So if you’re reading this, it means Filmmaker Magazine hasn’t cut off my access to blog at this site yet, and I’m here with another report. Independent Film Week has officially ended as I write this, but it’s a testament to IFP and the power of being part of the Emerging Narrative/Project Forum that it feels as if so much new has started—new connections, new possibilities, new friends, new outlook on the indie film world, and a new sense of my own work. When I last checked in, I described the setup of the Project Forum meetings, which lasted through […]
Thanks to the Workbook Project for allowing us to cross-post this interview with Ben Moskowitz of the Open Video Conference. Filmmaker readers can receive a special discount to attend this year’s conference by clicking here and entering the discount code FILM20. The Open Video Conference returns to NYC with a stop at FIT for two days of conference Oct 1st and 2nd and a special hack day on Oct 3rd. We caught up with Ben Moskowitz who’s pulling the event together to get a better sense of what to expect. WorkBook Project: What is OVC and what’s new this year? […]
When I was first asked to create three posts on the IFP blog for Independent Film Week, I had no idea what I’d be writing about during the middle post — no real sense of how intense and all consuming this week would be — or how I’d feel about sharing my experiences. But I’m happy to report that Independent Film Week so far has been an amazing experience in every way, over-stimulating in the best sense of the word — a lot of information, many points of view, and various philosophies about every aspect of making independent films. After […]
Here’s part one of five from yesterday’s press conference of the New York Film Festival’s opening day film, The Social Network, at Lincoln Center yesterday. Parts two through five can be seen at the film’s YouTube site.
A highlight of last year for me was the Open Video Conference, a two-day seminar uniting thinkers, technologists, software developers and activists around the concept of “open video” — that is, open, non-proprietary standards allowing video to be generated and distributed on the web with the same ease as text. For a taste of what last year was like, read my coverage here. I’ll be attending this year’s conference at the Fashion Institute of Technology this coming Friday and Saturday, October 1 and 2. The organizers have kindly offered a discount to Filmmaker readers, so if you’d like to attend, […]
Starting with Jesse Eisenberg, stills from today’s red carpet and press conference by Jamie Stuart, whose filmic ode to this year’s New York Film Festival will be up on the site soon.
We are the survivors of the apocalypse. We have gathered to exchange filmmaking horror stories, to discuss escape strategies, to compete with each other for limited resources and opportunities. The atmosphere, through countless panels, parties and pitches, is cloaked in uncertainty. Still, we are here. New York City. Independent Film Week. And, honestly, I’ve never felt better. My film Melvin, a small American drama without movie stars, is—if the formula is to be believed—facing a daunting, dare I say, Sisyphean climb (the IFP logo is spot on) ahead into the world. Here’s how it has gone down: Industry Person: Tell […]
The Woodstock Film Festival is about a week away, and I’m just now beginning to catch my breath. Maybe because I’m finally about to bring a copy of my film The Tested to FedEx to send it off. Yes, we’re that film. The one that is killing itself to get ready in time for the festival. All-nighters have been pulled, my immune system has taken a beating, and I’ve over-stayed my welcome at not 1 but 2 post houses, but this all seems fitting for a film that’s had such a long journey to it’s premiere. In fact, to say […]
IFP invited a number of us to blog our experiences at Independent Film Week, and we were supposed to contribute three posts. But with a whirlwind of meetings, events, and networking opportunities to try to take advantage of, I haven’t had much time to sleep, much less time to blog. So here’s my one post wrapping up our experiences pitching our transmedia project 3rd Rail (pictured) during Independent Film Week, which will have to do in lieu of three progress reports. For a great general description of the Project Forum and how it is configured, see Marc Maurino’s post. Marc […]
Cinetic Media powerhouse John Sloss took to the stage on Wednesday morning at the Independent Filmmaker Conference in a conversation moderated by indieWIRE’s Eugene Hernandez (who announced today that he is leaving indieWIRE to take a new role as Director of Digital Strategy at the Film Society of Lincoln Center). Sloss began the conversation by acknowledging that we all stand on the shoulders of giants, pointing to the influence of John Pierson on his career, “His heart wasn’t in the business side of things but mine was.” Everyone should read Pierson’s book Spike, Mike, Slackers and Dykes he declared. He […]