Minor Mogul
Making movies independently
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Minor Mogul blog posts
This is a complete list of all blog posts on this website, in reverse chronological order (most recent at the top). A new post is added every third Thursday of the year.
The Editor sometimes rediscovers old posts or articles from the archives. These are added in the appropriate spot by date, and a link spotlighting them appears in the sidebar.
To submit a comment on an item, please see the submission guidelines. Minor Mogul assumes all emails are intended for publication.
BC Buds
Written and directed by Rudy Lenz. With Marito Lopez, Julian Nelson, and Keilani Rose. Comedy / thriller, 2024, 23:00, colour.
Official website • IMDb • Watch on YouTube
Reviewed by TLB
Posted April 9, 2026
Paramount buying Warner Bros. means bad news — literally
By JN
Posted March 19, 2026
Hollywood creators have been rending their garments over the sale of major Hollywood studio Warner Bros. to either streaming service Netflix or content-producer and -financer Paramount SkyDance. Now we learn that Paramount has won the purchase. This is irrelevant to Minor Moguls, who are independent creators and businesses, but bad news for USAnia and for civilization in general.
You are not a distributor
By DTL and MAT
Posted February 26, 2026
Finding distribution for an independent movie can be so difficult that many creators seek to bypass what they think of as gatekeepers. Some of these creators try to become distributors themselves.
Sometimes these individuals manage to combine stupidity, ignorance, wishful thinking, entitlement, and self-righteousness into a toxic stew that, while doing them no good, can serve as object lesson to the rest of us of what not to do.
Crafty Short Films
By DTL
Posted December 25, 2025
Crafty “presents snack-sized stories, both narrative and nonfiction, with an emphasis on heart and humanity. We host these stories on our YouTube Channel.”
One thing I don’t see any mention of is payment. So they’re going to take your movie and put it on their Channel, and monetize that Channel, and keep all the money from that Channel. You are giving them your work so they can make money from it.
Roger Deakins’s website
By DTL
Posted October 23, 2025
Roger Deakins is “Often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential cinematographers in the history of cinema,” (says Wikipedia). He was Cinematographer on such movies as 1917, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and The Shawshank Redemption.
At his eponymous website he operates a free-membership forum that is a master-class in all aspects of telling a story with moving images.
No, you haven't invented “Netflix for indies”
By MAT and KO’D
Posted May 8, 2025
Distribution is the hardest challenge for the independent creator. Many creators find no venue for their work, and are desperate to place their movies before an audience. Quite regularly, some newbie will come up with the Totally Original Idea: they will found a streaming service of their own — Netflix for Indies! Here is why that never works.
Don’t make these movies!
By MAT
Posted February 27, 2025
Making any movie is hard work, and it’s possible to do all that work and still make a bad movie. It all starts with an idea — so make sure your idea is original and interesting to people other than you. Here are some movies that we have already seen eleventy-squillion times, so you don’t need to make them again.
Unsolicited career advice for Directors
By KO’D
Posted February 6, 2025
If you want a career as a Director, make a feature as soon as you can.
Do you want to make movies or be a movie-maker?
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By KO’D
Posted January 16, 2025
Why do you want to make movies?
Stage 32
Reviewed by DTL
Posted August 19, 2021
This website pretends to be a resource for creators, but notice that it makes its money by selling “how to pitch” workshops and such to its users. You are not the audience; you are the product, sold to the workshop facilitators. It’s a scam disguised as a resource.
Website: Ask Ms. Google’s search engine
Mom Pot
Written and directed by Jesse Hood. With Amy Laity, Lori Schock, and Dale Willman. Comedy, 2020, 17:11, colour.
A recently widowed woman tries to get her life back on track with help from her daughter . . . and some marijuana edibles.
Shooting Mom Pot
By DTL
Posted May 21, 2020
Not the Same
Written by Damian T. Lloyd and Adam Canuck Zimmerman; directed by Adam Canuck Zimmerman. With Jessie Liang, Rachel Mazz, and Corey Woods. Drama, 2018, 1:43:08, b&w.
Data-analyst Allie is being transferred by her job. Before she leaves, she has a single day to spend with her two estranged friends Blanca and Courtenay. Allie must repair the ruptured relationship between the two of them — a rupture they don’t know she is responsible for.
IMDb • Watch on YouTube • Buy on Gumroad
Shooting Not the Same
By DTL
Posted April 9, 2020
Can’t Get It Up
Written and directed by Josh Rimer. With Josh Rimer and Tyrell Witherspoon. Comedy / musical, 2012, 3:35, colour.
In this song parody of Chris Brown’s “Don’t Wake Me Up”, a horny young man encounters an unexpected setback upon getting home with his hook-up from the club. (And watch the behind-the-scenes video.)
Watch on YouTube
Shooting Can’t Get It Up
By DTL
Posted September 27, 2012
At the beginning of this month, Josh Rimer invited me to be Cinematographer for his latest comedy sketch. The shoot went smoothly. Writer / Director Josh had a good idea of what he needed to shoot to tell the story, and welcomed suggestions from his collaborators. We shot in one location at a time, moving through Josh’s apartment. We were there for less than a full working day.
Treat your people well!
By DTL
Posted December 24, 2010
Movie-making is a collaborative art, involving many craftspeople across many disciplines. As Minor Moguls, it’s up to us to pull these disparate elements together. The way to do that is to treat our people well. Treat your people with respect, dignity, and consideration, and they will work hard for you.
Feed your people!
By DTL
Posted November 26, 2010
When you’re shooting your micro-budget epic, don’t neglect the people who are gambling their time and talent on the project. Give them food and drink to fortify their mortal selves.
Distribution: Making your movie available
By DTL
Posted October 21, 2010
Today, making a professional-quality movie independently is within the reach of anyone with a middle-class income. But getting it seen is still the tough nut to crack. Canadian movie-makers have lamented for a hundred years that big American distribution companies have locked up all the available venues, and it’s impossible for a Canadian movie to get bookings.
Fortunately, avenues for distribution have multiplied. With an ever-increasing number of cable channels, and with Web distribution becoming the definite future, there’s never been such an insatiable need for content.
Right now, it’s never been so easy to make a movie, and it’s never been so easy to place your movie before an audience.
Shooting Puppet Magic! (2004)
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By DTL
Posted August 20, 2010
Recounting the four-day shoot for the short movie by Lanagara College’s Film Arts Programme.
Dare to dream
By DTL
Posted June 29, 2010
It has never been so possible for anyone to make a movie independently. And it has never been so possible for anyone to place that movie before the public. Dare to dream your dreams, and turn them into reality!
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
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Written by Michael Chabon, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Alvin Sargent; directed by Sam Raimi. With Kirsten Dunst, Tobey Maguire, and Alfred Molina.
In the sequel to Spider-Man (2002), Peter Parker is beset with troubles in his failing personal life as he battles a former brilliant scientist named Otto Octavius.
Reviewed by DTL
Posted July 7, 2004
The second Spider-Man movie is not a good movie, but it is a fun movie.
Why SNL isn’t funny
By JN (2004-05-21)
Most people go through identifiable stages in developing this sense. The Saturday Night Live stage seems often to coincide with being allowed to stay up late, and with discovering the joys of a well-rolled joint.
The “good old days when it was funny” refers to one of two periods: A) the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players, or B) whenever you started watching the show until the cast changed and you stopped.
The sad truth is this: SNL was never a funny show. Oh, there were certainly funny parts, but overall the sketches were under-written and under-rehearsed, bits went on too long, and the talent creating the show always had a better time than the audience watching it. Why is that?
The Canadian movie industry
By DTL
Posted April 26, 2001
What movie industry exists in Canada does so primarily as support for American productions. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Latest items
- TLB reviews BC Buds (2024), a short comedy / thriller movie.
Favourite items
- “Don’t make these movies!” by MAT presents a list of movies that have already been made eleventy-squillion times, so you don’t need to make them again.
Submit to Minor Mogul
Minor Mogul always seeks articles about making movies independently, reviews of mainstream or indie movies, or narrative movies for the Showcase. See the submission guidelines.
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