CALL FOR OUTFEST 2010 FILM/VIDEO SUBMISSIONS
Outfest 2010, July 8-18: The 28th Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival

Submission early deadline: January 23, 2010; final deadline: March 5, 2010.

Outfest, one of the world's largest gay and lesbian film festivals, opens its call for submissions for completed narrative, documentary, experimental and animated films and videos (both features and shorts). Held in Los Angeles, filmmakers from across the country and around the globe are invited to submit their work and join in the celebration of the gay and lesbian community's vision and artistry.

Submission forms, rules and regulations are available on the Outfest Web site. www.outfest.org/outfest/submit.html and www.outfest.org

We are now accepting applications for
the 2010 Robert Flaherty Film Seminar
Fellowship Program

Deadline: March 5, 2010
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Flaherty is currently offering two types of Fellowships which provide economic support to applicants interested in attending the Seminar: Professional Development and Student.

For eligibility requirements, application, and a full list of the fellowships that were offered during 2009, please go to www.flahertyseminar.org.

The Fellowship Program is led by an academic who has attended previous Flaherty Seminars and is designed to further your knowledge of cinema through participation in an array of unique discussions. Fellows will also participate in all general Seminar activities. The program is rigorous and rewarding; it includes selected readings, special meetings with guest artists and other professionals, and smaller discussions with other Fellows. All fellowships are highly competitive.

Professional Development Fellowships:
The Professional Development Fellowship is designed for emerging or mid-career professionals such as filmmakers, programmers, writers, scholars, archivists, and media professionals. Awards are partial grants that cover a portion of the registration fee. Grants are applied directly towards registration for the Seminar.
Student Fellowships:
Student fellowships are open to undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled in a degree program (PhD students will be considered in the Professional Development category). All majors are welcome; we select a diverse array of students from throughout the U.S., as well as internationally. We look for students who have the capacity to interact in both small and large groups, and be willing to share their passion for film. Awards are partial grants that cover a portion of the registration fee. Grants are applied directly towards registration for the Seminar.

Other Financial Grants Available:
Employees of New York State Non-Profit organizations focusing on media arts may apply for a grant to attend the 2010 Robert Flaherty Film Seminar through the Experimental Television Center. Go to www.experimentaltvcenter.org and apply for a Media Arts Technical Assistance Fund grant.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Flaherty/International Film Seminars
email: ifs@flahertyseminar.org
phone: 212-448-0458
web: www.flahertyseminar.org

The WGBH Lab and MASTERPIECE announce The Video Diary Open Call:
We've partnered up with MASTERPIECE Classic, and have launched The Video Diary Open Call (http://www.thewgbhlab.org/masterpiece), inspired by The Diary of Anne Frank. We're asking young media makers (ages 13 and up), to submit video diaries telling us about their lives - specifically areas where certain aspects of intolerance may be involved. We want to know how they overcome being bullied or disrespected for the way they look, think, or for what they believe in. Portions of the diaries submitted may be selected for broadcast on MASTERPIECE Classic's PBS airing of The Diary of Anne Frank on April 11th, 2010.

Video deadline for broadcast opportunities is March 8th. Visit us at: http://www.thewgbhlab.org/masterpiece for more information.

 

The Doc is In
AN INTRODUCTION TO DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING
doc-u-men-ta-ry
Consisting of, concerning, or based on documents.
Presenting facts objectively without editorializing or inserting fictional matter, as in a book or film.

Yeah right. In this day and age, there's a lot more to documentary than just "presenting facts." Learn the ins and outs, including the artistic and commercial sides of doc filmmaking, production and post-production issues, and distribution and exhibition. Take the first steps to conceptualize and develop your idea -- and identify sources of funding.
Taught by award-winning filmmaker Laura Gabbert (No Impact Man) and Sundance Film Festival Programmer and filmmaker Caroline Libresco, this four-week course is essential for any filmmakers even thinking about making a documentary.

Reserve your spot today:call 310.432.1222 or email Reservations@FilmIndependent.org WHEN: Wednesdays,
March 10 - 31, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Film Independent Offices

Location Name:  Film Independent Offices

Address: Los Angeles

For most emerging filmmakers, the goal of launching a film on the film festival circuit begins with one singular dream: SUNDANCE! But what lies beyond Sundance for you and your film? In this informative seminar, presented just in time for "festival season," film festival programmer/film consultant Thomas Ethan Harris (former Director Of Programming Los Angeles Film Festival and Palm Springs International Festival Of Short Films) offers filmmakers practical skills to navigating the world of film festivals to maximum effect.

What are the most significant film festivals and showcases you should be considering right now before that ultimate Sundance dream fades and you are left with a very good film with no place to show it?

Discussion Topics to be discussed include:

A survey of the most important film festivals in both the United States and the international community. A breakdown and discussion of what particular film festivals are looking for and what individual film festivals respond to as they build their yearly list of selected films.
How to strategize the best festival release for your film.
The growing importance of community and genre film festivals.
The importance of your film's press kit and key art.
The "where," "when" and "how" of submitting your film.

Secret "insider tips" on submitting your film that will improve your chances of getting selected!! A list of film festivals to AVOID and why!
Whether you are currently submitting your film to festivals or whether you are in production on your film or even if you are just prepping or writing your first film, EVERYONE is encourage to attend this insightful, stimulating and empowering discussion of film festivals and film festival release strategy.

$12 Cinematheque Members, $15 Students/Seniors, $20 General.

Location Name:  Egyptian Theatre

Address: 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028-4605

All Roads Seed Grant Program
Deadline: March 15, 2010

The All Roads Seed Grant Program funds film projects by and about indigenous and underrepresented minority-culture filmmakers year-round and from all reaches of the globe. The program seeks filmmakers who bring their lives and communities to light through first-person storytelling.

For more info and to apply:
http://events.nationalgeographic.com/events/all-roads/seed-grants/ 

Experimental Television Center Finishing Funds
Deadline: March 15, 2010

ETC provides completion funding to artists in New York State for diverse and innovative projects in film, audio and video, and works for the internet and new media.

for more info and to apply:
http://www.experimentaltvcenter.org/ 

Mike Flanagan, President of Video Symphony and Author of Hollywood Jobs – the ultimate guide to working in Hollywood, will be our special guest speaker for this month’s Pizza & Post.

Whether you’ve worked in the industry for years or you’re just beginning your career, lessons from Hollywood Jobs will help you make connections in the industry faster and with less anxiety and more certainty.

Mike will go over why and how to effectively use the most powerful job and business-networking tool in the history of the world, LinkedIn. Specifically he will demonstrate how to increase the size of your network tremendously in less than 30 days, and to connect with all sorts of helpful and intriguing people in the entertainment industry.

Mike Flanagan has been teaching aspiring editors, audio engineers, animators, and other digital artists how to find jobs in Hollywood since 1995. He has founded several successful digital media companies including the nationally accredited college, Video Symphony, which has been instrumental in launching and lifting the careers of several thousand working creative post production professionals.

The Details:

7-9pm March 23rd @ Video Symphony 266 E. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, CA

The free parking is in the adjacent parking garage (entrance at 239 E. Palm St., one block east of Magnolia).

Location Name:  Video Symphony

Address: 266 E. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, CA

Third World Newsreel presents walk-in seminars on production topics you need - from production management, to new media production, sound recording and more. All classes are $20 ($10 for low income) unless otherwise noted. The workshops take place at Third World Newsreel.

Sound Recording: Tips for Better Results, and a Look at New Gear! with JT Takagi An intro to getting decent sound and a look at some of the more popular mixers, hard drive recorders and radio mikes, courtesy of Professional Sound Services.

All classes take place at:
Third World Newsreel
545 Eighth Avenue, 10th Flr
between 37th and 38th Streets
New York, NY
212 947-9277 x 15
Limited Seating. Register Now! Email: workshop@twn.org

Location Name:  Third World Newsreel

Address: 545 Eighth Avenue, 10th Flr, New York, NY

Contact:  workshop@twn.org

Non-fiction filmmaking has been a centerpiece of the American film industry for most of our new millennium. Whether this resurgence can be attributed to the dominance of reality-based television, new found artistic and technical liberties or to some good old-fashioned monetary gain, there is now a vast new playing field for today's documentary filmmaker.

The American Cinematheque's Film Seminar Series presents a documentary film panel discussion which takes a close look at where the future of non-fiction film production, distribution and exhibition is headed in an uncertain market that is now glutted with documentary films.

With an accent on ALTERNATIVE and CREATIVE approaches to producing, financing and distributing documentary films, ALL DOC'D OUT: THE ULTIMATE DOCUMENTARY SURVIVAL GUIDE focuses its attention on three primary foundations of non-fiction filmmaking:

1. CONCEPT/SUBJECT CHOICE, FORMAL DESIGN, FILMMAKING TRENDS

What are the most viable subject trends in documentary filmmaking today?

What is the current landscape like for "the political doc" (Michael Moore-approach), "the historical doc" (Ken Burns-approach), "the environmental doc" (Al Gore-approach), "the shock doc" (Nick Broomfield-approach), "the personal doc" (Terry Zwigoff-approach), and "the auteur doc" (Errol Morris-approach)? What are the current filmmaking stylistic trends? Where are they headed? Does the film festival world favor certain non-fiction subject approaches and styles over others? Is there a primary documentary filmmaking style/form today? What filmmaking stylistic/formal concerns should a new documentary filmmaker be aware of when making his/her first film? What are the most important artistic and financial considerations you should make before shooting your documentary?

2. CONTEMPORARY FINANCING

In terms of the conceptual stages of making a documentary, what do both documentary organizations who provide grants and documentary financing producers look for in a documentary that is seeking investment? Is financing an American documentary always from a "patchwork" of sources?

Given the collapse of the world's financial institutions, it looks like financing your new non-fiction film has some very challenging times ahead.

What new methods of financing documentaries can we foresee in the future?

How creative can producers get in their efforts to find money to make non-fiction films? Given the weakened state of the dollar, is European financing on the rise for American documentary filmmakers or is this just a potential for narrative filmmakers? Is the "internationally co-financed" film going to come back into style?

3. NEW FORMS OF DISTRIBUTION/EXHIBITION

What does the landscape for documentary film/video distribution look like today verses 5 years ago? What are the biggest changes in what a documentary will find for itself in terms of theatrical distribution, DVD sales or broadcast (television, cable TV, internet) play? How does film festival exhibition enhance or hurt a documentary's distribution potential?

When do I bring on a sales agent? When do I bring on a publicist? Are sales generated through self-distribution better today than sales that can be generated by a DVD distribution company? What are the "best" DVD distribution companies for non-fiction films? How have the new potentials of VOD (Video On Demand) changed and enhanced the marketing of documentaries? Do DVD/VOD sales/licensing really make up for the financial losses filmmakers now take with the relatively small advances they are offered for theatrical and broadcast distribution? What is the best distribution strategy or plan to have today to maximize sales? Does the contemporary documentary filmmaker have to settle for greater exposure for his/her film and take a financial loss?

ALL DOC'D OUT: THE ULTIMATE DOCUMENTARY FILM SURVIVAL GUIDE is sure to enhance your understanding of the competitive world of non-fiction filmmaking, financing and distribution. Whether you have just finished your film or whether you are in pre-production and preparing to shoot your film or even if you are just in the conceptual stages of making your first film,

ALL DOC'D OUT is sure to be an invaluable resource and a rewarding glimpse into the state of documentary filmmaking in the United States.

Moderated by Film Consultant Thomas Ethan Harris.

$12 Cinematheque Members, $15 Students/Seniors, $20 General.

Location Name:  Egyptian Theatre

Address: 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028-4605

Announcing The Conversation 2010, in New York: On Social Media, Digital Distribution, and the Future of Film

The Conversation 2010 will be held Saturday, March 27th at Columbia University
Registration is now open and there is a steep discount if you sign up before February 14th.
For more info and registration:
http://theconversationspot.com/

We are also soliciting your ideas for speakers, topics, and workshops you might want to run at the event, using our fancy-schmancy wiki.

And we'd love your help spreading the word.

Among the topics we plan to address:
•Adventures in Digital Distribution: What Has Worked, What Hasn't, and How the Market is Evolving
•Social Media: Where the Rubber Meets the Road -- Using Digital Tools To Sell Tickets, DVDs, and Downloads, and Get Audiences Engaged with Your Cause
•Stories Elsewhere: Telling Stories and Engaging With Viewers in New Media, Forms & Formats
•Beyond Facebook: Social Media Sites and Services That Can Benefit Filmmakers
•Site Design and SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
•Creating Internet-Native Content
•Crowdfunding Strategies and Successes

More info on The Conversation:
In March, pioneers at the forefront of change in cinema, video, digital media and technology are gathering again to share ideas, insights, and innovations. Our focus for this second edition of The Conversation are the opportunities created by social media, the Web, digital distribution, and an increasingly engaged audience.
Rather than sitting through a standard conference, you'll be part of a dynamic series of overlapping conversations -- some led by the speakers and moderators on the agenda, some shaped by you.

All this takes place on the uptown Manhattan campus of Columbia University on one jam-packed day: Saturday, March 27th. It's a day that will bring together media-makers, techies, and social media strategists to share experiences and advice, map out the future together, and ideally begin some lasting collaborations.

 

Location Name:  Columbia University

Address: New York, NY

ShowBiz Expo New York - March 28, 2010 at the Hilton New York City, 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019. Show hours are 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

 

About ShowBiz Expo: ShowBiz Expo is a five-star event that brings everyone in show business together under one roof. Whether you are a producer, studio executive, director, musician, filmmaker, performer, designer, writer, stage manager, or anyone else involved in film, stage, fashion, live events, and concerts this event is for you. The Expo includes a wide range of networking opportunities including the Exhibit Hall, Workshops/Seminars, Designers' Showcase, Focus Groups, Round Table Discussions, Film Festival, Headshot Displays for casting, live auditions for performers, Movie Reel Showcase, Original Music Showcase, and much more.
Exhibit floor passes that include admission to the ShowBiz Expo Film Festival are free with advance online registration. Conference Panels and Workshops are $15-20 each. Charges may apply for other events. For information on exhibiting at or attending ShowBiz Expo, visit HYPERLINK "http://www.showbizexpo.com" www.showbizexpo.com or call 212-404-2345.