|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The educational scope of this year’s festival has been expanded to include lots of workshops, panels, and seminars for all levels of filmmaking, from working professionals to students looking for their first experience in the film world. We’re drawing on the considerable talent pool in Connecticut, and also inviting film professionals from outside the State to share their knowledge in these in-depth workshops. Whatever your background or interest, you’re bound to learn something new at the Connecticut Film Festival! TRACK A: THE BUSINESS OF MOVIEMAKING Working With the CT State Tax Credit – Panel Discussion Saturday, May 24th 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM Danbury Women’s Center A must for producers considering any kind of a shoot in Connecticut, which has the most generous tax incentive of the 47 states that offer them. Our State Representatives from the Hollywood East Task Force will explain the history of the program and the Connecticut Film Division will detail the process. You’ll learn even the how-tos of keeping records to meet the auditing requirements to get your tax credit from auditors who have worked with films that have received the credit. Ask all of your questions in the Q&A . Even low-budget films can qualify, so come to this panel workshop find out what you can save in Connecticut! Legal Woes of Being Creative (For Producers and Writers) Friday, May 23rd 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM Danbury Women’s Center The film business is layered with contracts and negotiations, all of which are handled by lawyers with special expertise in everything from intellectual property rights to initial contracts with talent and distribution deals. In this simple seminar, Bill Fitzgerald of Rucci and Buchin will answer questions about story rights, how to put together a financial package for investors, negotiating with talent, the legalities of tax incentive programs, and hiring lawyers as film reps. Creative Aspects to Working in HD ( for Producers, Directors, DPs) Saturday, May 24th 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM Danbury Public Library High definition filmmaking is here to stay, so now it’s time to decide whether you want it for your project. Producers often look high-definition video as a way of reducing the costs on film, but directors and cinematographers find there is a list of pros and cons to be weighed in each shooting situation before making a decision that has such a significant impact on successfully achieving your film goals. A mixed panel of producers, directors, and DPs will discuss their experiences with film vs. high def, and answer questions from the audience. Financing Film Projects – Incentives, Equity, and International Coproductions Saturday, May 24th 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM Danbury Women’s Center How do you find it? How much do you (really) need? And who do you talk to? These questions will be addressed by producers and financial consultants who have gotten films to the screen. They will discuss the many types of financing available to producers and how they each work, including straight production financing, coproductions, equity financing, bank loans, and negative pickup deals. You’ll hear about the range of tax incentive programs, and the new realm of international coproduction deals that could make your film a reality. The panel members will explain what level of detail your budget needs to be taken seriously by a financier, how to “package” a film to make it attractive to investors, and the little tricks successful producers use to make their projects stand out above the rest. You’ll also hear about “Slate Financing” concepts for getting funding for multiple projects. Post Production: Making Your Film Look—and Sound—Professional Friday, May 23rd 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM Danbury Public Library “A bad film won’t be saved by post production, but a good film can always be improved in post.” We don’t know who said it first, but it’s repeated all the time. A panel of producers and local experts in post production will help you find ways to enhance the quality of your film within your budget through attention to editing, sound looping (ADR), foley effects, audio mixing, and even titles. And if you’re ready for the next step, then you’ll want to know what they know about CGI and EFX. Viral Marketing – Web 2.0 Indie Film Marketing on a Shoe String Saturday, May 24th 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM St. James Episcopal Church, Danbury Easy access to the world via internet has opened the global market to even the lowest-budget films—all it takes is a little savvy, and a lot of patience and work. A panel of producers who have used viral internet marketing for their films, and experts in the creation and placement of internet streaming video will cover topics like: - Establishing a web presence - Great Websites for Film - Facebook Fan Pages - MySpace Film Pages - Using IMDb links Finding Music for Your Film: Original Scoring and Music Supervision Saturday, May 24th 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM St. James Episcopal Church, Danbury Few films can be considered complete without music, and most films today rely heavily on a unique and well-integrated soundtrack. Whether you’re looking for original composers to score your film, or you want pull together a nifty track of published music, this seminar is for you. A mixed panel of professionals from both the music and film industries will discuss the process of scoring vs. selecting existing cover music, and how to integrate it into your film. Then you’ll learn about the complex legal issues of publishing and performing rights, and how to get the best deal for your project. TRACK B: THE CREATIVE SIDE OF FILMMAKING (Narrative) New Techniques in Cinematography: Master Class with Christo Bakalov Saturday, May 24th 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Danbury Women’s Center Christo Bakalov, this year’s recipient of the Connecticut Film Festival Award For Artistic Excellence In Cinematography, will conduct this special seminar that speaks to today’s real-world shooting situations: get it fast, and make every shot count. Shorter shooting schedules and advances in camera technology, including the transition from film to high definition video, and particularly the use of the new Red One camera, all make the job of the cinematographer a continuing challenge. Christo will show you how to produce high-quality images under all kinds of conditions. Beyond the Script : Turning Yourself into a Marketable Screenwriter Friday, May 23rd 3:15 PM – 4:45 PM St. James Episcopal Church, Danbury In this seminar with screenwriting consultant Peter Fox, serious screenwriters will learn how to showcase their finished screenplay to get it produced. He’ll talk about the business tools of the screenwriter: - Writing Log Lines - Pitching to Producers - Getting a Manager or Agent, - Entering Festivals & Contests Don’t miss this invaluable opportunity to take your screenwriting career to the next level! On Directing Actors: Creative Collaborations Saturday, May 24th 2:45 PM – 4:15 PM Danbury Women’s Center The director is responsible for the overall vision of the film, and needs to convey his or her unique concepts to individual actors with different backgrounds and training. A panel of directors and actors discuss what really helps each actor find the performance the film needs, and how to balance each scene to create a consistently strong narrative. They’ll discuss staging for the camera, and multi-camera shoots, and talk about effective techniques for rehearsing actors. Women’s Unique Vision in Film Friday, May 23rd 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM Danbury Women’s Center Women directors bring a unique voice to traditionally male film world. The projects they choose, and they way they choose to film them often set them apart in distinct ways from films made by their male counterparts. How hard is it to compete? And what kinds of choices do they make to retain their uniquely female point of view and still reach the entire audience? A panel of successful women directors will talk about the special challenges they face in building careers in feature films, TV, and documentaries, and the projects they produce. TRACK C: THE CREATIVE SIDE OF FILMMAKING (Documentary) Red One Camera Workshop Saturday, May 24th 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Danbury Public Library The “Red One” camera is the latest technology designed specifically to expand shooting options in high definition video, while achieving visuals that can match 35 mm. in nearly all shooting conditions, at a much lower cost. This is a new modular system designed to be easily upgraded as new developments come along. Only a handful of cinematographers have developed experience working with these state-of-the art cameras. Cinematographer Adrian Correia takes you through the basics of this new technology, and talks about how to explore the possibilities it can produce for your shoot. He’ll show lighting techniques and discuss the positioning options that can open the range of your shooting options. And he’ll show you how, as directors, producers, and DPs, to plan for this expanded universe of possibilities and create a visual for your film that is truly stellar. Documentary Panel – Making Documentaries Happen, From Concept to Screen Saturday, May 24th 2:45 PM – 4:15 PM St. James Episcopal Church, Danbury Digital filmmaking is largely responsible for the explosion in documentary filmmaking, as anyone with a digital camera and a computer can assemble a film today. At the same time, audiences are embracing documentaries in all distribution windows, making it a big business. It takes a lot of planning, careful attention to concept, and a solid budget to support that concept that ultimately results in a documentary with the broad box office appeal of “March of the Penguins.” A panel of award-winning documentarians talk about their process, strategy and how they find their stories. They also explore new distribution models for documentaries, and ways to effectively market your film to achieve distribution. TRACK D: BREAKING IN Careers In Film, Video, Music, & Interactive Media - Lateral Moves Into the Film/Digital World Friday, May 23rd 3:15 PM – 4:45 PM Danbury Women’s Center While the film audience has expanded to include the entire world, film production has moved out of the traditional havens of studios and into the realm of location shooting. As 47 states currently provide incentives to filmmakers to shoot within their state borders, it opens the door to opportunities for working professionals of all skills to get into the movie business. If you can cook, do carpentry, or accounting, or you have business skills, phone skills, or even just a great personality, you may be able to transfer those skills to a movie set. A panel of experts in the film production field will help you understand what film and TV productions need, and how you can move into a paying position. Breaking In: How State Residents Have Found Entry-Level Work In The Connecticut Motion Picture Industry. Friday, May 23rd 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM St. James Episcopal Church, Danbury With the rush of movies coming into Connecticut, there's never been a better time to chase a dream of working in the film industry. This panel will feature young state residents who've made that dream a reality by working on some of the independent and studio feature films shot in Connecticut since 2006 as interns and production assistants both on set and behind the scenes. With different backgrounds, different skill sets, and living all around the state, these young professionals are all finding a path into the movie business without relocating. Moderated by independent filmmaker and Quinnipiac film professor Marty Lang, this panel will be an informative and motivational lesson of how you can start a career in show business. Your Future in Animation Thursday, May 22nd 3:30PM – 5:00 PM Danbury Public Library There’s a big Blue Sky in Connecticut now, with the animation giant’s move to our state, and they are expanding. Other major animation studios, like Pixar, Disney, and Warner, are all going strong, and hundreds of smaller shops have been set up to meet the insatiable demand for animation content for internet programming, advertising and marketing, television and even the big screen. You can be a part of it too! A panel of animation executives and working animators talk about the opportunities in this exploding field, and discuss the details of how an animated project flows from concept to execution. They’ll tell you how to get noticed, and what you need to produce to stand out from the rest of the animation field. © Copyright by StamfordPlus.com. Some articles and pictures posted on our website, as indicated by their bylines, were submitted as press releases and do not necessarily reflect the position and opinion of StamfordPlus.com, Stamford Plus magazine, Canaiden LLC or any of its associated entities. Articles may have been edited for brevity and grammar. Related Articles: Appalachian Mountain Club to present the CT Film Festival award winning movie “Brave New West” in Bethel - Sep 19, 2008 - 9:08 AM Celebrities offer unique auction experiences to support Westport Country Playhouse - Sep 10, 2008 - 7:32 AM PBS documentary chronicles road to success for Los Lonely Boys - Aug 27, 2008 - 7:24 AM Local singer's cabaret show to benefit Connecticut Food Bank - Aug 12, 2008 - 9:35 AM Mystic Seaport to host 17th annual WoodenBoat Show - Jun 19, 2008 - 2:30 PM CURRENT HEADLINES: Top of Page
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
