Sam
Sam Longoria (born March 12, 1956) is an American independent filmmaker and former Hollywood visual effects engineer. Longoria began making movies in 1970 at the age of 14. He made a feature-length 35mm film in Enumclaw, Washington, moved to Hollywood in 1978, with occasional film and theatre work in Portland, Oregon, New York, and Chicago. Longoria’s Hollywood work, (frequently uncredited) begins in the 1980s, as a member of the technical crew on films such as Ghost Busters, 2010: The Year We Make Contact, Return to Oz, and Captain EO. In 1985, he photographed President Ronald Reagan in the White House for a large-format film documentary. In 1992, he created 35 mm projected backgrounds from small-format film and video elements, for Peter Sellars’s production of Paul Hindemith’s Opera Mathis der Maler, at London’s Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. More recently, Longoria built camera electronics for 1994 film Terminal Velocity, optically enlarged Charlie Sheen and Martin Sheen’s Super 8 mm home movies for 1999 film Five Aces, and performed hydraulic special effects on 1997 film Dante’s Peak, which had the largest water dump (650,000 gallons, weighing 5.4 million pounds) in cinema history. Longoria is a member of the Visual Effects Society in Hollywood, and focuses now on making his own films. He has written filmmaking books, Sam Longoria's Digital Filmmaking Handbook, Making Movies With No Money, and Secrets Of Raising Money For Your Movie His other websites include: http://indycine.com http://samlongoria.com http://hollywoodseminars.com and http://samlongoria.blogspot.com

 

Sam Longoria's Blog

  • 11
    Filmmaking – In Praise Of Charlton Heston
    One of my favorite movie stars, the great Charlton Heston has died, at 83. His birth name was John Charles Carter, and he was from Evanston, Illinois. I won’t dwell on his illness, other than say it’s a dirty trick when our powers are taken, and one of the quick and strong is laid low. Which happens to us all. And I won’t discuss his politics, except...
    by Sam Longoria at April 10th, 2008 at 10:04 am
  • 17
    Sam’s Oscar Report Sun, 24 Feb 2008
    Sam’s Oscar Report Sun, 24 Feb 2008 – Hollywood Sam Longoria has seen FEW of the Oscar-nominated pictures this year. Sam picks the Oscar-winners from their titles, using his own rules. Sam is happy to share with you his spectacularly un-informed opinion. I am not in attendance at the Oscars this year. I’m not going unless I or my work is nominated, or...
    by Sam Longoria at February 24th, 2008 at 01:02 pm
  • 8
    Filmmaking – The Magic Film Financing Ratio
    Making films costs money. Get over it. You wouldn’t think so, to read filmmakers on filmmaking forums. They usually don’t write about raising money. Here is what they write: “Where can I buy the best camera?” “What is the best camera?” “What is a camera?” “Which end of the camera do I look in?” That’s...
    by Sam Longoria at October 26th, 2007 at 01:10 am
  • 12
    Filmmaking – Getting Started Writing
    Filmmaking – Scriptwriting My thanks to Rodney of Marietta GA, who writes me this letter: Hey Sam, …Yeah, I’m pretty new and want to start actually, in the writing area first. I like to use my imagination, but still haven’t written my first screen play. The formatting gives me fear, and procrastination stalls, but my goal for the next couple of...
    by Sam Longoria at May 5th, 2007 at 03:05 pm
  • 24
    Sam
    Sam’s Oscar Report Sun, 25 Feb 2007 – Hollywood I had fully intended not to attend, watch, or even think about, the Academy Awards tonight. I have important stuff to do, movies I’m preparing, a major book revision I’m racing down to the end of the finish line. That is what I’m paid for, what I should be paying attention to. So, no Oscars for...
    by Sam Longoria at February 26th, 2007 at 05:02 am
  • 6
    Filmmaking – Shoot Real Film
    Filmmaking – Shoot Real Film by Sam Longoria Peeved filmmakers ask, “How can I afford to shoot “Real Film?” I shoot mostly 35mm four-perf, flat or scope, but I have shot VistaVision (8-perf 35mm going sideways) and 5, 8, and 15-perf 65mm. (Todd-AO, Dynavision, Imax). I have a 65mm camera I built that will pull those formats. I shoot 4×5 and...
    by Sam Longoria at December 17th, 2006 at 06:12 am
  • 23
    Filmmaking – In Praise Of Robert Altman
    One of my favorite modern filmmakers, the great Director Robert Altman has died, at 81. Altman made mostly tv from 1951, with two features in 1957, “The James Dean Story,” and “The Delinquents,” and in 1969 “That Cold Day In The Park,” shot in Vancouver, BC. Although he’d directed them, and many of my favorite tv shows, (like “Combat!,”...
    by Sam Longoria at November 27th, 2006 at 05:11 pm
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