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Deborah S. Patz – Author

Author of film books for industry pros and youth

Earth from space - photo from NASA at Unsplash
Apr52025

Know Your Expertise, aka Ever Been To Space?

The good news is you don’t have to know everything to work in the film industry. No two productions are the same; you will frequently be inventing what to do to get a shot, scene or concept on film. That’s why you need to take stock of your experiences to date and be knowledgeable of your expertise.

Take my first day at IMAX. We were shooting a documentary in space (yes, real space) when the MIR space station was in orbit. The camera was scheduled to go up on the Space Shuttle, which would dock on to MIR. The Space Shuttle would then go about its business, leaving as scheduled. But the camera – and film stock – would still be on MIR. Our challenge: how do we get the camera and film back to Earth?

I thought nothing in my life would prepare me for contributing to the logistics discussion (between Producer, PM, and UM) … but I was wrong. From my life experiences, including a love of international travel, and those photo safaris with my dad when I was a kid (experimenting with both antique and modern film cameras), I could contribute. Sure, I’d never dealt with the potential for sun’s radiation in the vacuum of space, but I’ve plenty dealt with multiple airport x-ray machine radiation on exposed and unexposed film stock.

In the end, we chose to send up (on an earlier shuttle) unexposed film stock from all the leading film stock companies to see which one(s) would handle the extreme radiation best. Then when it was time to send up the camera. We had our best-choice film stock, and we brought both camera and film back via Soyez into Russia instead of the Space Shuttle into the USA… which meant, yes, we also need to prepare the documentation for crossing the international border via a trip to space!

So… what life experiences have you had that could cross-over into the film industry? On your CV, you can flag some of these experiences as hobbies; they also double as good prompts for interview ice breakers.

Cheers & a good shoot to you,
Deb

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“Film Production Management 101” (now in its third edition) is updated for today’s respectful workplace and sustainable practices – available worldwide, including Amazon-USA, Indigo-Canada and many other bookstores or directly from the publisher (MWP).

Dec12024

Gladys Works In The Movies: The Watch From Wardrobe

watch with no time

… and especially good for all those seasonal parties!

Cheers & a great holiday season to you,
Deb

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Where is Deb?

13-Dec/24 – Vancouver Film Industry Holiday Party for some festive fun at InFocus Film School

PM101 bookEnd of Jan/25 – “Film Production Management 101 – Third Edition” is coming to bookstores and online, but available now for pre-order (e.g. on Amazon, Amazon Canada, Indigo-Chapters, directly from the publisher MWP).

Early Feb/25 – TBA location of the Vancouver launch party & book signing. When the location is set, you can pre-order an autographed copy from the attending bookstore.

Reading week Feb/25 – A celebration party & book signing in Toronto is in discussion. If/when confirmed, you can pre-order an autographed copy from the attending bookstore.

waking up
Nov242024

Magic Movie Moment: Casey Edison’s Wide-Eye Wake-Up

As the coming of winter brings shorter days, it’s a struggle to get out of bed in the morning – especially when it’s still dark outside. Enveloped by cozy, warm covers, it’s easy to lull one’s self into another drowse alarm cycle, but you can’t go on pressing the bar forever. At some point you have to commit to rising.

That’s when I remember Casey Edison (the mom on Maniac Mansion, played by the fabulous Deb Theaker).

person-awake-in-bedFor a wake-up scene in one episode, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut then opened them super-wide before relaxing into normal sight. Surprisingly it works! You feel a bit more awake. Doing so, it’s easier to pull back the covers and get out of bed. It’s rather amazing, since there is so little effort involved for such a dramatic effect. Maybe you have to do it a couple of times before you feel the full effect, but it beats the shock of blasting music or bright lights.

What a magic movie moment! I’ve carried this moment with me for many years now and it still works. Thank you, Casey… or rather… Deb Theaker.

OK, when exhausted tiredness creeps in later in production, I’ll scale up my morning routine to include multiple alarm clocks… but that’s a story for another time.

Cheers & a magic morning wake-up to you,
Deb

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Where is Deb?

13-Dec/24 – Vancouver Film Industry Holiday Party for some festive fun at InFocus Film School

PM101 bookEnd of Jan/25 – “Film Production Management 101 – Third Edition” is coming to bookstores and online, but available now for pre-order (e.g. on Amazon, Amazon Canada, Indigo-Chapters, directly from the publisher MWP).

Early Feb/25 – TBA location of the Vancouver launch party & book signing. When the location is set, you can pre-order an autographed copy from the attending bookstore.

Reading week Feb/25 – A celebration party & book signing in Toronto is in discussion. If/when confirmed, you can pre-order an autographed copy from the attending bookstore.

Nov12024

What I Learned About a Film Career from Bloomin’ Flowers

In short: Flowers blossom at different rates… and some blossom more than once per calendar year.

Going for a walk recently, a local magnolia is in bloom for the second time this year and it looks lovely. Again! But as with any blooming shrub, I notice that not all flowers blossom at the same time. Some buds become ‘early adopters,’ opening up and announcing their colour to the world while others stay as buds a while longer before opening up and shining their colour. Neither flower is more beautiful than the other, they just have different timing.

So too, I’ve noticed with freelance film careers. Some folk manage to shine quickly in their given field while others find a longer path to find their niche (and so do their shining later on). Considering that finding your place in the industry is the success, then neither path is more successful than the other, it’s just different timing.

With freelance work being so volatile, that’s a comforting thought. Keep going along your path and find your way. You may not have blossomed yet, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be blossoming soon.

Cheers & a good shoot to you,
Deb

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FYI, the third edition of “Film Production Management 101” is coming to bookstores and online in January 2025, but available now for pre-order (e.g. on Amazon, Amazon Canada, Indigo-Chapters).

Oct142024

Where and Where and Where I Write

Sure, I dream of a dedicated writing room with rows of books on shelves around the walls, a comfy chair with lamp and side table, a large surface area desk with ergonomic chair for my computer… and yeah, a dog bed nearby for a napping dog buddy.

But then reality creeps in.

I work as well as write, I have an active family – some who need shuttling around town – and the dog, well, she’d rather I sit on a couch with her a blanket than be at a desk. Instead, I have to find places to write amid my life and movements.

Consequently, here are some places I’ve written my books:

  • Coffee shop at 5 am opening time (yeah, classic, but nice and quiet)
  • Backstage at a theatre (using two chairs facing each other to better prop up my computer)
  • In the back room of a museum (don’t ask – I look pretty happy in the picture though!)
  • Desk at home (amid the clutter and noise of family)
  • Coffee shop at closing time (naturally)
  • Couch at home (yeah, I pandered to the dog for this one – call me weak)
  • College hallway lounge (surprisingly comfortable chairs and good plug-ins)
  • Airline seat (which movies make look a lot more comfortable than reality)
  • Hotel room (superbly quiet and free of distractions)
  • A boat at anchor (yeah, totally romantic, but the sunlight is blinding, the table is at a poor height for ergonomics and well, no power, so you’re on a time limit)

Do I have a favourite? Not really. I suppose I enjoy the variety – even if it’s because I have to enjoy it. What I need, however, is a dedicated amount of time to focus at any given session. The minimum time? Probably one hour for the most effective writing session, but I know I’ve written with less.

Life doesn’t stop to allow time to write. You just have to carve it out where and whenever there’s an opportunity. With the third edition of my “Film Production Management” book coming out in January (and its completion moment on the living room couch where the dog abandoned me for the floor, oh well), I’d say I found the time and the many, many places to write. You can too.

Cheers & a good writing session to you,
Deb

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Where is Deb?

Mon. Oct. 14 – Raindance’s Boozin’ n Schmoozin’ Networking for Independent Filmmakers, London UK

FYI, the third edition of “Film Production Management 101” is coming to bookstores and online in January 2025, but available now for pre-order (e.g. on Amazon, Amazon Canada, Indigo-Chapters).