Author: Staff

Getting Real With Reality Shows

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The Filmmaker Workshop Series

This is an archived workshop page. Workshop #8 in this series.
The virtual workshop was held on April 15, 2021 at 7:00pm.

Getting Real With Reality Shows

  • Basics of Reality Shows
  • Finding That Idea
  • Developing The Sizzle Reel
  • Developing The Pitch Deck
  • Ready To Pitch Your Show
  • Q&A Session

This Workshop Was Hosted By

Conducted by:

Amanda Valdes
Amanda Valdes

Amanda is a 24 year-old award winning Makeup artist, hairstylist, and SFX artist as well as an up-and-coming actress. She has participated in almost a dozen films as a MUA (Make Up Artist) and in 4 films as an actress. She also held several additional crew positions .

Her makeup career began while running for Miss Broward County, FL for the Miss America Organization. Amanda had been in pageants since she was a toddler, winding up on the pilot episode of “Toddler in Tiaras” with Erica Dunlap as her mentor and winning nationals at America’s Darling in Orlando. Amanda gained her make-up skills consequentially since her mother couldn’t afford a personal MUA for these pageants. She learned by watching her competitors get their makeup done. This early interest grew into a passion for more than just makeup. She quickly became enamored with the Special Effects category as she loved to go “all out” on Halloween.
Amanda later joined the Orlando Independent Filmmakers group in 2018 and was nominated for an award for her work on “As I Walk This Path of Sorrow” by Shaun Koffinas.
Amanda graduated from Valencia College (UCF), with an Associates in Arts degree, majoring in education, with a minor in math. She continues to seek projects that exhibit her work and versatility, waiting for that big break to come.

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Screenwriter

We offer periodic online workshops, courses and tips so our community members may practice, exchange experiences and improve their crafts. The workshops are FREE to anyone interested in the topics covered (registration may be required, workshops may be recorded).

Exchanging knowledge and experience is part of our our mission goal.

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Consider hosting a virtual workshop to and share your expertise with our arts community.

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Filmmaker Workshop Series

Previous Workshops (Listed from most recent to earliest. Linked titles lead to a recorded archive of the workshop).

If you or someone you know would like to share their experience with other filmmakers and artists, please reach out to us.
For Article Submissions, please visit the Submission Page.

Thank you for caring and sharing!

Workshop Series

Screenwriter

As part of our mission to help educate and inform filmmakers, we periodically offer online workshops, courses and tips so our community members may practice and improve their crafts.

Exchanging knowledge and experience is one way we help achieve our mission goals.

Be sure to visit our Calendar to view other posted events.

The Organization of Independent Filmmakers does not endorse any company, product or service mentioned on this site or mentioned by any of its users or contributing authors. The content and any opinions expressed via this site solely belong to the Contributing Authors or Hosts conveying the same and are not necessarily those of this Organization.

Navigating IMDb Awards Credits

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Director-Actor Workshop
Click on the image for a partial audio archive of this workshop

This Virtual Workshop was held on February 3, 2021

How to add your nominations/awards to your IMDb page

-presented by Robin Hofmann (Click below for the video archive)

Robin Hoffmann

Robin Hofmann<em>, </em>
Robin Hofmann,

Writer, Director and Producer.
Robin started producing content to spread awareness and highlight individuals who may not have had a voice otherwise. Robin started with an online baking show focusing on gluten free recipes and spreading awareness on a variety of disabilities. Shortly after, she began interviewing “ordinary people with extraordinary stories” on her online talk show, Chat with Me. To date, Robin has written and published three children’s books, completed a novel and written and produced four short films.

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Do You know the four C’s of Screenwriting?

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Article Submitted by Jason D. Gregory, Writer/Producer

So you want to be a screenwriter? Before you begin, ask yourself a few questions. Is it because you love what you see in films? What is it about the films? The camera angles or the directing? And what are the last scripts that you’ve read?

It’s important to understand that there are two types of screenwriters; those who write to sell scripts and those who write to direct. If you are writing to sell, then you should never include camera directions and limit parentheticals. These are reserved for the director. Once you sell the script, it becomes their world to create. Now whether you write to sell or to direct, the following should get you started in your journey.


I encounter new writers all the time that attempt to break the rules before they understand the rules. If you want screenwriting to become your career, you must respect the craft. That includes taking classes, reading books, watching videos, finding mentors in the industry and of course writing every single day! Become disciplined in your writing and commit to it every day. The difference between screenwriting becoming either a hobby or a career change lies within your attitude. If you can commit yourself to writing every day, you begin to create a habit and will learn to protect your writing time. If it is a hobby, then you will write whenever the moment hits. You should create the moment and not let the moment create you.

Maybe you are in the beginning stages of writing, have a burning idea and want quick information on how to get started. Cool. Let’s start out talking about the Four C’s.


COMMUNITY
This is WORLD CREATION. Determine what the world looks like and what the rules are. Think of the opening of Lion King. We see the safari, the animals and finally, the royal family with Simba being presented. We immediately understand the dynamics of the world and the roles of the characters. Speaking of characters…


CHARACTERS
Who are the CHARACTERS and what are their roles? Who is the protagonist? What is their backstory? Who is the antagonist and what is their backstory? The lines between good and bad are now somewhat blurred so give both redeeming qualities. Look at Walter White in Breaking Bad. When the series started, he was a good man, doing a bad thing for a good reason. By the end of the series, he became a bad man, doing a bad thing for bad reasons.

It’s also important to identify your supporting characters or mentors. Each character must have a purpose. If they don’t or they are two similar to another character, get rid of them or merge the characters into one. Each character MUST have a unique voice and purpose. In Star Wars, Obi Wan was the first mentor for Luke. Once he died, Han Solo became Luke’s next mentor. In the Matrix, Morpheus becomes Neo’s mentor and leads him down the rabbit hole. Your protagonist must always go down the rabbit hole, unfamiliar territory. A choice is made that leads your protagonist into the new world.

CONFLICTS
Once in the unfamiliar territory, the protagonist encounters internal and external conflicts. The internal conflicts come from who they were before and who they are destined to become. The eternal conflicts are from the training that they must undergo to become the new person. In the Lion King, Simba had to learn the “hakuna matata” way of life. He wasn’t used to it but eventually settles into the “no worries” life. When Nala arrives and tells him about Pride Rock, his new life is in immediate conflict with his old life and now another choice must be made.


CONCLUSIONS
Now that your protagonist has made their decision, the new world rules challenge the old ones. They’ve learned a lesson and training that allows them to challenge the old world. Maybe they are back for revenge or to right a wrong. Either way, your character must have shown a full character arc. They must be completely different from how they were in the beginning. Simba started off as an entitles lion cub prince and by the end he is prideful King, prepared to step out of his father’s shadow. Neo went from a hacker to “The One”, destined to lead humanity to freedom.

Once you have the Four C’s worked out, create a logline: a quick 1-2 sentence summary of the TV program or film. It identifies the protagonist, their need, and their conflict. It’s also used as a quick elevator pitch. If you have the opportunity to pitch a producer on your idea, please have your logline worked out. Don’t give them a full summary of your story unless they ask for more information. Most writers miss out on their opportunity because they have not perfected their logline and almost “throw up” all the information about the story. If the producer is interested, THEY WILL ask for additional information.

Once you have the logline, begin working on a treatment or outline. I like to create scene headings in my outlines so that when it is time to write the script, I just cut and paste them into my screenwriting software program. If you are a novelist or fiction writer, this is your chance to write some prose but understand that writing screenplays is very different than writing fiction. You show more than you tell, and you don’t have as much description.

After your treatment, let a fellow writer review it. Those unfamiliar with the process will just be impressed with the fact that you put an idea on paper and may not understand what feedback to give you. A fellow writer will tear it to pieces and give you honest feedback. Try to find writer’s groups to join so that you can have some sort of support system.

Now, it’s time to write the script. I mentioned screenwriting software above. Personally, I use Final Draft but for those starting out, I recommend Celtx.com. It’s a free program and is very user friendly. YOU MUST COMMIT TO LEARNING STRUCTURE AND FORMATTING. It is critical that you understand this. No producer will read your work if it is not correctly formatted no matter how good you believe it is. Our eyes are trained to catch mistakes and poorly formatted scripts prevent us from enjoying the story. Screenwriting is a very technical form of writing and you show respect for the craft by formatting the script correctly.

Finally, send it to your fellow writer once again for them to review and rip apart. It’s better that they find the holes before a potential producer does. Yes, we are artists and we’re sensitive about our sh$% but it’s time to build that tough skin and get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Jason D. Gregory
Jason D. Gregory

Jason D. Gregory received his MFA in Film Production in 2019 and is a screenwriting lecturer at the University of Central Florida. He is a working writer and producer as well as a producer with 13 Brains, an unscripted reality show production company. Their first series premiered on Netflix in February 2021.

Finally, Gregory is the president of the Orlando Urban Film Festival; a film festival dedicated to promoting and celebrating multicultural content creators. Jason is also a Board Member of the Organization of Independent Filmmakers


To contribute an article on this site, please visit: https://independentfilmmakers.org/article-submissions/

Last Days For Special Tax Break

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The CARES Act, enacted by Congress last spring, includes a special $300 deduction designed especially for people who choose to take the standard deduction, rather than itemizing.

For more information, visit: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/special-300-tax-deduction-helps-most-people-give-to-charity-this-year-even-if-they-dont-itemize

Please consider making a donation to our cause as we strive to get back on track after a year that caused pain to many. Though the Arts may be on the back burner due to the struggles many are still facing, we need the people who aspire to grow in that realm to keep going so they can inspire and entertain others with their work.

Actors and Directors Workshop

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Director-Actor Workshop
Click on the image for a partial audio archive of this workshop

This Virtual Workshop was held on September 2, 2020

Breaking Down the Boundaries: Actors and Directors

-presented by Marco DiGeorge (Click below for the audio archive)

Note: The workshop audio archive is a partial recording of the original presentation.

Marco DiGeorge has a love for teaching and the arts which has led him to the various endeavors he is involved with today, including Co-Founder and Teacher at Truthful Acting Studios, Adjunct Professor in the Film Department at UCF, one of the founding members and Artistic Director of Theater On The Edge, Producer at Doctrine Creative, and father of five.

After an amazing experience producing and directing several shows at Theater On The Edge, Marco has also recently been back on stage as an actor, portraying the unhinged and provocative radio host Barry Champlain in the acclaimed show Talk Radio.

Marco is also privileged to be working side-by-side with his amazing wife, Samantha, who is the set-designer for Theater On The Edge, and Director of Operations at Truthful Acting.

First Inter-City Challenge Begins

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Welcome to the first OIF Florida Inter-City Short Film Challenge, hosted by the Orlando Independent Filmmakers Group.

The Following 45 Scripts Have Been Selected:

SciFi

Untouchable PG-13
Brandon Rivers, Orlando
CIA Officer Brianna Jenkins and her partner Micheal Garcia have been assigned on solving the mystery behind the most infamous man in the world Robbie Norton. But soon they too will find out why he’s been called untouchable.

Kenji 2065:Return Of The Kuroi Clan PG-13
Justin Rios, Tampa
It’s 2065, in a vice city infested with crime, the mayor’s daughter has been kidnapped by a Mafia Clan called “The Kuroi Clan”.A detective who originates from that Clan, is sent to save her, forcing him to face the same brothers who he had left when he left the clan to become a cop.

SHED PG-13
David Pokk, Orlando
An estranged girlfriend must make the choice of staying in an unhealthy relationship while being beckoned by a symbol of her past, and possible future.

Melody PG
Bria Gaskin, Orlando
Amy, a marketing executive for Nano-Glamour, learns a lesson after releasing a new, futuristic beauty product.

Sky and The Inevitable PG-13
Gage Lynn, Orlando
Stellan Cooper comes home to an alarming surprise: a girl who claims she’s from the future.

The Message G
Michael Speigner, Orlando
A young scientist from another world becomes stranded while on an expedition to Earth where she brings two unlikely teens together as allies to save her from an elite military retrieval team. The message she shares has a profound impact on everyone.

Contact PG
Chris Ballinger, Orlando
A fearless young dreamer struggles to make contact with outer space while trying to find common ground with her strict father.

Hunter’s Bounty PG-13
Samantha/BrookeBurton/Fauver, Orlando
Only the strongest Hunter will come out in the end.

Betrayed PG
Dale Metz, Orlando
A young woman struggles to lead a discrete life but the agency who saved her from terminal cancer expects more.

The Social Experiment PG-13
Angeliz Bruno, Orlando
Admits the Quarantine, The government issues a virtual reality game as a means to control its society. Little do the citizens know, They are now involved in a social experiment to further control overpopulation.

Tajriba PG-13
Rex McSeaton, Orlando
A secret government agency that kidnaps people to for experiments in creating super soldiers uses an accounting firm to hide its whereabouts. When one agent wants to find out what’s really going on everything takes a bad turn.

Horror

Behind Closed Doors PG-13
Andrew Contreras, Orlando
A young man’s fears of what lies behind a closed door may be more of a horrifying reality than he ever imagined.

Grave (title is subject to change) PG-13
Xavier Galloway, Orlando
The perfect family masks a cannibalistic hunger with their mortuary business. 

Oneirophobia PG-13
Paul Usungu, Orlando
Nina suffers from oneirophobia, a fear of dreams. When she fails to take her medication on her way to vist her mother, strange things happen.

A Wrong Turn PG-13
Teo Ciltia, Orlando
A woman isn’t sure if her Uber driver is taking her to her destination or leading her to her death in this wild horror ride…. 

Ticklemonster PG
Petra Tressler, Orlando
Good Night Sleep Tight.You never know who visit you at Night. Beware cause some childhood stories just might be true.

Jailbait PG-13
Sophie Gonzalez , Orlando
A young girl arranges a meet up with a stranger. Things don’t go according to plan. 

Entrance PG
Brooks Leibee,  Orlando
After investigating his burglarized home, Alan soon discovers that he isn’t alone.

Emma PG-13
Florentina Kleiner , Orlando
When three friends play a classic board game, their sleepover turns into a deadly game of surviving the night.

Simon Says PG-13
Louie Castillo, Orlando
In an American southeastern town, a serial killer terrorizes people that do not follow the rules to a game.

One Night Only PG-13
Jarron Webster , Tampa
ONE NIGHT ONLY. A charming and charismatic man who is an expert at having one night stands, has a horrifying spiritual encounter to answer for his loveless ways. 

Mercy: Veil of Shadows PG-13
Joe Boi, Jacksonville
When a supernatural entity terrorizes a psychiatric institution, the ward’s only hope is a teenage nephilim who’s afraid of the dark. 

Kate’s Balloons G
Norma Jean Lipert, Orlando
 A woman’s Valentine’s Day birthday brings an unexpected surprise. 

Coffee & Dessert PG-13
Austin Janowsky, Tampa
Marcy just wanted coffee. She has stayed away from dessert for 2 years but a robbery makes it impossible to resist. 

Trumpets PG-13
Joshua Czerepka, Tampa
A young man with the love for his religion, looses control of his life when the world doesn’t end the way he though it would.

Bittersweet Symphony R
Kelly Weaver, Orlando
While staying at a house during a apocalyptic world where infected people known as roamers dwell a family tells a story to a little girl about the road to redemption being paved by bullets and vengeance.

BTS PG-13
Robert Laur , Orlando
An eccentric director demonstrates to a film class what horror really is! 

Blood Island G
Cleo Fox, Orlando
On Lavaka island there has been a series of mysteries disappearances . Mystic a beautiful island girl has a secret that holds the key to the strange disappearances.

Wild Flower PG-13
Elijah Bulger, Orlando
A woman and her boyfriend find an odd looking tent while on a camping trip. 

A Deadly Solution PG-13
Jenny Meether, Orlando
A girl’s date spirals out of control after a Mysterious Man interrupts the night 

The Lady PG-13
Marc Lucia, Orlando
A nosy condo resident sees a little too much.

Drama

True Luchador PG-13
Zachary Tuttle, Orlando
A  Down on his luck, a wrestling fan tries to achieve his dream by making it a reality through a competition for fifty thousand dollars. 

The Decision PG
Wade Cox, Orlando
An elderly private detective with flashbacks of his past ponders retirement while on what could be his last job.

Social Traffiking PG-13
J.P. Smith, Orlando
A lonely young woman houseboat sitting accepts a stranger’s unusual friend request. Soon she’s sending pictures and accepting money. After he pressures her for *more* then reimbursement she learns that being just friends isn’t what he’s after.
Sex trafficking isn’t just kidnappings. Courage means admitting when you need help. 

Unrequited G
Dennis Higgins, Orlando
Faldo befriends a lovely woman, but when he expresses his love for her, they grow apart.

Dancing Days PG 
Chuck Fusca, Orlando 
A father has to overcome his fear of an old bully to support his daughter at her big dance contest.

Her Ghost in the Fog PG-13
David Powers , Orlando
A broken-hearted insomniac writer falls in love with a lonely ghost.

You Lost Me At ‘I Love You’ PG
Joshua Alomar , Orlando
A couple with inter-disabled challenges deal with the dynamic of their relationship and the impact of love -or lack of love they feel for each other. Sometimes relationships aren’t always perfect and they both learn to deal with that very true fact in their own relationship. 

Unwinged PG
Matt Burgess, Orlando 
A widowed single father has second thoughts about an intended proposal, until he is visited by the spirit of his deceased wife.
 
Before I Die PG-13
Wes Imlay , Orlando
A prosecutor who has dedicated her life to justice now lies on her deathbed with a story from her past that needs to be told.
 
Like Trees PG-13
Corey Emanuel Jr., Orlando
A coping widower delivers a rooted word to guide his stepson’s next chapters. 

Genes PG-13
Robin Hofmann, Orlando
It’s not blood that makes a family. It’s love.

D is for David PG-13
Matthew Thomas, Orlando
When Jamison moves into his new home, he soon finds out that he is not the only one living there.

Welcome Home PG
Matt Scoville, Orlando
An army brat gets pulled into a ride share time loop where veterans past, present and future are driving her home to her family.

Unexpected Night PG-13
Jeanette Santos, Orlando 
Two strangers who assume their nights couldn’t get any worse, are quickly proven wrong when they find themselves facing one of the biggest problem within our society today. 

Cinematic Lighting Workshop

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The Filmmaker Workshop Series

This is an archived workshop page. Workshop #3 in this series. (Previous live Workshops were not recorded).

How to Light Your Scene for Mood

Virtual workshop was held on August 12, 2020 at 8:00pm.

How to Light Your Scene for Mood
Click on the image to view an archived video copy of the Workshop
The Filmmaker Workshop Series
This Workshop is Hosted by

Trent Duncan

Trent Duncan is an award winning Filmmaker and Navy Veteran. Graduating from Valencia’s Film Program in 2002, Trent has spent many years becoming very diverse in all the fundamental aspects of filmmaking.

Trent has held many production roles on various short and feature length films in addition to teaching filmmaking at two accredited institutions. Versed in the scifi and horror genres, Trent’s Epic Horror Battles on Youtube have tallied over 40 million views and almost 200,000 subscribers. 

Although Trent enjoys the many aspects of film production, much of his passion lies in Cinematography and Lighting.

Trent brings his years of on-set and on-the-couch movie going experience to this OIF workshop.

In the workshop, Trent will talk about the various tips, tricks, and professional ways to light your next movie scenes and achieve the desired mood you are looking for.

The Q&A session has been removed for brevity and to respect the privacy of the workshop’s participants.

Visit http://trentduncan.com/  for more on Trent’s work.

Screenwriter

As part of our mission to help educate and inform filmmakers, we periodically offer online workshops, courses and tips so our community members may practice and improve their crafts.

Exchanging knowledge and experience is one way we help achieve our mission goals.

Be sure to visit our Calendar to view other posted events.

Tax-Exempt Status Achieved

Posted on | by Staff

As of July 5, 2020, we are an officially recognized 501(c)(3) organization.

We look forward to promoting our mission and help provide activities and programs for independent filmmakers to participate in.