Saturday, October 27, 2012
New Orleans Horror Film Festival
The New Orleans Horror Film Festival is going on right now- so anyone interested in horror films may want to check it out.
This festival looks like it has a ton of short films programmed- in blocks that include "supernatural shorts" and "sci-fi shorts" (two of my own personal favorite categories of shorts!)
There is also a panel on Horror screenwriting, so if you're interested in creating horror films, that might be one to check out.
Meanwhile- have a great Halloween weekend, whether you are working on a film right now or taking time off to party it up for the holiday!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Camera Alert...
New cameras come out all the time, but every once in a while someone makes something that is at the leading edge of "game changing"... GoPro did it when they came out with.., well..., Go Pros. Wearable cameras for capturing extreme activity on video? Yeah, that's worth talking about.
Well...they've gone and done it again.
Their latest is the smallest camera ever to capture 4K...it's only able to do it at 15fps, but that's not actually the point. The point is that *someone* is gonna make one better- and likely soon- because they need to stay competitive in the big bad world of camera design. (Oh, and the camera does regular 1080 HD also at 60fps and a bunch of other formats)
The camera is about $400- which is affordable even for those of us still figuring out how to scrape together enough to get a 5D... or those of us who have a 5D but want something else to play with.
J wants to film something on this new lil' Hero3 GoPro... I'm inclined to go along and see what we come up with...
Any ideas or thoughts on this camera?
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
NOFF Films
Tomorrow is the last day of the New Orleans Film Festival for 2012, so if you plan to see any movies and haven't yet- tomorrow is your last chance!
We saw the Magic Realism short film showing yesterday (Tuesday)- six marvelous little films from all over the world. I'm particularly enamored of short films and really wanted to see some, so this made me happy :)
Tonight we went to see the documentary "Side By Side" about the change going on in the movie industry between film and digital. I heartily recommend this film to *anyone* in the industry- it is a great overview of the technologies today for beginner filmmakers (and also gave a fairly clear picture of what directors and DPs do on set) AND it was an interesting look into how different people in the industry view the changing technologies and what exactly those technological breakthroughs are.
So for anyone who missed it, this is a movie to seek out and watch later.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Movie Magic Software Classes at NOVAC
In the "Things you should know about" category:
NOVAC is having a set of classes about using these two programs: Movie Magic Scheduling (MMS) and Movie Magic Budgeting (MMB) on October 27 and 28. You can hop on over to NOVAC's website to get the details.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Saturday Panels at the NOFF
On Saturday, I went to the panel Taking Delivery: Film Distribution in The Age of Ones and Zeros
The panelists were Neal Block of Magnolia Pictures, S. Leo Chiang of New Day Films and also a 2012 NOFF Filmmaker, Michelle Satter of Sundance Institute, and Lois Vossen of Independent Lens. The moderator was John Desplas of NOFS / NOFF
This panel focused on distribution and how the model of distribution has changed and is changing as moviemaking switches from film to digital. The main take-home message from this panel seemed to be "find the distribution model that works for your particular film." (and also "Distribution is hard! But that's kinda a given)
There was a lot of talk about Video on Demand (VoD) and about specific programs tailored to specific types of movies, such as PBS's ITVS program and a collective of people who make social issues documentaries and then work together to distribute to the educational market. As most indie filmmakers know, getting a major theater release is really hard- but it seems like other channels are definitely out there or opening up.
My partner, Justin, attended the panel From Princess to Pixels: Animation in the Modern Age
The panelists were David Burton of Pixomondo, John Durbin of Moonbot Studios, Ray McIntyre, Jr. of Pixel Magic, Joey Shanks, Director of “Wiggle Room” a 2012 NOFF selection, and Huck Wirtz of Bayou FX. The moderator was Henry Griffin from UNO.
The panel focused mainly on what employers were looking for in animators- basically, know your tools and the animation concepts.
Because I wasn't there, I can't give much more of a description than that. But I figured I'd at least mention the panel here. More info can be found on the NOFF page.
The panelists were Neal Block of Magnolia Pictures, S. Leo Chiang of New Day Films and also a 2012 NOFF Filmmaker, Michelle Satter of Sundance Institute, and Lois Vossen of Independent Lens. The moderator was John Desplas of NOFS / NOFF
This panel focused on distribution and how the model of distribution has changed and is changing as moviemaking switches from film to digital. The main take-home message from this panel seemed to be "find the distribution model that works for your particular film." (and also "Distribution is hard! But that's kinda a given)
There was a lot of talk about Video on Demand (VoD) and about specific programs tailored to specific types of movies, such as PBS's ITVS program and a collective of people who make social issues documentaries and then work together to distribute to the educational market. As most indie filmmakers know, getting a major theater release is really hard- but it seems like other channels are definitely out there or opening up.
My partner, Justin, attended the panel From Princess to Pixels: Animation in the Modern Age
The panelists were David Burton of Pixomondo, John Durbin of Moonbot Studios, Ray McIntyre, Jr. of Pixel Magic, Joey Shanks, Director of “Wiggle Room” a 2012 NOFF selection, and Huck Wirtz of Bayou FX. The moderator was Henry Griffin from UNO.
The panel focused mainly on what employers were looking for in animators- basically, know your tools and the animation concepts.
Because I wasn't there, I can't give much more of a description than that. But I figured I'd at least mention the panel here. More info can be found on the NOFF page.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
NOFF Panels
Today at the New Orleans Film Festival (which is continuing through Thursday), we attended two of the free panels on the schedule.
First- I'd like to say that the fact that this festival has free panels is awesome. I've never been to a film festival that has such great free opportunities for local filmmakers to learn more about what is going on in the industry. I wish we could have attended them all- but it just wasn't in the realm of possibility for us. We attended panels yesterday, too, and I'll try to give an overview/review of those later in the week. But for today, I'll talk about the ones we saw this afternoon.
First up- we saw the panel titled "New Frontiers in Post- Production: Louisiana + Beyond"
The panelists were Bradley Greer of Cineworks, Greg Milneck of Digital FX, Tom Vice of Fotokem, Peter Cioni of Light Iron, Sergio Lopez of Storyville Post, and the moderator was Chris Stelly of Louisiana Entertainment.
Now- as a caveat- I'm not a post-production person- I'm a scriptwriter and a producer (and thus far only of shorts.) My partner's background includes a ton of editing and animation experience, though, so he convinced me to go to the panel. I'm really glad I did, despite my lack of post-prod experience and knowledge.
The panel went over a lot of things- but the gist I got out of it was that Louisiana is in the beginning stages of developing a viable post-production industry here in the state. They really emphasized that Louisiana needs to develop that viable post-production industry for the long term because we need that to survive as a film industry. A few years ago, movies might come to Louisiana to film things, but they'd go home to California to do the post production because that's where the director and DP live and they want to keep things near them and work with people they know and trust. Now, more people are moving to Louisiana or starting their own projects, both in the producer, director and DP groups AND in the editors, motion graphics, and animators groups. So the talent pool is growing at the same time as the pool of those who will choose and use that talent pool is growing.
In terms of big films in Louisiana, this is a really good thing. As far as indie films, it's good too, but for different reasons. Obviously, it's awesome that lots of talent is coming here in terms of post. This gives us- as filmmakers- more of a pool to pull from and a better chance at making our movies the best they can possibly be. It also provides more of an opportunity for freelance, part-time, or full-time work in the field that can both increase local skills and provide income so locals can complete their own projects without worrying about being broke.
The second panel we went to today was From Script to Screen: Funding Your Indie Project The panelists were Will French of Film Production Capital, Andrew Larimer creator of “The Drink Show” web series, Glen Pitre an Independent Filmmaker, Jay Thames a Producer, and Lisa Valencia-Svensson a Producer. The moderator was Carroll Morton who is involved in the Entertainment Industry Development, City of New Orleans.
This panel focused on funding- and the two big take-home messages seemed to be:
1- Be prepared- get all your info together before you start making funding pitches and be organized.
2 – Look into multiple sources of funding- get multiple private investors, grants, crowdsourced funding, etc…just don't put all your eggs in one basket.
The panel talked a little bit about the new crowdsourced funding model, but didn't focus much on that. They talked about figuring out every step of the way who could potentially help with funding and how to get those people on board with your project.
Also mentioned as a source was the model of doing paid projects (commercials, local stuff, etc) and then using some of that money to fund your own personal projects. So- that was my take on the panels we went to today. There were some specifics brought up (in both panels) that deserve further discussion- but I'm going to save those for another post (otherwise this would become one of those horrible long posts that nobody reads til the end).
First- I'd like to say that the fact that this festival has free panels is awesome. I've never been to a film festival that has such great free opportunities for local filmmakers to learn more about what is going on in the industry. I wish we could have attended them all- but it just wasn't in the realm of possibility for us. We attended panels yesterday, too, and I'll try to give an overview/review of those later in the week. But for today, I'll talk about the ones we saw this afternoon.
First up- we saw the panel titled "New Frontiers in Post- Production: Louisiana + Beyond"
The panelists were Bradley Greer of Cineworks, Greg Milneck of Digital FX, Tom Vice of Fotokem, Peter Cioni of Light Iron, Sergio Lopez of Storyville Post, and the moderator was Chris Stelly of Louisiana Entertainment.
Now- as a caveat- I'm not a post-production person- I'm a scriptwriter and a producer (and thus far only of shorts.) My partner's background includes a ton of editing and animation experience, though, so he convinced me to go to the panel. I'm really glad I did, despite my lack of post-prod experience and knowledge.
The panel went over a lot of things- but the gist I got out of it was that Louisiana is in the beginning stages of developing a viable post-production industry here in the state. They really emphasized that Louisiana needs to develop that viable post-production industry for the long term because we need that to survive as a film industry. A few years ago, movies might come to Louisiana to film things, but they'd go home to California to do the post production because that's where the director and DP live and they want to keep things near them and work with people they know and trust. Now, more people are moving to Louisiana or starting their own projects, both in the producer, director and DP groups AND in the editors, motion graphics, and animators groups. So the talent pool is growing at the same time as the pool of those who will choose and use that talent pool is growing.
In terms of big films in Louisiana, this is a really good thing. As far as indie films, it's good too, but for different reasons. Obviously, it's awesome that lots of talent is coming here in terms of post. This gives us- as filmmakers- more of a pool to pull from and a better chance at making our movies the best they can possibly be. It also provides more of an opportunity for freelance, part-time, or full-time work in the field that can both increase local skills and provide income so locals can complete their own projects without worrying about being broke.
The second panel we went to today was From Script to Screen: Funding Your Indie Project The panelists were Will French of Film Production Capital, Andrew Larimer creator of “The Drink Show” web series, Glen Pitre an Independent Filmmaker, Jay Thames a Producer, and Lisa Valencia-Svensson a Producer. The moderator was Carroll Morton who is involved in the Entertainment Industry Development, City of New Orleans.
This panel focused on funding- and the two big take-home messages seemed to be:
1- Be prepared- get all your info together before you start making funding pitches and be organized.
2 – Look into multiple sources of funding- get multiple private investors, grants, crowdsourced funding, etc…just don't put all your eggs in one basket.
The panel talked a little bit about the new crowdsourced funding model, but didn't focus much on that. They talked about figuring out every step of the way who could potentially help with funding and how to get those people on board with your project.
Also mentioned as a source was the model of doing paid projects (commercials, local stuff, etc) and then using some of that money to fund your own personal projects. So- that was my take on the panels we went to today. There were some specifics brought up (in both panels) that deserve further discussion- but I'm going to save those for another post (otherwise this would become one of those horrible long posts that nobody reads til the end).
Welcome to Nola Go Indie
Hi there.
This isn't a blog for Hollywood producers. So if that's you, you can either stop reading now or, preferably, send us loads of cash to entice us to sell out to Hollywood. Just joking. Sort of.
The fact is, New Orleans has a lot of stuff going on film-wise, but all you hear about much of the time are the big mega-productions that already have all the crew and cast and money and distribution deals they need. This is a place to talk about all the other stuff.
If you're an independent producer, director or filmmaker in Louisiana, this blog is for you. If you're an aspiring DP, or actor, or AC, or art director, or whatever- and you're trying to figure out how to break into the business- you'll likely find something of interest here, too.
In other words, this blog is for the little guys…although if you're on your way to making it big or if you started out small and you have something to share that would benefit people who are where you once were, you're welcome, too.
My plans for this blog include providing profiles of and links to things you- a local filmmaker- should know about if you're going to be making movies here. I'll also probably spend some time discussing current issues in filmmaking – and how those issues affect Nola film folk. I'm not above promoting my own projects- and those of my friends and associates- so if you've got something in the works that you'd like to let people know about, drop me a line and I might make mention of it here. Part of being an indie filmmaker is being supportive of other indie filmmakers.
I hope some of you find our blog useful. If you do, go ahead and share our blog link on Facebook, G+, or Twitter, email a link to your friends, or subscribe to our feed so you never miss a post.
Thanks for stopping by regardless. Now go out there and make something!
This isn't a blog for Hollywood producers. So if that's you, you can either stop reading now or, preferably, send us loads of cash to entice us to sell out to Hollywood. Just joking. Sort of.
The fact is, New Orleans has a lot of stuff going on film-wise, but all you hear about much of the time are the big mega-productions that already have all the crew and cast and money and distribution deals they need. This is a place to talk about all the other stuff.
If you're an independent producer, director or filmmaker in Louisiana, this blog is for you. If you're an aspiring DP, or actor, or AC, or art director, or whatever- and you're trying to figure out how to break into the business- you'll likely find something of interest here, too.
In other words, this blog is for the little guys…although if you're on your way to making it big or if you started out small and you have something to share that would benefit people who are where you once were, you're welcome, too.
My plans for this blog include providing profiles of and links to things you- a local filmmaker- should know about if you're going to be making movies here. I'll also probably spend some time discussing current issues in filmmaking – and how those issues affect Nola film folk. I'm not above promoting my own projects- and those of my friends and associates- so if you've got something in the works that you'd like to let people know about, drop me a line and I might make mention of it here. Part of being an indie filmmaker is being supportive of other indie filmmakers.
I hope some of you find our blog useful. If you do, go ahead and share our blog link on Facebook, G+, or Twitter, email a link to your friends, or subscribe to our feed so you never miss a post.
Thanks for stopping by regardless. Now go out there and make something!
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