SELECTED FEATURE ARTICLES
Writing the Future: Consumer Electronics Show in LA
When it comes to getting the Internet to your television, there are a lot of buzzwords floating around – “Smart TV," “Convergence,” “Over the Top (OTT) delivery” – to name just a few. But what’s really happening with this new technology and, more importantly, what does it mean for writers? [click here to continue reading on www.wga.org]
Stories Matter at CES 2011
Each year, gadget enthusiasts look forward to the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) for the opportunity to see the latest and greatest in everything from televisions to tablets to new automotive technology. The January 2011 installment of the annual mega-conference, however, offered a little something extra. Touting the slogan, “Entertainment Matters,” this year’s event aimed to make itself a must-attend for the Hollywood community, positing that never before have entertainment and technology been so intertwined... [click here to continue reading on www.wga.org]
The Sundance Diaries: The Interrupters and Project Nim
When one thinks of Sundance, "science" isn’t usually one of the first words that comes to mind. However, when attending the annual forward thinking festival in Park City, Utah, there is a surprising amount of science being discussed and observed, whether it’s a primary element in documentary films that showcase such subjects such as signing chimpanzees and technology, a concept fueling a narrative science fiction films, or a more subtle underlying element of a larger story... [click here to continue reading on Scientific American]
The Sundance Diaries: Focus on the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Winning a jury prize at Sundance can change a filmmaker’s life, bringing them recognition and new career opportunities. But winning the Alfred P. Sloan prize brings a filmmaker a li’l something else: $20,000 in cold, hard cash! The award, presented by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, was established in 2003 to recognize a film "that focuses on science or technology as a theme or depicts a scientist, engineer or mathematician as a hero." It is part of the Foundation’s “Public Understanding of Science and Technology” program. While at this year’s festival, I sat down with Doron Weber, Vice President of Programs, who oversees the Public Understanding initiative, as well as the Foundation’s Digital Information Technology and the Dissemination of Knowledge program. I was curious about how a philanthropic institution dedicated to grant-making "in support of original research and education in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and economic performance" found its way to giving out prizes for filmmaking... [click here to continue reading on Scientific American]
The New Media Frontier: Insight into the Brand Mindset from Ad:Tech San Francisco
As the Wild West of online video content continues to grow and develop, new avenues are opening up to those pioneering writers who are interested in forging their own path. Enterprising feature scribes have long had the film festival route as an option to work outside the studio system; however, episodic writers looking to do the same have had more of a challenge, due to the high cost of television production and the lack of independent distribution options...[click here to continue reading on www.wga.org]
Festbook Pages: When Film Festivals Meet Web 2.0
Over the last several years, there has been a lot of talk about how films are making use of the Internet for marketing and distribution. The Web 2.0 revolution has hit film festivals as well, changing the way they communicate with their patrons, support their filmmakers and sustain their brands. Savvy festivals have adjusted with technology, taking advantage of all the new tools the Web has to offer. Along the way, they've had to make calculated decisions about how to invest their limited financial and human resources...[click here to continue reading]
Sundance 2010: Don't Trust the Government
Guggenheim...Gibney...Poitras...Nelson...Grady & Ewing...Sundberg & Stern...Blitz...Walker...Bar-Lev...The documentary film program at Sundance 2010 was a veritable "Who's Who" of nonfiction filmmakers, a collection of some of the finest artists working in the field today. Combine that with a renewed sense of energy driven by the new leadership of John Cooper and Trevor Groth and a Main Street with fewer swag houses and third-party branded lounges, and this year's fest added up to a cinema-focused, 10-day bonanza for nonfiction film fans.[click here to continue reading]
Vertical Integration: The NFB's 'High Rise' Project Tackles Urban Living
The American Heritage Dictionary defines "documentary" as "A work, such as a film or television program, presenting political, social or historical subject matter in a factual and informative manner and often consisting of actual news films or interviews accompanied by narration." The National Film Board (NFB) of Canada aims to blow that very traditional definition out of the water with its second Filmmaker-in-Residence (FIR) program, High Rise, a multi-year, trans-media project based around questions about the human experience of the high rise and the future of urban living. [click here to continue reading]
The DocAde: 10 Years in Documentary
As the decade draws to a close, many have struggled to figure out what to call it. The Aughties? The Naughties? The OhOh's? But in my mind it's pretty clear – the past 10 years have been the Decade of the Documentary (DocAde, anyone?). [click here to continue reading]
Anatomy of a Deal: 'Cirle of 8' - Paramount, MySpace and Mountain Dew
As web television continues to develop, one of the key questions for show creators is cracking the mystery of how the business actually works. Where do deals originate, how does one get a sponsor on board and how does web video generate revenue? Though Circle of 8 is a show with a lot of suspense, I was able to get Quinn and Mountain Dew Director of Marketing Marisol Tamaro to spill some of the secrets about the anatomy of this deal...[click here to continue reading on tubefilter.tv]
Snagging Successfully: Online Portal Helps Filmmakers Find Their Audiences
SnagFilms describes itself with the following four verbs: "Find. Watch. Snag. Support." Now that the company has been around for a year and a half, I wanted to explore the "Support" part of its identity. No one has quite figured out the monetization aspect of online distribution just yet, as witnessed by Morgan Spurlock's now infamous comment on a 2009 South by Southwest Conference and Festival (SXSW) panel on digital distribution: "Filmmakers need a reality check; you can pay your phone bill, not your rent, with these [revenues]." [click here to continue reading]
Diagnostic Documentaries: HBO Faces Alzheimer's Disease
This May, HBO launches The Alzheimer's Project, an ambitious, multi-platform effort to bring a wider understanding of Alzheimer's disease to the American public. The project consists of a four-part documentary series, 15 short supplemental films, a robust website (www.hbo.com/alzheimers) , a companion book and a nationwide, community-based information and outreach campaign....[click here to continue reading]
Dick Opens the D.C. Closet in 'Outrage'
What do former New York City mayor Ed Koch, Florida governor Charlie Crist, retired Idaho Senator Larry Craig and Republican Congressman David Dreier have in common? All are "outed’ in Kirby Dick’s new film Outrage, which was just released by Magnolia Pictures on May 8...[click here to continue reading]
It's the Economy, Dude: Lauren Greenfield Looks at Kidsumerism
Sometimes HBO seems to have a sixth sense about scheduling its programming in tandem with current events. When director Lauren Greenfield (Thin) began working on her latest documentary, kids + money, she had no idea the film would end up making its broadcast debut on HBO in the middle of a terrible economic crisis. But perhaps there is no better time to hear from America's youth about their thoughts on spending and consumerism...[click here to continue reading]
Sundance 2009 Wrap Up: Fish, Dirt, Recreations and Danger
The 2009 Sundance Film Festival was a more moderate affair than previous editions in many ways. The temperature was milder, the deal-making less frenetic, the party lines shorter and the parking much, much easier. Once I got inside the theater and the film started rolling, though, it all felt the same to me. The screenings I attended were full and the public audiences participated enthusiastically in the Q&A sessions following each film, excited to interact with the filmmakers in attendance. Sundance is still one of the only places in the world where I can find consistently packed, generous houses for documentary films....[click here to continue reading]
Conventional Wisdom: How to Cover a Political Confab
...Award-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler (The War Room) advises, "Shoot characters, not the convention. Conventions are like big parties and no one ever shoots a party that ends up in a film. Tell specific character-based stories and you'll end up with awesome material."...[click here for full article]
AFI Digifest 2008
...The day kicked off with Jesse Alexander, Co-Executive Producer, Heroes, talking about the "Heroes 360 Experience," the digital extension of the series. While it’s hard to compare the process of putting together a big genre television hit with that of a low-budget documentary, Alexander specifically made the point that no matter what kind of content you’re dealing with, taking advantage of new media tools like Twitter and Flickr can extend the reach of your project. A perfect example of this is Gone Gitmo, from producer/director Nonny de la Peña and USC Interactive Media adjunct professor Peggy Weil. The two created the project, a virtual Guantánamo Bay Prison in Second Life...[click here for full article]
'Surfwise' - Utopia By the Shore
Documentary filmmakers search long and hard for strong, compelling subjects. Doug Pray hit the motherlode with Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz and his family, the focus of his new film Surfwise, which opens May 9 through Magnolia Pictures. The tale of a strict, dynamic father and the life he imposed on his nine children, the film examines what happens when you grow up in a utopian, nomadic surfing cocoon and then are forced to deal with the real world...[click here to continue reading]
Mars Needs Docs! Red Planet Now the Subject of Science Nonfiction
It used to be that when you went to see a movie about Mars, you assumed it was science fiction. Tales of the red planet involved little green men, ancient canals and doomsday radio broadcasts. However, with the arrival of the Spirit and Opportunity Rovers on Mars in early 2004, the fourth planet from the sun has become a hot topic among factual filmmakers. A number of docs are currently in production, with the blessings and full cooperation of NASA and JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratories), the lab where Spirit and Opportunity were constructed...[click here to continue reading]
Comparative Shakespeare: The Whole World's a Stage -- Be It a Classroom or a Prison
State penitentiaries and inner-city schools are not usually the first venues that come to mind when one thinks about going to see moving productions of Shakespeare's works. So when husband-and-wife filmmaking team Hank Rogerson and Jilann Spitzmiller and veteran documentarian Mel Stuart each read articles about the amazing work taking place in these unusual settings, they were inspired to pick up their cameras...[click here to continue reading]
Verite Vamping: 'Grey Gardens' Blooms Onstage
One of the biggest trends in the theater world over the past few years has been "the movical," the creation of stage musicals based on previously existing films. Spamalot found its inspiration in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast began life as animated Disney films, and the musical version of The Wedding Singer will hit theaters in May 2006. This past March, Grey Gardens, the beloved cult documentary by Albert and David Maysles, Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer, became the first nonfiction film to be given the "movical" treatment...[click here to continue reading]
Loud and Proud Rosie Perez Digs Into Her Roots in Debut Doc
...Many of the topics Perez explores in her film cannot be found in American textbooks, despite the fact that the island is technically part of the United States. Birth-control testing in Puerto Rico; the imprisonment and torture of freedom fighter Pedro Albizu Campos; the rise and fall of The Young Lords, a group of activists who fought for Nuyorican rights in New York City; and the protests against the US bombing of Vieques are just a few of the subjects she highlights....[click here to read full article]
