IFW 2009 – Panel, “From Doc to Series & Beyond, Opportunities in Non-Fiction”
Overview: http://ifw.bside.com/2009/films/fromdoctoseriesbeyond_ifw2009 After a subdued conference this was the one panel with good news. Although the success of reality TV/documentary programming has cannibalized other segments of the market, non-fiction broadcast is alive, thriving, and looking for content. But for a documentarian looking to make the jump to network programming, the panel advised that some pre-conceptions about the craft of documentary filmmaking and what it means to be a documentarian need to be set aside. To wit: you’ve got to deliver. On time, on schedule, within...
Read MoreIFW 2009 – Panel, “Fresh Funding, Modern Ideas for Doc Financing”
Overview: http://ifw.bside.com/2009/films/freshfundingmodernideasfordocfinancing_ifw2009;jsessionid=50B709A02CE6EC14E2ECD31C089890CB The title of this panel is a bit misleading, because, unless you’re one of a handful of documentarians around the globe, there really *isn’t* a lot of money. But the panelists offered some great advice, and there’s no reason why a smart, driven, and savvy documentarian shouldn’t be able to support herself comfortably. Only raised a small amount of money? No sweat, you’re not doing anything wrong. That’s how it goes...
Read MoreIFW 2009 – Panel, “Unlocking Global Financing Opportunities”
Overview: http://ifw.bside.com/2009/films/unlockingglobalfinancingopportunities_ifw2009;jsessionid=50B709A02CE6EC14E2ECD31C089890CB The panel pointed out something that we often forget, the indie film industry is still relatively young. Depending on how you define the “start” of it as an industry (and that term should be used loosely), perhaps the late 60s to mid 70s, it’s somewhere around 40 years old. And financing deals didn’t come to play in it considerably until the mid- to late-80s or so–about 20 years ago. Initially, LLCs were the first way of funding...
Read MoreUFC meets IFP – Panelists Gone Wild! Independent Filmmaker Week 2009 – Panel, “The Next Wave of Distribution”
Overview: http://ifw.bside.com/2009/films/casestudyyourfilmonline_ifw2009 Full disclosure, if you’re looking for bikini-clad babes cat-fighting to the death or someone taking it in the crotch, keep moving. But this was the most bickersome of the panels, and everyone loves conflict; especially amongst film geeks. (The only thing more exciting is a backyard book club brawl.) Moderated, just barely, by Eugene Hernandez of IndieWire, “traditional” film models and distribution–as represented by Jake Abraham and Hernandez–clashed head-on with a very opinionated (and...
Read MoreIndependent Filmmaker Week 2009 – Panel, “Your Film Online (Case Study: Sally Potter’s ‘Rage’)”
Overview http://ifw.bside.com/2009/films/casestudydigitalfilmmakingfeaturingentrenos_ifw2009 At first I was planning on grabbing a gyro for this panel, like many cineastes, the idea of exhibition on a cell phone doesn’t appeal to me. However, since this panel was part of “Filmmaking 2.0″ (the unifying theme of the panels on Monday), I decided to embrace the spirit of the day, stable my persnickety tendencies, and give it a go. I’m glad I did. First off: this is an interesting experiment with A-list talent touted as the first “major feature” released...
Read MoreIndependent Filmmaker Week 2009 – Panel, “Documentary, Thinking Ahead”
Overview: http://ifw.bside.com/2009/films/aconversationwith2_ifw2009 Even though participants were sitting casually in an open circle and seemed to have comfortable working relationships, the topic at hand couldn’t have weightier consequences: the future of documentary film as we know it. It struck me when Ross Kauffman, the director of Born Into Brothels, said that he is having a hard time raising funds. If he’s having a hard time, what’s a first-time filmmaker to do? Kauffman posed the question to the panel, “Why is it so hard to get funds today?” He...
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