IFP Narrative Labs
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Director Matt Osterman on Ghost From the Machine
When Matt Osterman attended the IFP Narrative Lab a few years ago, his $25,000, science fiction/supernatural thriller, about a grief-stricken man who builds a machine to communicate with the dead, was titled Phasma ex Machina. But when the film was finished and released this summer on DVD and, later, iTunes and Netflix by Screen Media, it went under the less obscure title of Ghost from the Machine. Now, however, another name change is in the works. This August Universal Pictures acquired the remake rights, attaching Gary Shore and Nathan Parker to write and direct. The new film will be called […]
by Eva Hill on Nov 9, 2011 -
IFW: A NOTE TO SELF
Note to self: do not start meetings by asking, “Have you ever had a dream that you were in outer space and you weren’t like, this is insane, but rather, it felt somewhat familiar?” Silence. Needless to say, the poor woman across the film-pitch-as-speed-date table had, actually, not had that dream. But, well, the meeting progressed in an orderly, casual, if not excellent fashion. While a tad forced (a tad?) these meetings have been really worthwhile. From International Film Festival Rotterdam and Cannes Critics Week to Cinetic, Visit Films, and Elephant Eye, I’ve been able to show the Pavilion trailer […]
by Tim Sutton on Sep 26, 2011 -
A DIY DATE WITH “MR. SADMAN”
A few years ago I took part in the IFP Narrative Labs with a feature I wrote and directed called Mr. Sadman, about a 1990 Saddam Hussein double who loses his job and moves to Los Angeles to start his life over — a satire about what it truly means to become American. We had a brief, almost nonexistent festival run and then regrouped and thought about next steps. Every now and then we’d get an inquiry from a distributor or sales agent, but in the end nothing really ever made sense for either us or them. “No stars” plus […]
by Patrick Epino on Mar 23, 2011 -
IFP NARRATIVE LAB APPLICATION LAUNCHES TODAY
The IFP Narrative Lab launches its online application today. From the website: IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs is the only program in the world currently supporting first-time feature directors in post-production to complete, market and distribute their films. Focusing exclusively on low-budget features ( Through the Labs, IFP works to ensure that talented emerging voices receive the support, resources, and industry exposure necessary to reach audiences. The Lab is really an excellent program that provides a wealth of intensive mentorship having to do with all the aspects of filmmaker that follow production. Recent Lab films include such Sundance selections as Pariah, […]
by Scott Macaulay on Feb 15, 2011 -
The Microbudget Conversation : Films Too Small To Fail
I first met Zak Mulligan through my DP Sean Donnelly a few years back. After a bit of back and forth on the merits of Kickstarter, I helped him with a little production design on his first feature, and we became fast friends and supporters of each others work. Zak and his directing partner Rodrigo Lopresti were recent participants of IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs with their first feature film I’m not me. Zak also won the Best Cinematography award at Sundance last year for his work on the film Obselidia. He’s here to talk a bit about the advantages of […]
by John Yost on Jan 18, 2011 -
13 TAKEAWAYS FROM THE IFP NARRATIVE LAB
The recently concluded IFP Narrative Lab was a dense week of study and mentorship as our participating filmmakers, all with films somewhere between rough and fine cut, were given guidance about picture lock, sound design, scoring and music licensing, festival strategy, distribution deals, and DIY, self and hybrid distribution efforts. Amy Dotson and Rose Vincelli from the IFP did a fantastic job of putting the program together. Susan Stover, Jon Reiss and I were the lab leaders. In addition, an inspiring group of editors, filmmakers, producers and industry vets came in to lend their expertise. At the end of the […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jun 17, 2010
