What Being Selected by the Everett Film Festival Represents
A first festival selection is a real threshold. This piece reflects on what it means for Beneath the Same Sky to screen at the Everett Film Festival as its first official selection, and why that moment matters beyond validation. From alignment and professionalism to showing up for audience and community, this post explores how a film begins its public life and what that confirmation represents for a filmmaker’s next chapter.
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Why a Teaser Trailer Is Not a Trailer
A teaser is not a summary and it is not an explanation. It is a promise. This post breaks down the strategic difference between a teaser trailer and a full trailer, and why confusing the two often weakens a film’s first impression. Drawing from the development of Cemetery Hill, this piece explores how restraint, tone, sound, and selective imagery can create curiosity without giving the story away. For filmmakers seeking funding, festival interest, or audience attention, this is about designing fear and intrigue with intention, not exposition.
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After Wrap: Why the Quiet Phase of Filmmaking Matters Most
Wrapping your first professional film feels like a finish line, but it is not the end. This post reflects on the quiet period after Beneath the Same Sky wrapped and why that phase determines whether a film becomes momentum or fades away. From post production systems and festival strategy to sustaining collaboration after set, this piece explores how intention, structure, and follow through turn a finished film into a foundation for a career.
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Ragged Films and the Case for a Better Film Community
Films are not built in isolation. They are shaped by people, shared spaces, and the systems that allow creativity to grow. This post reflects on what Harbor Island Studios, the Seattle Film Society, and the Beneath the Same Sky cast and crew made possible, and why investing in film community infrastructure is essential for sustainable, professional filmmaking in Seattle.
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What This Year Taught Me About Making Films the Right Way
Progress is not always loud. This reflection looks at how structure, leadership, community, and process shaped Ragged Films over the past year. From making my first professional short film to navigating rejection, post-production, and collaboration, this post captures the lessons that turned Beneath the Same Sky into more than a finished film. It became a foundation for sustainable filmmaking.
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Why Sundance Saying No Was A Good Thing: Learning to Celebrate the First Real Step
Rejection is not failure. It is feedback and direction. In this post, I share what submitting Beneath the Same Sky to Sundance taught me about timing, alignment, audience fit, and why not getting selected is sometimes the best possible outcome for a filmmaker building a career. This is about strategy, perspective, and momentum, not validation.
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Cutting With Purpose: Editing Beneath the Same Sky in Adobe Premiere Pro
Editing is where the film finds its breath. See how a clear folder structure, naming conventions, Frame.io review cycles, and a naturalistic Adobe color grade shaped the emotional rhythm of Beneath the Same Sky. Includes how festival cuts differ from director cuts and how professional work with Hulu, Microsoft, and mentorship from Netflix informed the process.
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Creative Leadership: Running a Film Set Like a Team, Not a Hierarchy
True leadership on set is not about control. It is about clarity, respect, and transparency. See how Ragged Films built trust and collaboration on Beneath the Same Sky by sharing storyboards, schedules, and daily updates with every team member — creating a set that worked like a family, not a ladder.
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Funding Part 1: Grant Writing for Film — How I Won the 4Culture Grant for Beneath the Same Sky
Grants are not about luck. They are about clarity, structure, and purpose. Learn how a focused story, strong proposal, and realistic plan helped secure funding for Beneath the Same Sky through the 4Culture Artist Grant.
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The Post-Production Trap: How Filmmakers Lose Momentum After Wrap
You can shoot a great film and still lose it in post. Here’s how structure, naming conventions, and feedback workflows kept Beneath the Same Sky moving from chaos to clarity.
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How to Choose the Right Film Festival for Your Film
Submitting everywhere feels productive, but it’s not a plan. Learn how to choose festivals that fit your film’s purpose, budget, and audience — and why strategy matters more than luck.
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Creativity Loves Constraint: Why Filmmakers Need Operations
Structure doesn’t kill creativity, it protects it. Here’s how process design frees filmmakers to focus on story.