Category: First-person

First-person

Indie Toolkit writers rewind/fast-forward on the year/decade in film

The decade in screenwriting: Looking back over the past several years—to 2006, for example, when four of the American Film Institute’s top 10 films of the year were comedies, as opposed to just one each in 2008 and 2009—a number of prominent 2009 films took on serious topical subjects, from war to racism to financial insolvency. An ever-expanding number of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror vehicles offered near fatal adrenaline rushes and perhaps a needed relief from everyday troubles. But an especially notable trend in the stories told on film in the past year was toward the dark, lonely, inside story.

topics: activism, audiences, authors, bay area, critics, digital distribution, digital filmmaking, directors, drama, dramatic films, dvd, hollywood, how-to, independent film, internet, screenwriting

First-person

It’s a fat line between love and hate

"A beautiful, delicately observed comedy.”

“The festival circuit is the only ride for this wobbly vehicle.”

“As entertaining as the wine tour in Sideways.”

“Hasn’t got a joke worth laughing over.”

“An artistically integrated film that introduces a refreshing new talent to the independent scene.”

“An inauspicious debut…”

Wildly differing reactions. Same film. Mine.

How can so many people respond in diametric, and at times, vitriolic opposition to the same exact frames? The same characters and lines?

Since this is my first spin at the feature film prom, I’ve searched myself for answers. The only conclusion I can offer: Some of my favorite films have polarized critics and audiences in much the same way.

topics: authors, bay area, critics, directors, diy, features, independent film

First-person

SXSW: From the producer's chair

Day one: Strong showing for SF filmmakers

I was sitting at a rustic table at the Iron Works, an Austin institution serving "gen-yoo-ine” Texas barbecue. I licked bits of beef brisket and barbecue sauce off my lips and wiped my sticky fingers so I could snap a photo of San Francisco-based filmmakers Jennifer M. Kroot and Geralyn Pezanoski, both of whom have feature-length documentary films premiering at the 2009 SXSW Film Festival. In addition to directing her own film, Geralyn also has a producing credit on another documentary, Motherland, directed by Jennifer Steinman, that is premiering at SXSW. (To hear this report in my own words, try my Vlog at YouTube.)

topics: digital filmmaking, diy, documentary, independent film

First-person

Ten Commandments, or helpful hints, before diving into digital delivery

[SF360.org editor’s note: These remarks by Larry Daressa were delivered at the SFFS Film Arts Forum February 9, 2009.]

1. The first commandment is that there are no commandments. Each film demands and deserves its own distribution strategy, including no digital distribution strategy. Any strategy should begin with a clear—and realistic—assessment of the target audience. Find your niche. It’s more important to do a thorough job reaching motivated buyers than wasting your time and money trying to lure the mass market. In making this decision, you need to decide whether your bottom line is exposure or the bottom line; the two aren’t always synonymous. These ten commandments address the bottom line—how best to “monetize your content” today.

topics: digital distribution, digital filmmaking, distribution, distributors, diy, documentary, features, independent film

First-person

Ten Commandments, or helpful hints, before diving into digital delivery

[SF360.org editor’s note: These remarks by Larry Daressa were delivered at the SFFS Film Arts Forum February 9, 2009.]

1. The first commandment is that there are no commandments. Each film demands and deserves its own distribution strategy, including no digital distribution strategy. Any strategy should begin with a clear—and realistic—assessment of the target audience. Find your niche. It’s more important to do a thorough job reaching motivated buyers than wasting your time and money trying to lure the mass market. In making this decision, you need to decide whether your bottom line is exposure or the bottom line; the two aren’t always synonymous. These ten commandments address the bottom line—how best to “monetize your content” today.

topics: digital distribution, digital filmmaking, distribution, distributors, diy, documentary, features, independent film

First-person

Funder as supplicant

As a program officer at The San Francisco Foundation, I say “No” to artists and arts organizations daily. I try to soften the blow, detailing the reality of limited resources and an overabundance of projects, seldom discussing quality or appropriateness, thinking I am kinder in vagueness.

I also write personal essays and make films. Last year, a dream project, three years in the making, was realized when I produced and co-directed a concert documentary, Janis Ian: Live From Grand Center, with KETC/PBS in St. Louis. The program features the legendary Grammy Award-winning artist performing 15 songs from her 40-year career—augmented with archival footage, including Leonard Bernstein introducing her at age 15 to a national audience singing "Society’s Child" and a 1975 performance of "At Seventeen."

topics: bay area, digital filmmaking, directors, documentary film, funding, gay lesbian cinema, music, performance, producers, public television