A Filmmaker's Life

Movies you can help make!!

2013-05-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already noticed, from time to time, I'll be posting crowdfunding projects you can support to which I have a personal relationship and/or I think are just really awesome.
Here's two very good ones, both from the Filmmakers Alliance family....

Secrets Of An Unborn Child
by Evelyne and Gabriela Tollman
In Secrets Of An Unborn Child the lives of two sisters intersect. Clare loses her baby and Anna, in the midst of an emotional crisis, inadvertently abandons her child. The film follows the two sisters as they overcome their worst fears and help each other rebuild their lives.
For more info/details, click here:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/249283882/secrets-of-an-unborn-child-0

Andrei Tarkovsky Documentary:
Time Within Time
by PJ Letofsky
A poetic documentary into the life, love, and work of Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky, based on his diary and those who knew him best...
For more info/details, click here:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1355692020/andrei-tarkovsky-documentary-time-within-time

And one more from our friends down in Dallas......

THE BAD - A Comedy Series from the Fires of Hell / Suburbia
by Blair Rowan starring Chris Gardner

A comedic webseries following the trials and tribulations of the world's most unsuccessful and delusional garage rock band, The Bad.

For more info/details, click here:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/127160787/the-bad-a-comedy-series-from-the-fires-of-hell-sub

Thanks so much for the support, all!!

The Art Of Asking

2013-05-14T14:50:00.001-07:00

The following is a repost of Peter Broderick's excellent distribution newsletter....

THE ART OF ASKING

Amanda Palmer has made an art of asking for help. In May 2012, the singer-songwriter ran a 30-day Kickstarter campaign seeking $100,000 to finance a new album, a tour, and an art book. 24,883 fans contributed and she raised $1,192,793 (five times more than any other Kickstarter music project).

Her campaign video is one of the best crowdfunding pitches ever. It conveys her goals, her passion, and her persona in 3 minutes. Her music drives the video and her spirit makes it infectious and irresistible.

Amanda’s recent TED talk on The Art of Asking is required viewing for filmmakers and other artists determined to maintain their creative independence. More than 2.7 million people have watched it in two months.

To read the whole article, click here:
http://www.peterbroderick.com/distributionbulletins/distributionbulletins.html

A Few Projects To Support....

2013-04-12T11:25:00.002-07:00

Hey Guys!

Here's a few projects from friends of mine that are worthy of your support. Click on the titles and check 'em out. If they strike you the right way, toss in a $10, $20 or $100,000...whatever makes sense for you.

John Harden's short film: "New"

The new Mark Stolaroff (producer) and Henry Barrial (director) feature: "The House That Jack Built"

The Dan Rosen written feature with : "Darci's Walk Of Shame"

Thanks for helping to keep us filmmakers making films!

3rd Page, yo!!

2013-04-10T10:20:00.001-07:00

Hey All!

I, and some of my filmmaking cronies (as well as my Filmmakers Alliance community) are involved in something called 3rd Page. It's an awesome creative exercise, an inspiring project and talent incubator as well as a great short form filmmaking vehicle. But here, I'll let it speak for itself. At the bottom are a bunch of my own 3rd Page scripts. Enjoy!

3rd Page is a collective of writers and filmmakers who like to make stuff. We started as an informal writing group creating “3-pagers,” our term for three-page screenplays that are self-contained (i.e. they have a beginning, a middle and an end). To spur our respective imaginations, we come up with weekly writing prompts consisting of three (often divergent) elements, for instance: an animal. a religious figure. a distant sound.

We interpret these elements in any way we wish, with one simple guideline: the resulting screenplays must be easily producible with micro to zero budgets. We try to set our screenplays in accessible locations with as few spectacular car chases and fire breathing demon spawns as possible. This makes it easier for us — and for you — to make our 3-pagers into actual movies.

And that’s the whole point of 3rd page: we encourage anyone, anywhere, to use our screenplays or finished films for whatever purposes they wish, as long as they adhere to theCreative Commons license agreement [read more]. So please, go ahead: shoot these screenplays. Add to them. Remix them. Submit your own for publication on our site. Let’s make stuff.

We don’t have a manifesto. But if we did, it might contain these 3 principles:

#1: Shared culture

We embrace the idea that cultural works should be shared, freely and openly. We think this philosophy contributes to a creative environment that cultivates the unconstrained, the unusual and the unexpected. That’s why we’re huge proponents of Creative Commons [more info]. Every piece of writing on our site is freely available for your creative interpretation.

#2: Micro Cinema

Why 3 pages? It may be an arbitrary limit, but we know from experience that smaller-scale projects spur experimentation. Each week we challenge each other to tell a complete “micro” story at exactly three pages in length. As writers, we find these parameters to be both frustrating and freeing. In any case, we believe “micro” is the ideal length for digital producers and online audiences alike — easily producible and consumable.

#3: Take risks

We strive to challenge ourselves (and our audiences) with writing that stretches the boundaries of conventional style, form and content.

My 3rd Pagers (alphabetically):

“72 Virgins”

“Civilization”

“Green-Eyed Monster”

“I Don’t F%@#ing Lie”

“Lost Dog”

“Lost Under”

“Fearless”

“The Last Chance For Romance Dance”

"The Loop"

“Toothless”

“Trunk Mate”

“Vacant Home”

First Mondays at The Surly Goat - April 1st!

2013-03-31T19:32:00.007-07:00

First Mondays is TOMORROW NIGHT - April 1st. NO JOKE!!

As always, it starts early in the evening at 6 (to catch happy hour and be able to do other stuff afterward).

In the spirit of April Fool's day, feel free to come with your best, smartest practical jokes (just make sure no body gets hurt - emotionally or otherwise). Or just good practical joke stories!!

Again, as always, you will be in the company of obscenely fascinating people, so please remember to be as interesting as you can possibly be. Of course, feel free to bring others who are equally, if not more, compelling!! And finally, as always, remember that this is a hang, NOT a networking event. No agendas allowed :).

Hope you can make it!

First Mondays

Monday, April 1st, 6 p.m.

The Surly Goat

7929 Santa Monica Blvd

West Hollywood, CA 90046

(323) 650-4628

http://surlygoat.com

Great Night At Echo Park Film Center Last Night

2013-03-30T18:15:00.003-07:00

Great night last night at The Echo Park Film Center!! Totally packed house with AMAZING films and filmmakers. And lots of incredible energy. Thanks so much to all who helped make it happen! See you at the next one!!

Filmmakers Alliance Screening at Echo Park Film Center THIS Friday!!

2013-03-27T00:50:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! There will be a some amazing filmmakers at this screening, so you def don't want to miss it!!!.....

Films and Filmmakers - that's what it's all about!

The next FA Screening at The Echo Park Film Center is THIS Friday, March 29th at 7:30 p.m.

All filmmakers will be in attendance!

Come and see what FA members and other members of the LA and global filmmaking community are up to creatively, and support the great work that the EPFC people are doing in our community. The center is a volunteer run organization that offers fantastic super 8mm film classes, youth classes, and much more, so we do ask that you leave a $5 donation at the door to help keep the Center going.

There is a brief Q&A after each film, not to mention complimentary food & drinks. So come on out and eat, drink, connect and watch!

Screening sponsored by Hollywood Casting and Film (https://www.hollywoodcastingandfilm.com/home/)

Here’s the line-up:

WHAT DO WE HAVE IN OUR POCKETS?

Director: Goran Dukic

4 minutes, color, U.S.A./Israel

A most unusual love story unravels when the objects in a young man's pockets come to life.

BITE OF THE TAIL

Director: Song E. Kim

9 minutes, color, South Korea/U.S.A.

Life is a constant struggle for a husband and wife. She is suffering from stomach pain, and the doctor has no clue about a cure. Meanwhile, her husband is on his own journey of hunting a snake.

RECORD/PLAY

Director: Jesse Atlas

11 minutes, color U.S.A.

War, fate, and a broken walkman transcend time and space in this sci-fi love story.

MOMMY'S LITTLE MAN

Director: Tom Bailey

5 minutes, color, U.S.A.

Mommy's recent decision to transform the household provokes her volatile son Lancaster, who has never had to solve his own problems. Until now.

WHIPLASH

Director: Damien Chazelle

18 minutes, color, U.S.A.

An aspiring drummer enters an elite conservatory’s top jazz orchestra.

THE CUB

Director: Riley Stearns

5 minutes, color, U.S.A.

Wolves make the best parents.

K.I.T.

Director: Michelle Morgan

16 minutes, color, U.S.A.

A guilt-ridden, but well-intentioned, yuppie goes to great lengths to prove she is a decent person.

Total Program Running Time: 68 minutes

FA at Echo Park Film Center

Friday, March 29th at 7:30 p.m.

Echo Park Film Center

1200 N. Alvarado

Los Angeles, CA 90026

VisionFest 2012 TONIGHT!

2012-10-30T11:16:00.002-07:00

Hey All!

We still have 75 free unused FA member tickets to VisionFest TONIGHT for the first to come claim them. And, at this point, you don't have to be an FA member, just readers of my blog! :)

It's gonna be an awesome night. Kim Jee-Woon is getting the Vision Award. Johnny Knoxville, of all people, will be handing it off to him.

Go here: http://visionfest2012.eventbrite.com/ to register and get info about the event. Use the Promotional Code: FAmember.

And anyway, it's otherwise "Pay What You Can", so hope you all can make it!.....

IndieWire Articles On New Distribution Platform Options

2012-09-30T05:08:00.000-07:00

Hey Filmmakers!

Here's a couple of Indiewire articles on new film distribution options for you to check out! Keep in mind, like most DIY options, they demand a lot of marketing work from YOU. Yeah, I know you're sick of thinking about distribution and having to wear one too many hats....But still, it's nice to know that more and more DIY distribution options are emerging online, each tweaking the model just enough to push the DIY paradigm forward. Check em' out:

Attention Vimeo Filmmakers! Make Money on Your Films Today!

Internet Veterans Behind VHX Hold the Future of Distribution... If You've Been Developing Your Film's Online Presence

Some Hope from Ted Hope

2012-09-29T03:58:00.002-07:00

As you know, I'm a big fan of Ted Hope and the things he has to say about film. He may have made his biggest statement yet, however, in choosing to move to San Francisco and take over as head of the San Francisco Film Society. It's a marriage, I think, that will not only benefit both sides of that coin, but independent film in general. Read Ted's own thoughts on the decision here:

Why I Chose To Lead The San Francisco Film Society by Ted Hope

Ted also posted some great new blogs that demand your attention. Check 'em out!!

Film Production Methods: The “Better” Way Vs. The Easy Way (In 15 Steps)

What Is The Great Hope For The Future Of Cinema?

Five Lessons We Learned While Making STARLET (guest blog by producer Blake Ashman-Kipervaser)

Reminder - First Mondays in October!

2012-09-27T11:07:00.003-07:00

REMINDER!

FIRST MONDAYS is happening again, THIS MONDAY, October 1st at 6 p.m.

We will again be at the The Den in West Hollywood (http://www.denofhollywood.com/) starting at 6 pm (to catch happy hour and be able to do other stuff afterward) until roughly 10. But feel free to hang out as long as you want.

For those of you who don’t know, FIRST MONDAYS is the regular “hang” we started in Los Angeles with Filmmakers Alliance members and a bunch of other interesting filmmaking peeps we know. This is our 5th "First Mondays" and we'll be doing it the first Monday of every month somewhere in LA. Usually a bar, but sometimes a museum, art gallery, a library, somebody's house, etc. The idea is to continually bring together the most interesting and/or creative people we stumble across. And as we all well know, that certainly is not necessarily filmmakers. But that's where we're starting. Feel free, however, to bring whomever - hopefully, the most INTERESTING person or persons you know. And no need to fear, this is a hang, NOT a networking event. No agendas allowed.

Unfortunately, I don't get my new cell until Wednesday, so don't call me. Just show up! :)

Hope you can make it!

FIRST MONDAYS - October 1st, 2012!

6 p.m. until 10 p.m. (or anytime thereafter)

THE DEN

8226 W. Sunset Blvd.

W. Hollywood, CA 90046

Featuring Mystery Monday:

$1 Mystery Beers

$2 Mystery Shots

Parking:

The Den has its own parking lot with valet parking. Valet parking is $5 from Sunday through Wednesday There’s also street parking and other nearby lots.

Kubrick // One-Point Perspective

2012-09-08T08:28:00.001-07:00

Kubrick // One-Point Perspective from kogonada on Vimeo.

FILM IS DEAD? Long Live Movies!

2012-09-07T06:38:00.004-07:00

Film Is Dead? Long Live Movies
How Digital Is Changing the Nature of Movies

By MANOHLA DARGIS and A. O. SCOTT

REPRINTED FROM THE NY TIMES

In the beginning there was light that hit a strip of flexible film mechanically running through a camera. For most of movie history this is how moving pictures were created: light reflected off people and things would filter through a camera and physically transform emulsion. After processing, that light-kissed emulsion would reveal Humphrey Bogart chasing the Maltese Falcon in shimmering black and white.

More and more, though, movies are either partly or entirely digital constructions that are created with computers and eventually retrieved from drives at your local multiplex or streamed to the large and small screens of your choice. Right before our eyes, motion pictures are undergoing a revolution that may have more far reaching, fundamental impact than the introduction of sound, color or television. Whether these changes are scarcely visible or overwhelmingly obvious, digital technology is transforming how we look at movies andwhat movies look like, from modestly budgeted movies shot with digital still cameras to blockbusters laden with computer-generated imagery. The chief film (and digital cinema) critics of The New York Times, Manohla Dargis and A. O. Scott, look at the stuff dreams are increasingly made of.

A. O. SCOTT In Jean-Luc Godard’s 1986 movie “Keep Up Your Right” a movie director (played by Mr. Godard) declares that “the toughest thing in movies is carrying the cans.” Those once-ubiquitous, now increasingly quaint metal boxes contained the reels of exposed celluloid stock that were the physical substance of the art form. But nowadays the easiest thing in digital movies might be carrying the hard drive or uploading the data onto the server. Those heavy, bulky canisters belong to the mechanical past, along with the whir of the projectors and the shudder of the sprockets locking into their holes.

Should we mourn, celebrate or shrug? Predigital artifacts — typewriters and record players, maybe also books and newspapers — are often beautiful, but their charm will not save them from obsolescence. And the new gizmos have their own appeal, to artists as well as consumers. Leading manufacturers are phasing out the production of 35-millimeter cameras. Within the next few years digital projection will reign not only at the multiplexes, but at revival and art houses too. According to an emerging conventional wisdom, film is over. If that is the case, can directors still be called filmmakers? Or will that title be reserved for a few holdouts, like Paul Thomas Anderson, whose new film, “The Master,” was shot in 70 millimeter? It’s not as if our job has ever been to review the coils of celluloid nestled in their cans; we write about the stories and the pictures recorded on that stock. But the shift from photochemical to digital is not simply technical or semantic. Something very big is going on.

MANOHLA DARGIS Film isn’t dead yet, despite the rush to bury it, particularly by the big studios. Film does not have to disappear. Film isn’t broken — it works wonderfully well and has done so for a century. There is nothing inevitable or natural about the end of film, no matter how seductive the digital technologies and gadgets that are transforming cinema. A 16-millimeter film camera is plenty cool. A 35-millimeter film image can look sublime. There’s an underexamined technological determinism that shapes discussions about the end of film and obscures that the material is being phased out not because digital is superior, but because this transition suits the bottom line.

The end of film isn’t a just a technological imperative; it’s also about economics (includingdigital rights management). In 2002 seven major studios formed the Digital Cinema Initiatives (one later dropped out), the purpose of which was “to establish and document voluntary specifications for an open architecture for digital cinema that ensures a uniform and high level of technical performance, reliability and quality control.” What these initiatives effectively did was outline the technological parameters that everyone who wants to do business with the studios — from software developers to hardware manufacturers — must follow. As the theorist David Bordwell writes, “Theaters’ conversion from 35-millemeter film to digital presentation was designed by and for an industry that deals in mass output, saturation releases and quick turnover.” He adds, “Given this shock-and-awe business plan, movies on film stock look wasteful.”

SCOTT Let me play devil’s advocate, though I hope that doesn’t make me an advocate for the corporate interests of the Hollywood studios. If there is a top-down capitalist imperative governing the shift to digital exhibition in theaters, there is at the same time a bottom-up tendency driving the emergence of digital filmmaking.

Throughout history artists have used whatever tools served their purposes and have adapted new technologies to their own creative ends. The history of painting, as the art critic James Elkins suggests in his book “What Painting Is,” is in part a history of the changing chemical composition of paint. It does not take a determinist to point out that artistic innovations in cinema often have a technological component. It takes nothing away from the genius of Gregg Toland, the cinematographer on “Citizen Kane,” to note that the astonishing deep-focus compositions in that film were made possible by new lenses. And the arrival of relatively lightweight, shoulder-mounted cameras in the late 1950s made it possible for cinéma vérité documentarians and New Wave auteurs to capture the immediacy of life on the fly.

Long before digital seemed like a viable delivery system for theatrical exhibition, it was an alluring paintbox for adventurous and impecunious cinéastes. To name just one: Anthony Dod Mantle, who shot many of the Dogma 95 movies and Danny Boyle’s zombie shocker“28 Days Later,” found poetry in the limitations of the medium. In the right hands, its smeary, blurry colors could be haunting, and the smaller, lighter cameras could produce a mood of queasy, jolting intimacy.

Image quality improved rapidly, and the last decade has seen some striking examples of filmmakers exploring and exploiting digital to aesthetic advantage. The single 90-minute Steadicam shot through the Hermitage Museum that makes up Alexander Sokurov’s“Russian Ark” is a specifically digital artifact. So is the Los Angeles nightscape in Michael Mann’s “Collateral” and the rugged guerrilla battlefield of Steven Soderbergh’s “Che,” a movie that would not exist without the light, mobile and relatively inexpensive Red camera.

Digital special effects, meanwhile, are turning up this season not only in phantasmagorical places like “Cloud Atlas” and “Life of Pi,” but also in movies that emphasize naturalism. To my eyes the most amazing bit of digital magic this year is probably the removal of Marion Cotillard’s legs — including in scenes in which she wears a bathing suit or nothing at all — in Jacques Audiard’s gritty “Rust and Bone.” While movie artists of various stripes gravitate toward the speed, portability and cheapness of digital, which offers lower processing and equipment costs and less cumbersome editing procedures, consumers, for their part, are suckers for convenience, sometimes — but not always — at the expense of quality.

Click HERE to read the rest of the article

The Short List - New Short Film Festival

2012-08-29T12:15:00.002-07:00

Hey Filmmakers!!

Check out this very cool, unique new short film festival programmed by friend Nancy Collet.

http://shortlistfilmfestival.com/

SXSW and Me (Your Vote Needed....Again!)

2012-08-28T10:40:00.001-07:00

Hey All!

I know you are sick of voting online for various things, but that seems to be all the rage these days, so…..

I've been submitted for a panel at SXSW where I'd be interviewing filmmaker Jayce Bartok with the focus on "Building An Audience Before Your Film Is Released".

SXSW picks the panels based on public voting, so….here we go again! It's a hassle, I know, but what's cool about all this voting stuff is that it puts the power in YOUR hands!

You must register to vote (it takes less than 20 seconds!). Then vote.

https://auth.sxsw.com/users/sign_up

Vote:

http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/4863

Thanks so much!!

Best,

"The Revenant" Opened on Friday!!

2012-08-28T10:16:00.002-07:00

My buddy Kerry Prior's film "The Revenant" (on which I am generously credited as a Producer) opened on Friday!! Go see it if you can!! Here's the screening schedule: http://therevenantmovie.com/showings2.html

And you can vote for it to come to your town: http://therevenantmovie.com/vote1.html

Finally, here's a great review in Variety: http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117948111/

FINAL REMINDER: Filmmakers Alliance Screening at Echo Park Film Center Tomorrow Night!

2012-08-23T22:00:00.001-07:00

Films and Filmmakers - that's what it's all about!

The next FA Screening at The Echo Park Film Center is Friday, August 24th at 7:30 p.m.

There is a brief Q&A after each film, not to mention complimentary food & drinks. So come on out and eat, drink, connect and watch!

Screening sponsored by CAZT! (https://www.cazt.com/)

Here’s the line-up:

Dol (First Birthday)

11 mins.

Dir: Andrew Ahn

Nick is a gay Korean-American man living in Koreatown, Los Angeles with his partner Brian and their dog Chloe. When Nick attends his baby nephew's 'dol,' a traditional Korean first birthday party, he finds himself yearning for a life just out of reach.

Izzy & Salvador

6 mins.

Director: Jean-Pierre Caner

A road trip to meet the parents gives a couple time to discuss their future.

The Arm

9 mins.

Directors: Jessie Ennis, Sarah Ramos and Brie Larson

To keep up with social pressure in a technologically advanced world, Chance starts a texting relationship with Genevieve—a girl he meets at a yogurt shop. But tragedy forces Chance to realize that he was never in a relationship at all.

Avocados

7 mins.

Director: Kataneh Vahdani

Avocados takes us on a one-day journey in an unknown city, where we live through the points of view of different characters, from different cultures, all with different desires.

Playtime

14 mins.

Director: Lucas Mireles

A seamless journey of German youth and innocence on a Sunday afternoon.

Another Bullet Dodged

13 mins.

Director: Landon Zakheim

A wolf in sheep's clothing who thinks he is a sheep.

Total program running time: 60 mins.

Hope to see you all there!

Cinereach 2012 Grant Cycle is Open - Deadline September 4th

2012-08-07T09:52:00.004-07:00

Hey All!!

That awesome org, Cinereach, is now accepting Letters of Inquiry for its 2012 Grant Cycle!!

The submission deadline is Tuesday, September 4th at 7:00 PM (EST).

Cinereach will award grants of up to $50,000 to a selection of feature length fiction and nonfiction films at any stage of production, from development through post.

If you intend to apply, please visit the How to Apply, Priorities & Guidelines, and FAQ on their website.

Filmmakers Alliance Screening at Echo Park Film Center

2012-08-02T18:46:00.004-07:00

Films and Filmmakers - that's what it's all about!

The next Filmmakers Alliance Screening at The Echo Park Film Center is Friday, August 24th at 7:30 p.m.

There is a brief Q&A after each film, not to mention complimentary food & drinks. So come on out and eat, drink, connect and watch!

Screening sponsored by CAZT!

Here’s the line-up:

Dol (First Birthday)

11 mins.

Director: Andrew Ahn

When Nick attends his baby nephew's 'dol,' a traditional Korean first birthday party, he finds himself yearning for a life just out of reach.

Izzy & Salvador

6 mins.

Director: Jean-Pierre Caner

A road trip to meet the parents gives a couple time to discuss their future.

Avocados

7 mins.

Director: Kataneh Vahdani

Avocados takes us on a one-day journey in an unknown city, where we live through the points of view of different characters, from different cultures, all with different desires.

Playtime

14 mins.

Director: Lucas Mireles

A seamless journey of German youth and innocence on a Sunday afternoon.

Another Bullet Dodged

13 mins.

Director: Landon Zakheim

A wolf in sheep's clothing who thinks he is a sheep.

Total program running time: 51 mins.

Hope to see you all there!

FA Screening at The Echo Park Film Center

Friday, August 24th 7:30 p.m.

Echo Park Film Center

1200 N Alvarado Street

Los Angeles, CA 90026

www.echoparkfilmcenter.org

First Mondays!!

2012-08-01T20:01:00.003-07:00

For those of you who don’t know, FIRST MONDAYS is the regular “hang” we started in Los Angeles with FA members and a bunch of other interesting filmmaking peeps we know. This is our 4th "First Mondays" and we'll be doing it the first Monday of every month somewhere in LA. Usually a bar, but sometimes a museum, art gallery, a library, somebody's house, etc. The idea is to continually bring together the most interesting and/or creative people we stumble across. And as we all well know, that certainly is not necessarily filmmakers. But that's where we're starting. Feel free, however, to bring whomever - hopefully, the most INTERESTING person or persons you know. And no need to fear, this is a hang, NOT a networking event. No agendas allowed.

Hope you can make it!

NEXT FIRST MONDAYS - August 6th, 2012!

6 p.m. until 10 p.m. (or anytime thereafter)

THE DEN (West Hollywood)

Featuring Mystery Monday:

$1 Mystery Beers

$2 Mystery Shots

8226 W. Sunset Blvd.

W. Hollywood, CA 90046

Parking:

The Den has its own parking lot with valet parking.

Valet parking is $5 from Sunday through Wednesday

There’s also street parking and other nearby lots.

Misfire: The Rise and Fall of The Shooting Gallery

2012-08-01T15:44:00.002-07:00

Hey All,

This is from my friend filmmaker Whitney Ransick, who's doc is awesome. Please respond, if you can. In the meantime, please LIKE the film's Facebook page (if you are on FB, of course).

http://www.facebook.com/TheShootingGalleryDocumentary?ref=hl

Thanks so much!!

Misfire: The Rise and Fall of The Shooting Gallery

As we're making the doc we're continuing to look for any and all media related to TSG; from production stills to videos...anything. It's amazing what people have found, many items people don't even realize they have (like this old business card). If you have anything and what to contribute, we'd be grateful for your help.

Please email us at TSGdocumentary@gmail.com

Best,

Whitney

No Budget Film School This Weekend!!

2012-08-01T15:18:00.002-07:00

Below is from my friend and FA Board Member Mark Stolaroff. If you are serious about making films you can afford to make, DO NOT miss this seminar.

I will be teaching my two-day no-budget filmmaking class, "The Art & Science of No Budget Filmmaking" on August 4-5, 2012.

I will be joined by some excellent guest speakers, including writer/director Michael Mohan, who will discuss his no-budget feature One Too Many Mornings, which premiered in Sundance in 2010, and his new feature Save The Date, which premiered there this year, and was picked up by IFC Films; Louise Runge and Samantha Housman, producers of the recent no-budget hit, 28 Hotel Rooms, which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and was picked up for distribution by Oscilloscope Pictures; post production guru Jacob Rosenberg, the Chief Technology Officer at Bandito Brothers, the media company best known for producing the studio film Act Of Valor, which was partially shot on inexpensive DSLR cameras; back by popular demand, my former colleague at Next Wave Films, Peter Broderick, President of Paradigm Consulting and one of the most sought-after distribution consultants in the world. And finally, Drake Doremus, director of Like Crazy and Douchebag.

Attendees can take each class separately, each day seperately, or, for the full no-budget filmmaking immersion, the whole two-weekend, four-day bundle together, at a special package price. Register before midnight July 21st and take advantage of the Early Bird discount, and Students with a valid ID save even more. And just to sweeten the pot, everyone who registers receives a free copy of Movie Magic's Screenwriter software absolutely FREE, (a $250 value!); and will also get valuable discounts on Showbiz Expo's Budgeting and Scheduling software and Quick Film Budget's innovative budget-creation tool.

For anyone who's ready to make a film and wondering how to do it with the little money they have access to, this is the class to take. After shooting my latest feature, I have new tricks up my sleeve, as well as some hard-learned lessons to pass along, and my guests will be passing along their no-budget secrets, too. These principles, tools and techniques can NOT be found in a book, at film school, or in other film classes, and this will be the only time I teach this class all year.

If you know anyone in the LA area who might be interested, please pass this information on. I've been teaching this class since 2005 and the feedback has always been strong:

"The absolute best class you can take on how to make your own low/no budget film. Seriously. I'm very indebted to Mark for sharing his experience. It allowed us to make Below Zero using many of the lessons I learned in his class." - Signe Olynyk, Founder, Great American Pitchfest; Writer/Producer, Below Zero (http://www.belowzeromovie.com/ ) Opening Theatrically in the Fall

"One of the best classes I've taken anywhere." - Elisabeth Fies, Director, The Commune (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1104052/ ) Currently on Netflix and elsewhere

"Your class was the 'kick in the pants' that Joshua and I needed to go and just make our film." - Nick Loritsch, Producer, Born And Raised (http://www.bornandraisedmovie.com/ ) Currently playing festivals

"I wish I would have known about this before I went to an expensive film school. Your seminar and website offers real "nuts and bolts" practical advice that makes sense. After attending that weekend I felt energized and challenged creatively - I was thinking like a producer and not just a smug artist with tons of lofty ideas and no means to accomplish them." - Michael D. Okum, Writer/Director, Expressway To Your Skull Currently in production

"The most exhilarating educational experience we've ever had. And that's saying something since I'm 65 and my brother is 62. Your personal enthusiasm, your knowledge, and your care made it a fantastic weekend." - Ron Jackson, Producer, 5 Hour Friends, (http://www.5hourfriends.com/ ) Currently in post-production

To read more Student Testimonials, visit: http://www.nobudgetfilmschool.com/id36.html

No Budget Film School Presents "The Art & Science of No-Budget Filmmaking"

August 4 & 5, 2012 · 9:30am - 6:00pm

Raleigh Studios · Chaplin Theater

http://nobudgetfilmschool.eventbrite.com

Hope to see you there!

Mark

Two Great FA-Endorsed Films That Need Your Support!

2012-07-29T21:57:00.004-07:00

If you can give anything to Independent Film, no better way to support it than giving directly to a film/filmmaker!! Here are two great Projects championed by Filmmakers Alliance that are deserving of your support!

"Forty Years From Yesterday" is the debut feature film from talented filmmakers and Sundance Film Festival alums Robert Machoian and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck. Click on this link for further details and to pledge your support: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/filmmakersalliance/40-years-from-yesterday-0

"David and Goliath" is the award-winning, holocaust-era short film by George Zaverdas that is just beginning it's Academy Award campaign. Click on this link for more details and to pledge your support: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/755826963/david-and-goliath-academy-eligibility-screening

Both projects have modest financial goals that can be reached with YOUR support. Every dollar helps so please consider these two worthy projects, behind which Filmmakers Alliance has thrown its own full support!

Thanks so much in advance!

And Another Great FREE Canon Event....

2012-07-24T18:57:00.001-07:00

Digital Cinema Night with Matthew Irving at Canon Hollywood Center

LADIG visits the new Canon Hollywood Professional Technology Center to learn about creating moving pictures with Canon EOS and Cinema EOS products.

Our host will be Canon Explorer of Light, Matthew Irving*. Matthew has been the cinematographer on an eclectic slate of 24 feature films, including Fox Searchlight’s hit romantic comedy Waitress and the Lionsgate teen comedy Waiting. Other feature credits include the indie rave film Groove (which was an Independent Spirit Award nominee), the blues-based Redemption Road (for acclaimed director Mario Van Peebles), and the Sony franchise horror film Quarantine 2: Terminal. www.matthewirving.com

Canon's Hollywood Center is located at the historic Sunset Gower Studios, 6060 Sunset Boulevard.

http://ladigcanon2012.eventbrite.com/

A Filmmaker's Life

Movies you can help make!!

The Art Of Asking

A Few Projects To Support....

3rd Page, yo!!

#1: Shared culture

#2: Micro Cinema

#3: Take risks

First Mondays at The Surly Goat - April 1st!

Great Night At Echo Park Film Center Last Night

Filmmakers Alliance Screening at Echo Park Film Center THIS Friday!!

Top Films of 2012 - guest post

VisionFest 2012 TONIGHT!

IndieWire Articles On New Distribution Platform Options

Some Hope from Ted Hope

Reminder - First Mondays in October!

Kubrick // One-Point Perspective

FILM IS DEAD? Long Live Movies!

The Short List - New Short Film Festival

SXSW and Me (Your Vote Needed....Again!)

"The Revenant" Opened on Friday!!

FINAL REMINDER: Filmmakers Alliance Screening at Echo Park Film Center Tomorrow Night!

Cinereach 2012 Grant Cycle is Open - Deadline September 4th

Filmmakers Alliance Screening at Echo Park Film Center

First Mondays!!

Misfire: The Rise and Fall of The Shooting Gallery

No Budget Film School This Weekend!!

Two Great FA-Endorsed Films That Need Your Support!

And Another Great FREE Canon Event....