SAGIndie

The Hollywood Reporter on the “BIG NAMES, SMALL BUDGETS” panel we did at the Produced By Conference.

Read the article HERE.

“Details of the Los Angeles Film Festival were unveiled today with 200 feature films, shorts, and music videos on tap for the event’s 2011 edition, including 19 films screening in the ten-day event’s Narrative and Documentary Competition. LAFF will return to its downtown hub at L.A. Live with 27 World, North American, and U.S. premieres set to screen.

The number of films competing in the narrative and documentary competition categories increased this year from 18 to 19, of which 11 are world premieres and 8 are North American or U.S. premieres. The number of female feature filmmakers also increased this year from 21 to 23.”

Read the rest at INDIEWIRE.

The Spirit Awards will air on IFC on Saturday, February 26th, 2011 at 10/9c. Hosted by Joel McHale.

Are you a producer? Are you based in Los Angeles? Then SAG needs your help!

The Screen Actors Guild is looking for qualified Independent Film and New Media Producers to participate in a special focus group in early January. The overall purpose is to gain a better understanding of how producers work with SAG as well as some real world views of SAG’s new online production center.

If you are interested, please email the following items to hbarkan@sag.org.

• Name
• Email
• Phone
• Primary field of expertise (e.g. new media, indie film, or both)
• Link to IMDB page or list of current filmography

Please note that this a purely volunteer-based opportunity and that only Producers with legitimate production experience will be considered.

Thanks and all the best,

SAGIndie

Joe Drake, Lionsgate co-COO and president of its Motion Picture Group, delivered the keynote speech Saturday morning at Film Independent’s 2010 Filmmaker Forum. If you weren’t lucky enough to attend, then you should definitely read the transcript that’s posted over at indieWIRE. It’s an extremely inspirational (albeit harshly realistic) talk about creating and maintaining traction in this business.

Some of my favorite quotes from Mr. Drake:

“Hard work is a prison sentence only if it does not have meaning. Once it does, it becomes the kind of thing that makes you grab your wife around the waist and dance a jig.”

“90% of your success is what you have in your briefcase. 10% of your success is how effective you are at influencing others to act on your behalf.”

“So, for all of you who want to ask me, “How do I get my movie financed?” Part of the answer is this: Forget about all the reasons not to do it. Forget about all the films that failed. Forget about all the films that didn’t get into Sundance, or got there, and didn’t get a distribution deal out of Sundance. Choose instead to focus on what has worked and learn from opening your eyes up to the marketplace around you.”

Read it all here: http://www.indiewire.com/article/test1

Learn How to Use SAG’s Low Budget and New Media Agreements

Whether you want to produce your own project or just learn more about the provisions under SAG’s New Media and Low Budget Contracts, this seminar is for you.

Join us and learn how easy it is to use SAG’s New Media and Low Budget Agreements. This event is sponsored by Hollywood MOVE.

7-9 p.m., Tuesday, September 28, 2010

SAG Headquarters
James Cagney Board Room
5757 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA

Parking will be validated.

To RSVP or for more information, contact Jackie Perez at (323) 549-6894 or e-mail: movehollywood@sag.org

VisionFest 2010 is Filmmakers Alliances’ yearly celebration that brings together the best of L.A.’s independent filmmaking community.

When: Friday, August 27th, 8 p.m.
Where: The Downtown Independent Theater 251 S. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Tickets: $25. Tickets are extremely limited this year, please go here to purchase: http://visionfest2010.eventbrite.com

The evening begins with the presentation of the NILSSON AWARD, curated and presented by the award’s namesake and inaugural recipient, ROB NILSSON. The award acknowledges and celebrates bold, direct, honest and aesthetically challenging filmmaking that is often unrecognized by the mainstream independent film community. This year’s Nilsson Award recipient is Armenian filmmaker Harutyun Khachatryan.

Next is the presentation of the VISION AWARD to an established filmmaker whose artistic ambition and consistent filmmaking excellence provides artistic inspiration to emerging filmmakers all around the world.  Past recipients include MIke Figgis, Terry Gilliam, Wim Wenders, Allison Anders, Alexander Payne, David O. Russell, Werner Herzog, Mark and Michael Polish, Kevin Smith, and visionary producer Ted Hope. This year’s Vision Award Recipient is Danish filmmaker NICOLAS WINDING REFN. The award will be presented by RYAN GOSLING. Known for the “Pusher” trilogy, Refn’s been making films for 15 years and his work is only now receiving the attention it deserves in this country. His work bares the signature of a true visionary – difficult to categorize, but singularly arresting, his films are not for the feint of heart – beautiful, often brutal and beyond compare.

This is all followed by a program of the best short films produced through Filmmakers Alliance in the previous year.The program is as follows:

Wait For Me by Dylan O’Brien and Holly Murdoch O’Brien
Native Time by Sean Morris
Beyond Silence by Vidyut Latay
Gonah Kardam Directed by Gabriela Tollman and Produced by Babak Shokrian
Aliens Vs. Predator Directed by Stephen Reedy and Produced by Megan Powers
David and Goliath by George Zaver
Quetzal Directed by Marc Levy and Produced by Amanda Sweikow

The evening finishes with a high-energy party on the rooftop of the Downtown Independent Theater and is catered by some of Los Angeles’ best restaurants.

Tickets are extremely limited this year, please go here to purchase: http://visionfest2010.eventbrite.com

NOTES:

EVENT WILL BE AT CAPACITY. PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY TO ENSURE SEATING. SEATS CANNOT BE GUARANTEED, NOR REFUNDS MADE IF YOU ARRIVE AFTER 7:45 P.M. ALLOW FOR PARKING. (instructions below).

Parking is not free. There are several parking structures near the theater. $9 parking is available right next door to the theater on the north side. However, $5 parking is available at the Los Angeles Times parking structure at 213 South Spring Street.

SAGIndie hosts a series of monthly workshops to assist filmmakers in using the SAG Low Budget Agreements, simplifying the process and helping filmmakers cast quality actors in their independent films.

SAG Theatrical Business Representatives will walk you through signing SAG Low Budget Agreements from start to finish.

Workshops are held the 2nd Thursday of every month from 6 to 8pm in Los Angeles and New York, and are FREE. Workshops fill up quickly so RSVP now! If you sign up for a workshop but can’t attend you must call to cancel your reservation no later than 48 hours before the workshop.

For more information, visit the Contract Workshops page.

In case you missed it, check out coverage on the Sundance Institute’s inagural short film workshop in Los Angeles. Overall, it was a big success,with special indie speakers like Miguel Arteta, Peter Sollett, Jay Duplass, and even SAGIndie Director Darrien Gipson.

Read it now: Sundance Schools Short Filmmakers at First Ever ShortsLab: L.A.

The article was written by our friend, Kim Adelman, for indieWIRE.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO GET YOUR FILM MADE AND SEEN – IN ONE BOX!

When:     August 1, 2010. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where:    The Downtown Independent Film Theater. 251 S. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90012

REGISTER NOW: http://famasterclass.eventbrite.com

Special discount code: SAGmember

Filmmakers Alliance’s INDEPENDENT FILM MASTER CLASS is the complete, all-in-one package – a definitive, step-by-step, one-day seminar for independent filmmakers offering all the information you need to get your film MADE and SEEN. The INDEPENDENT FILM MASTER CLASS is a clean, clear, concise and complete independent filmmaking blueprint for your film project that will allow you to sustain your life as a filmmaker!

• Concept, Story and Script Development – Developing ideas and concepts that work! Then, writing that script in a way that will get your film made without compromising your vision.
• Film Financing and Crowdfunding – Where to find the money and what you need to do to get it. Also, exploring new strategies in raising money for your film.
• Pre-production and Production – How to get the most filmmaking bang from your budget – creatively and cost-efficiently managing your project. Also, how best to work with actors, crew, locations, unions, guilds, crafts to ensure your film not only gets made, but looks exponentially more than its cost.
• Filmmaking Tech Tools and Online Filmmaking Support – Make your production easier to manage and giving yourself tighter control of your project by turning your computer into a portable production office (and saving the cost of overhead). There are amazing new tools online and beyond to help filmmakers – at every stage of the filmmaking process -manage the once overwhelming task of creating, shooting, finishing, promoting and distributing a film. Find out what they are and how best to use them.
• Post-Production – New technologies and methodologies are making it easier to high end work with a low end budget. Find out what they are and what you need to do give a stunning, world-class finish to your film and how to prepare for it long before you reach post.
• Festivals and Distribution – Understanding the festival circuit and how to use it to your film’s greatest advantage. And devising and executing a distribution plan that will give your film it’s best shot at success and sustain your filmmaking life!

Speakers include no-budget filmmaking specialist Mark Stolaroff, post-production expert, Michael Cioni, Colleen Nystedt founder of the innovative web tool MovieSet, self-distribution guru Marc Rosenbush, writer-director Sean Hood discussing concept/story development and screenwriting for Indie features, writer-director Liam Finn serving up war stories on his no-budget first feature “Rejouer“, filmmakers Diane Bell and Chris Byrne talking about financing and other issues putting together their award-winning Sundance favorite “Obselidia“, AND MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED!!

REGISTER NOW: http://famasterclass.eventbrite.com

Special discount code: SAGmember

The seminar also includes filmmaker case-studies and open Q&A periods, so come prepared with your specific filmmaking questions – the ones that most have you stumped – so that we can take you to the next level.

SEMINAR SPECIAL – 10 filmmakers will be selected from the attendees for a FREE 6-session series of consultations. You MUST submit your project to masterclass@filmmakersalliance.org no later than June 30th for consideration. Please submit no longer than a single page synopsis, a filmmaking resume and links to any previous work. Please DO NOT send video files or full scripts.

THE SEMINAR WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A RECEPTION ON THE ROOF OF THE DOWNTOWN INDEPENDENT FILM THEATER!

REGISTER EARLY: http://famasterclass.eventbrite.com

Special discount code: SAGmember

Ticket Prices:

• $175* – Includes seminar fee plus one year of Filmmakers Alliance membership.
• $125* – General seminar fee only.
• $75* – Seminar fee for FA members only (with special discount code: SAGmember)
• $50 – Live Interactive Webcast. The URL to enroll in the Live Interactive Webcast is COMING SOON!

*Fee includes lunch and parking.

Get your tickets and start making your film NOW!

THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

All the best,

Filmmakers Alliance