Studio
Socially Conscious Filmmaking Picks Up Steam
7/8/2009 at 9:32 AM by Suraj Das
Momentum is building for student/indie films featuring socially relevant themes. Just a few weeks ago, USC grad student Gregg Helvey picked up a Student Academy Award for his extraordinary thesis short, Kavi. The film, which deals with modern-day slavery in a village in India, has got some rave reviews and Helvey definitely appears to be a young talent to keep an eye out for.
If you've got your own script with a message, now is the time is start seeking out ways to get your film made - more and more companies are providing grants and production support for these types of films.
Fun with Crowd-Funding
6/5/2009 at 1:28 PM by Suraj Das
Have a terrific idea for a feature film, but strapped for cash? Being part of a tight-knit community of filmmakers and movie-buffs may be more helpful than you think. More and more filmmakers are turning to crowd-funding to finance their films - and this helpful article from 'The Age of Stupid' provides a great crash course for anyone interested in trying the method themselves.
Crowd-funding is a relatively new approach to raising money, but there have already been a number of notable success stories. Early last year, singer-songwriter Jill Sobule launched a campaign to raise $85,000 for a new album via fan donations on her website, jillsnextrecord.com. Fans received gifts and swag, such as free song downloads and the opportunity to attend studio recording sessions, in return for their donations. The complete amount was raised in roughly 50 days, and Sobule was able to use the money to produce, manufacture, distribute, and advertise a brand new album, "California Dreams."
Mid-Week Resource Links
6/3/2009 at 2:38 PM by Amy Allen
If you live in Brooklyn, are between the ages of 18 and 30, and have made at least a short and written a screenplay, you might want to try for this grant. It's for $2000, the application process is simple, and the deadline is June 22nd.
This article in The Workbook Project about how to achieve professional quality on a budget is worth a read for all stop motion artists.
Another funding opportunity, this one for documentary filmmakers has a rolling deadline.
Cinereach Fellowship Available
6/2/2009 at 10:19 AM by Amy Allen
Cinereach, a generous arts organization that works tirelessly to enable quality, socially conscious films, has four grants available to filmmakers who meet the following qualifications: (a) Has recently graduated from a film studies program, or is self-taught; email info@cinereach.org to inquire about eligibility (b) Lives in or around New York. (c) Creates socially conscious short films.
The deadline is July 15th.
52 Reasons Why American Indie Film Will Flourish
5/26/2009 at 1:02 PM by Amy Allen
Ted Hope, always a master of the fact-packed list, just posted 52 Reasons Why American Indie Film Will Flourish. Since he asks others to add onto the (extremely comprehensive) list, I would add:
53. For those starting out, there are more networking opportunities outside of film school. While a formal program has never been a prerequisite for quality work, it's still important as a place to network. While important, film school is also expensive, and if you're only plucking those who can pay from the talent pool, the quality almost certainly diminishes. Tutorials and film theory distributed to the masses online can help everybody develop their skills. The best training is to go out and make something anyhow, which has never been easier.
54. Unions like SAG are embracing the importance of independent film. SAG Indie has an intuitive website and offers affordable contracts to movies with lower budgets, allowing everybody access to experienced talent.
55. Building on #42, while a lot of attention has been placed the falling prices of digital production equipment, projectors are just as important. As more studios pay for digital projectors to be installed in major theaters, those theaters will be better equipped to screen independent fare and indie filmmakers won't have to budget for that expensive 35mm print, allowing both small films and theatrical distribution to survive.
Ted's List is a must read. Check it out.
Do You Rely on Your Credit Cards to Finance Your Films?
4/21/2009 at 3:23 PM by Sasha Nelson
A great read for all you filmmakers out there who rely on credit cards to finance your films. With credit getting harder and harder to come by, your credit score has become more important than ever. That means there's no time like the present to raise your credit score. But don't stress. This article from Filmmaker Magazine is full of great tips for how to do just that.
Newteevee >> Zerks Log Boldly Goes On a Limited Budget
4/20/2009 at 8:03 AM by Amy Allen
Liz at NewTeeVee inadvertently gives some really good advice to content creators in her Review of Zerks Log:
"Here’s the secret to creating high-quality, low-budget science fiction: The simpler the set-up, the more money and effort you can put towards executing it well. Zerks Log is a perfect example."
Zerks Log Boldly Goes On a Limited Budget.
