Dov Simens' internationally renowned filmmaking master-class begins with a stark warning to the assembled throng, gathered expectantly with notepads and pens poised:

�Don't tell me you've got talent!� barks the self styled Indie guru. �I ain't your parents. Don't ask me to believe in you � I don't!�

Day one of this weekend is boot camp. Simens aims to strip away the naiveté and equip his students with the cold hard facts. " Hollywood is not a filmmaking industry, it's a marketing industry! And the first thing you've got to learn to market is yourself.� He goes onto explain that we should be referring to ourselves not as filmmakers, but as producers, then teaches us nine little words that instantly turn us all into big shots: �I have numerous projects in various stages of development�.

Of course, �development� can be anything from script research to pre-production, but the point here is to instil us with a certain amount of entrepreneurial self belief, an essential quality in such a competitive industry. Not that this weekend is just some kind of motivational masterclass; Simens has plenty of useful and illuminating information, which he delivers in brutal, machine-gun fashion.  For instance, he reveals that when movie releases trumpet their huge budgets with great fanfare, they are in fact engaging in a slick marketing ploy; taking advantage of the public's fascination with high rolling Hollywood to create a �must-see' buzz for their blockbuster (this is as true of the micro-budget indie breakthrough as the mega-budget special effects � fest).

As Simens quite rightly points out: �What other industry opens up their books and tells you exactly how much they spend on making a product?� He goes on to explain that most budgets are vastly inflated, and promises to teach us how and why this can help sell our own first time masterpieces. �If you know how to spend £200,000 frugally, you will make a 35mm �million dollar feature'.�

Simens spends most of the day leading us through his �38 steps of filmmaking�, which is basically a process of writing 38 cheques to cover everything from hiring camera and lighting packages, to catering, wardrobe, insurance, assembling your cast and crew, all the way to the sound edit, ADR, lab costs and the answer print, giving brief explanations of each discipline along the way. This is where his experience as Roger Corman's line producer comes into its own, imparting priceless tips on how to squeeze the most you possibly can from a limited budget.

Day two covers creating a great script that's worth making (it should include at least �five �uh-oh's, three �oh shits!' and three �oh no's!'�), then moves onto the side of filmmaking that is perhaps the most important in terms of selling your finished film and launching your career: the marketing and business side. (�They don't call it show-art � they call it show business!�) . Simens guides us through press kits, registering with guilds and unions, how to deal with acquisition executives, distribution, festivals, foreign sales and movie markets. He also touches upon how to attract a �name' to your project, how much to pay them and the importance of The Opening Title Credit. Rattling through all of this at some pace, Simens' style is part sergeant major, part team coach. He is indeed a great communicator, but employing a few more visual aids (a video clip or two, setting up a few 650w tungsten lamps during the discussion on three-point lighting) may have been useful in breaking up the hefty chunks of discourse.

All in all, though, a worthwhile seminar: engaging, inspiring, informative and intense.

2 Day Film School

Dov S-S Simens is America 's leading independent filmmaking instructor. With 15 years experience as production manager, line producer and producer-director, he has developed a unique approach to the production process. An award-winning filmmaker in his own right, Dov teaches regularly at colleges and universities across North America, as well as visiting Japan, South Africa and Europe .

The course objectives are to teach the business of writing, producing, directing, financing and distributing independent features. Quentin Tarantino, Will Smith, Queen Latifah and Guy Ritchie are just a few of Dov's successes.

Day 1: Make it - Produce, Direct, Shoot

Covers budgeting, scheduling, directing, cinematography, lighting, shooting, crewing, editing as well as digital filmmaking A-Z. Learn how to execute cost effective production and put value for money on the screen. Subjects covered include who the independents are; the benefits of independents over studios; casting, contacting celebrities, agents; guilds and unions: AFTRA, BECTU, Equity etc; cameras, sound/light/grip/dolly packages; crew: who to hire, what to pay; costs, completion bonds, guerrilla filming; nonlinear, electronic editing, the eight steps, etc.

Day 2: Sell it - Finance, Market, Distribute

Dedicated to a demystifying method to attending festivals, winning awards as you market and sell your film not only throughout England but to Italy, Germany, Japan and, of course Hollywood, while maximising profits from theatrical, video, cable and terrestrial deals. The real facts and secrets about marketing, selling and distributing your film world-wide, including up-front money, getting paid, P&A money; the route to Cannes, Sundance; producing for video, buyers, VSDA, NAVD; press kits, stills, publicists, getting reviews; creating and manipulating your career; $3�5 mill, $1 mill, $100,000 & no-budget; planning an efficient shooting schedule; opportunities on the internet, etc.

Date: 1-2 July 2006
Location: London, W1
Price: UKP 295 + VAT

Raindance can be contacted on 020 7287 3833 for more information about the course, or keep checking their website for details:

http://www.raindancefilmfestival.org/courses/produce/simens/