Harry Potter is one of the most successful series of books in recent memory. Taking those tales from printed word to motion picture screen was a formidable undertaking for director Chris Columbus.

Are there war stories to be told from the digital filmmaking battlefield? Undoubtedly. But you won't hear too many of them rolling out of the mouths of most directors and cinematographers who have collaborated in the still-infant medium.

John Cassavetes was a fiercely independent spirit, conveying passion, defiance and anger with a violent energy concealed just beneath the surface — if it was concealed at all.

Acquiring distribution is not the last step on the path to getting an independent film into theaters. The act of distribution itself is a make-or-break process that encompasses everything from how a picture will open to the film's trailers, posters and ad campaigns.

At a DGA seminar, the fastest growing editing system, Apple's Final Cut Pro, was explained, for those interested in learning about making the change from Avid to a cheaper, and, in some cases, more flexible system.