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Associations
Producers Guild of America Makes Movies
The Producer’s Guild of America (PGA) is a resource for all things producing. It allows producers to interact and share information, as well as get together to discuss issues concerning their field.
As the PGA is a professional association and not a union, anyone can join to get the benefits. There are, of course, various application fees and annual dues. Benefits include job leads, access to elite networking opportunities, an extensive library of contracts that producers need to know, access to Academy screenings at awards time and regular seminars. They do not however, get involved with individual projects—so don’t ask them for money for your movie.
October 28th, 2007 | Category: Association of the Week, Associations | By Brian Hickey
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' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Global Film Initiative
The world is a vast expanse of water, land and people but it's human nature to focus only on the immediate surroundings that affect us. Of course, there are those things that affect the entire planet and those that affect other people as well. But sadly, for the most part, few are interested in what lies outside of their own personal space. Insert Global Film Initiative who takes the curiosity of artists the world over and turns them into a result that affects everyone -- even if that means the effect takes place on a more emotional, visceral level.
September 24th, 2007 | Category: Association of the Week, Associations | By Mallory Potosky
Chicago Cine Tech
The Chicago Cine Tech Expo is dedicated to "promoting, educating and providing networking opportunities to the Midwest filmmaker," says Helena Son, co-owner of SMS Productions, the group that puts on the annual Expo. It only takes one quick look at the Expo's credentials to realize that this isn't your average trade show.
September 3rd, 2007 | Category: Association of the Week, Associations | By Brian Hickey
Film Independent
From the Los Angeles Film Festival to the Spirit Awards, some of the biggest events on the independent film scene are spearheaded by one organization: Film Independent.
Formerly the Los Angeles chapter of the Independent Feature Project (IFP), Film Independent (FIND) broke off into its own organization in May 2005, taking its signature events--including the aforementioned Spirit Awards and LAFF--and a membership of more than 6,300 (and growing) with it.
From June 21 - July 1, 2007, FIND will once again present one of Hollywoodâ€(tm)s biggest film events, the Los Angeles Film Festival. Proving that this is truly a festival for the people, this yearâ€(tm)s event will kick off with the premiere of Michael Bayâ€(tm)s hotly anticipated Transformers, which will screen simultaneously in four theaters to an audience of 4,000 and be followed by a massive block party for everyone in attendance. “Fans have been waiting for this movie for years,†says LAFF director Rich Raddon. “Iâ€(tm)m excited that, through the festival, the public can be a part of this anticipated premiere--not to mention the after-party that will take place in the streets of Westwood.â€
Want to be a part of it all? Become a FIND member at www.filmindependent.org or log onto www.lafilmfest.com for information on the LAFF.
June 11th, 2007 | Category: Association of the Week, Associations | By MovieMaker Staff
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' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Association of the Week: Association of Film Commissioners
California is the land of promise—the place where aspiring actors go to be discovered and studios build lots upon lots of soundstages. But the entire world is your oyster when looking for a suitable production location. Finding out just what it takes to film outside of Hollywood can be a daunting and difficult task, but that’s the reason the Association of Film Commissioners International was created. On April 12 it will begin the 22nd annual Locations Trade Show.
“Filmmakers have vast location and other production resources to choose from worldwide,” says AFCI president Robin James. The Trade Show “brings information about those resources and the film commissions that help connect filmmakers with those resources, together in one place at one time.” This year the association will unveil its Global Initiatives, making it easier than ever to shoot that safari adventure film on the actual soil of the Dark Continent.
As part of the AFCI collective, the Locations Trade Show plays an exceptional role in the future of moviemaking--gathering together certified film commissioners who have the know-how to “benefit the jurisdiction in which they work and the entertainment industry for which they provide services.”
Find your Promised Land in California when the Locations Trade Show hits Santa Monica April 12 - 14, 2007. For more information, visit www.afci.org.
Sound Off: Where do you feel is the most desired international shooting location for independent moviemakers? Let us know in the comments section!
--Mallory Potosky
April 10th, 2007 | Category: Association of the Week, Associations | By MovieMaker Staff
Steadicam Operators Association
Orson Welles once said, “The camera is much more than a recording apparatus; it is a medium via which messages reach us from another world that is not ours and that brings us to the heart of a great secret. Here magic begins.”
In 1976, Garrett Brown introduced the movie industry to the Steadicam. In so doing, he revolutionized the magic of moviemaking, as camera operators no longer needed to worry about being slightly unsteady. By 1988 Brown had formed the Steadicam Operators Association (SOA). At the time, “the whole idea of the Steadicam was still young and growing and the operators were still learning,” explains SOA vice-president Jay Kilroy. The early members would gather to “share ideas and what they had learned they could do with this thing.” In later years the ready availability of the Internet allowed the association to widen its focus and provide services to Steadicam operators worldwide.
Today, from the mountains of Pennsylvania to the rolling Australian countryside (plus a few places in between), the Steadicam Operators Association hosts five-and-a-half-day workshops meant to bring the technical traditions of yesterday together with the technological advancements of tomorrow. All done, Kilroy says, because of a “passion for the moving image!”
Upload your demo reel and resume or search for skilled operators at http://www.steadicam-ops.com.
--Mallory Potosky
Sound Off: The Steadicam was invented as a way to create a smoother picture--a movie without the undesired jarring effects. Sometimes though, those abrupt bumps and turns create a captivating tale that brings the audience further into “the heart of a great secret.” When is it best to use a Steadicam? Are some movie moments better off as gritty and real as possible?
March 12th, 2007 | Category: Association of the Week, Associations | By MovieMaker Staff
Southwest Alternate Media Project
In today’s fast-paced world of instant media consumption, understanding exactly what we’re seeing can be an afterthought. Television, movies, viral videos and other sensory stimuli enter our senses too quickly to be properly digested before being replaced with another show, movie or program. What gets lost is the message of the person who created the experience in the first place.
The Houston-based Southwest Alternate Media Project is committed to nurturing regional film and video artists’ projects, encouraging multicultural and alternative media works and growing a savvy audience. To this end, SWAMP focuses much of its attention on educational programs, including workshops, moviemaking camps and the Media Literacy Institute. Through these projects, SWAMP slows down the light-speed-fast flow of media, highlighting why, for example, a director made certain decisions in lighting or acting. “The more aware we, the public, are of the way these (and other elements) are used to influence us, the better we can understand exactly what is being said and choose our own response,†says SWAMP’s executive director, Mary Lampe.
As SWAMP sees it: A knowledgeable audience leads to informed decision-making, which leads to new, varied works being created. “Instead of merely being passive recipients,†Lampe says, “media literacy awareness encourages us to become thoughtful viewers and active participants—both of which are important aspects of a healthy democracy.â€
For more information, visit http://www.swamp.org.
Sound Off: Texas is rapidly becoming a state with a rich, textured culture of visual and alternative arts. Where do you go to find new and interesting visual works? Let us know in the comments section!
—Dante A. Ciampaglia
March 6th, 2007 | Category: Association of the Week, Associations | By MovieMaker Staff
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' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>San Luis Obispo Film Society
Founded in the early 1990s to provide opportunities for likeminded souls to share in the appreciation and experience of film in the natural beauty of California’s central coast region, the San Luis Obispo Film Society viewed the establishment of an annual film festival as a natural extension of its central purpose. Led by local attorney and cinephile Mary Harris, the Society held its initial San Luis Obispo International Film Festival (SLOIFF) in 1993. At that first fest the Society established the King Vidor Award for Lifetime Achievement, presenting its inaugural award to noted director George Sidney.
Harris continued to spearhead the film society for the next nine years, expanding it to include the George Sidney Independent Film Competition and adding moviemaking seminars and workshops, featuring a wide variety of professionals from Hollywood and beyond. In 2004 Harris passed the torch to a new group of film society members, who stepped in to sustain and grow the festival to its present 11-day celebration.
SLOIFF festival director Wendy Eidson says “It’s great having a local film society, because it gives us an automatic direct support base for our fundraising efforts as well as a reliable labor resource to draw from at festival time, when we need a lot of people to staff the films, events, panels and workshops.†Without such a built-in resource, Eidson says the job of organizing and administering the film festival would be much more difficult.
This year’s SLOIFF has been expanded to 11 days, featuring more films, events, panels and workshops than ever before. In addition to its annual George Sidney film competition, for the first time the festival is scheduled to present two King Vidor Awards: One for lifetime achievement in directing to Norman Jewison on Saturday, March 3rd and one for lifetime achievement in acting to James Cromwell on Saturday, March 10th.
For more information on the San Luis Obispo Film Society and this year’s SLOIFF (which will run from March 1 – 11, 2007), please visit http://www.slofilmfest.org.
Sound Off: Does your local film festival have the benefit of a film society or some other such support organization? If so, what measures do they employ to assist in the sustenance and growth of the festival? Share your observations in the comments section!
February 28th, 2007 | Category: Association of the Week, Associations | By MovieMaker Staff
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