The term smoke and mirrors doesn’t come from nowhere . Smoke has been used for decades as a way to see more of the light and add depth to a scene. Great way to control mood Have you ever tried using a smoke machine while shooting ?

Welcome to 2026 all we’ve passed another year and we’re moving into the future. It’s time to gear up and plan some fun new short shoots to hone our skills. Who’s up for the challenge? Grab your camera, phone , Higgsfiekd subscription lol and let’s start building ! Comment below short film idea you would like to make this year

🎬 60 SECOND CINEMA CHALLENGE 4 during Start Fresh Film Festival 🎉 New Year’s Edition @ Start Fresh Film Festival https://www.facebook.com/share/1BficuWjhk/ New year. New chaos. New excuses to make a film. We’re back with 60 Second Challenge 4, landing inside the Start Fresh Film Festival for a special New Year’s Edition screening block. You’ve got 60 seconds to make us laugh. That’s it. No filler. No mercy. ⸻ 🗓 WHEN January 4th 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM 📍 WHERE Echo Theater Portland, OR 🎟 Tickets for the screening: $10 ⸻ 🧨 THE RULES (READ THESE OR CRY LATER) Genre: Comedy Required Prop: Noise Maker (Can be anything like a little party horn, twirly noise thing, etc) Required Line: 👉 “Better luck next year.” That’s the sandbox. Build whatever madness you want inside it. ⸻ ⏰ DEADLINE 🎬 All films due by: January 1st at Midnight ⸻ ✅ ENTRY DETAILS FREE to enter your film All completed films that follow the rules will be screened Audience Vote decides the winner ✅ Teams must (Free To Enter your film): REGISTER THEIR TEAM https://forms.gle/AXTZqNdHDRoVHxzq9 UPLOAD THEIR FILM w/ RELEASES Submit actor & crew release forms Have a Team Leader sign the TEAM LEADER agreement UPLOAD FINAL FILM HERE (1:15 min/sec with credits) by Midnight January 1st https://forms.gle/WZEKFxbNFBo3ydGi8 ⸻ 🚫 CONTENT RULES • No hate speech • No X-rated material • Be funny, not a jerk ⸻ 🎥 WHY DO THIS? Because it’s: • A live audience • A real theater • A festival crowd • Zero entry fee • Maximum bragging rights Perfect for filmmakers, actors, writers, friends who think they’re funny, and people who work best under mild panic. ⸻ 🎟 Tickets to screening : $10 🎬 Deadline: Jan 1 @ Midnight 🎉 Screening: Jan 4 @ Echo Theater During the Start Fresh Festival Better luck next year… or maybe this is your year. 😏🎬

WHAT DO YOU THINK ? Hollywood just got flipped on its head. Netflix buying Warner Bros + DC is huge… and it’s gonna shake up theatrical releases in a big way. 🎥 Here’s the truth no one wants to hear: The big-budget studio pipeline is about to get tighter than ever. Fewer theatrical slots. Less risk-taking. More franchise overload. But for indie filmmakers? This is your window. This is where you stop begging for access and start building your own audience. Because if the studios lock the doors, creators like us just build a new damn house. 💥 Stay scrappy. Stay nimble. Your audience is out there — you just gotta give them something real.

A Quick BTS shot of our greeen screen session for an upcoming short film by Mike Schwab called “The Forbidden Fruitcake” . Tom is playing John Marley in the film a ghost that appears in a snow globe with some advice. Tom rocked his performance as usual , and is such a great person to work with , you rock Tom! I setup the green screen in my garage , used two work lights from above to light the green screen , then one soft box w/grid as the Key light about 45 degrees to his front left and a reflector on the other side for some fill bounce. And a soft box at 100% for the backlight for separation from the background .