by DC Indie Movie Examiner.

Independent filmmakers must operate like small businesses if they want to receive funding to produce their work, federal and state production tax credits and rebates, legal protection from piracy and support from federal and local lawmakers who recognize the economic impact of film making.

This was the consensus reached by industry stakeholders, attorneys, advocates and lawmakers Thursday at an independent film summit on held Capitol Hill as a kick-off to the 2011 DC independent Film Festival in the nation’s capitol.

Read the rest of this article from Examiner.

Sign up now for your own FREE monthly subscription to “The Director’s Chair” filmmaking ezine and get the first 28 pages of my 210 page Film Directing Multi-Media Online course, “The Art and Craft of the Director Audio Seminar.”

This article was written by Jaskiran Kapoor.

“When filmmaker Onirban sat down to sort out his finances for his latest film I Am, he realised he was falling short of money. It was a bold film and not many producers were eager to invest. “That’s when I put up my film’s post on Facebook, and in no time we had money pouring in,” he says.

All donations and cheques were received via Facebook and the film was wrapped up in time. “It is one of the first films in India to be crowd-sourced,” says Onir, adding how he and his team requested users of Facebook and Twitter to be ‘co-owners’ in their venture, in the process evolving a novel model of financing movies.”

Read the rest of this article from Indian Express.

This article was written by Neal Tolani.

“I have devoted a significant part of my life’s work in support of the independent artist — independent referring not to the size of a project, its funding or subject matter; rather, to the singular vision and voice of that artist. I founded Sundance Institute 30 years ago out of the belief that it is vital to ensure that the artist’s voice remains vibrant, valued and heard in civil society at large.

It is with this in mind that I ask you to join me in bringing wider attention and broader support to a critically important case currently in play in U.S. courts.

On May 6, 2010 Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ordered filmmaker Joe Berlinger to turn over to Chevron Corporation all raw footage — some 600 hours — from the making of his documentary, Crude: The Real Price of Oil. Chevron has sued to use this footage to bolster its legal proceedings in the very same case that is the central subject of Berlinger’s film. The potential ramifications of this for the journalist community, film world and society in general are both shocking and profound.”

Read the rest of this article from USA Trends.

This article was written by Jennifer Girling.

“Doom and Gloom. That’s was the pervasive feeling at the last AFM in Santa Monica. As someone who made my small urban movies on the fringe, I never really felt the pressure as most of my mainstream counterparts. The urban genre always had a built in audience, and not just black people as you would think.

Because the African-American audience and to a large part the “Hip-Hop” generation is normally under represented as far as selections at the multi-plex, home video has always been fertile ground for black filmmakers. In fact is been something we depended on.”

Read the rest of this article from Script Shark.

This article was written by Jennifer M. Wood.

“After introducing now-iconic indies like Steven Soderbergh (Sex, Lies, and Videotape), Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs), Wes Anderson (Bottle Rocket) and Kevin Smith (Clerks) to mainstream success in the late ’80s and early ’90s, the Sundance Film Festival became the world’s greatest showcase of low-budget moviemaking. In more recent years, however, it has been criticized for being more glitz than grit, complete with celebutantes and gifting suites.”

Read the rest of this article from Moviemaker.

The Ten Commandments of Filmmaking
How to Work (and Survive) in the
Film and Television Industry
by Peter D. Marshall

This article was written by Manohla Dargis.

“Last November inside a conference room at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, a film consultant named Peter Broderick was doing his best to foment a revolution. Mr. Broderick, who helps filmmakers find their way into the marketplace, was spreading the word on an Internet-era approach to releasing movies that he believes empowers filmmakers without impoverishing them economically or emotionally.

Mr. Broderick divides distribution into the Old World and New, infusing his PowerPoint presentation with insurgent rhetoric. He has written a “declaration of independence” for filmmakers that — as he did that afternoon — he reads while wearing a tricorn hat.”

Read the rest of this article from the New York Times.

The Ten Commandments of Filmmaking
How to Work (and Survive) in the
Film and Television Industry
by Peter D. Marshall

This article was written by Ted Hope.

“Earlier this year, while looking at Atlantic Magazine’s list of Brave Thinkers across various industries, I started to wonder who are of this ilk in our sector of so-called Independent Film.

What is it to be “brave”? To me, bravery requires risk, going against the status quo, being willing to do or say what few others have done. Bravery is not a one time act but a consistent practice. Most importantly, bravery is not about self interest; bravery involves the individual acting for the community. It is both the step forward and the hand that is extended.

Frankly though, I think anyone that commits to creating film, particularly independent film, and specifically artist driven truly free film, is truly brave … or at least, insane. It is a hard road out there and growing more difficult by the day.”

Read the rest of this article from The Wrap.

The Ten Commandments of Filmmaking
How to Work (and Survive) in the
Film and Television Industry
by Peter D. Marshall

This article was written by Angelo Bell.

“Today I spent several hours doing marketing. You know, that fun stuff where you try to find a nice mix of self-promotion and information so that recipients don’t immediately tune out.

As an indie filmmaker, the team of ME, it’s important to manage these tasks as if one were in production, on set, directing. It’s tough, and tedious — it can even be boring if one repeats the same mundane tasks over and over again.  But when a filmmaker is in the process of assembling a team he/she do everything he possible can on his/her own. This is particularly true when money (i.e. the budget) is almost nonexistent.

Most people don’t know this about me but I come from a long and deep history working for public relations companies. Porter Novelli. Ketchum. Dennis Davidson. Fischer & Partners. I know the value of PR. This history is joined with my experience with the Internet and social media (mixed with a dash of SEO). I’ve always written my own press releases. I’ve always sought after new and inventive ways to promote the work I’ve completed.”

Read the rest of this article from 1001 Positively True Stories of an Indie Filmmaker.

———-

Sign up now for your own FREE monthly subscription to “The Director’s Chair” filmmaking ezine and get: (1) Day One of my 201 page mutli-media Online film directing audio course, “The Art and Craft of the Director Audio Seminar” and (2) the first 24 pages (plus mp3 audio) of my 137 page “Script Breakdown and Film Scheduling Online Course For Independent Filmmakers.”

———

This email came from a subscriber to my monthly filmmaking ezine, “The Director’s Chair“.

=====

Hi Everyone!

This is just a quick update on my latest project.

(I apologize if you get more than one of these!  Also, if you do not want me to email you, in general, kindly let me know.  It is not my intention to spam or bother anyone.)

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!

Please see page: http://wordpress.quintessentialstudios.net/?p=255 for more info.

Also, follow http://twitter.com/IFotIE for the latest updates on the group.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/quintessential

Meetup: 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
___________________

This article was written by David Basulto.

“You may have enjoyed famous independent films such as “The Blair Witch Project” or “Juno” and, while you may or may not have realized these films were not produced by major film production studios, perhaps you dreamed of making a great film yourself some day.  These days, there are more opportunities to become an independent filmmaker than ever before.

In the early 1900s, the major studios dominated filmmaking, as making movies was a relatively new idea using new technology and naturally, it took a lot of money to produce films.  Studios such as 20th Century Fox, Paramount and Warner Bros. are the three major film studios with the longest history from the Golden Age of filmmaking to today’s environment full of smaller studios to compete with the big boys.  Also, independent films are popping up all the time made by studio’s nobody in the industry even knew existed.”

Read this article from Film School on Demand.

———-

Sign up now for your own FREE monthly subscription to “The Director’s Chair” filmmaking ezine and get: (1) Day One of my 201 page mutli-media Online film directing audio course, “The Art and Craft of the Director Audio Seminar” and (2) the first 24 pages (plus mp3 audio) of my 137 page “Script Breakdown and Film Scheduling Online Course For Independent Filmmakers.”

———