However, I would ask you actually evaluate the product before you “disagree – completely” and make up something such as “I can imagine quite a few different functionalities that sbi does not likely have “built in.”

Leave the imagination for filmmaking and keep technology recommendations to the facts.

How can you say, “open source is free” and then follow with, “I know many programmers that make a living writing custom plugins to extend the functionality of cms's.”

Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of free?

Not knowing a lot about technology in no way correlates to a good movie website. The built in functionality SBI offers is far more comprehensive than any other platform, free or paid, and I move quickly and efficiently without digging around on every open source discussion board and blog. I have 24/7 365 unbelievable tech support, but the same access to other successful websites who are always there to jump in and assist when needed. I have never waited more than 4 hours for a solution to an issue.

As a successful website owner, I still stand 110% behind my platform as the premiere way to build ANY website, as do 40,000 other successful website owners worldwide. As I write this, FilmProposals website Alexa rank is 545K and your Blog is 2.9M. How do you judge success?

I have looked at the systems you mentioned, and my own. Since you haven't tried mine, I suggest you evaluate for yourself before you decide, “The recommendation falls on deaf ears.”

I hope, in spite of your technology choices for SceneClips, you are successful in your endeavors as I understand the intent (CMS recommendation aside) is to help Independent Film Makers and it is a worthy mission.

I don't know how you can say that one cms is hands down the best. Filmmakers have a variety of different goals and needs from their websites.

I can imagine quite a few different functionalities that sbi does not likely have “built in”, and I know many programmers that make a living writing custom plugins to extend the functionality of cms's. As a side, the technical support from most of these companies flat out sucks.

Also, I am in fact recommending specific cms's: Wordpress and Joomla. Both are open source, both are free. I rather a filmmaker allocate $300 more toward the crafts services than waste it on a cms. Open source offers a community of hundreds of thousands that contribute their support and expertise to improve infrastructure and the extend the functionality of software.

Lastly, claiming to know nothing about technology, then endorsing a web content management platform doesn't give me much confidence. The recommendation falls on deaf ears.

Don't mean to come off as brash. Just want to save filmmakers some frustration and dough.

BEFORE you make a film, know who your audience (target, and it isn't everyone!) is, how to reach them, and start gathering them all during the process.

BEFORE you make a film, know who your audience (target, and it isn't everyone!) is, how to reach them, and start gathering them all during the process.

Barring that, using green screen or not really depends upon how the film is being shot and what’s required, and visual FX are getting a lot easier to accomplish. I believe there is a series by Hollywood Camerawork called “Visual Effects for Directors,” which simply and easily explains the process behind most visual effects, and how they can be accomplished on a budget.

Visual effects, like any good production element, can add a lot of value to the screen – IF done right. Thankfully, with technology today, that’s can be more a matter of the director’s knowledge than their budget.