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@simifilmfest

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Thank you for a memorable SIMI Film Fest! See the list of 2026 winners at SIMIFF.com.
✨A Festival That Honors Every Craft of Filmmaking✨

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Thinking about that fun time at Simi Valley Film Fest!! What an outstanding festival! They know how to make you feel like a star. ⭐️

Thanks, @simifilmfest, for all the @blindsided_shortfilm love and an exceptional experience! 🖤🎬🎵

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Last month at the @simifilmfest closing awards ceremony! #waybackwednesday 👏👏👏 This was such a fun one as I had so many friends and colleagues either win or were nominated in their deserved categories! 🙌🙌🙌

The entire team of “Everything You See Is For Sale” was amazing (too many talents to name, haha!) and perhaps my favorite film of the whole fest! @sherilljquinn @buzznben_ @kemp_productions all had their films nominated in various categories 🔥🔥🔥 @rebeccatarabocchia led our feature film @gumshoegals to a pair of nominations! 🙏🙏🙏 @jamesjones.films and @andrewbeall_ each won for “Best Of Ventura County” and “Best Sci-Fi Film” respectively! 👍👍 @dianagarle took home Best Actress, and although she wasn’t able to attend, I was to FaceTime her in at the afterparty and am happy to say she now has her trophy with her!!! 😁😁😁

Such a fun night hanging out and mingle with all these talented folks! Until next year…

Cheers, everyone!!! 🍻🍻🍻

#awards #redcarpet #colleagues #filmmaking

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OUT NOW - Starflare (Soundtrack), from the award winning short @starflare_film and @simifilmfest Best Orchestral Score Nominee. Link in bio.

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#freshproduce ##smallbusiness #simivalley #shopsmall

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#freshproduce #smallbusiness #simivalley #shoplocal #freshfruit

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We had a great time at the @simifilmfest and this was home time for us. Bye LA maybe I'll come back again, who knows.

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I had the opportunity to attend the Simi Valley Film Festival @simifilmfest with Vestida de Blanco and enjoy this wonderful festival.

It was a true pleasure to see firsthand the incredible work, dedication, and effort of @katiegaribaldi and @composerjoe , who make this event possible. I take away such a beautiful experience and, above all, a great admiration for them and for everyone who works to support new talent and give visibility to cinema.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Katie and Joe, for allowing me to be part of this experience.

And a special thank you to Dr. Landon for inviting me, and to my dear @glaudibyjohanahernandez @glaudibridal for dressing me in this incredible gown and to the talented makeup artist @marha.makeup for making me feel so beautiful.

I hope to return next year, this time presenting a film.

See you at the next edition! 🎬✨

#NoeliaRoel #VestidaDeBlanco #SimiValleyFilmFestival #simifilmfest

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Is music important to your film? Yes, it is, IMO.

I'm old school, so I love orchestral scores in movies. From John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner and John Barry to David Arnold, they all have the ability to create great themes and make them become part of the emotional core of a film.

Music can help you connect with a character or situation on a subconscious level. Sometimes you don't even realise how much the music is affecting you, but you feel it.

As an independent micro budget filmmaker, we obviously don't have the money to hire an orchestra, but technology has come a long way. If the composer is skilled enough, they can create something that gets surprisingly close.

For my movie Rebecca Gold, I hired a good friend of mine, Neil Myers, who is a very talented composer. He created the music for the film and, in my opinion, did an incredible job, especially considering the very little time he had.

Of course, we had plenty of discussions about how the music should sound and how important the themes were to the overall structure of the score. I gave him a few tracks to listen to so he could get some ideas about the direction I wanted to take.

As the producer, writer and director, I had to have a clear idea of the tone I wanted, and the music had to fit what had already been shot. You also have to understand where music is needed and, just as importantly, where it isn't.

I think Neil absolutely nailed it. He only had a few days to score the film, and I even had the pleasure of sitting next to him while he created the music. Watching it come together was fascinating.

I can't tell you how important music is to a movie. We can only hope that we create films that interest, excite and move people, just like the greats we look up to.

As micro budget filmmakers, we don't have much control over how distributors, aggregators or audiences will receive our films. But we do have control over how we want our movies to look and feel.

So keep doing your best to make the film you want to make. Listen to people and take on board what you can, but always fight for your vision.

Remember, every film you make is a learning curve. We're always learning.

Nuff said!

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@tailscaliforniafilm is OFFICIALLY STREAMING for VOD! Check out platforms such as Amazon Prime, Fandango At Home, Google Play and more! 👏👏👏 Huge thanks to @x4_pictures and @mpxfilms for distributing this feature film and getting out there for the world to see!!! 🙏🙏🙏

It would not have been possible without the help and hard work of my co-producer/co-writer (and star of the movie) @theballerjb who’s been on this journey with me a few years now in getting the movie to where it is! 🙌🙌🙌

Another big thanks to our wonderful director @christinemachlin and leading lady @lizzyw36 😎😎😎 as well as our amazing featured cast including @nelsontynes_ @emilysargeant5 @colleenabowling @erikrolandorozet @brookejbowling and @robert.machlin 🔥🔥🔥 And of course our entire crew led by the brilliant @brilliantandrew (see what I did there??😁😁)

Check out this exciting road trip film about two renegade women now from the comfort of your own home, or wherever you are, streaming now!!! 😊😊😊

Cheers, everyone!!! 🍻🍻🍻

#streaming #distribution #featurefilm #producer #film

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Come with me as I visit a great pizza spot in Simi Valley! @amecipizzakitchen.simivalley

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In the fast paced world of independent filmmaking, being a director means constantly weighing up the pros and cons and making decisions on the spot.

You’re not only dealing with the actors and trying to point them in the right direction with their characters, you also have to keep an eye on what the DoP and camera operator are giving you.

Now, I’m not working with Roger Deakins. When you have very little money, you can only hire people you can afford, and quite often you’re working with someone you’ve never worked with before.

Because the buck stops with me, I have to keep an eye on how every shot is composed.

And I can tell you, nine times out of ten, the lighting is more or less there, but the composition isn't.

What’s even worse is when you physically frame up a shot for the camera operator, walk away, then turn around and see them reframing it into a badly composed shot.

Yes, I’ve had strong words with DoPs and camera operators, but sometimes you have to. At the end of the day, the buck stops with you.

And you really notice that when you screen the finished film. If the acting is bad, they blame the director. If the photography is bad, they blame the director. If the editing is bad, they blame the director. Do you see a pattern forming here?

So to all you independent directors, producers, editors and writers out there, don't feel guilty about pushing for what you want on set. Of course, be a Clint Eastwood on set, but you are allowed to be a James Cameron when the situation calls for it.

Creatively, be a Spielberg, an Alfred Hitchcock and a Sam Raimi, but remember you’re the one who has to bring all those different elements together.

The buck stops with you, so be kind to your actors and crew, listen to them and respect what they bring to the production. But if someone decides to act like an arse on set, give them the James Cameron.

Because there can only be one Kirk, and he’s the captain of the Enterprise.

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