Posts Tagged ‘ifie’

Conference offers networking opportunities for local filmmakers

Saturday, September 4th, 2010

A premier expo for filmmaking is heading to the Southland this September, the Digital Video Expo.

The DV Expo (www.dvexpo.com) comes to the Pasadena Convention Center Sept. 28 – 30.

The expo is comprised of a conference and exhibits. The conference includes education, some free and some that costs extra. The exhibit hall is open to all and a free exhibit hall pass is currently available.

Free exhibit hall passes and early bird pricing is available now and up until Sept. 11th. There is a discount code for add-on conference events as well. Discount code to use for that is “IFIE”. That saves you $50 in addition to any other discounts.

Expos are a great way to learn about the current equipment that’s out there and what’s coming and a great way to try things out, hands on. Many times you are face to face with the heads of the companies, themselves. Suffice it to say, the people representing the products at the exhibit hall booths are highly knowledgeable and can answer any questions you may have.

Some free education and presentations that can be found there are lighting master classes, “The New Now — Surviving the Changing Business of Production” along with first Looks at Panasonic AG-3DA1 3D camcorder and Canon XF305 and XF300 camcorders.

There are also meetings of industry groups such as the Los Angeles Final Cut Pro Users Group, International Digital Media Alliance, Digital Cinema Society and the Los Angeles Post Production Group. These are great opportunities to meet and network with working professionals in the film and TV industries.

The Independent Filmmakers of the Inland Empire will be there checking out all the great exhibits and taking in many classes. So, it would be a great opportunity to network with some local filmmakers as well.

IE Filmmaking Group Going Gangbusters

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

Wednesday’s meeting of the Independent Filmmakers of the Inland Empire was a real treat and the response was an exciting surprise. There were approximately forty people in attendance, a huge jump from the eight that came to the first meeting.

February, 2010's IFIE Meeting

Since the group is new, the reasons for these first meetings were to 1) establish the group, 2) introduce filmmaking enthusiasts to one another and 3) start to organize the group and structure of the meetings. I’ve found with related past activities, like when I ran a 48 hour film project team, that it takes a number of meetings before things find their groove.

Because one of the main purposes of the group is to help filmmakers, we surveyed the group to see what they expected from coming to these meetings, how they would like the meetings to run and what they wanted to see at future meetings.

Having gone to numerous successful film related and other types of enthusiast group meetings, I am patterning the basic structure of the “IFIE” meetings after those. Taking from the desires of the group, we will be holding a structured format agenda with announcements, education, presentations, show and tells, networking time and raffles.

Filmmaking is a dynamic process and I fully expect these meetings to have a dynamic life to them but one thing’s for certain, there are a lot of independent filmmakers and related crew, talent and artists here in the Inland Empire and we are here to help them do what they what to do, create films.

Because of the overwhelming response and anticipated growth of the group, we are looking for a bigger venue in which to hold our monthly meetings.

To find out about more about the group or when and where the next meetings will take place, please visit: http://www.meetup.com/Independent-Filmmakers-of-the-Inland-Empire-Meetup-Group/

Next meeting is scheduled for March 17th.

“Where The Real Money Is” or “Why You Don’t Need To Buy All That”

Sunday, January 24th, 2010

Entertainment in the world is probably the biggest money making proposition there is. (At least for what’s legal, ethical or moral! [Although there are elements of evil in any industry!])

Some of the world’s wealthiest people are entertainers. People can rise to fame in an instant. Talent doesn’t necessarily define what you can earn, either. We’ve all heard music and thought “I know better sounding musicians than that!” and wondered how did they get a record deal. We’ve seen some pretty bad movies at the theaters too, movies that cost millions of dollars to make. We’ve seen no-budget entertainers make the most beautiful pieces of art and thought, “They need to be discovered!” Some of us have even told the artists that.

That’s part of the glamour or intrigue to this whole industry, there are Cinderella stories out there! You can become a millionaire overnight. After all, “You could do THAT!”

Some, a whole lot, actually, feel they can do better or, at least, well enough and try to make a living at entertainment. So many, in fact, that whole industries spring up, feeding on that desire people have to “make it!”

Some easy examples to witness are actors and musicians. A Google search for “acting schools” gave me 4,790,000 results. “Music schools” gave me 84,900,000 results! Whereas “mechanic schools” only returned 589,000 results.

I’m an aspiring film editor and filmmaker but I’ve had other artistic interests before. One of them was music. I’ve “done it all” (on a small scale) in the music business. I’ve played bass in a band, was a lead singer in a band, managed bands, been a college radio DJ, booked bands and even ran a blues magazine.

One of the best educations I got during that time was from a home study course on the business of music. The name escapes me (that was a whole “‘nother” lifetime ago. But, I’ll grab it out of the garage later and fill in the name).

There the instructor (again, I’ll fill this in later) explained that in the music business, you needed to concentrate on one thing: being a musician! Of course there was the “business” side of things but that you didn’t need to build a studio in your bedroom, garage or what have you, like all the music stores were trying to tell you that you did. He went on to explain that there was a whole industry built around selling you on the idea that you just needed that one more extra piece to the puzzle and you could then “make it!” When the fact was, you just needed to learn how to be the best musician you could be and there were other people who were trained in recording, etc. that could do the other jobs.

I hope you’re having an “ah-ha” moment right about now. If you aren’t, I haven’t conveyed the idea well enough or perhaps you’ve been sold that idea too hard as well.

See, it isn’t just in the music industry. I mentioned actors before and acting schools. I also said that an artist should perfect his craft. You might be saying, “well then acting schools are a needed thing”. They very well could be. Then again, maybe not. I’m all for taking classes. After all, I’m a 42 year-old community college student! I think people should continue to educate themselves in some form or another, throughout their lives. What I’m trying to explain here today is that “the path need not be long! (nor expensive!)”

I guess in any endeavor one undertakes, there are expenses. There are millions of ways to tackle any goal in life. There are nearly 6.7 billion people on Earth all with their own tact on survival, eh? Money or no money, we’re all heading to the same end. We just each have our own flare about it, good or bad.

Let me get back to the movies and filmmaking, in particular, since that is my chosen path at this time in my life. Do I need to own a full movie studio and know how to run every part of it to make a movie? No. Do I need to even own a camera, a computer, a light kit and boom mic? No. These are what seem the basic tools of the craft. But, do I need to own them? No. Do I need to learn how to use them? No. Not even that! Does knowing how to use them help me with my craft? Yes! Would owning a studio enable me to create more within my craft? Yes! But, they are not necessary. And that is my point.

You are being bombarded with MARKETING constantly. “If you want ‘A’ you need ‘B’!”, “In order to make your movie, you need to buy camera ‘Z’!” “To be the best filmmaker out there, you need to learn how to edit on a MAC!” (Nothing against Macs, I own four!) Marketing has been defined as “creating want”. If you want something, more than probably, it’s been marketed to you!

I am a firm believer that anything can be done on any budget. (I was going to say within certain means but I re-thought that and stand by what I said.) Now, you may need others to join you who have the equipment or money or what have you, but it can be done. Filmmaking, they say, is a collaborative effort. It can or cannot be but, mostly, I’d say it is. It’s also a dynamic effort. Things change constantly, when making a film, just like life. It’s almost a living, breathing entity on its own! (Cue the Frankenstein clip, “It’s alive!”)

You are being sold gazillions of dollars of stuff (as the late, great George Carlin would say), all the time. You don’t need all that stuff!

Take a look at what’s being sold to you everyday as you pursue your filmmaking career. I took a class with producer Jim Lindsay, who had some great mantras. The main one was “Want vs. Need”. In other words, do I need this or do I just want it? Asking yourself this question every time you’re making a financial decision will save you a LOT of money down the line!

“That being said” (*Curb Your Enthusiasm reference), I’m entering a phase of my filmmaking career where I am heading a filmmaking enthusiasts group. One of the “benefits” of such a group is showing off the latest and the greatest products to help you “become a better filmmaker”. That’s all nice and fancy but I’ll be the first to point out that YOU probably don’t need that [name item here].

To learn more about the new group go here:
http://www.meetup.com/Independent-Filmmakers-of-the-Inland-Empire-Meetup-Group

A reference book that shares the concept that you don’t need to own anything to start (highly recommended!):
The Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide

Independent Filmmakers of the Inland Empire – A Plea

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

Hi Everyone!

This is just a quick update on my latest project.

I have begun organizing a local film making enthusiasts group called the “Independent Filmmakers of the Inland Empire”.

The first organizational meeting went great and we are having another next month, Wed, Feb 3rd.

The purpose of the group is to unite like-minded who enjoy filmmaking or some aspect of it. The plan is to provide A) comradery, B) education and C) support to the local filmmaking community.

The group is for the general public and will allow for many networking opportunities. I am basing the group organization and meetings off of successful meeting groups that I have been apart of. We will provide speakers, demonstrations, showcases and most importantly: RAFFLES!

I am looking for 1) members, 2) speakers and 3) sponsors!

I also would love any advice or suggestions. I have a definite idea of how this group should and will go and grow but I am very open to ideas.

If you fit into any of the categories 1-3 above, please contact me, so that we can discuss how you can contribute to the growth of indie filmmaking!

Also, if you know of anyone else that would be a great fit, let them know about us!

Thanks for listening!

Follow
http://twitter.com/IFotIE
for the latest updates on the group.

And see our new Meetup.com page:
http://www.meetup.com/Independent-Filmmakers-of-the-Inland-Empire-Meetup-Group/

Love,
Eric
___________________

Eric Francis Harnden
Digital Editor, Filmmaker and Industry Blogger

Quintessential Studios
___________________

http://wordpress.quintessentialstudios.net
http://twitter.com/quintessential

http://twitter.com/IFotIE
http://www.meetup.com/Independent-Filmmakers-of-the-Inland-Empire-Meetup-Group/

9 Jan 2010 update: Thanks to


for becoming our first sponsor!

28 Jan 2010 update: Thanks to


for becoming a sponsor!

Independent Filmmakers of the Inland Empire – Jan 2010 Newsletter

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010
Last night, Jan 5, 2010, I held the first organizational meeting for the Independent Filmmakers of the Inland Empire.

 

Today, I sent out this email:

 

Hello fellow IFIE’s!

 

(How do you like that name!)

 

It was really great to meet you all last night.

 

I’m thinking of having the next meeting Wed, Feb 3.  How does that work for everyone?

 

Some events that I am aware of in January/February:

 

Wed Jan 13:
Los Angeles Post Production Group
lappg.org 
RSVP required $5 donation at the door

 

Tue Jan 19
Digital Media Artists of Los Angeles
dmala.org
Free but advanced signup needed

 

Tue Jan 19
Orange County MultiMedia Meetup
General Meeting: Video: Equipment and Workflow
http://www.meetup.com/Orange-County-MultiMedia-Association/
$15/$7 students advanced signup necessary

 

Thur Jan 21, 10 AM:
Webinar: “Working with Greenscreen Shots”
Register here!
$25

Tue Jan 26, 10 AM:
FREE Webinar: “What’s So Hot About Nuke?”
Register here!

 

Tue Jan 26, 7PM
Pizza & Post w/editor Gib Jaffe
http://pizzaandpostgibjaffe.eventbrite.com/
Free

 

Wed Jan 27:
Los Angeles Final Cut Pro Users Group
lafcpug.org
$5 donation at the door

Fri Jan 29:
Everything ARRI
7:30PM on the campus of California State University Northridge, (CSUN) Seating is limited, and RSVPs are required. e-mail: Mathers@DigitalCinemaSociety.org
DCS membership maybe required
digitalcinemasociety.org for more info

 

Fri Feb 5:
9th Annual FCPUG San Francisco Supermeet
Advanced Ticket purchase needed
http://lafcpug.org

Thur Feb 18:
Createasphere Entertainment Technology Expo (formerly HD Expo)
http://www.createasphere.com/
Advanced registration needed

 

Let me know if you hear of anything else.
Here is that link that Cosmin mentioned last night:

http://stillmotion.ca/

– 
___________________

Eric Francis Harnden
Digital Editor, Filmmaker and Industry Blogger

Quintessential Studios
___________________

http://wordpress.quintessentialstudios.net
http://twitter.com/quintessential

and new Twitter for IFIE updates:
http://twitter.com/IFotIE

++++++

I am looking for speakers for our future meetings and for sponsorship from industry companies!

If you are interested in helping and supporting independent filmmaking, please contact me!

P.S. I’ll Keep updating the upcoming events as I learn more.