus on in order to be fully prepared for the day of the shoot.

So You Want To Be A Filmmaker

Film can be a very powerful medium, it combines both audio and visual, to tell a story. Watching movies can provide escape as well as excitement, while making a film yourself can be challenging, exciting and magical. Films have the power to affect emotions, they can make you see things from a different perspective, and discover new ideas, or simply create escape or fantasy. Film can make you laugh or cry and each film should have a purpose, whether it is to entertain or inform.

The important thing to remember about making a successful film is simple, it should tell a story.The best way to tell a story is with pictures. Film-making when broken into the components, is visual storytelling, in the shots that make up the scenes, and the scenes put together, make up the complete film.

There are so many different types of film and each serves it purpose.

Studio films are backed by film studios and usually have a hefty budget, averaging $70 million and as high as $300 million. Usually a major star will be featured. On the other end of the spectrum, are the independent films, which are often low-budget, because the money is raised by the filmmaker, without studio financing. Somewhere in between, there are independent divisions of the studio which is really a boutique, operating on smaller budgets but with backing of the studio.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both types. As an independent filmmaker, you have total control, and your film can be created exactly as you envision it, however you have no operating budget. A studio picture, with larger financial backing, and highly paid actors is determined by the studio for the best commercial success and creativity normally takes a back seat.

Your movie can be shot in many different formats. Filmmakers appreciate that the medium on which the story is set can elicit different audience reactions.Multiple choices include analog or digital video or high definition. The choice of film camera can go from super-8 which is an affordable format for beginners to 16mm which produces picture quality that may be adequate for television, or with studio production of 35mm motion picture quality, which is used for most television and feature films.

High definition usher in a new experience, with much sharper pictures, and in some instances it may seem closer to being live.

Great films are seldom made without a good story, and choosing the right material can be more important than anything else.Good ideas for films can come from almost anywhere, once allowed to germinate and blossom, a once nascent idea can develop into a full blown screenplay.