Websites Made Easy, Amazing Movie Production, and Help if You Can’t Pay Your Taxes

A couple of years ago I was at a networking event and met a very personable young lady who said she was looking to do more videography work. I asked if she had a business card, and she said “no, but I can give you my Instagram handle”.

And she wrote it on a napkin. Yes. She. Did.

Now, I’m not trying to sound like an old lady here, but really….I don’t think we’ve stepped so far away from professionalism that “@CameraLady” on a napkin can do all the work of a website.

I recently discovered- by someone who had this site ON HIS BUSINESS CARD that an easy, FREE solution is out there for minimalist sites, and I wanted to share it with you.

It’s one page, modern, professional looking, and device-responsive so it always looks great, no matter what the screen size is. They have templates, or you can customize your own.

If you’re rolling in the bucks, invest $19 for a YEAR, and you can get a custom domain, add forms, add more than 3 sites (because 3 sites is still available on the free version!), and there’s no branding on the bottom. You can even embed code (can you say “Vimeo embed code for a showcase”?) into the site.

And of course, you can put in a link to your Instagram site.

Let’s say this all together: “Napkins with Insta handles do not take the place of business cards.”

And of course, Instagram channels do not take the place of a website.

Of course you know taxes are due on April 15. You might have already filed- and if so, good for you! Did you include a payment? Or are you concerned about filing at all, since you don’t think you have the money to pay your taxes? Then keep reading.

First of all, file your taxes by the 15th, and include whatever payment you can make, no matter how small. Not doing so mean you will be assessed a late filing penalty, which equates to 5% of the balance due, per month. So file them. Even if there are items you’re unsure of, file them. You can always amend them later, and you won’t be penalized if you filed the originals on time. So can you file an extension? Yes. Taxpayers can choose to submit an electronic payment and select Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File, or extension, as the payment type. The IRS will process it as an extension automatically, and taxpayers won’t need to file Form 4868.

If you can’t make the full payment due, you may qualify for a Installment agreement (the application is form 9465 at www.irs.gov). It’s a $43 fee to set it up (if you’re approved) and you’ll be required to pay interest plus a late payment penalty of .5% of the balance due. But this drops to a rate of .25% if you filed on time.

If an installment plan is not feasible either for you, you may apply for an “offer in compromise” to settle your tax debt for less than the full amount owed. You can see if you compromise by using the OIC pre-qualifier tool, at IRS.gov/OICtool. Look for Form 656 and Form 433A at www.irs.gov.

The IRS website has interactive sections to help you determine your eligibility for an installment plan or an offer in compromise. The forms are also available by calling (toll free) 1-800-TAX-FORM (1-800-829-3676).

A couple of weeks ago, WIFV DC provided an amazing opportunity to see the award winning and Oscar-nominated documentary, “Porcelain War”, followed by the director of the film being interviewed at the John Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington DC. The gist of the film is described, “Amidst the chaos and destruction of the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine, three artists defiantly find inspiration and beauty as they defend their culture and their country. In a war waged by professional soldiers against ordinary civilians, Slava Leontyev, Anya Stasenko, and Andrey Stefanov choose to stay behind, armed with their art, their cameras, and, for the first time in their lives, their guns. Despite daily shelling, Anya finds resistance and purpose in her art, Andrey takes the dangerous journey to get his young family to safety abroad, and Slava becomes a weapons instructor for ordinary people who have become unlikely soldiers. As the war intensifies, Andrey picks up his camera to film their story, and on tiny porcelain figurines, Anya and Slava capture their idyllic past, uncertain present, and hope for the future.”

There were so many amazing elements to this film that the director shared with us, to include:

The cinematographer was a landscape painter, who was trained- through a translator- by the director– 6,000 miles away and over Zoom — on how to operate the camera, and the art of cinematography. He had never used a camera in his life for video. The film’s cinematography was nominated by the American Society of Cinematographers.
The soundtrack of the film was entirely created from one Ukrainian band who gave the director all of their music, as well as the individual voice and instrument tracks to use in the film. The band donated the licensing fees to the Ukrainian war effort.
The footage had to be sent by means of encryption and secure servers to the director, three months after missions for security purposes since the civilian soldiers had body cams on missions and were talking about their strategy.
About a dozen translators were involved- on Zoom meetings, in the editing process, in the fact-checking process, and the “cast” did not speak English, but were a mix of Russian and Ukrainian speakers, and would go back in forth in their languages. The director was based in California and only spoke English. So the entire film was directed and produced through translators.
The art in the film focused on porcelain figurines that Anya would paint intricate scenes on. During the film, these scenes are brought to life and animated in an amazing way. That was the result of animators hand-drawing 7,000 animation cells.
There was 500 hours of footage captured over the course of the film’s production, which started in 2022. It was a winner in the 2024 Sundance festival.
You can see the extremely moving trailer here and although the film’s limited theatrical release has wrapped up, the director is working on getting it streamed. He says that unfortunately, although many people are yearning to see politically-charged documentaries, the streaming services are not eager to run them.