Author: Staff

All about Commercials

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Join your host, Troy Hayes on June 8th, 2022 for a FREE virtual workshop discussing the nitty-gritty of commercials. Troy has handled over $1,000,000,000 in client spend on commercials and will cover the following topics in this workshop:

  • How commercials get created inside agencies.
  • How commercials get approved and produced.
  • How agencies pick talent.
  • Why clients are so nervous on shoot day.
  • The difference between long format and 30 seconds.
  • Q&A

So whether you are a videographer, studio owner, agency, production house, or talent, you’ll find this workshop interesting.

Find out more here.

Monthly Live Screenwriting Workshops

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Sessions are held in an historic building on the fourth Thursday of each month. The first session is scheduled for May 26 from 6:00pm to 7:50pm and is open to the public. There is no cost to attend these workshops.
The building, which used to be a school, is run by Orange County; whom we are grateful to for donating the space. Located at 99 E Marks Street, Orlando, FL 32803, the building currently houses the Marks Street Senior Citizen Center.

Screenwriter
Screenwriting “old school”

How It Works:

  • Register for the workshop using the form below.
  • Have a pdf copy of your script pages ready (10 pages max).
  • A link to upload your pages to an online drive will be provided by email within 24 hours prior to start.
  • Everyone at the workshop will be able to read your script on their devices.
  • Script actions and headings are read by a narrator, character lines are read by an attendee as your script “comes to life”.
  • At the end of each script session, feedback and ideas for the writer are exchanged by the attendees.
  • Once the workshop is over, the link and the script pages will be removed.

This is a great way to gain helpful notes and feedback on your script so you can make those final “tweaks”.

REGISTRATION FORM

    Be sure to check our workshop page for more news on live and online workshops.

    Invitation For Filmmaker Participation

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    Fusion Fest, an Orange County program, invites local filmmakers to join the 2022 project.

    The following is an open letter to the filmmaker community:

    Dear Filmmakers,
    FusionFest, an Orange County-sponsored event, is looking for filmmakers to create 3-5 minute short videos.

    I, on behalf of FusionFest, search for people to represent 10 regions of the world, 2 from each region, to be the subject of a film.  At the very least, I need 20 filmmakers.  The more filmmakers I have the more stories I can tell.  And that is why I am reaching out to you today.

    On Friday, August 26th, we will have the filmmakers and the subjects meet.  The filmmakers arrive at 6 PM and pick a number between 1 – 20.  They then get a dossier on the person that was assigned that number.  The Dossier includes a professionally written bio, email, phone #, talents address, possibly other locations with the addresses for filming and release forms for locations and talent, and any other notes I may have about that person, At 6:30 PM the subjects enter.  We are hoping to do this in person this year, rather than zoom.  You then have that time to get to know each other and plan the shoot for 2-3 hours.

    Prior to meeting their subject, I will have prepped the subjects and ask them to bring any digital assets, pictures, videos, etc, or any memorabilia for ‘B’ role.  Is there a dish with a few ingredients that they can make to be filmed?  I tell them to prep as much as possible in advance.  Is there a market, restaurant, or another place that they go to to keep heritage alive?  How do they share that with friends and family?  I also try and get other family members involved so we get the multi-generational aspect.  Makes for a richer story. 

    The filmmakers then have 5 days to shoot and edit a 3-5 minute video.  Submission is 8/31 by 11:59 PM (ET).   Late submissions will still get shown at all screenings and be eligible for the Audience Choice Award at the Global Peace FIlm Festival,  but are not eligible for the FusionFest Grand & Student prizes.

    From there the films go on to the Global Peace Film Festival, 3rd & 4th week in September, for (2) screenings of their films.  At the end of the 2nd screening, an audience award of $100 is given to both the filmmaker and the subject of the film.

    After that, it is onto FusionFest, November 26th & 27th (Thanksgiving Weekend), the films will be shown throughout the (2) days.  On Sunday at the end of FusionFest, a grand prize of $1000 is awarded for the best overall film and $200 is awarded for the best student film.  Certificates of acknowledgment for 2nd and 3rd places for each category are given as well.

    From there we use the films to promote FusionFest throughout the year and further spread the concept of a more diverse community.   These films will also be archived in the Orange County Regional History Center for posterity.

    We have started a series of watch parties every 3rd Tuesday of the month.  We show (1) or (2) films and have the Filmmaker and Subject there for Q & A.  So many stories come out of this contest besides the films.  As the curator, it warms my heart.  WATCH PARTY

    We are now accepting applications for both filmmakers and people with stories of MYgration. Applications can be found at this link.  Click Filmmaker for Filmmakers (duh!  lol) and Share Your Story for Subjects, if you know of anyone that has a story they want to share.

    www.fusionfest.org/film

    Here is a link to the films from past years. 2019 & 2020 FF Film Contest Films

    If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me.
    I hope to see your application in my inbox.

    Warm regards,

    Lori M. Turchin
    Global Peace Film Festival Manager
    FusionFest Film Contest Curator
    Lori.GPFFManager@gmail.com
    (407)325-9822

    HOW TO BE A GREAT PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

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    Topics covered:

    • What a P.A. is. and what it isn’t
    • Why a P.A. is important on any film set
    • General safety on set

    Presented by:

    <strong>Graham Zielinski</strong>
    Graham Zielinski

    Graham Zielinski is a Cinematographer/ Director of Photography with a background in Event Videography. His Favorite movie of all time is Jurassic Park. Having begun acting as a kid, Graham moved to LA in 2011 to further study the acting process, it was there that Graham got his first chance to be a PA, experiencing what it was like to be a part of the crew, but after working both in front and behind the camera, Graham decided he wanted to be a part of the behind the camera process full time and enrolled in Full Sail University in 2014. Since graduating in 2016 with a BS in Film, Graham has worked a multitude of productions, been head of marketing at a talent agency, videographer at Reel Video & Stills, Cam Op on a Reality TV show and Director of Photography on over 20 films with further experience in Commercial, Corporate, and Event production, Graham is eager to teach what makes a GREAT Production Assistant.

    You can follow Graham Zielinski on Facebook by clicking below.

    Follow on Facebook

    The Business of Indie Filmmaking

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    The Business of Indie Filmmaking – Making the jump into the Industry. This workshop is geared towards emerging filmmakers, film students and indie short filmmakers looking to make the leap to features or series.

    Topics covered:

    • Writing a script that will sell
    • Analyzing the market
    • Structuring a pitch
    • Budgeting & Investors
    • Attaching Name talent
    • Working with Unions
    • Making a movie that makes business sense
    • Understanding distribution.

    The Organization of Independent Filmmakers invites you to attend this exciting Workshop!
    Our guest host for this workshop is Matthew Manyak. Add block

    Matthew Manyak
    Matthew Manyak

    Matthew is a full-time self-employed filmmaker, as well as a Marketing Specialist.
    Matthew is an award-winning filmmaker of 25 shorts, 3 series, 4 features and has written 14 screenplays so far in his career.
    He is looking forward to sharing with you what he wished he knew when he first started making films.

    You can follow Matthew Manyak on Facebook by clicking below.

    Follow on Facebook

    How To: Not Have To Fix It In Post

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    Workshop Overview:

    It isn’t the editor’s job to fix things – yet writers and filmmakers do things that create a world of “fix it in post.” Learn from the experience of an editor to take a few steps in the editor’s shoes and utilize the perspective of post production throughout all of development, pre-production, and production. This includes having a good grasp of various types of shots to provide the most possible coverage for the edit, and understanding how to research for a wider film vocabulary yourself, and the value of having hands-on experience as an editor for all aspects of continuity, sound, coverage, and story.

    Our Guest Host for this workshop is Spaceship, Executive Vice President of Space Dream Productions.
    Utilizing the editor’s perspective and influence early in production to save time, money, and headaches!

    Spencer "Spaceship" Shipton
    Spencer “Spaceship” Shipton

    Spaceship is the Executive Vice President of Space Dream Productions, an independent film and music production company with a focus on creating true to the world of independent art: telling stories that need to be told, and creating music that needs to be heard. Since Sept 2016, over 60 projects have moved (or are moving) through the company. 21 completed projects have received over 50 film festival acceptances internationally, received just under 70 award nominations and 24 awards, including “Best Animation,” “Best Drama: Short” “Best Short”, “Best Picture.” Both Spaceship and his partner and wife Koura Linda, have been awarded “Best Director,” for 3 different films. Spaceship has been writing, recording and releasing songs for a few years now, as well as performing at American venues on both east and west coasts (including The ASCAP Music Cafe at Sundance 2020, Johnny Cash’s Hideaway Farm, The Viper Room and, more famously, His Bedroom.)Aside from recording his own original music, he is also an Audio Curator, and contributing artist to 2 Emmy Award wins for Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s production company hitRECord. His songs “The Spaces Between” and “Of The Future” were produced for the Emmy Award-winning TV series Hit Record on TV. His work was also used in the Emmy Award-winning YouTube Original Series “Create Together” by hitRECord. Spaceship is proud to have worked with artists from all around the world on major promotional campaigns for LG and Samsung and the U.S. National Park Service (just to name a few). He directed Space Dream Productions’ short film “Tidings”, which won the 2020 Miami 48 Hour Film Project and earned a slot at Filmapalooza 2021.

    You can find out more about Space Dream Productions by clicking below.

    Visit Website

    How to Make a Great Film on a Deadline

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    How to make a great film on a deadline
    -Presented by Koura Linda

    With so many elements going in to every step of creating a film, what are the key points to check when rushing a project through from development to completion?

    In this workshop, we will cover how to make a great film on a deadline and give you an over-all understanding of the tent pole aspects that can help to make sure your film holds up.

    From story development and pre-pro to lighting, sound and wardrobe, to color-grading an how to cut your film to a time limit. Plus much more.

    The Organization of Independent Filmmakers is pleased to introduce you to our Guest Host, Koura Linda.

    Koura Linda
    Koura Linda

    Koura is the Founder and President of Space Dream Productions, an independent film and music production company with a focus on creating true to the world of independent art: telling stories that need to be told, and creating music that needs to be heard. Space Dream Productions have moved over 60 projects, have received over 50 film festival acceptances internationally and received just under 70 award nominations and 24 awards, including “Best Animation,” “Best Drama: Short” “Best Short”, “Best Picture.”  

    In her early 20s, she fell in love with the Art Department and spent the next almost decade working on set and event design, eventually getting into full production design.
    Knowing that production design entails more than just a fancy set, Koura studied acting and writing and camera and lighting, working as a day-player where she could, and even going to a 3-day rigging intensive to become a certified set rigger and later working with electric, rigging lights on concert stages across LA.
    When she wasn’t 50 feet in the air on a truss rig she’d helped build, she was studying design and make-up and wardrobe, eventually moving up to Art Director and then Production Designer for large private events, then music videos and TV shows and short films.
    With such a strong background, it was a small leap to jump over to learning more about camera, sound, and then producing and directing, releasing Space Dream Productions’ first film in August 2016.
    Recognized as a contributing artist to two Emmy Award wins through her work for open collaborative production platform, hitRECord, in August 2019, Koura was also awarded The Mico Award for Innovation, Courage, Excellence in Film in Las Vegas, for her career thus far as an Independent Filmmaker.
    Space Dream Productions’ short film “Tidings” won the 2020 Miami 48 Hour Film Project and earned a slot at Filmapalooza 2021.

    You can find out more about Space Dream Productions by clicking below.

    Visit Website


    Have knowledge to share with fellow filmmakers?

    Consider hosting a virtual workshop to and share your expertise with our arts community.Run a 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!Add block

    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.

    Holiday Meet and Greet

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    Join us on July 3, 2021
    An opportunity to meet and network with fellow filmmakers, actors, directors, composers, artists and crew members. All in a friendly social atmosphere.

    Reserve your spot. Registration required. Attendance limited to 100 people.

    Save the date.
    Check our Calendar Page for more details and the latest info.

    Lori Wilson Park. Just off the beach.

    Special Effects Make-up Basics

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    The Following Fx/Make-up Topics were covered:

    • Bruising
    • Shading
    • Cuts
    • Bloods


    Have knowledge to share with fellow filmmakers?

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

    Run a 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.

    Getting Real With Reality Shows

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    Presented by Jason Gregory

    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

    Jason on Facebook