I am a huge fan of cinema…
Seriously, huge fan. I began to write, direct, act in, shoot and edit my own short films at the age of 12 years old. Although I try to stay behind the cameras these days, those films were the just the beginning of my journey learning the skills I use today in all of my creative endeavors.

As a Creative Producer/Line Producer….
Building on those experiences from my childhood and having an insatiable thirst for knowledge, I have expanded and honed my skill set on as many different types of projects like T.V., Film, Commercials, Music Videos, Corporate video and in as many different positions as possible; Grip, Electric, Sound, Camera, Production Management to name a few. It is these experiences, the successes and the failures, over the last 20 something years that makes me the resourceful, knowledgeable and balanced Producer I am today.

As a Production Manager, Assistant Director, Location Manager, Sound Recordist, etc…

I generally perform these, either in addition to Producing (like Indie films or music videos) or whenever I have some availability (I like to keep busy and my skills fresh). Working in these other positions keeps me in touch with production needs and capabilities, which in turn keeps my budgeting accurate as a Producer/Line Producer.

As a Photographer…
Well that started a bit later for me, 17 years ago actually. It blossomed out of that thirst for knowledge I mentioned already. I was a Cinematography/Producing major and fell in love with photography (which was shot on actual film back then). After my first Black and White Photography class I had an insatiable thirst for knowledge relating to light and its interaction with film emulsion, so I continued the photography classes and began developing and processing my images in my homemade darkroom. This skill set keep me sharp creatively and even technically as my understanding of lighting continues to grow me as a filmmaker and believe it or not even helps budgeting as a Producer. These days I mostly shoot travel, fine art photography, and behind the scenes on my sets in the digital medium.

As a Writer…
Since I already mentioned the start of my writing, I’ll skip ahead. Today my writing mostly consists of a treatments and first draft scripts for film projects that I develop. The bulk of which is with my Dark Tide Films Inc. business partner for our development slate. These film projects, over 60 now, populate several genres like Thrillers, Suspense, Horror, Adventures with a few Comedies for good measure.

Producing, Production Management & Coordination from concept to Delivery including:
- Production Supervision: Administrative, financial, technical details of production, and day to day
- Production Liaison: Between; Client, Director, Ex Producer, Studio/Label, Crew
- Budgeting: Creating Realistic Budgets, Managing, and Actualizing costs.
- Production Scheduling, Negotiation and securing crew, locations, equipment, facilities, and outside vendors.
- Securing contracts and releases.
- Casting: Scheduling and Managing; Casting calls, Auditions, Talent Agencies, Alt Casting channels.
- Accounting: Cost Managing, Petty Cash, Invoices/POs
- Office Management & Admin: Call Sheets, Production Reports, Cast & Crew Lists, Supplies, Distribution.
- Travel: Accommodations, Transportation, Per Diem, Logistics
- Post-Production Management: Edit, Color Grade, Sound, Deliverables
* Creative problem solving & Logistics
* Staying on budget

Proficient with Spreadsheets, Showbiz Budgeting, AICP, Gorilla Budgeting, Gorilla Scheduling, Photoshop, Lightroom & Photo Editing, Final Draft, Premiere

Set Management:
Prepare and issue final shooting schedule and select breakdowns
Prepare pre-production schedule for director
Survey and assist director and UPM with selection of shooting locations.
Set Supervision and keeping principal photography on time.
Supervise crew, cast, extras, doubles.

www.JoelHartz.com
www.Darktidefilms.com