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The enemy of good is better. It is worse when a “creative committee” is involved. More to the point, trying to make an already good thing better often ruins the original. See New Coke, Rocky II and Cher as examples.

“Good, fast, cheap pick two,” is our unofficial motto. (Our official motto is “It must be 5 o’clock somewhere, let’s have a drink.”) I am constantly surprised by how many people do not understand this simple concept. It is a

The only real job I ever had was at The Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago. Between 1987 and 1989 I was one of about a dozen people who helped get the museum off the ground and up and running.

As filmmakers we have had the opportunity to shoot a lot of fascinating projects, meet a lot of interesting people and go places where the general public just doesn’t have access. Michael Jordan drove Jim around Chicago for a Chevy

This is a Ida Lupino. She was an actress, but more importantly she was one of the first women to write, direct and produce Hollywood films. She also directed lots of episodic television (Daniel Boone, Route 66, and others). She

For me Netflix is great. My local video store might have 50 DVDs of The Departed and Borat, and maybe one copy of the film I really want to see (out). What follows is a list of films- many suggested

There are about six weeks left in the spring semester and my students are about to shoot their final films. Mostly, they are beginning to worry about their grades. I understand their concerns- I worried about my grades, too- but

We really prefer to shoot out of town rather than in Chicago. In town you just want to finish the job and get home, but on the road the mundane activities of life are gone- no dog walking or telephones

My friend Denny Dent died three years ago today and I think about him often. Denny was an artist who could paint giant portraits (4’x6′) of rock stars very quickly. Using three brushes in each hand and throwing paint, he

More of that Peace, Love and Understanding stuff later. Before I get going I want to pose a question about the state of 16mm film. Arriflex just announced its new 416 camera. In Chicago you will be able to rent