Seminars, Workshops & Events
Reasons for the Cutting Room Floor
Mike Sullivan learns some lessons from Hollywood editor Carol Littleton, at a new monthly film series in Boston.
December 19th, 2011 | Mike Sullivan
An editor's technical toolbox may have changed since the 80s but there are still lessons to be learned from classic ensemble dramas like The Big Chill. All those adults in one kitchen, dancing? Editor Mike Sullivan caught up with editor Carol Littleton to ask how she cut that scene and about the significance of leaving Kevin Costner on the cutting room floor.
It’s not every day that you get an opportunity to speak with one of Hollywood’s premiere film editors. If you ever have the means, I would highly recommend it. For those in the Boston area, the means may be closer than you think.
State of the Film Industry in Southeast Europe
Courtney Sheehan reports from the third annual Cinelink forum at the Sarajevo Film Festival.
September 19th, 2011 | Courtney Sheehan
Tax incentives. Public and private funding. Transnational co-productions. During a year abroad to study regional film festivals and exhibition, Courtney Sheehan takes in Southeast Europe through the lens of presenters at the third annual industry Cinelink forum during the Sarajevo Film Festival.
For the past three years, film professionals from all over Southeast Europe have gathered at the Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF) to discuss the state of the regional film industry during the Cinelink forum, the track of the festival established for that purpose.
Beyond a Social Network
At SXSW, Steven Abrams explores the threads between technology, fundraising, and independent filmmaking.
March 24th, 2011 | Steven Abrams
What's interactive to the third or fourth power? SXSW and its deepening relationship to all things tech and social media. Steve Abrams comments on how, at this year's fest, the intersection of social networking, fundraising, and technology affected the showcased films and which filmmakers are leading by example.
South by Southwest (SXSW) has become a convergence of film, interactive media, and music, as the lines between these media have increasingly blurred. So it's appropriate that David Dworsky and Victor Köhler's documentary, Press Play Pause, was chosen for an opening night premiere.
Are Pitch Sessions the New Black?
Maddy Kadish investigates how not to swing and miss at your next local pitch session.
January 19th, 2011 | Maddy Kadish
Pitch sessions are becoming the go-to attraction at film festivals and conferences.
Pitch sessions are becoming the go-to attraction at film festivals and conferences. How are filmmakers and expert panelists making the most of these meetings?
After attending a few sessions firsthand, The Independent asked film professionals for their input on how to maximize the pitch opportunity. Turns out the answers aren’t so simple. We spoke with:
Greater Filmmaker Responsibility in the New Documentary Paradigms
Randi Cecchine challenges the documentary community to pull together, avoid the pratfalls of pleasing too many constituencies, and maintain open dialogue about the reality of getting docs funded and seen.
November 4th, 2010 | Randi Cecchine
In anticipation of this month's Distribution U, hosted by IFP, The Independent's Randi Cecchine continues to investigate the changing landscape of documentary funding and distribution with notes from the field and a call for community.
Anyone who cares about documentary filmmaking wants to know: In the current post-financial crisis, insecure-industry environment, how can filmmakers fund projects and reach audiences when traditional distribution models have crumbled...when even established filmmakers can’t secure the kinds of distribution deals, broadcast partnerships or investment/foundation funders they used to rely on?
All Signs Point North
The Sixth Camden International Film Festival focuses on filmmakers’ growth as it grows in leaps and bounds itself.
September 29th, 2010 | Maddy Kadish
For six years now Ben Fowlie has been luring the documentary world north to the Camden International Film Festival. They come for pitch opportunities, a seminar for film professionals, a semester-long partnership with the University Maine, and for docs that embrace an activist edge.
The Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) is a documentary-exclusive festival that takes place September 29th through October 3rd in a picturesque Maine coastal town. It’s a small, but growing festival founded six years ago by Ben Fowlie, who also programs and coordinates the event.
Taking the Temp of SXSW 2010
Steven Abrams wonders if SXSW 2010 premiered Oscar's best picture, as it did in 2009.
March 27th, 2010 | Steven Abrams
This year's SXSW did not disappoint The Independent's Steven Abrams. Just in case you couldn't make it to Austin this year, he gives the low-down on which films grabbed coveted audience buzz, and which took home awards.
The fact that Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker made its US premiere one year ago at SXSW upped the intrigue this year, prompting me to wonder if one of 2010's 134 features or 126 shorts would achieve that rarefied status.
Has the Drive to Fund "Social Issue" Docs Affected Their Form?
In surveying more than a year of films and filmmaker interviews, Randi Cecchine decides that yes, funding streams can influence form, and the difference between the US and foreign models may surprise you.
March 4th, 2010 | Randi Cecchine
US docmakers may feel pressed by funders to change the world with every film. The Independent's Randi Cecchine asks how is that mandate influencing docs' form, and what happens when funding models drastically differ, as they do abroad?
Over the past few years, I've had the pleasure of attending a number of film festivals and conferences, some with a press pass blogging for The Independent, some as a filmmaker; and each time I watch films, attend panel discussions, and most importantly, speak to documentary filmmakers to learn about their creative practice and the realities of producing.
The Future of Public Media: Talking with Pat Aufderheide
July 10th, 2008 | Randi Cecchine
At SILVERDOCS 2008, writer Randi Cecchine talks with Pat Aufderheide, founder and director of the Center for Social Media at American University, about moving their Beyond Broadcast conference to SILVERDOCS, unraveling the complexities of fair use, and taking on the future of public media.
At SILVERDOCS 2008, writer Randi Cecchine talks with Pat Aufderheide, founder and director of the Center for Social Media at American University, about moving their Beyond Broadcast conference to SILVERDOCS, unraveling the complexities of fair use, and taking on the future of public media.
Take a Trip, Make a Film: A Look at Study-Abroad Programs
Need a change of scenery? Here are five programs that allow filmmakers to study abroad.
January 21st, 2008 | Lynn Tryba
If you're looking to get away from your day-to-day routine while also brushing up on filmmaking skills, then a study-abroad program may be right for you. London, Paris, Florence, and Ottawa all play host to summer workshops. You can also take animation courses in New Zealand or work towards a degree from New York University in Singapore. And in Prague, you can brush up on state-of-the-art technology in a film-school building that dates to the 11th Century. The Independent's Lynn Tryba has compiled a guide to programs that range in length from weekend seminars to six-week sabbaticals.
When it comes to taking filmmaking classes abroad, the question is not so much “Why?” as it is, “Why not?” As anyone with a passion knows, procrastination and perfectionism are barriers to creativity, and they can become all the more pernicious when you're stuck in an unchanging daily routine.
See all The Independent's