For years now we’ve always done a ‘postmortem’ on our films to see where and if things went wrong. A bit of a disclaimer here, I don’t think all the films I make are terrible, but I know they are far from perfect. I try not to always focus on the bad, but instead use it to my advantage to learn and grow. And in this post I’m focusing primarily on what I am directly in control of directing, DP, producing and storytelling.
With that in mind, it’s been helpful to look at the films I direct from a very realistic and objective point of view. If I can’t do this, I will never learn as a filmmaker. Here I am going to briefly look at one of the films I directed, and what things I learned from them. I may do more, but we’ll start here.

Awake O’Sleeper from Brandon McCormick on Vimeo.

Awake O’Sleeper
This is one of my favorite films because we had a blast making it. The first issue that always hits the table is ‘is this a music video’? Which my answer would be a resounding no. It’s a musical short film. Now, that being said, that didn’t change the fact that no one knew how to categorize it, which became a disadvantage at festivals and the like. We readjusted this for our film “Lest We Forget”, which had music with singing in it, but in a different capacity. As you can tell, we’ve experimented with how music and film interact with story, and it’s been a fun an educational experience. One that we’re not done playing in.
One obvious issue is that there is a film grain over the entirety of the film, which is caused by a piece of equipment called a Pro35. In that lens adapter is a piece of equipment that allows us to attach film style prime lenses to our digital CineAlta camera, and in that piece of equipment there is a glass that should be spinning to eliminate that grain. I didn’t have a clue how to operate the Pro35, and shot the whole thing like that. A technical mistake we didn’t soon make again.

From a story aspect the film is pretty simple, and maybe a little too much so. I have in the past tended toward simplistic symbolism instead of in depth dramatic storytelling. This is something I took head on for Heartless, our next short film. Sometimes it works (Off the Shelf) and sometimes it doesn’t work (Door in the Floor). This film hangs right on the edge of being trite, not because of it’s message, but because of it’s execution. I’m still struggling to see how far an audience will go with me into ‘fantasy’ elements, suspending disbelief on how the world really works. In this film I tried to emulate O’Brother Where Art Thou and Cool Hand Luke with a Plato’s Cave allegory. Success? Not sure. There are open interpretations of the piece that get ‘controversial’, but only so to the person who interprets it.

In the end, I learned a lot about cinematography. I used flags and bounces to full effect for the first time, which are skills I employed on Heartless. It was my first time shooting with prime lenses in my life, which made me never want to go back to shooting on our Cannon HD lens again. I wish I would have choreographed a better ‘fight’ scene, and I would have done some cooler shots of the truck spinning in the dirt. I’m still learning how to shoot ‘action’ scenes. I notice I pick a lot of slow moving ‘epic’ shots, but have a hard time with quick movements and action.
Every film is a learning experience, and I’m grateful for the opportunity. Everyone keeps asking me if we ever plan on making these shorts into full length feature films. I wonder if the stories are deep enough. The feature film we’re working on now is a sprawling mythology and even then we’re worried about keeping someone interested for 90 minutes. These short films are a perfect proving ground to perfect the craft. So with that we look upon each film and think there are no failures only learning opportunities. Thank you for begin a part of that journey, and we look forward to many more learning opportunities ahead.

Pickups: The Mortar of The Story from Whitestone Protege Program on Vimeo.

I’ve come to associate cheap things with crappy things. I’m not sure when this happened, but the whole ‘you get what you pay for’ mantra seems to have gotten out of hand. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind paying a premium for things that I love. I’ll gladly throw down my hard earned money for a great film in IMAX or an Apple product. Actually, it’s the inverse that frustrates me: The idea that if something is inexpensive, then surely it must be crappy. This M.O. really ends up in the manufacturer’s hand. Why make things of quality if you’re going to sell it on the cheap? Go ahead and cut corners, no one will notice anyway. Besides, what do people expect when they want something cheap?

I’m learning that inexpensive and cheap are two different things. I want the content we sell to you, our fans, inexpensive, if not completely free of cost. But that doesn’t mean we sell cheap entertainment. What we create comes with a great cost to ourselves and the artists at work. However, if we price things low, there is an association that what we made is cheap.

We won’t endure this trend any longer.

Whitesone will make content, both visual and physical, at an inexpensive level, but will never sacrifice the excellence and creativity that we demand from ourselves. It’s time to change the cultural language. Banish cheap. Cheap is mediocre.

We provide our films at no cost to you, but they aren’t free. These films were made from the blood sweat and tears of the tenacious filmmakers at Whitestone. Our desire is to see these works shared with as many people as possible, which is why they’re available at not cost to you… but not free.

We’re beginning to create merchandise that we want to share with our fans. These items will not be free of cost, but they will be priced at a point we think is reasonable. With this, we will strive to make the best and most creative content, available, this is our promise to you.

We ask you to participate in our inexpensive, but not cheap business model. Lets see how far this rabbit hole goes. If there is a way to make this work, we want to be on the cutting edge of it.

With that we invite you to click here and visit our online store. Inspired by the work and ideals of Whitesone, these shirts are of the highest quality materials and design. You can support the Whitestone effort and look great doing so. Be a part of our first merchandizing effort and help ensure we get to continue making our content for you.

Photography by Bryan Scott.

One of my greatest fears in life is the fear of failure. The thought of not keeping my word or disappointing those around me, gives me chills. I try my hardest to avoid that, but really, its inevitable– for all of us. But what I have learned over the last few years is that when I fail, I also succeed. Sounds cliche and a little cheesy, but it’s true. Making these successes are a great step, but a humiliating and embarrassing fall. But through all of this, I learn what not to do, or learn how to approach the same situation from a different angle.

A big struggle with taking risks and immersing yourself into the world, is to avoid being an introvert. I’m a friendly person, but when I’m out of my comfort zone, I hide, avoid eye contact, or walk away from the situation. I probably will continue to struggle with this for the rest of my life. Some people can be intimidating. But most of the time its because you’re creating that intimidation in your own mind. Always try and meet new people. You will be amazed at how many opportunities will arise through the people you meet and befriend. Each month, we, the Whitestone family, have a team meeting where we invite new interns to get an inside look at our process. I make it a point to introduce myself to them and learn a bit about their story and why they are there. I do that for two reasons. One, to overcome my fear of intimidation.(yes, interns can be very intimidating sometimes.) And two, to help them become comfortable with being vocal and outspoken. I say all of this because this is a big part of making those successes in life. Most people who are timid, quiet, or introverts; are always followers. Try and name one good leader that shares the qualities of an introvert.

Lastly, and to me, the most important, be dependable. At Whitestone, we value dependability way more than any skill or talent. In life, you are going to make stupid decisions and screw stuff up, but in the end, you stepped up and gave it a shot. Empty promises and talking a big game will get you nowhere in life.
Oh, and be humble. There is always someone better than you. Learn from them.

Take risks. Expect to fail miserably, but from that, expect to grow tremendously. Always meet new people. Although they may be intimidating, they just may change your life. Always follow through. Empty promises will completely destroy your integrity. Practice humility. You were given a gift. Don’t abuse it.

Continue to make successes in life. Whether they are big or small. It may just be me, but I don’t think it’s wise to consider yourself “Successful”. To me, it implies that you’ve learned all you can and have become as skillful as you can be. Sorry, but that’s impossible.

We as actors rarely get to be involved in something great…something we truly believe in. So, when the opportunity presents itself, you jump on it! That is how I feel about having the pleasure and opportunity of working with Whitestone Motion Pictures. Someone had sent me the audition notice and I was like “Hey, what the heck?!” So, I went and it wasn’t until after that I looked up their work (Shhh! that’s a secret) I was stunned. Moved. Touched. All of these responses came to me as I panned through film after film. It was then and there that I knew I had to be a part of their very unique “family”.


Working with Whitestone was as lovely as my first encounter with their work. It was full of laughter, fun, and of course…blood, sweat and tears. Brandon has a very approachable way of working with his actors. We rehearsed a couple times before the shoot days began which was key in capturing the over-all vision of the film. Production, of course, came with the traditional snafus, but watching this close-knit group power forward with style was refreshing. I truly believe in Whitestone and their mission. It is full of heart, character and passion. I am so thankful I was blessed with the opportunity to be a part of this budding production company and this film.

The entire cast and crew are so very talented and I can’t wait to see what the future holds. Heartless will be a film that hits home with our priorities in this crazy world. Hopefully, it will challenge viewers to address where the love lies in their lives and how to channel that love in the right manner.

Her name was Mary Poppins. She was the icon of my young imagination, the muse of its development. She introduced me to belief, to magic, to breaking into song at any given moment and to telling stories.

When I think of Mary Poppins I first think of her silhouette. From the flat topped hat with flower sticking out to the fitted jacket and full skirt. And who can forget the bird handled umbrella and that bag, that magical bag! From the second Mary swoops in with the East winds until she leaves Michael and Jane to fly kites with their parents, you know EXACTLY who she is and you anticipate all she can do!


When Mary takes the children along with Burt into the chalk drawing she transforms into my very first breath-taking moment, the moment she emerged from the chalk dust, that white vision, in layers upon layers of skirt and red corset. That’s when I knew Mary was more than a nanny, she was a refined lady and I was transformed.

Since then, costumers have taken me on one journey after another. From Fred and Ginger to Fred and Wilma, I have come to understand the role costumers have in telling a story. They can hint at a status or bring you right into a time period without writing it across the screen. Annie told her story in a red dress and Scarlet O’hara told it in hers. Indiana Jones, Charlie Chaplin and Willy Wonka used their hats. Luke used his light saber. Dorothy skipped down the yellow brick road in her red glittery shoes and Cinderella went from rags to riches and lost her glass slipper. William Wallace belted his story out in his blue warrior paint and kilt. While Peter Pan tried to keep up with his shadow in his ever-memorable green pointy hat and red feather. And Robin Hood, well, he had his tights. The iconic symbols go on and on. Without them we would be left with the radio!

Good costuming gives you a symbol for your connections, your feelings and your remembrance of the story. It gives visual life to the sound and the movement of the written story.

This is what the costuming department gets to do at Whitestone. Our team works tirelessly to envision, create and bring to life the characters of fantastical worlds and timeless ages that rest within the imaginations of our screenwriters, director and producers. Sometimes we get it right on the first try and other times we are making adjustments seconds before “action!”

Our team is working on a project months, weeks, days, hours and minutes before filming and must be on the ready during every second the camera is rolling and a breathing body (or sometimes a non-breathing body) is in front of it! We are responsible for creating a look and re-creating that same look days and sometimes weeks later!

It’s easy to think that costuming is simply about the clothing. This was my misconception in my early years with Whitestone. It is only recently that I have come to understand that our role is as significant as the music you hear, the props or lighting that go together to create a set or the camera and grip teams who capture it all. Together we all make movies. Without even just one of us, we would be left with a heart full of wishes and hands full of skill and nothing to do with it. I’m so thankful that my Whitestone team knows and recognizes the role of costuming and breaths so much life into its future!

I started working with Brandon well before the inception of Whitestone Motion Pictures. He and I started working together using a Canon XL1, of which he would never let me touch by the way, and all I really did was grip. Then as we grew, we expanded our responsibilities, and we each wore more and more hats to fulfill all the needed areas of making films, everything from production manager, to assistant director to special effects to gaffer, all the needed positions. This continued through the infancy of Whitestone Motion Pictures until it was determined that a more formal organizational structure was needed. Once we started breaking down into various departments, I knew that I wanted to focus on the camera department. No pun intended.


All the time working with Brandon, I was serving at 12Stone, formerly Crossroads. I ran cameras on Sunday services. We started with Canon GL1s and Panasonic full size SD miniDV cameras. When Crossroads became 12Stone, and moved to the the current facility, the Church went full HD, and I was trained on the Thompson/Grass Valley LDK-4000s which run 1080i HD at the facility. Based on my work at the Church, I was able to get a position with the Gwinnett Braves running camera for all of their home games for 2009, and also run camera for the Atlanta Braves home games for the month of October 2009.

Now as head of the camera department at Whitestone,my main responsibility is to ensure that the camera and associated tools are operating at their full potential. My particular contribution at Whitestone is a bit more complex, however, as through the years of shooting with Brandon, he and I have attained a great rapport in filming. He can create a visual and movement in his mind, and I can bring it to life through the lens. Many may think my role of camera operator is just point and shoot, take the shot and move on, but at Whitestone Motion Pictures, there is more, much more.

Framing and focus are just a subset of my tasks when running camera. I will also need to make sure the shot is properly exposed, meaning the picture is not too bright or too dark. This is also where I exercise my relationship with our Gaffer, to ensure we have the right light(s) for the scene. Exposure is one key in setting the atmosphere for a scene. The Sony F900 also has a wide range of configurable ‘paint’ parameters, yet, in our environment, we typically set the F900 to capture a standard base of color, thus allow ‘post’ production to color the scene as directed.

A special tool we have used with the Sony F900 is the Pro35 adapter. This adapter allows the use of 35mm ‘prime’ lenses with the fully digital camera. A ‘prime’ lens is a lens with a fixed focal length, as opposed to the standard ‘zoom’ lens that comes with the camera. One very cool feature of prime lenses is a smaller f-stop/larger aperture, which allows more light in darker settings, and also shortens the depth of field. Depth of field is yet another key in setting the atmosphere of a scene, and set the mood. The standard description of depth of field is the area in a shot that is in focus. The larger the depth of field, the more everything in the shot is in focus. The shorter the depth of field, the smaller the area of focus in the shot. In using the Pro35 adapter, I have learned much about the use of the adapter on the F900, as well as an understanding of dedicated preparation time of the camera and tools prior to any of our film-shoots. You can see the use of the Pro35 on some of our films, ‘Awake O’Sleeper’, ‘That’s Magic’, ‘Lest We Forget’, and our most recent ‘Heartless: The Story of the TinMan’ due for release shortly.

Another camera I have used with Whitestone is the Phantom HD camera. This camera provides up to 1000 frames/sec at a resolution of 1920×1080, full 1080p HD. We have used it in our films ‘The Wind’ and ‘That’s Magic’. It will effectively take a 4 second shot and slow it down to just over 2 minutes. There are many commercials out now that use this effect, and if you are into sports, you will see shots like this all the time, when the motion is super slow, but the definition is crystal clear. Along with Coke and NASCAR commercials, I have most recently used this camera in the feature film Zombieland released October 2009, and Stomp The Yard 2, due out sometime end of 2010.

Well, I’ve been rambling on the technical side of my job for a little bit, and I’m sure many of you may be more interested in my passion for shooting cameras. As I mentioned earlier, i started shooting camera at Crossroads Church in 2002, now 12Stone Church. My deep down passion is to bring the emotion or feeling from any scene or setting, to the hearts of the viewer. I don’t merely want to show a picture, rather show a visual feeling. I want the viewer to feel the happiness, the sadness, the anxiety of anything I shoot. Its very difficult to explain, but I feel it every time I shoot a camera. So it is when I shoot for Whitestone. Every shot I take, I want to make sure that any and every emotion from the shot is brought to the hearts of those watching. I strive for all of our shots to be visually emotional, if that is even possible.

It’s funny that during our film-shoots, I really do not like to see our dailies. Dailies are when we review the shots from the previous day, so that we can set up and prepare for the new day of shooting. I love to shoot the scenes day by day, encapsulating each very much like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. Then after all the pieces are made, they are put together to make the final film in post production. I then love to see the final product as a whole.

I have just touched the tip of the iceberg in the life and times of my contributions, and hopefully you have better understanding of the camera department, and my motivation. There are many departments in our team, and the camera department is but a piece of the puzzle that is Whitestone Motion Pictures.

I collect quotes on writing. I have for fifteen years—ever since God surprised me by letting me know I was a writer. I have hundreds, maybe thousands. Some are melodramatic: “Writing is easy; all you do is sit staring at the blank sheet of paper until the drops of blood form on your forehead” (Gene Fowler). Others are humorous: “It was easier for Hitler to start WW II than it was for him to face a blank square of canvas” (Steven Pressfield). I like these because they characterize writing as battle. It sometimes feels that way. But the truth is that writing isn’t life or death. It’s not war. Nor is it brain surgery. Mostly, it’s drudgery.

The problem with being a professional writer is that nobody can make you write. If something gets written, it’s because you disciplined yourself to do it. Somebody said that being a writer is like having homework every day for the rest of your life. I don’t know about you, but I hated homework and always did as little as possible. And I especially hated writing papers. Yet I write for a living. I’ve worked on over 50 non-fiction books—and I’m still counting. At times it’s highly rewarding, but mostly it’s just work.


I never expected to get to write film scripts for Whitestone, much less in middle age. I was interested in screenwriting twenty years ago, but had put that dream to rest. Of course, I had admired Whitestone’s work. And Brandon and I would meet for coffee every now and then. But then one day he invited me to contribute story ideas for That’s Magic. What a blast! Later he asked me to write a screenplay based on one of his treatments. We hope that film gets made this year. And we’re now working on the story arc for a feature film.

If you’re interested in writing—any kind of writing—then develop tenacity as a character trait. I believe all writers face some huge, intimidating, seemingly impossible project that they have to push through to become real writers. For me, it was a one hundred and fifty page self-study I wrote for a business college I worked for. I remember many eight-hour days staring at a computer screen with nothing but a sentence or two to show for it. I had to grind through it. So do all writers.

Most people who say they want to write have an idea. But most can’t figure out how to start writing it. They write a few sentences, toss them, write a few more, toss them. Get discouraged. Give up for the day. Maybe forever. If they do come back to it at all and if they do finally write something, they worry that it’s crap and give up all over again.
At this point, people do one of four things:

Quit: They decide that writing isn’t for them and they give up.
Change Projects: They abandon the first idea and move on to a new one and start over—only to get stuck at the same place again.
Write Chapter One Over and Over: Some get that first chapter or first act written. But because they know it’s not good enough, they rewrite it. Then they do it again. And they keep doing it until they have twenty chapter one drafts instead a draft of twenty chapters.
Write an Imperfect Draft: A very few people push on and keep writing until they get the whole book or script written. Maybe it’s not good. But it’s written. Only then can they start to change it, refine it, improve it.

This forth choice is the only one that gives you any chance of becoming a real writer. E. L. Doctorow said, “Planning to write is not writing. Outlining … researching … talking to people about what you’re going to write, none of that is writing. Writing is writing.” Doing the work doesn’t necessarily mean you have talent, nor does it guarantee that you’ll write anything good. But it does give you a chance to create something and an opportunity to hone your craft.

Novelist Jean Brody’s advice on writing was simple: “Treat it as a job – not a mystical calling. Then you’ll get up every morning and go ‘to work,’ instead of waiting for the muse to attend you.” That’s advice I’ve taken to heart for a decade and a half. And the good news is that the longer you write, the easier it gets. And if you keep plugging away, you may eventually get to the place where the muse actually shows up once in a while. And those moments make all the rest of it worthwhile.