Don’t be afraid to give it away.

Whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, the world, socially, economically… in every facet is no longer settled where it was the last century, a decade ago, or even a year ago, and neither is it yet where it will perhaps settle again for a while. The reality is it may never settle again. Get used to change, get used to risk, get used to not being able to know exactly where you’re headed.

Continental shifts and massive tectonic upheavals have taken place in a blindingly short period of time.

Many of us, myself included are feeling pretty much totally lost.

The map I used to use no longer leads me anywhere, the things I learned and tools I used don’t work anymore… I cannot create money the way I used to believe money, wealth, revenue was created.

There are vast and exciting new opportunities the limits of which are unknown. It’s like the Wild West all over again.

One thing I know is that we all have to get rid of the fear of giving something away, perhaps even something of considerable value and believe, trust that it will come back to us.

Finding my niche – still valuable and in demand: VFX

I’ve been pondering some serious questions lately in my own journey… and now that I am alone and have to help my soon to be ex-wife support my daughter as well… my short term income generating abilities are coming to the forefront more than my long term film production goals. I need a plan quick that is going to keep a roof over my head, help me cover my responsibilities and keep me writing and developing business plans around film.

I’m not looking for a quick fix and I can’t afford to work a unskilled general day job at a fast food restaurant either. I need to apply my skills and so I’m looking for trends… for potential opportunities and windows of need that will not simply disappear overnight, and that not everyone is in a position to fill.

I think I may have found that niche and it is surprisingly close to home.

I’ve been working for two months on a full motion animation for an engineering consortium that have been developing new technologies to mine gold at 5km depths and beyond. The consortium has been assembled by Virtual Consulting International on behalf of AngloGold Ashanti.

It’s been the hardest two months work I have ever undertaken but it’s been rewarding in a number of ways.

First of all, I’ve been required to create things that do not exist… environments, machines, all from scratch… not even from blueprints or engineering sketches.

I’ve been required to problem-solve and navigate some very complex waters to produce the results I am so proud of. There are no simple workarounds, automated applications or one button wonder solutions… it is something that is still far from accessible to the man on the street, or the average snap happy DSLR shooter or final cut editor.

The combination of 3D modelling, texturing, rigging, environment, lighting and rendering with fluid dynamics, particle systems, pyro and smoke systems, and then complex layer or node based compositing and effects is something that nobody is about to make accessible to the masses… at least not as far as I can see.

However, better and better results are achievable for the small vfx studio through increased processing power, but the skill sets remain pretty much in the “traditional” domain of specialized vfx artists. Such skills are rare compared to videography and editing, rare enough to still have value… and that value is increasing not diminishing.

The value is increasing because demand is increasing faster than the ready supply of skilled artists, and because vfx needs are increasing in complexity, the skills are becoming more complex, not less. Regardless of overall budget… films and television commercials are having to spend less and achieve more on the screen.

As a writer and producer currently writing a movie set in Las Vegas with period scenes, I know that I can shoot green screen in a small studio and composite vast interior and exterior locations for far less than I could dream of building actual sets.

This is going to be the case more and more… and the barriers to entry are still pretty steep… the kind of mind and combination of skills necessary to produce visually stunning and believable vfx shots make it one of the last areas of post production where demand still outstrips supply… and the trend I believe is for that demand to continue, and the ratio to hold.

There are so many opportunities for technical and workflow innovation in vfx design which can further set one apart from the crowd.

So, vfx may be my immediate future… and I’m excited to have a upcoming meeting with a friend Adrian Bergoff, a colleague that worked at Condor VFX while I was at Waterfront Studios who is interested in seeing how we might share resources and maybe I will be able to build a client base… and a good portfolio of work.

However, I feel the pressure of time like a ticking bomb and so my challenge is to get this off the ground as quickly as possible. I have no time to waste.

The digital revolution and the industry that sold its soul.

I have a profound interest in disruptive technologies… in predicting… watching the industrial, social and economic effects of revolutionary technological “advancements”. I equate it to a scientist in a lab coat watching a H-bomb explosion in slow motion with the task of analysing and categorizing the destructive capacity, and the short, medium and long term fallout.

The digital revolution in cinema/television/video has brought about some real madness, mad sheep disease I think because it affects sheep… which constitute the vast majority of the new-blood digital cinema “workforce”, on the image acquisition side and the post production side. I’m tired of it, and while I cannot change anything with a blog, I can notice it, call it what it is and disassociate myself from it as a professional and a artist.

This madness is a trend that is not limited to digital cinema, the madness is spreading to all kinds of industries but requires a special set of circumstances to breed and become an epidemic.

In fact I would go as far as saying the entertainment industry itself at it’s highest levels has become contaminated, and I for one have had enough.

Some may call it democracy… access for all, but I call it dishonest opportunism… and it costs real professionals their jobs and livelihoods. You don’t give a 18 year old kid with a fresh driving license a Porsche as his training wheels and yet that’s what has happened in this industry. I’m seeing a whole lot of carnage as a result… real people who have worked harder than anyone that are losing their living, stuck with a skill set that has become obsolete or worthless.

There’s a few examples I want to use. The first is the D.I.T., the Digital Imaging Technician. When Red Digital Cinema started shipping the Red One, suddenly there became a huge market demand for digital imaging technicians… and there weren’t any. A new technology had created a new job description overnight at the level of a traditional experienced camera assistant and it was open to anyone with I.T. skills willing to take on the acronym regardless of experience.

So, a vacuum was opened up, and suddenly there were D.I.T.’s… where did they all come from? Like a land run, where free titles were being awarded to the first suckers to stake their claim in the ground, a stampede of young and inexperienced opportunists armed with a Macbook downloaded the freely available tools, some sample media and read up the lingo… and so became D.I.T.’s.

If a “D.I.T.” could talk the talk… with enough confidence, they could talk their way into almost any shoot… because producers, line producers, D.P.’s… nobody had a cooking clue what any of the jargon meant, how these cameras worked or what to do with the data.

These fly by night opportunists… who would otherwise be cutting their home movies on pirated software, had access… access to free tools, to free information (the Reduser forum was a pretty good school) and because the technology and workflow was intuitive enough to this type of mind, these young nobodies were suddenly on film sets, right by the camera, earning daily rates that many on set could only dream of after many years of ladder climbing.

By now, many of them are legitimately qualified… their training has been on the job, but the traditional hierarchy to a profession in a highly regarded industry was turned on it’s head.

Camera assistants, loaders, and D.P.s stunned in horror and disbelief that such a thing was possible now had to catch up with the technology or risk being made redundant… which was a very real threat when Canon launched the 5D MkII.

Now we have sheep with large format cameras that cost a fraction of the $25,000 for a basic Red One setup.

The low to mid level videographer is no longer a viable profession in my opinion, and neither is a low to mid level editor… because everyone with a DSLR and a iMac is both. The barriers to entry have been demolished and the noise floor has risen. If you want to be paid… it had better be because you can deliver far beyond the norm… and that is harder than ever.

In my opinion this awful trend has become an expected norm… the new modus operandi for an entire industry and it’s soul has been lost… at least for a period of time, without a mention or acknowledgement of it’s passing.

Take the recent explosion of stereoscopy for instance. I have largely ignored it because I saw it coming and knew what it was… dishonest opportunism masked as art. The technology was the catalyst but the insatiable appetite for greed in a panic stricken industry amidst the worst economic decline in it’s history has really been something to behold.

The number of self proclaimed D.I.T.’s who suddenly became overnight steroscopy experts has been an astounding thing to watch… I think the only real qualification was to know what the word stereoscopy meant, or be able to pronounce it properly but if you could set up a impressive website or blog as well, man… that was proof. It was another perfect opportunity for a generation of desperate techno con men to make a lot of money from a stupid slow moving animal that is slowly bleeding itself to death to these parasites.

The only winners are the blood sucking technology manufacturers. They are the real culprits because they sell to the producers and the consumers. The companies making and selling the latest cameras and 3D flat screen TV’s in higher quantities and cheaper than ever are the only winners.

The rest of us… all of us are losers.

That’s my glass is half empty view of where things are at but that’s not where it ends.

There is a ray of sunshine, a opportunity for a select few to turn the tables and rise to great heights. This dream that many of us “filmmakers” pursue is still a game, it always has been and the game is not over. For those who have what it takes to stand out, the playing field could not look better.

I’m looking out over a vast and endless sea of losers, losers who are all capable of producing good work but won’t be able to earn a cent from it. The expectation has risen… the 35mm cinema look is now expected, a fantastic cut… expected, good lighting and creative cinematography… expected.

Many… the majority won’t be able to rise above it because that’s all they have. The tools were given to them overnight, and access to the “high end” look that is becoming the norm has been brought down to everyone’s modest abilities. This is now the lowest common denominator… it’s the floor.

For those that can push higher… above the floor, in creative imagery… in storytelling, there is great and fantastic opportunity with none of the traditional barriers to entry.

The real top level professionals have nothing to worry about, and will always be in demand because it is their art that is in demand… their voice, not their cheap tools.

For those creatives that can put it all together and go beyond there are real rewards, because they are the same rare and valuable assets to the industry that they have always been… to producers and also to an expansive audience that is rapidly becoming de-sensitized to the glossy 35mm “film look” and clever post production.

The audience will soon demand more, and if you take steps to position yourself as a creative that can deliver much more, not just lean on the crutch of your 5D MkII you will be a long term winner and build a life long career.

If you’re leaning on your tools right now… you may have a small window to make a quick buck… but playtime will soon be over. You must know that every new DSLR sold is reducing your market value, every new copy of Final Cut installed is reducing your market value… and it’s already almost zero.

It’s not a career, you are not becoming a cinematographer, or a editor, you saw a vacuum and you ran to fill it like all the other sheep.

Just because you have a camera does not make you a photographer. You are not your camera, your camera is not you… you need to be more… you need to see subject matter, create, craft and tell story… and I’m afraid those skills cannot be bought or pirated.

That is the only barrier to entry any of us need to worry about because it’s no longer about the technology… the technology is nothing… less than nothing.

Put the camera down and start telling stories… connecting the dots

I’m on a journey… it’s never been as obvious to me as in the past month. I will never arrive… the destination is a moving target and the closer I get, the more it moves. The general direction however is a constant, as is the basic definition of our business… however I am seeing a progression, a maturing taking place as I look back, I am beginning to connect the dots.

I posted a video last month of Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford University commencement address entitled “How to live before you die”. The bit that stuck with me goes like this.

“…Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn’t have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it’s likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

I’ve always had four major interests none of them being calligraphy, but two of them got me started in the film industry, the other two are now beginning to play their part.

1. The camera… cinematography, and also the technology. My love for digital cinema technology specifically has played a huge role in opening industry doors.

2. Post production… again, the art of the edit, and also the technology. The combination has brought me a living.

3. Business… I’ve been absorbing the business of film finance and production for the last ten years.

4. Story… the art of event, action, character and plot, with a focus on structure… the structure of storytelling for the screen. This has also had a large part to play in making me a good editor… and one day perhaps even a good director.

I will take just one of these islands, which of course are intimately interconnected, and further break down a progression I have noticed. It’s summed up in this quote by one of my favourite photographers.

Amateurs worry about equipment, professionals worry about money, masters worry about light, I just make pictures… – Vernon Trent

This sums up my journey… a maturing process that takes time and experience.

I can see how not too long ago my primary concern was equipment… I wanted to tell stories on the screen, and equipment was the biggest barrier I could see at that time with my limited appreciation for the bigger picture.

I don’t much care about equipment anymore. After seven years of excitement and fanfare that swept me up in the digital cinema whirlwind, and the promise of cinematic pictures for the masses, the only camera I now own is a Mitchell R35 MkII 35mm motion picture camera, a set of Bausch & Lomb lenses and a Cooke zoom.

I don’t even own a Canon 5D MkII… and you know what. I now know that if I get what matters right, I can hire whatever I need. I didn’t know what mattered back then.

For a while my focus moved onto business… and it’s still there now albeit more balanced. Balanced with a growing love, respect and passion for Story.

Story was at the bottom of my list in the beginning, and it’s the only thing on my list now. Without story there is nothing.

If I wanted to be in the business of cameras, I would either sell them, engineer them, or become a D.P.

If I wanted to be in the business of post… I would be an editor, and I am… it pays my bills but it’s a means to an end, it will never be my end.

If I want to be in the business of business… I better be in the business of story.

Story is all that’s left. It’s the lowest common denominator, the bedrock of everything, and that’s where my focus now resides. The amazing thing is how much my knowledge of the rest enriches my ability to tell stories… looking back I can connect the dots.

Now my priorities are totally switched around. I’m writing and working with writers, I’m building business plans around the best of the writing, and then comes the rest.

I believe that this puts me way past the amateur stage and pretty far into the professional stage. I’ll be here for a while, there’s a lot to be done and a lot more dots to connect.

Don’t worry about equipment, worry about Story… Story is the key that unlocks everything, and without it you will never be a storyteller no matter how well you shoot or how expensive your equipment.

Here’s some absolutely critical resources that have come to the forefront of my browsing time lately. You must check them out if you’re ready to put your camera down and get serious about story.

Raindance Film Festival – http://www.raindance.co.uk

Raindance “How To Tips” – http://www.raindance.co.uk/site/Raindance-Film-Festival-indie-tips-for-independent-filmmakers – keep track of them on twitter (@raindance), they often post articles that I have found incredibly valuable, look out for downloadable script suites! and read them!

The Script Lab – http://www.thescriptlab.com – An essential resource, explore the site and absorb, (@thescriptlab on Twitter).

HopeforFilm – http://www.hopeforfilm.com – not necessarily screen-writing specific, but if your goal is to create work that will sell… or that you can build a production around, keep tabs on Ted Hope. Follow @tedhope on twitter and you won’t miss a beat.

Welcome to uncertainty – Your life and living is in your own hands

I read an article this morning with the headline – “NASA engineer threw himself off Endeavour launch tower ‘because he was depressed about losing his job’”

“A space shuttle engineer leapt 130ft to his death from the top of Endeavour’s launch tower after becoming depressed over medical problems and the looming loss of his job after 28 years.”

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1383623/NASA-engineer-James-Vanover-committed-suicide-Endeavour-launch-tower.html#ixzz1LScsDM9b

It seems the man, 53 years old, also had some psychiatric problems but it made me think how many people will struggle to make the changes that are required of them to survive in the new age we are entering.

Gone are the days of the 30 year career with one employer, guaranteed paycheck and benefits. Even a university degree means very little, it actually means nothing.

That world is gone forever, a new and exciting age has arrived with new opportunities, new tools and methods… and new money. There is no reason for anyone to end their life because they are retrenched from formal employment. Ejected, forced out of the old dead system and onto the new frontier.

Nobody is going to pay you to execute instructions and play by the rules for 30 years anymore, in fact never again.

What once was considered valuable in the sense of being a good worker bee is now worthless, and the kind of imagination, drive, passion, appetite for risk and capacity to endure adversity that we associate with great entrepreneurs are now prerequisites for survival.

The message I want to communicate is – you’re on your own, accept it, deal with it, own it. There are NO guarantees, there are no sure things, you will fail… many times (learn to love it, failure is your best friend), it will take time and you may well have to live lean, and even endure bankruptcy or sequestration, losing every material asset you have in the transition from the old to the new.

That’s what it is, a transition… there is no room in the new for the kind of over-leveraged debt and shameless greed that we have known in the last 60 years and it must be offloaded to move on. I know, I’ve lost everything… everything I never had in the first place but thought was mine. I’ve lost my wife through this transition, largely because I knew what was going on, I don’t think she believed it. I knew my dream was the key to my future, and I refused to let go of it. I will not apologize for that.

You’re also not on your own, everyone is in this boat, and if they aren’t yet, they will be soon.

Don’t fight it. Get back up quickly when you let it get you down, surround yourself with others who are making their own successes, and work hard. Network with others… it will be your lifeline. If you accept it and start paying attention to being who you are and doing what you love, you can find a niche, a market and a living… it probably won’t buy you a mansion in Malibu and ten Ferrari’s, but there’s no reason it won’t keep you doing what you love, and quite possibly experiencing a happiness and fulfilment you never could have known in a 9-5.

The fact is the field is wide open and inviting you to run… your future is out there. Go get it.

My A-List

Since I’ve started getting social with my networking and putting in some effort I’ve discovered some fantastically talented and giving people who have opened their doors to me. I want to thank them, and list them so that you can benefit from their twitter feeds. On twitter this typically happens on fridays… with a #FF tag (followfriday). But here I want to introduce my A-list in a lot more detail. I suppose I should split this up into pages, eventually maybe I will.

These are the people that knowingly or unknowingly give me hope and keep me going. Some of them are highly established, respected and accomplished, but I have found them to be approachable and engaging.

Some I know better than others… all I hope to know better as time goes on.

To them all I say thank you, and I look forward to more conversation!

In Summary:

Ted Hope
Miles Maker
Sheri Candler
Gary King
John Trigonis
Jeanne Veilette Bowerman
Jessica King & Julie Keck
Oli Lewington
Danny Lacey
Mattson Tomlin

Now for the detailed profiles.

Ted Hope

Twitter: @tedhope

FB Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/tedhope.fanpage

http://www.hopeforfilm.com
http://blogs.indiewire.com/tedhope

In the early 90′s, American Independent Film burst on the media scene with the promise of new visions, new stories, and new approaches. Ted Hope was among the first producers to emerge from the pack and today remains one of the few consistently delivering vital and exciting new work. As times, platforms, and tastes change, Ted’s work continues to break new ground, reach new audiences, and define the term “Independent.”

A survey of Hope’s films, numbering over sixty, includes many highlights and breakthroughs of the last two decades. As generative as he is with movies, Ted is no less so in business; Ted co-founded and ran the 90′s production & sales powerhouse Good Machine, which he and his partners sold to Universal in 2002. Good Machine was honored by a retrospective at the Museum Of Modern Art in 2001. Hope subsequently co-founded the New York production company This is that with his former assistant Anthony Bregman and Anne Carey, whom Hope met on his first day at NYU Film School. In its eight years, This is that produced eighteen features, receiving numerous awards, including four Academy Award Best Screenplay nominations. Most recently, he founded Double Hope Films with his wife, filmmaker Vanessa Hope.

Hope is an avid social media proselytizer, posting regularly on his HopeForFilm blog, home of Truly Free Film, which Variety has called a “fantastic resource.” He also co-founded HammerToNail.com, a film review site focused on Truly Independent Film.

Hope’s most recent production, SUPER, written and directed by James Gunn, and starring Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler and Kevin Bacon, was the first sale of this year’s Toronto Film Festival; he is currently in production on DARK HORSE, written and directed by Todd Solondz and starring Jordan Gelber, Selma Blair, Justin Bartha, Mia Farrow, and Christopher Walken.

Hope is also in post-production on two films: COLLABORATOR, written and directed by Martin Donovan and starring Donovan, David Morse and Olivia Williams; and MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE, written and directed by Sean Durkin and starring Lizzy Olsen, Hugh Dancy, and John Hawkes. With these films, Hope has now produced twenty “first features” that include those of Alan Ball, Todd Field, Michel Gondry, Hal Hartley, Nicole Holofcener, Moises Kaufman, and Bob Pulcini & Shari Berman, among others. Along with his Good Machine partner James Schamus, Hope also produced all of Ang Lee’s early films including THE ICE STORM (1997), and the Academy Award nominated films EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN (1994), & THE WEDDING BANQUET (1993).

Hope has received numerous awards and honors. In 2009, he was the recipient of the Vision Award from the LA Filmmakers’ Alliance, as well as the Woodstock Film Festival’s Honorary Trailblazer Award. His films have received some of the industry’s most prestigious honors: THE SAVAGES (2007) earned two Academy Award nominations; 21 GRAMS (2003), two Academy Award nominations and five BAFTA nominations; and IN THE BEDROOM (2001), five Academy Award nominations. Ted holds a record at Sundance: three of his twenty-three Sundance entries (AMERICAN SPLENDOR (2003), THE BROTHERS MCMULLEN (1995), and WHAT HAPPENED WAS . . . (1994)) have won the Grand Jury Prize, more than any other producer. Two of his films, AMERICAN SPLENDOR (2003), and HAPPINESS (1998), have won the Critics Prize at the Cannes International Film Festival. Hope is recognized, by The Hollywood Reporter and other publications, as one of the most influential and powerful people in Independent Film. He consults and lectures throughout the world including the Forbes Global CEO Conference and as the Keynote Speaker at the Power To The Pixel trans-media conference in London. Many film juries, including Sundance, SXSW, and Karlovy Vary have enjoyed Ted’s participation. He has appeared on A&E, CCTV 7 (China), CNN, Fox News, NPR, Sundance Channel, and numerous other media outlets. In addition, Ted is a board member of the IFP and serves on the advisory boards of the Adrienne Shelly Foundation, The Film Collaborative, Power to the Pixel, and the Woodstock Film Festival.

Hope lives in New York City with his wife and son.

Filmography

2011 Dark Horse (producer) (filming)
2010 Collaborator (executive producer) (post-production)
2011 Pandemic 41.410806, -75.654259 (short) (executive producer)
2011 Martha Marcy May Marlene (executive producer)
2010 Super(producer)
2009 Adventureland(producer)
2007 Towelhead(producer)
2007 The Savages(producer)
2006 The Ex(producer)
2006 Fay Grim(executive producer)
2006 The Hawk Is Dying(executive producer)
2006 Friends with Money(executive producer)
2005 Thumbsucker(executive producer)
2005 The Devil and Daniel Johnston(documentary) (executive producer)
2004 A Dirty Shame(producer)
2004 The Door in the Floor(producer)
2003 21 Grams(executive producer)
2003 American Splendor(producer)
2002 The Laramie Project(TV movie) (executive producer)
2001 Lovely & Amazing(producer)
2001 Human Nature(producer)
2001 Storytelling(producer)
2001 In the Bedroom(executive producer)
2000 The Tao of Steve(executive producer)
1999/I Ride with the Devil(producer)
1999 The Lifestyle(documentary) (executive producer)
1998 Arresting Gena(producer)
1998 Luminous Motion(producer)
1998 Happiness(producer)
1998 No Looking Back(producer)
1998 Fuzzy Logic(short) (producer)
1997 Wonderland(documentary) (executive producer)
1997 Love God(executive producer)
1997 The Myth of Fingerprints(executive producer)
1997 Office Killer(executive producer)
1997 The Ice Storm(producer)
1997 Monsters(executive producer)
1996 She’s the One(producer)
1996 Greetings from Africa(documentary short) (executive producer)
1996 Walking and Talking(producer)
1996 What About Me?(producer)
1995 Flirt(producer)
1995 Safe(executive producer)
1995 The Brothers McMullen (executive producer)
1994 Roy Cohn/Jack Smith(producer)
1994 Amateur(producer)
1994 Eat Drink Man Woman(associate producer)
1994 Auf Wiedersehen Amerika(line producer)
1994 What Happened Was…(executive producer)
1993 Surviving Desire(producer)
1993 The Wedding Banquet(producer)
1992 Simple Men(producer)
1992 I Was on Mars(line producer)
1992 Pushing Hands(executive producer)
1992 Punch and Judy Get Divorced(TV movie) (producer)
1991 Theory of Achievement(short) (producer)
1991/II Ambition(short) (producer)
1991 Angry(short) (producer)
1991 Chicken Delight(short) (producer)
1991 Keep It for Yourself(short) (producer)
1990 Trust(line producer)
1989 An Unremarkable Life (associate producer
1988 Tiger Warsaw (associate producer)
1987 Doom Asylum (associate producer)

Miles Maker

Twitter: @milesmaker

http://www.milesmaker.com/

Miles has been passionate about writing since he taught himself to read at a very early age. He found happiness and comfort in stories, and by the age of 13, he was accepted into the prestigious School for the Creative and Performing Arts in San Diego, California. The SCPA offered an expanded curriculum to nurture and mentor its students in their respective talents. Miles excelled in the areas of fiction writing, drama and poetry.

While studying journalism at the University of Oregon, Miles was asked to read at a casting call for the Turner Home Entertainment movie, “Finish Line”, (1989) starring James Brolin, Josh Brolin and Kristoff St. John. He was chosen to play the part of the character known as ‘Cooper’ by John Nicolella, the films Director. Maker was inspired to adapt his narrative stories into screenplays, and after receiving a training grant from Screen West Midlands and attending a series of weekend workshops at Raindance Films in London, Maker was determined to become a Director without a formal degree or hands-on training of any kind.

Filmography

2011 Sweet on You (producer) (in production)
2009/I Freedom (consulting producer) (post-production)
2010-2011 12 Steps to Recovery(TV series) (consulting producer – 3 episodes)
– Barack and Michelle (2011) (consulting producer)
– Out of Your League (2010) (consulting producer)
– Act Like a Man (2010) (consulting producer)
2011 Pariah(consulting producer)
2010/I Spare Change(producer)
2007 Man-Up (video short) (executive producer, producer)
2006 Lark & Cher (short) (executive producer)

Sheri Candler

Twitter: @shericandler

http://www.shericandler.com

Sheri Candler is an inbound marketing strategist who helps independent filmmakers build identities for themselves and their films. Through the use of online tools such as social networking, podcasts, blogs, online media publications and radio, she assists filmmakers in building an engaged and robust online community for their work that can be used to monetize effectively.She was involved with promoting 2009 NFB Cannes Short Film Corner winner “Sebastian’s Voodoo“; 2010 Slamdance official selection “YELLOWBRICKROAD;” and the feature documentary “Ride The Divide” which utilized a successful hybrid distribution strategy. She collaborates with Jon Reiss, author of “Think Outside the Box Office,” & participates in his TOTBO workshop series teaching filmmakers and PMDs how to utilize social networks and build identities for themselves and their films; she consults with non profit film distribution, marketing & filmmaker education organization The Film Collaborative; she writes articles for Microfilmmaker Magazine covering the issues of marketing and distribution for microbudget filmmakers; and she is a featured expert in the new Guerilla Filmmakers Pocketbookby Chris Jones, Genevieve Jolliffe & Andrew Zinnes.

Upcoming projects include World of Depleted, a  project involving a group of international directors and collaboration with audiences now in production; social media and organizational outreach in the US for the feature film “Undertow (Contracorriente)” Peru’s official submission for Oscar consideration of Best Foreign Language Film 2011; festival publicity for Trevor Anderson’s short film “The High Level Bridge” which has screened at Sundance and at SXSW 2011; and she is a co founder of #filmin140, a bi- monthly Twitter discussion panel exploring controversial issues and providing a unique aggregation of filmmaker resources for the independent film community. Sheri will be writing a chapter on film piracy and utilizing P2P networks to distribute film in an upcoming digital book due for release in September 2011 written in collaboration with The Film Collaborative and Jon Reiss.

Proudly included in producer Ted Hope’s Brave Thinkers of Indie Film 2010 list.

She can be found on Twitter @shericandler and on Facebook Sheri Candler Marketing and Publicity. To send her a private message info[at]shericandler.com

Gary King

Twitter: @grking

http://www.films.grking.com
http://www.kitchentablefilms.com
http://www.joeschermannsong.com
http://www.whatsuplovely.com
http://www.nylatelymovie.com
Gary King’s FACEBOOK Page
Gary King’s Twitter Page
Gary King’s IMDB Page
Gary King’s Vimeo Page

Gary King is a very talented filmmaker. – WE ARE MOVIE GEEKS

Gary King is a contemporary DIY American filmmaker whose work is known for powerful performances with an emphasis on a strong, visual style.  He has written, directed and produced several critically acclaimed feature films as well as award-winning short films.In 2009, he made his feature film debut with the ensemble drama NEW YORK LATELY which has been hailed by The Independent Critic as “a remarkable achievement” and Row Three as “a beautiful film” making its Top Ten Films of 2009 List.

With Gary’s ability to skillfully apply his filmmaking craft across genres, Fearmakers hired him to direct the grisly horror film DISMAL.  The film has been picked up by Showtime, The Movie Channel, TimeWarner On-Demand and has both a domestic and international DVD release.

He also recently helmed the action/comedy zombie film DEATH OF THE DEAD for Strange Stuff Productions which AINT IT COOL says “delivers a lot of laughs.” THE CREEPTURE FEATURE HORROR SHOW calls it “…an instant classic…” while SOUND ON SIGHT describes it as “a mash-up between a Zucker Brothers comedy and a Troma film…with a surprising amount of heart.” The film is currently screening in festivals across the country and is being repped by DeLarge.

Gary is a member of the Workbook Project’s NEW BREED — an indie film movement that consists of emerging filmmakers who are creating their own paths with their exciting work.  The NEW BREED (founded by The Workbook Project pioneer filmmaker Lance Weiler) contains first person insights and accounts dealing with the filmmaking process.

He is also the inaugural recipient of FLYWAY FILM FESTIVAL’s SPIRIT OF FLYWAY Award for his “passion about film…in both his work and in the tremendous support he shows to film festivals and fellow filmmakers around the world. ”

He recently released his latest feature film WHAT’S UP LOVELY which already has critics buzzing about its visual elegance and outstanding performance by lead actress Jenn Dees.  (Read the reviews here)

Currently, Gary is working on a feature film musical titled HOW DO YOU WRITE A JOE SCHERMANN SONG which is scheduled to hit the festival circuit in 2011-12.

He is based in Astoria, New York.

Filmography

2011 How Do You Write a Joe Schermann Song (post-production)
2011 Death of the Dead (video) (completed)
2010 What’s Up Lovely
2009 Dismal
2009 New York Lately
2006 Hubris (short)
2004 Favors (short)

Interviews and Articles

AA Risings | A-Profiler: Gary King
Rogue Cinema | An Interview with Gary King
Imoovizine | King Premieres film “New York Lately” after Cashing out his entire 401K to Finance the Film
Associated Content | Best Independent Movies of 2008
New Breed | a LOVELY Filmmaking Process
Row Three | Flyway Film Festival Pubcast
New Breed | Find Your Audience – So They Can Find You
Battle Royale With Cheese | Sledge Talks to Gary King
An Indie Life | How to be a Guerrilla (Lessons in DIY Filmmaking)
Film Courage | Radio Interview with Filmmaker Gary King and actress Christina Rose
Open Indie | Filmmaker Focus: Gary King
Write On | Author Q&A: Filmmaker Gary King
The 3 a.m. Screenwriter | Insiders Interview with DIY Writer/Director Gary King
The Annapolis Sound | Interview with Gary King, Director of What’s Up Lovely
Everything Film Show | Radio Interview with Gary King
Creepture Feature Horror Show | Interview with Gary King and actress Christina Rose (on “DEATH OF THE DEAD”)
An Indie Life | Lessons Learned in Crowdfunding
Filmmaking Stuff | The Secret Society Of Modern Indie Filmmakers

John Trigonis

Twitter: @trigonis

http://www.johntrigonis.com/

I’m a published poet, indie filmmaker and freelance professor by day … and pretty much the same things by night.

Filmography (Writer)

A Jersey Fable (short) (story) (completed)
2010 Cerise (short) (story)
2009 Speed Musing (short) (writer)
2008 The Hotel Edwards (short)
2008 Perfekt (short) (writer)
2007 The Coconut (short) (story & screenplay)
2005 Cunnigula

Jeanne Veillette Bowerman

Twitter: @jeannevb

http://www.jeannevb.com/

A midlife crisis led Jeanne from a 15-year ownership of a motel and restaurant to becoming an insecure writer.  She was working on a novel until a fellow Cornell graduate convinced her to try screenwriting.

Jeanne adapted the 2009 Pulitzer Prize winning book, Slavery by Another Name, with its author, Douglas A. Blackmon, Senior National Correspondent of The Wall Street Journal.  Her freelance career was launched with an article in Writer’s Digest Magazine on her own wild Twitter Pimp Angel ride, Confessions of a Tweetaholic.  She’s a regular contributor for Script Magazine website and  Write On Online, and together with Rachel Langer, she started a blog dedicated to social media and writers, SMwriters.com.  After a six-year hiatus, her novel is back in progress.

Beyond writing, Jeanne is one of the founders of ScriptChat, a Twitter screenwriting chat, where screenwriters come together to learn… with no ego.  She’s the USA moderator, blog mistress, and pimp of all that is #scriptchat.

Self-described “writer of things,” Jeanne pursues writing anything from blog posts, articles, novels, short stories, screenplays… and beyond.  Visit the Published Clips tab above for more of her work.  If it’s something that can move you, she’ll find a way to write it.

Follow her on Twitter for her full crazy stream of insecurity.

Jessica King & Julie Keck

Twitter: @kingisafink

http://www.kingisafink.com/

If someone asked us what we were like, I’d say we’re a perfect mix of the 2 great Catherines: Breillat & O’Hara. Fat Girl meets SCTV, anyone?

Julie Keck and Jessica King, who work and play together as King is a Fink, write and direct movies with small budgets and big stories that are at once familiar, uncomfortable, demented, and exhilarating.  They don’t mind getting a little dark, and they don’t mind getting a little dirty. This is what makes their movies so fun.

In 2010 they:

• wrote and produced the indie thriller TILT (directed by Minnesota director Phil Holbrook)
• ran a successful $15,000 crowdfunding campaign via Kickstarter
• made the latest short film in their Kinky Cutie series (WIGGLE ROOM)
• adapted a naughty memoir by Kevin Keck for the big screen
• took their original Kinky Cutie (LIBIDOLAND) around the country to festivals and special screenings
• and more…

Think they’re going to slow down in 2011? Better think again.

When they’re not creating worlds and making things up, Jessica is a high school English and film teacher with a passion for critical thinking; Julie is a freelance writer with a penchant for semicolon usage and social media mayhem.

Screenplays they’ve Written

“Kevin Keck Project” (FEATURE) – an adaptation of a naughty memoir by Kevin Keck

• LOGLINE: Finally finished with grad school, Kevin’s ready to start his new life…in his parents’ basement.
• GENRE: Comedy
• STATUS: Soon to be available

“TILT” (FEATURE) – Click here for more information

• LOGLINE: In the aftermath of an unthinkable event, a father struggles to reconnect with his daughter while deciding how far he’ll go to set things right.
• GENRE: Dramatic thriller
• STATUS: Currently in post-production; scheduled for release in Spring 2011.

“THE UNLOVABLES” (FEATURE)

• LOGLINE: A jaded single woman drags her unwitting family to Vegas to track down the serial killer who passed her by for her hotter, blonder friend.
• GENRE: Dark Comedy
• STATUS: Currently in negotiations.

“BAKER’S DOZEN” (FEATURE)

• LOGLINE: When Kate’s baker girlfriend abandons her for a sassy reality TV chef, she can barely keep her cafe open.  Interventions from her quirky customers help her stay afloat, but when fresh-faced Callie comes to town, will Kate be ready to invite her into her life, or just her kitchen?
• GENRE: Romantic Comedy
• HONORS: Finalist in the Great Lakes International Film Festival 2009; Semi-Finalist for the 2009 Outfest Screenwriting Lab; Quarter-finalist for the 2009 Bluecat Screenplay Competition
• STATUS: Available

“MOONBUGS” (FEATURE)

• LOGLINE: When recent college grads Marco and Vivian travel to China to teach English, they battle vermin, struggle with culture shock, fall in love with the same woman, and learn unexpected lessons about love, deceit, loyalty, societal pressures, and international immigration law.
• GENRE: Drama / Comedy
• STATUS: Available

“SPARKLY PINK” (SHORT)

• LOGLINE: A troubled girl in the inner city finds hope in a pair of magic glasses.
• GENRE: Fairy Tale
• HONORS: First place in its heat in Round 1 of the NYC Midnight Screenwriter’s Challenge 2009; Semi-finalist in the 2010 Canadian Short Screenplay Competition
• STATUS: Available

“AIR KISS” (SHORT)

• LOGLINE: When quips and charm fail, a tardy suitor goes head over heels to prove his devotion.
• GENRE: Comedy
• HONORS: First place in its heat (Round 1, Challenge 1) in the NYC Midnight Screenwriting Championships 2008
• STATUS: Available

”DOWN BELOW” (SHORT)

• LOGLINE: A lonely woman curating a Titanic exhibit discovers that the doomed passengers have something much bigger in store for her.
• GENRE: Horror
• HONORS: First place in its heat (Round 1, Challenge 2) in the NYC Midnight Screenwriting Championships 2008
• STATUS: Available

”PROTOCOL 10” (SHORT)

• LOGLINE: The tenuous bond between a father and son is tested when zombies take over the South Pole.
• GENRE: Horror
• COMPETITION: NYC Midnight Screenwriting Championships 2008
• STATUS: Available

Click for more info on movies they’ve made.

Oli Lewington

Twitter: @olilewington

http://www.olilewington.co.uk/

I am a writer, filmmaker and motivational speaker. I am also the recipient of a life-saving double-lung transplant in 2007 and living my life in the way I believe I should be leading it – enjoying it as much as possible and helping others realise what a gift life is.

Over the course of the 10 years that I’ve worked as a freelance creative, I’ve made a lot of mistakes. This blog aims to help other creatives – be they filmmakers, writers¹, artists or advertising execs – to benefit from my mistakes and to be more creative, more productive and achieve more in a shorter time than I’ve ever managed.

I own and run a production company – TinyButMighty Media – which specialises in arts documentaries and branded content.

I produce all of TinyButMighty’s work as well as shooting and editing a lot of it, too, but I love working with young and emerging artists from all areas of the arts to create interesting things.

I speak in public. Not just out and about, or shouting in the street. I’m often called on as a motivational speaker, showing how the power of positivity got me through my transplant and has served to enhance and expand my career since. My speaking work varies from speaking at charity balls to help raise money for causes close to my heart to passing on the tools and techniques I have used to businesses and conferences.

In terms of ambitions, mine are far-reaching and focused on being able to enjoy the life I have. Professionally, I’m happy to see where the wind takes me, but I know exactly where I’m aiming my kite for.

Danny Lacey

Twitter: @dannylaceyfilm

http://www.stadamedia.co.uk/dannylaceyfilm/
http://www.stadamedia.co.uk/dannylaceyfilm/category/danny-lacey-blog/

An ambitious film maker from Leeds, West Yorkshire UK. Danny is on an incredible journey to establish himself as a respected film maker. An entrepreneurial film maker with a real passion for making popular films covering many genre’s. He’s the first film maker in the world to host a regular live Internet show that’s an open and honest account of his journey.

The next few years will see Danny write, produce and direct several short film projects and his first feature length film. There will also be a serious attempt to win an Oscar with one of his short films.

Mattson Tomlin

Twitter: @mattsontomlin

http://mattsontomlin.blogspot.com/

I am currently a film student attending SUNY Purchase. I have three feature films (one of which about to be released, the other making its way into various independent theaters around the country) and am shooting several short films at this time. I recently completed work on a twenty minute short shot on 16mm film, titled ‘Until the Sky Falls’. My next project, ‘In Which Our Hero’ is in pre-production. Between my own work and searching to get shows for my features, you can also visit wackeychan.com for more. Finally, I am currently looking for musicians and small companies as clients for music videos and advertisements. Follow me and enjoy!

Filmography

2011 Solomon Grundy (post-production)
2009 Solomon Grundy (short)
2009 Until the Sky Falls (short)
2009 Popsy (short)
2008/I The Projectionist
2007 Pit.A.Pat (short)